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NTSB Orders Pinnacle
Airlines Turn Over Emails On Pilots In The Colgan Air Crash By Jim Douglas |
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November 13, 2011 - In 2009, a Colgan Air Bombardier
operating as Continental Connection crashed on an
instrument approach to Buffalo Niagara International
Airport, Buffalo, New York all 47 people onboard were
killed. The NTSB investigated the crash and had issued
its report. The investigation was a lengthy process
which included testimony, revue of the company’s
records, etc.
Family members of the deceased filed civil law suits against Colgan Air and Continental Airlines for wrongful death. The attorneys for the families learned that Pinnacle Airlines the parent company of Colgan Air had emails that indicated airline officials had doubts about the captain's flying skills. This information had never been turned over to the NTSB during its investigation. |
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National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman said in a statement on Thursday that the NTSB had learned two weeks ago that Pinnacle Airlines had withheld this information and ordered the airline to release this information. Hersman said “We were disappointed to learn of internal documents released by Pinnacle Airlines parent company of Colgan Air, that were not provided to the NTSB during the course of our investigation into the February 12, 2009, crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407. "The
NTSB investigation began immediately after the crash and
concluded with a public meeting on February 2, 2010. Today, in a
letter to Pinnacle Airlines Corp., the NTSB requested that the
company make available any and all information regarding the
training and technical qualifications of the Captain and First
Officer on-board Flight 3407.
“While the
content of the newly released email exchanges appears to be
consistent with information our investigators learned through
other means during the course of the investigation, it is
critical that the factual record of this accident be complete.
The previously undisclosed documents do not appear to give
reason for reconsideration of the NTSB's final report and
probable cause determination”.
On
February 12, 2009, about 10:17 PM, a Colgan Air Bombardier
DHC-8-400, N200WQ, operating as Continental Connection flight
3407, was on an instrument approach to Buffalo Niagara
International Airport, Buffalo, New York, when it crashed into a
residence in Clarence Center, New York, about 5 nautical miles
northeast of the airport. The 2 pilots, 2 flight attendants, and
45 passengers aboard the airplane were killed, one person on the
ground was killed, and the airplane was destroyed by impact
forces and a postcrash fire. |