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Some regional airlines have used car parts in their airplanes. These infractions are a major issue and completely unacceptable. To learn more, please continue reading...

Regional airlines such as Gulfstream account for half of all scheduled passenger flights in the U.S., according to Business Week.That's why it's so disturbing to hear these airlines fail in so many aspects of basic aviation safety.

For example, it was discovered Gulfstream airline installed automotive air conditioning parts not certified by the FAA for use in their planes. Think about that - the air conditioning parts used in a Ford Focus could be in a Gulfstream airplane right now trying to handle all the atmospheric and hydraulic pressures of a large, commercial plane. Truly scary.

In May of this year, the FAA found that Gulfstream had violated multiple regulations and slapped them with a $1.3 million fine. This would be the largest fine against a regional airline. Though, Gulfstream is appealing it.

Using shoddy parts isn't the only glaring issue. Gulfstream also failed to properly enter pilot flying hours from its manual, hard-copy logbooks into their computer system. As a result, crew members flew more hours than the FAA allowed, both on a daily and weekly basis.

So what does all this add up to? Seven of the last eight commercial aviation accidents involved regional airlines and 87 percent of all commercial airplane crashes featured a regional plane, according to the BBC.

As a licensed pilot with a passion for soaring through the sky in an airplane, I find these statistics outrageous and a full investigation into the practices of these regional airlines is necessary. The poor pilots (both literally and figuratively) employed by these airlines are overworked and underpaid. The end result is our safety gets put at risk.

The issue of pilot fatigue is being addressed in Congress and I hope meaningful reforms are implemented. But they need to supplement any reform with some type of stiffer regulations and/or penalties on these regional airlines. Too many lives are being put at risk due to their carelessness.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and we have experience handling accidents involving mass transit such as airplanes, trains, and buses. In fact, our law firm published a free consumer safety guide on what to do if you are hurt in an airplane accident. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia if you've been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness. While not every injury case meets our criteria,  we off a free, initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail and we will return your call promptly.  

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included among the "Best Lawyers in America" 2010 Edition, and along with attorney John Cooper, were named Virginia "Super Lawyers" For Personal Injury Law  (2010 Ed., less than 5% of lawyers are chosen), and selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum (2009). In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical, respected law firms. Our firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a public information service along with editing a blog devoted exclusively to railroad accident and FELA law.

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