Continental Connection Flight 3407: A Detailed Analysis

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On February 12, 2009, Continental Connection flight 3407 operating by a Colgan Air Flight 3407, was a scheduled passenger flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF), New York. The flight departed at 9:18 p.m. EST, which was delayed for two hours. The flight crew of the Colgan flight were captain Marvin Renslow, age 47, with accumulated 3,379 hours of total flying time, including 111 hours on the Q400 and the first officer Rebecca Lynne Shaw, age 24, with accumulated 2,244 hours of total flying time, including 774 hours in turbine aircraft including the Q400. An off duty captain Joseph Zuffoletto was also on board Flight 3407, who was hired by Colgan in September 2005. The …show more content…

The first officer increased the flaps which was a mistake. however, it had little influence upon the outcome. The first officer then asked captain whether she should raise the gear. The captain answered, “Gear up.” At that moment the captain was still struggling with aileron and rudder and battling the stick pusher with a pull that would eventually reach 160 pounds. At almost the same moment the turboprop aircraft made its final post stall gyration and rolling right and slicing into a vertical dive. The Colgan Air Flight 3407 smashed into the ground.

Recommendations from the NTSB The NTSB conclude that the possible cause of the accident was the captain’s improper response to the activation of the stick shaker, which led to an aerodynamic stall from which the airplane did not recover. The possible factors causing this accident were: (1) the flight crew’s failure to monitor airspeed in relation to the rising position of the low- speed cue. (2) the flight crew’s failure to adhere to sterile cockpit procedures. (3) the captain’s failure to effectively manage the flight (4) Colgan Air’s inadequate procedures for airspeed selection and management during approaches in icing conditions.

Impact on the future …show more content…

One of the most important changes is that the way examiners grade check rides in flight simulators during stalls. Investigators also analyzed the Practical Test Standards (PTS) for ATP certification, which allowed for an altitude loss of no more than 100 feet in a simulated stall. The NTSB hypothesized that due to this low tolerance in a tested simulation environment, pilots may have come to fear loss of altitude in a stall and thus focused primarily on preventing such a loss, even to the detriment of recovering from the stall itself. New standards issued by the FAA eliminate any specific altitude loss

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