Brian Higgins: “August 1 marks the 10th anniversary of Congress passing landmark legislation to ensure one level of safety for the…”

“August 1 marks the 10th anniversary of Congress passing landmark legislation to ensure one level of safety for the American flying public. The success of this legislation belongs to the courageous advocacy of the families of flight 3407, who lost their loved ones in a tragic plane crash in Clarence, New York, in 2009. These families lost sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, friends and loved ones. No one would have blamed them had they gone on to live their lives in quiet solitude. They did not do that. They turned their personal tragedy into a life-giving force, a citizen army to fight for change so that what happened to them would not happen to others. These families were relentless, pushing Congress to strengthen pilot training standards, as the National Transportation Safety Board found pilot error was responsible for the crash. The families did not blame the pilots, for they, too, were victims. They attacked the system that allowed pilots who were ill-trained to fly planes. There is still much work to be done, but today we honor and express our graduate to the good and courageous families of flight 3407. ____________________”