Fri, Feb 23, 2007
Earlier Lawsuit Dismissed By Court
On
Thursday, Comair officially sued the Federal Aviation
Administration for negligence in the August 27 takeoff crash of a
CRJ100 from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, KY.
The Lexington Herald-Leader states Comair claims the FAA should
have had two controllers in the tower when the plane attempted
takeoff from the shorter of two runways at the airport. The lone
controller on duty at the time of the accident had turned away to
perform administrative tasks, and did not see the commuter jet take
the incorrect runway. Comair also notes that controller had only
two hours of sleep since his previous shift.
As Aero-News reported, 49 of
the 50 persons onboard the CRJ died in the resulting crash. An
initial investigation showed the plane may have briefly become
airborne in the final seconds before the plane left the runway, but
was not able to clear terrain. The airliner impacted a field off
the departure end of runway 26.
That runway is half the length of the 7,000-foot runway 22, the
runway 5191 had been cleared to depart from.
In related news, the US District Court in Lexington denied a
claim filed by Comair last October, seeking damages from the FAA.
It that lawsuit, Comair claimed the agency should repay the airline
$18 million for the loss of the CRJ, as well as for lawsuits filed
against the airline in the crash.
Comair is appealing that decision, as well as a second dismissal
related to an earlier lawsuit claiming the FAA did not properly
inspect and approve construction along the main taxiway at Blue
Grass Airport.
Comair had claimed construction along the taxiway -- which leads
to both the accident runway, and the longer, correct runway -- may
have contributed to confusion in the cockpit of Comair 5191, and
directed the pilots to the wrong runway.
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