(2 Oct 2007) HEADLINE: NTSB blames pilots for 2005 crash landing
CAPTION: The NTSB says pilot error contributed to a fatal accident at Chicago's Midway Airport two years ago when a Southwest Airlines jet landed in a snowstorm, skidded through a barrier and hit several cars, killing a boy. (Oct. 2)
[Notes:ANCHOR VOICE]
Federal investigators are pointing to a number of factors including pilot error, that they say led this Southwest airliner to skid off the runway and onto a busy street two years ago.
A six-year-old boy was killed when the plane slammed into the car he was in.
Officials now crew members made a bad decision when they tried to land their Boeing 7-37 in snowy, and windy conditions at Chicago's Midway International airport.
SOT
That would be challenging under good conditions but when you do it under conditions of an 8 knot tail wind and you add ground contamination on top of that it's extremely critical that we land on the runway that gives us the greatest safety margin.
The National Transportation Safety Board put together this animation recreating the plane's approach and landing, with the cockpit conversation printed in the upper left.
As the plane skids you can see the pilots struggling to stop the plane before it rams through two barriers and onto the road.
However, N-T-S-B officials say there's more to blame than just the pilots and the weather.
They say the industry in general is over anxious to try to land planes in less than ideal conditions.
SOT
It's not rocket science. We know what causes these accidents. I think the challenge is for the industry and I mean the system, the FAA, the operators the airports, to be able to address this.
Two others on the ground were also hurt as were 8 people on the plane.
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