Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Investigators continues to search for answers following this past Wednesday's tragic midair collision in Washington, D.C. that claimed the lives of 67 people onboard a commercial passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.
The crash that took place over the waters of the Potomac River just outside the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was the first major commercial airline crash in the United States since the crash of Flight 3407 on Feb. 12, 2009 in Clarence Center.
In the days, weeks, months and years since the crash of Flight 3407, the families of the victims came together and committed to making sweeping changes in aviation safety. This included the influence of passing the "Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010", which was the most comprehensive aviation safety legislative reform.
Since then, the Families of Flight 3407 have been a staunch advocate for a number of other initiatives in Washington that enhance aviation safety efforts, including the publishing of a pilot record database, maintaining pilot training requirements and more.
Congressman Tim Kennedy (D, NY-26) knows the work that the Families of Flight 3407 has put in over the years to transform aviation safety standards in the country has worked.
"We've had 16 years of aviation safety because of the families of the victims of Flight 3407 16 years ago. I credit them, and I credit my predecessor and others in Congress that have done the right thing to strengthen airline safety in this country. We need to continue to move the ball forward," said Rep. Kennedy. "We need to continue to use the moments like this to come together to unify, to take what the FAA finds in their analysis and research and study from this terrible tragedy, and put it into action."
Kennedy is aware that the work of Families of Flight 3407 is not over, and their work in years past is going to go a long way to continue to promote air safety across the nation.
"We're going to use this as a moment to band together, to unify as a country, and we're going to lead with dignity and respect for the loved ones of the victims of this terrible tragedy. I'm sure their voices will be front and center, just as the voices of those families from 3407 have been over the last decade-and-a-half," Kennedy said.
While there is still plenty of work at hand in the investigation of the crash in Washington, D.C., Kennedy firmly believes there could be a very similar push in air safety reform following this recent incident, as there was after the tragic crash of Flight 3407.
"I think the Families of Flight 3407 have courageously and heroically banded together, and really set a precedent and a model for taking care of our community so that others don't perish like their loved ones did across America. And they have achieved incredible success," Kennedy said. Based upon the model that these courageous families of the victims of Flight 3407 have demonstrated and put in place, I imagine we'll see something similar out of this terrible tragedy, and I'm assuming that those families will be right in the mix, continuing to lead the charge on airline safety.
"The Families of Flight 3407 have not let their foot off the gas, as it pertains to airline safety in this country. This terrible tragedy is another reminder that we've got more work to do, and that none of our work is done. I'm sure that the families are going to be re-energized because of this terrible tragedy."
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In light of the crash between Flight 5342 and the Army helicopter this past Wednesday, Kennedy believes a push will further come from lawmakers in Washington to properly fund the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), ensuring that people like air traffic controllers and other essential personnel at airports across the country are funded and staffed at appropriate levels.
"I visited, recently, the air traffic control tower here at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, we know there is a shortage already of air traffic controllers. So just last week, when the President of the United States put out the freeze on all federal hiring, the air traffic controllers were impacted," Kennedy noted.
The issue of a shortage of air traffic controllers across the nation has been a known issue in the federal government for years, according to Kennedy.
"There is a shortage of all sorts of industries, whether it's the public sector or the private sector. There's a shortage in immigration and customs officers. There's a shortage of air traffic controllers. There's a shortage of federal workers. So it was mind-boggling to many, especially at the federal level, when the hiring freeze was put in place by the President last week, because it was exactly counter to what we need, which is hiring in affected areas of our country and the functionality of our government, which includes air safety."
While the investigation by federal officials is still ongoing, Kennedy has also heard of the issue with the Washington midair collision is there were less air traffic controllers in place than were necessary to be doing the job at that time. He feels that can't be allowed to happen again.
"Without a question, we need to make sure that air safety is fully funded, that the staff - whether it's air traffic controllers or our TSA officers that are making our airports function each and every day - are funded at the levels that they need to do their job, to do it effectively, appropriately and safely. To carry out their work and their obligation to keep America safe in the air," Kennedy said.
In order to do that, Kennedy knows that more funding has to be made available for the FAA so they can be able to properly address the number of people needed to keep America safe in the air.
"As long as I've been in the House of Representatives, I have met with the families of the victims, I've met with the air traffic controllers, I have met with the TSA, I have met with the Customs and Border Patrol and the U.S. Border Patrol. There is a need for staffing levels to be increased at every facet of border patrol, of immigration, and of air safety. That is a known issue, we have to address it," he said. "We have an opportunity to address it in the upcoming budget negotiations, and certainly following this horrific tragedy, it ought to be a major priority."