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I am a former Navy and FAA air traffic controller. That was a long time ago and I'm not sure if many of the old ways are still practiced.

When I was a controller, it was common practice to give clearance for takeoff en route to the runway. Sting 11 verifies this practice is still done. I would be very surprised if prior takeoff clearance was not given in this instance.

I agree with Painful, another air traffic controller, that there was probably only one controller in the tower. Two controllers would have been much better. I have seen many times when something didn't "look quite right" to another controller and was brought to the attention of another.

I live 50 miles from LEX but have not been to the airport. I have tried to picture in my mind how the end of those two runways appear from the tower in the dark. They appear awfully close to me ............ one easily mistaken for the other.

I think I have read every thread here and only some of the coverage on TV. When I was a controller, a special weather observation was taken anytime their was an aircraft accident. I haven't seen this one, if it was performed. I wonder if there may have been visibility problems for the flight crew, or the controller because of rain showers.

I wonder if there may have been visibility problems for the flight crew, or the controller because of rain showers.

From my memory only, I think vsby was six miles. That may well have been from the NOAA site or some such. All the speculation (and factual info) has not brought in weather in as a factor.

What I just heard on WLW radio is most intriguing; that is that they had to blow off / ignore several check offs on the pre-flight to get on the wrong runway.

Question then is, What happened? Distraction from a suspected jumpseat passenger? Something else?

I'm not used to posting and addressed my previous post to CedarDave. I meant to just post a general post.

Something else that was on my mind that I forgot in my other post. The new construction and configuration would probably be new to the tower controller too.

This could have been the first time the controller saw it, or the first time the controller saw it at night. Even if it wasn't the first time the controller saw it ........... it would still be somewhat new to the controller.

I don't know how different that would look from the tower.

I am not trying to make any excuses from anyone. It's just that I have no experience as a pilot and a bunch of years as a controller and know a little bit more about the controller aspect.