Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 24, 1995 TAG: 9508240066
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CARROLLTON, GA. LENGTH: Medium
An abnormality had been found in the propeller blade during an inspection a year ago, but had supposedly been corrected, according to maintenance records, said John Hammerschmidt of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Five of the 29 people on board the Atlantic Southeast Airlines Embraer 120 were killed when the plane went down near Carrollton on Monday on its way from Atlanta to Gulfport, Miss. Seven remained critically injured with burns Wednesday.
Laboratory reports showed the propeller blade appeared to have snapped as a result of tension, but the tests did not show what led the weak spot to expand and ultimately snap the blade, Hammerschmidt said.
Investigators will use radar from air traffic controllers to locate the part of the 5-foot long blade that separated from the plane, he said, and further tests would be done on the 16-inch piece that remained.
Preliminary reports from the cockpit recorder confirmed a loud noise, and the crew could be heard reporting problems with the left engine and declaring an emergency, Hammerschmidt said.
The flight data recorder showed that the plane lost power at 18,000 feet, then made several turns as it descended, he said.
``The pilot was slowing it down'' in the final minutes before the crash, Hammerschmidt said, but investigators were not drawing any conclusions from his action. The pilot was one of those killed.
The ``anomaly'' on the propeller blade revealed by an ultrasonic examination was supposedly corrected and the blade was returned to the propeller assembly Aug. 2, 1994, he said. The blade had been used prior to being attached to the assembly that was on the Embraer 120.
Investigators planned to examine the records from the re-inspection of the blade, which was ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration, Hammerschmidt said. It is not unusual for the FAA to order such re-inspections of airplane parts, he said.
Investigators were also focusing on why the plane was unable to ascend after losing the left engine. The plane was certified to fly with one engine.
Investigators found nothing mechanically wrong with the turboprop's left engine, which drove the propeller that broke, Hammerschmidt said.
Also Wednesday, passengers praised a flight attendant who, with the efficiency of a drill sergeant, tested terrified passengers one by one to ensure they knew how to brace themselves and calmly pointed out the emergency exits as the plane lurched toward a hayfield.
``I can't imagine anybody being more calm and purposeful in doing her job,'' passenger Byron Gaskill said from his home in Monroe Falls, Ohio. ``She was extremely terrific.''
Robin Fech, 37, was the only flight attendant on the planet. Injured herself once the plane hit the ground, Fech hollered at others who were on fire to roll over and used pieces of her own clothing to help those hurt.
``Because of her, folks inside the cabin remained calm. No one was screaming. ... We did not panic,'' said another passenger, Air Force Maj. Chuck LeMay of Bellevue, Neb.
Fech, who is from Warner Robins, Ga., and has been with the airline for 2 1/2 years, remained in Tanner Memorial Hospital with a broken arm and cuts. She has declined to talk to reporters.
In the nine minutes between a loud bang and the crash itself, the flight attendant never raised her voice and made every passenger demonstrate the doubled-over crash position to her, correcting them when they did it wrong, LeMay said.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB