Odd Noise on USAir Jet Blamed on P.A. System
A strange “whooshing sound” aboard a USAir jetliner before the Sept. 8 crash that killed all 132 aboard apparently was nothing more than an open public address system, industry sources said Monday.
The report appeared to end speculation that the mysterious sound could be a clue to the crash of Flight 427 near Pittsburgh, Pa. It was the fifth fatal crash of a USAir jetliner in five years.
Airline industry sources said the pilot had made an announcement and did not turn off the sound system immediately.
The sources said the account of the noise was confirmed by an off-duty pilot who was riding free in the cockpit en route from Charlotte and got off the plane in Chicago. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity, saying it was protocol for the National Transportation Safety Board to disclose such information.
Michael Benson of the NTSB said: “We have one indication of that. . . . So far we have not been able to assess the significance of these reports.”
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
