Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 3, 1994 TAG: 9407030177
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Knight-Ridder Newspapers and The Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
The tail section of the plane slammed into a carport and caught fire, trapping five people inside a house for more than two hours.
Flight 1016 from Columbia, S.C., was on its second approach to the airport at 6:50 p.m. when it veered right, nosed down and plowed through telephone poles and treetops before crashing into a field.
The plane broke into three pieces.
Witnesses described a nightmare of smoke, fire and confusion. "It was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life," said one firefighter, near tears and covered in soot. "All the dead people . . ."
Helicopters and ambulances rushed more than 33 victims - most with burns and broken bones - to hospitals.
The flight originated in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
While most days there is a connecting flight into Roanoke that arrives at 10:05 p.m., it does not operate on Saturdays.
Bob Sheilling of the Federal Aviation Administration said it could take months to determine the cause of the crash. Officials said no other planes were involved.
USAir has 73 DC-9s. They seat 103 and average just more than 21 years old, by far the oldest aircraft type in the fleet. Despite its age, the DC-9 is known for durability and is still used heavily in the industry. USAir has spent millions on special DC-9 maintenance programs.
Flight 1016 had approached Runway 18R, the more westerly of two parallel runways.
The pilot radioed a "go-around" for another landing attempt.
"He reported he was going to go around and try it again," said airport Aviation Director Jerry Orr.
He said air traffic controllers told him the pilot had aborted his initial landing and was about to pull up and make another approach when he apparently struck telephone poles.
Lorenzo Church, 29, a single-engine commercial pilot in training to become a flight instructor, was standing near the far end of the runway when he saw the DC-9 approach.
"There was a storm right over the runway. You could barely see the runway," he said.
Church said the plane was not lined up with the runway.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB