[Liz]

The first officer, who was in her fifth straight day
of flying, was at the controls of the crashed plane.

She had 1,422 hours of flying total.......
below the FAA minimum to be a commercial pilot.

She was able to fly passengers with a “special exception” from
the FAA because she had a specific aviation degree and “received a waiver”...

[Mr. Jeeves]

She had 1,422 hours of flying total, which is below the Federal Aviation Administration minimum to be a commercial pilot.

She was able to fly commercially with a special exception from the FAA because she had a specific aviation degree and received a waiver...

But that's kind of an MSM lie by omission, because only 1,250 hours are required if one has a bachelor's degree in aviation from an FAA-approved school.

The issue here isn't her total hours of flying time but her hours in and familiarity with the aircraft type, especially in bad weather. One can be a competent pilot in a smaller aircraft and still have trouble handling a larger aircraft in crosswinds.