Flight 5191 Data and Voice Recordings Deepen Mystery

By Thomas Hall

Published on August 28, 2006

Cockpit voice and data recordings rescued from Delta-Comair Flight 5191 indicate that the pilot and a controller in the tower thought the plane was taking off from the correct runway. 49 people aboard the commuter jet were killed and one survivor was left in critical condition after the Atlanta-bound plane crashed during an attempted takeoff from a Lexington, Kentucky, airport.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the airliner was cleared to takeoff from Bluegrass Airport’s Runway 22, a 7,000-foot runway long enough to accommodate large-jet departures. However, the plane ultimately took off from Runway 26, which is about half the length of Runway 22. Lights on the shorter runway were not operating at the time Flight 5191 left the airport just after 6 a.m. Sunday morning, and the 3,500 foot-long runway was not built to accommodate large commercial jets.

A repaving project that altered a taxiway and was completed a week before the crash is being investigated as another possible cause of the accident. The aircraft itself is said to have been fairly new and to have undergone regular maintenance inspections.

The crash of Flight 5191 ended a nearly 5-year-long safety record for commercial aircraft in the US. It is the deadliest air disaster since American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into a New York City neighborhood in November, 2001, killing 265 people including 5 on the ground.

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