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Updated: 8:59 PM Jul 7, 2010
NEW INFO: Plane Crash Victims Group Pushes for FAA Bill in Charleston
Relatives of victims of a 2009 airline crash in upstate New York are coming to West Virginia to show their support for a Federal Aviation Administration funding bill in Congress.
Posted: 8:42 PM Jul 7, 2010Reporter: Jessica Ralston; The Associated Press Email Address: jessica.ralston@wsaz.com |
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UPDATE 7/7/10 @ 9 p.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Fatigue, pilot error, failed background checks -- families call those a deadly mix when it comes to the laws regulating regional airlines and the pilots who fly their planes.
On Wednesday, those who lost loved ones in the deadly crash of Continental Airlines Flight 3407 traveled to Charleston to fight for change. Operated by the regional carrier Colgan Air, the flight went down in a Buffalo, N.Y., neighborhood and claimed the lives of 49 people aboard and one person on the ground.
Families who traveled to Charleston used words such as "preventable," "horrible," and "(losing) a big portion of our life" to describe the February 2009 crash.
Albert Stevenson is from Wheeling, W.Va. He lost both of his sisters, his brother-in-law and his nephew on Continental Flight 3407.
Stevenson and other families affected by the crash were in Charleston, calling on U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., to support a Federal Aviation Administration funding bill in Congress. It would mean major safety changes, specifically for regional carriers. Among them would be closer scrutiny of pilots’ qualifications, training and flight crew fatigue.
Capt. Marvin Renslow was the co-pilot of the fatal flight in Buffalo. Earlier in his career, Renslow spent three months flying out of Yeager Airport in Charleston to earn his required hours.
After his plane crashed, Renslow and First Officer Rebecca Shaw came under heavy scrutiny -- both accused of being improperly trained and unprepared to handle a flight emergency.
The families chose to rally in West Virginia because passengers there are mostly served by regional airlines. Rockefeller is in a key position to get the final version of the bill passed.
We also spoke with Rick Atkinson from Yeager Airport. He says he has full confidence in regional airlines because there are strict safety guidelines in place that protect passengers and the flight crew. Atkinson added, though, that the regulations need to be adjusted because the industry has changed since they were originally put in place.
ORIGINAL STORY 7/7/10
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Relatives of victims of a 2009 airline crash in upstate New York are coming to West Virginia to show their support for a Federal Aviation Administration funding bill in Congress.
Families of Continental Flight 3407 is pushing for passage of a compromise version of the bill. The U.S. House and Senate have passed separate versions.
The victims group has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday afternoon in Charleston.
Among other things, the Senate version addresses a series of safety concerns raised by the crash of a regional airliner last year near Buffalo that killed 50 people.
West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller is a key sponsor of the bill.
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