Mixed Messages Blamed for Icy Runway Tragedy
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The crew of a Southwest Airlines jet received differing reports on runway conditions as it approached Chicago’s Midway Airport, where their jet skidded off the runway and killed a 6-year-old boy, according to a cockpit transcript that was released.
The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into procedures for landing at short or slippery runways as a result of the Dec. 8 accident.
The jet, landing in snowy conditions, crashed through a fence into the street, killing Joshua Woods of Leroy, Ind., as he was riding in a car.
During Tuesday’s NTSB hearing, safety officials were told that there is no single, reliable way to measure a runway’s slickness in bad weather, making it hard for pilots to figure out how much room they need to land.
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