As a pilot, I’ve had many flights when there was darkness. I’ve never experienced a night flight where I entered an active runway that was ‘dark.’ If I were to enter a ‘dark’ runway, the first thing I would do is radio the tower, and ask for the runway lights to be activated. I’m certain the tower would respond that the runway lights were activated. I would then know, that I had made an error. And I’m not playing Monday morning quarterback. Flying an airplane requires 100% concentration, 100% of the time.
I was a janitor at our airport here at home for 10 years. Big sky 1318 was on the final approach. They kept asking the radio operator can you turn up the runway lights? Can you turn up the lights? He responded runway lights are on full intensity. Big sky 13/18 replied we still can't see them. The guy working the radio said Go outside and see if you can see those lights. I said okay. I went back behind the building. The runway runs parallel to the FAA building. I came back in and told him there is brightest day! Oh. And the ODALS was also functioning. I guess the pilot needs glasses.
You are literally playing Monday morning quarterback. I was a Blackhawk crew chief for 14 years. I know there were days were we flew damn tired. Especially when deployed. Can I say I was always 100% focused 100% of the time? Nope. If only every aviator was like you I guess there would never be any mishaps.
@@drn13355 STOP saying lying hateful things about @wcdaniel7, just because YOU are a terrible, and failed pilot, is no excuse to harass other commentors
I remember seeing the interview Polehinke did some time after the crash, he seemed so broken in his soul now he's wheelchair bound but he survived, I hope he's doing ok & his family. RIP to the passengers and two other crew members who perished & especially the young couple who were married the day before the crash were among the victims of this flight. Situational awareness & a sterile cockpit is paramount. Great simulation & keep up the great work. Have a great weekend!
You have to feel for the guy and for Clay who was talking about his little kids on the taxi. Yes they were negligent but their stories deserve our thoughts and sympathies as much as the others who left families and loved ones behind. One other effect of this accident was the installation on many commercial aircraft of runway annunciation systems that identified the runway on takeoff or on approach.
I agree they all mattered & it was something that shouldn’t have happened. Other factors contributed, "including an understaffed control tower and an inaccurate runway maps.
I used to sit in the jump seat with commercial pilots when I was flying with our local Aero club we used to know the airline boys and girls pretty well and we would sit in the cockpit and have idle chatter while we were getting ready. The moment the doors were shut and they were readying aircraft, It was an unspoken rule to be quiet and if you did say anything they would say stop right there. Hold that thought talk again once we’re in the cruise and there was no talk unless it was related to aviation, I really appreciate the professional demeanour of all of those pilots. Some of them would even say in the briefing if you see anything that you are concerned with them interject if it is of an immediate safety concern and you think we have missed it , anything else not related you will say nothing until we have the flight directors on and we are above 10,000 feet.
Polehinke has no memory of the crash from head trauma and he had brain damage to the extent his motor skills were affected. He is in a wheelchair. I do not believe he won his civil suit against the airport. Many of those killed died from the post crash fire and not blunt force trauma. It's additionally a landmark accident as the public outcry over the pilots' inattentiveness and seemingly blasé pre-takeoff tone compelled the NTSB to prohibit the release of CVR audio in future investigations. Since then, it's been transcripts only in reports on crashes of US carriers.
My wife was an FA with Comair and flew with the crew on prior flights. So thankful she wasn't working that route that day. It shook her to her soul knowing that if it was her there wasn't anything she could have done to save the PAX.
One of my bosses at the time was on this flight with his wife. There were several other clues that the flight was lined up on the wrong runway that didn't get covered here. What a sad event.
The big one should have been their heading. Runways numbers are based on heading. They should have known something was off when they lined up in the wrong direction. A totally avoidable crash that was 100% on the crew.
@@ericblair6984 Agreed. I don't think the video here shows it, but the wrong runway had "26" painted on it as per normal, and they should have seen it, even given the early hour and dark conditions.
Learning from our errors is a tragic schoolroom. This was only one of several similar events over a period of relatively few years. As a result, when instructing in the Sim we now give taxiing and runway identification procedures a high priority, emphasising the necessity for a sterile cockpit during those operations and ensuring that runway identification is confirmed by at least two parameters, one of which should include compass heading.
There was a passenger near the front taking that early flight so he could get home to his kids sooner than originally planned. That really got me. RIP to all.
As a lifelong resident of Lexington and Versailles, the two cities that are connected by the highway that runs parallel to the short runway, I’ve flown out of Bluegrass Field dozens of times, and driven by it a thousand times…those two (only two) couldn’t look more different from each other. Lit or unlit. What a blunder.
Retired pilot checking in here to add a comment that our SOPs (and I now think all carriers) must crosscheck their instruments, that is the PFD/HSI for correct orientation on the designated runway heading agreement as well as the physical runway markings, runway edge lights, center line lighting if available and the runway identifier once lined up or even a rolling takeoff without fail.
Poelhinke and the estates of Clay and Heyer also sued Jeppesen-Sanderson (maker of aeronautical charts) for failure to clearly annotate the issue with the crossing runways. The plaintiffs did not prevail in that case as well.
I live in Lexington. A friend of mine died in that crash. I followed the local news on this -- a LOT was done wrong by multiple sources. Much of this is public info and the video maker didn't cover. Such as: 1). Only one controller working instead of the mandatory two, and no substitute made for the missing one by the airport. 2). The one controller admitted he's only had TWO hours of sleep the night before the accident. 3). As stated, the controller wasn't watching or checking on the plane at all re their taxi or take-off position. With the maintenance going on mentioned in item 4 and the less than great signage, this is inexcusable by the airport and controller. 4). The lights missing being ignored by the pilots was due to confusion over scheduled maintenance. The NOTAMS mentioned some lights might be out due to the maintenance (but NOT all the lights for the main runway). So this was both bad luck and insufficient attention to detail when prepping for the flight (similar bad procedure, like breaking sterile cockpit rules). 5). They didn't check their compass heading, which would have been an OBVIOUS sign they were in the wrong place for take-off. 6). This commuter jet didn't have the GPS equipment that would have given an audible warning that they weren't lined up on the right runway, unlike larger jets. (The usual cost-saving attitude/priority of the vast majority of airports and airlines (and now with Boeing plane manufacturers) around the world. There were other issues, but this was the primary set. This got me interested in why such things happen, and I've watched a bunch of the "Mayday" and "Air Accident Investigation" type series. Though these things are rare, when things go wrong, LOTS of errors, bad procedures, ignoring maintenance, ignoring equipment problems, bad training, and on and on can really add up. And the gall of Polehinke suing the airport. The lack of people taking personal responsibility for their actions is, IMO, one of the biggest problems and deteriorations in society, which has been getting worse for the 5 decades I've been keeping track (as the overall trend). I never liked flying, and between 9-11 and this, that was IT for me re flying. I retired early in 2007 anyway, as IBM kept getting worse as a company to work for, and all my flying was for work anyway.
Polehinke is a p.o.s. that has never fully taken responsibility for his role in this crash. He also tried to get the FAA to reinstate his private pilot's license.
Though the airport's failure to change its layout after the near disaster 13 years earlier could be grounds for a legal action, Polehinke is not the person to be suing the airport. The families of the deceased passengers and flight attendant certainly could sue over that.
@@brianarbenz1329 I think most of the families settled with Comair. Not sure how much they got, it doesn't matter. It will never bring your loved ones back.
I'm in Louisville. Media coverage emphasized the individuals killed and their backgrounds, which happens the closer you are to a tragedy. Newlyweds Jon Hooker, 27, and Scarlet Parsley, 23, were taking off for their honeymoon. They grew up together in London, Ky. Other victims included a Habitat for Humanity board member enroute to rebuild houses on the Gulf Coast and a businessman who took an early flight to get home to his children. Those stories bring home the pain. This must not happen again.
If there's one thing I've seen reaffirmed again and again on this wonderful channel, it's that it is so true to say the 'devil is in the details'. In so many of these tragic incidents, it's been the 'little' things that caused so much harm. Yes, the pilots should have been more situationally aware and should have taken note of the missing runway lights, but I also can't believe the AT Controller didn't keep his eye on a plane about to enter a runway. Surely that should be a basic requirement. After all, there had already been a near-miss previously re that runway which was averted by that Controller's watchfulness.
Especially, this smallish airport at 6am? How much ground traffic could have been? This isn't Heathrow! Only two runways and they line up on the wrong one?
These pilots got too comfortable and took their safety for granted. I would have stopped when I saw that there were no lights on the runway. Great video sir keep up the great work.
No other flights to handle, after clearing them for takeoff the ATC turned his back on the field and started doing paperwork and had no idea the aircraft was heading to the wrong runway.
Why didn't they check their heading indicator? No runway lights should have been the first clue and the heading indicator the second. That's why there is a sterile cockpit rule which they obviously ignored with their casual family talk. Such a shame all those lives lost over total arrogance and incompetence.
Dunno. It was drilled into me early on, “cross check compass heading w/ runway.” The proverbial holes in the Swiss cheese lined up- Non sterile cockpit Loss of situational awareness Failure to cross check compass
These two where completely in an unprofessional state of mind! Yacking about shit that did not matter and breaking the sterile cockpit rules! What an utter waste!
Do you know what they were talking about? The airline had recently threatened to remove aircraft from service, in an attempt to force pay concessions upon the pilot group…some of whom already qualified for food stamps. The crew had a brief conversation about where other pilots were looking for employment, because they had concerns about their job security. Additionally, LEX was a mess with the runway configuration, construction, lights out that the FO had noticed when he flew in previously. There were a LOT of things that came together to set these pilots up. Yes they made errors, but I suspect most of the armchair pilots on UA-cam would have been led down the same path, given the environmental factors present.
Two very experienced pilots !! Give me two fully trained but less experienced guys any day. They will go by the book completely. It will be a while before complacency sets in.
That’s just how this accident happened to be. Less experienced guys have had accidents too. And highly experienced pilots have had accidents as well. Saying you prefer less experienced guys is just silly.
The problem is the repetitive routine day after day, year after year, breeds complacency. And at small airports like Lexington's Blue Grass Field, where I have been, there's a feeling that big, consequential events don't happen here, just at JFK or O'Hare. It's similar to the belief that big terrorist attacks don't happen in places like Oklahoma City, a former tenet of people who live far from the biggest cities.
I'm from Lexington. I went to Corporate Flight Attendant Training in 2012 - 2015 and Sterile Cockpit Procedures were studied along with Crew Resource Management and reinforced several times a day throughout the entire class. As soon as I noticed these pilots chatting like that, my mouth dropped open. The Delta 727 crash at DFW was blamed partially by unprofessional, irrelevant conversation between the pilots and F/A creating a deadly distraction.
I was living in Lexington at the time of the 5191 crash. Seeing the bodies being taken from the crash site to Frankfort has got to be one of the saddest things I have ever witnessed. The Comair crash falls squarely on the shoulders of the pilot and co-pilot. They should have been paying closer attention to what they were doing, and asked the tower if they were on the correct runway. They failed to do that!
Why aren´t there very big signs and paintings on the ground on which runway they are beginning to enter? Just like there is in normal road traffic.....
If you scroll to 6:40, as they straighten out their turn to line up on the center line, the number 26 is just beginning to come into view when the OP fades away to a different shot. in reality, they taxied right over the large 26 numbers that their taxi lights clearly illuminated. Training differs but I was taught very early in my career to put the heading bug on the designated departure runway heading before taxi and cross check its alignment before takeoff. This was a tragic accident. Humans make mistakes. The NTSB got it right ... as they usually, but not always, do. (They're human too) ^v^
The bottom line is ALWAYS check your heading indicator to make sure your pointing in the right direction. That habit saved my ass in Cleveland many years ago.
@@taproom113: Plus the COMPASS needs to match the heading of the runway. 260 degrees is WAY off of 220 degrees. That plus NO lights is a fiasco. (There was a NOTAMS for some maintenance and SOME lights being out, but NOTHING indicating a dark runway).
i use to fly the CRJ200 there at PSA, and 2 weeks before this happened we started to line up on the wrong runway at 0500 and I noticed no runway lights. Then we got to the right place and asked the tower. Airport should have a cleared paint to alert crews.
There is more to it than that. You are missing out on a lot of critical information. Did you know there was only one controller working in the tower that night? Did you know the controller’s previous schedule? Did you know the controller failed to watch the only plane he was responsible for at that time line up and takeoff on the wrong runway? Did you know about the airport construction at the airport? Did you know the airport diagram they were using which was current did not match the actual airport layout? Many other individuals failed the people on that flight, not just the pilots.
Comair Flight 5191 CVR Transcript/Audio 1:48 F.O POLEHINKE: That's pretty cool the family got to come down. 1:52 CAPT CLAY:Both kids were sick though‚ they‚ well they all got colds. It was an interesting‚ dinner last night. 1:58 F.O POLEHINKE:Really. How old are they? 2:00 CAPT CLAY:3 months and 2 years old who was sneezing‚ either nose wiped‚ diaper change I mean that's all we did all night long. 2:07 F.O POLEHINKE: Oh yeah I'm sure. 2:09 CAPT CLAY:My wife wants four‚ I‚ I‚ I'm‚ I was good at one. 2:18 F.O POLEHINKE: Uh‚ parking brake. 2:21 CAPT CLAY: That's on. 2:23 F.O POLEHINKE: Number 2 actually‚ engine. 2:25 CAPT CLAY: 1 and 2 are started. 2:28 F.O POLEHINKE: Starting engines complete. 2:31 CAPT CLAY:And before taxi. 2:34 F.O POLEHINKE:Anti-ice. 2:36 CAPT CLAY: Windshields and probes are low and on. 2:40 F.O POLEHINKE:Nosewheel steering. 2:43 CAPT CLAY: That's armed. 2:45 F.O POLEHINKE: Taxi check complete. 2:50 F.O POLEHINKE to GND:Comair 5191 is ready to taxi we have ALPHA. 2:55 GND: Comair 5191‚ taxi to runway 22‚ Altimeter 30 00 and the winds are 200 at 8. 3:38 F.O POLEHINKE:Yeah I know 3 guys at Kennedy; actually 2 guys uh... He went but he didn't get past the sim. 3:46 CAPT CLAY:Oh‚ really. 3:49 F.O POLEHINKE:And then um‚ a first officer‚ from Cinci... Got through the second part... 4:02 F.O POLEHINKE:What do you do the uh‚ these tests.... And he didn't‚ and that's as far as he got. 4:10 F.O POLEHINKE:And then he actually got offered the position. 4:14 CAPT CLAY:Did he take it or... 4:15 F.O POLEHINKE:Yeah. 4:17 CAPT CLAY:Ah ok. 4:56 F.O POLEHINKE: Hydraulics checked‚ APU's on‚ FMS we got runway 22 out of Lexington up to 6. 5:04 F.O POLEHINKE:Thrust reversers are armed‚ auto crossflow is manual‚ ignition is off... 5:08 F.O POLEHINKE: Altimeters three triple zero across the board‚ crosschecked I'll be in the back. 5:19 F.O POLEHINKE:We'd like to welcome you aboard. We're going to be underway momentarily... sit back relax enjoy the flight. 5:30 F.O POLEHINKE: Pre-takeoff complete‚ cabin report received CAS. 5:34 CAPT CLAY: Checked and clear. 5:42 F.O POLEHINKE: I'm looking at it‘ cause like okay i see seven but it's.... 5:47 CAPT CLAY: Yeah there's a green extra one there but... 5:52 F.O POLEHINKE: Uh‚ cabin report's received‚ CAS clear ‚ before takeoff check's complete‚ ready. 5:58 CAPT CLAY:All set. 6:00 F.O POLEHINKE: Comair 121 ready to go. 6:03 TWR: Comair 191‚ Lexington uh‚ tower fly runway heading. cleared for takeoff. 6:07 F.O POLEHINKE: Runway heading‚ cleared for takeoff‚ 191. 6:42 F.O POLEHINKE: Transponder's on‚ packs on‚ bleeds closed‚ cleared for takeoff‚ runway heading. Six grand. 6:48 F.O POLEHINKE:Anti-ice off‚ lights set‚ takeoff config's okay. line-up check's complete. 7:06 CAPT CLAY:All yours Jim. 7:08 F.O POLEHINKE:My brakes‚ my controls. 7:16 F.O POLEHINKE:Set thrust please. 7:20 CAPT CLAY:Thrust set. 7:24 F.O POLEHINKE:Hey that's weird with no lights. 7:27 CAPT CLAY:Yeah. 7:40 CAPT CLAY:100 knots. 7:42 POLEHINKE: Checked. 7:47 CAPT CLAY:V one‚ Rotate.
Pilot error BUT, if a runway is closed and lights off, why is there no yellow tag fencing? They do that on road work for crying out loud. There have been several incursions involving equipment on areas being worked on, yet NO barricade at the entrance!
First, the airport would have to purchase the barriers and then pay someone to erect them. The bean counters would flip out because this wouldn't be cost-effective.
@@elviraraff6809...just like Ford in the Sixties when THEIR bean-counters ruled as too expensive the five-dollar installation of a rubber bag in the fuel tank of its "Pinto" car, a simple mod that could have prevented the fiery deaths of the car's occupants when the car suffered a rear-end collision. Just five dollars per car.😅
The runway wasn't closed -- it just wasn't used at night (and for non-commercial (small) planes. They won't erect a barrier for that every night. When a runway is closed for weeks and there is significant construction and equipment -- yes, that should have a well lit barrier at the entrance -- and lack of that has contributed to other accidents globally.
I love near there and initially thought my brother was on the flight. He wasn't. Such a senseless tragedy. A couple that got married 12 hours earlier died as well as 47 others.
FO Polehinke filed a lawsuit against the airport? He should have filed a lawsuit against himself for dereliction of duty. His only job was to fly the plane, not talk all kinds of crap and not pay attention to what he was paid to do.
In one sloppy-talk incident, the flight crew were so busy talking about trivia that they forgot to set the slats and flaps into takeoff mode. The big jet couldn't gain height and crashed with many casualties.
I’m sure that some of you are wondering what the first officer had to say about the mistake. I would be. But apparently he could be of no help because he has no memory of the “flight.”
The pilot's were at fault with this one,for not noticing runway lights were off. As soon as they were rolling and noticed lack of runway lights the Captain should have given the order to stop,contacted ATC,and asked about the absence of runway lights,got backtracked to correct runway.2ndly,they never noticed crossing live runway.Sorry but this was down to pilot error,and lack of keeping a sterile cockpit.That is my view.
Ok bruh stop making fun of him, a mistake is a mistake and every living thing makes mistakes. It doesn't matter if your an adult, a child, or a robot ur still prone to mistakes.
@@shibukurian79: I feel terrible for pilots who get confronted with sudden unexpected problems like equipment, and end up not being able to deal with it in time. Or even a flying error that isn't blatant, and again, they don't have time to sort it out. But this is just BLATANT and SIMPLE procedures - and there were MULTIPLE violations, and they caused all those deaths. There was no hurry. This was COMPLETELY avoidable. Getting lost in the taxi or getting on the wrong runway -- these things happen (though runway incursions are BAD in themselves). But NOT catching all this was completely inexcusable.
It's just creepy to hear that on a flight that seemed to be entirely normal and end line this... the audio is impressive how hard to realize it's too late to do anything to fix the situation... very sad chain of events with full responsibility of the pilots. Too bad the tower didn't warn them as it happened on other flights.
To mention an additional factor, the tower did not specify the runway they were cleared to take off from in the takeoff clearance, instead only saying cleared to take off fly runway heading.
It might seem naive but would not ground control be monitoring position of this aircraft during taxi ,at line up and during take off. If so why was no notice of adverse position information relayed to the crew of the aircraft.
what’s missing here is that they MUST have crossed the in-use runway 22 with all the lights on, although they failed to recognize that something must be wrong by accelerating with no visible runway lights
@@Randomly_Browsing: NOT in Lexington at that hour. Only one controller (staffing issues that day), little sleep, and not paying attention AT ALL to the LITTLE activity there was.
There were some lights out per a NOTAMS due to maintenance. So not sure about that in this case. But tower wasn't watching at all for taxi or take-off position, and they didn't check their heading or pay enough attention to the signs.
I dont know a thing about airplanes but I'm picking up a few things from this documentary. I.e. i never heard the term sterile cockpit before and that rule for pilots makes perfect sense.
Also non-pilot here but am shocked a darkened runway would not be a warning sign to experienced pilots that SOMETHING is not right. "dark" usually is synonymous with "unready", a dark room, a unlit street etc...
I know nothing about them either but, like you, I'm learning a little bit just from this channel. For example, I now know that if you're a pilot entering the runway you MUST have your compass heading and runway indicator coinciding 😊✈
I wish doctors in surgery were also required to have a sterile operating theater because the stuff that I heard during recent cataract surgery was all personal complaints about themselves & it disgusted me but what can a patient or passenger do about it?
Polehinke had that affected way of speaking on the radio and in the cabin that sounds like a cross between believing they are so cool or extremely casual. You can hear it in his voice.......just way too casual......like going thru the motions
What came out of this tragedy was a reminder of the need for pilots to should make sure that the heading displayed on their compasses and other navigation equipment matches the runway direction that they believe they are about to take off on.
This whole tragedy started with a pi$$ poor airport design and poor markings compounded by in attention and crew not paying attention. There are many more poorly designed airports all over the country as seen in these type programs and the ability of the internet to see them, quite obvious. I just wonder why there are not more crashes and collisions like this all over the country??????
Sadly, if you design an idiot-proof airport, a better idiot will be introduced to it. A pilot should see he's heading 220 instead of 260 on the take-off roll, clearly telling him he's not on RWY 26, especially since after take-off he is to climb to 6000 on runway heading.
Because most aviators are competent, safety conscience and very good at their profession. Carpenters learned to measure twice and cut once. Aviators use a challenge and response checklist to catch mistakes before they occur. Still, accidents happen because humans are not perfect ... ^v^
@@arinerm1331: I would hpe that in modern commercial jets the GPS would cause loud and annoying verbal warnings about being in the wrong position AND at the wrong heading. Also, I would think that with modern GPS systems, it should be IMPOSSIBLE to get very lost taxiing in properly equipped commercial planes with the systems working. Any significant deviation should result in such warnings. It might take some software to make it work, but isn't safety worth it?
@@bob80q ya they dont show in the video but they have to have been there right? and dont number runways same starting numbers 22. 26 .. should be 22 .. 44 .. or mistakes can be made .
@@craigbmm4675Runways are numbered based upon their compass headings with the third digit removed. Runway 26 means a heading of 260 degrees, 22 is 220 degrees.
Terrific and well done video. So very sorry for the tragic and senseless loss of lives. My only negative comment are the voices of kids at the end of the video? What was that meaning? RIP to all souls lost ❤
There was major construction underway at the intersection on the runways and on the tarmac approaching the runways. This was not properly lighted. The local newspaper, the Lexington Herald, printed diagrams of the runways before construction and while they were under construction at the time of the accident. It looked to me like the crew just took their usual turn, I believe it was the second left turn, but because of the changes for the construction, this put them on the wrong runway. Granted the pilots were not paying attention and maintaining a sterile cockpit, but the change in taxi patterns and the lack of lighting because of the construction seemed to the completely glossed over. It seemed to me that the airport shared a degree of blame, but somehow they got out of it.
The pilots were also informed that they were also lights out on the runway due to construction. Overall they were many issues but it all still comes down to the pilots as there was instruments on their aircraft that would have pointed them in the right direction. The control tower is not to blame as they don't babysit aircraft constantly on the ground
@@jamesm568 Disagree. The CT keeping an eye on the aircraft as it enters a runway is not 'babysitting'; it is common sense and a necessary precaution. CT alertness has prevented possible accidents involving these same 2 runways on 2 other occasions. The fact that only 1 Controller was on hand when 2 was a requirement and that he was involved in other tasks didn't help this plane and its people at all.
Given Polehinke's obvious failure of using the wrong and far shorter runway for takeoff any financial benefit he gains from his lawsuit should be going to the families of the victims in this crash. His, and the pilots, gross incompetence is what caused the accident to start with.
My questions as perfect layman: (1) Why did the tower fail to see they are standing set for take-off on a wrong runway? (2) Why was the runway unlit - is this legal at all? Not even the final lights (different color) signalling the end of the runway is near? (3) How could an experienced crew notice the runway is unlit while _already running_ , not before releasing the brakes? I am sure a complete ignorant like I would have such doubts so is routine actually worse than zero training/skills? With zero knowledge I would assume an unlit runway is a closed/not operational runway. And ask at the very least.
MPC. Please Do The Recreation Of *Total Linhas Aéreas Flight 5682* And Swiftair Flight 5960? Thanks And Have An Amazing Day And Happy *Christma-New Year* In Advance (Like Many Other Comments That Send The Same Circunstance Of Happy Christmas And New Year)
Why is it never mentioned that the pilots first got into the wrong aircraft. They were about to power it up when the ground crew pointed out their mistake. This had to affect their following performance.
I have flown to and from LEX airport. They needed to cross runway 26 to get to runway 22. They probably noticed the markers showing length left on the takeoff roll, but thought they could make it. Avoiding all the paper work for aborting the takeoff. If I were FO I would conviently not remember anything either.
Wonder how the F.O.'s lawsuit went. I guess due to the trauma of the accident he did not recall not really paying attention to what he was doing, i.e., being on the correct runway.
they need to start using GPS on the ground in the cockpit .. or have a standardized system using GPS .. we can do that now days . its just nuts we dont. .. so many things not right about this crash
@@itjustlookslikethis Wow, a broken record!! Give it up, champ, and educate yourself so you will appear to actually know what you are writing about. 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
I dunno but a dark runway would make me stop completely. Why they continued on is mind boggling. Also, I firmly believe ATC was also responsible to a point. Aren't they supposed to know where these planes are on the runways before and after takeoff?
If you are about to takeoff, and you don't see the runway illuminated, that should be a warning that something is wrong. The fact that it was noticed, but the takeoff continued, is a head scratcher.
i didnt see it in the video .. alsso they never should have 2 runways marked the same starting number .. 22 .. 26 .. mistakes can be made. should be 22 .. 44
@@craigbmm4675: The numbers are the compass headings to the nearest 10 degrees, divided by 10. They are NOT arbitrary. If you don't know how things work, randomly saying how things should be is worse than useless. Besides, if they'd checked their compass as REQUIRED, it would have been caught.
I also wondered that. Either way I remember when this happened it was a Sunday morning. I was out drinking and driving the night before and got arrested. Is this happened on early Sunday morning August 27, 2006 just as my attorney was bailing me out of jail later on that minute
I also wondered that. Either way I remember when this happened it was a Sunday morning. I was out drinking and driving the night before and got arrested. Is this happened on early Sunday morning August 27, 2006 just as my attorney was bailing me out of jail later on that morning, I took my grandmother to church
in the end of the day, they should have put cones on the runway to signify it was not in use. At night if everything else is overlooked, cones on the flightline will not be overlooked. You need to plan for the worst case scenario and not expect that all the pilots are going to competent and paying attention every time. Also probably not a good idea to put building at the end of a runway.
I don’t get why it’s never mentioned that the pilot and first officer boarded the wrong plane at first. They were beginning to fire it up when ground personnel told them they were in the wrong plane. That had to add to the overall confusion.
I would say that maybe 30% of all airline pilots are not cut out for the job. And all it takes for there to be a disaster is for a few holes in the swiss cheese to line up and those pilots will out themselves.
A few orange caution cones across the wrong runway would tell someone something! I mean, any grade school has these. So needless. Everyone’s at fault, yet the remedy remains simple.
Another thing- pilots should have night vision goggles at hand to slip on if the situation requires it in dark conditions so they can see the horizon to get instant spatial awareness rather than try to interpret the artificial horizon, the seat of their pants, their eyeballs and inner ear. For example french pilot St.Exupery wrote in a book about a night flight over the desert in the 1930's that he was confused to see the lights of many fishing boats in the mediterranean but then realized his eyes and inner ear were playing tricks on him and that they were stars.
No wonder destruction happened. That airplane is very aggressive looking. It said, " I'm going to do some destruction tonight. The airplane was so tough that it even said "I'm going to do some destruction tonight." instead of, "I'm gonna do some destruction tonight."
Horrible. At first I thought the jaw jackin was fine, just two guys at work talking. However after viewing I don't think it's a good idea to talk anything but the current flight situation once plane begins taxi. It's easy for us to say "should've rejected takeoff after noticing the lights". These guys had thousands of hours on those planes and were totally capable of flying the plane. Human mistake's happen every day.
download and read entire transcript... they first started preflighting the wrong airplane and a ground crew person found them and told they were on the wrong aircraft. they had to move to the correct aircraft and start the process over... these two pilots a hot mess from the very beginning. this crash was 99% their fault..... there were 1 or 2 planes that departed that airport just before 5191 without issues with the runways or lighting. they were not paying attention to the job... polhinke should have been charged with 47 counts of murder.
Why he wasn't charged with multiple manslaughter and damages is the result of being the one surviving pilot. I hate to see the 🦃that causes the mess walk away!!
As a pilot, I’ve had many flights when there was darkness. I’ve never experienced a night flight where I entered an active runway that was ‘dark.’ If I were to enter a ‘dark’ runway, the first thing I would do is radio the tower, and ask for the runway lights to be activated. I’m certain the tower would respond that the runway lights were activated. I would then know, that I had made an error. And I’m not playing Monday morning quarterback. Flying an airplane requires 100% concentration, 100% of the time.
I was a janitor at our airport here at home for 10 years. Big sky 1318 was on the final approach. They kept asking the radio operator can you turn up the runway lights? Can you turn up the lights? He responded runway lights are on full intensity. Big sky 13/18 replied we still can't see them. The guy working the radio said Go outside and see if you can see those lights. I said okay. I went back behind the building. The runway runs parallel to the FAA building. I came back in and told him there is brightest day! Oh. And the ODALS was also functioning. I guess the pilot needs glasses.
You are literally playing Monday morning quarterback. I was a Blackhawk crew chief for 14 years. I know there were days were we flew damn tired. Especially when deployed. Can I say I was always 100% focused 100% of the time? Nope. If only every aviator was like you I guess there would never be any mishaps.
@@drn13355 STOP saying lying hateful things about @wcdaniel7, just because YOU are a terrible, and failed pilot, is no excuse to harass other commentors
@@drn13355except that he makes a great point that others could learn from.
@@drn13355 I'm a rockit scientist
If something doesn't look right, it isn't right. Abort takeoff.
right .. double check .. so many things not right here as i stated above
I remember seeing the interview Polehinke did some time after the crash, he seemed so broken in his soul now he's wheelchair bound but he survived, I hope he's doing ok & his family. RIP to the passengers and two other crew members who perished & especially the young couple who were married the day before the crash were among the victims of this flight. Situational awareness & a sterile cockpit is paramount. Great simulation & keep up the great work. Have a great weekend!
You have to feel for the guy and for Clay who was talking about his little kids on the taxi. Yes they were negligent but their stories deserve our thoughts and sympathies as much as the others who left families and loved ones behind. One other effect of this accident was the installation on many commercial aircraft of runway annunciation systems that identified the runway on takeoff or on approach.
I agree they all mattered & it was something that shouldn’t have happened. Other factors contributed, "including an understaffed control tower and an inaccurate runway maps.
I don't think the surviving pilot got any charges pressed against him. He had no memory of the crash for a good while.
@@jamesm568 not only about the regulations but I don’t think he could recall the flight for sometime afterwards in his memory either
I used to sit in the jump seat with commercial pilots when I was flying with our local Aero club we used to know the airline boys and girls pretty well and we would sit in the cockpit and have idle chatter while we were getting ready. The moment the doors were shut and they were readying aircraft, It was an unspoken rule to be quiet and if you did say anything they would say stop right there. Hold that thought talk again once we’re in the cruise and there was no talk unless it was related to aviation, I really appreciate the professional demeanour of all of those pilots. Some of them would even say in the briefing if you see anything that you are concerned with them interject if it is of an immediate safety concern and you think we have missed it , anything else not related you will say nothing until we have the flight directors on and we are above 10,000 feet.
Polehinke has no memory of the crash from head trauma and he had brain damage to the extent his motor skills were affected. He is in a wheelchair. I do not believe he won his civil suit against the airport. Many of those killed died from the post crash fire and not blunt force trauma. It's additionally a landmark accident as the public outcry over the pilots' inattentiveness and seemingly blasé pre-takeoff tone compelled the NTSB to prohibit the release of CVR audio in future investigations. Since then, it's been transcripts only in reports on crashes of US carriers.
'Em last seconds woulda been a bitch.
Lol the way to deal with cockpit chatter is to not release it, anymore. Sounds like how police departments solve problems lol
@@MrCrystalcranium 'em last seconds be a bitch, gawd dam.
My wife was an FA with Comair and flew with the crew on prior flights. So thankful she wasn't working that route that day. It shook her to her soul knowing that if it was her there wasn't anything she could have done to save the PAX.
One of my bosses at the time was on this flight with his wife. There were several other clues that the flight was lined up on the wrong runway that didn't get covered here. What a sad event.
The big one should have been their heading. Runways numbers are based on heading. They should have known something was off when they lined up in the wrong direction. A totally avoidable crash that was 100% on the crew.
@@ericblair6984 Agreed. I don't think the video here shows it, but the wrong runway had "26" painted on it as per normal, and they should have seen it, even given the early hour and dark conditions.
Les Morris? I used to work for him too. Grew up with Wyn and Marion Morris too.
@@bentonscrivener No, Homer and Diane Combs. Les Morris sounds familiar to me though.
Learning from our errors is a tragic schoolroom. This was only one of several similar events over a period of relatively few years. As a result, when instructing in the Sim we now give taxiing and runway identification procedures a high priority, emphasising the necessity for a sterile cockpit during those operations and ensuring that runway identification is confirmed by at least two parameters, one of which should include compass heading.
There was a passenger near the front taking that early flight so he could get home to his kids sooner than originally planned. That really got me. RIP to all.
As a lifelong resident of Lexington and Versailles, the two cities that are connected by the highway that runs parallel to the short runway, I’ve flown out of Bluegrass Field dozens of times, and driven by it a thousand times…those two (only two) couldn’t look more different from each other. Lit or unlit. What a blunder.
Retired pilot checking in here to add a comment that our SOPs (and I now think all carriers) must crosscheck their instruments, that is the PFD/HSI for correct orientation on the designated runway heading agreement as well as the physical runway markings, runway edge lights, center line lighting if available and the runway identifier once lined up or even a rolling takeoff without fail.
They sound so relaxed as though they’re almost asleep….not alert at all.
Poelhinke and the estates of Clay and Heyer also sued Jeppesen-Sanderson (maker of aeronautical charts) for failure to clearly annotate the issue with the crossing runways. The plaintiffs did not prevail in that case as well.
I live in Lexington. A friend of mine died in that crash. I followed the local news on this -- a LOT was done wrong by multiple sources. Much of this is public info and the video maker didn't cover. Such as:
1). Only one controller working instead of the mandatory two, and no substitute made for the missing one by the airport.
2). The one controller admitted he's only had TWO hours of sleep the night before the accident.
3). As stated, the controller wasn't watching or checking on the plane at all re their taxi or take-off position. With the maintenance going on mentioned in item 4 and the less than great signage, this is inexcusable by the airport and controller.
4). The lights missing being ignored by the pilots was due to confusion over scheduled maintenance. The NOTAMS mentioned some lights might be out due to the maintenance (but NOT all the lights for the main runway). So this was both bad luck and insufficient attention to detail when prepping for the flight (similar bad procedure, like breaking sterile cockpit rules).
5). They didn't check their compass heading, which would have been an OBVIOUS sign they were in the wrong place for take-off.
6). This commuter jet didn't have the GPS equipment that would have given an audible warning that they weren't lined up on the right runway, unlike larger jets. (The usual cost-saving attitude/priority of the vast majority of airports and airlines (and now with Boeing plane manufacturers) around the world.
There were other issues, but this was the primary set. This got me interested in why such things happen, and I've watched a bunch of the "Mayday" and "Air Accident Investigation" type series. Though these things are rare, when things go wrong, LOTS of errors, bad procedures, ignoring maintenance, ignoring equipment problems, bad training, and on and on can really add up.
And the gall of Polehinke suing the airport. The lack of people taking personal responsibility for their actions is, IMO, one of the biggest problems and deteriorations in society, which has been getting worse for the 5 decades I've been keeping track (as the overall trend).
I never liked flying, and between 9-11 and this, that was IT for me re flying. I retired early in 2007 anyway, as IBM kept getting worse as a company to work for, and all my flying was for work anyway.
Polehinke is a p.o.s. that has never fully taken responsibility for his role in this crash. He also tried to get the FAA to reinstate his private pilot's license.
Though the airport's failure to change its layout after the near disaster 13 years earlier could be grounds for a legal action, Polehinke is not the person to be suing the airport. The families of the deceased passengers and flight attendant certainly could sue over that.
The issue was ONE. PILOTS FAILED TO CHECK HEADING and runway has 26 easy to see.
Inattintion.
@@brianarbenz1329 I think most of the families settled with Comair. Not sure how much they got, it doesn't matter. It will never bring your loved ones back.
I'm in Louisville. Media coverage emphasized the individuals killed and their backgrounds, which happens the closer you are to a tragedy. Newlyweds Jon Hooker, 27, and Scarlet Parsley, 23, were taking off for their honeymoon. They grew up together in London, Ky.
Other victims included a Habitat for Humanity board member enroute to rebuild houses on the Gulf Coast and a businessman who took an early flight to get home to his children.
Those stories bring home the pain. This must not happen again.
If there's one thing I've seen reaffirmed again and again on this wonderful channel, it's that it is so true to say the 'devil is in the details'. In so many of these tragic incidents, it's been the 'little' things that caused so much harm. Yes, the pilots should have been more situationally aware and should have taken note of the missing runway lights, but I also can't believe the AT Controller didn't keep his eye on a plane about to enter a runway. Surely that should be a basic requirement. After all, there had already been a near-miss previously re that runway which was averted by that Controller's watchfulness.
Especially, this smallish airport at 6am? How much ground traffic could have been? This isn't Heathrow! Only two runways and they line up on the wrong one?
These pilots got too comfortable and took their safety for granted. I would have stopped when I saw that there were no lights on the runway. Great video sir keep up the great work.
Control Tower didn't know they were on the wrong runway? FAA sure protects its own.
@@itjustlookslikethis they have many flights to handle
They got sloppy.
No other flights to handle, after clearing them for takeoff the ATC turned his back on the field and started doing paperwork and had no idea the aircraft was heading to the wrong runway.
@@Randomly_Browsingat 05:30?
imagine screwing up that badly, resulting in unaliving everybody, then having the chutzpah to paint yourself as the victim.
@@randycraft3166 No runway lights were plenty of evidence to stop this takeoff...high school graduate ground controller or not
un aliving you mean kill?
Even considering that the co-pilot was the one that kept talking about other stuff while taxing.
Yes. Like someone getting “de- hired” from their job.
Unaliving???
Why didn't they check their heading indicator? No runway lights should have been the first clue and the heading indicator the second. That's why there is a sterile cockpit rule which they obviously ignored with their casual family talk. Such a shame all those lives lost over total arrogance and incompetence.
Fatigue?
Dunno. It was drilled into me early on, “cross check compass heading w/ runway.”
The proverbial holes in the Swiss cheese lined up-
Non sterile cockpit
Loss of situational awareness
Failure to cross check compass
@garyowen9044 Fatigue
@@brianb6957it was their first flight of the day. They shouldn’t be fatigued.
Complacency!!
That aircrew sound to me, from the audio, that they were absolutely not fit for purpose.
To much shucking and Jiving
Same thought. Slurring.
@@bentonscrivener What? Biden administration made it clear that slurring is a sign of being sharp as a tack. Detail oriented and probing.
@@raymond3803 😁
These two where completely in an unprofessional state of mind! Yacking about shit that did not matter and breaking the sterile cockpit rules! What an utter waste!
The unrelated chit chat probably happens a lot. Not an excuse, just reality.
Bastard "pilots" these two jerks were, for sure.
Even the great Sully broke the sterile cockpit rule on that famous flight.
If you don't think this is commonplace, you probably wouldn't want to fly. 🤷
Do you know what they were talking about? The airline had recently threatened to remove aircraft from service, in an attempt to force pay concessions upon the pilot group…some of whom already qualified for food stamps. The crew had a brief conversation about where other pilots were looking for employment, because they had concerns about their job security.
Additionally, LEX was a mess with the runway configuration, construction, lights out that the FO had noticed when he flew in previously. There were a LOT of things that came together to set these pilots up. Yes they made errors, but I suspect most of the armchair pilots on UA-cam would have been led down the same path, given the environmental factors present.
Two very experienced pilots !! Give me two fully trained but less experienced guys any day. They will go by the book completely. It will be a while before complacency sets in.
That’s just how this accident happened to be. Less experienced guys have had accidents too. And highly experienced pilots have had accidents as well. Saying you prefer less experienced guys is just silly.
The problem is the repetitive routine day after day, year after year, breeds complacency. And at small airports like Lexington's Blue Grass Field, where I have been, there's a feeling that big, consequential events don't happen here, just at JFK or O'Hare. It's similar to the belief that big terrorist attacks don't happen in places like Oklahoma City, a former tenet of people who live far from the biggest cities.
I'm from Lexington. I went to Corporate Flight Attendant Training in 2012 - 2015 and Sterile Cockpit Procedures were studied along with Crew Resource Management and reinforced several times a day throughout the entire class. As soon as I noticed these pilots chatting like that, my mouth dropped open. The Delta 727 crash at DFW was blamed partially by unprofessional, irrelevant conversation between the pilots and F/A creating a deadly distraction.
I was living in Lexington at the time of the 5191 crash. Seeing the bodies being taken from the crash site to Frankfort has got to be one of the saddest things I have ever witnessed. The Comair crash falls squarely on the shoulders of the pilot and co-pilot. They should have been paying closer attention to what they were doing, and asked the tower if they were on the correct runway. They failed to do that!
Why aren´t there very big signs and paintings on the ground on which runway they are beginning to enter? Just like there is in normal road traffic.....
Uh, there are... Runways have gigantic (60') numbers on them.
If you scroll to 6:40, as they straighten out their turn to line up on the center line, the number 26 is just beginning to come into view when the OP fades away to a different shot. in reality, they taxied right over the large 26 numbers that their taxi lights clearly illuminated. Training differs but I was taught very early in my career to put the heading bug on the designated departure runway heading before taxi and cross check its alignment before takeoff. This was a tragic accident. Humans make mistakes. The NTSB got it right ... as they usually, but not always, do. (They're human too) ^v^
The bottom line is ALWAYS check your heading indicator to make sure your pointing in the right direction. That habit saved my ass in Cleveland many years ago.
It would be a hazard
@@taproom113: Plus the COMPASS needs to match the heading of the runway. 260 degrees is WAY off of 220 degrees. That plus NO lights is a fiasco. (There was a NOTAMS for some maintenance and SOME lights being out, but NOTHING indicating a dark runway).
i use to fly the CRJ200 there at PSA, and 2 weeks before this happened we started to line up on the wrong runway at 0500 and I noticed no runway lights. Then we got to the right place and asked the tower. Airport should have a cleared paint to alert crews.
What is " cleared paint" ?….never heard of the term.
big sign in the middle of the runway with big X on it . out of service .. really
Complete and total complacency.
There is more to it than that. You are missing out on a lot of critical information. Did you know there was only one controller working in the tower that night? Did you know the controller’s previous schedule? Did you know the controller failed to watch the only plane he was responsible for at that time line up and takeoff on the wrong runway? Did you know about the airport construction at the airport? Did you know the airport diagram they were using which was current did not match the actual airport layout?
Many other individuals failed the people on that flight, not just the pilots.
Comair Flight 5191 CVR Transcript/Audio
1:48 F.O POLEHINKE: That's pretty cool the family got to come down.
1:52 CAPT CLAY:Both kids were sick though‚ they‚ well they all got colds. It was an interesting‚ dinner last night.
1:58 F.O POLEHINKE:Really. How old are they?
2:00 CAPT CLAY:3 months and 2 years old who was sneezing‚ either nose wiped‚ diaper change I mean that's all we did all night long.
2:07 F.O POLEHINKE: Oh yeah I'm sure.
2:09 CAPT CLAY:My wife wants four‚ I‚ I‚ I'm‚ I was good at one.
2:18 F.O POLEHINKE: Uh‚ parking brake.
2:21 CAPT CLAY: That's on.
2:23 F.O POLEHINKE: Number 2 actually‚ engine.
2:25 CAPT CLAY: 1 and 2 are started.
2:28 F.O POLEHINKE: Starting engines complete.
2:31 CAPT CLAY:And before taxi.
2:34 F.O POLEHINKE:Anti-ice.
2:36 CAPT CLAY: Windshields and probes are low and on.
2:40 F.O POLEHINKE:Nosewheel steering.
2:43 CAPT CLAY: That's armed.
2:45 F.O POLEHINKE: Taxi check complete.
2:50 F.O POLEHINKE to GND:Comair 5191 is ready to taxi we have ALPHA.
2:55 GND: Comair 5191‚ taxi to runway 22‚ Altimeter 30 00 and the winds are 200 at 8.
3:38 F.O POLEHINKE:Yeah I know 3 guys at Kennedy; actually 2 guys uh... He went but he didn't get past the sim.
3:46 CAPT CLAY:Oh‚ really.
3:49 F.O POLEHINKE:And then um‚ a first officer‚ from Cinci... Got through the second part...
4:02 F.O POLEHINKE:What do you do the uh‚ these tests.... And he didn't‚ and that's as far as he got.
4:10 F.O POLEHINKE:And then he actually got offered the position.
4:14 CAPT CLAY:Did he take it or...
4:15 F.O POLEHINKE:Yeah.
4:17 CAPT CLAY:Ah ok.
4:56 F.O POLEHINKE: Hydraulics checked‚ APU's on‚ FMS we got runway 22 out of Lexington up to 6.
5:04 F.O POLEHINKE:Thrust reversers are armed‚ auto crossflow is manual‚ ignition is off...
5:08 F.O POLEHINKE: Altimeters three triple zero across the board‚ crosschecked I'll be in the back.
5:19 F.O POLEHINKE:We'd like to welcome you aboard. We're going to be underway momentarily... sit back relax enjoy the flight.
5:30 F.O POLEHINKE: Pre-takeoff complete‚ cabin report received CAS.
5:34 CAPT CLAY: Checked and clear.
5:42 F.O POLEHINKE: I'm looking at it‘ cause like okay i see seven but it's....
5:47 CAPT CLAY: Yeah there's a green extra one there but...
5:52 F.O POLEHINKE: Uh‚ cabin report's received‚ CAS clear ‚ before takeoff check's complete‚ ready.
5:58 CAPT CLAY:All set.
6:00 F.O POLEHINKE: Comair 121 ready to go.
6:03 TWR: Comair 191‚ Lexington uh‚ tower fly runway heading. cleared for takeoff.
6:07 F.O POLEHINKE: Runway heading‚ cleared for takeoff‚ 191.
6:42 F.O POLEHINKE: Transponder's on‚ packs on‚ bleeds closed‚ cleared for takeoff‚ runway heading. Six grand.
6:48 F.O POLEHINKE:Anti-ice off‚ lights set‚ takeoff config's okay. line-up check's complete.
7:06 CAPT CLAY:All yours Jim.
7:08 F.O POLEHINKE:My brakes‚ my controls.
7:16 F.O POLEHINKE:Set thrust please.
7:20 CAPT CLAY:Thrust set.
7:24 F.O POLEHINKE:Hey that's weird with no lights.
7:27 CAPT CLAY:Yeah.
7:40 CAPT CLAY:100 knots.
7:42 POLEHINKE: Checked.
7:47 CAPT CLAY:V one‚ Rotate.
Note they obviously did NOT do the line up check (or at least didn't actually do the CHECK part).
Pilot error BUT, if a runway is closed and lights off, why is there no yellow tag fencing? They do that on road work for crying out loud. There have been several incursions involving equipment on areas being worked on, yet NO barricade at the entrance!
correct .. big sign in the middle with a big X .. out of service
First, the airport would have to purchase the barriers and then pay someone to erect them. The bean counters would flip out because this wouldn't be cost-effective.
@@elviraraff6809...just like Ford in the Sixties when THEIR bean-counters ruled as too expensive the five-dollar installation of a rubber bag in the fuel tank of its "Pinto" car, a simple mod that could have prevented the fiery deaths of the car's occupants when the car suffered a rear-end collision. Just five dollars per car.😅
The runway wasn't closed -- it just wasn't used at night (and for non-commercial (small) planes. They won't erect a barrier for that every night.
When a runway is closed for weeks and there is significant construction and equipment -- yes, that should have a well lit barrier at the entrance -- and lack of that has contributed to other accidents globally.
I love near there and initially thought my brother was on the flight. He wasn't. Such a senseless tragedy. A couple that got married 12 hours earlier died as well as 47 others.
May all the victims rest in peace 🙏 Thank you very much for sharing this MPC flights ✈️
FO Polehinke filed a lawsuit against the airport? He should have filed a lawsuit against himself for dereliction of duty. His only job was to fly the plane, not talk all kinds of crap and not pay attention to what he was paid to do.
Why didn't control tower notice the plane was on the wrong runway. How busy is a Kentucky airport at 6 A.M.???
In one sloppy-talk incident, the flight crew were so busy talking about trivia that they forgot to set the slats and flaps into takeoff mode. The big jet couldn't gain height and crashed with many casualties.
I had a friend from high school on that flight.
Superb piece of work! … 👍
I’m sure that some of you are wondering what the first officer had to say about the mistake. I would be.
But apparently he could be of no help because he has no memory of the “flight.”
Yes me too! I wonder if he won his lawsuit??
@ I don’t know. He was in really bad shape. And still is.
A local tv station interviewed him a few years ago. You probably can find it.
Is that really hard to believe considering everyone else died or are you just trying to be an ignorant j#rk?
@@kerryannmurphy2936 I heard he didn't
The pilot's were at fault with this one,for not noticing runway lights were off.
As soon as they were rolling and noticed lack of runway lights the Captain should have given the order to stop,contacted ATC,and asked about the absence of runway lights,got backtracked to correct runway.2ndly,they never noticed crossing live runway.Sorry but this was down to pilot error,and lack of keeping a sterile cockpit.That is my view.
Agree.
Why didn't the control tower notice the mistake??
What about clean cockpit rules?
Sterile cockpit rules*
"Sit back, relax, enjoy the flight."
Ok bruh stop making fun of him, a mistake is a mistake and every living thing makes mistakes. It doesn't matter if your an adult, a child, or a robot ur still prone to mistakes.
This MISTAKE ruined many families because of these 2 FOOLS bruh!@@shibukurian79
"... and enjoy the fire"
@@shibukurian79: I feel terrible for pilots who get confronted with sudden unexpected problems like equipment, and end up not being able to deal with it in time. Or even a flying error that isn't blatant, and again, they don't have time to sort it out.
But this is just BLATANT and SIMPLE procedures - and there were MULTIPLE violations, and they caused all those deaths. There was no hurry. This was COMPLETELY avoidable.
Getting lost in the taxi or getting on the wrong runway -- these things happen (though runway incursions are BAD in themselves). But NOT catching all this was completely inexcusable.
It's just creepy to hear that on a flight that seemed to be entirely normal and end line this... the audio is impressive how hard to realize it's too late to do anything to fix the situation... very sad chain of events with full responsibility of the pilots. Too bad the tower didn't warn them as it happened on other flights.
Awesome visual make-up
To mention an additional factor, the tower did not specify the runway they were cleared to take off from in the takeoff clearance, instead only saying cleared to take off fly runway heading.
They finally fixed the problem with the runways after how many deaths and close calls after the deaths. Wow! Really on their A game. Crazy
More proof the FAA rules and regulations are written in blood
It might seem naive but would not ground control be monitoring position of this aircraft during taxi ,at line up and during take off. If so why was no notice of adverse position information relayed to the crew of the aircraft.
what’s missing here is that they MUST have crossed the in-use runway 22 with all the lights on, although they failed to recognize that something must be wrong by accelerating with no visible runway lights
What's missing is the control tower should have noticed the mistake.
@@itjustlookslikethisthey have many flights to handle
The old layout brings the taxing airplane to the NE end of 26 first.
@@Randomly_Browsing: NOT in Lexington at that hour. Only one controller (staffing issues that day), little sleep, and not paying attention AT ALL to the LITTLE activity there was.
There were some lights out per a NOTAMS due to maintenance. So not sure about that in this case. But tower wasn't watching at all for taxi or take-off position, and they didn't check their heading or pay enough attention to the signs.
I remember that day, I live in Frankfort only about 20 miles or so away and drive on that road. Crazy to think it can happen in your town
Typo check. Frankfurt*
I worked in a town with an airport, and there were a half dozen accidents, usually with fatalities, while I was there.
Actually,it is correctly spelled FRANKFORT. It’s the state capital of Kentucky.*
The curse of flight 191 strikes again
Different situation entirely. AA 191 was improper Maintenace.
Yeah, I know that-Flight 191 is just an unlucky number in general (Don’t forget Delta 191)
I dont know a thing about airplanes but I'm picking up a few things from this documentary. I.e. i never heard the term sterile cockpit before and that rule for pilots makes perfect sense.
Also non-pilot here but am shocked a darkened runway would not be a warning sign to experienced pilots that SOMETHING is not right.
"dark" usually is synonymous with "unready", a dark room, a unlit street etc...
I know nothing about them either but, like you, I'm learning a little bit just from this channel. For example, I now know that if you're a pilot entering the runway you MUST have your compass heading and runway indicator coinciding 😊✈
I wish doctors in surgery were also required to have a sterile operating theater because the stuff that I heard during recent cataract surgery was all personal complaints about themselves & it disgusted me but what can a patient or passenger do about it?
@@caroleminke6116 You probably were under and thought you heard all that.
Polehinke had that affected way of speaking on the radio and in the cabin that sounds like a cross between believing they are so cool or extremely casual. You can hear it in his voice.......just way too casual......like going thru the motions
I just love this channel! Curious, starting at 10:52, what is the weird audio that starts to play until the end. Sounds like kids playing?
Hey thanks. It's part of the song.
Normalised deviance from complacency . Holes in the cheese line up = crash
What came out of this tragedy was a reminder of the need for pilots to should make sure that the heading displayed on their compasses and other navigation equipment matches the runway direction that they believe they are about to take off on.
This whole tragedy started with a pi$$ poor airport design and poor markings compounded by in attention and crew not paying attention. There are many more poorly designed airports all over the country as seen in these type programs and the ability of the internet to see them, quite obvious. I just wonder why there are not more crashes and collisions like this all over the country??????
Sadly, if you design an idiot-proof airport, a better idiot will be introduced to it. A pilot should see he's heading 220 instead of 260 on the take-off roll, clearly telling him he's not on RWY 26, especially since after take-off he is to climb to 6000 on runway heading.
Because most aviators are competent, safety conscience and very good at their profession. Carpenters learned to measure twice and cut once. Aviators use a challenge and response checklist to catch mistakes before they occur. Still, accidents happen because humans are not perfect ... ^v^
If you pay attention, you can overcome a poor design.
Thank you for volunteering to start a movement to re-design airports. Your expertise is invaluable.
@@arinerm1331: I would hpe that in modern commercial jets the GPS would cause loud and annoying verbal warnings about being in the wrong position AND at the wrong heading.
Also, I would think that with modern GPS systems, it should be IMPOSSIBLE to get very lost taxiing in properly equipped commercial planes with the systems working. Any significant deviation should result in such warnings. It might take some software to make it work, but isn't safety worth it?
“Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight”
Layman's question: why don't they paint the runway numbers at the starting sections of the runway?
Uh, they do; in huge white numbers. But these clowns were too clueless to notice that too.
@@bob80q ya they dont show in the video but they have to have been there right? and dont number runways same starting numbers 22. 26 .. should be 22 .. 44 .. or mistakes can be made .
@@craigbmm4675 Hey, educate yourself on how runways get there names.
Dear dude. They do.
@@craigbmm4675Runways are numbered based upon their compass headings with the third digit removed. Runway 26 means a heading of 260 degrees, 22 is 220 degrees.
Im encouraging my girlfriend in aviation career and i preach that safety is the #1 thing
Terrific and well done video. So very sorry for the tragic and senseless loss of lives. My only negative comment are the voices of kids at the end of the video? What was that meaning? RIP to all souls lost ❤
Maybe from the song.
There was major construction underway at the intersection on the runways and on the tarmac approaching the runways. This was not properly lighted. The local newspaper, the Lexington Herald, printed diagrams of the runways before construction and while they were under construction at the time of the accident. It looked to me like the crew just took their usual turn, I believe it was the second left turn, but because of the changes for the construction, this put them on the wrong runway. Granted the pilots were not paying attention and maintaining a sterile cockpit, but the change in taxi patterns and the lack of lighting because of the construction seemed to the completely glossed over. It seemed to me that the airport shared a degree of blame, but somehow they got out of it.
The pilots were also informed that they were also lights out on the runway due to construction. Overall they were many issues but it all still comes down to the pilots as there was instruments on their aircraft that would have pointed them in the right direction. The control tower is not to blame as they don't babysit aircraft constantly on the ground
@@jamesm568 Disagree. The CT keeping an eye on the aircraft as it enters a runway is not 'babysitting'; it is common sense and a necessary precaution. CT alertness has prevented possible accidents involving these same 2 runways on 2 other occasions. The fact that only 1 Controller was on hand when 2 was a requirement and that he was involved in other tasks didn't help this plane and its people at all.
Given Polehinke's obvious failure of using the wrong and far shorter runway for takeoff any financial benefit he gains from his lawsuit should be going to the families of the victims in this crash. His, and the pilots, gross incompetence is what caused the accident to start with.
My questions as perfect layman: (1) Why did the tower fail to see they are standing set for take-off on a wrong runway? (2) Why was the runway unlit - is this legal at all? Not even the final lights (different color) signalling the end of the runway is near? (3) How could an experienced crew notice the runway is unlit while _already running_ , not before releasing the brakes? I am sure a complete ignorant like I would have such doubts so is routine actually worse than zero training/skills? With zero knowledge I would assume an unlit runway is a closed/not operational runway. And ask at the very least.
MPC. Please Do The Recreation Of *Total Linhas Aéreas Flight 5682* And Swiftair Flight 5960? Thanks And Have An Amazing Day And Happy *Christma-New Year* In Advance (Like Many Other Comments That Send The Same Circunstance Of Happy Christmas And New Year)
Why is it never mentioned that the pilots first got into the wrong aircraft. They were about to power it up when the ground crew pointed out their mistake. This had to affect their following performance.
I have flown to and from LEX airport. They needed to cross runway 26 to get to runway 22. They probably noticed the markers showing length left on the takeoff roll, but thought they could make it. Avoiding all the paper work for aborting the takeoff. If I were FO I would conviently not remember anything either.
Didn't their lights show the runway number?
Wonder how the F.O.'s lawsuit went. I guess due to the trauma of the accident he did not recall not really paying attention to what he was doing, i.e., being on the correct runway.
He did not prevail.
I thought controllers had a ground radar that showed the position of every planes position on the airport?
They do. FAA sure protects its own.
they need to start using GPS on the ground in the cockpit .. or have a standardized system using GPS .. we can do that now days . its just nuts we dont. .. so many things not right about this crash
@@itjustlookslikethis Wow, a broken record!! Give it up, champ, and educate yourself so you will appear to actually know what you are writing about. 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
@@itjustlookslikethis what kind of maga conspiracy are you promoting? Go home, eat your veggies.
Pilot error and loss of life and the only survivor a pilot responsible for the crash sues . You gotta be joking , I hope he didnt get a dime,
I dunno but a dark runway would make me stop completely. Why they continued on is mind boggling. Also, I firmly believe ATC was also responsible to a point. Aren't they supposed to know where these planes are on the runways before and after takeoff?
I guess no ground radar?
They have
Was in Memphis visiting the King when this occurred
Unbelievable
If you are about to takeoff, and you don't see the runway illuminated, that should be a warning that something is wrong. The fact that it was noticed, but the takeoff continued, is a head scratcher.
Never looked at the runway number.
Unforgivable!
Go on Google earth and dial back in time to before 2006 and you will see they can enter the runway in front of the runway indicator.
i didnt see it in the video .. alsso they never should have 2 runways marked the same starting number .. 22 .. 26 .. mistakes can be made. should be 22 .. 44
@@craigbmm4675 Runway numbers *only* go up to 36. Never higher.
@@craigbmm4675: The numbers are the compass headings to the nearest 10 degrees, divided by 10. They are NOT arbitrary. If you don't know how things work, randomly saying how things should be is worse than useless.
Besides, if they'd checked their compass as REQUIRED, it would have been caught.
Runway 22 lights are on (heading 220°) Crew taxis out to runway 26 lights are off (heading 265°) Hello ! ...is someone home ?
What´s this noise and shouting in the end?
I also wondered that. Either way I remember when this happened it was a Sunday morning. I was out drinking and driving the night before and got arrested. Is this happened on early Sunday morning August 27, 2006 just as my attorney was bailing me out of jail later on that minute
I also wondered that. Either way I remember when this happened it was a Sunday morning. I was out drinking and driving the night before and got arrested. Is this happened on early Sunday morning August 27, 2006 just as my attorney was bailing me out of jail later on that morning, I took my grandmother to church
Trying to see how fast and how cute they can say the checklist items without paying any attention to them.
in the end of the day, they should have put cones on the runway to signify it was not in use. At night if everything else is overlooked, cones on the flightline will not be overlooked. You need to plan for the worst case scenario and not expect that all the pilots are going to competent and paying attention every time. Also probably not a good idea to put building at the end of a runway.
NO SMALL TALK IN THE GOSH DANG COCKPIT!!!!!! Christ
Has been happening since the dawn of aviation. Pilots do it because they know the tape gets erased at the end of each flight. Comprende?
Did he win the lawsuit?
First mistake was no sterile cockpit ordered by the captain.
Hello There. Do You Has Having An Wonderful Weekend? Well...... Can You Do *Turkish Airlines Flight 345* And *TANS PERU Flight 222?*
I am just SEL private, but even for me chit chat should stop the second you leave the gate.
I don’t get why it’s never mentioned that the pilot and first officer boarded the wrong plane at first. They were beginning to fire it up when ground personnel told them they were in the wrong plane. That had to add to the overall confusion.
Even though I knew the outcome I was still on the edge while watching this.
The curse of 191. American Airlines 191 in 1979 in Chicago. Delta 191 in 1986 in Dallas. And Comair 5191. Don't fly on any flight with 191 in it!
I would say that maybe 30% of all airline pilots are not cut out for the job. And all it takes for there to be a disaster is for a few holes in the swiss cheese to line up and those pilots will out themselves.
Hey mauricio can you please do *pilgrim airlines flight 458* , *turkish airlines flight 301* and *northwest airlines flight 6321* ?
Anyways, happy holidays and merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 .
A few orange caution cones across the wrong runway would tell someone something! I mean, any grade school has these. So needless. Everyone’s at fault, yet the remedy remains simple.
I can't hear that good with my eyes, however, I can see much better with my ears.
Maybe painting the runway numbers on the runway would be an extra safety measure….
Another thing- pilots should have night vision goggles at hand to slip on if the situation requires it in dark conditions so they can see the horizon to get instant spatial awareness rather than try to interpret the artificial horizon, the seat of their pants, their eyeballs and inner ear.
For example french pilot St.Exupery wrote in a book about a night flight over the desert in the 1930's that he was confused to see the lights of many fishing boats in the mediterranean but then realized his eyes and inner ear were playing tricks on him and that they were stars.
Actual CVR always makes me nervous....
No wonder destruction happened. That airplane is very aggressive looking. It said, " I'm going to do some destruction tonight. The airplane was so tough that it even said "I'm going to do some destruction tonight." instead of, "I'm gonna do some destruction tonight."
Should have been better markings, this isn't just pilot error this is airport operational problems as well
Horrible. At first I thought the jaw jackin was fine, just two guys at work talking. However after viewing I don't think it's a good idea to talk anything but the current flight situation once plane begins taxi. It's easy for us to say "should've rejected takeoff after noticing the lights". These guys had thousands of hours on those planes and were totally capable of flying the plane. Human mistake's happen every day.
Nothing ever happens until something happens 😢
Complacency, didn't realise what a killer it can be 😢
Duh no lights should've been a clue
No
Couldn't someone in the tower see they were on the wrong runway and try to stop them.
Sterile cockpit... number one rule broken...
Yep
The FAA tower controller didn’t see anything, didn’t stop this crash.
download and read entire transcript... they first started preflighting the wrong airplane and a ground crew person found them and told they were on the wrong aircraft. they had to move to the correct aircraft and start the process over... these two pilots a hot mess from the very beginning. this crash was 99% their fault..... there were 1 or 2 planes that departed that airport just before 5191 without issues with the runways or lighting. they were not paying attention to the job... polhinke should have been charged with 47 counts of murder.
Mauricio. Could You Do *West Air Sweden Flight 294* And *2024 Saurya Airlines CRJ-200 Crash?* Thank You. And Good Celebrations.....
Wonder how the FO lawsuit went.
Why he wasn't charged with multiple manslaughter and damages is the result of being the one surviving pilot. I hate to see the 🦃that causes the mess walk away!!
Because nobody would work as a pilot, that's why.
He can’t walk away, because he can’t walk.