Flight 3407 crash occurred because of limited experience, first officer says
March 9, 2010, 07:50 pm
Last month marked the one-year anniversary of the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 - an incident that can be attributed not to error but to inexperience, US Airways Flight 1549 first officer Jeff Skiles said this week.
To be sure, the crew on Flight 3407 made mistakes. But they did so because they lacked the requisite experience to know how to pull out of the stall their aircraft entered, Skiles contends.
Skiles, speaking to TheStreet.com, was the first officer on the US Airways flight that was successfully landed in the Hudson River last January. In the crash, the airliner hit a flock of waterfowl. The run-in was highly unexpected, Skiles said, but because he and his fellow crew members were adequately trained in emergency maneuvers, they were able to guide the Airbus A320 to safety.
"We drew on a well of experience to follow procedures and keep our cool," he said.
His remarks, coming as Congress considers a bill to increase pilot training requirements, suggest that proper training is essential for all pilots - even those of smaller aircraft. By learning how to handle an aircraft in an emergency situation, pilots can ensure their and others' safety.
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