Originally Posted by Av8tion

The Saab 340 is the most technically difficult aircraft out there... if you can learn to fly it, you can learn to fly anything... that has nothing to do with it... the main #1 undisputed causal factor was crew fatigue... the factors below it that hurt would be the abeforementioned sh1tty captain, bad training department, bad work rules, etc... as far as hiring standards, those mean nothing once a pilot has finished their initial training and passed IOE... the training standards are no different from a Saab 340 to a CRJ to a 737 to a 747... if you have been trained and have been certified as proficient in the operation of the aircraft, nothing about your total time, speeding tickets, or anything about your "hirability" means anything to anyone...

an erlier poster asked the question 'if total time doesn't determine your experience, (which it doesn't) than what does? The answer is simple.. your EXPERIENCES determine your level of experience... a 1000 hour pilot who flew has time flying 121 in a jet, some time in some light twins, some piston single CFI time, etc... who has flown all over the country in different types of airspace in different types of terrain in different types of weather is far more experienced than a 10,000 hour pilot who's CFI'd in the same airport his whole life flying around the same traffic pattern... in short (too late) it's not the number of hours, it's what you do with those hours that matter...