Airline Safety: the Crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407

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The crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 prompted governmental officials to set higher safety standards that should be met by American airlines. Admittedly, this incident can be partly explained by the errors made by the pilots. In particular, they did not adequately respond to the activation of the stick shaker (The National Transportation Safety Board 4).

This mistake resulted in the aerodynamic stall, and for some time, they could not control the aircraft that began to lose height. At the time, when the crew managed to pull the plane out of the dive, the collision was already unavoidable. Nevertheless, more attention should be paid to the root causes of this event. At first, one should keep in mind that the pilots of this company were often overworked. In many cases, they did not have much time to rest.

Therefore, the fatigue of the crew was a widespread phenomenon, and it undermined their ability to react to the critical situations. The management laid stress on the need to minimize the operational costs, and they did not want to hire a greater number of pilots. Finally, training programs were rather minimalistic. They did not help crew members become more confident and prepared for possible challenges (The National Transportation Safety Board 10).

Much attention should also be paid to the culture of Colgan Air Inc. In particular, it can be called reactive. In other words, the management only responded to some problems that often manifested themselves. However, they did not emphasize the importance of continuous quality improvement.

Furthermore, they did not try to anticipate potential risks. Moreover, in many cases, the senior executives attached importance only to superficial improvements and policies. For instance, when the safety procedures of this airline were criticized by the Federal Aviation Administration, the management only made a Power Point presentation for the employees.

This presentation was supposed to identify the key responsibilities of workers. Nevertheless, they did not ensure that workers could comply with these requirements. As a result, quality and safety were not regarded as the essential values of workers. It is one of the flaws that should be identified.

One can argue that this incident could be preventable if the pilots had been sufficiently trained in such aspects as stall monitoring and the recovery of the plane. Very often, such failures can be explained by panic, but not some insurmountable difficulties. Additionally, the actions of pilots might have been different if they had not been by fatigue. Therefore, it is critical to introduce safeguards that can prevent such disasters.

The recommendations offered by the National Transportation Safety Board are appropriate, and they can minimize the risk of such catastrophes. In particular, this organization states that airlines should develop more sophisticated training programs. They must enable pilots to anticipate dangerous situations that can threaten the lives of patients.

For instance, one can mention aerodynamic stalls or severe icing conditions (The National Transportation Safety Board 38). Additionally, this agency says that it is necessary to focus on the needs of commuting pilots (The National Transportation Safety Board 38). These professionals have to spend much time on travel after the end of the flight. In turn, they are more vulnerable to the effects of fatigue. Therefore, they need more time for rest; otherwise, they may not work efficiently.

The main lesson of this case is that the attempts to reduce operational costs at the expense of safety and quality can result in significant losses. At first, one should consider the threats to the lives of people who put their trust in the efficiency of airlines. Additionally, much attention should be paid to the effects of such events on the reputation of companies.

In particular, customers may not want to use the services of airlines that do not reach the highest quality standards. Finally, these businesses may sustain considerable financial losses that can eventually undermine their sustainability. Thus, business administrators should be aware of these dangers.

In turn, the new legislation includes several provisions that can avert the catastrophes such as the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407. According to these regulations, airlines should offer the ground training for every pilot. These professionals should know how to cope with such situations as aerodynamic stalls.

This requirement is consistent with the suggestions made by the National Transportation Safety Board. The legislators also set requirements for the scheduling of pilots work. The employees, who work in different time zones, should have more time for rest (The U.S. Congress 16). For a long time, this issue was overlooked by managers, especially when they tried to reduce operational costs. So, these standards can increase the safety of passengers.

These examples indicate that in many cases, aviation incidents take their origins in the inefficiencies of the procedures adopted by companies. Furthermore, cost-containment initiatives must not impair the quality and safety policies. The changes that are required by governmental and non-governmental agencies can eliminate many of the flaws that led to the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407.

Works Cited

The National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft accident report, Washington: NTSB, 2009. Print.

The U. S. Congress. Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010, Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 2010. Print.

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Airline Safety: the Crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407

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