The CRASH that Changed US Aviation. 

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I often already know about the accidents that Petter talks about, but he always gives more technical details and insights than other documentaries. Plus the computer graphics are much better suited to convey the information without drama. Unlike certain US documentaries that are half drama and screaming passengers. Petter's way of treating the human tragedy is much more dignified.

A great example of how doing something poorly for a long time doesn't make you experienced, it just makes you someone with bad habits.

I have been flying for a living for over 20 years, and I learn so many things from every single Mentour Pilot video. So much so that, in my current turboprop instructor role, I not only often recommend this channel's videos to my students, but also even to my non-flying parents and friends. The breakdown, explanation, production quality, and Petter's likeable professionalism are just outstanding.

I used to work for Colgan. This was how they trained and tested. 0 altitude loss stalls was huge to them. I thought it was stupid and was proven correct.

A colleagues sister died in this crash. It was devastating and avoidable. Thanks for showing compassion in your videos.

I worked on an ambulance near where this happened... it was hard hearing the original Alert status dispatched (getting the agency ready for a possible airplane crash) then being called off because "on scene fire report no remaining surivors"

I learned a similar lesson in my Private Pilot training. My instructor had told me to go around for the first time ever and I looked at him and I asked him, go around? And he replied yes go around. I immediately pushed the throttle forward, pulled the yoke back and I started to clean up my flaps. I started to clean them up a little too soon and we started to drop. I don't know if he anticipated this or not but we were only about 300 ft above the runway. I knew from all my simulator time doing power on and power off stalls that when you start to drop, you apply forward pressure until you get your speed up and then you start pulling back. After all the drama was over he asked me if I was okay. And I replied I'm okay in total disbelief of what I had just did. He told me, you never clean your flaps up until you get your airspeed back up. It was a lesson that I will never forget. Correction: Changed back pressure to forward pressure.

As a (medical) doctor I found the approach these two pilots had to the rest period before their flight(s) very telling. I worked in the UK, so my experience isn't meant to be a universal statement of all doctors around the world. But we have a shift system in the UK (part of a safety measure implemented to reduce fatigue from doctors working 24+ hours) where we frequently transition from day to night shifts and vice versa. I've worked many night shifts, with many doctors of all grades and experience and ages. Almost universally, I am the only one who religiously sleeps before a first night shift. Almost everybody else just drinks caffeine and hope it keeps them going. Despite us knowing that fatigue kills, there's a cavalier culture around the type of rest needed before a night shift. It made me feel much the same was probably common for these particular pilots - it can't be coincidence that both decided to use the crew room. It's a sad thing that both our professions should be very aware of the effect of fatigue on our performance capabilities... yet we consistently believe ourselves to be above these failings.

I think one of the things that has always weirded me out the most about this crash was that a co-chair of the 9/11 Family Committee died on this flight, and she had been on her way to award a scholarship in her husband's memory. Like, the chances of being involved in a plane accident are so so low, but it feels particularly wrong here.

This crash will always leave so many unanswerable questions. The First Officer's decision to retract the flaps, thereby reducing the lift she had, seems utterly unfathomable, as does the Captain's decision to continually try and pull nose up and not apply power. In every other explanation of this crash I've seen, it's just labelled "bad pilots", but you Petter are the first I've seen trying to give some explanation as to what was going through their minds. Excellent video as always.

You can't feel but pure sadness for the person who was minding his own business inside his house!!! It gives me anxiety that it can happen to me :(

The Colgan air rule actually derailed my piloting career plans. I was pursuing the debt free CFI path and had my solo flight in May of 2013. Then completed my PPL in the first weeks of June. I was about half way through instrument training and still under 100 hours time when the FAA dropped the 1500 hour rule later that summer. I remember half the CFIIs quit at my school, and I quit as well after considering the forecast two years of CFI work to build hours was now looking more like six, while making basically minimum wage and working two jobs. Back then even after picked up by regionals as a first officer you made peanuts, like 20-40k yearly for many years to work your way up with seniority. It didn't seem worth it anymore so I pivoted to an IT career that proved to be very in demand and lucrative in just a few years time. No "dues" to pay, just immediate competency equaling money. I never did complete my instrument and actually haven't flown anything but part 103 ultralights since then. RIP to all of the victims of course, a terrible tragedy and not their fault at all.

As a former firefighter I was at this crash......last call I went on. May they rest in peace as this was an absolute tragedy.

The sterile cockpit is one of the first things to suffer under extended taxi delays. Try spending 4 hours sitting in a queue at jfk and not chit chatting. It's definitely a threat and can be hard to get back in gear for the departure!

3:20 - It's been a long time, but what I remember reading was that while the FO felt OK when she left her home in Seattle and showed only mild symptoms in Memphis, by the time the flight was ready for its delayed departure from EWR she was in quite a bad way. If I recall correctly it could not be determined whether the FO was suffering from a head cold or the 'flu, but I'm sure all of us are familiar with the scenario where we start coming down with something and think we can ride it out, but within 12-24 hours we're no use for anything. This was an overlooked consequence of long commutes in the regionals, because in that particular case by the time a member of the flight crew became sick to the point of affecting their performance they'd be thousands of miles from home and given the tight margins the regionals operated under, the airline could well take a dim view of their reporting sick having flown them all the way out there. While it's only correct to point out the Captain's training and skill issues, the point remains that both of the flight crew were fatigued and one of them was apparently significantly ill. Again, I'm sure that many of us who drive have occasionally done so when we've been tired or fatigued to the point where we really shouldn't have, and one of the ways we try to keep ourselves awake is to keep a conversation going with passengers - I wouldn't be surprised for a second if that was the reason behind the Captain's significant and inappropriate verbosity. Also, whilst it's indisputable that the Captain's "pull-up" response to the stick-shaker was grossly inappropriate, historically there have been innumerable instances of pilots of all skill and experience levels doing the same when subjected to "startle effect". As far as the FO's retraction of the flaps goes, it's clear that between the fatigue and her illness she was operating well below her usual level - I always wondered whether she was focused on the low airspeed and was trying to reduce drag.

That the pilot responded to a stickshaker with pulling up shocked me. I actually gasped when I heard that, but your explanation was excellent, even if we'll never know why he made this decision for sure.

My dad is a Saab 340 instructor and had met the captain before as he had been trained at the facility, he was working for Colgan as an instructor. He told me the reason the captain most likely pulled back on the stick was because he had multiple 100 feet infractures not only in the simulator but in actual flying time If he broke that 100 feet decent, an investigation into his training would have been done and he would likely lose his pilot license or further more be downgraded to an FO.

Not a pilot myself but have binged basically all of Petter's accident videos. As a doctor in a healthcare system that isn't very good at learning from harm, I find the institutional learning element of these videos so fascinating. Plus he is now such a great storyteller! Thanks for all the hard work that goes into these videos.

The crash site was three doors down from a close family friend. The lot that the house that was destroyed stood is now a memorial park. I'll always remember this crash not only because it was close to home, but my oldest daughter was born that morning as well.

Unfortunately, this crash had really shaken up several of my pilot friends - some of whom worked with this airline. I know some personal details regarding the captain’s abilities, but I don’t feel is appropriate to share. It was a huge wake-up call regarding crew schedules and rest.

This is probably one of the most upsetting accidents I've heard of. It's haunting. But Petter always approaches these incidents with great sensitivity, and I'm really excited to hear his perspective!

Spent 3 days at this scene as a paramedic. The sights as the sun came up over Long Street that morning were surreal. I stood in the yard next door (the house that was damaged and had to be demolished) and touched the tail section of the plane. Something I will never forget as long as I live. I also had to fly to NC that summer, Aug 2009. The first leg was a Continental Connection Q400 Dash 8 from Buffalo to Newark. It was an unnerving flight for sure. I now despise take off and landing, especially the approach. That accident is why I started watching your channel.

This happened many years ago, and at the time we heard "newfangled turboprop with a fancy airfoil, couldn't handle ice, the pilots didn't know it was stalled because they were on autopilot", all completely untrue. Thank you for straightening this out. A tragedy I think about often even now. In a quiet neighborhood of Buffalo is a grass yard that used to have a house where people lived.

You did an excellent job describing the crash… hairs stood up on my neck. Cannot imagine the way the passengers felt. (Pilots are busy trying to keep the equipment airborne.. passengers have nothing to occupy their minds).

It's notable that, during taxi, the captain couldn't stop running his mouth, while the 1st officer kept quiet and only said "yea" every now and then, likely because she knew they shouldn't get into personal convos during that time but she couldn't tell the much older and more experienced Cptn to shut up.

I knew Shaw and had helped her and her husband move into their new home shortly before this happened. She was the nicest person you could ever meet. This was such a tragedy.

Part of this reminds me of the Air France crash in the Atlantic, where the pilots kept pulling back and the Airbus kept them from stalling, all the way to the ocean.

Excellent explanation! That part you mentioned, about pilots being judged by how much altitude they lost during stall recovery. And how that might have caused the accident. Because he was concentrating more on maintaining altitude, than on keeping the aircraft flying, even if it meant losing a few hundred feet extra. So sad, how rules meant to make people safer, might do the opposite.

Great content… I am a TRI/TRE and often uses these reports from you as ideas to brief the pilots on issues and happenings to improve flight safety and awareness! Thank you for the great content!

I'm a pilot with mere 20 hours after my licence, but I had goosebumps seeing the capitan pulling the stick instead of pushing forward. you train this during literally your first flight lesson.

"Tasks disapproved were takeoffs, landings, go-arounds and performance maneuvers." That sounds like... everything.

I live down the street from where this crash happened, and heard it crash. This is by far the best and most detailed description I have seen. Love all your videos, and glad that I have a good reference to know exactly what happened that night.

I remember this accident, but did not know what happened behind the scenes. It took 13 years, with your help, to figure that out… So thank you.

I lived not far from the Buffalo airport when this crash happened and it still shakes me to my core. The home that the flight came down on is now a memorial for those who died and the families of survivors still advocate for safe flying conditions to this day. If I recall correctly there were two other people in the home at the time- wife and daughter of the man who died. I can't imagine how drastically this has shifted the course of their lives.

Given the age of the captain and the length of time he had been flying, I was kind of surprised at how little flight time he had. My daughter, who is 32, probably has as much flight time as he had. She started out in a cadet program here in Canada with Jazz a little under 10 years ago flying the Dash 8-300. She is currently an Air Canada captain flying the Airbus A220-300.

I was in initial ground training at the airline the captain had flown at prior to Colgan. Literally a day or two after the accident, the FAA was in our classroom observing training and interviewing us about our perceived quality of training. Related to the 1500 hour rule, it’s my opinion that pilots have a lot of time to create bad habits from the average 250 hours they have when leaving flight trainjng until they get hired by the airlines at 1500 hours. Those habits have to be broken in the sim and on the line at the regionals. I don’t think the 1500 hour rule has done the U.S. Airline industry any good.

One thing I love about the channel is that no matter how well you know the details of an accident you still find new stuff in every video. Chapeau, sir, really nice.

This happened in my hometown. Buffalo is a tight knit city and when you’re flying in, usually the other passengers are mostly people live there or are visiting family who do. I was a kid in 2009 but I remember everyone at least knew someone who knew someone who was on that flight. It really shook the community for a long time. It’s almost surreal hearing it described in such a technical way. Thank you so much for covering it.

I vividly remember this crash - and I had always thought the issue was ice on the wings, perhaps a story that stuck in the media, I don’t know. Thanks for the detailed report and setting the record straight, for me at least. Love your content! 🛩️

I just watched the Mayday episode on this crash and came back to re-watch this one. Mentour Pilot truly does an amazing job and this is so much more informative than most air crash essays.

I have a theory for why the captain reacted as he did. Full disclosure: The NTSB analyzed and discarded this theory but, after reading the full final report + documentation in the public docket, I never understood why. Ok, here it goes: The pilot didn't react incorrectly to a wing stall that never occurred. He reacted incorrectly to a tail stall that never occurred. I wont get into the technical details of a tail stall, but I need to mention the symptoms and recovery procedure. Symptoms: 1- In a tail stall, the elevator uncommandedly moves down due to aerodynamic forces. This makes the airplane pitch down. The yoke moves forward by itself too, as a result of the elevator moving down. 2- The tail stall is normally proceeded by intense shaking of the yoke. 3- So both in a wing stall and a tail stall there is shaking as an early warning and the nose of the plane going down uncommanded. How can you tell one from the other (because, as we are going to see, the recovery procedure is different. Hint: It is actually the opposite). 3a: In a wing stall, an early warning is the airframe shaking (buffeting) but not the yoke. Then the plane falls and the nose follows the plane (the fall of the plane causes the nose to go down). 3b: In a tail stall, an early warning is the shaking of the yoke but not the airframe, then if the situation worsens the nose of the plane pitches down and the airplane follows the nose (the drop of the nose causes the airplane to go down, like if the pilot was pushing down). 4- While icing can worsen a wing stall by reducing the angle-of-attack at which the wing stalls, wing stall can and does happen without icing too. However, for a tail stall, icing is a prerequisite. No icing means no tail stall. 5- Although it is possible to stall a plane at any speed, stall normally the consequence of flying too slow, well below approach speed. However, tail stall can occur at above approach speed. Recovery 1a: In a wing stall, the angle-of-attack of the wing was exceeded, so you need to push forward on the yoke to reduce the angle-of-attack. The recovery from an early warning of a wing stall stall, like buffeting, also involves reducing the nose and adding thrust to increase speed. 1b: In a tail stall, you have to fight the uncommanded pitch down by pulling back on the yoke, enough to restore a level flight. This can take a lot of pull-back force. The recovery from an early warning of a tail stall, like shaking of the yoke, involves increasing the speed. Why do I think the pilot thought it was a tail stall? 1- The Q-400 is NOT susceptible to a tail stall. Only mechanically controlled elevators are susceptible to a tail stall because aerodynamic forces can move the elevator (and the movement of the elevator moves the mechacinally-linked yoke as well). 2- The Q-400's elevator is hydraulically powered, hence aerodynamic loads cannot move the elevator or the yoke. 3- But do you know what plane is susceptible to tail stalls? The Saab 340, the one the pilot has flown for most of his 3000+ hours of flight experience, and the one he had been flying until recently when he moved to the Q-400 just 111 flight hours ago. 4- Furthermore, the pilot had undergone a ground training for preparation for the winter season. Part of that training was tail stalls. During the training there was no discussion about which planes are susceptible to tail stall and which planes aren't. Colgan was operating both. 5- The crew had been discussing about icing immediately before the upset. 6- The upset happened at a speed quite higher than approach speed. At that speed a wing stall should not (and did not) occur unless you pull back hard on the yoke. However, a tail stall would be possible at that speed (in a plane susceptible to it) Until now all is factual data. Here is where speculation starts: 1- The pilot, consciously or not, is mentally ready to react to a tail stall due to his vast and recent experience in the Saab 340, the recent winter ops ground training, and the fact that they had been discussing about icing. 2- When the stick shaker activates, that triggers an instinctive response to tail stall. Remember that the yoke shaking, but not the plane, is an early warning of a tail stall. And the speed was well above the approach speed they had selected (they were actively trying to slow down because they were too fast) and hence well above wing stall. But a tail stall would be possible at that speed (although not in the Q-400). 3- As part of an incorrectly executed recovery procedure for a tail stall, he pulls back on the yoke hardly. 4- The stick pusher activates. The pilot, affected by confirmation bias, thinks that that is a sign of worsening of the tail stall condition (they yoke being pushed forward by itself and him having to fight to prevent it). Why do I say that, even as a tail stall recovery, the pilot reacted incorrectly? 1- The recovery for an early warning of tail stall (stick shaker shaking) is not to pull back. It is to increase speed (and maybe retract flaps). 2- If the yoke is pushed forward uncommented and the nose go down, the recovery is to fight that nd push back to establish level flight. 3- Instead of that, the pilot pushed back hard as a reaction of the yoke shaking, and the push back was grossly exaggerated because it is supposed to be used ONLY to establish level flight (which the plane was already doing before the pilot puled back), and NOT to point the nose 30 degrees up, which is what the pilot did. At the end of the day, and for whatever reason, the pilot's actions actively stalled a plane that was nowhere remotely close to any type of stall, wing or tail.

Petter. This discrepancy of the pilot training between USA and Europe has always both interested and worried me. You mentioned the minimum training in Europe of 250 hours, but in UK that is only if one attends an 'Approved Training Course' i.e. full time with highly qualified instructors and syllabus. I assume that to be the case in other European countries. The US requirement of 1500 hours seems to be satisfied by flying around in light aircraft. I did my training at an 'Approved' course and was surprised at the level our great instructors got us to, in the then, 225 hours. We were then checked out by CAA Examiners, not delegated instructors. We then went straight to airline type training. At no point did I feel under-trained, inexperienced yes, but not under-trained because of the strict examination system.

I remember reading the NTSB investigation about this. All I could think was "WHY DID HE PULL BACK !?!?!" and "FLAPS ZERO !?!?!"

I really appreciate your note on the minimum 1,500 hours rule and it’s effects on the number of pilots in the US. I wanted to be a commercial pilot when I was growing up but the cost of getting those hours ultimately made it feel unattainable. I’m 24 and working in video production now, I’d still love to get my pilot’s license at some point but the dream of flying commercially is long gone for me

This accident actually happened 1 mile from my childhood home and I knew the family whos house it was as well as a passenger, thanks for the great detail on what went wrong as always

I'm not a pilot (game/sims notwithstanding) and even I knew you push the stick forward when near a stall ... bloody heck, and retracting the flaps when already in a low speed condition was crazy. And that bit about the captain hiding his previous failures, unbelievable.

As a person living in Buffalo, this is one of the best videos on this disaster. A mutual friend of our family lived only a block away, she saw things as she walked towards the burning wreckage no about of therapy will erase.

This one bothered me when I first learned about it. A perfectly functioning aircraft made to crash - how different from other flights in which a damaged aircraft is miraculously saved by an expert crew. No disrespect to the captain, may he rest in peace, but some people should not be pilots. I certainly include myself in that - as much as I love aviation (and I was once ground crew in an F14 Tomcat squadron in Navy ages ago) I know that I don’t have the temperament or quick thinking/focus to pilot an aircraft. It’s actually painful to know that plane was trying to save itself and everyone onboard but the pilot and to a lesser extent, the FO made critical errors that doomed everyone. I don’t ever want a job where if I screw up, everyone dies. The wife of the man killed in the house wrote a book, I’ve been meaning to read it. It was a pretty horrific scene, but miraculously she and a daughter in the house somehow survived. I’ve always wanted to fly in one of those little Dash planes, but guess they’re mostly going out of service and I’ve never seen one anywhere around my area. Seem to use them in Canada still.

It’s crazy that pilots can omit such important information when filling out an appplication. I hope that there is now a centralised directory that airlines can access when employing a new pilot. This accident was so unfortunate and could so easily have been avoided. My thoughts on these videos are always with the families who have lost people, including passenger, staff and those on the ground.

Im always happy to see the notification that there's a new Mentour Pilot/Mentour Now video. As an "AV Geek" I've always found your videos to be the most informative, I like the way you don't fill them with garbage/bad acting like TV shows do, instead you're straight to the point and at the same time respectful of the people who passed and their families.

Even as a student pilot, I really can't understand why they pulled back on the yoke increasing their angle of attack after the stick shaker when, it's very obviously the the counter-productive thing you could do in that scenario..?

As someone with major anxiety when it comes to flying, your videos and explanations have gave me a little more confidence when it comes to air travel. This particular video hit close to home. Years after this fully preventable tragedy, I met the lady who lost her husband when 3407 crashed into her home. It's a pure miracle her and her daughter made it out of that house alive!

The biggest horror is when people not even in the plane end up as casualties in a crash. Maybe it's because when you get on a plane you know that there is, though very slim, a risk of an accident. But no one expects a plane to crash into their house. Hearing that makes you feel helpless to circumstance, even more so than being a passenger.

You've got me so well-trained, @Mentour Pilot, that I automatically cringe when you say things like, "After the stall warning, the pilot pulled back on the stick."

At 1:20 you have the location labeled as Seattle Washington DC. It's just Seattle, Washington. Washington D.C. is a completely different location and on the east coast in Maryland between Virginia.

I wish a channel like this existed when I was a kid. Only thing that went into detail about planes was Plane Disasters. So happy RU-vid allows for niche interests like this. An actual pilot who talks to us about everything aviation. I've found my home 😭

I really liked the moment of silence after the impact. Very thoughtful. Thank you, Petter 😢

Thank you for what you do Petter. I'm always amazed at how much detail you put into these, along with your ability to explain it in layman's terms.

I remember the day when this happened. It was fairly close to my house. So many sirens going off, so many police, firemen, EMT. Basically any station nearby seemed to be heading over there. My friend who was MUCH closer to it had send me a video of all the flames and people running around in a panic to try to put out the flames and help anyone that they could. It's a miracle that no one else was hurt with the plane crashing in a residential area. RIP to the flight and the people on the ground.

We lived in that area years ago and have old friends who knew a young woman who died on this flight very well. We knew her family as well. The plane crashed in her home town where her parents still lived and they could see the crash flames from their house. Such a tragic story.

The inclusion of the Ref Speed switch is a very interesting detail I hadn't seen in previous coverage of the accident. All the attention was put on the incorrect reaction to the stick shaker and the retraction of the flaps. If the position of the switch had been spotted at any point it's very likely they would've landed without any incident.

I don't know how you do everything that is part of your weekly routine: Viz: Flying, Teaching, RU-vid Channel Research about Aviation Accidents and the Delivery of a show, and Family Relationships and I'm sure there is more you do that is behind the scenes involving each activity and more. What I love about your channel, is that you are an expert in your field, teaching me about Aircraft Accidents and the following Investigations that are both fascinating and engaging, and what a relief, that I wasn't on that plane.... lol. I love hearing from you the science of how an aircraft flies, and the protocol that every pilot needs to follow, to get their plane in the air and to land safely. A slight variation on our RU-vid moniker neatly describes your role in the industry, ie: 'A Mentor' for budding pilots and for anybody else who wants to be schooled about the Airline business and about how not to make the same mistakes that have led to tragedy in the past. The more I watch your channel, the more I get an idea about the mandatory and 'Best-Practices' related to how a plane should be flown. In your own words, you run an "Absolutely Fantastic" show. Many Thanks.🙏

Your analyses of incidents and accidents are pretty much the best out there, and this is no exception. This one has been covered a lot, but your calm and clear approach, sans sensationalism (except in your thumbnails of course, where it's forgiven!) is always appreciated. Keep up the superb work!

Very awesome video again, Petter. I love every second watching it, it's like a short documentation of one flight, perfectly to eat something or to chill. I have to say, when I heard that the Stick Shaker occurred and the PF decided to pull up I was like, "What?!", even for someone who hasn't any experience in flying but only binge-watched your videos I immediately knew that was something that you shouldn't do at ANY cost. Because if the Stick Shaker happens, you're meant to go down with the nose and not up... That was an avoidable accident and such a sad story. The 1500-hour rule also seems to me kind of pointless... because Pilots are usually trained a lot before they're allowed to fly any big commercial aircraft, so yeah... Thank you again Petter for this high quality video and the team behind it, you guys rock it.

Competence is much more important than flight hours in the log book. I have seen pilots with thousands of hours strugling with basic instrument maneuvers in a simulator. And I have flown with competent pilots with just a few hundred hours of experience. There have been several accidents where the pilot had a less than perfect training record.

I work a trade job and have kept this lil saying close to my heart since I started. “There’s a difference between 20 years of experience and 1 year of experience 20 times.”

I'm a CFI currently grinding out my 1500 hours in a 70s model Cessna 172 hoping that someone in congress sees your video and makes a change

Petter, you did it again. This is by FAR the best explanation of an accident, that I’ve ever seen. I’ve read about this Colgan accident many times - but you provide much more info that I did not know about. Excellent video, my Swedish brother 👏👏👏

The sound is not in sync or is it just me having some issues with my pc?

The wife of the guy in the house who died wrote a memoir named, IIRC, "One On The Ground". It's a good read.

I remember that crash I will never forget it. This was my first real venture into real time video on iPhone. I was shocked as the news poured out about the pilot and copilot errors. And I feel like yesterday the pain as I watched the plane actually in flames in real time. Horrible.

Is it just me or is the Audio not in sync with the Video?

I'm horrified Petter, as a Dr we are thoroughly vetted through what's known as a DBS system, in the UK (Disclosure and Barring Service). Whereby a check is made with all previous employers, police, medical council and authorities et al. Standard procedure as people place their life and wellbeing in our hands. This is precisely what we do when we board an airliner, place ours in yours. A truly horrific incident was needed seemingly, to enact this in such a high stakes profession. Great informative content. May they all RIP.

The first officer was saying "yeah" for most of the conversation

I live in Buffalo. This was a huge tragedy and definitely shocking.

Your commitment to leaving no stone unturned is the very foundation of real justice. Justice for the deceased and their bereaved families; even for airlines and aircraft manufacturers. You lay out the facts objectively, without language that expresses defensiveness or assigns blame. You are one of a kind and my appreciation and respect for your work knows no bounds.

I am a private pilot with an instrument rating and over my lifetime I have managed to accumulate about 550 hours total time. I have flown with several "real" pilots. Lifetime crop dusters and others that feel and react to an aircraft with a 6th sense that always seems to be flawless. I have also had a few instructors with little or no feel for the aircraft and no real mechanical understanding of the aircraft systems . These are the people that should not really be pilots but they test well and they can be trained to repeat the procedures that are given on a check ride. Try as I might I have accepted that I will never be a real pilot but knowing this I have set my risk acceptance for every flight very low and I dont have paying passengers betting their lives on my ability to react instinctively and flawlessly in the event of an emergency.

Listening to her scream on the CVR is chilling.

Good job on this one, Petter, I've been on the Q400 for about 12 years now and just finished my last CQ. There was plenty of humility to go around even after this many years in the airplane. I'm not certain of Colgan practices and procedures, but there are a few things left unsaid about systems and technique in this incident. I'd love to have a discussion with you some day if you ever find the time. I do pass on the occasional recommendation to our CRM group to watch a few of your videos. Keep them rolling-good stuff there. Big fan.

I learned about this many years ago. My airline used it as an example of poor performance in icing conditions rather than pilot fatigue and how bad decisions were likely made through tiredness.

Petter, I used to watch the Air Crash Investigation series, but this series from you is far better. Please continue your work Captain.

The captain must have trained with the Air France pilot. What was he thinking?

RIP To the passengers and crew of Colgan Air Flight 3407 and one person on the ground

I remember when this happened and as someone who knew very little about flying was still amazed that a pilot wouldn't push forward when encountering a stall, especially a commercial pilot

Working in the US regional market for 20 years this was a massive accident. Everyone I knew was talking about it, friends in maintenance said the atmosphere at the company was shock and crazy as they combed through maintenance documents. Thanks for doing this accident Peter. As you said it made huge changes in the industry.

This channel simultaneously makes me want to become a pilot and makes me never want to fly again

Petter, you're a great storyteller. Even though I already know most of the details on crashes, you have me on the edge of my seat. It's almost like I'm on that plane. And I always learn something new. Well done!

It’s interesting how your mind can do the opposite thing when you are tired and then you get some sudden unexpected stress.

I recall reading a possible reason for the captain's pulling back on the yoke was that he may have thought he had a tail stall. It may have been hard to differentiate a normal stall from a tail stall because of the stick shaker firing.

crazy that checking the transcript from the first sound of stick shaker to the plane being on the ground it took just 25 seconds....life can truly change in an instant

I get so excited when I get this notification! Your explanation of these accidents and incidents are always so good!

I lived a block away from this crash. I was watching RU-vid when the entire house shook from the explosion. That night is burned into my memory

This video is outstanding! Well organized and explains the process front to back. While I realize there are bad things that happen in aviation it is usually the low time VFR/IFR pilots not the highly trained professional pilots. As is said below many times it just breaks my heart for all of the passengers. So needless. Extremely well done.

Thank you you’re explanation is very helpful in understanding what happened and technical knowledge is helpful

I think one of the best and most important things to come out of these video's Captain Petter, is that lessons are learnt.

This is such an important accident to me, personally. My company had just ordered its first Q400 and our office/hanger was next door to Colgan. The first I knew of it was coming to work and seeing all the news crews in the parking lot. I eventually flew on the Q for 9 years and loved that plane. She is beautiful. Many of the changes to FAA rules were needed. Of course, in my opinion, the biggest FAA change needed is the end of it’s dual mandate and focus only on safety.

Only found your videos the other day nos they are great! I love aircrash investigation so know most of the accidents already but I love the details you go into and feel like I learn something new in each video

I'm really glad you covered this accident. I have watched many videos about it and yours is the most clear and informative. Thank you very much.

RIP to those that lost their lives in this 🙏🏿💔...also great watch as always. One thing I'll always respect about the aviation industry is how they learn and improve from all these mistakes. Nothing is always going to be perfect as with everything in life but credit to them for always learning and evolving because we know the margin of error is very small in an industry like this. Keep up the great work and great coverage 🙏🏿💜