Comair flight out Lexington was using old charts
An additional detail about the Comair crash 2 weeks ago has now come out and it looks like it’s just another small item that added up to a big tragedy. The aviation charts issued to the pilots were out of date. Comair spokesmen are saying that the most recent changes to the taxiways aren’t even on the newest charts released this past Friday, however.
The airport plates, or charts, contain a top-down map of the airport and all related taxiways. It’s essential for normal operations when you have pilots flying into and out of airports that they may only see once in a month or so. By itself, having an outdated chart wouldn’t have caused the crash, I’m convinced. After all, the runways hadn’t moved so their compass headings would have been the same since they were built. It’s just another addition to the confusion. Like the fact that the controller was alone in the tower or that he’d only gotten a couple of hours sleep, the issue with the charts doesn’t absolve the pilots from knowing what runway they’re on and that information is available simply by looking at the compass. If they weren’t 100% sure of anything, their next move should have been to call the tower.
The report from the NTSB is still pending, so we’re still awaiting more data.
