Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Law Firm

Pilot Error Caused Crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 and Death of 50 People

In a report released today, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed the results of the agency's investigation into the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 nearly a year ago on February 12, 2009.

The regional airline, operating as Continental Connection flight 3407 from Newark, NJ to Buffalo, NY, crashed into a residence in Clarence Center, NY, about five miles northeast of Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. Two pilots, two flight attendants, 45 passengers and one person on the ground died in the accident.

The NTSB report ruled out mechanical failure and weather conditions such as icing, instead citing a series of pilot errors as cause of the crash. The first of which occurred before the plane even left Newark.

The agency found that the probable cause of the accident was the captain's inappropriate response to the activation of the stick shaker as the low speed warning system activated when the plane slowed on approach to Buffalo, which led to an aerodynamic stall from which the airplane did not recover. The NTSB said captain, Marvin Renslow, 47, reacted as if he were "startled and confused."

Contributing to the cause of the accident were the pilots' failure to recognize the position of the low-speed cue on their flight displays, which indicated that the stick shaker was about to activate, and their failure to adhere to sterile cockpit procedures. Other contributing factors were the captain's failure to effectively manage the flight and Colgan Air's inadequate procedures for airspeed selection and management during approaches in icing conditions.

Read the entire National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report here http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2010/AAR1001.htm

If you or a family member has suffered an injury or died while a passenger or employee on a mass transit bus, train or plane, call Napoli Bern Ripka, LLP today at 888-529-4669. You may be entitled to compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, present/future disability or loss of financial support. Only an experienced attorney can help you determine if your claim has merit and, if so, how much you could recover. Do not discuss your case without having an experienced legal representative to advise you.