Posted on 08/29/2006 4:28:54 PM PDT by Clive
LEXINGTON, Kentucky - The co-pilot who was at the controls of the Comair commuter jet that crashed off the wrong runway and killed 49 people may have been confused by changes in the airport's runway lights, aviation experts said on Monday.
On Sunday's ill-fated predawn takeoff, the co-pilot, the flight's lone survivor, may not have been aware the lights on the proper runway were back on after they had been at least partially out when he landed at the airport two nights earlier.
A temporary advisory to pilots warning of the lighting outages on the longer runway used by commercial flights at Lexington's Blue Grass Airport had expired the day before the crash, the aviation sources said.
A witness to the accident, a ramp employee of another airline, told investigators the 3,500-foot (1-km) Runway 26 used by the jet was dark, while the lights were lit alongside the 7,000-foot-long (2-km) intersecting Runway 22 used by commercial air traffic at Lexington's Blue Grass Airport.
"This individual witnessed the taxi, the takeoff roll, and the accident. He told our investigators that Runway 26 was not lit and that Runway 22 and the taxiways were lit," National Transportation Safety Board investigator Debbie Hersman told a news briefing.
The lone air traffic controller on duty had cleared the airliner to take off on the longer runway and had no further communication with the pilots as they hurtled down the wrong strip, she said.
In a conversation recorded on the plane's cockpit voice recorder, the pilots noted the darkened runway. As the plane attained speed, the pilot called for the nose to come up so the front wheels would leave the pavement, Hersman said.
Tire markings showed the plane did not become airborne until striking a berm beyond the end of the runway. The plane then hit a perimeter fence, cleared a barbed-wire fence, struck some trees, and then came to rest in a field and burst into flames.
PILOT NOT INTERVIEWED
Co-pilot James Polehinke was pulled from the flaming wreckage, and remained in critical condition. Investigators have yet to interview him.
The NTSB has not been fully satisfied with efforts to reduce runway incidents. Even at heavily monitored airports, planes sometimes wind up on the wrong runway or taxiway.
"It's a major concern," said Carol Carmody, a former NTSB vice chairman.
At the airport, investigators drove stakes into the ground at the end of the runway and on the rolling hillsides beyond, where tarps protected wreckage from a steady rain. Red directional signs clearly marked the two runways.
"One of the issues that we're certainly going to be looking at is the visibility and the ability for the crew to see," Hersman said. "And also the issue of whether or not air traffic control could see."
Investigators used a borrowed plane, a 50-seat CRJ-100 made by Montreal-based Bombardier Inc., and a tall truck to simulate what the pilots might have seen.
There is a good lesson to learn: trust your gut and never assume.
Ummm. - Aligning the DG to the mag compass and verifying RW heading with the mag compass isn't done anymore?
....I've GOT to believe that crossing a fully LIT runway....
I can't argue you are wrong, but he is not cleared to take off till someone utters the words. "You are clear to take off runway ?? "
Sounds like it to me. A lot of small mistakes by a lot of people led to this. Clearly in hindsight having an understaffed tower, a new runway design, and confusing markings would increase the chances of a pilot making a deadly mistake.
The first thing I always do after taking the runway at an unfamiliar airport is check my compass. It tells me if my compass is aligned and I am on the correct runway. If I recall correctly, the runway they took was 40 different in heading than the one they should have taken. It's hard to miss that much difference, even at night.
you think....
The Captain still makes all the decisions. Since they commented on the fact that the runway was dark and they were aware that the long runway had previously had it's lights NOTAMed out it looks like they determined they were on the long runway because of the expected lighting conditions.
However, they would have had to miss the runway markings on the taxiway short of the runway identifying which runway they were entering, the runway marking on the takeoff end of the runway which also identified the runway they were on and the final check which might have saved them which was to reference their mag heading when they lined up for TO. I would also bet the then current lighting conditions were also mentioned in the NOTAMs they would have received for the flight. If they had read them they probably would have noted the changed runway lighting conditions.
The crash itself is always the terminal event of a cascade.
No new NOTAMS regarding the updated MIRL info and maybe an additional graf on the new taxiways and barriers? That's just sad.
'Where was ground control?
Who was watching as "clear for takeoff" was uttered?
The tower was asleep.'
None of those agencies had the controls. The crew f'ed this up, there is no excuse. He was cleared to depart via the duty runway. He rogered and went elsewhere. The best the tower would have done was abort him in time to run off the end with the same results.
They stated on tonight's evening news that there was only one guy in the control tower - should've been two - and he turned his back so he didn't see if plane got on to right runway.
The most important point is that they redesigned the runway and these pilots had not been there since the change. I smell lawsuit.
Tragedies happen..mainly because of impatience and
being in a general mode of safety. when the situation
is just the opposite...You put your life in these
Pilots hands...some are not cautious ..which probably was the case in this instance..sad...but it happens. Jake
My pleasure.
They didn't redesign the runway. The runways have been 22 and 26 since they were poured. The crew blew it. It's that simple.
The taxiways were redesigned. I agree that the crew is ultimately responsible, but there will be some blame for more than just those two men.
If anyone gets some of the blame it will be the FAA for understaffing the tower but the fact that the taxiways were different has no bearing. The crew would have had up to date taxi diagrams at their disposal and NOTAMs informing them of new taxiway routings if they hadn't been incorporated into the Jepps. Also, you can ask ground control or the tower for progressive taxi instructions if there is any confusion.
Many, many towers are staffed with just a single controller in the cab at one time. At Toledo Express, where I work, the tower cab is operated by a single person almost 24/7/365...only rarely are there two people on position in the tower. I'm sure many other airport towers the size of Toledo or Lexington operate the same way...and that's not going to change...the FAA doesn't have the personnel.
If you think this is a safety problem, petition the Bush administration and your congresscritters...because they don't really care about ATC staffing problems.
http://www.naco.faa.gov/d-tpp/0607/00697AD.PDF
You are right of course it was the pilots' error. A look at the airport diagram shows the take off positions in the same line of sight from the control tower. Even if watching the controller may not have seen they were on the wrong runway.
There were several factors at play in this tragedy, but the fault goes mostly to the pilot who failed to confirm his heading before take off. Note that although the first officer was taking off, the it was the pilot who had taxied to the wrong heading.
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