The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.), February 24, 2009

PILOT WHO LANDED IN HUDSON SAYS HEART GOES OUT TO VICTIMS' FAMILIES

[Rachel's introduction: The safety board, which investigates plane crashes, "appears to favor the precautionary principle" while the FAA, which regulates aviation, "appears to favor cost-benefit analysis," said Candace K. Kolander. "This tragic accident gives the aviation industry an opportunity to revisit these differing approaches to regulating safety, and hopefully helps bring us back toward the precautionary principle and away from cost-benefit."]

By Jerry Zremski

WASHINGTON -- The pilot of the USAirways flight that landed in the Hudson River last month today said his "heart goes out" to the families of the victims of this month's plane crash in Clarence, while the flight attendants union said the Clarence crash should lead to a new emphasis on airline safety.

"My heart goes out to all those affected by the tragic loss of Continental Connection Flight 3407," Capt. Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III said at a House subcommittee hearing on the New York emergency landing. "Words cannot express my sadness and grief at the loss of 50 lives. The families of those no longer with us are in my thoughts and in my heart."

Meanwhile, coordinator of air safety, health and security at the Association of Flight Attendants, said the Clarence crash highlights the differences between the National Transportation Safety Board's approach to safety and that of the Federal Aviation Administration.

The safety board, which investigates plane crashes, "appears to favor the precautionary principle" while the FAA, which regulates aviation, "appears to favor cost-benefit analysis," Candace K. Kolander said.

"This tragic accident gives the aviation industry an opportunity to revisit these differing approaches to regulating safety, and hopefully helps bring us back toward the precautionary principle and away from cost-benefit," Kolander said in written testimony.

The safety board and the FAA have disagreed on several regulatory issues that have surfaced in wake of the Feb. 12 crash in Clarence. Most notably, the safety board has suggested more stringent controls on turboprop planes flying in icy conditions and less reliance on autopilots, and the FAA has resisted those suggestions.

Noting that the House Aviation Subcommitee will want to discuss the Clarence crash, Margaret Gilligan, the FAA's associate administrator for aviation safety, said the agency mourned the loss of life in the Buffalo area crash.

"We are fully supportive of the ongoing NTSB investigation in that case and I want to assure you that we will always strive to provide you with the timeliest information possible," Gilligan said in a statement.

jzremski@buffnews.com