Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Investigators Look For Cause of North Carolina Plane Crash
Aired January 09, 2003 - 06:02 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In Charlotte, North Carolina today, investigators will get their first good look at the flight data recorders from that fatal commercial plane crash.
At the scene for us live in Charlotte is CNN's David Mattingly.
Good morning -- David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Investigators are preparing for their first full day on the site of yesterday's crash of a commuter flight here at the Charlotte airport.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (voice-over): It should have been just a half-hour flight, a quick commuter hop from Charlotte to Greenville, South Carolina. But on takeoff, the plane suddenly veered to the left, the pilot radioing to the tower there was an emergency.
JOHN GOGLIA, NTSB: I haven't heard the tape, but I have been told that one of the crewmembers declared an emergency. He said, "We have an emergency." That's the extent of our knowledge of that right now.
MATTINGLY: The plane crashed at a maintenance hanger, just hundreds of feet from where it took off. A fireball, an explosion erupted, killing all 21 on board.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I saw him through my sunroof, and he was going straight up. It looked like the prop on the right side just completely stopped, and he rolled on his back, and it came straight down and hit nose first, and just a huge fireball as soon as it hit.
MATTINGLY: This amateur video capturing the scene just minutes after the crash, showing churning clouds of smoke. Crash investigators will be closely examining wreckage of the Beechcraft 1900 turboprop, operated by Air Midwest, the plane, according to FAA records, reporting minor maintenance problems last spring.
But in August, an alert was issued to mechanics to watch out on all 1900s for a loose bolt on a vertical stabilizer, a critical piece of flying equipment.
GOGLIA: We recovered both the flight data recorder and the voice recorder. They are already in Washington. And while both were burned, they do appear to be in decent shape.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: And for that reason, investigators are hopeful that they will get some quick information, some quick insight today as the contents of those so-called black boxes are analyzed. But while the boxes are in relatively good condition, the wreckage is not. And investigators say it will take some time to collect and analyze all of the debris that is at the crash site -- Carol.
COSTELLO: You know, a lot of people in our audience, David, plan to fly this morning on business travel. How safe are those planes?
MATTINGLY: Well, this Beechcraft 1900D was introduced in 1991. This is the fifth fatal crash involving that aircraft. The last one was in Quebec, and that was in 1999. That killed seven people. This particular crash, again, just the fifth crash since this particular model was introduced back in 1991.
COSTELLO: I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse. David Mattingly, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Crash>
Aired January 9, 2003 - 06:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In Charlotte, North Carolina today, investigators will get their first good look at the flight data recorders from that fatal commercial plane crash.
At the scene for us live in Charlotte is CNN's David Mattingly.
Good morning -- David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Investigators are preparing for their first full day on the site of yesterday's crash of a commuter flight here at the Charlotte airport.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (voice-over): It should have been just a half-hour flight, a quick commuter hop from Charlotte to Greenville, South Carolina. But on takeoff, the plane suddenly veered to the left, the pilot radioing to the tower there was an emergency.
JOHN GOGLIA, NTSB: I haven't heard the tape, but I have been told that one of the crewmembers declared an emergency. He said, "We have an emergency." That's the extent of our knowledge of that right now.
MATTINGLY: The plane crashed at a maintenance hanger, just hundreds of feet from where it took off. A fireball, an explosion erupted, killing all 21 on board.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I saw him through my sunroof, and he was going straight up. It looked like the prop on the right side just completely stopped, and he rolled on his back, and it came straight down and hit nose first, and just a huge fireball as soon as it hit.
MATTINGLY: This amateur video capturing the scene just minutes after the crash, showing churning clouds of smoke. Crash investigators will be closely examining wreckage of the Beechcraft 1900 turboprop, operated by Air Midwest, the plane, according to FAA records, reporting minor maintenance problems last spring.
But in August, an alert was issued to mechanics to watch out on all 1900s for a loose bolt on a vertical stabilizer, a critical piece of flying equipment.
GOGLIA: We recovered both the flight data recorder and the voice recorder. They are already in Washington. And while both were burned, they do appear to be in decent shape.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: And for that reason, investigators are hopeful that they will get some quick information, some quick insight today as the contents of those so-called black boxes are analyzed. But while the boxes are in relatively good condition, the wreckage is not. And investigators say it will take some time to collect and analyze all of the debris that is at the crash site -- Carol.
COSTELLO: You know, a lot of people in our audience, David, plan to fly this morning on business travel. How safe are those planes?
MATTINGLY: Well, this Beechcraft 1900D was introduced in 1991. This is the fifth fatal crash involving that aircraft. The last one was in Quebec, and that was in 1999. That killed seven people. This particular crash, again, just the fifth crash since this particular model was introduced back in 1991.
COSTELLO: I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse. David Mattingly, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Crash>
