Colgan Flight 3407 Crash Update 2/16/09

There have been new details released tonight on the Continental Colgan Flight 3407 Crash near Buffalo on Thursday night leaving 50 people deceased.

- NTSB board member Steven Chealander, speaking to reporters today from Buffalo, says further review of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) also shows that stick shaker and stick pusher, devices that attempt to prevent pilots from entering an aerodynamic stall, had activated after the upset.

- Chealander yesterday reported that initial review of the CVR showed pilots discussing "significant" ice build-up on the wings and windshield.

- De Icing equipment was engaged 11 minutes after takeoff from Newark

- The plane was flying on autopilot during the approach to Buffalo's airport ( until the stall warning kicked in ), some say in poor weather conditions like they had that night, the aircraft should have been flown manually.

Steve Chealander NTSB Comments:

“To say that they should not have been flying on autopilot is not correct,” Chealander said during a briefing held in Amherst, New York. “Thus far, we haven’t determined it was severe icing, it doesn’t seem like it was a severe icing event.”
The crew on the flight voice recorder reported “significant icing.” Chealander said investigators don’t know what that means. The term “severe icing” is an official designation. However, “significant icing” isn’t.

- Moments after last contact with Air Traffic Control, the plane started jerking in motion.... the nose of the plane went upward at 31 degrees followed by a quick 45 degrees down. The plane then rolled about 46 degrees to the left followed by 105 degrees to the right, putting the aircraft onto its side.

- Radar indicated the plane fell from 1,800 feet to 1,000 feet in 5 seconds - the last radar hit was received at 900 feet and the plane was travelling roughly 115 mph.