Kentucky: plane crash - breaking news

[xxxmx]

(CNN) -- A Delta commuter flight carrying 50 people crashed Sunday morning near Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, airport and airline officials said. One person is known to have survived.

That person is being treated at the University of Kentucky Hospital, according to the hospital spokeswoman.

"He is in critical condition," Gail Hairston said, without adding any other details.

There were 46 passengers, three crew members and one off-duty crew member on Delta Flight 5191 -- operated by Delta's commuter carrier, Comair, according to Michael Gobb, director of the Blue Grass Airport.

The commuter flight was en route from Blue Grass Airport to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown told CNN.

The plane crashed a mile from the airport shortly after take-off, the FAA said.

The aircraft was a Bombardier Canadian Regional Jet (CRJ)-100, which has a good track record, according to its history on the National Transportation Safety Board's Web site.

Flight 5191 was cleared for takeoff at 6:05 a.m. ET, which was the last communication between the pilot and air traffic controllers, FAA officials said.

The plane crashed at 6:19 a.m. ET, about a mile west of the airport, FAA officials said.

The plane was scheduled to land in Atlanta at 7:18 a.m. ET.

It is unclear what caused the crash. There were no reports of bad weather in the Lexington area.

"It was dark at the time of the accident, but it was clear," Brown said.

A team of National Transportation Safety Board investigators is heading to the crash site to begin an investigation.

CNN's Mike Ahlers contributed to this report.

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does this kind of thing make you anxious about traveling?

[UnwindedDreams]

(CNN) -- A Delta commuter flight carrying 50 people crashed Sunday morning near Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, airport and airline officials said. One person is known to have survived.

That person is being treated at the University of Kentucky Hospital, according to the hospital spokeswoman.

"He is in critical condition," Gail Hairston said, without adding any other details.

There were 46 passengers, three crew members and one off-duty crew member on Delta Flight 5191 -- operated by Delta's commuter carrier, Comair, according to Michael Gobb, director of the Blue Grass Airport.

The commuter flight was en route from Blue Grass Airport to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown told CNN.

The plane crashed a mile from the airport shortly after take-off, the FAA said.

The aircraft was a Bombardier Canadian Regional Jet (CRJ)-100, which has a good track record, according to its history on the National Transportation Safety Board's Web site.

Flight 5191 was cleared for takeoff at 6:05 a.m. ET, which was the last communication between the pilot and air traffic controllers, FAA officials said.

The plane crashed at 6:19 a.m. ET, about a mile west of the airport, FAA officials said.

The plane was scheduled to land in Atlanta at 7:18 a.m. ET.

It is unclear what caused the crash. There were no reports of bad weather in the Lexington area.

"It was dark at the time of the accident, but it was clear," Brown said.

A team of National Transportation Safety Board investigators is heading to the crash site to begin an investigation.

CNN's Mike Ahlers contributed to this report.

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does this kind of thing make you anxious about traveling?I'm not anxious on regular flights but those small commuter planes I would never go on...never...

[jannieC]

I don't have any fear of flying, but yeah those commuter flights do make my stomach flip flop.

I can't imagine being the sole survivor like that poor man in critical condition. I hope he makes it.

[GODDESS6]

there was a young couple just married last night & going on their honeymoon in this flight...how sad~

[gldstwmn]

I don't like flying in small planes. However, it appears that the pilot of this plane took off on the wrong runway-one that was 3500 feet as opposed to one that was 7000. It's a tragedy.

[estranged4life]

I have never flown in my 36 years of life.

Been in a plane just once, While touring the AA (American Airlines) manfacturing terminal in Tulsa as part of a tech.school class field trip (QC/NDT techs have to have a FAA license in an area of Airline Mechanics, Be it Airframe/Powerplant/Avionics, before being allowed to inspect a plane for possible defects, What BS!!!) we took a tour of a 737...Let's just say I stayed in the cockpit for about 10 seconds before I needed to get the hell outta there (I'm very claustiphobic when confined in places that have a super-small area).

[strandinthewind]

I fly on this aircraft all the time. It is not bad. But, it is ramped.

[michelle2677]

I tried to post earlier from my phone but it wouldn't accept it:shrug:

anyway-My best friend got married last night and I wasn't sure if she was flying out of Louisville or Lexington. My husband woke me up asking me and then told me the news. I found out later that she was NOT flying out of Lexington, but I had quite a scare. Especially after it was posted a couple had just gotten married last night and were on their honeymoon. :( :(
My heart goes out to the families of the victims.
Also to strand/krista and anyone else in Lexington/Atlanta-I hope your friends and family are safe.

[GateandGarden]

Forgive my tendency to be overly cautious, considering how it's really unlikely that there would be even one of only 50 people who happened to be on this plane who I would know, but I thought about Krista immediately when I heard about this. Can anyone confirm that Krista is okay?

[michelle2677]

I know. After I found out my friend was o.k. I thought of her and Strand. Obviously he's ok. because he's posted, but we need to make sure she is o.k.

[gldstwmn]

The lone survivor was the pilot.

[carrie721]

The lone survivor was the pilot.

wow. i bet he is going to have some MAJOR survivors' guilt.

[irishgrl]

Maybe the important message here isnt who DIED, but rather who DIDNT DIE.

ya think?

[macfanken]

very sad. i work for Delta which is the parent company of Comair. I got a call early this morning that there had been a crash and to come into work, there was one passenger on the flight with a final destination of Seattle. We set up a room at the airport to take any friends or family who might show up to meet the passenger. Fortunately for us, the room wasn't needed, that would have been tough.

[GypsySorcerer]

Thanks everyone for your concern -- I am ok, as are my friends/family. It is a heart-wrenching time for us in Lexington. Among those lost were the couple leaving for their honeymoon, another couple who were planning to marry, another couple leaving on a trip celebrating their 31st wedding anniverary, a man volunteering with Habitat to rebuild houses in Gulfport, a young woman who was here for her wedding shower, she was supposed to get married in October... :(

[SuzeQuze]

Thanks everyone for your concern -- I am ok, as are my friends/family. It is a heart-wrenching time for us in Lexington. Among those lost were the couple leaving for their honeymoon, another couple who were planning to marry, another couple leaving on a trip celebrating their 31st wedding anniverary, a man volunteering with Habitat to rebuild houses in Gulfport, a young woman who was here for her wedding shower, she was supposed to get married in October... :(

What an awful accident. :(

I'll fly on little planes but they do make me a bit uneasy on takeoff and landing. Or if there is a lot of turbulence!

[GateandGarden]

Thanks everyone for your concern -- I am ok, as are my friends/family. It is a heart-wrenching time for us in Lexington. Among those lost were the couple leaving for their honeymoon, another couple who were planning to marry, another couple leaving on a trip celebrating their 31st wedding anniverary, a man volunteering with Habitat to rebuild houses in Gulfport, a young woman who was here for her wedding shower, she was supposed to get married in October... :(Thanks so much for posting; I am so glad you are okay!!!

Needless to say, that is just awful for those people and their families.

[skcin]

A terrible tragedy. Wrong runway...unbelievable. :distress: