Crew Blamed In Cargo Crash

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The NTSB also announced on Tuesday its probable-cause finding in the August 2004 crash of an Air Tahoma cargo airplane. The crash resulted from fuel starvation caused by the captain’s decision not to follow approved fuel crossfeed procedures, the board said. The accident airplane, a Convair 580, was operating as a DHL Express cargo flight from Memphis, Tenn., when it crashed on approach to landing at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, in Covington, Ky. The first officer was killed and the captain was injured. The airplane was destroyed. Inadequate flight planning also contributed to the accident, the NTSB said. Due to the lack of planning, the captain was distracted during the flight, and was late initiating the in-range checklist. Further contributing to the accident, the board said, was the flight crew’s failure to monitor the fuel gauges and to recognize that the airplane’s changing handling characteristics were caused by fuel imbalance. “Here again we see the tragedy that can result when time-tested procedures are not respected,” said Rosenker. “The accident also points up the severe consequences that can follow when the operator of an aircraft, or any other vehicle, becomes distracted.”

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