US airline crash could be down to 'pilot error'

The Buffalo airliner crash that killed 50 people may have been the pilot’s fault, investigators said today.

They are examining the possibility the captain of the Dash 8 turboprop may have overreacted by pulling back on the controls after an automatic safety system tried to push the nose down to gain speed and avoid losing lift.

By pulling back and adding power to try to prevent the stall, the pilot may have doomed the plane on its final approach to the US airport.

Experts from the National Transportation Safety Board have so far not found anything mechanically wrong with the plane.

However, the pilot did not disengage the autopilot after encountering what was noted to be “significant ice” – disregarding recommendations from the NTSB and his own airline. In addition, as in every crash, Captain Marvin Renslow’s experience and training will be closely studied.

He had 110 hours of flying experience on the plane. He also had thousands of hours flying a similar, smaller turboprop plane, which experts say would have prepared him for handling the aircraft in icy weather.

Another NTSB investigator will study whether the wintry weather played a role in the crash, while still others will interview pilots who recently flew with Mr Renslow, 47, and the first officer, Rebecca Lynne Shaw, 24.

The full investigation is expected to last at least a year.

The flight, operated by Colgan Air, was about six miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport and on autopilot when it became uncontrollable, pitching sharply up and down and side to side before smashing into the home and bursting into flames.

Investigators have focused on the icy conditions in which the plane was flying, noting the crew took a cautious approach by engaging de-icing equipment 11 minutes after leaving Newark, New Jersey However, investigators have stopped short of saying ice caused the crash, noting there are endless possibilities.