The pilot of an aeroplane that crashed after taking off from the wrong runway in Kentucky, killing 49, may have been confused by newly configured lights and paint markings, officials believe.
The longer runway at Blue Grass airport, Lexington, was repaved last week and investigators are looking to see if that played a part in Sunday’s accident. One theory is that the Comair pilot, Jeffrey Clay, who was killed, may have lined up on the shorter runway because he was confused by new ground markings or lights that were not working properly.
”We will be taking a look at the weight of the aircraft, the runway available and where they should have been,” Deborah Hersman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board investigative team, said on Monday.
Aviation experts say the fully loaded CRJ-100 jet, on a commuter flight to Atlanta, would have needed at least 5 000ft (1 520m) of runway to take off but was mistakenly on a runway of less than 3 500ft designated for daytime use only.
The plane crashed through the airport’s perimeter fence and exploded less about a kilometre from the end of the runway when fuel seeping from tanks in the wing ignited. Workers were continuing to sift through the charred wreckage on Monday for remains of the victims, who were mostly burned to death.
The sole survivor, first officer James Polehinke, was pulled from the burning cockpit by a police officer and remained in critical condition in the University of Kentucky Chandler hospital on Monday night. – Guardian Unlimited Â