The Buffalo News reported today that Colgan Air says the probable cause of February’s fatal crash in Clarence Center that claimed 50 lives was the pilots’ “loss of situational awareness and failure to follow Colgan Air training and procedures, which led to a loss of control of the aircraft.” The regional airline company, in a 66-page report to the National Transportation Safety Board, also cited as contributing to the crash the lack of low-speed warnings in the cockpit instrument panel on the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 turboprop. It was also reported that the pilots union said a combination of factors caused the crash. The union cited Colgan for failing to adequately prepare the pilots for the conditions that faced them Feb. 12, when the aircraft went into an aerodynamic stall and spun out of control. The two reports were submitted Dec. 7 as the board continues to investigate the cause of the turboprop crash.
GAO reports violating truck and bus companies stay on the road
July 31, 2009
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of tractor-trailer and bus companies ordered to shut down because of federal safety violations ranging from suspended licenses to possible drug use have stayed on the road by using different names, investigators say.