The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-07/05. On August 27, 2006, about 0606:35 eastern daylight time, Comair flight 5191, a Bombardier CL-600-2B19, N431CA, crashed during takeoff from Blue Grass Airport, Lexington, Kentucky. The flight crew was instructed to take off from runway 22 but instead lined up the airplane on runway 26 and began the takeoff roll. The airplane ran off the end of the runway and impacted the airport perimeter fence, trees, and terrain. The captain, flight attendant, and 47 passengers were killed, and the first officer received serious injuries. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 and was en route to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
the flight crewmembers's failure to use available cues and aids to identify the airplane's location on the airport surface during taxi and their failure to cross-check and verify that the airplane was on the correct runway before takeoff. Contributing to the accident were the flight crew's nonpertinent conversation during taxi, which resulted in a loss of positional awareness, and the Federal Aviation Administration's failure to require that all runway crossings be authorized only by specific air traffic control clearances.
— 58,378 samples, 95 parameters, 05:59:00.0 to 06:06:36.1.
| Parameter | Max | at | Min | at | Final | at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical acceleration g | 3.1 | 06:06:35.8 | 0.1 | 06:06:33.3 | 3.1 | 06:06:35.8 |
| Engine 1 N1 %RPM | 91.2 | 06:06:13.2 | 0.0 | 05:59:00.2 | 80.0 | 06:06:35.2 |
| Engine 2 N1 %RPM | 91.8 | 06:06:29.7 | 0.0 | 05:59:00.7 | 74.3 | 06:06:34.7 |
| Time | Event | Page |
|---|---|---|
| 05:59:37-06:00:48 EDT | Left turn from about 130 degrees magnetic heading to 46.3 (left) / 48.9 (right) degrees | 5 |
| 06:00:14-06:01:26 EDT | Engine 1 N1 increased from 0% to 26% (06:00:44); Engine 2 N1 from 0% to 25% (06:01:26) - engine start | 5 |
| 06:02:18 EDT | Control checks began, ending about 31 seconds later; right MFD range changed 10 nm to 40 nm at 06:02:24 and radar overlay became active four seconds later | 5 |
| 06:02:15-06:04:20 EDT | Several heading changes, finally reaching 40.3 (left) and 41.6 (right) degrees; left MFD range 40 nm to 80 nm at 06:04:34 | 5 |
| 06:04:36-06:05:22 EDT | Longitudinal acceleration indicates the airplane was not moving (holding short) | 5 |
| 06:05:39-06:06:00 EDT | Left turn to 266.5 (left) / 265.8 (right) degrees - lined up on runway 26 rather than runway 22; both autopilot lateral takeoff modes engaged as of 06:05:50 | 5 |
| 06:06:00-06:06:13 EDT | Engine 1 and 2 N1 increased, reaching 91% at 06:06:12 and 06:06:13; computed airspeed began increasing at 06:06:05 | 5 |
| 06:06:30 EDT | At 127 knots right computed airspeed the control columns began moving aft; elevators trailing edge up the following second; maximum aft column 10.9 degrees (right) at 06:06:33 at 135 knots; maximum elevator 22.6 degrees TEU (right) at 06:06:32 | 6 |
| 06:06:32 EDT | Right pitch reached 4.7 deg ANU, dropped to 0 the following second, then left pitch 6.7 deg ANU rising to a maximum 15.9 deg ANU (right) over the next two seconds; vertical acceleration 1.199 g, 0.766 g, then 2.742 g; gear WOW indicated air (left briefly ground then air); radio altitudes began increasing; engine N1 began decreasing | 6 |
| 06:06:33-06:06:34 EDT | Right stick shaker active at 06:06:33, then left stick shaker and both stick pushers active; left aileron to 24.9 deg right wing down, left flight spoiler to 42 deg; roll to 17.4 deg left wing down (06:06:35); right rudder pedal 5.7 deg and rudder 10.1 deg TER; nose gear WOW air at 06:06:33 | 6 |
| 06:06:35 EDT | Left computed airspeed 136.75 knots; left angle of attack 13.3 deg (maximum); final vertical acceleration 3.113 g; longitudinal acceleration 0.736 g; final pitch 12.7 deg ANU; Engine N1 final values 80% (06:06:35) and 74% (06:06:34); lateral acceleration 0.135 g then -0.096 g | 6 |
| 06:06:36 EDT | Nose and right gear WOW returned to ground; end of valid data | 6 |
356 transcribed utterances from 05:36:07.7 to 06:06:36.2, 23 sources. Final entries:
| 06:06:34.7 | CAM | [sound similar to stall warning starts and continues to end of re- cording] |
| 06:06:35.1 | HOT-? | #. |
| 06:06:35.7 | HOT-1 | [unintelligible exclamation] |
| 06:06:36.2 | END | of RECORDING |
| 06:06:36.2 | END | of TRANSCRIPT |
Docket: data.ntsb.gov/Docket/?NTSBNumber=DCA06MA064. This brief is an analytical aid assembled from public records; it is not an investigative finding.