Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 5, 1994 TAG: 9407050098
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
The DC-9 crashed Saturday night in what appeared to be a flash thunderstorm that produced dangerous wind shear, said John Hammerschmidt, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. Thirty-seven of the 57 people aboard were killed.
A commuter plane that landed just before Flight 1016 went down reported smooth wind conditions and no turbulence or wind shear, he said.
"The controller never saw the aircraft or saw the accident until he saw smoke," Hammerschmidt said.
Less than two minutes before the crash, the pilots had been warned of wind shear. Wind shear is a sudden shift in wind speed and direction due to a rapid downward rush of cooled air.
The crash occurred moments after the pilots aborted the landing attempt.
The jet, en route from Columbia, S.C., was equipped with a wind-shear alert system. Hammerschmidt said investigators have not determined whether the warning signal sounded before the crash.
Investigators Monday also interviewed utility company workers who were in a truck about a half-mile away from the accident site.
"They said a storm came up very quickly with heavy rain. Visibility was reduced to about 100 feet and the storm shook their truck back and forth," Hammerschmidt said.
Investigators said it would be six to 12 months before they know for sure whether the violent thunderstorm caused the crash. The jet's black box has been recovered.
Earlier Monday, federal officials gave the first close-up tour of the crash site, which is less than half a mile from the runway at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.
The crumpled cockpit sat in the middle of Wallace Neel Road. Nearby, a charred wing lay in the front yard of a house damaged by the jet's tail section.
The path of destruction stretched 1,100 feet, with personal belongings strewn everywhere. Several small pines in the path had been snapped off and lay on the ground.
Across the street from the house, the plane's cabin was wrapped around an oak tree.
The NTSB brought in a crane to pull the tail section from the house's carport as the cleanup began.
The night of the crash, Sheryl Torrence was driving to the supermarket to buy freezer bags when the plane's tail skidded in front of her in flames.
Her white car was still frozen in mid-spin Monday with a small airline-size liquor bottle lodged in its front grille.
"I couldn't control the car. Everything I did, I couldn't control it. The force was so great. I was freaking out and praying, asking the Lord to spare me."
She wasn't hit, but her out-of-control car didn't come to a stop until it became entangled in fallen telephone wires. Torrence was shaken but not hurt.
Also Monday, the pilot and co-pilot were released from a hospital. Investigators planned to interview them today. The other three crew members also survived. Fifteen people remained hospitalized.
by CNB