NTSB TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON CRASH OF CARGO FLIGHT IN LUBBOCK, TEXAS

[NTSB Press Releases <NTSBPressReleases@xxxxxxxx>]

Title: NTSB TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON CRASH OF CARGO FLIGHT IN LUBBOCK, TEXAS

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                       NTSB ADVISORY

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National Transportation Safety Board

Washington, DC 20594

September 11, 2009

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NTSB TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON CRASH OF CARGO FLIGHT IN

LUBBOCK, TEXAS

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The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public

hearing on September 22-23, 2009, as part of its ongoing

investigation into the January 27, 2009, on-airport crash of

Empire Airlines flight 8284, an ATR-42-320 operated as a

domestic cargo flight for Federal Express.

The aircraft landed at night at Lubbock Preston Smith

International Airport about 300 feet short of the runway in

freezing drizzle conditions. The captain was seriously

injured, the first officer sustained minor injuries, and the

aircraft was substantially damaged by the hard landing and a

post-crash fire.

 

The hearing, which will be called to order at 9:30 a.m.,

will be held at the NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center

in Washington, D.C.

The purpose of the hearing will be to gather additional

factual information for the investigation. It will be

chaired by NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman who, along

with Safety Board investigators, will hear from those the

Board calls to testify on the following issues:

 

* Crew resource management, decision-making and actions

leading up to and during the accident sequence

* The airline’s training program, policies and

procedures for flight in icing conditions

* The Federal Aviation Administration's guidance for

flight in icing conditions, flight-following

procedures, and identification and recognition of

icing conditions

* Avionics systems and aircraft design modifications to

monitor and mitigate effects of icing on aircraft

performance

A preliminary agenda, including a list of the individuals

scheduled to testify, will be released on Thursday,

September 17. 

The public accident docket will be opened at 9:00 am on

September 22, the first day of the hearing. The information

being released is factual in nature and does not provide any

analysis. It will include investigative group factual

reports, the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder, and

other documents from the investigation.  All of these

materials will be made available on the Safety Board’s

website at:

http://www.ntsb.gov/Info/foia_fri-dockets.htm

Additional material will be added to the docket as it

becomes available. Analysis of the accident, along with

conclusions and a determination of probable cause, will come

at a later date when the final report on the investigation

is completed.

RELATED MATERIAL

Media advisory announcing launch of team of investigators to

accident site: http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2009/090128.html

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Media Contact: Peter Knudson

(202) 314-6100

peter.knudson@xxxxxxxx

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