Posted on 08/27/2006 4:38:10 AM PDT by BigBlueJon
Edited on 08/27/2006 5:02:21 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Possible plane crash in Lexington, KY. My brother works security for Lexington UK Hospital and was just called in. No news locally or on major news outlets yet. I didn't want to post anything for fear of being wrong, but he's still waiting for an official call while on stand-by.
Update from WTVQ 36 Lexington:
A plane has crashed near the Blue Grass Airport this morning. No word on details at this time. We are told it was a commercial aircraft. Versailles Road is blocked as emergency vehicles circle around the site. We have live coverage beginning at 7:20am. Stay with Action News 36 for more details.
Thank you for the clarification. I looked it up after I did the post and realized I was indeed wrong!
WLW radio in Cincy had something to say about that but I did not catch it
One of the "cutest" statements I ever heard over the IC from a pilot was on a flight I made from Raleigh to Atlanta. (Airtran) They loaded us up, then unloaded us back into the terminal, due to a weatherhold for some bad stuff at ATL. During this hour or so in the terminal, the Captain and FO came out and spent some time at the ticket desk on the captain's laptop. I think they were looking at weather. Anyway, the Captain looked like he had definetely "paid his dues", you know, the 20000 or more hour type, probably he was even ex-Eastern. The FO looked like a pimple face kid right out of high school. I think the Captain heard some murmurs about how young the FO looked. Also this flight was just a few days after the JFK JR. crash, where there was some question of experience. After reboarding the AC, the captain came on the IC, said some words about how long to ATL, etc. then he said, "Folks, there has been a lot of talk this past week about flight experience, and I just want you to know that up here in this cockpit we have over 41 years of combined experience, and I have 40 of 'em. Enjoy your flight."
I went to NACO, the FAA National Aeronautical Charting Office, and the airport diagram that they've got for KLEX shows a different taxiway layout. They don't have the taxiway in the picture that you've got labeled as A4; all they have is that looping connector between 22 and 26 (taxiway A7). The chart says it's good "03 AUG 2006 through 31 AUG 2006)". If you compare it to your picture, it's easy to see how a pilot could get confused...although that's no excuse for this type of mistake being made.
FAA chart available here for comparison to the picture:
http://naco.faa.gov/d-tpp/0608/00697AD.PDF
}:-)4
I would not like to be stopped at that traffic light at the end of the runway!
An hour before sunrise in clearing weather, the airplane with 50 souls aboard ran out of runway. The Atlanta-bound plane lasted less than a minute aloft before falling a mile west of the airport, casting 50,000 pounds of debris and jet fuel about as it all burned mercilessly to a halt.
Forty-nine people on board were killed.
Immediately, the early-morning quiet enveloping Blue Grass Airport was no more.
Around 6:15 a.m., local hospitals were told to gather their staffs and to be ready for multiple trauma victims. Versailles Road became an emergency staging ground. Three police officers pulled a single man, the plane's first officer, barely alive, from the plane.
And the realization hit that Nick Bentley's farm had become both a crash site and sacred ground.
"Folks, there has been a lot of talk this past week about flight experience, and I just want you to know that up here in this cockpit we have over 41 years of combined experience, and I have 40 of 'em. Enjoy your flight."
Now that's funny!
Yep, I remember a first officer who looked so young that when I took their meals up to the cockpit, I included a bowl of milk "for the puppy!" :)
Interesting comment from an AOL message board from an air traffic controller with over 30 years experience, currently employed at one of the nation's busiest airports:
"For several years now the air traffic controllers, that work the system from the front lines every day, have told the FAA and Administrator Blakey that a system called ASDE-X is a necessary component to safe operations of ground traffic in the air traffic control towers. This system allows the controller to see and track via radar, all aircraft and vehicle movement on the airport surface area. It allows the controller to see if an aircraft is entering a area where it should not be such a crossing an active runway or taking a taxi route to the wrong runway. This system is especially helpful to the controller during times of bad weather or night time operations when normal visibility is restricted. This may have been the case in Lexington where reports state that the pilot, in the early morning darkness, may have taxied to the wrong runway. Most of the 35 busiest airports do not have this equipment. Those that have been scheduled such as my location are on waiting lists that stretch for several years from now. The FAA Administrators rule is if the airport has had several ground errors during a specific time period they will be more likely to receive the equipment rather than those with a safer operating record."
More info about the ASDE-X:
http://www.sensis.com/docs/128/
We do like to speculate here and the great thing is when pros like you chime in with facts. In your experience, how often to pilots make errors on the ground - make wrong turns, etc?
And the morons at the EMMY's opened with a plane crash skit. I turned the whole thing off.
He is stating that the info the NTSB gave last evening at the presser was unusual. That they usually would not reveal that indeed the plane was cleared for the long runway and took off from the short one.
My prayers are with you and the families of the victims. So sad! :-(
Presser with NTSB at noon per FN
"They don't have the taxiway in the picture that you've got labeled as A4; all they have is that looping connector between 22 and 26 (taxiway A7)."
Yeah, you're right. If you look at the previous month's chart, you can see it labeled as A5 (I messed up the labeling of A4 and A5 because the two charts changed and it was very confusing). Here's both charts, side by side:
|
FAA CHART - JULY |
FAA CHART - AUGUST |
 |
 |
|
FAA CHART - JULY |
FAA CHART - AUGUST |
It appears that the August chart has renumbered the taxi-ways and what was A5 in July was changed to A7 in August chart. They show the new configuration, but don't show the closed off section at all on the August chart (pink on my modified picture). OTOH, it could be argued that it looks like they removed A5 and that A7 is actually the closed off portion. As I said, very confusing.
IMHO, this is an FAA major fubar. However, it's still the pilot's responsibility to verify - he's in charge.
So sad. Prayers for victims and their families.
In this case, as far as the runway actually used, it would make them appear completely bureaucratic and secretive given the obvious marks on the ground, the damaged fence at the end of the runway and the slide marks in the ground. They were just stating the obvious. As far as confirming the clearance given, withholding that would also be seen as not being forthcoming. However, saying anything beyond that would be speculative and rightfully should be withheld for now.
On the old chart, looks like the pilot would have taxied on A, across 26, and continuing on A to 22.
On the new chart, he would have taxied on A to 26, then on A-7 to 22.
If he was thinking in the mode of "Go to the end of A", that would have put him on 22 on the old chart, and 26 on the new. May have seen the "A-7" and thought "that's not me".
Harly a valid excuse, but may go towards why this error occurred.
Agreed.
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