3 days ago
Families of 3407 express concerns about FAA administrator nomination
CLARENCE CENTER N.Y. (WIVB) — Families brought together by the crash of flight 3407 have new concerns about the future of air travel.
The Trump administration is nominating Bryan Bedford, CEO of Republic Airways, to lead the FAA. Families worry his oversight could threaten more than a decade of sacrifice.
Marylin Kausner lost her 24-year-old daughter Ellyce in 2009 when Continental Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed in Clarence Center, killing 49 people on board and one on the ground. The crash was determined to be caused by pilot error.
Since the crash, families have worked tirelessly to make the skies safer. Working with lawmakers, they helped pass stricter FAA regulations focusing on pilot training and fatigue. This includes requiring pilots to have at least 1,500 hours in the cockpit.
Kausner told News 4 that a big concern she has with Bedford is that he will put company policy over public safety.
'As the FAA administrator, he has the one position in the U.S. that will have the authority to roll back those hours,' Kausner said. 'So all that we have done, everything we have fought for is at risk with this nomination.'
In a statement, the families said that Bedford sought an exemption that would have allowed pilots with Republic to receive their Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate with only 750 hours of flight experience.
'Our families fought to establish the 1,500-hour rule because we saw firsthand the devastating consequences of inadequate training in the cockpit,' said Scott Maurer, who lost his 30-year-old daughter Lorin in the crash of Flight 3407. 'It is deeply troubling that Mr. Bedford attempted to create a backdoor around these proven safety standards for his own airline.'
'The aviation industry has experienced a troubling series of incidents in recent months, and this is not the time to introduce new risks into a system that has worked remarkably well,' said Karen Eckert, whose sister and 9/11 activist Beverly Eckert died in the crash. 'If anything, these events are a reminder that we need to strengthen—not relax—the safety standards currently in place. We hope that, if confirmed, Mr. Bedford will put safety above convenience or cost and commit to preserving the hard-won reforms that have protected millions of passengers since 2010.'
'The lessons of Flight 3407 were learned through unimaginable loss, and we refuse to let them be forgotten,' Maurer added. 'We expect Mr. Bedford, if approved, to put safety first, and we will hold him accountable to that standard.'
Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) released a statement regarding the importance of the 1,500-hour in-flight pilot training requirement.
'If confirmed, I strongly urge Mr. Bedford to enforce the law as written,' the statement read. 'We must ensure that our progress never comes at the cost of passenger safety, and I will fight every day to make sure we do.'
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.
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