Flight Data: Plane On Wrong Runway
Black Box Confirms That Pilots Made Error In Deadly Crash
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Play CBS Video Video Comair Black Box Retrieved Investigators recovered the black box from the Comair jet that crashed near Lexington, Ky. They hope it will provide important information as to the cause of the crash. Bob Orr has more.
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Video Pilot Training The Comair incident has highlighted the issue of the quality of regional carriers' pilots, but aviation experts observe that they have made giant strides in their hiring and training practices.
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Video Report: Jet On Wrong Runway Officials told CBS News that pilots of crashed Comair jet had made "a critical and fatal mistake." CBS News' Bob Orr reports the commuter plane used the wrong runway in Lexington, Ky.
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The tail of Comair Flight 5191 rested among trees at left after the plane crashed in a field during take off less then a mile from the runway at the Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky., on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006. Forty-nine people were killed. (AP)
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The flight data recorder from Comair Flight 5191, foreground, and the cockpit voice recorder are carried in to National Transportation Safety Board headquarters in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006. (AP)
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Chief Deputy Richard A. Head, right, with the Fayette Co. Sheriff's Dept., direct family members arriving to get more information at Bluegrass Airport, in Lexington, Ky., where Comair Flight 5191 crashed, on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006. (AP Photo)
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Police and fire crews are staged at the end of the Bluegrass Airport runway in Lexington, Ky., Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006. (AP Photo)
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A Comair CRJ jet has crashed outside Lexington, Ky, the FAA reports. (AP (file))
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Interactive Air Disasters Review the worst air disasters in the past four decades, see how safety officials investigate plane crashes and more.
Comair President Don Bornhorst said maintenance for the plane that crashed Sunday was up to date and its three-member flight crew was experienced and had been flying that airplane for some time.
"We are absolutely, totally committed to doing everything humanly possible to determine the cause of this accident," Bornhorst said. "One of the most damaging things that can happen to an investigation of this magnitude is for speculation or for us to guess at what may be happening."
Most of the passengers aboard the flight had planned to connect to other flights in Atlanta and did not have family waiting for them, said the Rev. Harold Boyce, a volunteer chaplain at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport.
One woman was there expecting her sister. The two had planned to fly together to catch an Alaskan cruise, Boyce said.
"Naturally, she was very sad," Boyce said. "She was handling it. She was in tears."
The only survivor of the crash was identified as first officer James M. Polehinke, who was in critical condition after surgery at the University of Kentucky hospital.
The other crew members were Capt. Jeffrey Clay, who was hired by Erlanger, Ky.-based Comair in 1999, and flight attendant Kelly Heyer, hired in 2004. Polehinke has been with Comair since 2002.
The plane had undergone routine maintenance as recently as Saturday and had 14,500 flight hours, which is "consistent with aircraft of that age," Bornhorst said.
Investigators from the FAA and NTSB were at the scene, and Bornhorst said the airline was working to contact relatives of the passengers.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush, who is spending a long weekend at his family's summer home on the Maine coast, was being briefed on the crash.
"The president was deeply saddened by the news of the plane crash in Kentucky today," she said. "His sympathies are with the many families of the victims of this tragedy."
Among those killed were a newlywed couple starting their honeymoon. Jon Hooker, a former minor-league baseball player, had just married Scarlett Parlsey the night before the crash in a fairy tale wedding ceremony complete with a horse-drawn carriage and 300 friends.
"It's so tragic because he was so happy last night," said Keith Madison, who coached Hooker's baseball team at the University of Kentucky and attended the wedding. "It's just an incredible turn of events. It's really painful."
The crash marks the end of what has been called the "safest period in aviation history" in the United States. There has not been a major crash since Nov. 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 plunged into a residential neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., killing 265 people, including five on the ground.
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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"a more likely casualty count is 40-50k"
umm. okay. so in other words..you were just being a typical liberal blowhard. You JUST SAID that "bush murdered hundreds of thousands".
It is my understanding that there was recently some repaving done at the airport.
It appears that the pilots took off from runway 26 which is located before runway 22 which they were cleared on. Since the airport had recently been resurfacing the runways, I have two questions here. First, was runway 26 the runway which was resurfaced and if it was, was it clearly marked for the pilots who may have not been familar with this airport? Could this be the reason for the accident?
"I'm sure the Democrats will find some way to pin this on the Bush administration."
No one is trying to do that, not that it matters. He has soooooo much blood on his hands from the murder of hundreds of thousands, does it really matter if we add 50 or so more?
Libs don't "get" facts nor logic, they just spout platitudes...
Tell me, 123, how is a suicide bombing between Sunni's and Shiites the fault of W? Help me understand how George is responsible for this hate... or yours, for that matter.
The above mentioned sentence should be corrected as follows:
Orr adds that two [other] flights took off from the correct runway (22) just prior to the Comair flight's departure.
Here ya go:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7967-2004Oct28.html (note that this article is dated October 2004)
A more likely casualty count is 40K-45K, but the 100K figure has at least been reported in the MSM.
I work 50 hours a week sir. In case you didn't notice...today is Sunday.
1. As seen in the newscast, the identification numbers for runway 26 are painted on the very beginning of the runway. This is normal under current guidelines for a non-instrument runway.
2. The taxiway intersection for runway 26 allows the aircraft to enter the runway at a point beyond the identification numbers.
3. The identification numbers for runway 26 are faded, possibly beyond established safety standards.
Recommendation:
1. Place the non-instrument runway identificaton numbers well beyond the beginning of the runway at all airports.
2. Require more frequent inspection to meet minimum visibility standards for runway identification markings.
3. Require flight crews to add a final checklist item verifying assigned runway alignment with their compass. This checklist procedure alone may have prevented this accident.
You guys have too much free time on your hands based on the comments you've posted. Go get a job!
"murder of hundreds of thousands".
source?
No one is trying to do that, not that it matters. He has soooooo much blood on his hands from the murder of hundreds of thousands, does it really matter if we add 50 or so more?
I agree. I'm sure the Democrats will find some way to pin this on the Bush administration. I can hear it now: "In 2002, The Bush Administration {insert nonsensical jibberish here}...which ULTIMATELY caused the plane crash".
- by dannoga August 27, 2006 3:37 PM EDT
- IT IS OBVIOUS WRONG RUNWAY WAS USED FOR TAKEOFF...QUESTION IS DID ATC (GROUND,TOWER ETC) CLEAR THEM TO TAKE OFF ON THAT INCORRECT RUNWAY...OR DID THEY DECIDE TO USE IT ON THEIR OWN?
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