The families of the victims of Continental Connection Flight 3407 have won two key court battles, ahead of an expected trial next spring. A judge has allowed an internal report that the airlines had fought to quash into the federal trial. The report, commissioned after the crash, outlines an internal audit of the operations of Colgan Air, the regional carrier that operated the flight.
The judge has also decided to allow the testimony of a Federal Aviation Administration employee who had been critical of Colgan before the crash.
On approach to the Buffalo airport from Newark, Flight 3407 crashed in Clarence in February 2009, killing all 49 people on board and one man on the ground. After an investigation, pilot error was cited as the cause of the crash.
Many of the victims' families have settled out of court. For those who have not settled, the trial is slated to begin next March.