Slaughter Says Airline Safety Bill Will Make Flights “Safer for all of us”

WASHINGTON – Rep. Louise Slaughter, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Rules, said today that today’s passage of H.R. 3371, the Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, will improve passenger and crew safety. She applauded key provisions that establish pilot mentoring programs, combat pilot fatigue, create a Pilot Records Database, and places new requirements on the FAA to ensure that pilots are properly trained and update Congress annually on the number and experience level of safety inspectors assigned to regional airlines.

The bill includes Slaughter’s provision requesting the Government Accountability Office to issue a study examining current pilot academic training requirements compared to flight education provided by accredited two- and four-year universities and foreign academic requirements; FAA’s oversight of flight schools, and student loan options available to student pilots.   

H.R. 3371 incorporates the lessons learned from Continental Connection Flight 3407 which crashed just outside of Buffalo, NY claiming the lives of 50 people on February 12, 2009. Congresswoman Slaughter represents Rochester, Niagara Falls and the East Side of the City of Buffalo. She is an original cosponsor of Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, H.R. 3371.

Her statement made today on the House floor is available HERE and included below.

“Nothing in the bill before us can do anything to bring back the lives that were lost on that cold night in Buffalo back in February, when Colgan Air Flight 3407 fell to the ground and exploded into fire.

“But I am happy to stand here because the House is moving forward today with legislation that I believe includes a strong new set of guidelines for improving passenger and crew safety.

“The Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009 will mean safer flights for all of us. As we learned during the NTSB hearings into this issue over the summer, there are far too many pilots flying regional planes who are overextended, undertrained or exhausted.

“This bill establishes comprehensive pre-employment screening for prospective pilots, and requires airlines to establish pilot mentoring programs so that highly experienced pilots can mentor more junior pilots. It also sets up a new task force to review pilot training and air safety issues.

“In addition, there are new mandates in the bill that grew out of the NTSB safety hearings from earlier this year. The bill requires the FAA to ensure that pilots are trained on stall recovery and upset recovery. It also mandates that the FAA convene a multidisciplinary panel on pilot training for stick pusher operations, and then take action to implement the recommendations of the panel.

“There is also a section in this bill to create a new Pilot Records Database, within 90 days, to provide airlines with fast, electronic access to a pilot’s comprehensive record. This information will include pilot’s licenses, aircraft ratings, check rides, ‘Notices of Disapproval’ and other flight proficiency tests.

“Finally, the bill requires that the Secretary of Transportation provide an annual report to Congress on what the agency is doing to address each open NTSB recommendation pertaining to small air carriers, like Colgan.

“As we learned, fatigue was likely one of the chief causes of the Buffalo crash. Anyone can tell you that it’s unsafe to operate a plane 4 or 5 days a week for 14 to 16 hours at a time. That’s a recipe for disaster and must end.

“So this bill addresses that problem by asking the FAA to update and implement a new pilot flight and duty time rule and fatigue risk management plan to more adequately track scientific research in the field of fatigue.

“There is also a requirement that all air carriers, within 90 days, create fatigue risk management systems approved by FAA to proactively mitigate pilot fatigue. And one of the provisions that I pushed hardest for is also in this bill – that is, a requirement saying there must be a study on the impact of pilot commuting on fatigue.

“This bill requires that the Department of Transportation Inspector General study and report to Congress on the number and experience level of safety inspectors assigned to regional airlines. It also eliminates confusion over which airline is actually running the flight. To help with that, there is a new requirement saying that the website selling the tickets must disclose to the purchaser of each ticket the air carrier that operates each segment of the flight.

“Now I realize there is some concern among families that the training requirements could have gone further. I agree – we can and should do as much as we can to insure that passengers are always safe. But in this case I think the overall reach of the legislation is good. I support it and am proud to vote for it today.”

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