Air Midwest Flight 5481
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 8 January 2003 |
| Type | Take-off crash |
| Site | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Fatalities | 21 |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Beechcraft 1900D |
| Operator | Air Midwest |
| Tail number | N233YV |
| Passengers | 19 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Survivors | 0 |
US Airways Express Flight 5481, was a Beechcraft 1900D operated by Air Midwest as US Airways Express under a franchise agreement, crashed into an airport hangar and burst into flames 37 seconds after leaving Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina for Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in Greer, South Carolina on January 8, 2003. All 19 passengers and 2 pilots aboard were killed in the accident, 1 person on the ground received minor injuries.
[edit] Cause of the crash
Investigation revealed that turnbuckles controlling tension on the cables to the elevators had been set incorrectly, resulting in the pilots not having sufficient control. After take-off, the plane climbed steeply before stalling, despite both pilots pushing the control column forward. The aircraft's most recent service was two nights before the crash. Flight 5481 was the heaviest load the aircraft had carried since its scheduled maintenance; the aircraft was close to its maximum allowable weight.
[edit] Passenger List
| Caitlin Albury | Marsh Harbor, Great Abaco, Bahamas |
| Nicholas Albury | Marsh Harbor, Great Abaco, Bahamas |
| Robin Albury | Marsh Harbor, Great Abaco, Bahamas |
| Sreenivasa Badam | Prakasam Andhra Pradesh, Podili, India |
| Mark Congdon | Woodbine, Maryland |
| Keith Coyner | Coral Springs, Florida |
| Forrest Demartino | Sidney, Ohio |
| Sylvain Dubois | Lac Beauport, Quebec Canada |
| Richard E. Fonte | Jacksonville, North Carolina |
| Gary Gezzer | Coral Springs, Florida |
| Jonathan Gibbs (first officer) | Redwood Valley, Calif. (based in Charlotte) |
| Steven J. Krassas | Richmond, Virginia |
| Katie Leslie (captain) | Arlington, Texas (based in Charlotte) |
| Richard R. Lyons | Lynnfield, Massachusetts |
| Ima Pearson | North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina |
| Christiana Shepherd | Sao Miguel, Azores |
| Joseph M. Spiak | Acton, Massachusetts |
| Ganeshram Sreenivasan | Chennai, India |
| Paul E. Stidham | Dayton, Maryland |
| Michael Otto Sullivan | Newtown Square, Pennsylvania |
| Ralph Sylvia | Ashland, Virginia |
