Comair Flight 5191
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Comair Flight 5191
Policeman Jared Deserves one heck of a thanks. Prayers for the familiy members of the lost
By JEFFREY McMURRAY Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press
A policeman who reached the burning wreckage of Comair Flight 5191 burned his arms as he pulled the plane's first officer from the broken cockpit, but he couldn't get to anyone else, officials said Sunday. The first officer, James M. Polehinke, was the only survivor of the crash Sunday morning just beyond Lexington's Blue Grass Airport that killed 49 people.
He was taken to University of Kentucky Hospital for lifesaving surgery and was in critical condition.
Lexington Police Officer Bryan Jared and two airport officers, John Sallee and James "Pete" Maupin, reached the wreckage within minutes of the crash, said airport executive director Michael Gobb and Lexington Police Chief Anthony Beatty.
"They approached a burning aircraft to actually pull the first officer out of the broken cockpit," Gobb said. Jared burned both of his arms in the process, he said.
The plane crashed in a field just beyond the airport's shorter, 3,500-foot runway, not typically used by commercial planes. Everyone else aboard the plane died in the fire, Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said.
Comair President Don Bornhorst confirmed the first officer's identity and said the company had talked with their families. He said Polehinke had been with Comair since 2002.
By JEFFREY McMURRAY Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press
A policeman who reached the burning wreckage of Comair Flight 5191 burned his arms as he pulled the plane's first officer from the broken cockpit, but he couldn't get to anyone else, officials said Sunday. The first officer, James M. Polehinke, was the only survivor of the crash Sunday morning just beyond Lexington's Blue Grass Airport that killed 49 people.
He was taken to University of Kentucky Hospital for lifesaving surgery and was in critical condition.
Lexington Police Officer Bryan Jared and two airport officers, John Sallee and James "Pete" Maupin, reached the wreckage within minutes of the crash, said airport executive director Michael Gobb and Lexington Police Chief Anthony Beatty.
"They approached a burning aircraft to actually pull the first officer out of the broken cockpit," Gobb said. Jared burned both of his arms in the process, he said.
The plane crashed in a field just beyond the airport's shorter, 3,500-foot runway, not typically used by commercial planes. Everyone else aboard the plane died in the fire, Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said.
Comair President Don Bornhorst confirmed the first officer's identity and said the company had talked with their families. He said Polehinke had been with Comair since 2002.
Last edited by weasil; 29th Aug 2006 at 20:20. Reason: Advertising
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Every second passenger getting on today stuck their head in the cockpit to ask if we checked our runway headings before each takeoff. One guy even came and said "Hey guys, I don't want to burn to death today!"
I wasn't sure how to respond to that one. "Aaaah... neither do I?!"
I guess the media has already decided the cause of the crash and the flying public is going along with it.
I wasn't sure how to respond to that one. "Aaaah... neither do I?!"
I guess the media has already decided the cause of the crash and the flying public is going along with it.
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No comments from my pax today, but I do remember getting constant questions about de-icing after the challenger crashed in Montrose, CO. a couple of years back.
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Ya Know
The best one I heard was some lady recognized my company jacket and was kind enough to let me know that one of our planes crashed the other day.
Last edited by weasil; 29th Aug 2006 at 20:21. Reason: Advertising
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Taxiway signage
Isn't a change in the taxi layout/Signage important enough to mention in the Notams/Atis?
Last edited by weasil; 29th Aug 2006 at 20:21. Reason: Advertising
By Charles Sheehan, Tribune staff reporter. Tribune transportation reporter Jon Hilkevitch in Chicago contributed to this report
Published August 30, 2006
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The pilot and first officer of Comair Flight 5191 boarded the wrong aircraft minutes before they steered down the wrong runway and crashed during takeoff, federal officials said Tuesday.
The flight crew had begun to power up the aircraft early Sunday when a worker at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington notified them that they were on the wrong plane, according to investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board.
Aviation experts are baffled as to how two experienced pilots missed several red flags and tried to take off from a darkened runway with 47 passengers and another crew member aboard. The crash left 49 people dead; only first officer James Polehinke survived.
Investigators also said the air traffic controller who cleared the plane for takeoff turned away from the airfield to do paperwork and didn't see the aircraft streaking along a runway too short for commercial planes. He knew something had gone wrong only when he heard the explosion, officials said.
The controller was working alone Sunday morning, a violation of Federal Aviation Administration policy, agency officials said.
Aviation experts were divided over whether a second controller would have been able to prevent the crash, but on Monday the FAA assigned another person to the tower.
The Bombardier Canadair CRJ-100 sped down a 3,500-foot runway rather than the 7,000-foot runway it was cleared to use. The shorter runway is for general aviation planes, not commercial aircraft such as the Comair flight.
Federal investigators had initially said Polehinke, the first officer, was at the controls of the plane before the crash, but on Tuesday NTSB member Debbie Hersman said Capt. Jeffrey Clay initially lined up the plane on the wrong runway.
"The captain taxis the aircraft out on the taxiway and positions the aircraft on the runway," Hersman said. "The reason he does that is because there is a tiller that allows him to drive the aircraft while he's on the ground. The tiller is located on the captain's side only in this aircraft."
Investigators are retracing the flight crew's actions in the days before the accident to see if fatigue or other factors played a role in the deadliest U.S. airliner crash since 2001.
Both the first officer and captain were relatively familiar with the runway configuration.
The captain had flown out of Lexington six times in the last two years, most recently in June. Polehinke had been to Lexington 10 times, most recently in May.
Clay arrived in Lexington on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and the first officer arrived at 2 a.m. Saturday, giving both time to rest before the flight departed just after 6 a.m. Sunday, federal investigators said.
The investigation also is trying to determine why the flight crew tried to take off along a narrow runway before sunrise even though it was unlit.
The longer runway just to the left that crosses the shorter runway was illuminated Sunday morning, investigators said.
The longer runway and the taxiway that leads to it recently were reconfigured, but pilots who are familiar with the airport said it is doubtful the changes led to the crash.
Charlie Monette, president of Aero-Tech flight school based at the Lexington airport, said he has students with 15 hours of flying time who navigate the airport's two runways without any confusion.
"How a professional pilot with years of experience could make a mistake like that is far beyond me," Monette said. "I think a lot of people will be puzzled over it and I don't know that we'll ever know the answer for it."
Witnesses who spoke with Clay and Polehinke just before takeoff said there was no indication the pilots were impaired or confused, Hersman said.
Reporters visited the site of the crash Tuesday and said the area smelled of jet fuel. Some grass had been charred by the plane and fire.
Late Tuesday, doctors reported that Polehinke's condition had improved.
Polehinke, who was pulled from the burning plane, remained unconscious and was in critical condition, said Dr. Andrew Bernard.
The first officer has fractures to his spine, pelvis, ribs and breast bone, as well as complex facial fractures and a collapsed lung.
"His condition is improving but I am unable to say if he will survive," Bernard said.
Investigators have been unable to speak with Polehinke.
Aviation consultant Michael Boyd, president of The Boyd Group Inc., echoed other aviation experts, saying there is only one explanation for the crash of Flight 5191.
"These guys are human beings--it's the only way to explain it," Boyd said. "There will be parties out there that will try to make Lexington look like a Third World airport, but it's not. Pilots make mistakes."
Published August 30, 2006
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The pilot and first officer of Comair Flight 5191 boarded the wrong aircraft minutes before they steered down the wrong runway and crashed during takeoff, federal officials said Tuesday.
The flight crew had begun to power up the aircraft early Sunday when a worker at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington notified them that they were on the wrong plane, according to investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board.
Aviation experts are baffled as to how two experienced pilots missed several red flags and tried to take off from a darkened runway with 47 passengers and another crew member aboard. The crash left 49 people dead; only first officer James Polehinke survived.
Investigators also said the air traffic controller who cleared the plane for takeoff turned away from the airfield to do paperwork and didn't see the aircraft streaking along a runway too short for commercial planes. He knew something had gone wrong only when he heard the explosion, officials said.
The controller was working alone Sunday morning, a violation of Federal Aviation Administration policy, agency officials said.
Aviation experts were divided over whether a second controller would have been able to prevent the crash, but on Monday the FAA assigned another person to the tower.
The Bombardier Canadair CRJ-100 sped down a 3,500-foot runway rather than the 7,000-foot runway it was cleared to use. The shorter runway is for general aviation planes, not commercial aircraft such as the Comair flight.
Federal investigators had initially said Polehinke, the first officer, was at the controls of the plane before the crash, but on Tuesday NTSB member Debbie Hersman said Capt. Jeffrey Clay initially lined up the plane on the wrong runway.
"The captain taxis the aircraft out on the taxiway and positions the aircraft on the runway," Hersman said. "The reason he does that is because there is a tiller that allows him to drive the aircraft while he's on the ground. The tiller is located on the captain's side only in this aircraft."
Investigators are retracing the flight crew's actions in the days before the accident to see if fatigue or other factors played a role in the deadliest U.S. airliner crash since 2001.
Both the first officer and captain were relatively familiar with the runway configuration.
The captain had flown out of Lexington six times in the last two years, most recently in June. Polehinke had been to Lexington 10 times, most recently in May.
Clay arrived in Lexington on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and the first officer arrived at 2 a.m. Saturday, giving both time to rest before the flight departed just after 6 a.m. Sunday, federal investigators said.
The investigation also is trying to determine why the flight crew tried to take off along a narrow runway before sunrise even though it was unlit.
The longer runway just to the left that crosses the shorter runway was illuminated Sunday morning, investigators said.
The longer runway and the taxiway that leads to it recently were reconfigured, but pilots who are familiar with the airport said it is doubtful the changes led to the crash.
Charlie Monette, president of Aero-Tech flight school based at the Lexington airport, said he has students with 15 hours of flying time who navigate the airport's two runways without any confusion.
"How a professional pilot with years of experience could make a mistake like that is far beyond me," Monette said. "I think a lot of people will be puzzled over it and I don't know that we'll ever know the answer for it."
Witnesses who spoke with Clay and Polehinke just before takeoff said there was no indication the pilots were impaired or confused, Hersman said.
Reporters visited the site of the crash Tuesday and said the area smelled of jet fuel. Some grass had been charred by the plane and fire.
Late Tuesday, doctors reported that Polehinke's condition had improved.
Polehinke, who was pulled from the burning plane, remained unconscious and was in critical condition, said Dr. Andrew Bernard.
The first officer has fractures to his spine, pelvis, ribs and breast bone, as well as complex facial fractures and a collapsed lung.
"His condition is improving but I am unable to say if he will survive," Bernard said.
Investigators have been unable to speak with Polehinke.
Aviation consultant Michael Boyd, president of The Boyd Group Inc., echoed other aviation experts, saying there is only one explanation for the crash of Flight 5191.
"These guys are human beings--it's the only way to explain it," Boyd said. "There will be parties out there that will try to make Lexington look like a Third World airport, but it's not. Pilots make mistakes."
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Three Strikes
That S--ks I'll wait for the final report and get all the facts. You can't trust news reporters to get anything right. Maybe it's a combination of bad luck tired crew. Anyone who's been flying on a regular basis has some time in their career almost made the big mistake. It's just awfull to see happen.
