| Show Standard-Examn- National er 3A Thursday June 3 1999 'A CRASH OF FLIGHT 1420 American pilot got ‘play by play’ of bad weather captain’s decision to land safety board It’s Crash of Flight 1420 spokesman says The Associated Press - LITTLE ROCK Ark The pilot of the American Airlines jet that crashed was getting a “play by play” about the deteriorating weather in the minutes before the accident a federal safety official said today “It’s American Airtnes Flight 1420 a Super MD-8a! Little Rock National Airport just before rrmfciight Tuesday killing nine people Thunderstorm hits as plane arrives £ ulti- to they have to base that on the information have” George a Black spokesman for the National Buschmann Transportation Safety Board “We know that this was a very dynamic situation” Black said this morning on NBCs “Today” “The weather was changing rap- idly” “There’s even indications the tower controller was providing wind direcsort of a tion and velocity sequence of radio transmissions during the approach” he told “Good Morning America” He didn’t give specifics such as what precise wind speed the pilot was told about Nine of the 145 people on board including the pilot were killed when Flight 1420 crashed while landing Little Rock National Airport during a violent storm just before midnight Tuesday The plane caught fire after it rolled off the runway and down an embankment striking steel supports for approach lights and breaking apart “It was a combination of weather and pilot error He play-by-pl- X I X T Pin not 1 0 t The weather factor Hail and winds gusting up to 87 mph hit the airport just as the plane is landing NTSB investigators hoped to hours on duty a day including a of the plane and people were maximum of eight hours in flight jumping out" talk to the crew’s first officer MiThe NTSB recovered the flight chael OngeL today to see what The crew was on the last leg of a he remembers about the minutes flight schedule that started in recorder and data box from the before the crash They were Chicago and stopped in Salt Lake wreckage and was looking for City and Dallas before ending in clues for any mechanical probwaiting for a doctor’s authorizaLittle Rock lems The Federal Aviation Adtion Black said investigators also ministration said there was no On Wednesday investigators distress call before the landing stressed that many factors were are looking at the groovings A high-levNTSB official being looked at in addition to across the runway designed mainly to prevent a plane from speaking on condition of anothe weather as well as the runnymity said today that both reInvestigators will also examine hydroplaning corders were tn good condition whether the pilots’ long day and way drainage system their desire to get the plane to its Passengers said it felt like the with the flight recorder scarred aircraft never got a grip on the by fire but the data inside apparintended airport for the night -runway Braking ently intact to prevent delays the next morndeciuseless seemed the in role a played Investigators gave the cockpit ing “There was no traction” said voice recorder a “quick sion to land the official said but The crew had been on duty for Carla Koen of Little Rock “We 13 12 hours just short of the started sliding sideways and the planned a more detailed listening airline’s maximum of 14 FA A next thing 1 knew there were today They also were preparing spokesman William Shumann flames in the back of the plane the flight data recorder for analysaid the federal maximum is 16 and there was a pole in the side sis today rain-slicken- play-throug- i j-- ' ’ — Approach lights Little Rock National Airport Arkansas ftivtr APWm J CasteUo Source Flight Guide Airport and Frequency Manual should have gone to another airport” said Richard Klamm 49 of Pine Bluff who was in the first-clasection of the plane as part of its metal skin was sheared off by a light tower The storm unleashed hail lightning and wind gusts to 75 mph in the area in the minutes before the crash A gust of 87 mph was recorded at the airport shortly after the crash American Airlines’ chief pilot Cecil Ewell said he would not have attempted to land the plane if wind speeds exceeded 50 knots or 575 mph He oversees all of American Airlines’ pilots The plane initially was direct ss obd ed to land from the north because the airport was reporting southerly winds as the plane Nine of the 145 people aboard were were killed in Tuesday’s crash after the plane slid off a runway during a powerful storm and was tom apart by a light tower The jet ended up only yards The Associated Press from the Arkansas River Ark Of the 25 people traveling in shoves and the choir party one was prefear on American sumed dead Wednesday night Flight 1420 as and two were in critical condifrantic passengers clambered to tion get out of the burning plane and into the stormy night The choir was returning from But there was also selflessness a two-wetrip to Europe where at the terrifying scene Choir members entertained German members from an Arkansas colschool children and Kosovo refuheroes have as emerged lege gees in Austria They had risking their lives to make sure planned to tour China but resfellow passengers made it out of cheduled after the NATO bombwreckthe flaming smoke-fille- d ing of the Chinese embassy in age Belgrade forced a cancellation Members of the Ouachita After a stopover in Dallas the Singers a choir from Ouachita Ouachita party boarded Flight Baptist University in Arkadel-phi-a 1420 to Little Rock went back into the aircraft Ouachita senior Luke Hollinginto retrieve the elderly and the sworth remembers seats collapsto others also guided jured They ing and a black smoke that filled safety and told rescuers about the cabin He and several others those who needed help escaped through a rip in the tail “They pulled off their shirts section and began pulling people and covered the injured” said out after them reArnold Bowden a Hollingsworth went back to tired real estate dealer from Rusthe cockpit to check on the pi“I the on was who sellville flight lots never saw people so kind and so “The pilot was dead” said helpful to each other as they were in this disaster” Hollingsworth 21 “The Little rock ek co-pil- ot Save every Simmoms neared Little Rock When winds shifted to the northwest Flight 1420 was ordered to approach from the south instead “They did not make two approaches” Black said this morning Capt Richard Buschmann who was 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shepherding her to an ambulance “Even though there were professionals on the scene we realized they were just as confused as we were” Hardin said “On foot we were pretty much equal out there in the rain and the hail” fullHollingsworth a back on the school football team carried a woman with a broken pelvis through the river’s backwater on his shoulders Before he left her in the triage area he gave her his shirt “That’s all I had” he said The singers said their faith helped them and Hardin said the words of the 91st Psalm echoed in his head during the rescue: “Thou shaft not be afraid for the terror by night” 90 Days Interest F reetyTeyour iCMHftarge Simmons Beautyrest Coventry of In luxury or extra firm your choice Twin set reg $849 set reg $949 Queen set reg $999 King set reg $1299 Full Sale $749 Sale $849 Sale $899 Sale $1199 Simmons Beautyrest Bolero With pillowtop Queen set reg $1 399 King set reg $1699 Sale $1 299 Sale $1599 Simmons Beautyrest Crescendo Mandalay luxury firm 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:d i- :s el -- Plane slams into the raised approach fights and stops after rotahng 150 degrees Fuselage splits open on impact and catches fire Smoke and flames race through ' cabin land or not but they said otwind and skids along the runway mately a pilot's decision Direction Q Plane touches down crashed id irf art 4 t? m IMMlMMlJitei re n id |
