Reports show that a pilot’s inattention and his failure to follow safety rules is likely the main cause of a commuter plane plummeting from the sky near Buffalo back in February. When the plane went down, it killed 50 people.

The twin engine turboprop also lacked an adequate system to warn the pilots when the plane was flying too slow. Colgan Air went on to tell investigators that this likely contributed to the crash as well.

Colgan Air, on December 7^th, reported to the National Transportation Safety Board that the problems that caused the accident were the flight crew’s loss of situational awareness and failure to follow the airline’s training procedures, which led to a loss of control of the aircraft.

The Air Line Pilots Association has, of course, countered this remark, saying that a combination of factors, other than a pilot error, caused the crash. The Union argued that Colgan Air failed to adequately prepare the pilots for the wet, freezing conditions they faced on the night of February 12^th.

The Continental Connection Flight 3407, went into an aerodynamic stall and spun out of control as it approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport. From there the plane slammed into a house and burst into flames. All of the 49 people in the plane and the one man in the house died.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s report on the crash is expected to be release by early February of next year. The investigation has spotlighted the long hours, low pay and long distance commutes of regional airline pilots.