Comair and Delta

On Sunday August 27th, 2006 Comair Flight 5191 commuter jet mistakenly tried to take off from a runway that was too short at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, KY. It crashed in a nearby field and killed 49 of the 50 people on board. The only survivor of the Comair was James Polehinke, the plane's first officer and pilot. The commuter jet was on a runway about 3,500 feet long that forms an X with the main runway meant only for small planes. The commuter jet would have needed more runway to get airborne; it approached the wrong runway on an unfamiliar taxi route that was altered by repaving a week earlier. Only one air traffic controller was in the tower when the crash occurred. The sleep deprived controller turned his back to do administrative work as the plane veered down the runway. A lawsuit has been filed and is seeking class action status on behalf of the victims' families.