Hearing scheduled for Jefferson City plane crash

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Federal investigators have scheduled a three-day public hearing, beginning June 13, into last year's fatal crash of a commercial plane in a residential area of Missouri's capital. The National Transportation Safety Board said it expects witnesses from the plane's manufacturer and operator, as well as from the Federal Aviation Administration at the hearing in Washington, D.C. The Pinnacle Airlines jet, affiliated with Northwest Airlines, had been flying at its maximum altitude shortly before its engines failed and it crashed Oct. 14 while on a repositioning flight from Little Rock, Ark., to Minneapolis. The pilot and co-pilot were killed, but no one else was on board and no one was hurt on the ground.

The NTSB said the hearing will focus on the aircraft and engine certification, crew training, and the oversight of the flight operations by Memphis, Tenn.-based Pinnacle Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Data previously released by the NTSB showed the Pinnacle Airlines CRJ2 was flying at its maximum altitude of 41,000 feet when one or both of its engines failed. After the accident, Pinnacle decided to restrict its planes' maximum altitude to 37,000 feet.

According to FAA transcripts, an air traffic controller in Kansas City told the pilots it was rare to see the plane flying at 41,000 feet. One of the pilots responded that "we don't have any passengers on board, so we decided to have a little fun and come up here." The transcripts don't identify who made the statement.

Killed in the crash were Capt. Jesse Rhodes, of Palm Harbor, Fla., and First Officer Peter Cesarz, of Helotes, Texas.

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NTSB: http://www.ntsb.gov