Global_Observer

A team of investigators has been assigned to investigate an accident that has caused a deadly airplane incident. The event occurred in Buffalo, New York, due to a chain of errors. From the accident, a debate has arisen between pilots and aviation safety specialists. Colgan Air Inc. has begun to address fatigue faced by pilots during their duties. Pilots were careless and had ignored the safety rules. This rule breaking was identified as contributing factors from which the National Transportation Association (NTA) used to prove causes for the death of fifty passengers in the Colgan incident. In 2007, Colgan Air announced that they had reformed their safety and security procedures. Subsequently, the company is trying to develop its employee relations to improve the company’s operations. The author of the article said the pilots agree with the critics and experts, stating that the airline companies usually get what they want, especially in relevant cases similar to the Colgan air disaster. The company naturally requires their pilots to work maximum hours, which are more than they are capable of undertaking. At the same time, it frowns upon employees who complain about the lack of the safety procedures. During the investigators' discussion, they condemned Colgan`s managers for their insistence on punishing the pilots for complaints of fatigue. Furthermore, they use strict rules in order to force the pilots to work harder than they are capable of. After a few months, since the company adopted a strategy that states “No questions” and pilots should stick to their schedules, it became more severe towards the end of December. They wrote a memo to their pilots that said, “Fatigue calls are now the majority.” Management of Colgan air thought that this will affect their target to provide a service with compatible prices. Colgan's air had mentioned that they will not accept all this request of time off. The airline had been reviewing their policy about fatigue. They restored some parts of their policy which pilots believe are less restrictive. However, these rules are not clear and do not provide a time frame to when the new rules will be applied. A Colgan spokesman said about the fatigue issues “we are not looking to punish people” (Pasztor & Carey, 2010). In addition, Joe Williams said we are trying to help understanding the reasons behind calling fatigue and scheduling adjustments or which can relive the issue. Moreover, some pilots and safety experts said that the issue of fatigue still has not resolved or partially resolve because part of issue depends on management. Management even though not taking step further to setup their head point considering fatigue complaints. On the other hand, pilots have noticed other companies; have found more than one way to deal with the fatigue issues, without penalizing their staff. Some airlines don’t punish the pilot’s who ask about a rest because of fatigue, but they arrange the pilot’s schedule to be more comfortable to him. Therefore, the pilot will have time to get the rest and to take a flight. Colgan has a fleet of 48 planes which serves 53 destinations. The accident of flight 3407 happened last year during bad weather. Next summer, Colgan will receive around 15 Bombardier Q400. It will set the safety standards in the new airplanes as requirements. The company set new rules to accept the pilot, such as, at least 1000 previous flying hours of experience and 3250 hours for the captain. The requirement became more difficult after the accident. Later this month, the company will phase in twice-yearly proficiency checks for all co-pilots, something Colgan says no other U.S. airline is doing. Also, it will restructure the management. Nowadays, the company and its pilot have agreed to download information from flight-data recorders without punishing the pilots involved. A spokesmen said, “The management will be restructured, and the head-quarter will move from Manassas, VA to Memphis, Tenn. That changing is intended for a benefit of getting everyone together for better decision making and communications.” (Pasztor & Carey, 2010) A senior Colgan official said,” We can concentrate on solely on safe, reliable operations.”Mark Segaloff. (Pasztor & Carey, 2010) Who is chairman of the local pilot union said,” management team has been in a transformational state.” (Pasztor & Carey, 2010) Although the tension between the management and the pilots, some of the company pilot gave Colgan's marks for development training and ensuring that two inexperienced pilots aren’t assigned to the same flight. There is no misconception, a safety report said, over the fact that Capt. Marvin allowed the engine turboprops speed, to drop dangerously low while approaching the airport, and then failed to react properly to warnings of an impending stall. Analysis The article talked about the Colgan case that led to death of the fifty passengers. In addition, the article discussed a debate has arisen between pilots and aviation safety specialists. The most important factor has been discussed is fatigue, pilots tried to blame Colgan air management by forcing their employee’s to work maximum hours. On the other hand, Colgan’s management reviewed their aspect of safety which has impacted on relations between their employees. Personally I found this article to be informative as it provided arguments from both the company and the employees, as well as an outside opinion being the NTA.