victims of Colgan Air Flight 3407:



Alison Des Forges, American historian and activist (b. 1942)

Beverly Eckert, American activist (b. 1951)

Mat Mathews, Dutch accordion player (b. 1924)

Coleman Mellett, American guitarist (b. 1974)

Gerry Niewood, American saxophonist (b. 1943)

Colgan Air Flight 3407, famously marketed as Continental Connection Flight 3407 due to a crucial codeshare agreement, represented a routine, scheduled passenger journey between Newark, New Jersey, and Buffalo, New York. Tragically, this flight concluded in a devastating crash on Thursday, February 12, 2009. The aircraft involved, a Bombardier Q400 twin-engine turboprop, experienced a severe aerodynamic stall during its approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF). Despite standard pilot training protocols for stall recovery, the crew's actions led to an unrecoverable situation, resulting in the aircraft plummeting into a residential house in Clarence Center, New York. The catastrophic impact occurred at 10:17 pm Eastern Standard Time (03:17 UTC on February 13), claiming the lives of all 49 passengers and crew members on board, as well as one individual who was inside the home.

The Investigation and Probable Cause

Following the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the independent U.S. government agency responsible for civil aviation accident investigation, launched an exhaustive inquiry. Their comprehensive final report, published on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, unequivocally identified the probable cause of the accident as the pilots' inappropriate response to multiple stall warnings. The NTSB found that instead of pushing the control column forward to decrease the angle of attack—the standard and critical procedure to recover from an aerodynamic stall—the captain, Marvin Renslow, pulled back on the yoke. This counter-intuitive action worsened the stall, making recovery impossible. The investigation also highlighted significant human factors, including pilot fatigue, inadequate training, and deficiencies in the airline's pilot monitoring program, as contributing factors to the tragic outcome.

Aviation Safety Reforms: The Legacy of Flight 3407

The loss of Colgan Air Flight 3407 stands as a pivotal moment in U.S. aviation history, notably being the most recent major fatal accident involving a U.S.-based airline's scheduled passenger flight that resulted in multiple casualties. The profound impact of this disaster spurred the families of the victims to become powerful advocates for change. Their relentless lobbying efforts directed at the U.S. Congress were instrumental in pushing for more stringent regulations governing regional carriers, which often operate under codeshare agreements for larger airlines like Continental Connection. They sought enhanced scrutiny of safe operating procedures and significant improvements to the working conditions and training standards for pilots.

These advocacy efforts culminated in the passage of the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administrative Extension Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–216). This landmark legislation mandated several critical reforms, fundamentally reshaping regional airline operations and pilot requirements. Key provisions included increasing the minimum flight experience for first officers from 250 hours to 1,500 hours (often referred to as the "1,500-hour rule"), requiring enhanced pilot training programs, and implementing stricter pilot fatigue rules to prevent similar tragedies. The Act significantly raised the bar for pilot qualifications and airline safety oversight, aiming to ensure that regional airline safety standards mirrored those of major carriers.

Frequently Asked Questions About Colgan Air Flight 3407

What caused the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash?

The NTSB concluded the probable cause was the pilots' inappropriate response to stall warnings. Specifically, the captain pulled back on the control column, exacerbating the stall, rather than pushing forward to regain control, which is the correct procedure.

What is an aerodynamic stall?

An aerodynamic stall occurs when the wings of an aircraft no longer generate enough lift to counteract gravity, usually due to the angle of attack becoming too high relative to the airspeed. This can cause the aircraft to lose altitude rapidly and become difficult to control.

What is a codeshare agreement?

A codeshare agreement allows two or more airlines to market and sell seats on the same flight under their own airline codes. In this case, Colgan Air operated the flight, but it was marketed and sold by Continental Airlines as Continental Connection, allowing for broader ticket sales and seamless connections.

What was the "1,500-hour rule" implemented after the crash?

The 1,500-hour rule, a direct outcome of the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administrative Extension Act of 2010, significantly increased the minimum flight experience required for commercial airline first officers (co-pilots) from 250 hours to 1,500 hours, matching the experience requirement for captains. This change aimed to enhance the overall experience level of flight crews.

Where did Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash?

The aircraft crashed into a residential house in Clarence Center, New York, a small community located approximately ten miles northeast of Buffalo Niagara International Airport.