Last month’s mid-air collision near Washington, D.C., was the first fatal American commercial air disaster since shortly after 10 p.m. on February 12, 2009, when Colgan Air Flight 3407 fell out of the sky and crashed into a house near Buffalo, New York. It was the 14th fatal crash of a U.S. airliner in 15 years, but the 2009 disaster would become a turning point in American aviation.
In the following years, the crash site was transformed into a memorial and place of reflection for the 50 people who died — 49 on the plane and one person who was in the house. But for the families who lost loved ones — like John and Marilyn Kausner, whose 24-year-old daughter Elly was killed in the incident — the fight that started there never stopped.
“She was brilliant, she was beautiful and the life of the party,” John said about his daughter.
When the National Transportation Safety Board produced its report, it showed pilot error caused the plane to stall and nosedive. It was also revealed the pilot had not been forthcoming about failing prior flight tests.
The findings spurred the families of the deceased into action. They banded together and lobbied the government to pass a federal airline safety bill, leading to a mandated 1,500 hours of flight training for co-pilots, the creation of a pilot performance database and a requirement that pilots have 10 hours of rest before flying.
The Kausners brought along a posters of the victims on their trips to Washington, D.C., “to put a face to the tragedy,” Kausner said.
Ron Aughtmon lost his uncle John Fiore, a veteran who dedicated his life to public service.
“We call each other the family we never wanted,” Aughtmon said of the families of other victims. “Not many people know what flight 3407 is, and our job is to make sure that we keep our loved ones and the fight for airline safety at the forefront.”
To this day, the families are still pushing to keep those regulations intact as regional airlines attempt to roll back pilot training requirements.
The D.C. mid-air collision last month ended what had been the longest safety streak without a fatal crash in American commercial aviation. It had been nearly 16 years since the Colgan Air crash.
“When we saw it, it came back. It was rough, but we quickly thought about those families and what they are going through right now,” Marilyn Kausner said.
The 3407 memorial is a reminder of their loss and the change they fought for. Marilyn also says the other families affected by flight 3407 are now like her own.
“It’s how I could be with her, and I believe it’s why we were also successful because…we did it together,” Marilyn said.
It’s a group they never wanted to join, but now one they can’t live without.