Last words on doomed plane: 'We're down'

WASHINGTON, May 12 (UPI) -- The National Transportation Safety Board began hearings Tuesday on a plane crash near Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 49 people on the plane and one on the ground.

The agency released the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder in the last seconds before Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed, CNN reported. Capt. Marvin Renslow, the pilot, said "Jesus Christ" and "We're down," there was a banging noise and the first officer, Rebecca Shaw said "We're …" and then screamed.

While Mark Rosenker, chairman of the NTSB, said the hearing will not try to fix blame for the crash, there are expected to be a lot of questions about Renslow's background, training and actions before the crash.

Renslow did not tell his employer, Colgan Air, that he failed three federal flying tests, The Buffalo News reported Tuesday. He reported only one failure.

Shaw and Renslow engaged in chitchat shortly before the crash, a violation of FAA rules about low-altitude behavior. Renslow also failed to act appropriately when warned that the plane was about to stall.

Colgan is under contract to Continental as a feeder carrier.