Chicago plane fracas: Pilot engaged autobrake

Chicago plane fracas: Pilot engaged autobrake
CHICAGO - It has emerged that the pilot of the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 that skidded to a halt on the street near the Midway International Airport last week had engaged an automatic brake instead of a manual one. The incident claimed the life of a 6-year-old boy called Joshua Woods, whose funeral service is scheduled to be held on Wednesday.

The flight had overshot the runway and crashed into the fence and had spilled onto the street in snowy weather conditions. The Federal Aviation Administration laws require that a 1,000 sq feet area be provided as a buffer zone around the fencing, which is not present at the Midway Airport. This safety area is only about 82 feet near the airport and the area is surrounded by housing and streets.

Yesterday, the FAA said that Chicago officials had told them last year that they could not afford to extend the buffer zone due to lack of funds. The airport was built way back in 1923 and has shorter runways than most modern era International airports. Erin O'Donnell, manager at Midway said that there was actually no solution if they wanted to expand, "We're hopeful that with new legislation, there will be investment in research and development of new technology to address this issue of runway safety," he commented.

Normal service on the fateful runway has begun on Tuesday evening, Elizabeth Isham Cory, a spokeswoman for the FAA said. She added that the agency had asked aviation officials to modify recommendations submitted last year to improve the safety in the runway zone, "Part of the normal back and forth is that they're supposed to be coming up with a few solutions, and I think they are really trying. But they are short on space," she commented.

Meanwhile, National Transportation Safety Board investigators have found that the autobrake switch was at the maximum position in the cockpit of the plane. This situation is not permitted as pilots are required to engage a manual brake. The 59- year-old pilot of the plane has apparently told investigators that the switch was struck.