LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Nearly 20 years after Comair Flight 5191 crashed at Bluegrass Airport, a new documentary is telling the story from perspectives many have never seen.
In August 2006, the flight attempted to take off from the wrong runway at Bluegrass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky.
"August of 2006, Flight 5191 crashed at Bluegrass Airport," director and producer Lanny Brannock said.
The plane briefly became airborne before disaster struck.
"Takes off for just a moment, hits a fence and an earthen berm, and crashes in a field right next to it, and killed 49 of the 50 people on board," Brannock said.
Brannock, a former Lexington reporter, was off duty when the crash happened.
"I was scheduled to work nightside that day. And I finally woke up and I heard my phone and I've got, you know, a couple of missed calls from my news director, and I called back in. I'm like, what's what? What's going on? And he's like there's been a plane crash. We need you to come in," Brannock said.
The 95-minute documentary includes 24 interviews with survivors' families, first responders, and journalists who covered the tragedy as it unfolded. It was coverage of the 19th anniversary that inspired Brannock to take on the project.
"I saw the coverage of the 19th year and I was like, it was bigger than that," Brannock said.
For Brannock, the documentary became a way to preserve stories that deserve to be remembered.
"That's when I started the movie. It was in the back of my head and I was like, you know what? We can do something," Brannock said.
The film includes photos, videos, and firsthand accounts from people who were on site, some of which have never been made public.
"There are some photos in there that I don't think have ever been made public," Brannock said
Brannock said the documentary offers something a traditional news organization cannot.
"This is a different look at this story, and it's from different perspectives, and it's not something that any news organization can really do because you don't interview your anchors, you know what I'm saying?" Brannock said.
The full documentary screens at the Kentucky Theater in downtown Lexington on Aug. 6. It starts at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $10 on kentuckytheater.org.
You can also watch the full documentary on LEX News Sunday, Aug. 30 at 12:00 p.m.
For more information on the documentary, visit the website 49dovesfilms.org.
