• The Honorable Deborah A.P. Hersman

  Chairman

  National Transportation Safety Board

Majority Statement

• Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

  U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
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  Majority Statement

  Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

  WASHINGTON, D.C.— Just over a year ago, the tragic crash of Flight 3407 in Buffalo, New York took the lives of 50 people.

  The facts that have emerged over the last 12 months about this crash raise several serious concerns about the safety of regional air carriers and the commercial airline industry.

  It is clear from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that we need to take serious, urgent steps to improve pilot training, address flight crew fatigue, and reform air carrier employment practices. The travelling public’s safety is at stake.

  Over the past year, this Subcommittee has held eight hearings on aviation safety and I want to commend Senator Dorgan’s tremendous commitment to keeping these issues front and center. His work has been critical to several provisions added to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, S. 1451, focused specifically on increasing the level of safety in the commercial airline industry.

  The Committee’s work has also prompted the FAA to initiate a number of key efforts to improve aviation safety. The agency’s work has led several air carriers to make voluntary commitments to implement important safety measures. The FAA has also committed to issuing new regulations on flight and duty time limitations in the coming months.

  Despite this important progress, our work is far from complete. We must pass the FAA reauthorization bill as soon as possible to make certain the agency has the direction and the resources it needs to fulfill its safety oversight responsibilities.

  The Senate reauthorization bill will also accelerate FAA modernization and this effort cannot be understated. The NextGen program will dramatically improve aviation safety by transforming the current air traffic control system to a digital, satellite-based system providing pilots and air traffic controllers much more precise situational awareness and weather information. We cannot allow America to fall behind.

  I want to thank today’s witnesses. I look forward to their testimony. We must continue to work together and remain vigilant in our commitment to making certain our air transportation system is as safe as possible.

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Minority Statement

• Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

  U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
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  Minority Statement

  Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

  STATEMENT OF SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON,

  RANKING MEMBER

  COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATIONSubCOMMITTEE HEARING on aviation safety:

  One year after the crash of flight 3407
  FEBRUARY 25, 2010

   

  Senator Dorgan, thank you for holding this series of hearings on regional airline safety.  A year later, the lessons of the Colgan Flight 3407 accident in Buffalo still weigh heavy on our nation.

  Let me begin by mentioning the tragic aviation incident that occurred last week in Austin, Texas.  I think we all would like to send our thoughts and prayers to those affected by that terrible event.  While the Austin incident was not an aviation “accident,” the psychological effect of any aviation event like it can scar a community for several years.  We were ultimately fortunate that more were not injured and I would like to personally thank all the first responders for their tremendous work.

  While certainly different aviation related events, the residents of Austin, like those in Buffalo with family members aboard Flight 3407, have a heavy burden to carry.  I applaud the continued activism of the family members of Flight 3407 in support of improving aviation safety and I look forward to seeing a number of needed improvements to soon come to fruition.  I believe we put together a very sound aviation safety proposal in our committee reported FAA reauthorization bill based on the information provided in our previous hearings on this topic.

  While I continue to have great confidence in the safety of our aviation system, it is obvious there is still room for improvement.  Despite the remarkable safety record of the U.S. aviation industry, the tragic accident of Flight 3407 reminds us we must remain vigilant and aggressively work to improve upon our safety systems, especially in areas that have long challenged the industry such as fatigue, pilot training, quality of pilot experience, commuting, and professional responsibility.    

  The NTSB’s accident report on the Colgan Flight 3407 accident has provided a good roadmap for improving our system in these difficult to manage areas.  I also applaud the FAA for its “Call to Action Plan,” and I am hopeful the agency can move quickly to revise and implement new flight and duty time rules for pilots.  However, it is important the FAA heed the Department of Transportation Inspector General’s concerns regarding the implementation of new crew rest and training rules.  The FAA has put forth an aggressive agenda for which it should be commended, but they need to effectively implement and meet milestones set regarding those safety initiatives.
  
  Thank you, Senator Dorgan; I look forward to the testimony.

Testimony

• The Honorable Deborah A.P. Hersman

  Chairman

  National Transportation Safety Board
  Download Testimony (2.40 MB)

• Ms. Peggy Gilligan

  Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety

  Federal Aviation Administration
  Download Testimony (21.58 KB)