National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials investigating last week's crash of US Airways Express Flight 5481 are focusing on a mechanic's adjustment of one of the plane's cables connecting the control column to the elevators on the aircraft's tail. According to an article in Tuesday's Charlotte Observer, the maintenance, performed on January 6, may have caused the cable to become caught or jammed, which would have limited the pilot's ability to adjust the aircraft's tail panels, equipment used to control its vertical movement. Complicating matters, investigators now believe the plane was within 100 pounds of its maximum allowable weight, which caused the pilot to use more of the aircraft's tail panels upon takeoff.

NTSB officials revealed last week that the plane's nose took off at a normal 7-degree angle but continued to rise, reaching a 52-degree angle, which most likely caused the aircraft to stall and crash. Investigators are continuing to interview Air Midwest mechanics and review the airliner's service records. Air Midwest, which operated the turboprop plane, is examining its fleet of Beech 1900D aircraft to determine if any are experiencing similar problems.