01/08/2003
By AMANDA GRANGER
and JIM GILCHRIEST / nbc6.com
An Air Midwest commuter plane crashed this morning on takeoff
from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, authorities said.
There were 19 passengers and two crew members onboard the plane
and Medic is being told there are no survivors.
Officials at Carolinas Medical Center have been told not to
expect any patients.
Eyewitnesses say Air Midwest Flight 5481 was taking off when it
suddenly banked to the left, rolled, then hit a US Airways hangar
around 8:45 a.m.
One witness said she saw the plane go into the ground on it's
back. A second witness in a building nearby heard three loud bangs
and ran out to see what happened.
"People were saying, 'There was a crash! There was a crash!', the
witness said.
Pictures from AirStar6 show the blackened corner of the hangar,
but a fire reported earlier is no longer burning.
Smoke was also seen billowing from a charred ditch near the
hangar, but the wreckage is not in view.
FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown says the last radio contact between
the air traffic control tower and the cockpit was communication that
the plane was cleared for take-off.
Two people on the ground were unaccounted for, according to
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police spokesman Keith Bridges.
Medic has transported one person to the hospital, but it's not
clear whether the person had any connection to the plane crash, or
was involved in a separate medical emergency at the airport.
The plane, a Beech 1900 twin-engine turboprop, was enroute for
Greenville-Spartanburg Airport when it went down. The flight was
scheduled to depart at 8:41 a.m. and arrive in Greenville at 9:11
a.m.
The weather was clear, cold, and a little windy at the time of
the crash, according to 6NEWS Weather's Larry Sprinkle.
The runway where the accident happened is shut down, but the
airport is not closed at this time. Officials say there are
departure delays.
The Greenville-Spartanburg airport has set up an toll-free number
for those who may have had relatives on the plane. That number is
800-679-8215.
Airport officials will hold a news conference momentarily. You
can watch that news conference live on nbc6.com.
