Free case study on human factors in aviation

Training and Simulation for the Colgan Air Flight 3407, Buffalo, NY

Pilot Training
There were two pilots who facilitated Colgan Air Flight 3407, first was the captain, Marvin Renslow, was 47-years-old at the time of his death, lived in Lutz, Florida that had  been with Colgan in September 9, 2005 and Rebecca Lynne Shaw, 24-years-old at the time of death, from Maple Valley, Washington that joined Colgan on January 16, 2008   Investigators’  results on February’s airplane incident in Buffalo, N. Y., increased issues about whether the pilot’s proficiency and training may have been an aspect in the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board began a three-day hearing to learn more about the incident that murdered all 2 pilots, 2 flight attendants, 45 passengers aboard the airplane and one resident. The captain of the flight that crashed in February of 2009 in Buffalo would have been fired if Colgan Air had known that the captain wasn’t able to pass three pilot assessments before applying for his job, a senior airline officer declared. Captain Marvin Renslow concealed only one of the failed assessments before being employed by Colgan Air in 2005, according to records launched by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). On February 12, when the turboprop went out of regulation, Captain Marvin Renslow was at Continental Connection Flight 3407
However, Pinnacle Airlines Corporation, the owner of Colgan Air, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Spanjers wrote that NTSB is clearly aware of the captain’s full training record and additional checking event; it is part of NSTB evidence.
Therefore, I must say that this isn’t just about the pilot’s capabilities, we must also take into consideration some factors like, compensation and benefits of pilots, if the pilot can afford to have his own means of transportation to go to work, if a pilot can afford to live at his base of operation and if the pilots are well trained. This accident did not just happened with Colgan Air, but they must also review their policies. There are also industry issues that must be observed.

Airspeed and Selection Procedures

On the midst of the flight and pursuing through the aircraft’s landing approach, the crew, based on reports, had been traveling on autopilot. During the final approach, Captain Marvin Renslow and Rebecca Lynne Shaw prolonged the airplane’s flap and landing gear for preparing to land. Later after the flaps and the landing gear had been prolonged, the FDR or flight data recording device unit determined that the airspeed had corroded to 145 knots or equivalent to 269 km/h. The flaps had been set to the 15 degree position as instructed by the captain, who was the pilot flying. As the flaps changed past the 10 degree mark, the flight data recorder indicated that the airspeed further bogged down to 135 troubles (250 km/h). After six seconds, the airplane’s stick shaker, a device designed to provide aural and physical awareness of a low speed condition. During that time, the CVR or cockpit voice recorder documented that the autopilot is disengaging. The flight data recorder now determined that the airplane’s rate was alarmingly slowed down to 131 knots (243 km/h). However, the captain only added about 75% power and  carried on requisitioning nose-up inputs instead of including full power and decreasing the nose to avoid the stall which is the established stall recovery process. As the aircraft came even nearer to slowing down the stick pusher activated, to further explain this, the Q400 stick pusher concentrates in applying an airplane-nose-down control  line input to reduce the wing angle-of-attack or AOA after aerodynamic stall. When Captain Marvin Renslow overrode the pusher and made a progressive pulling on the control yoke resulting for the aircraft upset and consecutive loss of control. The aircraft went into a vertical axis, which means that the plane moved off course and pitched up at an angle of 31 degrees in its last moments, before doing a pitch down to 45 degrees. The plane then rolled going to the left at 46 degrees and twitched back to the right at 105 degrees. Passengers onboard had experienced forces approximated at almost twice that of gravity. People on the ground that have witnessed the incident indicated that they have heard stumbling sounds just before the accident.

Work Cited

Levin, A. (2009). Airline: Pilot in Buffalo crash failed tests, kept scores secret. Retrieved from usa today website: //usatoday30. usatoday. com/news/washington/2009-05-13-buffalo-crash-hearing-wednesday_N. htm
Sumwalt, R. (2010). The anatomy of an accident: Colgan air flight 3407. Retrieved from National Transportation Safety Board website: http:////www. ntsb. gov/doclib/speeches/sumwalt/SCAA-100212. pdf