How Safe Are Regional Airlines?

June 8, 2009

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June 8, 2009

Congress this week holds a hearing into the safety of regional airlines. It comes after the February crash of a Continental connection flight near Buffalo that was operated by Colgan Air. An FAA inspector has charged there's a pattern of corner-cutting at the airline and says there was a cozy relationship between Colgan and the government agency responsible for overseeing it.

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This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

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And I'm Steve Inskeep.

Ever since a commuter plane crashed near Buffalo on a snowy night in February there's been increased scrutiny of regional airlines. This week, Congress holds a hearing on the safety of those airlines. And now an aviation inspector charges there's a pattern of corner cutting at Colgan Air. That's the company that operated the plane that crashed. The inspector says there was a cozy relationship between the airline and the government agency responsible for overseeing it. NPR's Brian Naylor has the story.

BRIAN NAYLOR: For more than 10 years Chris Monteleon has been with the Federal Aviation Administration, much of that time directly involved in the agency's oversight of Colgan Air. In January of 2008, Monteleon was assigned to the airline as it began test flying a new aircraft it planned to add to its fleet -the dash 8Q400, made by Bombardier. It's a twin engine turbo prop. And Monteleon was onboard as pilots learned how to fly the new aircraft. What he experienced disturbed him.

Mr. CHRIS MONTELEON (Federal Aviation Administration): I observed safety violations and they were egregious. They included the aircraft operating in a way that possibly the flaps could've fallen off.

NAYLOR: Monteleon said the hazardous way the plane was flown should've been written up in a maintenance log so mechanics could check the plane for damage, but the pilot refused, Monteleon says, and that plane was put into service.

Mr. MONTELEON: And so passengers flew at least 150 flights in a Q400 airplane for Colgan that had not been properly inspected for safety.

NAYLOR: Monteleon saw other things: pilots who were flying fatigued and, he says, improperly talking in the cockpit.

Mr. MONTELEON: The pilots did a lot of chitchat when they should've been paying attention. So you add fatigue and then lack of attention - you have a problem waiting to happen.

NAYLOR: A little over a year later a Colgan Air dash 8 crashed outside Buffalo killing all 49 onboard and one on the ground. Recent hearings by the National Transportation Safety Board pointed to evidence that the pilot and copilot were tired and had been improperly chatting in the cockpit as possible factors in the crash.

Monteleon provided written testimony at the hearings. He says the chatter was part of a pattern at the airline.

Mr. MONTELEON: There are and were many conscientious folks at Colgan, but the pervading atmosphere was cut corners, cut costs and get by with minimum compliance with the regulations and sometimes give the regulations a wink and a nod.

NAYLOR: In response to NPR, Colgan Air issued a statement calling Monteleon's claims baseless. Colgan Air met or exceeded every single FAA requirement necessary to add the Q400 to its fleet prior to beginning operations, the statement reads. It goes on, the FAA fully certified Colgan's complete competence to fly this aircraft and that certification remains in place today.

Monteleon charges his bosses at the FAA ignored his concerns about Colgan, and that there was too close a relationship between the agency and the airline's founder.

Mr. MONTELEON: When I would go to my supervisors they would say Mike Colgan is a friend of this office, or Mike Colgan is the president and he can do whatever he wants with his airline.

NAYLOR: Monteleon was reassigned from the airline and is now on paid leave because of an unrelated charge he threatened an FAA lawyer. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown says the agency took Monteleon's concerns about Colgan very seriously. She says the agency put together a team of inspectors to look into his allegations but found on violation of FAA regulations. Brown, who would not consent to be recorded, said she could not comment on Monteleon's reassignments because of privacy issues but that they were not retaliatory.

Monteleon is pursuing his case for reinstatement with the federal agency designed to protect government whistleblowers.

Brian Naylor, NPR News, Washington.

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