Time to Sell...
Posted on 08/27/2006 10:45:21 AM PDT by stm
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A commuter jet carrying 50 people crashed in a field and caught fire shortly after taking off Sunday morning. Authorities said a crew member was the only survivor.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I blame the people in the tower - NOT the flight crew!! If the people in the tower actually spent any time looking OUT of those fancy windows they have, they would have seen that he was headed toward the wrong runway and straightened him out.
Instead, they worried more about their coffee than the safety of the people on those planes.
The ultimate safety of the flight falls on the PIC (pilot in command). I have refused several dirctions from the tower that I considered not in my best interest. Better to get a pink slip than a toe tag
Unfortunately, I have to disagree here.
Yes, ATC might possibly have been able to catch the error, based on their workload the and the conditions outside the tower, but it's not something that you can count on.
When you get right down to it, the ultimate responsibility lays with the flight crew (in particular, the captain who's recognized as the Pilot-in-Command). The two pilots had several years of experience, and were apparently familiar with the airport and the route. In addition to that, in the cockpit, they had a facility directory with a taxi map for the airport.
Then there's the fact of the markings and signs posted along the taxiway. And the markings at the runway threshold. Or the bit that blows my mind. The fact that both pilots apparently didn't notice the compass heading was 026 degrees instead of 022 degrees, despite the fact that they'd have checked the reading prior to departure.
The only explanation I can come up with that makes any sense at all is that the either the crew rest period had been violated, and the flight crew was fatigued, or something else had been going on prior to departure.
Always a chain of events lead to these things. Many contributing factors I'm sure, but PIC is supreme, And runway length is primary pre-flight planning.
I saw a drawing of the Lexington runways, taxiways and terminal tarmac area on an earlier FR thread. It looks as if you have to taxi to the end of Runway 26, cross it, and then continue on a short taxi-way to Runway 22. The runways are just 4 degrees different in heading. The take-off was attempted before daylight.
It was certainly the pilot-in-command's responsibility to determine the correct runway but I know both pilots are proceeding through the pre-take-off checklist while taxiing.
The redundancy of two pilots is supposed to help avoid simple human error but does not always get the job done.
There are usually lighted signs next to each runway indicating the runway number which corresponds to the runway heading.
I can see how a simple but fatal mistake could be made in the rush to complete the take-off checklist.
Those who are not pilots have no idea how easy and fast it can be to make a mistake that can kill you and all of your passengers.
Absolutely, that's the primary reason I didn't agree with putting the blame on ATC. Even assuming clearance delivery inadvertently cleared them for 26, NTSB report would still read "Pilot Error" as the cause of the accident with the ATC error listed as a potentially contributing factor.
And you're right about a chain of events. It's always just mind-boggling to look back afterwards and see how things snowballed when they could've been averted at several points along the timeline, it's the Monday morning quarterbacking thing, I guess.
Who knows, maybe sterile cockpit was violated with some sort of semi-crisis that had the flight crew distracted at the time.
I agree that the pilots have ultimate command over their aircraft from the time the door is sealed until the time it is opened again. And, I agree that the pilots should be familiar enough with the runway markings to know where they are on a field. That said, they are also busy in the flight station running pre-flight checks and settings so, between the tower and the flight crew, apparently no one was watchinh where they went.
However, those windows in the tower are there for the ground and aircraft controllers to actually look outside. This isn't a GCA facility, it's the tower. They sit up high with a 360 degree view so they can see what is occurring on and around their airport. This is not the first time a controller has screwed up because no one was looking out the window.
I believe the news conference stated that the only survivor was the co-pilot...I just hope he survives to tell his tale. Both black boxes were recovered. Also, supposedly there was only one person in the flight tower controlling traffic??? He gave them their runway assignment and wasn't paying attention to insure it was the correct one they lined up on???
Please see my post #8 to Karma.
"...Runway 26, cross it, and then continue on a short taxi-way to Runway 22. The runways are just 4 degrees different in heading... "
40 degrees difference. :)
Airfield Performance: CRJ200 ER FAR required take-off field length (SL, ISA) at MTOW 5,800 feet
Mishap runway length: 3,500 feet
Time to Sell...
person - there was only one controller in the tower.
I have not seen any info about the runway that was assigned. Were they told to use another runway and went this one by mistake? I wonder if there was anything unique about today's departure. If not then they've probably taken off from there before and would be aware of a change in runway assignments or their clearance.
At least they stand a good chance of finding out what went wrong though. Both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder were said to have been recovered.
This will be an interesting one as it unfolds.
drunk? hungover?
sometimes the "routine" gets your a## killed.
like always looking down the barrel of your .45 after you've pulled the magazine out and making sure there isn't a round in the chamber....over and over, year after year till you're a little distracted, and leave one in the pipe...BAM!
attention to detail. it's a way of life... now 49 people died cause of a simple screw up.
Yes, complacency can have a way of coming back to bite you.
Certainly happens often enough, too. Complacency's a close second behind bad judgement for the accidents listed in the NTSB database.
I have a good deal of sympathy for the first officer of the flight. Imagine having to go through life with something like this on your conscience.
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