Families in DC four years after crash

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WIVB) - The families fought long and hard to convince Congress to pass legislation to make the skies safer. Now, they want to know why the feds aren’t enforcing the rules.

Four years aren’t enough to heal the hurt. John Kausner lost his daughter Elly four years ago Tuesday. During 2011 he said, “We lost our loved ones because of bad practices, both in training and certainly fatigue.”

Karen Eckert’s sister died on Flight 3407. She is among those determined to fight for change. Eckert said, “The minimum requirements that are in existence today are abysmal. They are way too low.”

The feds blamed pilot error for the crash. The commuter plane went down just five miles from the airport. In 2010, the Flight 3407 families convinced Congress to strengthen the standards for pilots.

Legislation calls for newly hired commercial pilots to have at least $1,500 hours of flight experience. It also requires the FAA to ensure that pilots are trained on stall and upset recovery.

Congressman Chris Collins says the FAA needs to get moving, and implement these changes. Collins said, "I will be fighting for them in the majority to make sure we hold the FAA accountable for the fact that they've missed their deadline by one year."

Last fall, the Wall Street Journal reported the airline industry was arguing the new rules are contributing to a serious pilot shortage. Karen Eckert doesn’t buy it, “They want us to go away. They want people who are promoting safety to go away. But there is a reason there were those changes.”

She promises she won’t give up. This is a fight she must finish for her sister and the 49 others, lost four years ago.