Pilot Training Faulted in Buffalo Crash

Flight 3407 transcript released ahead of public hearing

(AP) - Just seconds before the worst US air crash in more than 7 years, the pilot exclaimed "Jesus Christ" and moments later his first officer screamed as Flight 3407 plunged to the ground. A cockpit voice-recorder transcript released today shows that only minutes before the Feb. 12 crash outside Buffalo, Captain Marvin Renslow and First Officer Rebecca Shaw chatted about her career and shared their fear of flying in icy weather. More»

Their training, experience is under scrutiny

(NEWSER) - Pilot error, not icing, appears to have caused the Continental Airlines crash in Buffalo that killed 50 people Feb. 12, an investigation report released today states. When a warning device alerted pilots they were flying too slowly, they pulled the plane’s nose up—rather than down, as pilots are trained to do—and disrupted airflow above the wings, reports USA Today. More»

(NEWSER) - Add this to the mix in the Buffalo plane crash: Southwest Airlines warned its pilots just weeks ago about a landing glitch involving the same runway the Continental flight was destined for, CNN reports. It seems an earthen dam near the runway interferes with signals in a so-called instruments landing, used during low visibility. The glitch could cause a plane's nose to pitch upward, generally consistent with the Buffalo circumstances. More»

Investigation insiders say pilot commands, not ice, sent plane into deadly dive

(NEWSER) - Early examination of the evidence has led investigators to believe that pilot error rather than a buildup of ice was to blame for the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407, sources tell the Wall Street Journal. Investigative insiders believe the captain incorrectly pulled back on the controls as the aircraft slowed to an unsafe speed, and sent the plane into its fatal dive, according to the sources. More»

NTSB investigators probing de-icing system, flying conditions

(NEWSER) - Crews are working to shift the wreckage of Continental Connection Flight 3407 from the crash site before a snowstorm hits, the Buffalo News reports. Half the wreckage has already been removed and five of the plane's six de-icing valves have been recovered. Investigators hope to determine whether the de-icing system, which had been activated, was working properly. More»