View down KLEX Rwy 26
 

That's awful :( I can't imagine how scary it must have been when the pilots realized they were out of pavement.

You have to be kidding me. A 7 year Comair vet could not tell this was a GA runway!! Dark or not, that's a pretty big mistake.

It is a pretty big mistake, but lets not get too judgemental until we hear all of the evidence.

That photo was taken more than 1/2 way down the runway, during the day. The runway widths (concrete width) is apparently the same for both runways (125'). It's the displaced runway edge lines (which wouldn't have been that visible) that narrow 8/26 to 75'.

If the lights were on (improperly), it probably wouldn't have looked that much difference...

IIRC, the 4/22 runway at LEX has a slight bow that prevents seeing the far end of the runway (It's been quite a while since I've flown into LEX). If that was the case, then the sight picture in the cockpit for 8/26 would have looked a lot similar to what the crew actually saw.

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never mind (delete this if you want)

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but out of the CFI world, sometimes things aren't so cut and dry. Let's take a dark runway which adds to the difficulty in telling that the runway is a GA runway. Maybe the crew was on min rest. Maybe they were a little groggy from the early show and it didn't register completely. There are a lot of maybes in the situation. It was a big mistake, but there will undoubtedly be numerous other factors contributing to the mistake. I'd just say wait and learn.

I posted this in the other thread as well, but think it fits into this discussion as well:

I know that when I first heard about the crew departing the wrong runway, I had a reaction similar to many others... "How could such a blatant error have been made?!?"

However after further thought, I have come up with some ideas on the circumstances. Keep in mind this is only theory, but some of it is IMO, sound thinking.

I'm thinking that if the runway lights were on improperly (since the runway is supposedly restricted to day VFR only), the two runways would look essentially the same.

4/22 is 7000' x 125' useable width.

8/26 is 3500' x 75' useable width, but 125' wide (displaced runway side lines limit the useable width).

Assuming the lights were on, and it was dark enough, the two runways would look the same except for length, right?

However the primary runway 4/22 is bowed in the middle:

http://edj.net/Plates/SouthEast/LEX_.gif

As you can see from the airport diagram, the center of the runway is higher than the runup end of 22, and the departure end is considerably lower.

As a result, you can't see the entire length of the runway, but just the first 3000'-4000' feet. If that is the case, the two runways would have looked very similar to the crew, with the exception of the markings and runway heading.

After further consideration, I can now see how such an error could be made. It certainly isn't a common error and there are almost certainly some associated procedural errors, but it's possible. Particularly if the crew didn't have a taxi diagram out and/or didn't refer to it, the runway lights were on for 8/26, and they never checked their runway heading with the HSI.

What was the visibility when they took off?

Dark or not. Weather or not. Does anyone crosscheck the heading before pushing up the trottles just prior to takeoff besides me? :confused:

Weather was better than 6sm and 6000' according to METAR reports. Scattered showers and haze throughout the area.