Crash investigators release more details
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By James Pilcher
Enquirer staff writer
HEBRON - Federal investigators today released more details on Friday's crash of a cargo plane near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport that killed the co-pilot.
But while officials with the National Transportation Safety Board said that the Air Tahoma flight from Memphis appeared completely routine until its final minutes, they did not give any guess as to what brought the Convair 580 down into a Florence golf course just 1.2 miles short of its intended runway.
"It is still only a day and a half after the accident," said safety board member Carol Carmody. "We have recovered quite a bit, but we are not going to speculate on any possible causes."
But investigators did say the crew was heard on the cockpit voice recorder talking about low power from one and then both of the plane's engines. The last radar contact with the plane, more than a mile south of the airport, showed it was moving at what is a Convair 580's normal landing speeding.
The co-pilot was killed in the crash, which occurred at about 12:50 a.m. The pilot was able to walk away and was still being treated today at University Hospital for his injuries.
Neither member of the flight crew, which was based in Memphis, was identified by Air Tahoma as of this afternoon.
Investigators said today that the plane was built in 1967. Carmody also said that the plane, which was used primarily in Europe and had carried cargo its entire career, had undergone a routine maintenance check on Tuesday in Memphis. Investigators were still collecting other records on the plane, an effort made more difficult by the fact that Air Tahoma purchased the plane on July 19.
The Columbus-based cargo carrier contracts with DHL to carry freight between Cincinnati and three cities, including Memphis. DHL operates a major domestic freight hub locally at the Cincinnati airport.
Carmody said investigators held a brief interview with the pilot Friday and planned to debrief him further over the weekend, because he was not able to tell them much initially due to his condition.
She also said investigators were able to review a tape of the conversation between the pilots and air traffic controllers and the cockpit voice recorder recovered soon after the crash.
According to Carmody, the tapes showed that the approach to the airport was normal.
The plane received clearance to land at 12:44 a.m., with no sign of trouble.
Three minutes later, at 12:47 a.m., the pilots indicated they were having engine problems, and the tower responded by asking if the pilots wanted emergency trucks to respond.
Carmody said the pilots told the tower no, saying they indicated that they "were going straight." She said that it had not yet been determined which pilot was controlling the plane.
At that point, the plane's altitude was 2,200 feet and its speed was 150 knots or about 173 mph.
The last radar contact was less than three minutes later, with the air speed at 110 knots or 127 mph and the altitude at 1,200 feet.
Carmody said that a preliminary investigation of the engines showed that they were at "low power," but she declined to characterize that further or whether the power level was normal for a landing.
But the Web site for Prop-Liners of America, a non-profit group based in Hartford, Conn. that exhibits and restores propeller-powered aircraft, lists the typical approach speed for a Convair 580 at 130 knots or 150 mph. It posts 110 knots or 125 mph as the landing speed.
The engines were sent to Indianapolis for further inspection by Allison Engines, which made the power plants and is now a part of Rolls Royce.
Carmody said a preliminary review of the voice recorder indicated that the pilots had conversations about a minor control problem, fuel management, and "low power in one and then both of the engines."
She said both the voice and data recorders quit operating just before impact.
The on-site investigation is expected to conclude Monday. After that, the probe will shift back to Washington with further analysis of the flight data and voice recorders.