The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the captain, Marvin Renslow, had failed five “check rides,” or hands-on tests, conducted in a cockpit or a simulator, before the Feb. 12 crash.
He also had never received hands-on training with a safety system that activated just before the plane went down.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/nyregion/12pilot.html