U.S. Says Pilot Data-Entry Errors Led to US Airways Runway Crash

An aborted takeoff last year on a US Airways plane in Philadelphia, which smashed down so hard it broke the landing gear, was triggered by the crew’s failure to enter the proper runway into a flight computer, among other errors, according to a preliminary investigation.

“What did you do?” the captain asked the copilot as the Airbus Group A320 carrying 154 people raced down the runway and its computers failed to display the lift-off speed. “You didn’t load. We lost everything.” His words were captured by the plane’s cockpit voice recorder.

A U.S. National Transportation Safety Board probe found that similar mistakes had prompted other pilots to break off takeoffs in the past at the carrier, now part of American Airlines Group, and at least two written warnings had been issued to flight crews before the accident.

The NTSB probe comes as the safety board and the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates airlines, have increasingly expressed concern that accidents have occurred because pilots didn’t understand what highly automated aircraft computers were doing.

None of the people aboard the flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were hurt, according to NTSB.

After discovering they had entered the wrong runway on March 13, 2014, the crew in Philadelphia decided to take off anyway as warnings blared in the cockpit, according to NTSB. Moments later, the captain abruptly reversed course and tried to stop the plane at a higher speed than was allowed after it had already lifted off, according to records released by the safety board.

The NTSB hasn’t concluded the accident’s cause. The new information on the crash is contained in preliminary reports summarizing factual information gathered in the investigation.

In June 2013, the airline had notified its pilots about “a number” of similar aborted takeoffs. A review of flight records after the 2014 accident showed there may have been several other such incidents that year, though the airline couldn’t be sure, according to NTSB.

“American continues to support the NTSB investigation regarding this event,” company spokesman Matt Miller said. “We cannot comment on possible findings or probable cause while the investigation is ongoing.”

The Allied Pilots Association, a union representing the carrier’s pilots, declined to comment because it’s participating in the investigation, spokesman Captain Dennis Tajer said.

The twin-engine jet briefly lifted off and reached a speed of more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) an hour before the captain put it down and tried to stop, according to NTSB data.

The crew had earlier calculated they shouldn’t attempt to stop on the runway at a speed higher than 181 miles an hour, a routine measure designed to prevent going off the runway or damaging the plane, according to NTSB. Pilots are taught it’s best to lift off at higher speeds, even in emergencies.

The plane’s tail struck the runway first and then its nose slammed down so hard the front landing gear collapsed. The passengers were evacuated after the plane came to rest and the pilots smelled smoke.

This article appeared in print on page 27 of the December 9th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.