BluegrassReport.org

Chandler Blasts FAA

James Carroll took note of how Rep. Ben Chandler (D) appears to be losing patience with the FAA over air traffic controller staffing in light of the Comair crash in Lexington earlier this year in yesterday's Courier-Journal:

U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-6th District, who has just landed on the House Appropriations Committee, is among those lawmakers who believe the Federal Aviation Administration needs to be held accountable for what he views as a woefully understaffed air traffic controller workforce.

"If (the FAA is) not going to do what needs to be done through the regulatory process," he said in an interview, "we're going to have to pass some legislation to force them to do it."

Chandler, whose district includes Lexington, has clashed with the FAA over controller staffing and said the agency has been "utterly not forthcoming" about its handling of staffing at Blue Grass Airport and at other facilities nationwide.

The congressman, who now will be in a position to make decisions about FAA spending, said the agency is "risking the safety of the flying public by not making sure these air traffic controllers are well-rested, there are enough of them, and they are happy."

The FAA has said it believes there are sufficient numbers of controllers and the system is operating efficiently and safely.

The agency and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association are in a labor dispute, but Chandler said the FAA, "instead of chainsaw-fighting with them," should try to ensure that controllers aren't distracted from their duties.

"What are you going to do, save a few hundred thousand dollars" by imposing work rules instead of agreeing to a new contract with the union? Chandler asked. "The cost of one crash far outweighs what you will pay in total to bring air traffic control up to the appropriate numbers," he said.

Senators Were Warned In April About Staffing (Ortiz, Herald-Leader)

Apparently, Senator McConnell (R) and Senator Bunning (R) were a little too busy dealing with important issues like gay marriage, flag-burning amendment, restricting federal stem cell research, and trying to convince us that the war in Iraq was going well, rather than dealing with these sorts of minor concerns...

Senators Were Warned In April About Staffing
By Brandon Ortiz
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

Months before the deadly Comair Flight 5191 crash, a local flight controller warned elected officials in a letter that the Blue Grass Airport control tower was only meeting required staffing levels for overnight shifts "when convenient to management."

The letter, obtained by the Herald-Leader, was written by local flight controller union vice president Faron Collins in April and sent to Kentucky Sens. Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning. It noted that the Federal Aviation Administration required that overnight shifts -- called mid shifts -- be monitored by at least two controllers: one for ground control, another for radar duties.

In Lexington "we're working two-man mids when convenient to management," Collins wrote. "We had a controller retire last month and now we are back to single-man mids. I ask you one simple question: Are two people needed on the mids for safety or not? If they are, why are they not scheduled?"

[...]

At the time of the Comair crash, which killed 49 people, only one controller was working in the Lexington tower. The FAA has since acknowledged that two were required.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said yesterday she had not yet received word from the agency's congressional affairs office about whether the FAA was approached by either of the Kentucky senators.

Bunning's spokesman Mike Reynard told the Associated Press yesterday that his office received the letter, but McConnell's office said it had not located the correspondence in its computer system that tracks constituent mail.

(click here to continue reading story)

Flight 5191 Updates

There are several developments in the crash of Comair Flight 5191 that merit some attention:

Courier-Journal:

Comair: Airport Diagrams Incorrect
Pilots urged to be extremely cautious
By Mark Pitsch
The Courier-Journal

Diagrams of Lexington's Blue Grass Airport issued to Comair pilots last week did "not accurately reflect actual airport signage," the company said in a memo to pilots in which it urged them to use "extreme caution."

Pilots flying out of the airport should ask air traffic controllers for assistance if they need helping taxiing to the runway, according to a Comair memo Friday. The Courier-Journal obtained an e-mail Comair chief pilot Steve Briner sent to pilots yesterday pointing out the problem.

[...]

A Jeppeson spokesman could not be reached for comment. But the company's Web site said it issued the new map for Blue Grass Airport because an earlier map "depicts taxiway identifiers that have since been changed."

Marx said that before Friday, Comair had been using an airport diagram that was last updated on Jan. 27. That was the diagram the pilots on Flight 5191 used, she said.

Asked if the pilots on Flight 5191 had an inaccurate diagram, Marx first indicated that was the case. In a later conversation, Marx would not say whether the diagram used by the Flight 5191 crew was accurate.

Kentucky Kernel:

Doctors: Crash Survivor In For Long Recovery
Staff Report
Issue date: 9/12/06 Section: Campus News

The only survivor of the Comair Flight 5191 crash is expected to live, his doctor said in a news release on Friday.

Dr. Andrew C. Bernard, a trauma surgeon at UK, said survivor James Polehinke is continuing to make improvements.

"I predict he will survive," Bernard said in the news release. "He will continue to require surgery to repair his complicated orthopedic injuries, but he is moving out of the woods and, if not for these multiple orthopedic injuries, he would be reaching a point when he could move to rehab."

Bernard said he expects Polehinke to spend several more weeks at the UK Chandler Medical Center before being moved to a rehabilitation facility.

Polehinke is still listed in serious condition at UK's intensive care unit.

"He continues to improve and make good progress, and he is more wakeful than he has ever been and is interacting with his family, but he is still not completely lucid, which is common after a brain injury," Bernard said.

Herald-Leader:

Another Brush With Short Staff
Indianapolis almost took radar duties for Lexington
By Brandon Ortiz
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

The Blue Grass Airport air traffic control tower was prepared for a radar center in Indianapolis to take over its radar functions for three hours Friday night because it was short-staffed, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said yesterday.

The rare decision was later rescinded after "air control management" -- which includes the Lexington tower manager and the FAA's regional managers -- decided to make do with half the normal number of controllers, spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said.

The decision drew criticism from the air traffic controllers union, which has argued that the local tower is chronically understaffed.

"It was like gambling that nothing would happen," said local union president Randy Dailey, who worked in the tower that night.

Hours later, the control tower at Louisville International Airport relinquished its radar duties to Indianapolis Center from 3 to 4 a.m. Saturday, according to the union and the FAA.

There was not enough staff on duty for the Louisville tower's two controllers to take a meal break and continue radar functions, Louisville International Airport controller union president Jeff Gilde said. The tower took measures meant for emergencies -- not lunch breaks, he said.

"Staffing is at crisis levels and is going to get worse," Gilde said.

[...]

The union has bristled at work rules the FAA imposed last week. Some aviation experts have said the union is using the perceived shortages as a bargaining ploy.

"It is unfortunate we can't believe anything the FAA says officially ..." said Colorado aviation consultant Mike Boyd, who has testified to Congress about the air traffic control system. " ... Remember, you're dealing with a labor union. They're not pure as snow either. But if you look at the track record, I'll take the controller union's word long before I take the FAA's."

Six controllers, including a supervisor, normally work the Lexington airport tower from 8 to 11 p.m. on Friday nights, Bergen said.

But only three worked during that time Friday.

Bergen said one controller was on sick leave, a supervisor was training and two other controllers have been out since the Comair crash on Aug. 27. One controller returned this week.

"It is very rare to have four people out at any one time," Bergen said.

The tower is managed and staffed by the FAA. It employs 18 controllers. The FAA has said they may work overtime as needed, but the agency also strictly regulates overtime to ensure controllers are alert.

[...]

Dailey said the tower had 31 controllers when he started there in 1991. (The FAA has said it does not have staffing numbers going back that far.)

In the last three years, the tower has gone from five supervisors to two, Dailey said.

After the Comair crash, the FAA transferred a controller from Louisville to Lexington indefinitely, Bergen said.

Gilde, the Louisville union head, said that's causing problems there. He said the Louisville tower has 10 fewer controllers than the 51 it should have.

Fletcher Might Have Missed His Giuliani Moment (Alessi, Herald-Leader)

I had a similar discussion with a member of the media last week about how the tragedy of the crash of Comair Flight 5191 would give us a look at indicted Governor Fletcher's (R) leadership abilities, and how that might provide him an opportunity to show the public another side of him and begin crawling out of the job approval ratings now mired in the 20s.

In the end, we agreed that Fletcher would not get any traction with the public because he has no working compass and no one who gives him good advice. We were right.

Ryan Alessi touches on that very sentiment in his Monday political column in the Herald-Leader.

Fletcher Might Have Missed His Giuliani Moment
By Ryan Alessi
HERALD-LEADER POLITICAL WRITER

FRANKFORT - Gov. Ernie Fletcher had an opportunity to help smooth the jagged emotional edges after the crash of Comair Flight 5191.

A former Air Force pilot, Fletcher had a chance to be an instructor to Kentuckians, calmly walking us through what a pilot sees and hears when going down a runway.

And, as a doctor and lay minister, Fletcher was uniquely suited to lead Central Kentucky through the grieving process for the 49 people killed in the accident.

Instead, Fletcher might have missed his Rudy Giuliani moment.

Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, emerged as a calming force and tireless comforter in the hours and days after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

But last week, some family members of the victims of Flight 5191 expressed frustration at Fletcher, mostly for announcing at a press conference Wednesday that the bodies of all 49 of their loved ones had been identified by medical examiners and could be released.

Up to that point, the family members had heard all the information about the victims and the crash investigation in private briefings, before the public was told.

In addition to being public, that announcement proved to be premature. The victims' bodies weren't released until the next day, after dental records confirmed identifications of the last three.

"I am not very happy with our governor right now," said Kathy Ryan, wife of Michael Ryan, one of the passengers. "A governor has no place in announcing anything as sensitive as that. It's just not his place."

Fletcher also muddied the issue regarding Blue Grass Airport's runway system when, the day after the crash, he wanted airport officials to study whether the shorter runway Flight 5191 mistakenly used should be closed permanently.

The discussion will instead turn to how the airport can move and extend that runway, called 8-26 because of the corresponding directional headings on a compass.

(read entire column here)

Kentucky Plane Crash Attorney Ads

I've received a couple of e-mails this afternoon about Google ads that have appeared here at BluegrassReport.org from lawfirms soliciting clients as a result of Flight 5191.

I've been alerted to two ads: one from the Chalik firm (which was mentioned in the Herald-Leader story from yesterday), as well as another firm. Unfortunately, while I have the URL for the second ad, (which sadly tries to project itself as a news site when it's really just a solicitation), I don't have a url for the Chalik ad. Apparently, the Chalik ad is abhorrently titled "Kentucky Plane Crash."

I haven't seen any ads myself, but hoping to get a screen capture for them to pass on to the Kentucky Bar Association with a complaint and provide to the Herald-Leader which is also looking into this matter.

So, please e-mail me if at mark@bluegrassreport.org if you see the ads and can get a url or screen capture. Thanks.

UPDATE: A reader just captured one of the ads -- the Chalik ad:

Click here for full-screen version.

I've just added the url to my Google filter list to ban the ad from running on BGR only longer. Please continue to let me know if you see such ads. I can ban them once I have the url they use on the ad.

It's sad that they're using Google to target such ads...

UPDATE #2: A reader found another ad:

Friday Update On Sunday's Plane Crash Of Flight 5191 In Lexington, KY

Here are updates and developments in Friday's local papers concerning the plane crash of Flight 5191 at Blue Grass Field in Lexington on Sunday:

Courier-Journal:

Memo Says Rarely Enough Staff For Shift
By Alex Davis and James R. Carroll
The Courier-Journal

The Federal Aviation Administration's top official said yesterday that a second air traffic controller in Lexington would have been focused on radar-related duties when Comair Flight 5191 crashed, not on making sure it was on the correct runway.

...A Nov. 16 document from the Lexington tower's air traffic manager, obtained by The Courier-Journal, says that "our staffing rarely allows for a second controller to be assigned to the midshift," or the midnight shift.

..."We're at crisis staffing levels now, and it's only going to get worse," said Jeff Gilde, president of the controllers' union at Louisville International Airport.

Louisville is authorized for 51 controllers but has 41, and four are set to retire by the end of the year, Gilde said.

Herald-Leader:

Airport Board Meets To Discuss Possible Lawsuits
By Jennifer Hewlett
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

The Blue Grass Airport board is in an emergency closed meeting this morning to discuss possible litigation from the crash of Flight 5191 for which one claim has already been filed, airport leaders said.

"We have been served with papers on at least one claim" in regards to Flight 5191, said Executive Director Mike Gobb.

A drawing of the airport’s runways, including the shorter Runway 26 the airplane’s pilots mistakenly used, was taken into the meeting. Forty-nine passengers were killed when the aircraft crashed on a farm adjacent to the airfield.

Gobb speculated that today’s session was the first of many such closed meetings the board will have.

"Now we're at the stage where the board needs to be involved," Gobb said.

The airport along with the airline and its parent company could be defendants in a wrongful death lawsuit, attorneys have said. But the airport is shielded from many types of lawsuits because it has sovereign immunity.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled in 1985 that the Lexington airport cannot be sued for negligence because its governing board is a unit of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.

Associated Press:

Controllers Say Staff Shortages Are Everywhere
LESLIE MILLER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Air traffic controllers say they have to keep track of more airplanes with fewer people as the Federal Aviation Administration tries to control costs for operating air traffic control facilities.

The staff shortage has forced some controllers to handle double-duty - simultaneously directing airplanes on the ground and monitoring air traffic by radar, much like the solo air traffic controller in Lexington, Ky., last weekend when a Comair plane crashed trying to take off on the wrong runway.

While FAA acknowledges short-staffing at Lexington Blue Grass Airport and a handful of other small airports, air traffic controllers say the problem extends to major airports around the country and is compromising safety.

"It isn't just about one-person midnight shifts and airports like LEX," said Ruth Marlin, executive vice president for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. "The FAA is short-staffed at O'Hare, Atlanta and Dallas towers. If you don't have enough people, you either can't provide the service or can't maintain the safety margin."

There are 1,081 fewer controllers now than three years ago. Their numbers dropped from 15,386 in September 2003 to 14,305 in August 2006, according to the FAA.

As of May, Chicago O'Hare had 52 controllers, though it's authorized to have 71; Atlanta had 39 on staff, though authorized for 55; and Dallas-Fort Worth has 48, though authorized for 59, according to a report aviation expert Darryl Jenkins prepared for the controllers association.

Associated Press:

Former NTSB Chairman Says New Cockpit Technology Could Have Prevented Kentucky Plane Crash
DUNCAN MANSFIELD
Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A cockpit warning system used by only a few commercial airlines might have prevented the deadly Comair jet crash last weekend if the plane had been equipped with the $18,000 piece of technology, a former top federal safety official says.

"To have 49 people burned up in a crash that is totally preventable is one of the worst things I have ever seen, and I've seen almost everything in aviation," Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from his home in Chattanooga, Tenn.

[...]

A Runway Awareness and Advisory System made by Phoenix-based Honeywell Aerospace uses a mechanical voice to identify the runway by number before takeoff and warns pilots if the runway is too short for their plane.

The system, which can pinpoint a plane's location using global-positioning systems, also alerts pilots if they are trying to take off from a taxiway instead of a runway.

The software program - an enhancement to Honeywell's widely used ground proximity warning system that alerts pilots to mountain peaks ahead - costs about $18,000 a plane. It was developed in response to Federal Aviation Administration concerns over runway accidents and close calls.

[...]

About 600 commercial and business-class aircraft worldwide have the device, and the company has orders for 700 more. The FAA says there are about 8,000 planes in the U.S. fleet - about half of them large commercial airliners.

Only Alaska Airlines, Air France, FedEx, Lufthansa and Malaysia Airlines have ordered the system for their planes, Reavis said. No commuter airlines have the warning device.

[...]

Hall was NTSB chairman from 1994 to 2001 and is now an aviation consultant. He said he has no business relationship with Honeywell.

Mark Hebert Picks-Up On Fletcher's Shunning Of Pence On Sunday

WHAS-11's Mark Hebert is the first reporter I've noticed who picked-up on the petty decision by indicted Governor Fletcher (R) not to put Lt. Governor Pence (R) in charge of the state's response to Flight 5191 while Fletcher was still in Germany.

Instead, Fletcher opted for that unelected nimrod, Chief of Staff Stan Cave, to be in charge.

Fletcher/Pence Dust-Up

When Comair Flight 5191 crashed in Lexington last Sunday, Governor Fletcher was in Europe. So he needed someone to "take charge" of the state's official response to the tragedy.

But Fletcher didn't call Lt. Gov. Steve Pence. He called his chief of staff, Stan Cave instead. A spokesperson for Pence says the Lt. Gov. was never called, never briefed, never told anything about the crash or the state response by the Fletcher folks. Jeanne Lausche says a courtesy call would have been nice.

Law Firms' Ads Don't Comply With Bar Rules -- Solicitations Removed From Newspaper (Brammer/Jordan, Herald-Leader)

As many of you know, I am strong supporter of our civil justice system and am offended when people like our governor push false assertions about the benefits of caps on jury awards. The don't work, they know it, and they only offer caps to help their corporate patrons who in return fill-up their campaign coffers with cash.

But I am also offended by what happened this week with out-of-state law firms who have taken out ads to try to find new clients among the grieving families of Flight 5191. A lot of the disgust has been leveled at the Herald-Leader's decision to publish the ads. While it's unfortunate that something this insensitive was published, I'm much less angered by the paper's decision to publish the ads than the law firms who flouted the bar association's ethics rules -- and the respect of a grieving community -- by placing them.

I've even had reports from a reader that targeted Google ads by one of the firms in question have shown up on this site, but I haven't yet seen them (note that websites don't control which Google ads are shown, but can add them to a filter once they appear and you know the URL used in the ad). So, please let me know if you see it appear. A screen-capture would be nice.

This conduct puts a real stain on the trial lawyers in this state who do honorable and exceptional work. And while Republicans like to paint the plaintiff's bar as a bunch of Democrats, one prominent personal injury lawyer in Kentucky is none other than top Republican official J. Marshall Hughes, as well as the previous proprietor of the once-upon-a-time Republican blog kyrepublicans.com, whose website now simply re-directs to a plaintiff's law firm. And don't forget former GOP chairman and current Supreme Court candidate Marcus Carey, also a plaintiff's lawyer.

However, I thought that Jack Brammer and Jim Jordan wrote an important story in today's Herald-Leader concerning the ads. Here are some excerpts:

Law Firms' Ads Don't Comply With Bar Rules
Solicitations Removed From Newspaper
By Jack Brammer And Jim Jordan
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITERS

FRANKFORT - Three ads in yesterday's Lexington Herald-Leader from lawyers trying to contact family members of the 49 people killed in Sunday's plane crash failed to comply with state advertising rules for lawyers.

Two of the ads were pulled from today's paper by the law firms, and the third was pulled by the Herald-Leader after the law firm failed to respond to an inquiry from the newspaper, said Publisher Tim Kelly.

Bruce Davis, executive director of the Kentucky Bar Association, said the KBA's nine-member advertising commission voted yesterday that the ads are in "non-compliance" with state rules for lawyers.

[...]

Attorney General Greg Stumbo said he referred to the bar association and the U.S. Attorney's Office yesterday a dozen inquiries from people concerned about the legality of the ads.

The media have the legal right to run such ads, Stumbo said, but he finds them "rather tasteless" and believes they "call into question both state and federal law."

Stumbo warned the legal community earlier this week that a 1996 federal law bars unsolicited communication with victims' families for 45 days after their loss. It imposes a $1,000-a-day fine.

Public reaction to the ads was generally critical, and other media outlets were divided over whether they would publish or broadcast similar ads.

Debi Chalik, whose Lexington law firm of Chalik and Chalik canceled its ad in today's Herald-Leader, said in a written statement that her goal in running an ad was "not to hurt the victims and their families but only to offer her assistance."

[...]

Steve Downey, president of the 1,400-member Kentucky Trial Attorneys Association, said "the timing (of the ads) is offensive.

"Yes, ads are protected by free speech," he continued, "but these should not have run. ... This kind of conduct gives lawyers and newspapers a black eye."

Thursday Morning Update On Crash Of Flight 5191 In Lexington

Here are some significant updates on Sunday's crash of Comair Flight 5191 at Blue Grass Field in Lexington:

First, the Herald-Leader prepared profiles on each of the passengers that is worth a look.

Herald-Leader:

Families Visit Crash Site
By Ryan Alessi, Mary Meehan And Jim Warren
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITERS

Traffic parted on Versailles Road for six Wildcat-blue buses carrying family members of the 49 victims of Comair Flight 5191.

Grieving relatives who looked out the bus windows saw a long line of staff members from Southland Christian Church, holding homemade signs reading "God loves you" and "You are in our prayers."

Family members were met at the crash site by saluting Lexington police officers and dozens of Red Cross workers solemnly bowing their heads.

[...]

Halfway across town, families of the victims began preparing about 10 a.m. for their first trek to the crash scene tucked among the hills and horse pastures of a farm adjacent to the airport.

About 200 people slowly boarded Bluegrass Tours buses at the Crowne Plaza Campbell House in a drizzling rain, then left shortly after 11:30 behind an escort of police cruisers and motorcycles and an ambulance.

[...]

The depth of the community's mourning hit him as the bus passed the row of uniformed motorcycle officers standing at attention. Next came Red Cross volunteers and teams from the Salvation Army. And, finally, he said "what looked like hundreds of patrol cars."

All those present stood, head bowed in respect for the dead and grieving.

He called it "awe-inspiring."

Heyer said no official memorial took place at the site, no collective moment of silence or group prayer.

[...]

The families remained at the site for about 90 minutes.

Associated Press:

Feds Say Air Controller Slept 2 Hours
JEFFREY McMURRAY
Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. - In the day leading up to the crash of Comair Flight 5191, a federal investigator says the air traffic controller on duty had worked for almost 15 hours and slept for two.

National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman, the lead investigator in the crash that killed 49 people, said in her final briefing before leaving Lexington Thursday that the controller had only nine hours off between work shifts Saturday.

That was just enough to meet federal rules, which require a minimum of eight hours off between shifts, Hersman said.

"He advised our team that he got approximately two hours of sleep," Hersman said.

[...]

The controller, a 17-year veteran whose name has not been released publicly, worked from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. He came back to work at 11:30 p.m. on the same day to begin an eight-hour overnight shift.

Courier-Journal:

Comair Gives Families $25,000
The Courier-Journal

LEXINGTON, KY -- Comair is giving families of Flight 5191 crash victims $25,000 per passenger in financial assistance, a spokeswoman said yesterday.

[...]

"We understand that no monetary relief can overcome the grief of losing a loved one," Marx said. "But we also recognize there likely will be additional financial demands at this difficult time and we hope this form of assistance can help alleviate some of the immediate financial pressures."

Marx said Comair is not seeking any waivers and that accepting the money does not prevent or prejudice any legal claims that families may make.

There are no restrictions on how the money can be spent.

The company is also helping to cover the medical bills for co-pilot James Polehinke, the crash's sole survivor who remains hospitalized in critical condition. Marx did not have a dollar figure, but said Polehinke's assistance is "in line" with what was provided to the other families.

Comair also intends to cover families' lodging expenses at the Campbell House for as long as needed, Marx said.

Courier-Journal:

Polehinke Out Of Coma But Still Unconscious And Critical
From staff and wire dispatches

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- James Polehinke, co-pilot of Comair Flight 5191, emerged from his coma yesterday but remained unconscious, on life support and in critical condition, his doctor said.

Dr. Andrew Bernard told reporters last night that Polehinke's recovery has so far been "miraculous" but that he is still unable to say whether the 44-year-old will survive.

"Although his injuries are extensive, they are no different than a person would suffer in a severe car accident," Bernard said. "Some victims of such accidents survive."

Bernard, a trauma surgeon and assistant professor of surgery at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, said Polehinke is suffering from broken bones in his left leg, right foot and right hand.

In addition, Bernard said, Polehinke has a complex fracture of the pelvis, three ribs and his breast bone. He also has many facial fractures and two fractures of the spine.

Polehinke's family has been visiting frequently at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center and has tried to encourage him, Bernard said. "They've attempted to communicate with him, but it's very difficult for him to respond."

Bernard said Polehinke did not appear to have suffered a serious brain injury and he was not burned in the crash.

Polehinke, who was pulled from the burning plane after the crash, has not been able to tell investigators why the plane was on the wrong runway.

Courier-Journal:

Officer Was Surprised To Find Sign Of Life At Scene
By Elisabeth J. Beardsley
The Courier-Journal

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- One of the officers who helped rescue the sole survivor of Comair Flight 5191 said yesterday that he was "astonished" to find anybody alive.

"With the magnitude of the situation that we had there, the amount of fire, just the situation itself, it was amazing," Blue Grass Airport safety Officer James "Pete" Maupin said in a televised interview. "I was astonished."

[...]

Yesterday, Maupin appeared on CNN with fellow airport Officer Jon Sallee and Lexington Police Officer Bryan Jared. They had spotted movement in the front of the plane and pulled Polehinke out of the cockpit just moments after the crash.

Jared said the scene was "pretty intense," and he said the three focused on getting Polehinke out and didn't worry much about their own safety as the jet fuel fire burned behind them.

"It was always in the back of our head, but when you see somebody that you can make a difference in, and somebody that needs your help, you just kind of fight through all your emotions and your thoughts," he said.

[...]

Jared said the co-pilot was not able to talk to them when they pulled him from the cockpit, but Sallee said the officers knew he was alive because he was moving, making noises and breathing.

After getting Polehinke on the way to the hospital, Sallee said he went back to the crash site but didn't find any other survivors.

Courier-Journal:

State Bar Says Ads Violated Its Rules
By Tom Loftus
The Courier-Journal

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A Kentucky Bar Association panel said yesterday that a newspaper's ads from lawyers who want to represent families of victims of the crash of Comair Flight 5191 violate the association's rules.

Because of controversy over the ads and the panel finding, Lexington Herald-Leader publisher Tim Kelly said last night the ads have been pulled from today's editions of the newspaper.

At issue are three ads that ran in the newspaper yesterday. Two ads directly advertised to families of victims of the crash. All three advertised expertise in representing victims of airplane crashes.

Bruce Davis, executive director of the Kentucky Bar Association, said the Attorneys Advertising Commission of the Kentucky bar issued a finding late yesterday that all three ads violated bar rules.

Davis said each ad violated rules for different reasons, but all broke a rule that bans advertising to families of victims of a disaster within 30 days of that disaster.

Tuesday Afternoon News Update On Crash Of Comair Flight 5191

There have been some significant news updates this afternoon on Sunday's crash of Comair Flight 5191 at Blue Grass Field in Lexington on Sunday:

UPDATE: NTSB press conference going on right now. Couple of interesting points. First, it was the captain who maneuvered the aircraft onto the runway and then turned over the controls to the first officer for take-off. The sole air traffic controller on Sunday morning was interviewed this morning. After giving the go-ahead to take-off from Runway 22 (main runway) he then turned to other duties and did not see the plane take-off and then heard the explosion. Also, both pilots were quite familiar with Blue Grass Field as the pilot has been in and out of LEX six times over the past two years, with the last visit in June. The first officer was even more experienced with 10 visits to LEX during the same time frame and last visited in May.

Knowing that the controller failed to see the airplane taxi down Runway 26, and also now reading that two controllers should have been in the tower at the time, it's hard not conclude that, if properly staffed, the second controller might have had a chance to warn the crew in time. The media raised questions about that issue.

(Herald-Leader has a story on the press conference.)

Associated Press:

FAA Had Directed 2 Controllers In Lexington Months Earlier
LESLIE MILLER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The FAA's assignment of one controller to the Lexington, Ky., airport tower the morning of a fatal air crash appears to have violated the agency's own directive issued 10 months earlier.

Air traffic controllers say there should have been more than one person on duty at Lexington Blue Grass Airport's tower early Sunday morning when an airplane took off on the wrong runway and crashed, killing 49 people and critically injuring the first officer.

[...]

A Nov. 16, 2005, FAA memo says: "Operations may be combined in the tower (2 positions) or split between tower and tracon, so long as the radar function is separated from the tower function." The memo was signed by the FAA's air traffic manager for Lexington.

At the time of the accident, the controller at the Lexington Airport was doing both tasks, according to controllers who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are involved in the investigation.

The FAA said Monday that it is scheduling a second controller to the Lexington airport tower during the weekend overnight shift. No reason was given for the change.

John Goglia, member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said the FAA must have added a controller to help prevent such accidents. "The FAA must think so, because they took action," he said.

Herald-Leader:

Local Pilots Oppose Governor's Idea Of Closing Shorter Runway
By Linda J. Johnson
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

Local pilots say Gov. Ernie Fletcher's recommendation to study closing the short runway at Blue Grass Airport because of the crash of Comair Flight 5191 early Sunday is a bad idea, especially for pilots of small planes.

Charlie Monette of Aero Tech Inc., a flight-instruction school based at Blue Grass, said the configuration of the 3,500-foot runway 26 is crucial for small planes when a strong wind comes out of the west.

Strong west winds create very strong crosswinds that are hazardous to small planes taking off and landing.

"The bottom line here is rather than being a big increase to safety, it would be exactly the opposite," Monette said.

[...]

"I was just incensed," Monette said when he heard Fletcher's idea.

Most pilots prefer to land on the 7,000-foot runway 22, said Jon Zachem, a pilot and former airport board member.

"Obviously, I would rather land on the long runway," he said. "Except when there's that strong west wind -- we love it."

Associated Press:

Airport Construction May Have Played A Role In Comair Crash
JEFFREY McMURRAY
Associated Press

...The airport's old taxi route to the longer, main runway was replaced just a week ago with a sharper turn that starts at the entrance to the shorter, unlit strip.

[...]

The construction changes momentarily confused veteran pilot Lowell Wiley two days before the Comair crash.

"When we taxied out, we did not expect to see a barrier strung across the old taxiway," Wiley said. "It was a total surprise."

Charlie Monette, president of Aero-Tech flight school at the airport, agreed there was a clear difference in the setup. "Could there have been some confusion associated with that? That's certainly a possibility," he said.

SOURCE: Did May 2005 Firing Of Assistant Engineer At Blue Grass Airport Affect Runway Maintenance And Repair Issues?

A very reliable source to BluegrassReport.org offered this perspective on a recent maintenance-related issue at Blue Grass Airport:

Mark: there’s one thing about Bluegrass Airport that may have nothing at all to do with this crash, but that you might want to keep in mind if you hear anything about insufficient staffing. In May 2005, the airport’s assistant engineer was let go on the grounds that his job was being eliminated. He had been at the airport just under 20 years, loved working there and was extremely devoted to the job, which included planning and overseeing all the airport’s expansions, repairs and improvements, including runway maintenance, since 1985. He was also a veteran of the Iraq War. Airport officials tried to get him to sign a document forcing him to keep silent about his work at the airport and his layoff in return for a year’s severance. He refused.

If the job of assistant engineer was indeed eliminated (and that may have been a ruse to get rid of him) might that have impacted whether runway signage was properly replaced after the main runway resurfacing?

Tuesday Morning News Update On Crash Of Comair Flight 5191 In Lexington On Sunday

A quick update on relevant developments in the news regarding Sunday's fatal crash of Comair Flight 5191 at Blue Grass Field in Lexington on Sunday.

Herald-Leader:

Coroner Says Most Were Killed By Impact
GINN INITIALLY SAID THEY PROBABLY DIED IN THE FIRE
By Jack Brammer And Steve Lannen
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITERS

Many of the 49 people killed in Sunday's plane crash in Lexington died on impact and "very few" had smoke in their lungs or windpipes, Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said last night.

Ginn had originally said Sunday that most of the victims probably died from the fire in the aircraft.

Herald-Leader:

Witness: It Bounced, Clipped Trees
Account of last seconds matches scrapes, markings
By Ryan Alessi
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

As Comair Flight 5191 reached the end of Blue Grass Airport's shorter runway, it broke through an 8-foot chain-link fence, bounced off the ground and was almost airborne until it brushed a clump of trees, a witness said yesterday.

"He came bouncing across the pasture there. He just about had it off the ground when it clipped those trees," said Bill Giltner, who was hired to tend horses at the farm next to the airport.

[...]

Giltner said he saw the plane first hit the metal fence at the perimeter of the airport, then he watched as its tail scraped the ground.

"He hit, and there were all kinds of sparks flying out of the back of that plane," Giltner said.

The plane bounced back into the air and over a smaller fence and the farm's lower horse pasture. It had begun going airborne when it clipped the top of a thicket of trees.

Giltner said that's when he left the trailer in time to see a "a ball of fire" followed by a large plume of smoke from behind the trees.

Herald-Leader:

Survivor In Coma; Called 'A Fighter'
DOCTORS AT UK ARE CONSIDERING AMPUTATION
By Steve Lannen
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

The lone survivor of Sunday's Comair crash clung to life last night.

James M. Polehinke, the co-pilot pulled from the burning jet's cockpit and last night confirmed by officials to be at the controls, was in a coma and on life support yesterday. Doctors were considering amputating one of his legs, family friends said.

Officials at the University of Kentucky's Chandler Medical Center said Polehinke remained in critical condition last night.

Friends and neighbors in southern Florida described Polehinke, 44, as a strong man with a faith in God and a fighting spirit to match.

"Jimmy is in bad shape up there. He's in a coma," said longtime friend Antonio Cruz of Miami.

Herald-Leader:

First Responders Kept Their Poise
BUT TRAINING DIDN'T PREPARE THEM FOR THIS
By Amy Wilson And Cassondra Kirby
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITERS

Many died instantly. Perhaps two, maybe more, passengers on Comair 5191 had crawled out of the plane past a mound of debris and through a large opening in the cockpit. Everything was on fire.

Within eight minutes of the Sunday morning crash that killed 49, firefighters were pouring water over the plane. Three police officers were somehow maneuvering First Officer James Polehinke out of the cockpit.

By the time Gary Ginn, the Lexington-Fayette County coroner, made it onto the private property where the plane had fallen, the fires were out but they had already destroyed much of the plane and the people in it. It looked like everyone had burned to death. He said so to the media at the time. He could hardly describe what he had seen.

Yesterday, Ginn revised his statement. With the bulk of the autopsies completed, he said the leading cause of death was blunt force trauma from the crash's initial impact. The 49 on board who died, to be sure, had varying degrees of burns on their bodies. Some were devastatingly extensive. Some were minimal, he said. But few had evidence of smoke in their lungs. They hadn't had to suffer that.

Courier-Journal:

Plane Lacked Runway Software
By James R. Carroll
The Courier-Journal

WASHINGTON — On about 600 commercial planes and corporate jets around the world, a computer program helps keep pilots on the correct runways.

Comair Flight 5191 didn't have that kind of help.

With the computer program, pilots know when they are approaching a runway, which runway they are on, and how far they are from the end of the runway.

"It's like having a full-time extra set of eyes in the cockpit that can't get distracted," said Tommy Littlejohn, director of flight operations for Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix, which developed the program.

[...]

The Honeywell technology is used by five airlines and by corporate aircraft globally, said Honeywell spokesman Bill Reavis. The carriers are Alaska Airlines, FedEx, Lufthansa, Air France and Malaysia Airlines. The company is filling orders for 700 more units of the system.

Federal aviation officials could not be reached for comment on why the runway program is not required.

Comair officials did not return a call seeking comment about why its planes do not use the Honeywell technology.

Using a satellite-based Global Positioning System, the runway alert program advises cockpit crew members about where their plane is in relation to runways and taxiways.

"They hear an oral announcement in the cockpit, 'Approaching Runway 15,' for example," Littlejohn said. "Once they have taxied onto the runway, they are going to hear, 'You are on Runway 15.' "

If the aircraft sits longer than a minute at the end of the runway, the Honeywell system will announce the runway again.

The program also can be set to call out the length of the runway, Littlejohn said.

[...]

The runway software is not the only onboard device used to ensure planes are on the right runway. Goelz said the Comair crew should have looked at the cockpit compass to get at least one clue that they were on the wrong runway.

"There's no reason why they ignored their heading," said Goelz, now a senior vice president with a Washington communications and transportation consulting firm.

Courier-Journal:

Memorial Services Planned
Elisabeth Beardsley, Courier-Journal

Lexington civic and religious leaders are planning memorial services for tomorrow to honor the victims of the crash of Comair Flight 5191 and their families.

A community-wide prayer gathering is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Centenary United Methodist Church in Lexington.

Monday Evening Update On Crash Of Flight 5191 In Lexington

I wanted to post an update on some of the more significant news reports and developments concerning yesterday's crash of Comair (Delta) Flight 5191:

Herald-Leader:

Main Runway's Lack Of Lights May Have Caused Confusion
By Ryan Alessi, Jim Warren, Brandon Ortiz and Linda J. Johnson
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITERS

The center-line lights of the main runway at Blue Grass airport were not on, making it more difficult for the pilot of a crashed airliner to discern that the plane was on the wrong, shorter runway.

Airport Executive Director Mike Gobb confirmed today that some lights were not operating on the longer runway since a repaving project the weekend of Aug. 19. The shorter runway, which cannot accommodate commercial flights, does not have lights.

Pilots use lights as visual cues to their location on the field.

Without those cues, “It simply adds to the confusion,” said David Katzman, an aviation lawyer and pilot. “And the one thing that gets people killed in piloting is any sense of confusion or disorientation, or any counterintuitive events. … Does it absolve the pilots? Absolutely not. But is it a factor in the equation? Absolutely.”

[...]

Grose believes the pilot was trying to fly the plane, instead of trying to stop it, and that the plane got 30 to 50 feet in the air at one point. But it wasn’t enough.

By the time the pilot realized he was on the short runway, it might have been too late to stop, Grose said.

Slamming on the brakes “might not have been any better,” he said. “All that fuel.”

Associated Press:

Runway Route Changed A Week Before Crash In Lexington, Ky.
JEFFREY McMURRAY
Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Investigators in the Comair jet crash that killed 49 people are looking into whether changes made to a taxiway during a repaving project a week ago confused the pilot and caused him to turn onto the wrong runway.

Federal aviation officials said Monday they were also looking at such things as runway lights, markings and signs for clues to what could have misled the pilots, as well as anything else that changed the configuration or appearance of the airport.

Both the old and new taxiway routes cross over the short runway where Flight 5191 tried to take off before crashing into a grassy field and bursting into flame, Airport Executive Director Michael Gobb told The Associated Press.

"It's slightly different than it used to be," said Charlie Monette, president of Aero-Tech flight school at the airport. "Could there have been some confusion associated with that? That's certainly a possibility."

It was unclear whether the Comair pilots had been to the airport since the changes to the taxi route.

Lowell Wiley, a flight instructor who flies almost every day out Lexington, said in an interview that he was confused by the redirected taxi route when he was with a student Friday taking off from the main runway.

"When we taxied out, we did not expect to see a barrier strung across the old taxiway," Wiley said. "It was a total surprise."

[..]

According to the NTSB database, there have been four accidents caused by pilots taking off on the wrong runway worldwide since 1982.

"It's not common," Bill Waldock, aviation safety professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona. "It's right up there with lightning strikes."

Air traffic controllers are not responsible for making sure pilots are on the right runway, said John Nance, a pilot and aviation analyst.

"You clear him for takeoff and that's the end of it," Nance said. "It's not the duty of the controller to baby-sit every flight. It would have been great if he or she had, but they have other duties up there."

Courier-Journal:

Runway Repaving Examined In Fiery Lexington Crash
By Mark Pitsch, Gregory A. Hall and James R. Carroll
The Courier-Journal

An aviation expert, Greg Feith, a former crash investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, said such an alteration could cause confusion for the crew.

Any familiarity the crew had with the airport may have been moot because the normal taxiway was barricaded, said Feith.

An alternate taxi route combined with other issues being studied – including whether the crew expected the lights on the main runway to be off, meaning they might not have noticed they were on the unlit short runway – could create problems, he said.

“I mean you’ve got a recipe for disaster right there, he said.

More AP:

Officers Ignored Danger To Help Co-Pilot Of Crashed Plane
DUNCAN MANSFIELD
Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Out of the horror of the crash of Comair Flight 5191 came heroism, too - one life spared by a police officer and two airport security officers.

Lexington Police Officer Bryan Jared, a seven-year veteran, and airport officers James "Pete" Maupin, a 12-year veteran, and Jon Sallee, a six-month rookie, were among the first to arrive when the twin-engine jet crashed during a pre-dawn takeoff Sunday at Blue Grass Airport.

Forty-nine people perished in the burning wreckage. But the officers pulled James M. Polehinke, the plane's first officer, from the carnage. Polehinke remained in critical condition Monday night in an intensive care unit at the University of Kentucky Hospital.
[...]

Certainly he weighed the danger of entering the burning plane. "I am not going to lie, that was on my mind," he said.

But Jared said, "When you see somebody that needs your help and you can make a difference and hopefully turn it around, you just focus on that and try the best you can for him. And try to return him to his family."

Jared was burned on the elbow by jet fuel during the rescue but wanted to return immediately to the scene to help his fellow responders.

[...]

Jared said he's been deluged by well-wishers. "A lot of good friends and a lot of good people that I don't know and will probably never meet just called and left me messages," he said.

Herald-Leader:

Governor Suggests Permanently Closing Shorter Runway
By Ryan Alessi
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

Gov. Ernie Fletcher said during a meeting with airport officials including executive director Mike Gobb that he recommended looking at permanently closing the airport’s shorter runway.

He told reporters at a press conference tonight that even though the runway has been temporarily closed since the accident, officials should consider putting up permanent barriers.

“I think it would be advantageous,” the governor said, adding that he would defer the final decision to experts.

Additional story links:

Co-pilot is critically ill after surgery (Beardsley, Courier-Journal)

Model previously in 2 fatal crashes (Carroll, Courier-Journal)

List of Flight 5191 victims (Courier-Journal)

Gov. Fletcher briefed, tours crash site (Pitsch, Courier-Journal) 

Monday morning's NTSB press briefing (Audio)

UPDATE: The Herald-Leader just added this exclusive on its website:

Wife Of 'Incredible' Pilot Says Crash Not His Fault
By Valarie Honeycutt Spears
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

The wife of the Comair 5191 captain said today that he was a “by-the-book” pilot who flew out of Blue Grass Airport frequently and was well-rested when he boarded the plane.

In the aftermath of the plane crash that killed pilot Jeffrey Clay and 48 other people Sunday, questions have arisen about why the plane took off from the wrong runway and whether the pilots were tired or compromised in some way.

But Amy Clay told the Herald-Leader today that Jeffrey Clay “was not fatigued” on Sunday morning and had been in Lexington since the afternoon before.

“My husband was not careless in any manner,” said Clay, a Paintsville native. “He was detail oriented. He was a wonderful man and an incredible pilot. The pilots who worked with him called him a 'by-the-book guy’.”

The FAA’s database shows that “neither pilot had any accidents, incidents or enforcement history,” said Kathleen Bergen, an FAA spokeswoman.

“I know in my heart that the people on that plane couldn’t have been in better hands than his,” said Amy Clay. Clay, 35, of Burlington in Northern Kentucky, and the plane’s sole flight attendant, Kelly Heyer, 28, of Cincinnati, were among those who died in the crash.

[...]

Josh Hammond, a Comair spokesman, said he didn’t know how many times Clay, who was based at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, and Polhinke, based at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, had flown out of Blue Grass.

Asked about the experience of the crew with the Lexington airport, Comair President Don Bornhorst said: “It was a veteran crew. As far as their experience with this airport, it’s all part of the investigation, but I would say ... the captain had seven years experience with this equipment ... and the first officer about 21/2 years.”

Clay said her husband routinely flew in and out of Blue Grass, but said she didn’t know if her husband and Polehinke had flown together before.

Flight 5191 Victims' Fund

I'm not going to spend much time today on the crash of Comair 5191 since the newspapers have plenty of thoughtful stories and I'm not able to offer anything significant to the discussion except to acknowledge the unimaginable grief of losing loved ones in such an accident.

Both the Courier-Journal and Herald-Leader have significant next-day stories on the accident.

One other note, a reader posted this excerpt from a story this morning:

A fund has been established to assist the families of victims of Comair Flight 5191.

The United Way of the Bluegrass and Central Bank will begin accepting contributions today to help families who lost family members and friends in the plane crash early Sunday morning in Lexington.

Kathy Plomin, president of the United Way of the Bluegrass, said hundreds of people have phoned in wanting to help.

United Way officials have set up the 5191 Care Fund.

To contribute to the fund, send donations to: United Way of Bluegrass, 5191 Care Fund, 2480 Fortune Drive, Lexington, Kentucky 40509.

Plomin said officials have not determined how the money will be spent. Options include paying for funeral expenses or creating scholarships for children who lost family members.

Tribute -- Open Thread

Since we're starting to learn the names of the 49 passengers who lost their lives today in the crash of Comair flight 5191, I thought I'd leave an open thread for anyone wishing to offer any tribute or pay respects to those passengers and their families, or communicate about those on-board.

I've disabled the sign-in requirement, so anyone can post anonymously.

Plane Crash In Lexington

This morning, a Delta flight from Lexington to Atlanta has crashed near Blue Grass Airport shortly after takeoff with about 47 passengers aboard. It sounds very bad but there are no firm details yet, though CNN is reporting numerous fatalities. I believe the plane departed sometime after 6 am.

UPDATE: It was Comair flight #5191 (Delta), that departed at 6:00 am. Here's what the Herald-Leader is reporting:

A Comair plane carrying 50 people to Atlanta has crashed near Blue Grass Airport, according to authorities.

Significant fatalities are reported, but University of Kentucky Hospital is treating a survivor, according to spokesman Jay Blanton.

[...]

The airport terminal shut down about 7 a.m. this morning; people, scheduled to fly out of the airport are now waiting outside the terminal for transportation.

Extra Transportation Security Administration workers are being brought in.

Police also have closed parts of Versailles Road where emergency vehicles are currently stationed.

You can also read updates at the websites of WLEX, WTVQ, WKYT, CNN.

UPDATE #2: WLEX-18 is reporting that they have information that the pilot used the wrong runway -- the shorter one (3,500 feet versus the 7,003 foot runway this plane required) -- and it hit some sort of rise at the end of the runway and after takeoff it clipped trees and crashed in a field within a mile of the airport. MSNBC is reporting that all 50 passengers died, but WLEX-18 says -- as the Herald-Leader reported -- one passenger, which they believe is the pilot or co-pilot, has survived.

UPDATE #3: Versailles Road is closed, so plan an alternate route if you're headed that way. Traffic is being routed around Keeneland on Rice Road.

UPDATE #4: WLEX is reporting that the plane is in-tact and that all the passengers are still within the plane itself, but the only confirmation we know is that there are "numerous fatalities" and that UK Hospital has confirmed (according to WLEX) one survivor, but there's a lot of gray area in between. It doesn't sound very good but you know how often initial news reports change during these kinds of accidents. Hopefully, there will be more than one survivor.

UPDATE #5: Much more talk that pilot used the short runway which aviation experts on local television are saying that there's little chance that this plane, loaded with about 50 people (about capacity), could have properly gotten airborne with a 3,500 foot runway, instead of the longer 7,000 foot one. (Here's runway info at LEX -- Blue Grass)

Another expert says that 5,000 feet would have been the recommended minimum, and that it's possible it could have taken-off with just 3,500 feet if nothing went wrong. But my lay person's common sense would say that a pilot would have handled take-off on a short runway a lot differently than a longer one (speed, etc) and in this case it seems that the pilot was unaware he was on a short runway and probably departed as he would believing he had 7,003 feet.

Also, no indication that weather played a role.

UPDATE #6: Here's a diagram of the airport layout:

UPDATE #7: Some confirmation that there were 47 passengers and 3 crew members. The one known survivor is a male and is in "critical condition." There's no confirmation that the survivor is that pilot or co-pilot, but that is still being reported on a couple of local stations.

Also, here's a satellite map of the airport.

UPDATE #8: Here's the FAA link for the status of Blue Grass Airport. When the status changes as far as when the airport re-opens, you'll see it here.

UPDATE #9: There's a 10:00 am press conference scheduled. Also, for those interested in more technical information, here are links to aeronautical charts and weather charts for the airport. Also, here's the official airport website.

UPDATE #10 (9:56 am): The main runway has re-opened and the first plane is about to take-off since the crash. Also, Versailles Road has re-opened.

UPDATE #11 (10:00 am): Here's a photo of the model of plane (Bombardier CRJ200) that crashed:

UPDATE #12 (10:06 am): You can read about the plane from Bombardier, its manufacturer.

UPDATE #13 (10:11 AM): WLEX is reporting that the crash happened on the farm of Nick Bentley, near Keeneland Race Course.

UPDATE #14 (10:16 am): AP is reporting:

The crash marks the end of what has been called the "safest period in aviation history." There has not been a major crash since Nov. 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 plunged into a residential neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., killing 265 people, including five on the ground.

On Jan. 8, 2003, an Air Midwest commuter plane crashed on takeoff at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, killing all 21 aboard.

UPDATE #15 (10:22 AM): Comair press conference just happened in Erlanger, KY by its president. He confirmed that there were 47 passengers and 3 crew members and that there is one survivor. The crash occurred a half-mile from the airport. He wouldn't confirm the cause or whether the wrong runway was used.

It also appears from images on television that the crash occurred right after the end of the runway, south of Versailles Road, not on the Keeneland side.

UPDATE #16 (10:36 am): Word is that the Department of Homeland Security says they do not believe terrorism was involved. Also, here's the late