One survivor as 49 die in American plane crash

13 April 2012

A pilot was the only survivor when a plane carrying at least 50 people crashed and burst into flames shortly after take-off.

Rescuers suffered burns as they pulled the man - one of two pilots - to safety. He is in a critical condition in hospital.

It was unclear what caused the crash of Comair Flight 5191 at Lexington, Kentucky, but officials said there was no indication terrorism was involved.

The Bombardier Canadair CRJ-100 airliner was taking off from the city's Blue Grass Airport bound for Atlanta, Georgia.

It was carrying 47 passengers and three crew but officials said there might also have been an off-duty crew member on board.

Three policemen pulled the surviving pilot to safety but local coroner Gary Ginn said everyone else on board died in the crash. He said the ensuing fire had burned 'very hot'.

The plane's fuselage remained largely intact when it came down in a field in what was described as rugged terrain.

Ann Davis, of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, said: "We don't have any information that the crash was security-related. I don't have any information that it's anything other than a mechanical issue."

Local media suggested the 54-seater jet might have departed from a runway that was too short.

Comair president Don Bornhorst refused to comment on the rumour, saying: "We cannot speculate on the cause of the accident."

The plane that crashed - bought new in
January 2001 by Comair, a regional carrier operated by Delta Airlines - had a clean maintenance record. Mr Bornhorst said it had performed more than 12,048 take-off and landing cycles.

He added that the weather did not appear to be a factor in the accident.

The plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were both recovered, according to reports.

The U.S. has seen relatively few high casualty air crashes in the past five years.

In November 2001, an American Airlines Airbus A300 crashed in Queens, New York, shortly after take-off from JFK Airport, killing 265.

Flights resumed at Lexington's 64-yearold airport, which is used by half a dozen carriers, about four hours after the crash.

Kentucky governor Ernie Fletcher was said to be 'saddened' by the news.

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