Colgan Air Flight 3407 Nex1
Colgan Air Flight 3407
Connor Nex
AVSC 1010
1 May 2018
Colgan Air Flight 3407 Nex2
Controlled Flight Into Terrain
Colgan Air Flight 3407
“On February 12, 2009, about 2217 eastern standard time, a Colgan Air, Inc., Bombardier
DHC-8-400, N200WQ, operating as Continental Connection flight 3407, was on an instrument
approach to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, Buffalo, New York, when it crashed into a
residence in Clarence Center, New York, about 5 nautical miles northeast of the airport. The 2
pilots, 2 flight attendants, and 45 passengers aboard the airplane were killed, one person on the
ground was killed, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The
flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121. Night
visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident” (NTSB). On the night of
the accident there were many things wrong, leading up to the crash. The first officer noted of not
feeling well, and the stick shaker activating alerting the pilots that they were too slow while on
final approach. There is a lot to be said about the crew of Colgan Air Flight 3407. For example,
“The captain of that Colgan flight had those other issues as well. He had, over time, failed four
FAA check rides for a certificate or rating and had three unsatisfactory airline check events.
Nobody is perfect and anybody can have a bad day and perform poorly on a check ride but seven
times and you become a captain” (Collins Richard). There are many factors that lead into perfect
arrival times for airlines, and considering pilots are faced with often commuting it results in a
tiresome day, “The crew this night was at a significant disadvantage. Both were tired. The first
officer had made that long Seattle-Newark trek and she had told the captain that she didn’t feel
well. The captain hadn’t had normal rest, either, and the time of the accident was at about his
normal bedtime.” The Crew of this flight faced odds that would result in the death of many.
Colgan Air Flight 3407 Nex3
Pilot Judgement
Colgan Air Flight 3407
When holding a Professional job like an airline pilot, you are given very many responsibilities.
Every crew member is held accountable for their actions and acting in a dangerous or unsafe way
has proven to be very catastrophic. As we look deeper into the Pilots on Colgan Air Flight 3407
we discover many factors that would lead to the devastating outcome. Experience and pilot
judgement is key when it comes to becoming an airline Captain, holding the final authority to
safely conduct a flight. There is a lot to be said about the Captain of this flight, “When you look
at the captain of the Q400 it becomes clear that this was not pilot error, it was system error.
There is simply no system in place to weed out the weaker pilots. Aviation may be unique in that
a person can try and try again as many times as it takes to pass the test. That might be okay for
most pilots but not for airline captains. The public expects and deserves the best there. The FAA
and the airlines need to develop a system that ensures that” (Collins Rachard). The pilots
previous experience had been there but his overall safety and awareness had lacked, and that
would end up costing him his life and his job. Now looking deeper into what caused the two
experienced pilots to allow something so simple to happen. While on the ILS approach, the
autopilot disconnects and the stick shaker activates alerting the pilots that the plane is to slow
and near stalling speed. Shortly the Captain realizes, grabbing the yoke and for some odd reason
pitching 19 degrees nose up, “ The moment the autopilot disconnected, the captain reacted by
pulling back on the control yoke ” (Garrison). Having said that the first officer, watched, not
questioning the actions of the captain, and that result would be deemed as poor pilot judgement
and it would result in the death of every person on board the aircraft.
Colgan Air Flight 3407 Nex4
Investigation/ Time Requirements
Colgan Air Flight 3407
The National Transportation Safety Board is responsible for investigating and determining the
causes of accidents. After reading through the report and investigation of Colgan Air Flight 3407
I have came to many conclusions about the crash. While the captain lived in Florida, and the first
officer, living in Seattle, both faced a very long commute, being based out of Newark in New
York. Long commute and tiring days lead to fatigued pilots and the NTSB realizes the severity
of th system. As stated in the report, “During the previous 14 months, the first officer lived in
Phoenix (when hired by the company), then expected to be based in Houston before being sent to
Norfolk, Virginia and then at the time of the accident, was based in Newark, New Jersey but
lived in Seattle, Washington. Flight crew salaries are also problematic” (NTSB). Most people
don't realize but when your pilot is getting ready to fly you, he has probably already traveled
over 1000 miles and commuted to work, thus increasing the possibility of Fatigue. The Colgan
Air Crash stunned the media and led to a new bill requiring crewmembers to have a much higher
number of hours. “ The Colgan crash led to a re-examination of entry-level requirements for U.S.
airline pilots, resulting in the passage of the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration
Extension Act of 2010. Among other measures, the bill instructed the FAA to increase the
minimum number of flight-training hours for commercial pilots from 250 hours to 1,500 hours.
The rule took effect in 2013” (Silk Robert). The main causes of this accident can be related back
to cockpit distraction, fatigue, commuting time, and overall unawareness in the cockpit. The
pilots of Colgan Air Flight 3407 paid the price for being irresponsible in the cockpit, and caused
a shortage in the industry, hurting all pilots, and airlines due to the 1500 Hour ATP certificate.
Colgan Air Flight 3407 Nex5
Reference Page
NTSB. “Loss of Control on Approach Colgan Air, Inc.”
Ntsb.gov/Investigations/Accidentreports/Reports/AAR1001.Pdf , 12 Feb. 2009,
www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR1001.pdf.
Collins, Richard. “A Double Tragedy: Colgan Air Flight 3407.” Air Facts Journal , 28 Mar.
2014, airfactsjournal.com/2014/03/double-tragedy-colgan-air-flight-3407/.
Garrison, Peter. “Aftermath: The Mystery of Colgan 3407.” Flying Magazine , 27 Mar. 2018,
www.flyingmag.com/safety/accident-investigations/aftermath-mystery-colgan-3407 .
Silk, Robert. “How the 1,500-Hour Rule Created a Pilot Shortage: Travel Weekly.” Travel
Weekly- The Travel Industry's Trusted Voice , 18 Aug. 2017,
www.travelweekly.com/Robert-Silk/How-1500-hour-rule-created-pilot-shortage.