Pilots Talked About Inexperience Before Fatal Crash

05.13.09 | FL News Team

The pilots of a doomed commuter plane talked about their inexperience soon before their aircraft crashed into a home in Clarence, New York in February. In transcripts of the audio on the plane's voice recorder released by the NTSB yesterday, Captain Marvin Renslow commented that he had never seen ice buildup like what he saw on the leading edges of the plane.

His co-pilot, Rebecca Lynn Shaw, remarked that she had never seen icing conditions or de-iced a plane. Stall warnings sounded when the plane's landing gear and flaps were extended. The safety board said the plane automatically dipped to gain speed, and Renslow wrongly fought it by pushing the nose up. The plane pitched wildly, leading to the crash.