CRJ overrun at Yeager Airport: Mea Culpa

After shaking my head at the stupidity of a very experienced captain (who is also a check pilot) flying a US Airways Express Bombardier CRJ200 that overran a runway at the Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Va, after a high-speed rejected takeoff, I realized that, in some small way, I'm part of the problem.

I wrote a story yesterday for Flightglobal with many of the details (click here to see the NTSB reports for yourself), but the gist of this blog post is this:

• The captain and first offficer had configured the aircraft flaps incorrectly for takeoff, perhaps because they had been chattering away during the taxi portion. Sterile cockpit? Wha?
• During the takeoff run, the captain notices the flaps are in the wrong position (8 degrees instead of 20 degrees), and instead of aborting the takeoff per procedures, he cranked in more flaps while still accelerating.
• What he didn't anticipate were all the bells and whistles that went off when the onboard systems sensed that the flaps were moving during a critical phase of flight.
• The plane continued accelerating, past V1 and up to 143kt before the captain decided to abort.
• Procedures weren't followed during the abort, and if not for a crushable concrete pad put in by the airport, the CRJ would most likely have plummeted off the end of the runway and down a steep embankment.

Why might I be just a little to blame?

Because as an FAA certified flight instructor, I realize that I have never taught (or been taught for that matter) to abort a takeoff if I found the aircraft to be in an improper configuration during the takeoff run. Practice like you fly, and fly like you practice, right? 

The tried and and true (and tired) condition that we practice ad naseum is a failed engine during departure, for which you do the obvious - Pull the throttle and slam on the brakes.

But how much more likely is it that the flaps are in the wrong position, or a tire blows?

I may very well have done the same thing this CRJ pilot did because if I were flying a Cessna 150 or a Piper Archer, and saw during the takeoff run that I had the wrong flaps put in, I would have adjusted the flaps and continued. The law of primacy rules -- you learn best what you learn first. 

I'd be interested in hearing from other pilots and instructors your thoughts on this accident.