FAA wants improved pilot training, safety

WASHINGTON -- The nation's top aviation regulators demanded Monday that regional airlines take immediate steps to improve pilot training and safety in the wake of the accident in February that killed 50 people.

Spurred by revelations of pilot fatigue, low pay and catastrophic mistakes, the government called airline, union and aviation industry leaders to a one-day summit. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Aviation Administration chief Randy Babbitt said they expected action by the end of the day.

"Every one of us here has the responsibility to prevent accidents like this from happening again," LaHood told the group as the session opened.

A hearing last month into the Colgan Air crash near Buffalo on Feb. 12 exposed pilots who had been chatting about work conditions during a critical phase of flight — a violation of federal rules — and who had not gotten a full night's rest before reporting to work.

The National Transportation Safety Board has not released final findings on the crash, but data released during the hearing indicate that the captain on the flight pulled the plane into a steep climb that prompted it to go out of control — the opposite action suggested by cockpit warning devices going off at the time.

Babbitt said the accident and others revealed "cracks in the system" that are "not acceptable in this day and age."

The FAA will update its guidance to airlines strongly urging them to get complete records of the results of every flight-skills test that pilots have taken before hiring them, Babbitt said. Currently, airlines must check a pilot applicant's records for five years and only those tests taken at another carrier.

USA TODAY reported last week at least one pilot involved in eight of nine regional airline accidents during the past decade had failed multiple tests of flying skill before the crashes. Pilots must pass a series of "check rides" before applying for airline jobs and then typically take several each year they are employed.