Comair Flight 5191

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Comair Flight 5191
A CRJ-100ER in Comair livery at the gate in Jacksonville, Florida
Occurrence
DateAugust 27, 2006
SummaryCrashed on takeoff
SiteLexington, Kentucky
Aircraft typeBombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) CRJ-100ER
OperatorComair (as Delta Connection)
RegistrationN431CA[1]
Passengers47
Crew3
Fatalities49
Injuries1
Survivors1

Comair 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 August 27, 2006, at approximately 6:07 a.m. local time, the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet that was being used for the flight crashed while attempting to take off from Blue Grass Airport, Lexington. The first officer was the only survivor among the 47 passengers and three crew on board.[2]

It soon became apparent that the aircraft had used the wrong runway to takeoff from. It was cleared for runway 23, but after confirming this clearance with Air Traffic Control the pilot taxied on past Runway 23. It proceded to attempt to take off from Runway 26, which is situated immediatly past Runway 23 at Blue Grass Airport. The Runway used was too short for the aircraft to succesfuly take off from, and the aircraft overshot the end of the runway, and bounced of a berm, impacting the ground aproximatly 1,000 feet from the end of the runway. Most of the victims died instantly, and the aircraft was destroyed by a post-crash fire. The only survivor was the First Officer, James Polehinke.

The FAA investigation isn't closed, but it has already been determined that the control tower contained just one operator, when it should in fact have had two. Comair has also revealed that the diagram the pilots had been using was outdated, and that a replacement diagram with up-to-date information only arrived two weeks after the accident. Construction work at the airport was also temporarily halted in order to preserve evidence at the scene.


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] The flight was sold under the Delta brand as Delta Flight 5191 (DL5191/DAL5191) and was operated by Comair as Comair Flight 191 (OH191/COM191). The flight was scheduled to land at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 7:18 a.m.[2]

Crash

Approximate paths at Blue Grass Airport:
  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.[6] Instead, after confirming "Runway two-two," Captain Jeffrey Clay taxied onto Runway 26, an unlit secondary runway 3,500 ft (1,067 m) long[7] without stopping the aircraft,[8] a common occurrence during light traffic periods, and turned the controls over to First Officer James Polehinke for takeoff.[9] The air traffic controller in the 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.[9]

Based upon an estimated takeoff weight of 49,087 pounds (22,265 kg),[10] the manufacturer calculated a distance of 3,744 ft (1141 m) and a speed of 138 knots (159 mph or 256 km/h) would have been needed for rotation (increasing nose-up pitch), with more runway needed to reach lift-off speed.[11] The flight data recorder gave no indication either pilot tried to abort the takeoff as the aircraft accelerated to 137 knots (158 mph or 254 km/h). Clay called for rotation[8] but the aircraft sped off the end of the runway before it could lift off.[12] It then struck a berm, becoming momentarily airborne, 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,[10] killing most victims instantly.[13] The aircraft was destroyed by the resulting fire.

All 47 passengers and two of the three crew members were killed. Comair released the passenger manifest of Flight 5191 on August 29, 2006.[14]

Only 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 via Atlanta.[15] A memorial service for the victims was held on August 31, 2006 at the Lexington Opera House.[16] A second public memorial service was held on September 10, 2006 at Rupp Arena in Lexington. [17] The Lexington Herald-Leader published a list of the victims with short biographies. [18]

Survivor

The lone survivor, the first officer, suffered serious injuries, including multiple broken bones, a collapsed lung, and severe bleeding. He was pulled from the wreckage by Lexington-Fayette and airport police officers,[8] and underwent surgery for his injuries, including an amputation of his left leg.[19] Doctors reported that he had suffered brain damage. They also stated that he has no memory of the crash or the events leading up to it.[20]

Aftermath

During the course of the investigation, which is continuing, the 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; the other working TRACON, either in the tower or remotely, from Indianapolis Center. At the time of the accident, there was one controller in the tower, who was performing both radar and control tower functions.

On August 30 2006 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.[21]

On September 12, 2006, 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. [22] Despite the existence of the outdated chart, an airport spokesman claimed that the updated taxi route was available to pilots via a Notice To Airmen released when the construction began. [23]

On September 14, 2006, 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. [24]

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.[25]

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. ^ "NTSB Preliminary Report DCA06MA064". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 2006-08-27.
  7. ^ "AirNav runway information for KLEX". AirNav. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  8. ^ a b c "NTSB: Nightmare began before dawn". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
  9. ^ a b "NTSB: Tower didn't notice deadly mistake". The Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  10. ^ a b "Comair flight almost made it". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2006-08-31.
  11. ^ "NTSB: LEX Controller Had Two Hours Of Sleep Prior To Accident Shift". Aero-News Network. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
  12. ^ "Update on NTSB Investigation into the Crash of Comair Flight 5191". 2006-09-25. Retrieved 2006-09-26.
  13. ^ "Coroner: Most Victims Died on Impact". Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  14. ^ Comair. "Comair Releases Passenger Manifest for Flight 5191".
  15. ^ Jeffrey McMurray (August 27, 2006). "Comair plane took off from wrong runway". The Associated Press. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ 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)
  17. ^ "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)
  18. ^ Linda Blackford and Amy Wilson (September 3, 2006). "The Tragedy of Flight 5191". Lexington Herald-Leader. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "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)
  20. ^ "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)
  21. ^ "FAA: Tower staffing during plane crash violated rules". CNN. Retrieved 2006-09-06.
  22. ^ "Letters: Controllers complained before Comair crash". CNN. Retrieved 2006-09-13.
  23. ^ "Pilots' charts of airport were out of date". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 2006-09-13.
  24. ^ "Judge orders halt to airport construction". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  25. ^ "NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System report #256788". NASA. Retrieved 2006-08-29.

See also

External links

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