Crew blamed in deadly 2004 crash

WASHINGTON – Shortly before their aircraft crashed into trees, the two-man flight crew of Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 were joking with each other, discussing co-workers they didn’t like and how it would be nice to eat a Philly cheese steak. The accident killed the crew and 11 of 13 passengers.

The conversational distractions, coupled with the fact that the pair was trying to land its sixth flight of the day after more than 14 hours on the job, were contributing factors that led to the plane’s crash. The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday blamed the Oct. 19, 2004, crash on the crew’s failure to follow proper procedures in preparation to land the plane in Kirksville, Mo.

The pilot, Kim Sasse, 48, and co-pilot, Jonathan Palmer, 29, ignored guidance about when and at what speed to descend the plane on its path to the runway, joking and cursing at each other while the plane’s warning system alerted them of the rapidly approaching ground below, investigators said.

“I was extremely disappointed in what I heard” on the cockpit voice recorder, NTSB Acting Chairman Mark Rosenker said. “From the beginning to the end, it was unprofessional.”

Safety experts said the accident highlighted how increased workloads and limited rest periods can impair crew performance, and the NTSB recommended Tuesday, for the second time in 12 years, that the Federal Aviation Administration update its work rules for pilots.

“Human beings are going to make errors when they are tired,” said Duane Woerth, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, the nation’s largest pilots union.

As major airlines struggle financially, Woerth said, they are squeezing more hours out of pilots to contain costs. Pilots used to be able to negotiate shorter shifts as part of their labor agreements, he said. But as several major carriers, including United Air Lines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways, have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the agreements are being thrown out and more pilots are being scheduled for the maximum 16-hour days, he said.

David Castelveter, spokesman for the Air Transport Association, which represents the airline industry, said existing FAA work rules “ensure a safe environment both for our crews and the flying public. This isolated incident does not appear to draw those rules into question.”

Smaller carriers, such as Corporate, which now operates as RegionsAir, now fly one of every five passengers, compared with one of seven in 2000. Major carriers increasingly contract out short-hop flights to these lesser-known airlines, which operate under the banner of the major airline’s regional service.

The crew of Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 was flying under the American Airlines American Connection flag.