Prior to DC plane crash, last major US air disaster killed 50 near Buffalo:

Before a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided mid-air near Reagan Washington National Airport and fell into the frigid Potomac River late Wednesday, the deadliest recent domestic crash involving a commercial plane happened near Buffalo in 2009.

Nearly 16 years ago, Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into a house in Clarence Center, Erie County, killing everyone on board the plane and one person on the ground.

Here’s more about that fatal crash on a frigid day in 2009:

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Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crash: What happened and where?

Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into a house on Long Street in Clarence Center around 10:20 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2009. That street is approximately nine miles from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

The Q400 Bombardier aircraft, operated by Colgan Air, was flying from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in light snow, fog and 17 mph winds at the time of the crash.

What caused the Buffalo plane crash?

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that a series of critical errors by the pilot and co-pilot contributed to the crash. Specifically, they said, it was the captain’s inappropriate response to a warning that the Bombardier Q400 turboprop was going too slow to remain aloft. The pilots lacked training to avoid the stall and were fatigued, the investigation found.

The airline blamed pilot inattention and failure to follow safety rules. The plane also lacked an adequate system to warn the pilots when the plane was flying too slowly, contributing to the tragedy, said Colgan Air Inc.

How many people died in the Buffalo plane crash?

Fifty people died in the crash – 49 people were aboard the flight (including crew) and one person on the ground was killed.

The man on the ground who died was inside the affected two-story house. Two women inside the house – a 57-year-old woman and her 22-year-old daughter – escaped with minor injuries.

Did anyone famous die in the Buffalo plane crash?

Alison Des Forges – a human rights activist and expert on the Rwandan genocide
Beverly Eckert – an activist and advocate for the 9/11 commission as well as the co-chairperson of the 9/11 Family Steering Committee. Her husband died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
Gerry Niewood – a Rochester native and jazz musician (saxophonist)
Coleman Mellett – a jazz musician (guitarist)
Susan Wehle – the first American female Jewish Renewal cantor.

What FAA changes followed the fatal Buffalo plane crash?

The FAA developed the most sweeping changes in pilot rules in 50 years after that crash. While the National Transportation Safety Board didn’t blame fatigue as a cause in the crash, the board found that neither pilot appeared to have slept in a bed the night before.

FAA developed new rules to address pilot fatigue, which included limiting flight time to 8 or 9 hours and minimum rest periods of 10 hours to include 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Congress adopted the requirement that every pilot have at least 1,500 hours flying in 2010 after the crash. The rule, which took effect in August 2013, raised the experience level for first officers from 250 hours to the 1,500 hours that captains must accumulate.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Prior to DC plane crash, last US air disaster killed 50 near Buffalo

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