Comair: Lexington Airfield Charts Not Accurate

Filed in archive Aviation News on September 13, 2006

Comair has released a warning to its pilots advising extreme caution at Lexington, Kentucky's Blue Grass Airport because "published airport diagrams do not accurately reflect actual airport signage and markings."

Comair received updated charts that contained inaccuracies, prompting the airline's flight standards department to release the warning Friday. In addition, Comair's chief pilot, Steve Briner, reportedly e-mailed the warning to pilots.

A week before the crash of Comair Flight 5191 that killed 49 people, Blue Grass Airport repaved the runway and closed the taxiway connection to the main runway. The changes in signage and markings and related construction work at the airport were published to pilots through "Notices to Airmen." NOTAMs are attached to pilots' flight release information and the recorded messages are broadcast by radio frequency from the control tower.

According to McClatchy Newspapers, an attorney representing the family of one of the crash victims said it was outrageous that the warning would be issued now.