An air-traffic controller on duty when Comair Flight 5191 crashed told investigators that he had cleared the jet for takeoff but then turned away to perform "administrative duties" as the plane went down the wrong runway, a federal accident investigator said Tuesday.
The controller, who has worked at Blue Grass Airport for 17 years, did not see the jet turn onto a nearby shorter runway reserved for small planes, said National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman.

"At that point, he was doing a traffic count," Hersman said. It's unclear why the flight's captain went down the wrong runway.

The commuter jet barely got airborne and crashed into trees and a field before daybreak Sunday, killing 49 of the 50 people aboard, after taking off from the 3,500-foot runway. The controller had cleared the plane for takeoff from an adjoining runway that is twice as long.