Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 28, 1990 TAG: 9003280558
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A/6 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short
Saying Capt. Michael Martin lacked the "care, skill, judgment and responsibility" to fly a commercial airliner, the Federal Aviation Administration announced the revocation Tuesday and gave Martin 20 days to appeal to the National Transportation Safety Board.
In another New York crash, the NTSB on Tuesday released a cockpit voice recorder transcript that showed the copilot of Avianca Flight 52 told the pilot he had radioed a fuel emergency, but he used less precise language with ground controllers.
The Avianca jet, which apparently ran out of fuel, crashed Jan. 25 at Cove Neck, Long Island, killing 73 of the 159 people aboard, including all three cockpit crew members.
In the USAir case, Air Line Pilots Association spokesman John Mazor said his group considers the action against Martin "totally unwarranted and it will be appealed."
Ayles Brogan of Vinton, Va., and her daughter-in-law, Betsy Hayter Brogan of Johnson City, Tenn., were killed in the Sept. 20 aborted takeoff, and 61 others were rescued.
The FAA cited Martin's failure to fully complete a pre-takeoff checklist and perform other required actions on the taxiway.
The agency earlier ordered alteration of cockpit controls in all Boeing 737 airliners as a result of the crash. The pilots' union said the faulty design of controls led to the aborted takeoff, and the NTSB has been looking into that as one of several possible causes for the crash.
by CNB