Doomed Commuter Plane's Pilot Knew

Capt. Katie Leslie declared an emergency just before US Airways Express Flight 5481 plunged to earth last January, but never described the problem, according to audiotape transcripts released Monday.

Leslie's conversations with air traffic controllers were routine just before the Jan. 8 crash, which occurred 37 seconds into the flight from Charlotte, N.C., to Greer, S.C. All 21 people aboard the 19-seat Beech 1900 turboprop were killed.

Federal Aviation Administration transcripts of the conversations between the cockpit and controllers document co-pilot Jonathan Gibbs giving the plane's position on the runway and an air traffic controller clearing him for takeoff.

Shortly after the plane was airborne, Leslie radioed the tower.

"We have an emergency," she said, just before a high-pitched alarm sounded. The tape ends with no further transmissions from the cockpit.

Investigators have been looking at a mechanical problem and the plane's weight as potential causes contributing to the crash at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. The plane was estimated to be within 100 pounds of its maximum takeoff weight.

After the crash, the FAA ordered 15 airlines to check passenger weights. The survey showed that passengers and their bags generally are heavier than the estimates now used, agency spokeswoman Laura Brown said.

Under current guidelines, an adult passenger flying in winter is estimated to weigh 185 pounds, including clothing and carry-ons. The same passenger is calculated at 180 pounds during summer travel.

Children ages 2 to 12 are estimated to weigh 80 pounds in winter and summer. Each checked bag is calculated to weigh an average of 25 pounds for a domestic flight and 30 pounds for international travel.

Some believe those estimates, in place since 1995, may be too low because Americans and their carry-on bags have gotten heavier. Adult men averaged 180.7 pounds in 1994, the most recent year in which statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention are available.

Weight is important for all planes, but critically so for smaller aircraft. Too many bags in the rear compartment or a few heavy people in the back could change a small plane's center of gravity and make it much more difficult to fly.

As a result of the FAA survey, some airlines changed their weight estimates and now carry only 18 passengers on a 19-seat plane.

The FAA is considering several proposals, including one that would add 10 pounds to the estimated weight of each adult passenger. A recommendation could come this month.

Regional airlines oppose any broad changes, saying that raising passenger weight estimates across the board could force them to eliminate seats.

The National Transportation Safety Board also is looking at possible mechanical problems as contributing factors in the Charlotte crash.

In a preliminary report, the NTSB said turnbuckles that control tension on elevator control cables were set improperly, leaving one cable nearly 2 inches shorter than the other. If a cable is too slack, the pilot does not have full control of the elevator, a tail flap that moves up and down and causes the plane to climb or dive.

The plane's tail assembly was adjusted two days before the crash. The aircraft's data recorder showed an unusual up-and-down motion of the elevator control on all nine flights it took following the maintenance work, investigators have said.

The NTSB will hold hearings into the cause of the crash beginning May 20.

By Leslie Miller