Latest news with #MarilynKausner
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Families of Flight 3407 say meeting with Sean Duffy was ‘encouraging'
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The families of Flight 3407 were in Washington on Wednesday continuing their fight to keep air travel safe. They met with the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to announce their opposition to FAA nominee Bryan Bedford. During a news conference after the meeting, families said they left feeling slightly more encouraged than how they felt after Bedford's hearing earlier this month. 'He listened to us and said he will hold Bedford accountable,' said Karen Eckert, who lost her sister Beverly in the Flight 3407 crash. 'We will hold Secretary Duffy accountable too, that he does hold the line on safety.' 'We will continue to vigilantly watch the FAA and secretary Duffy to make sure that he does what he says, and be assured that the families of Flight 3407 will not go away,' said Marilyn Kausner, who lost her daughter Elly in the crash. In 2009, Continental Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed in a home in Clarence Center, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground. Investigators determined the cause of the crash was pilot error. For over 16 years, families have worked with lawmakers to pass stricter FAA regulations with pilot training and fatigue. In 2010, the Airline Safety Act was passed, which requires a minimum of 1,500 flight hours before becoming a pilot. Families said Bedford has a history of advocating for fewer training hours. If he's at the head of the FAA, families are worried he can reverse everything they have worked for. Duffy told the families that he is Bedford's boss and has no plans to change the rule. 'Our meeting today was essentially the beginning, hopefully of an open dialogue with the current administration and there clearly were some welcoming signs, but the door has been left open and that does give us reason to have pause,' said Scott Maurer, who lost his daughter in the crash. Jennifer West and her daughter Summer were among the families who talked to Duffy. Summer lost her father, Ernie, in the crash. Summer read a letter to Duffy. It read in part, 'growing up without him wasn't just sad, it was confusing and isolating.' She went on to say in the letter, 'if weakening this law means another child loses their parent the way I lost mine, it's not worth it.' Senator Chuck Schumer and Congressman Tim Kennedy also met with the families on Wednesday in Washington to assure them that they will continue to fight with them for air safety. Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
13-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
The 2009 Colgan Air disaster became a turning point for U.S. aviation. These families led the call for change.
Last month's mid-air collision near Washington, D.C., was the first fatal American commercial air disaster since shortly after 10 p.m. on February 12, 2009, when Colgan Air Flight 3407 fell out of the sky and crashed into a house near Buffalo, New York. It was the 14th fatal crash of a U.S. airliner in 15 years, but the 2009 disaster would become a turning point in American aviation. In the following years, the crash site was transformed into a memorial and place of reflection for the 50 people who died — 49 on the plane and one person who was in the house. But for the families who lost loved ones — like John and Marilyn Kausner, whose 24-year-old daughter Elly was killed in the incident — the fight that started there never stopped. "She was brilliant, she was beautiful and the life of the party," John said about his daughter. When the National Transportation Safety Board produced its report, it showed pilot error caused the plane to stall and nosedive. It was also revealed the pilot had not been forthcoming about failing prior flight tests. The findings spurred the families of the deceased into action. They banded together and lobbied the government to pass a federal airline safety bill, leading to a mandated 1,500 hours of flight training for co-pilots, the creation of a pilot performance database and a requirement that pilots have 10 hours of rest before flying. The Kausners brought along a posters of the victims on their trips to Washington, D.C., "to put a face to the tragedy," Kausner said. Ron Aughtmon lost his uncle John Fiore, a veteran who dedicated his life to public service. "We call each other the family we never wanted," Aughtmon said of the families of other victims. "Not many people know what flight 3407 is, and our job is to make sure that we keep our loved ones and the fight for airline safety at the forefront." To this day, the families are still pushing to keep those regulations intact as regional airlines attempt to roll back pilot training requirements. The D.C. mid-air collision last month ended what had been the longest safety streak without a fatal crash in American commercial aviation. It had been nearly 16 years since the Colgan Air crash. "When we saw it, it came back. It was rough, but we quickly thought about those families and what they are going through right now," Marilyn Kausner said. The 3407 memorial is a reminder of their loss and the change they fought for. Marilyn also says the other families affected by flight 3407 are now like her own. "It's how I could be with her, and I believe it's why we were also successful did it together," Marilyn said. It's a group they never wanted to join, but now one they can't live without.
