Destructive '94 airline crash brings constructive change

Destructive '94 airline crash brings constructive change
Ten years ago Wednesday, a Boeing 737-300 crashed in Hopewell, Pa., while maneuvering to land at Pittsburgh International Airport. The impact of the crash of USAir Flight 427 destroyed the aircraft and killed all 132 people on board.
Ten years later, the tragic, lasting impact of the disaster remains stark for the victims' families and friends. But the legacy of Flight 427 also includes positive, lasting change. As loved ones of victims and others gather Wednesday at the crash site for the 10th anniversary memorial, they can take solace in several constructive developments.
The aftermath of Flight 427 has brought with it more stringent safety standards for commercial airline training, more compassion and assistance for families of victims of airline crashes throughout the United States and, close to home, more attention to the needs of autistic children and their families in the Mahoning Valley.
Cause of crash
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded in 1999 that the crash of Flight 427 likely resulted from the loss of control of the plane's rudder. The NTSB said the rudder likely went in the direction opposite to what the pilots commanded because its power control unit jammed.
Since the accident, recovery from rudder reversal has been included in training for commercial pilots. Since the Sept. 8, 1994, disaster, no other accidents involving rudder reversal have been reported.
Shortly after the crash, families and friends of victims united to effect more long-term good from the ashes of the accident. They formed the Flight 427 Air Disaster Support League and worked with families of victims and survivors of other airline tragedies to form the National Air Disaster Alliance.
The alliance lobbied for and won passage of The Federal Family Assistance Plan for Aviation Disasters. The law ensures more immediate, more compassionate aid to victims of similar disasters. It designated the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army as third parties to give information and assistance to families of victims after a crash so that those families would no longer be forced to maneuver a bureaucratic maze to get help directly from the fallen airline.
The Valley's enduring tribute
For us in the Mahoning Valley, the crash has brought a more tangible and long-lasting metaphor of hope and compassion: The Paula and Anthony Rich Center for the Study and Treatment of Autism.
The center in Fedor Hall at Youngstown State University was founded in 1995 using seed funds donated by the parents of Anthony and Paula Rubino Rich and others. Paula and Anthony were expecting their first child when they died in the crash, and they had lived in Poland before moving to Maine.
The Rich Center is designed to improve the social, educational, and vocational success of children with autism, a neurological disorder that interferes with normal childhood development. It provides referral, treatment and support to families as well as education for professionals and autistic students.
Over the years, the center has grown in stature and effectiveness. This school year, it will welcome 29 children while providing special programs for parents and educators. It has attracted support and funds from state grant programs and private foundations to enable it to expand and diversify.
Phyllis Ricchiuti of Poland, mother of Anthony Rich, is rightfully proud of the impact the multi-purpose institution has had on the Valley. "The center has brought us some satisfaction that we have turned the awful thing that happened to us into something positive for the people of our community," she said.
The center is a product of the selflessness of the Ricchiuti and Rubino families in the face of personal tragedy. As such, it merits communitywide praise and support.