Pinnacle Airlines, Memphis, has reached out to Cleveland’s Dix & Eaton to provide crisis support in the aftermath of its Colgan Air Flight 3407 that crashed February 12 outside Buffalo killing 50 people.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which yesterday kicked off hearings into the disaster, released a damaging cockpit flight recorder transcript of the doomed Flight 3407.
The text shows pilot and co-pilot engaged in small talk, a violation of federal safety rules, and talking about inexperience in dealing with icy conditions.
Co-pilot Rebecca Shaw, is quoted as saying she would have “freaked out” if she had to deal with so much ice and would have “thought, oh, my gosh we were going to crash.”
Pinnacle uses hometown Howell Marketing Strategies for PR. Its phone number is listed as media contact on Manassas, VA-based Colgan’s site.
Amy Howell, founder of the firm, did not return a call. Her firm’s website features a testimonial from Pinnacle CEO Phil Trenary. He praises Howell for her expertise in helping shape “Pinnacle’s overall communications strategy and more specifically our crisis communications.”
Trenary could not be reached. His assistant said D&E has been hired for crisis work and is specifically handling Flight 3407.
A voice mail was left for D&E CEO Scott Chailkin. He had VP Amy McGahan email this website with the following: "I work with Scott Chaikin at Dix & Eaton and, as such, wanted to get back to you regarding your inquiry about Colgan. Unfortunately, we cannot be of help to you at this time."
The Colgan plane flew under the Continental Connection flag, a feeder carrier for Continental Airlines. |