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Cable television broadcasting industry

Comair Flight 5191 Crash: Devastating Disaster Claims Lives Near Lexington, Kentucky Airport

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

On August 27, 2006, a Comair flight, carrying 50 people, including 47 passengers and three crew members, crashed near Lexington's Blue Grass Airport in Kentucky shortly after taking off. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that nearly everyone on board was killed. The flight, a CRJ-100 regional jet, was heading to Atlanta from Lexington and went down in woods about 1.6 kilometers from the airport. The accident occurred around 6:00 local time (1000 GMT), and emergency crews were quickly dispatched to the scene. Comair, a unit of Delta Air Lines Inc., released a statement confirming the incident but did not provide immediate details on what caused the crash.

Key Takeaways:

  • The crash of Comair Flight 5191 occurred on August 27, 2006, near Lexington's Blue Grass Airport in Kentucky, killing nearly everyone on board.
  • The flight was carrying 47 passengers and three crew members in a CRJ-100 regional jet, which was bound for Atlanta from Lexington.
  • The crash marks the end of the "safest period in aviation history," as there had not been a major crash since November 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into a residential neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., killing 265 people.
  • Another significant crash occurred on January 8, 2003, when an Air Midwest commuter plane crashed on takeoff at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, killing all 21 people on board.
  • The Comair flight went down in woods about 1.6 kilometers from the airport, with the plane largely intact but with a fire following the impact.
  • Local television reported one survivor being treated in a local hospital in critical conditions.
  • Red Cross staffs and local police officers arrived rapidly at the scene of the accident.
  • Comair, a unit of Delta Air Lines Inc., issued a statement but did not provide immediate information on the cause of the crash.

Statistics:

  • 47 passengers and 3 crew members were on board Comair Flight 5191.
  • The flight was a CRJ-100 regional jet.
  • The crash occurred about 1.6 kilometers from the Lexington's Blue Grass Airport.
  • The incident occurred around 6:00 local time (1000 GMT) on August 27, 2006.
  • The crash marks the end of a period of over 5 years without a major aviation disaster in the United States.
  • American Airlines Flight 587, which crashed in Queens, N.Y. in 2001, resulted in the deaths of 265 people.

Sources:

  • Xinhua News Agency, August 27, 2006
  • Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
  • CNN Television
  • Local television news (no specific date mentioned)
  • Comair (no specific date mentioned)

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