The family and friends of those who were killed in last year’s crash outside of Buffalo, N.Y., have finally seen the bill they lobbied for become law.
On Sunday President Obama signed an aviation safety bill that has been the cause celeb for the families of Continental Flight 3407, a commuter flight that ended with death for 50 people on Feb. 12, 2009. That crash was the result of pilot error, according to federal investigators.
http://www.buffalonews.com/city/capital-connection/article88123.ece
The new law that the Federal Aviation Administration must abide by and enforce applies to all airlines, and it aims to prevent accidents similar to that of Flight 3407 from taking place in the future.
One of its provisions mandates that pilots now have 1,500 of flight time before they can be hired as co-pilots, versus the former 250 hours.
The new law also establishes a pilot database that will allow airlines to check how many times a pilot candidate has flunked flight tests. The pilot of Flight 3407, Capt. Marvin Renslow, had failed numerous tests.
The law also calls for the FAA to come up with tougher regulations regarding pilot fatigue, and for the agency to draft new rules regarding pilot qualifications.