Flight controls examined in crash[1]

Cargo weight also being investigated

By Alan Levin USA TODAY 

WASHINGTON - New evidence indicates flight controls may have been badly out of adjustment on a commuter plane that crashed in North Carolina shortly after take-off; investigators said Tuesday.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it appeared the control column on the plane may have been set in a way that allowed the pilots to pull the nose up, but prohibited them from pushing the nose down.

Because the airplane was nearly fully loaded with the weight centered toward the tail, the pilots may not have been able to fly level. All 21 aboard died when the US Airways Express flight crashed in Charlotte, on Jan. 8.

Concerns over estimates used to calculate airplane weight prompted the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday to require air-lines that fly small airplanes to weigh passengers and baggage. The FAA also ordered inspections on all Beech 1900 aircraft to ensure they are not out of adjustment.

Flight 5481 lifted off normally from Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, but its nose quickly pointed so steeply that it could not fly. The airplane crashed just off the runway

The bolt-like devices that adjusted the control column's position were found in an unusual setting, the NTSB reported. The position was consistent with an adjustment that could have prevented the pilots from leveling the airplane off after it got airborne.

The airplane's flight data recorder points to the same problem, the NTSB has said since shortly after the crash. Sources familiar with the investigation cautioned that the findings are preliminary

So far, the evidence suggests that Flight 5481 was within the legal limit for weight and balance. Sources said that the airline apparently calculated the weight correctly based on estimates.

But investigators remain concerned that the plane might have been over the limit Airlines may estimate the weight of passengers and baggage. For example, airlines generally count passengers over age 12 as weighing 185 pounds during winter months. That includes clothing and 20 pounds of carry-on luggage. Investigators want to know if those estimates are still valid in a country where people are increasingly heavy.

The FAA ordered the 24 airlines and charter companies that fly planes with 10 to 19 seats to either weigh passengers and baggage, or ask passengers their weight The FAA will add 10 pounds to the weights people provide.

The order affects only a tiny fraction of people who fly About 1.5 million people take domestic flights a day Only about 1% to 2% of them fly on these small aircraft, ac­cording to industry data. And of those who fly on the small planes, a sample of no more than a few hundred a day will have their weight checked before they board.

Debby McElroy, president of the Regional Airline Association, said she did not expect the survey to uncover major problems.

Several member airlines have checked the weights of passengers on their own in recent years and found that the weight estimates were accurate, McElroy said.

The regional carriers and charter companies covered by the FAA order have 30 days to compile data on the weight of their passengers and baggage. The airlines must check weight on roughly 5% to 10% of flights over a three-day period.