Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Interview with Peter Goelz

Aired October 29, 2002 - 10:37   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us now to take a closer look at the crash and the investigation is Peter Goelz, former managing director of the NTSB. He is now senior vice president for crisis communications for APCO worldwide, a PR firm in Washington.
Good morning. Thanks for joining us.

PETER GOELZ, FMR. NTSB MANAGING DIRECTOR: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: At this hearing over the last hour or so, they played an animation showing what the plane did after takeoff. We'll take a look at that and I'm hoping you can give us insight into what happened.

GOELZ: Absolutely.

KAGAN: Can you see the monitor?

GOELZ: Yes, indeed. What this shows is the final seconds of the a-300 Airbus. It encounters wake turbulence from a plane that took off approximately a minute, minute and 10 seconds in front of them. The pilots discuss hit something turbulence. The flying pilot, who is the copilot in this case, indicates asking for some maximum power to get out of it. The pilot says, are you OK? and the plane loses control shortly thereafter.

You know, the whole sequence of events, from the beginning to the end, takes more than 25 seconds.

KAGAN: So fast, to lose so many lives. The words that you were saying, this is also the hearing we'll hear for the first time the cockpit and flight data recorder, what is learned from that. Do you think that provides any insight?

GOELZ: Well, the data recorder has given the NTSB a lot of information. But again, one of the problems they have is that this was a very, very fast event. And the data recorder only checks data about once every second and things were moving very quickly. The last seven seconds, the data recorder was almost overcome with too much information.

KAGAN: It seems to me, in something like this, where there's no clear-cut answer, it turns into kind of a finger pointing, blame game, people concerned about Airbus, about that type of plane, then some people pointing fingers at the pilot saying it's pilot error. How do they get away from it just being finger pointing?

GOELZ: Well, the NTSB is use the to that kind of finger pointing. It almost always occurs in that the manufacturer says our plane is designed right. We've got thousands of them in the air. This is the only one that's lost a tail. The pilots and the airline says, listen, our guys did it right. This tail shouldn't have come off in this circumstance. So the NTSB has to filter through those kinds of charges, and it takes a little while, but they inevitably come up with a probable cause that rings true.

KAGAN: Peter, it's been almost a year since this flight took place. Why have these public hearings now?

GOELZ: One is, it was a very complex and is going to continue to be a complex accident investigation. This is the first one that has involved an Airbus product. They fly, they have a composite tail made up of plastics and other materials. The NTSB wants to make sure that all aspects of this accident are examined and examined in depth. This hearing is going to take at least four or five days this week. I would anticipate that they'll probably get an accident report out within the next year or 18 months, but these accident investigations take time.

KAGAN: They take time. At the end of four days, am I going to know as a flying consumer that I shouldn't be on Airbus, or I should check out pilots? Am I going to learn from this, or is this more for the experts?

GOELZ: This is more for the experts. The NTSB hold the hearings in public so people can see the work they're doing. But this is going to be a very complex and a very detailed four-day examination of certification processes, pilot training, the design of certain Airbus components. But I think you can be assured that the flying public should have confidence in the Airbus product and in American Airlines. Accidents are still very rare occurrences, as tragic as they are.

KAGAN: That they are. Hopefully, we'll learn from this one, 260 people on board, five people on the ground losing their lives. Hopefully, they'll not die in vain. Peter Goelz, former managing director of NTSB, thank you for your insight and expertise today. Much appreciated.

GOELZ: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 29, 2002 - 10:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us now to take a closer look at the crash and the investigation is Peter Goelz, former managing director of the NTSB. He is now senior vice president for crisis communications for APCO worldwide, a PR firm in Washington.
Good morning. Thanks for joining us.

PETER GOELZ, FMR. NTSB MANAGING DIRECTOR: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: At this hearing over the last hour or so, they played an animation showing what the plane did after takeoff. We'll take a look at that and I'm hoping you can give us insight into what happened.

GOELZ: Absolutely.

KAGAN: Can you see the monitor?

GOELZ: Yes, indeed. What this shows is the final seconds of the a-300 Airbus. It encounters wake turbulence from a plane that took off approximately a minute, minute and 10 seconds in front of them. The pilots discuss hit something turbulence. The flying pilot, who is the copilot in this case, indicates asking for some maximum power to get out of it. The pilot says, are you OK? and the plane loses control shortly thereafter.

You know, the whole sequence of events, from the beginning to the end, takes more than 25 seconds.

KAGAN: So fast, to lose so many lives. The words that you were saying, this is also the hearing we'll hear for the first time the cockpit and flight data recorder, what is learned from that. Do you think that provides any insight?

GOELZ: Well, the data recorder has given the NTSB a lot of information. But again, one of the problems they have is that this was a very, very fast event. And the data recorder only checks data about once every second and things were moving very quickly. The last seven seconds, the data recorder was almost overcome with too much information.

KAGAN: It seems to me, in something like this, where there's no clear-cut answer, it turns into kind of a finger pointing, blame game, people concerned about Airbus, about that type of plane, then some people pointing fingers at the pilot saying it's pilot error. How do they get away from it just being finger pointing?

GOELZ: Well, the NTSB is use the to that kind of finger pointing. It almost always occurs in that the manufacturer says our plane is designed right. We've got thousands of them in the air. This is the only one that's lost a tail. The pilots and the airline says, listen, our guys did it right. This tail shouldn't have come off in this circumstance. So the NTSB has to filter through those kinds of charges, and it takes a little while, but they inevitably come up with a probable cause that rings true.

KAGAN: Peter, it's been almost a year since this flight took place. Why have these public hearings now?

GOELZ: One is, it was a very complex and is going to continue to be a complex accident investigation. This is the first one that has involved an Airbus product. They fly, they have a composite tail made up of plastics and other materials. The NTSB wants to make sure that all aspects of this accident are examined and examined in depth. This hearing is going to take at least four or five days this week. I would anticipate that they'll probably get an accident report out within the next year or 18 months, but these accident investigations take time.

KAGAN: They take time. At the end of four days, am I going to know as a flying consumer that I shouldn't be on Airbus, or I should check out pilots? Am I going to learn from this, or is this more for the experts?

GOELZ: This is more for the experts. The NTSB hold the hearings in public so people can see the work they're doing. But this is going to be a very complex and a very detailed four-day examination of certification processes, pilot training, the design of certain Airbus components. But I think you can be assured that the flying public should have confidence in the Airbus product and in American Airlines. Accidents are still very rare occurrences, as tragic as they are.

KAGAN: That they are. Hopefully, we'll learn from this one, 260 people on board, five people on the ground losing their lives. Hopefully, they'll not die in vain. Peter Goelz, former managing director of NTSB, thank you for your insight and expertise today. Much appreciated.

GOELZ: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com