Comair Flight 5191

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Comair Flight 5191
Comair CRJ-100ER similar to the aircraft that crashed in Lexington
Occurrence
DateAugust 27, 2006
SummaryCrashed on take-off
SiteLexington, Kentucky
Aircraft typeBombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) CRJ-100ER
OperatorComair (as Delta Connection)
RegistrationN431CA
Passengers47
Crew3
Fatalities49
Injuries1
Survivors1

Comair Flight 5191 was a domestic U.S. 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, a Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet flying the route, crashed after attempting to take off from the wrong runway at Blue Grass Airport, Lexington. The first officer was the only survivor among the 47 passengers and three crew on board. The flight was scheduled to land at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 7:18 a.m.[1]

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).

Aircraft

The aircraft involved, N431CA[2], was a 50-seat Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-100ER,[3] serial number 7472. Manufactured in Canada in January 2001, it was delivered to the airline on January 30, 2001.[4]

Crash

Approximate paths at Blue Grass Airport:
  Desired path via Rwy 22
  Actual path via Rwy 26, ending at approximate crash site.
X marks the closed taxiway

Initial analysis of the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder indicates the aircraft was cleared to take off from Runway 22, a 7,003-foot (2,135 meter) long strip used by most airline traffic at Lexington.[5] Instead, after confirming "Runway two-two," Captain Jeffrey Clay taxied onto Runway 26, an unlit secondary runway 3,500 ft (1,067 m) in length[6] and then turned the controls over to co-pilot James Polehinke for takeoff.[7] Based upon a takeoff weight of over 49,000 pounds (22,000 kg), the manufacturer estimated a minimum of 3,744 ft (1141 m) would have been needed for takeoff.[8]

There is no indication either pilot tried to abort the takeoff[citation needed]; the aircraft reached a top speed of 137 knots (158 mph or 254 km/h) before rolling off the end of the runway.[9] The aircraft then clipped the airport boundary fence, cleared a barbed wire fence, and became momentarily airborne after hitting an earthen berm. It then hit a group of trees, separating the fuselage and cockpit from the tail, and came to rest largely intact in an area less than half a mile (0.8 km) from the end of the runway where it was consumed by fire.[10]

Victims

All 47 passengers perished along with two of the three crew members.

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.[4]

First Officer James M. Polehinke was pulled from the wreckage by Lexington-Fayette Police Department Officer Bryan Jared and two airport security workers.[4] As of September 1, 2006, he is in a serious but stable condition at the University of Kentucky's Albert B. Chandler Medical Center, where he underwent surgery for his injuries.[11] Jared suffered burns on his arms while pulling Polehinke out of the wreckage.[12]

Comair released the passenger manifest of Flight 5191 on August 29.[13] Passengers included Jonathan Hooker, a former University of Kentucky and Chicago White Sox minor league baseball pitcher, and his wife, Scarlett Parsley; they were married the night before the crash and were on the flight as the first leg of their honeymoon trip to California.[4] Patrick Smith, who worked for Lexington's Habitat for Humanity, and was 2004 Humanities National Volunteer of the Year, also died in the crash.[14] Three Canadians[15] and two Japanese citizens[16] were among the 47 passengers killed in the crash.

Only a few friends and family members of the passengers were present at the Atlanta airport at the time of the crash.[17] A memorial service for the victims was held on August 31 at the Opera House in Lexington, KY.[18]

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.[19]
  • On April 3, 1967 a Lexington Air Taxi Beech C-45H crashed shortly after takeoff from Runway 33 (now closed) at Blue Grass Field following a power interruption in the left engine and subsequent loss of control. All eight passengers and the pilot died in the crash.[20]

References

  1. ^ "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)
  2. ^ "FAA Registry (N431CA)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  3. ^ "Comair provides updated information regarding Flight 5191" (Press release). Comair. 2006-08-27. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  4. ^ a b c d "NTSB: Crashed Jet On Wrong Runway". IBS. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  5. ^ "NTSB Preliminary Report DCA06MA064". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 2006-08-27.
  6. ^ "AirNav runway information for KLEX". AirNav. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  7. ^ "NTSB: Tower didn't notice deadly mistake". The Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  8. ^ "NTSB: LEX Controller Had Two Hours Of Sleep Prior To Accident Shift". Aero-News Network. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
  9. ^ "Comair flight almost made it". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2006-08-31.
  10. ^ Ahlers, Mike (2006-08-30). "FAA: Tower staffing during plane crash violated rules". CNN. Retrieved 2006-08-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Comair survivor in critical condition". Houston Chronicle. 2006-08-27. Retrieved 2006-08-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Runway route changed before Ky. crash". The Associated Press. 2006-08-28. Retrieved 2006-08-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Comair. "Comair Releases Passenger Manifest for Flight 5191".
  14. ^ Habitat for Humanity. "In Memoriam". Retrieved 2006-08-31.
  15. ^ "Jet taxi route changed a week before crash: airport director". CBC News. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  16. ^ "2 Japanese die in Kentucky plane crash". Mainichi Shimbun. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  17. ^ Jeffrey McMurray (August 27, 2006). "Comair plane took off from wrong runway". The Associated Press. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Mark Pitsch (August 31, 2006). "Several hundred attend memorial service at Lexington Opera House". The Louisville Courier-Journal. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System report #256788". NASA. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  20. ^ "Aircraft Accident Report #AAR68-AE" (PDF). NTSB. Retrieved 2006-09-02.

See also

External links

Wikinews has related news:
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