Perhaps, but will it do any good? Pure speculation here, but I think it's likely that this guy was in violation of the laws that already exist. In the case of the America West pilots in Florida, it's pretty clear that they were in violation of the 8 hour rule. So how would making the rule stricter help?
It's sort of like lowering the legal BAC level for driving to 0.08%. (and before any of you get started, I am not advocating or excusing drunken driving) It just seems to be taken on faith that lowering it is a good thing, and will make our world safer. Me, I'm skeptical, and I am of the mind that we should have good reasons backed up by fact before we make any laws more restrictive. So my question is: How many accidents are caused by drivers with a 0.08% or 0.09% BAC? I know this isn't scientific, but I don't *ever* recall reading about a fatal accident where the driver had a 0.09% BAC. Seems to me like they are generally .185 or .231 or some number a long way from 0.08%
If the drivers that are causing the problems are .15% or more, then how does lowering it from .10% to .08% make things safer?
Getting back to the topic at hand, if the problem pilots are already drinking within the current 8 hour time limit, then how will extending the time limit solve the problem?