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Article: Co-Pilot Used Wrong Controls, Probe of USAir Crash Reveals
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- September 23, 1989
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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A 29-year-old USAir co-pilot who had never before flown a
commercial jetliner inadvertently hit the wrong controls as the plane
raced down a La Guardia Airport runway, and the pilot decided to
abort after the plane listed sharply to the left, the chief federal
safety investigator said tonight.
The pilot, Capt. Michael Martin, 36, apparently contributed to
the Wednesday night crash in the East River by mistakenly calculating
that he had enough runway left, said James L. Kolstad, acting
chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). During
the attempted takeoff, he said, Martin failed to call out the Boeing
737's speed, a standard industry practice.
"There was clearly a lack ...