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Comair Flight 5191

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Comair Flight 5191
A CRJ-100ER in Comair livery at the gate in Jacksonville, Florida
Occurrence
DateAugust 27, 2006
SummaryCrashed on takeoff
SiteLexington, Kentucky
Aircraft typeBombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) CRJ-100ER
OperatorComair (as Delta Connection)
RegistrationN431CA[1]
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.[2]

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 and crew

The aircraft involved, N431CA[3], was a 50-seat Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-100ER,[4] serial number 7472. Manufactured in Canada in January 2001, it was delivered to the airline on January 30, 2001.[5]

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.[5]

Crash

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

Analysis of the cockpit voice recorder indicated the aircraft was cleared to take off from Runway 22, a 7,003-foot (2,135 meter) strip used by most airline traffic at Lexington.[6] Instead, after confirming "Runway two-two," Captain Jeffrey Clay taxied onto Runway 26, an unlit secondary runway 3,500 ft (1,067 m) long[7] without stopping the aircraft,[8] a common occurrence during light traffic periods, and turned the controls over to First Officer James Polehinke for takeoff.[9] The air traffic controller in the tower was not required to maintain visual contact with the aircraft; after clearing the plane for takeoff, he turned to perform administrative duties and did not see the aircraft taxi to the runway.[9]

Based upon an estimated takeoff weight of 49,087 pounds (22,265 kg),[10] the manufacturer calculated a distance of 3,744 ft (1141 m) and a speed of 138 knots (159 mph or 256 km/h) would have been needed for rotation (increasing nose-up pitch), with more runway needed to reach lift-off speed.[11] The flight data recorder gave no indication either pilot tried to abort the takeoff as the aircraft accelerated to 137 knots (158 mph or 254 km/h), Clay called for rotation,[8] and the aircraft sped off the end of the runway. It then became momentarily airborne after striking a berm, crashed through the airport boundary fence, and collided with trees, separating the fuselage and cockpit from the tail. The aircraft impacted the ground about 1000 feet (305 m) from the end of the runway,[10] killing most victims instantly.[12] The aircraft was destroyed by the resulting fire.

Victims

All 47 passengers and two of the three crew members were killed.

The lone survivor, First Officer James M. Polehinke, suffered serious injuries, including multiple broken bones, a collapsed lung, and severe bleeding. He was pulled from the wreckage by Lexington-Fayette Police Department Officer Bryan Jared and airport police officers James Maupin and Jon Sallee.[8] As of September 6, 2006, Polehinke is in serious but stable condition at the University of Kentucky's Albert B. Chandler Medical Center, where he underwent surgery for his injuries.[13] He is conscious and able to talk but has not commented on the accident. Jared suffered burns on his arms while pulling Polehinke out of the wreckage.[14]

Comair released the passenger manifest of Flight 5191 on August 29, 2006.[15] 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.[5] Patrick Smith, who worked for Lexington's Habitat for Humanity, and was 2004 Humanities National Volunteer of the Year, also died in the crash.[16] Three Canadians[17] and two Japanese[18] were also among the passengers killed.

Only a few friends and family members of the passengers were present at the Atlanta airport at the time of the crash, as most passengers were en route to other destinations via Atlanta.[19] A memorial service for the victims was held on August 31, 2006 at the Lexington Opera House.[20] A second public memorial service was held on September 10, 2006 at Rupp Arena. [21] The Kentucky Herald published a list of the victims with short biographies. [22]

For a complete manifest, see Comair 5191 Passenger and Crew List.

Aftermath

During the course of the investigation, the FAA discovered that tower staffing levels had violated an internal policy requiring two controllers during the overnight shift -- one in the tower working clearance, ground, and tower frequencies; the other working TRACON, either in the tower or remotely, from Indianapolis Center. The FAA announced that Lexington, as well as other airports with similar traffic levels, would be staffed with two controllers in the tower around the clock effective immediately.[23]

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.[24]

References

  1. ^ "FAA Registry (N431CA)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  2. ^ "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)
  3. ^ "FAA Registry (N431CA)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  4. ^ "Comair provides updated information regarding Flight 5191" (Press release). Comair. 2006-08-27. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  5. ^ a b c "NTSB: Crashed Jet On Wrong Runway". IBS. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  6. ^ "NTSB Preliminary Report DCA06MA064". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 2006-08-27.
  7. ^ "AirNav runway information for KLEX". AirNav. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  8. ^ a b c "NTSB: Nightmare began before dawn". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
  9. ^ a b "NTSB: Tower didn't notice deadly mistake". The Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  10. ^ a b "Comair flight almost made it". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2006-08-31.
  11. ^ "NTSB: LEX Controller Had Two Hours Of Sleep Prior To Accident Shift". Aero-News Network. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
  12. ^ "Coroner: Most Victims Died on Impact". Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  13. ^ "Crash survivor making progress". United Press International. 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2006-09-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Runway route changed before Ky. crash". The Associated Press. 2006-08-28. Retrieved 2006-08-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Comair. "Comair Releases Passenger Manifest for Flight 5191".
  16. ^ Habitat for Humanity. "In Memoriam". Retrieved 2006-08-31.
  17. ^ "Jet taxi route changed a week before crash: airport director". CBC News. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  18. ^ "2 Japanese die in Kentucky plane crash". Mainichi Shimbun. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  19. ^ Jeffrey McMurray (August 27, 2006). "Comair plane took off from wrong runway". The Associated Press. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Mark Pitsch (August 31, 2006). "Several hundred attend memorial service at Lexington Opera House". The Courier-Journal (Louisville). {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Mass Memorial in Lexington Pays Respect to Flight 51-91 Victims". WKYT-TV (Lexington). September 9, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Linda Blackford and Amy Wilson (September 3, 2006). "The Tragedy of Flight 5191". Lexington Herald-Leader. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "FAA: Tower staffing during plane crash violated rules". CNN. Retrieved 2006-09-06.
  24. ^ "NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System report #256788". NASA. Retrieved 2006-08-29.

See also

Wikinews has related news:
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