Pilots Thought Runway "Weird"

The pilots of the Comair Bombardier (BBD) CRJ that crashed in Lexington,

Ky. last August, violated the sterile cockpit rule as they discussed families,

schedules and another pilot's new job. Co-Pilot James Polehinke, who was the

lone survivor commented that the runway looked "weird, with no lights" as they

took off and crashed seconds later, according to the transcript released last

week by the National Transportation Safety Board. (RAN, September 11, p.6)

Investigators found Flight 5191 was lined up on an unlit taxiway that was

too short for takeoff. However, it was unclear when the crew realized their

mistake. Tapes revealed that the captain lined up on the taxiway before handing

the flight off to Polehinke, who suffered brain damage and lost his leg in the

crash. The revelations came when the NTSB opened the public docket into the

crash.

The investigation also revealed that there was only one controller who

missed the fact the aircraft had lined up on a taxiway. That controller was also

working an American Eagle flight as well as a SkyWest flight, both of which were

preparing for departure.

The docket material for the August 27 crash that killed 49 of 50 people

on board, presented as "factual" only without analysis, included interviews with

the controller, aircraft design, airport signage and crew experience among other

factors.

The board drew fire last November when it announced it would not hold a

public hearing on the crash. Critics cited the safety issues involved in the

accident, especially in view of the massive runway construction projects at the

nation's airports. The accident raised concerns about tower staffing since there

should have been at least two controllers. In addition, questions were raised as

to how airports disseminate information about airport information, especially

runway layouts and changes. It was only last week that the Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) issued an advisory calling on airport operators to do a

better job of releasing information on construction and airport changes, saying

that its NOTAM procedures may be inadequate.

The FAA wants graphic notification, saying text-only versions can be

difficult for a pilot to envision. "With today's technology, there is little or

no reason why an airport operator cannot supply the air carriers and FBOs on the

airport with the latest and most current information on runway and taxiway

closures," it said. "This should be done graphically as well as textually." It

cited one method in recommending it. "One airport has a diagram of the airport

scanned into the computer as a bitmap. They are able to open the diagram and, in

Paintbrush in Microsoft programs, color in the area of the airport that is being

closed. They then cut and paste that portion into a construction notice that is

sent to the air carriers and the FBOs on the airport."

The FAA cleared the Lexington's Blue Grass airport in November, saying,

after an investigation, that the airport signs and markings complied with

federal standards.