Politics
How One Crash 10 Years Ago Helped Keep 90 Million Flights Safe
After the Colgan Air disaster, reforms contributed to an unprecedented decade of safety.
Photographer: David Duprey/Pool/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
Investigators never figured out precisely why the pilot abruptly sent the Colgan Air turboprop into a fatal dive 10 years ago as it neared Buffalo, N.Y.
But they did learn enough from the Feb. 12, 2009, crash, which killed 50 people, to make it one of the most important milestones in the history of aviation safety, leading to changes in everything from pilot training to managing fatigue.