TRANSCRIPT: Pilots Talking Sports Cars Before Crash

The pilots of crashed US Airways Express Flight 2495 were talking about Corvettes, Rolls Royces and Jaguars just seconds before an aborted January takeoff in Charleston. Such conversations are expressly forbidden. Here's the transcript.

US Airways Express Flight 2495, a Bombardier CRJ200 carrying 31 passengers and three crew, was forced to abort

its takeoff from Charleston, WV after its pilots forgot to set the plane's flaps in the proper position. Only an experimental new type of plane-arresting crushable concrete stopped the jet from careening off a cliff just 100 feet beyond where the plane came to a halt. Why did they forget to set the flaps?

Jalopnik has obtained a transcript from the aircraft's flight recorder, a transcript that clearly indicates the pilots were talking cars in the cockpit immediately prior to takeoff. FAA rules specifically prohibit any in-cockpit conversations during takeoff and landing that aren't directly related to flying the plane.

This early section of the flight recording shows the pilots discussing cars — specifically a Corvette — before preparing to take off. The pilots conversations are highlighted in yellow and red; the highlighted sections are the only sections that aren't related to flight. Any time you see a "#," it signifies an expletive. As you can tell, the majority of the conversation is not related to the operation of the plane.

This next section of the transcript includes discussion about the benefits of owning a convertible over a coupe. It comes approximately 120 seconds before the moment (highlighted in blue) where one pilot says "Oh #" as the plane crashes. The key dialogue is excerpted below.

16:11:14
HOT-2
plus she- and then have a uh...she wants a coupe cause she can't take
her- there's a road course at the Corvette museum in Bowling Green,
Kentucky, but you can't take the ragtops out there.

16:11:22
HOT-1
yeah...ohhh.

16:11:26
HOT-2
it's got to be a coupe. which I mean if the ragtop's got a rollbar- a roll
cage in it I don't see what it matters.

16:11:33
HOT-1
yeah yeah.

16:11:34
HOT-2
and she said well- I'd put one in and take it out there.

16:11:45
HOT-2
just need to get hers paid off.

16:11:47
HOT-1
before takeoff checklist.

16:11:52
PA-2
and ladies and gentlemen once again welcome on board flight twenty four
ninety five service to Charlotte. this time we're number one for departure
should only be about another oh two or three minutes. I'd like to ask Gayle
to please have a seat.

[92 Seconds Later...]

16:13:24
HOT-1
oh #.

None of the plane's passengers or crew were injured in the incident. It's unclear what, if any, disciplinary action will be taken against the pilots by either US Airways or the FAA.

Source: NTSB, Photo credit: Charleston Yaeger Airport