By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press Writer Joan Lowy, Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON – A new cockpit voice recorder transcript shows the co-pilot in February's airline crash in upstate New York said she felt ill and would have liked to have skipped the flight.


First Officer Rebecca Shaw also complained about poor treatment by Colgan Air Inc. of Manassas, Va., which operated the flight for Continental Airlines, and about how little she was paid. Shaw said she earned only $15,800 the previous year and the airline was refusing to give her $200 in back pay she felt she was owed.


The transcript was released Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board. Flight 3407 crashed on Feb. 12 near Buffalo, killing 50 people. Testimony at a May hearing showed the flight's two pilots made a series of critical errors.

When was this news posted, I thought log before now the cat was already out of the bag that Regional Pilots were overworked and underpaid

as tragic as this incident was, it is a typical event that must take place to get the attention of everyone to motivate them and educate them that change is needed. the low wages and hours are absurd and pre-historic. RIP to those who lost their lives but better duty and rest requirements may come from this and for that we should be grateful

A Captain who was not ready to be a Captain and an FO who was not ready to be an FO caused this crash.

If you are sick, you dont work. Colgan had a union at the time of the crash so I do not want to hear any of the "fear of retribution" stuff.

This was the first leg of the first day of trip so I do not see how duty or rest requirements have anything to do with 3407.

Marvin and Becca were simply complacent and not paying attention. As much as I think we need duty and fatigue issues addressed, lets not think that 3407 was anything other than two people not paying attention.

Where have you been, in a hole? Both crewmembers commuted to work prior to trip. The F/O slept in the crewroom after she commuted in from SEA. I am not against commuting, cuz I do. but to sit here and say fatigue was not a factor I disagree with you.

No, not in a hole. I work for Colgan and flew aprox 150 hours with Renslow on the Saab, you?

The FO slept in the crewroom the day of the flight, correct. The flight that left at night. She flew in the night before after sleeping the entire flight as a pax jumping on a cargo plane. This fact came from Becca's mother and husband directly, whom she spoke with the day of the flight.

Marvin, who I respect as a man, always stretched himself thin when it came to money. He told me many time he would rather sleep in ops then get a hotel to save money. Marvin had to work a lot because of the high standard of living he wanted to maintain for his family.

There was no lack of conversation during the flight that suggests they were so tired to fly that it was quiet up front, in fact it was the amount of conversation that is a factor of the crash.

The main issue with 3407 is not fatigue, it is the fact that Marvin was not ready to be a 121 CA of that plane. Talk to people who have flown with him and people who have trained him and maybe you will feel a bit diferently

Yes, they made mistakes and ultimately were responsible for them.

However, your keen interest in blaming them for the situation alone when others also had a great deal of culpability, leads me to believe you may be Colgan management or a lackey therof.

To be fair and comprehensive, if you're going to be critical of the outcome, you should not only highlight the fault of the straws that broke the camels back (the pilots errors), but of those oh so willing to overlaod the camel in the first place in the name of maximum profit (Colgan Airlines and the FAA who repeatedly cowtows to these companies).

That's right, you got me. I am Sen. Colgan in the flesh!

This will have to be the first time that I drink apple juice...no pun intended

The captain wasn't ready to be captain and neither was the fo ready to be in the right seat. But Colgan upgraded the captain and hired the fo anyway. Maybe Colgan should have been a little more observant who they were putting in those seats. My point here being the complacency of these individuals was tolerated by the company and 3407 was the result.
Now we all know that every accident is caused by a series of events. It just so happens that the last in the sequence of events is the one that hammers the last nail.
Marvin according to what you wrote overworked himself to sustain a lifestyle and Becca might have thought to herself how much smaller her pay check would be if she called in sick. Had the pay been better maybe that would have altered the outcome.........hindsight?
So you look at poor pay, complacency on both the Capt and FO, fatigue resulting from commuting among a host of other factors being contributing factors to 3407. I am no expert this is just my two cents.

The Juice...is usually right. In this case as well...seems everybody, even fellow pilots, are trying to make more of this than should be done.