Max Powers
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Safety Board Cites Pilot Fatigue
In 2007 Pinnacle Airlines Accident
[FONT=times new roman,times,serif][FONT=times new roman,times,serif]By ANDY PASZTOR
June 10, 2008 2:26 p.m.[/FONT]
[/FONT]
LOS ANGELES – Federal investigators highlighted crew fatigue as a major factor in the nonfatal crash of a Pinnacle Airlines commuter jet that slid off the end of a snowy runway in Traverse City, Mich., in April 2007.
During a National Transportation Safety Board hearing in Washington, D.C., members and staff repeatedly cited the captain's fatigue in explaining the sequence of events that ended with the Bombardier jet landing in deteriorating weather conditions, despite reports that the runway was slick and aircraft brakes would be ineffective.
Associated Press No injuries were reported among the 46 passengers and three crewmembers on Pinnacle Airlines jet, en route to Traverse City from Minneapolis, which slid about 50 feet off the runway. Ken Egge, a senior board investigator, said the crew "really shouldn't have been in that position" and instead should have opted to land somewhere else. Bill English, another board investigator, told the public meeting that the crew failed to realize that "the safety margins that we expect to have in passenger operations" simply "wouldn't have existed" due to the adverse weather.
Despite an experienced captain with knowledge of winter flying, the crew failed to carefully monitor changing weather conditions during the flight and then landed slightly farther down the runway than normal. The plane was substantially damaged, but none of the 49 passengers and three crew members were injured. The flight was operated in conjunction with Northwest Airlines.
Malcolm Brenner, a fatigue and human-factors expert on the board's staff, said the captain wasn't "attending to" flight duties or monitoring weather issues "with the full attention" of a pilot of his experience and training. "We believe the captain was impaired by fatigue." The board hasn't concluded, however, that the crew's schedule that day violated current FAA limits on consecutive flying hours or a maximum workday.
The safety board is expected to adopt recommendations urging the Federal Aviation Administration to take action to ensure that flying schedules give cockpit crews adequate rest. The board has investigated a number of commuter accidents and incidents in recent years. Board members have said that commuter pilots may face particularly strong economic or management pressures to fly long hours and attempt to land in difficult weather conditions.
With the FAA's basic fatigue-prevention rules at least three decades old, the safety board wants airlines and the FAA to implement updated fatigue-management systems that would be more flexible and better able to deal with changes in flying patterns and industry conditions. Board Chairman Mark Rosenker said it is essential for the FAA to enact regulatory changes "to prevent the kinds of things we've been seeing" with the Pinnacle Airlines accident and other recent crashes.
In 2007 Pinnacle Airlines Accident
[FONT=times new roman,times,serif][FONT=times new roman,times,serif]By ANDY PASZTOR
June 10, 2008 2:26 p.m.[/FONT]
[/FONT]
LOS ANGELES – Federal investigators highlighted crew fatigue as a major factor in the nonfatal crash of a Pinnacle Airlines commuter jet that slid off the end of a snowy runway in Traverse City, Mich., in April 2007.
During a National Transportation Safety Board hearing in Washington, D.C., members and staff repeatedly cited the captain's fatigue in explaining the sequence of events that ended with the Bombardier jet landing in deteriorating weather conditions, despite reports that the runway was slick and aircraft brakes would be ineffective.
Despite an experienced captain with knowledge of winter flying, the crew failed to carefully monitor changing weather conditions during the flight and then landed slightly farther down the runway than normal. The plane was substantially damaged, but none of the 49 passengers and three crew members were injured. The flight was operated in conjunction with Northwest Airlines.
Malcolm Brenner, a fatigue and human-factors expert on the board's staff, said the captain wasn't "attending to" flight duties or monitoring weather issues "with the full attention" of a pilot of his experience and training. "We believe the captain was impaired by fatigue." The board hasn't concluded, however, that the crew's schedule that day violated current FAA limits on consecutive flying hours or a maximum workday.
The safety board is expected to adopt recommendations urging the Federal Aviation Administration to take action to ensure that flying schedules give cockpit crews adequate rest. The board has investigated a number of commuter accidents and incidents in recent years. Board members have said that commuter pilots may face particularly strong economic or management pressures to fly long hours and attempt to land in difficult weather conditions.
With the FAA's basic fatigue-prevention rules at least three decades old, the safety board wants airlines and the FAA to implement updated fatigue-management systems that would be more flexible and better able to deal with changes in flying patterns and industry conditions. Board Chairman Mark Rosenker said it is essential for the FAA to enact regulatory changes "to prevent the kinds of things we've been seeing" with the Pinnacle Airlines accident and other recent crashes.
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