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Injuries=1|
Injuries=1|
Aircraft Type=[[Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet|Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) CRJ-100ER]]|
Aircraft Type=[[Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet|Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) CRJ-100ER]]|
Operator=[[Comair]] (as [[Delta Connection]])|
Operator=[[Comair]] ([[d/b/a]] [[Delta Connection]])|
Tail Number={{airreg|N|431CA}}|
Tail Number={{airreg|N|431CA}}|
Passengers=47|
Passengers=47|

Revision as of 17:00, 24 March 2008

Comair Flight 191
A CRJ-100ER in Comair livery at the gate in Jacksonville, Florida
Occurrence
DateAugust 27, 2006
SummaryPilot error
SiteBlue Grass Airport, Lexington, Kentucky
Aircraft typeBombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) CRJ-100ER
OperatorComair (d/b/a Delta Connection)
RegistrationN431CA[1]
Passengers47
Crew3
Fatalities49
Injuries1
Survivors1

Comair Flight 191, or Delta Air Lines Flight 5191, was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to Atlanta, Georgia, operated on behalf of Delta Connection by Comair. On the morning of August 27, 2006, the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet that was being used for the flight crashed while attempting to take off from Blue Grass Airport in Fayette County, Kentucky, four miles (6 kilometers) west of the central business district of the City of Lexington.

The aircraft was assigned the airport's Runway 22 for the takeoff, but used Runway 26 instead. Runway 26 was too short for a safe takeoff, causing the aircraft to overrun the end of the runway before it could become airborne. It crashed just past the end of the runway, killing all 47 passengers and two of the three crew. The flight's first officer was the only survivor.[2]

The flight was sold under the Delta brand as Delta Flight 5191 (DL5191) and was operated by Comair as Comair Flight 191 (OH191/COM191). The flight had been scheduled to land at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 7:18 a.m.[2]

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft involved, N431CA[3], was a 50-seat Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-100ER,[4] serial number 7472. Manufactured in Canada in January 2001, it was delivered to the airline on January 30, 2001.[5]

The crew consisted of Captain Jeffrey Clay, 35, who was hired by Comair in November 1999, First Officer James M. Polehinke, 44, who was hired in March 2002, and flight attendant Kelly Heyer, 27, hired in July 2004. Comair president Don Bornhorst stated in a press conference that Clay was very familiar with the aircraft.[5]

Nationalities of passengers

[6][7][8][9]

Nationality Passengers Crew Total
Total Killed Total Killed Total Killed
 United States 42 42 3 2 45 44
 Canada 3 3 0 0 3 3
 Japan 2 2 0 0 2 2
Total 47 47 3 2 50 49

The two Japanese citizens were residents of Lexington, Kentucky. [10]

Crash

Approximate paths at Blue Grass Airport (picture before airport construction done weeks before the crash):
  Desired path via Runway 22
  Actual path via Runway 26, ending at approximate crash site.
X marks the closed taxiway

Analysis of the cockpit voice recorder indicated the aircraft was cleared to take off from Runway 22, a 7,003-foot (2,135 meter) strip used by most airline traffic at Lexington.[11] Instead, after confirming "Runway two-two," Captain Jeffrey Clay taxied onto Runway 26, an unlit secondary runway only 3,500 ft (1,067 m) long[12] without stopping the aircraft,[13] a common occurrence during light traffic periods, and turned the controls over to First Officer James Polehinke for takeoff.[14] The air traffic controller in the control tower was not required to maintain visual contact with the aircraft; after clearing the plane for takeoff, he turned to perform administrative duties and did not see the aircraft taxi to the runway.[14] A video clip reveals the plane taxiing past a lit Runway 22 [15]

Based upon an estimated takeoff weight of 49,087 pounds (22,265 kg),[16] the manufacturer calculated a speed of 138 knots (159 miles per hour or 256 kilometers per hour) and a distance of 3,744 feet (1141 m) would have been needed for rotation (increasing nose-up pitch), with more runway needed to achieve lift-off.[17] At a speed approaching 100 knots (115 miles per hour), Polehinke remarked, "Dat (sic) is weird with no lights," referring to the lack of lighting on Runway 26.[18] "Yeah," confirmed Clay, but the flight data recorder gave no indication either pilot tried to abort the takeoff as the aircraft accelerated to 137 knots (158 miles per hour or 254 kilometers per hour). Clay called for rotation but the aircraft sped off the end of the runway before it could lift off. It then struck a berm, becoming momentarily airborne,[18] clipped the airport perimeter fence with its landing gear, and collided with trees, separating the fuselage and cockpit from the tail. The aircraft impacted the ground about 1000 feet (305 m) from the end of the runway,[16] killing most victims instantly.[19] A resulting fire destroyed the aircraft.

All 47 passengers and two of the three crew members died. Comair released the passenger manifest of Flight 191 on August 29, 2006.[20]

A few friends and family members of the passengers were present at the Atlanta Airport at the time of the crash, as most passengers were en route to other destinations, such as California,[10] Aruba,[21] West Palm Beach, Florida,[22] and Miami,[23] via Atlanta.[24]

Survivor

James Polehinke, the first officer, suffered serious injuries, including multiple broken bones, a collapsed lung, and severe bleeding. Lexington-Fayette and airport police officers pulled Polehinke out of the wreckage. [13] Polehinke underwent surgery for his injuries, including an amputation of his left leg.[25] Doctors later determined that Polehinke had suffered brain damage and has no memory of the crash or the events leading up to it.[26] As of August 2007, Polehinke was confined to a wheelchair.[27] During the same month, Polehinke filed a lawsuit against the airport and the company that designed the runway and taxi lights.[28]

Polehinke said through his attorney, William Johnson, that "the 47 passengers should have known of dangerous conditions at Blue Grass Airport, including the need to improve runway conditions." Johnson later withdrew the argument. David Royse, an attorney for the plaintiffs, criticized Polehinke's statement.[29]

Aftermath

Template:Wikinewspar2

A memorial service for the victims was held on August 31, 2006 at the Lexington Opera House.[30] A second public memorial service was held on September 10, 2006 at Rupp Arena in Lexington.[31] The Lexington Herald-Leader published a list of the victims with short biographies.[32]

During the course of the ongoing investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) discovered that tower staffing levels at Blue Grass Airport violated an internal policy as reflected in a November 16, 2005 memorandum requiring two controllers during the overnight shift: one in the tower working clearance, ground, and tower frequencies, and another — either in the tower or remotely at Indianapolis Center — working TRACON (radar). At the time of the accident, the single controller in the tower was performing both tower and radar duties. On August 30, the FAA announced that Lexington, as well as other airports with similar traffic levels, would be staffed with two controllers in the tower around the clock effective immediately.[33]

On September 12, Comair announced that all of their pilots had been using an airport map with outdated information at the time of the crash. A new diagram was received by the airline on Friday, September 8, two weeks after the crash. At the same time, the airline issued a warning to pilots to exercise "extreme caution" when taxiing to the appropriate runway.[34] Despite the existence of the outdated chart, an airport spokesman stated that the updated taxi route was available to pilots via a Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) released when the construction began.[35]

On September 14, Fayette Circuit Judge Pamela Goodwine issued a restraining order to prevent Blue Grass Airport from continuing any construction to preserve evidence in the crash pending the inspection by safety experts and attorneys for the families of the victims.[36]

On December 12, the NTSB commented, "A standard procedure requiring pilots to cross-check and verify that they are positioned at the correct runway before crossing the hold-short line[clarification needed] and initiating takeoff would directly address the circumstances of the Comair flight 5191 accident as well as events involving parallel runways" in a nine-page report. The agency said in the Comair Flight 5191 accident, both pilots recognized the unlighted runway but took no actions to reevaluate whether they were on the correct runway.[37]

The NTSB released several factual reports on January 17, 2007, including transcripts and recordings of the CVR and an engineering report.[38] An NTSB release found no violations of the "sterile cockpit" rule by the pilots, despite media reports.[39][40][41]

In June 2007, it was announced by the NTSB that as a result of its investigation it would urge for new safety measures to prevent a recurrence of the disaster, including devices to warn pilots if they are in the wrong place and rescheduling air traffic controllers' workloads to ensure they get more sleep.[42]

In July 2007, a flying instructor for Comair testified that he would have failed both pilots for violating sterile cockpit rules.[43]

On July 26th, 2007, the FAA met to discuss Comair Flight 5191 and may ultimately recommend that L Notams (Local Notams) be read to pilots regardless of whether or not they request them. The day of the accident, an L Notam that warned of the shorter unlit runway, the closed taxiway, and the fact that the unlit runway was only for use during daylight operations was active. Evidence shows that the crew of Flight 5191 did not receive this L Notam prior to the attempted departure and may be a contributing factor in the accident.

Probable cause

During a public meeting on July 26, 2007, the NTSB announced the probable cause of the accident, as follows:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the flight crewmembers’ failure to use available cues and aids to identify the airplane’s location on the airport surface during taxi and their failure to cross‑check and verify that the airplane was on the correct runway before takeoff. Contributing to the accident were the flight crew’s nonpertinent conversations during taxi, which resulted in a loss of positional awareness and the Federal Aviation Administration’s failure to require that all runway crossings be authorized only by specific air traffic control clearances. [44]

Similar accidents and incidents

  • In 1993, a commercial jet at Blue Grass Airport was cleared for takeoff on Runway 22 but mistakenly took Runway 26 instead. Tower personnel noticed the mistake and cancelled the aircraft's takeoff clearance just as the crew realized their error. The aircraft subsequently made a safe departure from Runway 22.[45]

References

  1. ^ "FAA Registry (N431CA)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  2. ^ a b "Questions hang over why crashed jet used short runway". CNN. 2006-08-27. Retrieved 2006-08-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "FAA Registry (N431CA)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  4. ^ "Comair provides updated information regarding Flight 5191" (Press release). Comair. 2006-08-27. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  5. ^ a b "NTSB: Crashed Jet On Wrong Runway". IBS. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  6. ^ "Christina Anderson, 39," The Courier-Journal
  7. ^ "Lyle Anderson, 55," The Courier-Journal
  8. ^ "Anne Marie Bailey, 49," The Courier-Journal
  9. ^ "Tetsuya and Nahoko Kono," Lexington Herald-Leader
  10. ^ a b "Tetsuya Kono, 34, and Nahoko Kono, 31," The Courier-Journal
  11. ^ "NTSB Preliminary Report DCA06MA064". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 2006-08-27.
  12. ^ "AirNav runway information for KLEX". AirNav. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  13. ^ a b "NTSB: Nightmare began before dawn". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
  14. ^ a b "NTSB: Tower didn't notice deadly mistake". The Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  15. ^ "Videos highlight mystery of fatal Comair 5191 crash," The Courier-Journal
  16. ^ a b "Comair flight almost made it". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2006-08-31.
  17. ^ "NTSB: LEX Controller Had Two Hours Of Sleep Prior To Accident Shift". Aero-News Network. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
  18. ^ a b "Crew Sensed Trouble Seconds Before Crash". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  19. ^ "Coroner: Most Victims Died on Impact". Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  20. ^ Comair. "Comair Releases Passenger Manifest for Flight 5191".
  21. ^ "Bobbie Benton, 50, and Jesse Clark Benton, 48," The Courier-Journal
  22. ^ Victoria Washington, 54," The Courier-Journal
  23. ^ Priscilla Johnson, 54, and JoAnn Wright, 56," The Courier-Journal
  24. ^ Jeffrey McMurray (August 27, 2006). "Comair plane took off from wrong runway". The Associated Press. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Family: Comair co-pilot has no memory of crash". The Courier-Journal. 2006-09-25. Retrieved 2006-09-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Comair Crash Survivor Leaves Hospital; Co-Pilot, The Lone Survivor Of Kentucky Plane Crash, To Begin Rehabilitation". CBS News. 2006-10-03. Retrieved 2006-10-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "'A horrendous, horrendous tragedy all around'". courier-journal.com. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  28. ^ "Polehinke Files Suit in Crash: REMEMBERING FLIGHT 5191". redorbit.com. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  29. ^ "Comair passengers blamed in crash". The Courier-Journal. 2008-01-25. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ Mark Pitsch (August 31, 2006). "Several hundred attend memorial service at Lexington Opera House". The Courier-Journal (Louisville). {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ "Mass Memorial in Lexington Pays Respect to Flight 51-91 Victims". WKYT-TV (Lexington). September 9, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ Linda Blackford and Amy Wilson (September 3, 2006). "The Tragedy of Flight 5191". Lexington Herald-Leader. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "FAA: Tower staffing during plane crash violated rules". CNN. Retrieved 2006-09-06.
  34. ^ "Letters: Controllers complained before Comair crash". CNN. Retrieved 2006-09-13.
  35. ^ "Pilots' charts of airport were out of date". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 2006-09-13.
  36. ^ "Judge orders halt to airport construction". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  37. ^ "New rules sought by NTSB". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 2006-12-12.
  38. ^ "NTSB Advisory". NTSB. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  39. ^ "Pilots in Ky. crash violated rules". The Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  40. ^ "Excerpts of Comair Cockpit Recording". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
  41. ^ "Comair flight 5191 cockpit communications" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
  42. ^ NTSB to urge safety changes because of the crash of Comair 5191 (Janet Patton) - Kentucky.com - Obtained June 9, 2007, published Jun. 07, 2007.
  43. ^ Instructor: 5191 Pilots Violated Rules (Associated Press) - lex18.com - Obtained July 19, 2007, published, July 19, 2007.
  44. ^ "Report of Aviation Accident, Comair Flight 5191, NTSB/AAR-07/05" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
  45. ^ "NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System report #256788". NASA. Retrieved 2006-08-29.

See also

Wikinews has related news:

38°02′16″N 84°36′55″W / 38.0379°N 84.6154°W / 38.0379; -84.6154

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