The tragedy of Colgan Air 3407 in February of 2009 weighed heavily on the minds of relatives of the victims, as members of the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that will strengthen safety at the nation's commuter airlines.

Colgan Air flight 3407 was operating as a Continental Airlines commuter partner, Continental Connection. The two airlines, despite their seamless schedules and marketing efforts, had very different training and qualification standards for their pilots. After it was determined that errors by the flight crew contributed to the crash of Colgan Air 3407 near Buffalo, New York on that fateful February night, investigators set out to determine why. Hearing upon hearing divulged a dark secret about commuter airlines and their flight crews. It was determined that many required as few as 250 flying hours to become a first officer for a commuter, compared to 1500 hours for a major airline. In addition to addressing schedules that resulted in greater pilot fatigue risks, lawmakers set out to right some other wrongs. According to the Associated Press, the last six fatal airline crashes in the U.S. involved flights operated by regional airlines, with pilot performance contributing to four of those accidents.

The bill was sent to President Obama for his signature on Friday, 30 July. The new law will make several requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in addressing the following:

• The establishment of a pilot records database by the FAA that will give airlines access to pilots' records, including exam failures and disciplinary action taken against such pilots. This is to include certain records from airlines that previously employed said pilots.
• The establishment by the FAA of a Task Force on Air Carrier Safety and Pilot Training which will evaluate:
  1. Air carrier management responsibilities for flight crewmember education and support
  2. Flight crewmember professional standards
  3. Flight crewmember training standards and performance
  4. Mentoring and information sharing between air carriers

• A review of the aviation safety inspectors and operational research analysts of the Federal Aviation Administration.
• Flight crewmember mentoring, professional development, and leadership.
• Flight crewmember pairing and crew resource management techniques.
• Implementation of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) flight crewmember training recommendations, with focus on aircraft stall and recovery.
• The completion of the FAA rulemaking on training programs and the establishment of an expert panel to make recommendations for crew training.

The new law will also require that any seller of airline tickets, including travel Web sites, disclose the name of the actual operating carrier for each segment of a journey. In the case of Web sites, this disclosure must be made on the first display of available flights. The FAA will also be required to conduct random, onsite safety inspections of regional airlines at least once a year and will be required to establish rules dealing with pilot fatigue. Voluntary safety programs will also be in focus. The FAA will need to provide reports on airline participation levels and reasons for not participating, and will provide an analysis of how the safety data collected is to be used.

IAPA supports efforts by the U.S. Congress and the aviation authorities to improve pilot qualification standards and overall airline safety.