FAA Boss Says He'll Ensure Action on Pilot Fatigue

Two days after The Washington Post published an examination of the living conditions endured by some pilots for regional airlines, Federal Aviation Administrator J. Randolph Babbitt said he will "close the gap" if a government rulemaking committee fails to develop regulations aimed at curbing pilot fatigue.

"We know too much," Babbitt said Wednesday in an address to the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). "We have too much science in hand. We know too much about fatigue."

Babbitt announced the creation of the rulemaking committee in June after congressional hearings into the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 on Feb. 12 near Buffalo. All 49 people aboard and one person on the ground were killed when the plane stalled and plunged into a house. Federal investigators have uncovered evidence that suggest fatigue was a factor in the crash.

The FAA's so-called flight duty time and rest rules seek to limit the maximum number of hours a pilot can fly or be on duty and set a minimum number of rest hours between shifts. Babbitt said the current standards date back to the "propeller era" of the industry.

The Post published a report Tuesday that described how some regional pilots, some of whom earn as little as $20,000 a year, share "crash pads" near their duty stations to save money and have a place to rest between flights.

Pilot unions and airline groups have battled at least since the mid-1990s over attempts to rewrite regulations. FAA officials in the past were reluctant to move forward without consensus from both sides. link....