07:12 PM EDT on Friday, May 6, 2005

By BOBBY SISK / 6NEWS

6NEWS

Air Midwest and Vertex Aerospace publicly apologized for a crash that killed 21 people.

At an unprecedented service at the memorial to commemorate the victims' deaths, Air Midwest and Vertex Aerospace publicly apologized for a crash that killed 21 people.

The families of the victims gathered with the management of Air Midwest, the company that operated Flight 5481 for US Airways Express and its maintenance company, Vertex Aerospace (now known as L-3 Communications Aerotech).

Flight 5481 took off for the last time from Charlotte-Douglas Airport in 2003. Forty seconds after takeoff the nose of the twin-engine Beech 1900 aircraft pitched up sharply and the aircraft stalled and crashed into a maintenance hangar. The crash killed all 21 people on board.

The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) blamed the crash on poor maintenance of the plane’s elevator and because the plane was loaded with too much weight in the back, which caused the nose to pitch up. The NTSB said Air Midwest and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which sets weight and balance guidelines, were to blame.

The public apology is part of a settlement in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Pastor Douglas and Tereasa Shepherd, who lost their 18 year-old daughter, Christiana, in the crash. They invited all the victims' families to attend Friday's event. The Shepherd family, their attorneys and approximately six other families gathered at the memorial crash site this morning to witness the public apology. The prepared statement was read by Greg Stephens, President of Air Midwest and stated:

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Flight 5481 crashed in 2003 at Charlotte-Douglas Airport, killing everyone on board.

"We are here today to remember the victims of Flight 5481 and to offer our apologies, condolences and sincere sympathy to the surviving family members of the passengers and crew who perished in the January 8, 2003 crash of Air Midwest Flight Number 5481. We are deeply saddened by your loss. The National Transportation Safety Board's investigation disclosed errors which caused and contributed to this tragic accident. We participated fully with the NTSB in its investigation and understand our roles leading up to the crash. Air Midwest and its maintenance provider, Vertex, acknowledge deficiencies, which together with the wording of the aircraft maintenance manuals, contributed to this accident. This tragedy has caused us to investigate rigorously our policies and guidelines regarding aircraft maintenance, operation and safety in general. We have taken substantial measures to prevent similar accidents and incidents in the future, so that your losses will not have been suffered in vain. We have also implemented or are implementing the applicable NTSB safety recommendations following this accident. We are truly sorry, and regret and apologize to everyone affected by this tragic event.”

Christiana Shepherd was an Interior Design major who was returning to school after a Christmas break when Flight 5481 crashed. She is survived by her parents and four siblings, Amanda, Juliana, Stephen, and Andrew.

The Shepherds' case was the last case to be resolved. Even though there was a monetary settlement, the Shepherds primary goal was to require accountability by the defendants, either by trial or by public apology, for the operation, maintenance and design deficiencies that caused the air crash.

“I believe in responsibility. If our society is going to survive, people have to be responsible, and a corporation, after all, is only a group of people. Somebody had to be responsible to keep it from happening to another family,” Tereasa Shepherd said.

The Shepherds also said they would like to see the FAA play a more active role in the oversight and regulation of outsourced maintenance. They said the loss of a child, sibling, spouse or parent is devastating to any family; all that can be done to avoid such loss should and must be done. The bottom line must always be people, not profit.

"Pastor Douglas and Tereasa Shepherd had the fortitude, tenacity and courage to allow us to press their case,” the Shepherd’s attorney Ronald Goldman stated. “We were able to accomplish their primary demand of requiring airline and maintenance company public acceptance of accountability accompanied by their pledge to work more rigorously to ensure the safety of airline passengers. It is most gratifying that we have been able to achieve their goals."

Only 6NEWS and its news partner the Charlotte Observer were allowed in the hangar for the event.