Early Sunday morning, 49 people were killed in the crash of a Comair regional jet in Lexington, Ky. Bound for Atlanta, Flight 5191 apparently attempted takeoff from a too-short runway. The Bomardier CRJ200 smashed through a perimeter fence before skidding into a small farm a quarter-mile from the airport perimeter, where it burst into flames. Of 47 passengers and three crew members, all perished except for the first officer, who remains hospitalized and badly injured. It was the worst crash on North American soil in almost five years, and the worst involving a regional airliner since 68 people died 11 years ago aboard American Eagle Flight 4184.
Comair, headquartered in northern Kentucky, not far from the Cincinnati airport, was founded in 1976 and today is one of the largest regional carriers in the world. It's a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, operating independently as a "Delta Connection" partner. Along with its parent, Comair has been struggling to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the past 10 months. Regional jets -- or simply "R.J.s" as they're known in the industry -- have become a staple of domestic air travel, and the Bombardier CRJ is the most widely used type, with more than 1,200 in service. Comair flies more than 170 Bombardier models of two sizes.
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