NTSB PUBLIC HEARING ON NORTH CAROLINA AIRLINE CRASH

The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct a 2- day en banc public hearing as part of its ongoing investigation into the fatal crash of Air Midwest flight 5481 at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina. The hearing will convene at 9:00 a.m. on May 20th at the NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center at 429 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., D.C. The hearing may continue into a third day.

On January 8, 2003, Air Midwest flight 5481 (d.b.a. US Airways Express), a Beech 1900, crashed shortly after takeoff from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina. There were 19 passengers and 2 crewmembers on board the aircraft. Impact forces and fire destroyed the aircraft; there were no survivors.

A witness list will be released on the first day of the hearing. Also on the first day, the Safety Board will open its public docket on the investigation, which will include hundreds of pages of factual reports and supporting documentation. Factual reports from the docket will be available on the Board's website, http://www.ntsb.gov. The entire docket on CD ROM may be ordered from the Board's Public Inquiries Office at (202) 314-6551.

It is anticipated that television coverage of the hearing will be pooled. Tables will be set up immediately outside the hearing room, where the pool will be fed.

Media Contact: Keith Holloway, (202) 314-6100