The Federal Aviation Administration has again missed another deadline to begin a new pilot fatigue rule.
The Western New York Congressional delegation received noticed that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will not meet the November 30th extended deadline for completion of a new pilot fatigue rule.WBFO's Eileen Buckley talked to Congressman Brian Higgins after he appeared on the House floor in Washington Thursday. Higgins said the FAA has had plenty of time to implement the rule and prevent pilot fatigue.
Congress members Brian Higgins (NY-27), Kathy Hochul (NY-26) and Tom Reed (NY-29) released the following statement upon receiving notice:
“A transportation issue that means life or death for millions of airline passengers each and every day should be given priority treatment, yet the clear disregard for the urgency of improved pilot fatigue rules is infuriating.
“We are approaching three years since Flight 3407 met tragedy in our community on February 12, 2009 and we know, with certainty, that pilot fatigue was a contributing factor. Now, over 121 days past the original deadline and with news of another missed deadline, the public is fatigued by a snail paced rulemaking process reaching 16 months and counting.
“No more excuses, no more delays, no more precious lives at risk – our message is: Just get it done.”
The 'Families of Continental Flight 3407' lashed out at the continued delay in the process.
"Some might say that we are closer to achieving this long-overdue rule than ever before,' said Scott Maurer of Moore, South Carolina, who lost his thirty-year old daughter Lorin in the crash of Flight 3407. "But close isn't good enough. Every day that goes by where passengers in this country are allowed to board regional airlines where pilots may be lucky to get five or six hours of sleep the night prior is another disaster waiting to happen. For nearly three years now, we have heard Secretary LaHood and Administrator Babbitt say that this is the top priority. All we can say is that our patience is wearing thin, the time for lip service is long past, and now is the time to step up to the plate and deliver."
The families say the new fatigue guidelines were a key element of PL 111-216, 'The Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010', landmark aviation safety legislation that the 'Families of Continental Flight 3407' fiercely fought for in the wake of the Flight 3407 tragedy.
The law mandated an August 1, 2011 release for the new fatigue guidelines, as well as six other rule makings aimed at addressing safety deficiencies that contributed to Flight 3407. After missing the August 1 deadline, the Department of Transportation published a revised deadline of November 30th, allowing for the White House Office of Management and Budget to complete its review.