INEXPERIENCED CO-PILOT BLAMED FOR USAIR CRASH
HE ACCIDENTALLY CUT THE POWER, PROBERS SAY

The co-pilot of a USAir jetliner, at the controls of a Boeing 737-400 for the first time, accidentally cut the automatic power system on takeoff and sent the jetliner on a deadly skid into the East River, investigators said Friday.

Constantine Kleissas apparently disconnected an automatic system feeding power to the plane immediately before it began rolling down the runway Wednesday night, said National Transportation Safety Board Acting Chairman James Kolstad. Two passengers died when the jetliner slid off a rain-slicked LaGuardia Airport runway and into the swirling East River.Speaking at an evening news conference at John F. Kennedy airport, Kolstad said the plane's pilot, Michael Martin, noticed the error, grabbed the 737-400's throttle and manually activated a switch to correct the error.

Instead of reactivating the automatic system, Martin decided to operate the throttle manually during the takeoff, Kolstad said.

But operating on manual throttle, the plane began drifting to the left as it hurtled down the runway and there was a "pronounced" vibration, Kolstad said.

The pilot ordered Kleissas, who was still at the controls, to abort the takeoff because he thought he had sufficient space on the runway to halt the aircraft using reverse thrust, Kolstad said.

But the plane skidded off the runway, plunging into the East River, breaking into three parts. Two women died and 45 other passengers were hurt.

Kleissas' inexperience in the cockpit apparently hindered his performance in an earlier flight Wednesday night from Baltimore to New York, Kolstad said.

Martin told investigators that the co-pilot's actions during the flight "led him to believe that he was obviously new."

"The co-pilot missed several radio calls" during that flight, Kolstad said.

Federal authorities said earlier in the afternoon that they had suspended the pilots licenses of both Martin and Kleissas.

The two crew members left the scene of the crash and did not make themselves available to investigators until more than 36 hours later, authorities said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that because of "circumstances related to the accident . . . (the two crewmen) may no longer be qualified to exercise their privileges Immediately after the crash of Flight 5050 bound for Charlotte, N.C., both the crewmen aided emergency workers in the evacuation of passengers, Kolstad said.

But then Martin went to the nearby Marriott Hotel, where he contacted the Airline Pilots Association, which apparently advised him not to make statements to authorities, he said.