Bombardier, Inc. CRJ-100 accident near Lexington, Kentucky, August 27, 2006
On August 27, 2006 at about 10:07 am local time, a Bombardier, Inc. CRJ-100, registered N431CA, was destroyed in an accident near Lexington, Kentucky (Blue Grass airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 49 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight crewmembers's failure to use available cues and aids to identify the airplane's location on the airport surface during taxi and their failure to cross-check and verify that the airplane was on the correct runway before takeoff. Contributing to the accident were the flight crew's nonpertinent conversation during taxi, which resulted in a loss of positional awareness, and the Federal Aviation Administration's failure to require that all runway crossings be authorized only by specific air traffic control clearances.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2006 · about 10:07 am local time
- Place
- Lexington, Kentucky · Blue Grass · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- 49 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bombardier, Inc. CRJ-100
- Registration
- N431CA · registry record · serial 7472
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-07/05. On August 27, 2006, about 0606:35 eastern daylight time, Comair flight 5191, a Bombardier CL-600-2B19, N431CA, crashed during takeoff from Blue Grass Airport, Lexington, Kentucky. The flight crew was instructed to take off from runway 22 but instead lined up the airplane on runway 26 and began the takeoff roll. The airplane ran off the end of the runway and impacted the airport perimeter fence, trees, and terrain. The captain, flight attendant, and 47 passengers were killed, and the first officer received serious injuries. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 and was en route to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, sport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,710 hours in all; 3,082 in this make and model; 158 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,564 hours in all; 3,564 in this make and model; 245 in the last 90 days; 64 in the last 30 days; 940 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,536 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 1, 2006; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 53,000 lb
- Seats: 54
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CF-34-3A1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CF-34-3A1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Comair INC
The flight
- Departed from: LEX Lexington KY
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:05 am from LEX, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 47 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.