Vertex Aerospace claims US Airways Express crash was caused by the aircraft's balance and weight

Airline Industry Information, August 28, 2003

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Vertex Aerospace, formerly Raytheon Aerospace, claims that the crash of US Airways Express flight 5481 in January 2003 may have been due to a 13-year-old girl switching seats.

The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, N.C., on 8 January 2003, killing all 21 people on board. The Air Midwest aircraft - a Beech 1900 twin-engine turboprop - reportedly lost altitude soon after takeoff before veering slightly, clipping the side of an airport hangar and then flipping onto its back.

Federal investigators believe that faulty maintenance was the chief cause of the crash. However, Vertex Aerospace claims that the aircraft's balance and weight may have led to the crash. The company has stated that a 13-year-old girl may have unintentionally contributed to the aircraft's lack of balance by trading seats with her 21-year-old uncle, moving a heavier person farther to the rear.

Reports filed by Air Midwest and the Airline Pilots Association, however, also say that faulty maintenance was mainly to blame.

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