Six years after the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 in Clarence claimed 50 lives, the subject of air safety has once again become a political hot topic in Washington. Congressional hearings are taking place this week to review the aspects of a new FAA Reauthorization Bill.
Family members of Flight 3407 victims are once again fighting for airline safety. Beverly Eckert was among those killed in the 2009 crash. After the crash, her sister Karen was among those who lobbied for the Airlines Safety Act of 2010, which, among other things, increased the amount of pilot training required and limited the number of hours pilots can fly.
"We're here to put the human face on what happens when you don't consider safety first. You consider the bottom line of an airline first, over safety. We're the families that have paid the ultimate price and our loved ones lost their lives," says Eckert.
"We're also here to remind Congress that before the crash of Flight 3407, this wasn't an isolated event. There were six fatal crashes on domestic airlines in the United States in the previous 6 1/2 years before (the crash of Flight 3407) that," said Eckert.
Eckert notes there has not been a domestic airlines crash in the U.S. since Flight 3407. She credits the Airline Safety Act of 2010, which is now in danger of having some of the policies it sets forth reversed as the Senate and House Aviation Subcommittees consider the FAA Reauthorization Bill.
