but his manager, he says, was getting push-back from company president mike colgan. >> mike colgan would, in >> mike colgan wouldiy)[m or, in where he wrote about me to theo. and the office manager one time told my team, he said, "mike colgan is a friend of this office," and that was the message. well, i mean.;c)Îx4>mwkuuuuuuuut the need to reinforce it.ç=ñ1 >> o'brien: did you, in the course of that, feel pressure not to stop that growth? in other words... >> absolutely. >> o'brien: were you seen as a road block? >> oh, absolutely. >> o'brien: the faa office manager says he does not recall making those statements, but three years later, there were still problems when colgan got another big contract from continental. colgan began flying a new airplane called the q400, the type of plane that would crash in buffalo. did you get the sense that everybody was a bit overwhelmed by this airplane? >> yes, because there was a lot of growth. it was almost the same thing that was faced with the 2005 expansion with this 2008 expansion of the qs. there was a lot of growth, a lot of growing pains suff

chairman, in response to the february, 2009, colgan flight crash, we worked together to enact sweeping reforms. the strongest piece of aviation safety legislation in decades. we have some members of the colgan families here today with us, and i want to thank them for their steadfast support in getting our new safety law enacted. last month i asked the department of transportation's inspector general's office to undertake a comprehensive review of the faa's progress, implementing the provisions of our new safety law, as well as the industry's responses to the faa's call to action on voluntary safety programs. this subcommittee must continue to provide vigorous oversight on safety issues. last year we also worked with the other body and got very close to delivering a strong, balanced, bipartisan faa re-authorization bill. based on the work we did last congress, i believe we can complete a bipartisan bill very quickly, and i intend to work with you to produce a bill as soon as possible. however, we must ensure that the bill we produce continues moving the faa forward. the aviation communi

chairman, in response to the february, 2009, colgan flight crash, we worked together to enact sweeping reforms. the strongest piece of aviation safety legislation in decades. we have some members of the colgan families here today with us, and i want to thank them for their steadfast support in getting our new safety law enacted. last month i asked the department of transportation's inspector general's office to undertake a comprehensive review of the faa's progress, implementing the provisions of our new safety law, as well as the industry's responses to the faa's call to action on voluntary safety programs. this subcommittee must continue to provide vigorous oversight on safety issues. last year we also worked with the other body and got very close to delivering a strong, balanced, bipartisan faa re-authorization bill. based on the work we did last congress, i believe we can complete a bipartisan bill very quickly, and i intend to work with you to produce a bill as soon as possible. however, we must ensure that the bill we produce continues moving the faa forward. the aviation communi

. >> reporter: two years ago this week, a continental regional net from newark, operated by colgan air, crashed on approach to buffalo, killing 50 people. neither the pilot nor the first officer slept in a bed the night before the flight. they had commuted from newark from florida and washington state. yawns could be heard on the cockpit voice recorder. >> we had a captain who had actually been overnighting in the crew lounge at newark airport for two of the previous three nights. >> reporter: the chair of the national transportation safety board says while pilot fatigue was not formally listed in the buffalo crash, it was certainly an important issue. >> we did recognize that they were likely impaired by fatigue. >> reporter: and yet two years after the crash, major carriers and the regional airlines still have not implemented the safety board's recommendations about dealing with the tired skies and the fatigue of long distance commuting pilots. so you show up and you were already worn out. >> yeah. >> reporter: until he quilt three years ago, josh was one of those commuting pilots. a

itch criticized colgan airline has been taken over by pinnacle airlines and congress raised the mime flight hours for a new commercial pilot to 1,500 hours. meanwhile, the faa is setting new guidelines for the number of hours pilots are required to work and rest. rules that haven't changed since the 1940s that allow airlines to schedule pilots for 16-hour duty days, eight hours of that flying with eight hours for rest. rest time that starts when the pilot pulls the plane up to the gate, not when he or she arrives at a hotel. the faa's new rules require the pilots get nine hours of rest starting from the time they get to the hotel, and the length of the duty day will now depend on time zone changes, number of takeoffs and landings, and whether they fly long haul or short duration flights. it's the families of flight 3407 who kept the pressure on, making 35 trips to washington, forcing the government and the airlines to act. >> just as a big brother keeps a watchful eye on his little brother to make sure no harm comes to him, so, too, we expect the major airlines to keep a close eye on

reporter: it was two years ago this week that a continental regional jet from newark, operated by colgancrashed on approach to buffalo, killing 50 people. investigators found both the pilot and first officer did not sleep in a bed the night before the flight, having commuted to newark from florida and washington state and unable to afford hotel rooms. >> we did recognize that they were likely impaired by fatigue. >> reporter: and yet two years after the crash, an abc news investigation found little has changed. >> it's a big concern, it matters. our passengers deserve better. >> reporter: an estimated 70% of regional pilots, hundreds of them, commute to their bases and end up in what are called crash pads the night before they report for duty. we saw pilots coming and going all hours of the day and night at crash pads just blocks from laguardia airport in new york city. inside this one, stacks of bunk beds, 24 in all, crammed into rooms in violation of all housing and fire codes. about $25 a night, hot bunks, bring your own pillow case. >> i happened to have a bunk mate that snored loude

. >> reporter: two years ago this week a continental regional jet from newark operated by colgan airalo, killing 50 people. neither the pilot nor first officer slept in a bed the night before the flight. they commuted to newark from florida to washington state. yawns could be heard on the cockpit voice recorder. >> we had a captain who had actually been overnighting in the crew lounge at newark airport for two of the previous three nights. >> reporter: the chair of the national transportation safety board, deborah hersman, says while pilot fatigue was not formally listed as a contributing factor in the buffalo crash, it was certainly an important issue. >> we did recognize that there were likely impaired by fatigue. >> reporter: and yet two years after the crash -- >> buffalo new york -- >> reporter: -- major carriers and regional airlines still have not implemented safety board recommendations about dealing with the tired skies and fatigue of long-distance commuting pilots. >> i lived in a crash pad. >> reporter: it's a strange name for airline pilots to sleep but crash pads can be

into law that were the direct result of weaknesses identified from the tragic crash and aftermath of colgan flight 3407 in buffalo, new york. while those provisions were of great importance and will have an impact on creating one level of safety through all sectors of aviation, we still have important work to do and in this wilbill we do it. addressing inconsistent application of air worthiness directives by improving the voluntary disclosure reporting process to ensure adequate actions are taken in response to reports. limiting the ability of f.a.a. administrators to work with air carriers over which they have had oversight -- mr. reid: mr. president, would my friend prosecute -- the presiding officer: will the senator yield? mrs. hutchison: mr. president, i will be happy to yield if the leaders would allow me to come in when they are finished and continue as if uninterrupted. mr. reid: i appreciate her courtesy. i have a consent agreement. mr. president, i ask consent that senator stabenow be recognized to offer an amendment relating to 1099 reporting forms. she will give her speech regar

. >>> 50 people died when colgan air flight went down near buffalo. was blamed on pilot error also it revealed harsh flying conditions. the families of those who died today lobbied congress for better training and rest requirements for regional pilots. >> your initial experience as a pilot should not be without some sort of levels in the plane. there should >>> a new health care reform benefit could be costing you money. the state tax you're required to pay and who wants to change that. julie haener is in the news room now with some of the other stories we want to tell you about. >> reporter: first it was care now not cash. now in more cash for cans. the new incentive a san francisco lawmakers wants to offer. >>> and it used to be a potentially dangerous walk across the street. ktvu finds out if new safety measures are working. >>> and what a pitcher who was almost killed in a game is doing to get back on the field now. >>> 17-year-old gunner sandburg and his teammates held the first practice of the season today. it's been almost a year since gunner w