Film
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In the quiet, predawn hours of August 27, 2006, Comair Flight 5191 attempted a routine takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky. Instead, the aircraft lined up on the wrong runway — one far too short for departure. Forty‑nine people were killed when the plane crashed into a nearby field. The co-pilot survived. What followed was one of the most devastating days in Kentucky’s history, and a tragedy whose emotional aftershocks continue to shape the community nearly two decades later.
“49 Doves” is a documentary that tells the human story behind that morning. Through intimate interviews with families, first responders, and journalists, the film reveals how a series of events culminated in tragedy, which rippled outward into countless lives.
Director Statement
On August 27, 2006, Flight 5191 crashed just moments after takeoff from Blue Grass Airport. Forty‑nine people died. One survived. For most of the country, it was a headline. For Kentucky, it was a wound that never fully closed. And for the people who lived through that morning — the families, first responders, journalists, airport staff — it became a defining moment that reshaped their lives. I was a reporter for the local CBS affiliate, and this crash changed my life forever.
Director
Jennifer Evans Smith
Producer
Robert Thomas
Producer
Bryan Jared
Key Cast
Nancy Cox
Key Cast
Sam Dick
Key Cast
Kristen Pflum
Key Cast
49 Doves
| 49 Doves | |
| Documentary Feature Films | |
| accident loss, traumatic loss, flight disaster, grief, family, community | |
| 95 minutes | |
| United States | |
| 2026 | |
| English |
Synopsis:
A plane crash stuns a community when 49 of the 50 people on board are killed, innumerable more impacted, grief knows no bounds in time, depth, or place.In the quiet, predawn hours of August 27, 2006, Comair Flight 5191 attempted a routine takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky. Instead, the aircraft lined up on the wrong runway — one far too short for departure. Forty‑nine people were killed when the plane crashed into a nearby field. The co-pilot survived. What followed was one of the most devastating days in Kentucky’s history, and a tragedy whose emotional aftershocks continue to shape the community nearly two decades later.
“49 Doves” is a documentary that tells the human story behind that morning. Through intimate interviews with families, first responders, and journalists, the film reveals how a series of events culminated in tragedy, which rippled outward into countless lives.
Director Statement
On August 27, 2006, Flight 5191 crashed just moments after takeoff from Blue Grass Airport. Forty‑nine people died. One survived. For most of the country, it was a headline. For Kentucky, it was a wound that never fully closed. And for the people who lived through that morning — the families, first responders, journalists, airport staff — it became a defining moment that reshaped their lives. I was a reporter for the local CBS affiliate, and this crash changed my life forever.
Credits:
Lanny BrannockDirector
Jennifer Evans Smith
Producer
Robert Thomas
Producer
Bryan Jared
Key Cast
Nancy Cox
Key Cast
Sam Dick
Key Cast
Kristen Pflum
Key Cast