NTSB Advisory
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
May 8, 2009

UPDATE ON NTSB PUBLIC HEARING ON THE COLGAN AIR ACCIDENT NEAR BUFFALO, NEW YORK

The National Transportation Safety Board today released additional information about the Board's scheduled public hearing on the crash of the Colgan Air Dash-8 near Buffalo, New York.

The three-day hearing will convene at 9:00 a.m. on May 12, 2009 at the NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C.  The room is lighted for television and a mult box is provided for sound.

On February 12, 2009, about 10:17 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), a Colgan Air Inc., Bombardier Dash 8-Q400, N200WQ, d.b.a. Continental Connection flight 3407, crashed during an instrument approach to runway 23 at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport (BUF), Buffalo, New York.  All 49 persons on board were fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and post crash fire.  There was one ground fatality. 

The Safety Board will also open the public docket at the start of the hearing.  The public may view and download the docket contents on the web under the "FOIA Reading Room" at http://www.ntsb.gov/Info/foia_fri-dockets.htm at that time.

The information being released is factual in nature and does not provide analysis or the probable cause of the accident. The docket will include investigative group factual reports, interview transcripts, Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcripts, Flight Data Recorder (FDR) data and other documents from the investigation. In addition, docket items that will be used as exhibits during the public hearing will be available on the website under "Public Hearings"

The hearing, which is part of the Safety Board's efforts to develop all appropriate facts for the investigation, will cover a wide range of safety issues including: 

• Icing effect on the airplane's performance
• Cold weather operations
• Sterile cockpit rules,
• Crew experience, fatigue management
• Stall recovery training  

An agenda is posted on the Board's website, http://www.ntsb.gov/events/2009/Buffalo-NY/Default.html.   A live webcast of the proceedings will be available on the Board's website at http://www.ntsb.gov/events/hearing_sched.htm. Technical support details are available under "Board Meetings." To report any problems, please call 703-993-3100 and ask for Webcast Technical Support.

Directions to the NTSB Board Room: Front door located on Lower 10th Street, directly below L'Enfant Plaza. From Metro, exit L'Enfant Plaza station at 9th and D Streets escalator, walk through shopping mall, at the CVS store (on the left), and take escalator (on the right) down one level. The Board room will be to your left.

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Media Contact: Keith Holloway, 202-314-6100
                            hollowk@ntsb.gov

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