By Eileen Buckley
Washington, D.C. – Another victory for the families of Flight 3407 who fought for new air safety rules. The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed new rules to prevent pilot fatigue. Over a year ago Continental Connection Flight 3407-crashed in Clarence that killed 50 people.
During the investigation into the fatal crash, it was revealed that the Colgan Air pilots flying that plane did not have a full night of sleep prior to the crash.
Friday Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood previewed the new rules on his blog this morning. Among the new proposed rules, a call to ensure that pilots have nine hours of rest prior to duty, new weekly and monthly limits on flight duty time and different rest requirements.
Here is more outlined in LaHood's blog:
The proposed rule also incorporates input from an Aviation Rulemaking Committee with members from labor, industry, and the FAA. As Administrator Randy Babbitt said, "Fighting fatigue is the joint responsibility of the airline and the pilot, and after years of debate, the aviation community is moving forward to give pilots the tools they need to manage fatigue and fly safely."
Key new features of the proposed rule include: *One consistent rule for domestic, international, and unscheduled flights
*A nine-hour opportunity for rest prior to duty (a one-hour increase over current rules)
*New approach to measuring a rest period that guarantees the opportunity for eight hours of sleep
*Different requirements based on time-of-day, number of scheduled segments, flight types, time zones, and likelihood that a pilot is able to sleep Features to manage cumulative risk include:
*Weekly and monthly limits on duty time of any kind
*Thirty consecutive hours free from duty every week (a 25% increase over current rules)
The proposed rule also gives pilots the right to decline an assignment if they feel fatigued--without penalty.