Something positive might come from the February 12 crash of a Colgan Air Bombardier Q400 after all, if a broad FAA effort to revamp rules governing airline pilot records, fatigue and training ultimately bears fruit. Unfortunately for those who lost family members and friends in the crash, it took yet another fatal regional airline accident and a new FAA Administrator to “expedite” the establishment of an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) dedicated to pilot fatigue by July 15 and “conduct a focused program review” of Part 121 training, qualification and management. But to the satisfaction of those who have called for reform for years, all the negative attention this latest accident generated appears to have set the conditions for some concrete change.
In a letter dated June 24, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt also urged all air carriers to adopt policies aimed at ensuring pilot applicants release all of his or her records while the agency works with Congress to update the Pilot Records Improvement Act of 1996. Further, according to the letter, the FAA expects all carriers that haven’t yet put in place Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) and Aviation Safety Action Programs (ASAP) to do so.
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