Colgan Air Flight 3407, a passenger flight from Newark, New Jersey to Buffalo, New York, carrying forty-five passengers and four crew members. During the instrument landing system approach, the aircraft went into an aerodynamic stall, causing the it to crash and kill all passengers on board. Captain Marvin Renslow was in command of the flight, having accumulated over 3,000 flight hours. Renslow was accompanied by Rebecca Shaw, the first officer who had 2,000 flight hours under her belt. The actions of both of these pilots ultimately led to the disastrous outcome of Flight 3407.
One of the biggest components to the cause of the incident was the failure of the pilots to successfully manage distractions. During the approach phase of the flight, …show more content…
There were many factors that came into play that helped contribute to the crash of Flight 3407. For one, the flight was delayed for a period of over two hours. This can allow the pilots to receive external pressures as they will feel rushed since they do not want a cabin full of angry passengers. Both pilots also showed signs of fatigue throughout the flight. First Officer Shaw was known to have pulled an all-nighter as she commuted from Seattle to Memphis and then to Newark. Also, Captain Renslow was seen sleeping in the crew lounge just before the flight, which is against company policy. Although it is not known for certain, fatigue could have played a large role in the captain’s response to the stick shaker being activated. The next piece of the error chain was the icing conditions that were present during the flight. As a result of the icing, the pilots activated the reference speed switch to increase the speed for icing conditions. However, the Shaw acquired the landing speeds for non-icing conditions, which activated the stick shaker. The final piece of the error chain was the failure of the pilots to minimize distractions. Instead of focusing on the flight instruments and the approach phase of the flight, the captain and the first officer were engaged in a conversation that was nonessential to their current task.
The crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407
One of the biggest components to the cause of the incident was the failure of the pilots to successfully manage distractions. During the approach phase of the flight, …show more content…
There were many factors that came into play that helped contribute to the crash of Flight 3407. For one, the flight was delayed for a period of over two hours. This can allow the pilots to receive external pressures as they will feel rushed since they do not want a cabin full of angry passengers. Both pilots also showed signs of fatigue throughout the flight. First Officer Shaw was known to have pulled an all-nighter as she commuted from Seattle to Memphis and then to Newark. Also, Captain Renslow was seen sleeping in the crew lounge just before the flight, which is against company policy. Although it is not known for certain, fatigue could have played a large role in the captain’s response to the stick shaker being activated. The next piece of the error chain was the icing conditions that were present during the flight. As a result of the icing, the pilots activated the reference speed switch to increase the speed for icing conditions. However, the Shaw acquired the landing speeds for non-icing conditions, which activated the stick shaker. The final piece of the error chain was the failure of the pilots to minimize distractions. Instead of focusing on the flight instruments and the approach phase of the flight, the captain and the first officer were engaged in a conversation that was nonessential to their current task.
The crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407