It's been a rough ride for Comair on many fronts in the past year or two.
There's the labor situation: wrangling with the pilots, flight attendants and mechanics over new contracts, asking for major concessions, saying the airline had to have pay and benefit cuts to remain competitive.
Just this past week, 9News got word that Delta was looking to bid out some flights Comair runs now, which would cost Comair planes and as a result, jobs.
Insiders tell 9News there's been a major shift in employee morale and many have left for other jobs.
No one's questioning the plane itself though.
The bombardier Canadair regional jet, or CRJ-100, has a great safety record. it runs on newer technology.
The first prototype began flying in May 1991.
Its flight deck includes a modern avionics system and it has no record of regular mechanical problems.
It seats 50, so Flight 5191 was three shy of a full load of passengers.
Comair bought this particular plane new in January 2001.
The president of Comair says its maintenance records were up to date; in fact its last maintenance was just yesterday, although 9News doesn't know what for.
The plane had 12,048 cycles -- that's takeoffs and landings -- and 14,500 hours of flying, a fairly young plane in all.
It is the third crash for Comair, the first just after Union's David Mueller started the airline in 1977.
Flight 444 was a Piper Navajo, a prop plane. It took off from CVG October 8, 1979, banked right and crashed 65 feet from runway 18.
None of the eight people aboard survived. the FAA blamed an engine malfunction.
Then in January 1997. Comair Flight 3272 crashed on its approach to Detroit.
That also was a prop plane, an Embraer Brasilia EMB-120.
Twenty-nine people died in that crash.
The FAA determined icing on the wings caused the plane to go down.
Shortly after that, Delta bought Comair. the airline also switched to an all jet fleet.
As for the runway question, at this point, there is no confirmation that the plane took off from the wrong runway.
Pilots tell 9News that the runway configuration at Lexington's airport is such that runways 422 (the long runway) and 826 (the short one) are very close to each other, so they could see where confusion could come in.
Add in the dark and the rain early Sunday morning and that could contribute to any confusion.
However, Lexington is a frequent Comair route, and most Comair pilots are very familiar with it.
Comair also has an excellent training program.
The tower was open at the time and one would hope the controller would have seen the plane on a wrong runway, although at such a small airport there may be only one person handling multiple duties at the same time.
Finally, this isn't the first crash at Lexington.
Almost two years ago on August 30, 2002, a Lear jet air ambulance crashed across the very same busy highway, as it tried to land.
One of five people aboard died.
We're gathering a lot of other background to try to put perspective on this tragedy and we'll bring you more as we get it.
Comair has a number set up for anyone who is seeking
Information about the passengers onboard Comair Flight 5191. That number is (800) 801-0088.
Canadair Regional Jet
Bombardier Regional Jet - IATA/CRS Code: CRJ
(Source: Comair.com)
Comair says it's the Western Hemisphere launch customer for the Bombardier Regional Jets and currently operates the world's largest fleet of this aircraft type.
Comair claims the 40, 50, and 70 passenger turbofan aircraft is the quietest and most environmentally sound jet in the world.
Comair says its state-of-the-art digital technology systems ensure passenger comfort and safety while an efficient engines maintains low exhaust level, even while cruising at 530 miles per hour.
Comair says carry-on luggage stows easily under the seats or in the cabin's overhead compartments and its ventilated, climate-controlled storage area can carry up to 3,500 pounds of checked baggage.
Manufactured by: Canadair (Subsidiary of Bombardier)
Planes in service: 150
Passenger capacity: 40, 50 and 70 seats
Engine: 2 General Electric CF34-3A1 Turbofans
Service range: 1,500 miles
Service ceiling: 41,000 ft
Cruising speed: 530 mph
Delta Air Lines Canadair CRJ-Seats (CRJ)
(Source: SeatGuru.com)
Seat Guru.com: the planes have a range of up to 1500 miles.
Seat Guru.com: many flyers find them to be generally uncomfortable.
Seat Guru.com: passenger tray tables are so small that it's difficult to set up a laptop.
