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CNN Live Today

Not Much Known About Crash of American Flight 587

Aired May 03, 2002 - 12:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We are learning more today about the possible cause of the deadly crash of American Airlines Flight 587, specifically what caused the tail to rip of that airliner moments before it went down in a New York neighborhood.

Jeanne Meserve following things live from Hampton, Virginia with more there, Jeanne, good afternoon.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill.

Investigators had a briefing a short time ago. The headline is we wish we had all the answers, but we do not at this point in time.

Investigators are continuing to give most of their attention to the tail section of the Airbus A-300, which separated from the fuselage before the plane went down in Rockaway Beach, New York.

That tail section was made of composite material, and because NASA has developed and fabricated and tested composite material for years in connection with the space program and military aircraft, they brought the tail section here to be evaluated.

This morning, Marian Blakey, who is the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, took a tour and took a look at what they were doing. Most of the non-destructive tests, like ultrasound, have been finished at this point.

Now investigators are going to start taking this composite of material apart, layer by layer. Marian Blakey explained exactly what they're looking for.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIAN BLAKEY, NTSB CHAIRWOMAN: From our standpoint, of course there are a lot of questions. Was the damage the result of the separation from the aircraft? Could some of it been preexisting? Could the damage have been induced during the recovery? Remember there's always that question also.

And we're sorting all of this out, one piece at a time. So, I do ask you to be aware of those who approach you with the latest theory, based upon the photographic evidence. If it were that simple, believe me, we would have sorted it out by now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Blakey compared this investigation to peeling an onion layer by layer. She said it's going to take time. No specific timeframe was offered for final results.

Of course, they want to know specifically what happened to this plane, but they're also going to be looking at inspection and maintenance protocols for other aircraft, which include composite materials to make sure that those are adequate and make sure those are safe. Bill, back to you.

HEMMER: Jeanne, thank you. Very critical and important meeting there

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