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NTSB Probes Regional Jet Safety
Following October Crash
By ANDY PASZTOR
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
June 13, 2005
A hearing begins Monday to examine the 2004 crash of a commuter plane that killed two pilots and raised broad questions about pilot training, aircraft design and federal oversight.
The National Transportation Safety Board's public hearing is expected to start by examining why the inexperienced cockpit crew of a Bombardier regional jet operated by Pinnacle Airlines Inc. on behalf of Northwest Airlines took the unusual step of climbing to the maximum operating ceiling of 41,000 feet last Oct. 14 while ferrying the plane at night without passengers. After the pilots disregarded warnings of an impending stall, both engines stopped operating. The pilots regained control after a dive but were unable to restart the engines.
The crash near Jefferson City, Mo., was the first fatal accident in the U.S. involving one of the popular, smaller jet models increasingly replacing larger jetliners on many routes. But fallout from that crash, according to government and industry officials, has expanded well beyond issues dealing with the level of training and discipline of the pilots at the controls.
Investigators are delving into other factors, from Pinnacle's general approach to safety to the lack of awareness among many pilots of the unique hazards and handling characteristics if regional jets are flown at such high altitudes. In addition, safety board staff and pilot union officials are assessing the difficulties of restarting the type of General Electric Co. engines that were on the plane.
The Bombardier CL600 was approved to fly up to 41,000 feet, though it doesn't climb that high during normal service. Transcripts of the cockpit voice recorder indicate that one of the pilots told air-traffic controllers: "We don't have any passengers on board, so we decided to have a little fun and come up" to 41,000 feet.
The lessons likely to be learned from the crash focus on the aerodynamic forces that prompted the initial upset, as well as what went wrong as the pilots struggled in vain to reignite the engines of the crippled plane. Since the accident, Pinnacle, of Memphis, Tenn., and other operators of regional jets voluntarily have restricted them to 37,000 feet.
The safety board, Pinnacle, the plane's manufacturer and the Federal Aviation Administration all declined to comment. The FAA is quietly reviewing data from the Bombardier jet's initial regulatory approval.
Meanwhile, pilot groups have criticized the FAA for failing to adequately oversee fast-growing carriers such as Pinnacle, which in the past few years phased out its fleet of roughly three dozen turboprops and replaced them with more than 130 faster regional jets.
Following October Crash
By ANDY PASZTOR
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
June 13, 2005
A hearing begins Monday to examine the 2004 crash of a commuter plane that killed two pilots and raised broad questions about pilot training, aircraft design and federal oversight.
The National Transportation Safety Board's public hearing is expected to start by examining why the inexperienced cockpit crew of a Bombardier regional jet operated by Pinnacle Airlines Inc. on behalf of Northwest Airlines took the unusual step of climbing to the maximum operating ceiling of 41,000 feet last Oct. 14 while ferrying the plane at night without passengers. After the pilots disregarded warnings of an impending stall, both engines stopped operating. The pilots regained control after a dive but were unable to restart the engines.
The crash near Jefferson City, Mo., was the first fatal accident in the U.S. involving one of the popular, smaller jet models increasingly replacing larger jetliners on many routes. But fallout from that crash, according to government and industry officials, has expanded well beyond issues dealing with the level of training and discipline of the pilots at the controls.
Investigators are delving into other factors, from Pinnacle's general approach to safety to the lack of awareness among many pilots of the unique hazards and handling characteristics if regional jets are flown at such high altitudes. In addition, safety board staff and pilot union officials are assessing the difficulties of restarting the type of General Electric Co. engines that were on the plane.
The Bombardier CL600 was approved to fly up to 41,000 feet, though it doesn't climb that high during normal service. Transcripts of the cockpit voice recorder indicate that one of the pilots told air-traffic controllers: "We don't have any passengers on board, so we decided to have a little fun and come up" to 41,000 feet.
The lessons likely to be learned from the crash focus on the aerodynamic forces that prompted the initial upset, as well as what went wrong as the pilots struggled in vain to reignite the engines of the crippled plane. Since the accident, Pinnacle, of Memphis, Tenn., and other operators of regional jets voluntarily have restricted them to 37,000 feet.
The safety board, Pinnacle, the plane's manufacturer and the Federal Aviation Administration all declined to comment. The FAA is quietly reviewing data from the Bombardier jet's initial regulatory approval.
Meanwhile, pilot groups have criticized the FAA for failing to adequately oversee fast-growing carriers such as Pinnacle, which in the past few years phased out its fleet of roughly three dozen turboprops and replaced them with more than 130 faster regional jets.
