NTSB: Plane that ran off
runway in Brookshire had not flown in 10 months
NTSB officials also detailed how those aboard
exited the aircraft and the status of the black boxes recovered
Here's what we know
The NTSB is charged by Congress to
investigate all civil aviation accidents. NTSB opened their investigation into
the Brookshire accident Wednesday.
During a news conference Thursday,
Michael Graham, a board member with the NTSB, said the investigation is in its
early stages.
“Our team methodically and
systematically reviews all evidence and considers all potential factors to
determine the probable cause of an accident,” Graham said. “We will not jump to
any conclusions.”
A team will remain onsite to gather
evidence for one to two weeks. The NTSB investigator in charge is Dan Bauer.
Assisting him is Senior Investigator Michael Huhn. Bauer and Huhn will be
joined by several other NTSB investigators and plan to investigate the plane’s
air-worthiness, its engines, accident survival factors, as well as operational
factors including performance, among other things.
RELATED: NTSB launches
investigation after plane runs off runway, catches fire in Brookshire
Graham said NTSB is analyzing the video
of the MD-87 that KPRC 2 obtained yesterday and which shows the MD-87 run down
the runway in an attempt to take off from the Houston Executive Airport.
The footage was captured by Harry
Johnson, a pilot who works out of the Houston Executive Airport.
About eight seconds into the video, a
puff of smoke can be seen coming out of one of the aircraft’s engines.
“Fortunately, the engines are in good
condition on the tale at the wreckage site and will allow for a thorough examination,”
Graham said.
According to NTSB, the accident flight
on Tuesday was the aircraft’s first flight since December 2020. NTSB
investigators are reviewing the plane’s maintenance history.
PHOTOS: Sky 2 aerials over Brookshire plane crash
Airworthiness investigators are at the
wreckage scene identifying the components they will remove from the tail
section to examine further.
The investigative team assessed the
runway Wednesday and documented the tire marks on the runway’s surface. Graham
said the tire marks indicate hard breaking application and good tire contact
with the runway’s surface and added that all tires were in contact with the
runway when the aircraft ran off the runway.
“We have approximately 1,200 feet of
distinct tire marks from both main landing gears on the runway,” Graham said.
The NTSB did not find any debris on the
runway.
Investigators are currently interviewing
the MD-87′s pilot, first officer and flight mechanic and is reviewing passenger
and witness statements in preparation to interview them.
Graham said NTSB determined how the
passengers and crew members got out of the plane following the accident -- The
flight mechanic opened the main cabin door at the front left of the aircraft
and all aboard exited the main cabin door using the automatically-inflated
evacuation slide.
NTSB personnel recovered multiple black
boxes from the wreckage yesterday. The CVR recorded media appears to be in good
condition though NTSB is still working to download the data from it. The flight
data recorder also appears to be in good condition.
Graham said Thursday’s briefing would be
it’s last at the scene. All new information about the status of the
investigation will come out of NTSB headquarters in Washington D.C.
Anyone with photos or videos of the accident is urged the share them
with the NTSB by emailing them to witness@NTSB.gov.
RELATED: What we know about
the passengers aboard the fiery plane crash in Brookshire
What happened?
At approximately 10:08 a.m. Tuesday, an
MD-87 attempted to take off from runway 36 at Houston Executive Airport in
Brookshire. The aircraft ran off the paved runway and struck the perimeter
fence of the airport, crossed a road, hit another fence and took out the power
lines between two power poles and came to a rest, NTSB officials said. The
debris path suggest the plane’s left wing struck trees before the plane came to
a rest in a field. A majority of the fire damage occurred after the plane came
to a rest.
There were 18 passengers and three crew members onboard. The crew
members consisted of two pilots and one flight mechanic. Everyone on board
evacuated the aircraft and only two minor injuries were reported, Graham said.
The aircraft is owned by 987 Investments
LLC. -- State records show J. Alan Kent owns the LLC.
RELATED: Prominent Houston
homebuilder ID’d as plane owner, passenger aboard wrecked Brookshire plane
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.