Plane Crash Due to Wrong Runway
Aug. 28, 2006 — -- Investigators appear to know what happened.
The question is, why did a Comair regional jet end up on the wrong runway early Sunday morning in Lexington, Ky.?
Flight 5191, bound for Atlanta, crashed through a fence at the end of an unlit 3,500-foot-long runway, instead of the 7,000-foot runway suited for commercial flights, National Transportation Safety Board officials say.
All but one of the 50 people onboard died.
Rescuers pulled co-pilot James Polehinke from the wreckage.
"He has been moved through the emergency department and operating room, and been admitted to the intensive care unit. He is critically ill," said Andrew Bernard, a surgeon at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center.
Aviation experts say it's easy for pilots to get confused about what runway they're on.
"You've got all those glowing dials and gauges, and you're working with it and you turn in the direction that you think you are supposed to be and you suppress the clues in your mind that tell you otherwise," said John Nance, an ABC News aviation consultant.
The plane, fully loaded with fuel, broke apart and burst into flames in a field.
"The tail is in one section and there are pieces of wing in another area, and the majority of the fuselage is in another area," said Debbie Hersman of the NTSB.
According to a coroner, most of those killed likely died in the fire.
Among the victims was former major league baseball player Jon Hooker and his new bride.
They were married Saturday and were on their way to their honeymoon.
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