Pilots knew of wing ice, Air Florida data suggest

Cockpit recordings of the Air Florida jet that crashed in Washington suggest the pilots took off even though they knew ice or snow was on the plane's wings, according to the Washington Post.

Preliminary transcripts of the cockpit voice recorder indicate copilot Roger Alan Pettit's final words were: ''We're going down, Larry.''

Thirty seconds after takeoff the airliner struck the Washington's 14th Street Bridge and plunged into the Potomac River, killing 78 people, including the pilot and copilot.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced it would convene a public hearing March 1 on the crash.