http://www.nypost.com/seven/0512200...captain_was_coming_on_to_pretty_co_168824.htm
PILOT'S FATAL 'DISTRACTION'
CRASH CAPTAIN WAS 'COMING ON' TO PRETTY CO-PILOT
Last updated: 8:53 am
May 12, 2009
Posted: 3:00 am
May 12, 2009
The inexperienced captain of Flight 3407, which crashed into a Buffalo home, killing 50 people in February, flirted and discussed relationships with his much younger female co-pilot moments before the fatal plunge, sources close to the investigation said.
What transpired between Capt. Marvin Renslow, 47, and his co-pilot, Rebecca Shaw, 24, in the minutes before the disaster will be topic No. 1 at a public hearing by the National Transportation Safety Board today in Washington, DC.
The two chatted back and forth during the final approach into Buffalo Niagara International Airport despite FAA rules that forbid non-flight-related talk below 10,000 feet, sources said.
Their banter was captured on the flight recorder, one source close to the investigation told The Post. Transcripts of their conversation may be released over the three-day hearing.
Shaw may have further been too fatigued to aid Renslow, sources said.
She had just taken a red-eye flight to Newark after spending a week skiing and visiting her parents in Seattle, complained about a head cold and said she should have taken a sick day.
Renslow, 47, was never properly trained on the Dash 8-Q400 Bombardier's anti-stall stick-pusher, sources said.
The safety feature automatically points the plane's nose into a dive to allow it to gain speed to prevent a stall if the plane slows down.
Pilots should push the stick forward to gain speed if this happens, but Renslow apparently yanked back, causing the crash.
Colgan, the Manassas, Va.-based airline that contracts with Continental, never provided proper training on the stick-pusher or de-icing system, sources said.
Renslow had also failed numerous competency exams, called check rides, throughout his short career as a pilot. He graduated from pilot school in 2005 and had already failed three proficiency tests on general aviation aircraft administered by the FAA.
At Colgan, he failed two more accreditation exams on turboprop planes. He bombed in his first bid to qualify as a co-pilot on the Beech 1900 aircraft. Then he failed in his first try for Saab 340 pilot certification.
At the time of the crash, Renslow had been captaining a Q400 for just two months, logging only 109 hours -- a minuscule amount of time by industry standards.
PILOT'S FATAL 'DISTRACTION'
CRASH CAPTAIN WAS 'COMING ON' TO PRETTY CO-PILOT
Last updated: 8:53 am
May 12, 2009
Posted: 3:00 am
May 12, 2009
The inexperienced captain of Flight 3407, which crashed into a Buffalo home, killing 50 people in February, flirted and discussed relationships with his much younger female co-pilot moments before the fatal plunge, sources close to the investigation said.
What transpired between Capt. Marvin Renslow, 47, and his co-pilot, Rebecca Shaw, 24, in the minutes before the disaster will be topic No. 1 at a public hearing by the National Transportation Safety Board today in Washington, DC.
The two chatted back and forth during the final approach into Buffalo Niagara International Airport despite FAA rules that forbid non-flight-related talk below 10,000 feet, sources said.
Their banter was captured on the flight recorder, one source close to the investigation told The Post. Transcripts of their conversation may be released over the three-day hearing.
Shaw may have further been too fatigued to aid Renslow, sources said.
She had just taken a red-eye flight to Newark after spending a week skiing and visiting her parents in Seattle, complained about a head cold and said she should have taken a sick day.
Renslow, 47, was never properly trained on the Dash 8-Q400 Bombardier's anti-stall stick-pusher, sources said.
The safety feature automatically points the plane's nose into a dive to allow it to gain speed to prevent a stall if the plane slows down.
Pilots should push the stick forward to gain speed if this happens, but Renslow apparently yanked back, causing the crash.
Colgan, the Manassas, Va.-based airline that contracts with Continental, never provided proper training on the stick-pusher or de-icing system, sources said.
Renslow had also failed numerous competency exams, called check rides, throughout his short career as a pilot. He graduated from pilot school in 2005 and had already failed three proficiency tests on general aviation aircraft administered by the FAA.
At Colgan, he failed two more accreditation exams on turboprop planes. He bombed in his first bid to qualify as a co-pilot on the Beech 1900 aircraft. Then he failed in his first try for Saab 340 pilot certification.
At the time of the crash, Renslow had been captaining a Q400 for just two months, logging only 109 hours -- a minuscule amount of time by industry standards.
