Pilot 'flirting' before fatal plunge
May 13, 2009, 10:40 am
The captain of a Continental Airlines plane that crashed into a New Jersey house, killing all 49 people on board and one resident in February, was flirting with his young female co-pilot just moments before the accident, it has been alleged.
An investigation of the incident will reveal that prior to the disaster, Captain Marvin Renslow, 47, and co-pilot, Rebecca Shaw, 24, broke Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules that forbid non-flight-related talk below 10,000 feet, the New York Post reports.
According to a source close to the investigation, a public hearing will listen to the duo's banter, which was captured on the flight recorder.
Shaw's fatigue is said to have been a factor in the crash, as she had complained about a head cold and said she should have taken a sick day after a week skiing with her family.
Renslow was never properly trained on the Dash 8-Q400 Bombardier's anti-stall stick-pusher, which if used properly could have prevented the fatal plunge, sources said.
Renslow's inexperience and poor track record will be another hot topic at the hearing. The Post reports that he had only been captaining a Q400 for two months with just 109 flying hours.
Before graduating as a pilot in 2005, he had failed three proficiency tests on general aviation aircraft. Later, he failed two accreditation exams on turboprop planes and was unsuccessful in his first bid to qualify as a co-pilot on the Beech 1900 aircraft. He was also unsuccessful in his first attempt at Saab 340 pilot certification.