Just a couple of things...

Not being very specific here...but it does not seem to get us anywhere to say "pilot error" was the leading cause of any accident(again...not saying any of you guys are saying that...just speaking in general). While there is nothing wrong at all, with mentioning that a pilot made this mistake and this mistake during this stage of flight...etc.(those things do need to be pointed out) However, when the final cause of accident is listed as "pilot error," that seems to be an easy way out of bringing closure and resolve to an accident/incident.

There is almost always something systematically wrong, that when changed, can have a better chance of preventing accidents, as opposed to labeling everything "pilot error." To give a completely fictional example, take the Comair accident in Lexington. Yes we known the pilots made mistakes that caused the lives of so many people, but why can we now change things such, making sure all airport runways must have operational night lighting or else the runway is closed (blocked off) during night hours?(Subject to temporary exemptions for single strip airports etc...) That is not a great example i understand, try not to analyze it, in that i am being very general.

I'm sure the answer to that question is money...understandable...but at that point we are placing a price on aviation safety. That will never change of course, but how about we add to the conclusion of some reports...."Due to insufficient funds...the airport/airline/airplane/training/(fill in blank) were not able to provide the most advanced safety measures aimed at preventing accident XYZ." Or..."due to scheduling restraints and current regulations[FAA] outlining flight crew scheduling and duty/rest times, the airline was allowed to schedule crew members into potentially over fatiguing circumstances, and will continue to do so on a regular basis." It still does not mean anything will get done for certain, but at least it gets that into the publics head. Seems all they ever read/hear about on the news is pilot error.

This brings me to my second point...the NTSB will list their findings and make their recommendations, which many times are spot-on, to give them some credit, but the FAA has to actually act on them. Many times that does not happen, and for many reasons; such as money, feasibility, etc..

What you said would correlate IF and ONLY IF we never had an accident or incident with Pilots who were paid more and had over 5000+ hours However their are NUMEROUS accidents where very well compensated and experienced pilots made Major Boo Boos ie Tenerife, Cali, the 14 street bridge "Air Florida"
Denver Cal 1404 ect ect..

Not so easy to afford to live in the greater NYC area on first year pay as a regional F/O.

Most (not all) accidents like that took place before a strong CRM concept had been developed and practiced by the airlines. Tenerife is ancient history. How many accidents caused by pilot error in the Majors have occurred in the last 10 years????

Experienced pilots are statistically safer than less-experienced ones. Call AIG Aviation and ask them why they require pilot information forms for flight departments they insure.

That is what's known in debate parlance as a "Red Herring" .. which is to say, that the fact that one is true, makes not the other true. While good pilots will occasionally make mistakes.. bad (or completely inexperienced) ones will likely make them more often, and when they make them, they're unlikely to know how to recover from them. The post-CRM era of "major" airline pilot safety is near impeccable.

This accident, as with the Roselawn ATR, or the Pinnacle CRJ are all examples of completely unprofessional and inexperienced pilots who can only get away with it under our corrupt FAA system which relies on the crutch of the US Airspace / ATC system and the over automation of airplanes today... Take these same caliber crews to some of the same places I flew to at Gemini, with no radar, minimal ATC, and in airplanes that are far less forgiving to the situationally imparred... and your accident rate would go thru the roof.

It's all a cost benefit issue and the "regionals" are relying on the American short attention span to keep hiring low quality pilots and rolling the proverbial dice.

Shimmydamp... they can live where they want. Just don't use it as an excuse for fatigue... that's all. I mean you can live an hour away from the New York area in BFE West Virginia. Certainly it must be cheaper to live there than in Seattle. You want to tell me a pilot based out of EWR must live on the other side of the country for economical reasons? Do you realize how absurd this is??

And TYPICAL41, yes... this accident was absolutely pilot error.

As a result of a *%#$Bag system overseen by the FAA that allows bottom feeder outfits like Colgan to employ such error prone pilots.. THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN.

You can't MEL the left engine but you practice V1 cuts, right?

Come on, that's what the simulator is for......

I thought that was ex-wives and attorneys...

I don't believe i ever said whether it was or was not pilot error. Did I??(I will reread my rediculously long post) I mentioned i was speaking in general...and after all....i don't believe they have even released their final report have they?????