NTSB Member Says CRJ2 Was Flying At 41,000 Feet

What was Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 doing at 41,000 feet, just before its engines apparently quit and it plunged to Earth, killing the two crewmembers on board?

Dead in the accident were Capt. Jesse Rhodes, of Palm Harbor (FL), and First Officer Peter Cesarz, of Helotes (TX).

That question puzzles NTSB member Carol Carmody in the wake of the CRJ2 (file photo of type, above) accident. The aircraft went down in a residential area of Jefferson City (MO) Thursday. Carmody told local reporters the Bombardier CL-600 was flying at the upper edge of its envelope, headed from Little Rock (AR) to Minneapolis (MN). She said the aircraft was at its maximum altitude of 41,000 feet at 2151 local, approximately four minutes before the engines quit, about 100 miles south of Jefferson City. She based her comments on an initial evaluation of the aircraft's cockpit data recorder.

But why fly so high?

"That's the most interesting thing," Carmody said. The aircraft had just come out of maintenance after crew members reported a bleed air issue.

The investigation continues.

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 8396A    Make/Model: CL6    Description: BOMBARDIER CL-600-2B19
 Date: 10/14/2004   Time: 0316

 Event Type: Accident  Highest Injury: Fatal   Mid Air: N  Missing: N
 Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
 City: JEFFERSON CITY       State: MO  Country: US

DESCRIPTION
 PINNACLE AIRLINES, FLG3701, BOMBARDIER CL600 ACFT, CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN
 CIRCUMSTANCES, THE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED AND THE
 AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, JEFFERSON CITY, MO

INJURY DATA   Total Fatal:  2
         # Crew:  2  Fat:  2   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk: 
         # Pass:  0   Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk: 
         # Grnd:       Fat:  0   Ser:  0   Min:  0   Unk: 

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED 

OTHER DATA
 Activity: Unknown   Phase: Unknown   Operation: General Aviation

 Departed: LITTLE ROCK, AR       Dep Date:  Dep. Time:  
 Destination: MINNEAPOLIS, MN     Flt Plan: IFR     Wx Briefing: U
 Last Radio Cont: 3 SOUTH OF JEFFERSON CITY
 Last Clearance: UNK

 FAA FSDO: KANSAS CITY, MO (CE05)        Entry date: 10/15/2004

FMI: www.ntsb.gov