Lexington, KY - Those who lost loved ones in the crash of Comair Flight 5191 four years ago gathered with city and state officials Friday in the Hospice of the Bluegrass Remembrance Garden at the UK Arboretum for a ceremonial ground breaking for a memorial honoring the 49 people who perished early on Sunday morning, August 27, 2006.
The memorial, when finished in time for the fifth anniversary, will consist of 49 silver birds ascending toward the sky, with the top bird at a height of 17 feet.
"This memorial is a fitting tribute to our loved ones and will be a comfort to those of us left behind," said Lois Turner, who lost her husband Larry in the crash, during the Friday morning ceremony.
"The individuality of the 49 silver birds serves as a distinct reminder of each of those whose lives were lost," Mayor Jim Newberry said to a crowd of more than 100 who gathered to mark the tragic anniversary. "The inclusion of personal mementoes in each figure will provide family and friends with a strong attachment to this sculpture for decades to come. Their heavenly ascent reminds people of faith that all was not lost, even though there certainly were times when it felt that way."
Only one of the 50 on board survived after the Comair commuter jet attempted the pre-dawn take off from the wrong runway. Instead of using the runway meant for commercial aviation, 5191 rolled down the 3,500 foot general aviation runway and crashed through a fence and into a bank of trees just past the airport's property. Only the man at the controls of Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet the time of the crash, the plane's first officer James Polehinke, survived after being pulled from the burning wreckage by Lexington and airport police.
"Our grief and our sorrow at their passing, obviously, has not lessened," said Gov. Steve Beshear who said he lost personal and professional friends on the flight. "That pain still weighs on us as it will weigh on us for the rest of our lives. Sometimes I know that we want to scream, sometimes we want to cry, and all of us would want to turn the clock back in time. But we all know that we can't and we are left with our memories, personal memories of friends and family who were taken from us so abruptly.
"Words, they're a little inadequate to describe the reaction that I have and that I know that all of you have for this memorial," Beshear said while choking up. "The response it evokes is not verbal, but spiritual. Birds in flight, souls in transition, memories floating around us. In breaking ground today, we move a little bit closer to making this sculpture reality."
In order to make the sculpture a reality, the 5191 Memorial Commission launched a public fundraising drive as around $250,000 of what's expected to be a $350,000 price tag has been raised. The state has given $100,000 from their aviation budget, and Newberry hopes LFUCG can contribute $25,000.
"We're just at a point that we know what the memorial will cost, but there is always hidden costs. We're going to add a water element, that's going to cost a little bit more. We're also going to have ongoing maintenance, and that's critical. Sometimes when these memorials are built, people walk away from it, but we would never do that to the Arboretum or to UK, so that's going to be an important part this fundraising," Memorial Commission co-chair Gerry van der Meer said following the groundbreaking. "We do have sufficient funding between the state, the city, Comair and others who have donated, but this is a way for the community (which has expressed great interest in helping to get involved)."
For the second anniversary of the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board's lead investigator on the 5191 tragedy addressed a letter to the city that Newberry read at the ceremony.
"Hundreds of citizens rushed to aide their fellow citizens who were suddenly thrown into an unthinkable and devastating tragedy," wrote now NTSB Chairman Debbie Hersman. "Old wisdom says that time heals all wounds, but I'm not sure that is the case in such a public and profound tragedy. In Lexington, the strength to move forward does not come from time, so much as it comes from one another."
"Mrs. Hersman was right," Newberry said. "Our strength does come from one another. Lexington is a special place. We care about one another, we help those in need. We work together to over come challenges. As mayor, I'm proud to serve a city like that."
Those who want to contribute to the memorial can donate by making checks out to the Flight 5191 Memorial Commission through the Bluegrass Community Foundation, 250 West Main Street, Suite 1220, Lexington, Ky. 40507. Donations are also being accepted online at http://www.bgcf.org by clicking "Donate Now" and selecting "Flight 5191 Memorial Commission" in the drop down box on the subsequent page.