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CNN Live Today

NTSB Investigates Amtrak Accident

Aired July 30, 2002 - 13:35   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: NTSB officials are picking through the twisted wreckage of an Amtrak train outside Washington today in search of the cause of that accident. The train derailed yesterday, injuring more than 100 passengers, six critically.

CNN's Patty Davis joins us now from the scene.

She has some new developments for us -- Patty.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Amtrak has just rolled in two new locomotives. As you see -- we'll take a look behind the fence right there -- they have hooked up 6 of the uprighted Amtrak passenger rail cars that had been derailed there. They were put back on the rail. Presumably, then, these will be rolled out of here. The next logical stop here will be Union Station to take them to -- we just don't know at this point.

But the NTSB has brought in its track investigator from Chicago to look at the railroad tracks here in Kensington. One possible thing that investigators are considering: the heat. Yesterday, temperatures were in the high 90s; an excessive heat advisory was in effect. Heat like that, as well as extreme cold, I'm told, can bend the tracks; that's called a heat kink or a sun kink.

Now, the NTSB did look at the train's event recorders, discovered it was going about 60 miles an hour, well within the speed limit, and the position of the controls were normal, the braking gauge nothing out of the ordinary. It will also looking at the maintenance of those tracks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL CARMODY, VICE CHAIRWOMAN, NTSB: Part of our investigation is to look at maintenance that was done and what was done and who did it. That's one of the track specialist's specific investigations.

We are conducting a wide investigation on all areas. This is only one of many.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: CSS said that it inspected these tracks, indeed, less than 24 hours before this crash happened. One hundred sixty-one people were on board the train. One hundred of them injured, but most, luckily, were able to walk away -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Patty Davis, live from Montgomery County, thank you.

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