Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

An ATR 42 cargo airplane operated by Empire Airlines for FedEx ran off the runway early this morning at Preston Smith International Airport in Lubbock, Texas, after arriving on a flight from Fort Worth Alliance Airport. Both crewmembers walked away from the crash but went to the hospital for evaluation and treatment of minor injuries. 

NTSB records indicate the crash happened around 5 a.m. Central Standard Time in freezing rain, when the twin turboprop landed and skidded off the runway into an embankment. The ATR’s right wing absorbed much of the impact and, according to an NTSB spokesman, the airplane became consumed by fire before rescue and firefighting crews arrived. At press time an investigator from the NTSB’s Denver office was on his way to the scene. The board expects to issue a preliminary factual report within 10 business days.

ATR 42 Cargo Plane Crashes in Lubbock

An ATR 42 cargo airplane operated by Empire Airlines for FedEx ran off the runway early this morning at Preston Smith International Airport in Lubbock, Tex

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