NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — It's been more than nine years since Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed in Clarence Center, New York. The family members of the dozens who died lobbied for new safety rules and regulations, and have since been fighting to make sure they remain in place.

"Any time there's wavering senators, I send the parents over to see them and they are the best weapon we could have to keep the rules in place," Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer said.

Despite all of the efforts from those families, Schumer said he's afraid the Federal Aviation Administration still isn't taking its obligation to keep passengers safe seriously enough.

"I don't know if people have learned their lesson of 3407, and what happened in the last few weeks shows just that, that the FAA is not making safety cause number one, which they should," he said.

Last week, a passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight died from injuries she suffered when an engine exploded, blowing out a window. Coupled with a helicopter crash on the East River that killed five people last month and a recent 60 Minutes report detailing safety issues with Allegiant Airlines, Schumer's office decided to study FAA maintenance enforcement data. The office found it's been on a steady decline since at least 2014.

The FAA's got to get with it and I've called on the FAA to re-up their safety regimen." Schumer said. "Everyone wants to fly. Don't get me wrong, it's still safe to fly. I fly all the time but safety has to come number one."

The New York Democrat wrote a letter to the acting administrator, urging him to dramatically increase inspections and take stronger enforcement action when appropriate.

“Although commercial aviation is the safest mode of transportation and the U.S remains the safest airspace system in the world, one fatality is one too many. We never are content with the status quo, and the FAA is continually working to enhance safety for the flying public," the FAA said in a statement. “The FAA’s comprehensive oversight system is designed to identify potential risks before they become serious problems; and ensure that corrective action is taken. The process is dynamic and requires that the FAA, and the airlines we oversee, constantly strive for safety improvements.” 

Schumer said the administration does not disagree with the numbers in the report. He said it is checking out what went wrong and plan to get back to him with details about how it plans to correct any issues.