Prayers going up...
Wow, almost double-posted. Glad I checked first.
Prayers for those involved.
In my comment, should be "*an* American Connection carrier". Hate it when people do that; hate it worse when I do.
thats two that i've read about today.
(I suggest people don't insert any images from Airliners.net unless they want trouble from that Euro site.)
Title should read "Kirksville" (would help with searching).
Commuter Plane Crashes Near Kirksville
by Greg Johnson
of the Post Dispatch
10/19/2004
An American Airlines Connection flight from St. Louis carrying 12 people to Kirksville, Mo., crashed near its destination about 7:30 Tuesday night, the second time in a week a jet crashed in the state.
Early reports indicated five of the twelve people on board the plane died, according to Elizabeth Isham Cory of the Federal Aviation Administration. There were 13 passengers and two crew members on the plane.
The flight, which she said left St. Louis at 6:42 p.m., was scheduled to land shortly after 7:30 in Kirksville. The last contact with the plane was at 7:33 p.m., she said, and there was no sign of trouble.
The plane crashed about 4 miles south of the airport there, she said.
The plane, a Jetstream 31 twin engine , was American Airlines Connectionflight 5966 operated by Corporate Airlines.
(excerpted from stltoday.com story)
Some confusion within the article over the number of passengers on board. Note that this aircraft flies without a flight attendant.
If anyone finds info on names of those involved - I went to college there, and also lived there in elementary through junior high. I know a lot of people in town and I'm more than a little concerned.
Update
Passenger count is now at 13
Crew count is 2
Total 15
At least 8 dead
2 in hospital
MSNBC and reporter at the scene: Eight know fatalities, two survivors and five still missing.
My daughter got a call from her Mother in law. The woman who survived is my daughters husbands aunt.
Just looked up some info on Kirksville - no ILS approach. The best approach which comes from the south is a localizer with 400-3/4 minimums (400 ft cloud ceiling and 3/4 mi visibility). The weather at the time was 500-5; very close on the cloud deck. Another interesting thing: the procedure minimum descent altitude at 4 mile final indicates 2,500 ft which is fairly steep over that distance. My initial guess: the crew setup for a steep approach and continued below the clouds to get better forward visbility. The terrain probably rises from the airport to the crash site.
My friend Paul Talley died on the plane. Heartbreak.
New info
Missouri Commuter Crash Raises Questions About Long Hours
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=f0d59a77-b41f-449e-88cb-842e9fdce895&
"Flight Crew Had Been On Duty Almost 15 Hours At The Time Of The Mishap"
More new info:
Second NTSB Update On The Pinnacle Airlines Crash
http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbus.cfm?ContentBlockID=15c279ca-18a6-4bff-9a1c-e2ec1d2ffcfc&Dynamic=1
"... while the airplane was at 41,000 feet, the stick
shaker and stick pusher activated several times before
the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall. Almost
simultaneously, both engines shut down."
... and were apparently never re-started.