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CNN Live Today
Plane Skids off Runway, 2 Passengers Missing; Pope John Paul II in Stable Condition
Aired February 02, 2005 - 10:00 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 CO-ANCHOR: Good morning to you. We're going to keep going back to New Jersey to get the latest on the plane crash out of Teterboro. Also, a lot of news happening, especially out of Washington.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: We're going to have for you right here. This is what's happening right now, in fact, in the news.
We're going to start with the situation at the Vatican, where officials are saying that Pope John Paul II is stable and recovering from an acute respiratory infection that prompted him to be rushed to a hospital. The pope is suffering from the flu when he reportedly suffered throat spasms. That's how they are being described. Vatican officials are repeating assurances that despite the pope's frail health there is, and we quote, "No reason to be alarmed."
Also, we are tracking down more of this morning's crash on that small corporate jet at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport that Daryn just mentioned moments ago. It's about a dozen miles from Midtown, Manhattan. Anyone familiar with the New Jersey-New York area, certainly been through Highway 46.
Witnesses saying it was unable to gain altitude on take off and appeared to hit a car before slamming into a warehouse. A lot of information, as you might expect, on this is still sketchy. The important thing now is to try and get those folks who were in the plane to a hospital, which is what the process is now. We're going to have the very latest on this all throughout this newscast.
Also in Iraq, final results from the nationwide elections are expected next week. But the leader of the leading Shiite ticket says that his government would include Sunni Arabs. Would include Sunni Arabs; that's a critical issue, given the large Sunni boycott of the elections and the subsequent claims that their lack of participation really invalidates the results, as some have charged.
From the Middle East, a possible glimmer of peace. Israel's prime minister has accepted an invitation to travel to Egypt next week, that's where there will be a summit that will include Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian. The new Palestinian leader, I should say. Abbas has also agreed to attend the event hosted by Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak. Tuesday's meeting would be the highest-level summit between the two sides in four years.
We say hello again on a busy morning. I'm Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: And good morning. I'm Daryn Kagan.
At this moment, rescue crews are working the scene of a corporate jet crash outside of New York City. New Jersey police say that two people are missing and 11 injured in the crash near Teterboro Airport. Live picture there's for you from New Jersey. The plane was unable to gain altitude on take-off. It crossed a busy highway amid rush hour traffic and then it slammed into a building.
Our Jason Carroll is at the scene with the latest -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Daryn, hello to you. We are standing at the edge of the runway here at Teterboro Airport. As you said that plane, we are told, was traveling at top speed as it was heading down the runway. It was unable to take off, unable to gain altitude.
According to the FAA that twin-engine jet skidded down the runway, through a fence, across Route 46, which is a local highway here, crashed into the Strawberry Clothing Warehouse, and then burst into flames. As it crossed Highway 46 -- Route 46, it appears to have clipped a car. At least two motorists inside that car were taken to the hospital.
Joining me now is Earl McNair. Earl was standing at a bus stop waiting for a bus. You saw the crash, went out to help. Tell me exactly what you saw, what you heard earlier.
EARL MCNAIR, WITNESS: I noticed a plane coming across the field, come cross the street and hit the car. Took the top off of the car and ran into the building. At which time I ran over to help out as much as possible. When I got over there, I found two young men laying in the car, head wounds to both sides of the head and everything. I stayed with them until the police came, until the ambulance came.
CARROLL: How serious were their injuries? Were they able talk to you about how they were feeling? What were you able to do for them once you were there?
MCNAIR: When I was there, I was able to talk to them and tried to show them that everything was going to be all right. But one had (AUDIO GAP) to his head.
CARROLL: Now, you stayed with them for how long, Earl? For quite a long time.
MCNAIR: Fifteen to 20 minutes.
CARROLL: And during that time you were just helping them with their wounds. Anything else that they were saying?
MCNAIR: Well, they was in pain. But I learned it was better to just talk to them and try to console them. That's what I was trying to do.
CARROLL: So, as you were sitting there at your bus stop, what kind of experience was that for you? You see this plane coming off the runway, heading across a street here, and then clipping a car, crashing into a building. What was that like for you to have to witness something like that?
MCNAIR: First thing that came to my mind was do what I can to help. So that's what I did.
CARROLL: All right. Earl McNair, thank you so very, very much.
MCNAIR: You're welcome.
CARROLL: Again, Earl McNair who was, Daryn, at his bus stop, and saw this whole thing happen, tried to help those two motorists who were, again, taken to local hospitals. Their conditions at this point unknown.
In terms of what we know more about the crash, 12 people were on board that plane. New Jersey State Police confirm that there were 11 injuries; two people at this point confirmed missing. That jet is a CL-600. It is a mid-size private jet. It was en route to Chicago's Midway Airport.
We are told that there should be a flight data recorder on board. That of course, is the device that records all the mechanical information from a plane. It is unclear at this point if there is a flight voice recorder on that aircraft. The FAA apparently does not require that for this size of aircraft.
When the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board investigators get out here, what they're going to be doing is obviously looking at any possible causes of the crash, whether it was engine failure, pilot failure. They'll be looking at any of those types of possibilities.
We are expecting a press conference from hospital at about 10:00 a.m. As soon as we can get more information from there, we will indeed bring it to you -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jason Carroll live from Teterboro Airport. Thank you.
With more, here is Rick.
SANCHEZ: Let's try and get a sense of the meteorological conditions at the time. And to do that, let's go to our own meteorologist. He's Chad Myers. He is standing by.
Give us a sense, if you would, Chad, of what the conditions were like there. And if there's any chance that it may have had anything to do with this.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Certainly. Rick, the temperatures were below freezing for 12 hours prior to that crash time. In that time, the dew point and the temperature came very close together. That means that the relative humidity came very close to 100 percent. When that happens, and the winds are calm, you can get frost. I've had an awful lot of e-mails this morning about frost on windshields in the Teterboro Airport, and that also tells me there was probably frost on the wings.
Now, Miles O'Brien, our plane expert, is going to talk about what that means to this plane exactly.
I want to show you, though, on our digital globe here, on our keyhole, how close this is to the New York City region. This is Manhattan. I'm going to fly you across the meadowlands right here over to the Teterboro Airport. It is very, very close, less than 12 miles if you are flying there. Now you can see right in the center of your screen, the runway itself. Runway 1-9 -- or 190 is actually closed for construction. It was the longer of the two runways. What you are seeing here is Runway 624.
The plane was actually heading in this direction, down the runway as it failed to take off. It should have been in the air right about now. And in fact, it wasn't. And we did see that the reverse thrusters were on. The pilot was obviously trying to slow the plane down. But obviously couldn't, as it moved across a very slippery, as you get off that runway into the grass, into the snow and then across the street into the building.
Rick, back to you.
SANCHEZ: Good illustration. Chad Myers bringing us the very latest on that.
Let's do this. Let's bring in our anchor Miles O'Brien, as well. He's our resident expert on aviation because you are a pilot. You fly an awful lot.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
SANCHEZ: We keep hearing all this about the deicing, the deicing, the deicing. What can you tell us about this? What's the probability of this?
O'BRIEN: The first thing we do is caution all of us to not fixate on any one, particular scenario here. First of all, by the time all is said and done, and once all is said and done it could be months or years before all is said and done.
There will probably be a string of situations that led to this. Very seldom do you come up with a crash where one incident caused the crash. It's usually a series of events, which put together, caused the crash. If you take out any one of those discrete elements, the plane would still be flying.
SANCHEZ: A series of events.
O'BRIEN: A series of events. Let's look, first of all at this. If you could lose that map. All right. Let's take a look, right engine. Look at that right engine Rick, it's darker. That's one of the things the National Transportation Safety Board is going to be looking at very early on. Why is it darker? Is it possible that there was an engine failure, which caused the engine to flame out? Or is that something that happened afterwards, in the course of the burning of the wreckage?
SANCHEZ: Mm-hmm.
O'BRIEN: It's interesting to me -- I watched this plane burn. It's interesting to me I didn't see any flames, which seemed to favor the right side. So that would be something that they would look at. Now, look also at those black bands around the engines there. They look like little black armbands. Those are the thrust reversers. And they clearly indicate, those thrust reversers were deployed. What that tell me is those pilots, that flight crew was trying desperately to stop that airplane.
If you also look very carefully, we think we have been able to find out, I've had some airline pilot friends call me, saying the speed brakes might have been deployed. These are also controllable surfaces on the wings, which make the wings less likely to fly. And they would have deployed those if they were trying to hit the brakes.
The question is what happened as they were going down that runway that said to those pilots, at the certain speed, which is before a speed pilots call V-1. Which is that point where after which you fly, before you hit the brakes. Somewhere before V-1 or very close to it, something happened, which said we are not flying today. We are hitting the brakes.
SANCHEZ: What do we need to know about this particular plane? Wasn't this the same plane that was involved in the Colorado accident as well?
O'BRIEN: Well, there's actually three take-off accidents involving the Canada Air CL-600. Back in November, you'll remember, NBC executive Dick Ebersol and some members of his family died, three died in Telluride, Colorado. The NTSB looking strongly in that particular incident at the fact that the aircraft was not properly deiced before it took off from Telluride. It had been some adverse conditions there.
Three years ago, January, another Canada Air CL-600 taking off from Birmingham, England in a situation not unlike this, but a frost scenario. Also didn't deice, also crashed on take off. Here's the key on this particular plane. It does not have leading edge slats. These are devices, which if this is the wing, they curl over the front of the wing and they -- well, you can't see me. There, they curl over the front of the wing and they increase the lift for the wing.
And so, as a result of that, this plane, No. 1, has to get to a pretty high speed before it can go flying, 150, 160 miles an hour. And secondly it's more susceptible to the possibilities of frost or ice being on it, disturbing the airflow.
SANCHEZ: And expect the NTSB to be looking into that now as well.
O'BRIEN: Yes, exactly.
SANCHEZ: A pattern, as you say.
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: Miles O'Brien, thank you so much. Good information.
KAGAN: And we will get back to New Jersey, as there is more information available.
Right now, let's check in on Pope John Paul II. The Vatican says there is no cause for alarm. The word on the pope that he was rushed to the hospital late last night. John Paul II, developing breathing problems after coming down with the flu.
For an update on the pontiff's condition, we go live to Rome and our CNN senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers -- Walter.
WALTER ROGERS, CNN SR. INT'L CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Daryn. Pope John Paul II's condition has stabilized. According to Vatican officials, a full recovery is expected, although the pope is expected to remain in hospital for a few days. That's reassuring news, given the alarm last night when His Holiness, the 84-year-old pontiff was rushed to the Gemelli Polyclinic here in Rome.
The pope was having difficulty breathing at about 11:00 last night. The doctors say he had an inflamed windpipe, inflamed trachea, and there were larynx spasms. Alarming news for a man in as frail health as the pope's. But again, after spending what the Vatican says was a restful night in hospital, the news is not so alarming now. Full recovery is expected. Indeed, almost all the news coming out of the hospital in Rome is good.
The pope never lost consciousness. A CAT scan was never necessary at all. And in point of fact, several other bits of good news. The pope had breakfast this morning, coffee as well and held a private mass in a small chapel adjacent to his hospital room.
So last night's fright was perhaps a little exaggerated. His Holiness is in good physical condition this morning, given the fact he's going to be 85 in May. Still everyone is keeping a close watch on things just in case -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Walter Rodgers live from Rome. Thank you for that.
Stay with CNN throughout the day for updates on the pope's condition. You can also visit cnn.com for more, including a pictorial history of Pope John Paul II. And our own show here have a Vatican expert coming up telling us how the church deals with this, as the pope faces this latest health crisis.
SANCHEZ: A lot of stuff going on. You know, there's this story, one midwestern town with two very different stories. Still to come during this hour, what happens when a factory town takes a big hit?
KAGAN: And Yankees' great Yogi Berra. He has a bone to pick with some TV ads. That story is coming up a bit later.
SANCHEZ: And on later as well, will we see six more weeks of winter? Punxsutawney Phil has given his prediction. By the way, there's one of these down south, too, we'll tell you about. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back CNN LIVE TODAY. Tonight's State of the Union Address is going to feature more of the president's ideas on revamping Social Security and Sunday's historic vote in Iraq. Now, the White House released photos showing Mr. Bush rehearsing for the speech. He's had four full run-throughs, as we understand, with a teleprompter over the past couple of days.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux looks at how second terms often differ from the first four years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the State of the Union, President Bush will lay out an ambitious agenda for a second tern. But with another four years, he could also face the dreaded second-term curse.
ALAN LICTHTMAN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: The second-term curse is as old as the Republic.
MALVEAUX: Scandal-bedeviled Bill Clinton with the impeachment trial.
BILL CLINTON (D), FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I did not have sexual relations with that woman.
MALVEAUX: Ronald Reagan with the Iran-Contra.
Ronald Reagan, LATE UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I did not know about diversion of funds to the Contras, but as president I cannot escape responsibility.
MALVEAUX: And Richard Nixon with Watergate.
RICHARD NIXON, LATE UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I shall resign the presidency effective noon tomorrow.
MALVEAUX: So why does it happen? Is it inevitable?
LICHTMAN: Presidents bring it upon themselves.
MALVEAUX: Presidential historian Alan Lichtman says second termers potentially aren't as influential, because they can't be re- elected. And it's precisely at this time they are overtaken by arrogance of power and the problem of isolation.
LICHTMAN: They've been in the bubble too long. You lose touch with ordinary people and you even lose touch with reality.
MALVEAUX: But Lichtman believes Mr. Bush can avoid succumbing to the curse and averting a lame duck presidency, by attempting to accomplish the big goals that could establish his legacy.
LICHTMAN: No. 1, he has got to take care of Iraq. If Iraq does not work, everything else falls apart.
MALVEAUX: And making friends may not be necessary to accomplish it.
LICHTMAN: He's not going to make the French and Germans love him. But the things work in Iraq, if he is able to broker a Middle East peace settlement, and there does seem to be some opening there, then the world will fall in line.
MALVEAUX: But Lichtman says Mr. Bush will need friends to push through his domestic agenda.
LICHTMAN: And if he can cut some adroit deals and make some clever compromises, then I think he has a chance to beat the second- term curse.
MALVEAUX: One thing the president has going for him, Lichtman says, is the way he's handled crises in the past.
LICHTMAN: George Bush has been very good on the many scandals that have come up in his administration, getting out front, taking responsibility and saying we are going to solve it. If he follows that path in the future, it's unlikely he is going to suffer the slings and arrows of scandals that have bedeviled other administrations.
MALVEAUX: And for President Bush, that's the hope.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And we'll have it for you. State of the Union Address that is. You can watch it right here on CNN. Our live prime time coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and then continues through midnight.
KAGAN: Speaking of live, let's see what's happening right now. Live in Washington, D.C., two key nominees for President Bush's second term are under going scrutiny this hour. The full Senate is debating the nomination of Alberto Gonzales, Mr. Bush's choice for attorney general. As many as 30 Democrats are expected to vote against Gonzales, but not enough to block his confirmation.
In fact, Republican senators say there won't be a vote today because the Democrats do not want to give the president a success to boast about in tonight's State of the Union Address speech.
In today's CNN "Security Watch," President Bush's security choice is also on Capitol Hill. This hour, Michael Chertoff is appearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. There is Mr. Chertoff right there. Chertoff will face questions on the treatment of prisoners, such as those being held in Iraq or Guantanamo Bay. As many as 30 Democrats are expected to vote against him as well, but that's not enough to block his confirmation. There will not be a vote today on Chertoff as well.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for your reliable news about your security.
SANCHEZ: Here is an interesting question. We were talking just a while ago about the State of the Union. Well, what about the state of the states? And the reason we ask that is, well, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I worked at this plant for 29 years and seven months. And I walked away with absolutely nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We go from state to state. We visit one Ohio town in particular to find out what's troubling America most as the president starts his second term.
KAGAN: Plus, Gerri Willis is along with her ""Top Five Tips"."
Give us a peak, Ger.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, are you in a complaining mood? We will tell you the best way to file your gripe when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Justice vows to be blind. But let me ask you a question, do you sometimes feel like businesses are deaf, at least when it comes to trying to resolve your particular consumer disputes or complaints? In today's ""Top Five Tips" we're going to look at the art of the complaint. What to say, how to say it and whom to say it to.
CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis joins us now to share her expertise on this. And we begin with a list.
And many are asking where is the list and how do I get on it, Gerri?
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIS: Or how do I get off it, Rick, right? You want to get off the list for those solicitors. Hey, they are sending you e-mails, they're sending you mail in your mailbox. They're calling you at dinnertime. It's so annoying. How do you get off the list?
Well, you probably do know about the Do-Not-Call List that's at donotcall.gov. But there's something else you can do. Go to the Direct Marketing Association Web site at dmaconsumers.org. And there you can fill out some forms and stop being bugged.
SANCHEZ: I guess it's important as well, to make sure that the damages are known. You have got to tell somebody, right?
WILLIS: Well, every year thousands and thousands of products go haywire, whether it's toys or electronics goods. You have to complain to the right people. The great place to go is the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They have got a Web site, too, cpsc.gov. Check it out. You can complain there about things that are not working for you. And find out if there have been problems already with these products.
SANCHEZ: Now, let me quote my 5-year-old, but daddy, is it OK to be a tattle tail?
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIS: In this case, it is. Definitely you want to be a tattle tail if you have got problems. Two great places to go are the attorney general's office in your state. Particularly if you are having problems with a local business, a local salesperson, somebody who's operating in your town or neighborhood. Another great place to go is the Better Business Bureau, because they maintain lists of problem vendors in your area. So you can find out ahead of time before you have the problem who to avoid.
SANCHEZ: One of the places where we read a lot about problems is on the Internet, as well. People get sucked in by some of these Internet proposals what do you do there?
WILLIS: You want to go to the top. You want to go to the FBI because they are showing people how to fight this Internet fraud. They are listening to your stories. They're going to take action. Definitely check it out go to their Web site and get help now.
SANCHEZ: There's a new show on TV, where all they do is follow people around in an airport with a camera and watch them fight with airline officials. And...
WILLIS: It's a great show.
SANCHEZ: Well, I have got to tell you though. Man, it's entertaining. But there really are problems sometimes with airlines. What do you do there?
WILLIS: Well, first thing's first. You should tell the airline you're having a problem first because they need to hear the first thing. But if you're not getting satisfaction, you really should go to the federal government because there are places to go to complain. Be sure to check out the federal government's web site for airlines to find out what to do. That's at the Aviation Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Transportation. They have a Web site, which we'll show you, airconsumer.osc.gov, it's a great place to go if you want to complain, Rick. SANCHEZ: Speaking of new shows, you know I was going to be segueing into this. I understand you are working on a little project yourself there, Gerri.
WILLIS: Yes, we have got a big project coming at 9:30 on Saturdays. It's called "Open House." Hey, Rick, whether you are buying a new house or renovating your old house, we're going to cover everything you need to know about your biggest investment.
This Saturday, we will be taking a look ahead at the 2005 market for real estate. We will tell you who's going up, who's going down. And in our weekend project, we will show you how to fix up your bathroom in just two days. How to go from boring to beautiful.
SANCHEZ: I need those. Those makeover things are just a hit nowadays.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Grabbing right on to that. Gerri Willis, we do thank you for that.
WILLIS: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: All righty.
KAGAN: We have got jobs, the economy, war on terror. What can you expect to hear tonight from President Bush? We're going to preview the State of the Union Address and see how it might compare with past presidential speeches.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like a bad nightmare to be out here, and see nobody but me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: On the job for 30 years and now little to show for it. CNN's Paula Zahn looks at this midwestern mother and grandmother, and her prospects.
KAGAN: Plus, we are continuing to watch the events out of Teterboro, New Jersey, where a small plane crashed this morning. The latest details just ahead.
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Aired February 2, 2005 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Good morning to you. We're going to keep going back to New Jersey to get the latest on the plane crash out of Teterboro. Also, a lot of news happening, especially out of Washington.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: We're going to have for you right here. This is what's happening right now, in fact, in the news.
We're going to start with the situation at the Vatican, where officials are saying that Pope John Paul II is stable and recovering from an acute respiratory infection that prompted him to be rushed to a hospital. The pope is suffering from the flu when he reportedly suffered throat spasms. That's how they are being described. Vatican officials are repeating assurances that despite the pope's frail health there is, and we quote, "No reason to be alarmed."
Also, we are tracking down more of this morning's crash on that small corporate jet at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport that Daryn just mentioned moments ago. It's about a dozen miles from Midtown, Manhattan. Anyone familiar with the New Jersey-New York area, certainly been through Highway 46.
Witnesses saying it was unable to gain altitude on take off and appeared to hit a car before slamming into a warehouse. A lot of information, as you might expect, on this is still sketchy. The important thing now is to try and get those folks who were in the plane to a hospital, which is what the process is now. We're going to have the very latest on this all throughout this newscast.
Also in Iraq, final results from the nationwide elections are expected next week. But the leader of the leading Shiite ticket says that his government would include Sunni Arabs. Would include Sunni Arabs; that's a critical issue, given the large Sunni boycott of the elections and the subsequent claims that their lack of participation really invalidates the results, as some have charged.
From the Middle East, a possible glimmer of peace. Israel's prime minister has accepted an invitation to travel to Egypt next week, that's where there will be a summit that will include Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian. The new Palestinian leader, I should say. Abbas has also agreed to attend the event hosted by Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak. Tuesday's meeting would be the highest-level summit between the two sides in four years.
We say hello again on a busy morning. I'm Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: And good morning. I'm Daryn Kagan.
At this moment, rescue crews are working the scene of a corporate jet crash outside of New York City. New Jersey police say that two people are missing and 11 injured in the crash near Teterboro Airport. Live picture there's for you from New Jersey. The plane was unable to gain altitude on take-off. It crossed a busy highway amid rush hour traffic and then it slammed into a building.
Our Jason Carroll is at the scene with the latest -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Daryn, hello to you. We are standing at the edge of the runway here at Teterboro Airport. As you said that plane, we are told, was traveling at top speed as it was heading down the runway. It was unable to take off, unable to gain altitude.
According to the FAA that twin-engine jet skidded down the runway, through a fence, across Route 46, which is a local highway here, crashed into the Strawberry Clothing Warehouse, and then burst into flames. As it crossed Highway 46 -- Route 46, it appears to have clipped a car. At least two motorists inside that car were taken to the hospital.
Joining me now is Earl McNair. Earl was standing at a bus stop waiting for a bus. You saw the crash, went out to help. Tell me exactly what you saw, what you heard earlier.
EARL MCNAIR, WITNESS: I noticed a plane coming across the field, come cross the street and hit the car. Took the top off of the car and ran into the building. At which time I ran over to help out as much as possible. When I got over there, I found two young men laying in the car, head wounds to both sides of the head and everything. I stayed with them until the police came, until the ambulance came.
CARROLL: How serious were their injuries? Were they able talk to you about how they were feeling? What were you able to do for them once you were there?
MCNAIR: When I was there, I was able to talk to them and tried to show them that everything was going to be all right. But one had (AUDIO GAP) to his head.
CARROLL: Now, you stayed with them for how long, Earl? For quite a long time.
MCNAIR: Fifteen to 20 minutes.
CARROLL: And during that time you were just helping them with their wounds. Anything else that they were saying?
MCNAIR: Well, they was in pain. But I learned it was better to just talk to them and try to console them. That's what I was trying to do.
CARROLL: So, as you were sitting there at your bus stop, what kind of experience was that for you? You see this plane coming off the runway, heading across a street here, and then clipping a car, crashing into a building. What was that like for you to have to witness something like that?
MCNAIR: First thing that came to my mind was do what I can to help. So that's what I did.
CARROLL: All right. Earl McNair, thank you so very, very much.
MCNAIR: You're welcome.
CARROLL: Again, Earl McNair who was, Daryn, at his bus stop, and saw this whole thing happen, tried to help those two motorists who were, again, taken to local hospitals. Their conditions at this point unknown.
In terms of what we know more about the crash, 12 people were on board that plane. New Jersey State Police confirm that there were 11 injuries; two people at this point confirmed missing. That jet is a CL-600. It is a mid-size private jet. It was en route to Chicago's Midway Airport.
We are told that there should be a flight data recorder on board. That of course, is the device that records all the mechanical information from a plane. It is unclear at this point if there is a flight voice recorder on that aircraft. The FAA apparently does not require that for this size of aircraft.
When the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board investigators get out here, what they're going to be doing is obviously looking at any possible causes of the crash, whether it was engine failure, pilot failure. They'll be looking at any of those types of possibilities.
We are expecting a press conference from hospital at about 10:00 a.m. As soon as we can get more information from there, we will indeed bring it to you -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jason Carroll live from Teterboro Airport. Thank you.
With more, here is Rick.
SANCHEZ: Let's try and get a sense of the meteorological conditions at the time. And to do that, let's go to our own meteorologist. He's Chad Myers. He is standing by.
Give us a sense, if you would, Chad, of what the conditions were like there. And if there's any chance that it may have had anything to do with this.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Certainly. Rick, the temperatures were below freezing for 12 hours prior to that crash time. In that time, the dew point and the temperature came very close together. That means that the relative humidity came very close to 100 percent. When that happens, and the winds are calm, you can get frost. I've had an awful lot of e-mails this morning about frost on windshields in the Teterboro Airport, and that also tells me there was probably frost on the wings.
Now, Miles O'Brien, our plane expert, is going to talk about what that means to this plane exactly.
I want to show you, though, on our digital globe here, on our keyhole, how close this is to the New York City region. This is Manhattan. I'm going to fly you across the meadowlands right here over to the Teterboro Airport. It is very, very close, less than 12 miles if you are flying there. Now you can see right in the center of your screen, the runway itself. Runway 1-9 -- or 190 is actually closed for construction. It was the longer of the two runways. What you are seeing here is Runway 624.
The plane was actually heading in this direction, down the runway as it failed to take off. It should have been in the air right about now. And in fact, it wasn't. And we did see that the reverse thrusters were on. The pilot was obviously trying to slow the plane down. But obviously couldn't, as it moved across a very slippery, as you get off that runway into the grass, into the snow and then across the street into the building.
Rick, back to you.
SANCHEZ: Good illustration. Chad Myers bringing us the very latest on that.
Let's do this. Let's bring in our anchor Miles O'Brien, as well. He's our resident expert on aviation because you are a pilot. You fly an awful lot.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
SANCHEZ: We keep hearing all this about the deicing, the deicing, the deicing. What can you tell us about this? What's the probability of this?
O'BRIEN: The first thing we do is caution all of us to not fixate on any one, particular scenario here. First of all, by the time all is said and done, and once all is said and done it could be months or years before all is said and done.
There will probably be a string of situations that led to this. Very seldom do you come up with a crash where one incident caused the crash. It's usually a series of events, which put together, caused the crash. If you take out any one of those discrete elements, the plane would still be flying.
SANCHEZ: A series of events.
O'BRIEN: A series of events. Let's look, first of all at this. If you could lose that map. All right. Let's take a look, right engine. Look at that right engine Rick, it's darker. That's one of the things the National Transportation Safety Board is going to be looking at very early on. Why is it darker? Is it possible that there was an engine failure, which caused the engine to flame out? Or is that something that happened afterwards, in the course of the burning of the wreckage?
SANCHEZ: Mm-hmm.
O'BRIEN: It's interesting to me -- I watched this plane burn. It's interesting to me I didn't see any flames, which seemed to favor the right side. So that would be something that they would look at. Now, look also at those black bands around the engines there. They look like little black armbands. Those are the thrust reversers. And they clearly indicate, those thrust reversers were deployed. What that tell me is those pilots, that flight crew was trying desperately to stop that airplane.
If you also look very carefully, we think we have been able to find out, I've had some airline pilot friends call me, saying the speed brakes might have been deployed. These are also controllable surfaces on the wings, which make the wings less likely to fly. And they would have deployed those if they were trying to hit the brakes.
The question is what happened as they were going down that runway that said to those pilots, at the certain speed, which is before a speed pilots call V-1. Which is that point where after which you fly, before you hit the brakes. Somewhere before V-1 or very close to it, something happened, which said we are not flying today. We are hitting the brakes.
SANCHEZ: What do we need to know about this particular plane? Wasn't this the same plane that was involved in the Colorado accident as well?
O'BRIEN: Well, there's actually three take-off accidents involving the Canada Air CL-600. Back in November, you'll remember, NBC executive Dick Ebersol and some members of his family died, three died in Telluride, Colorado. The NTSB looking strongly in that particular incident at the fact that the aircraft was not properly deiced before it took off from Telluride. It had been some adverse conditions there.
Three years ago, January, another Canada Air CL-600 taking off from Birmingham, England in a situation not unlike this, but a frost scenario. Also didn't deice, also crashed on take off. Here's the key on this particular plane. It does not have leading edge slats. These are devices, which if this is the wing, they curl over the front of the wing and they -- well, you can't see me. There, they curl over the front of the wing and they increase the lift for the wing.
And so, as a result of that, this plane, No. 1, has to get to a pretty high speed before it can go flying, 150, 160 miles an hour. And secondly it's more susceptible to the possibilities of frost or ice being on it, disturbing the airflow.
SANCHEZ: And expect the NTSB to be looking into that now as well.
O'BRIEN: Yes, exactly.
SANCHEZ: A pattern, as you say.
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: Miles O'Brien, thank you so much. Good information.
KAGAN: And we will get back to New Jersey, as there is more information available.
Right now, let's check in on Pope John Paul II. The Vatican says there is no cause for alarm. The word on the pope that he was rushed to the hospital late last night. John Paul II, developing breathing problems after coming down with the flu.
For an update on the pontiff's condition, we go live to Rome and our CNN senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers -- Walter.
WALTER ROGERS, CNN SR. INT'L CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Daryn. Pope John Paul II's condition has stabilized. According to Vatican officials, a full recovery is expected, although the pope is expected to remain in hospital for a few days. That's reassuring news, given the alarm last night when His Holiness, the 84-year-old pontiff was rushed to the Gemelli Polyclinic here in Rome.
The pope was having difficulty breathing at about 11:00 last night. The doctors say he had an inflamed windpipe, inflamed trachea, and there were larynx spasms. Alarming news for a man in as frail health as the pope's. But again, after spending what the Vatican says was a restful night in hospital, the news is not so alarming now. Full recovery is expected. Indeed, almost all the news coming out of the hospital in Rome is good.
The pope never lost consciousness. A CAT scan was never necessary at all. And in point of fact, several other bits of good news. The pope had breakfast this morning, coffee as well and held a private mass in a small chapel adjacent to his hospital room.
So last night's fright was perhaps a little exaggerated. His Holiness is in good physical condition this morning, given the fact he's going to be 85 in May. Still everyone is keeping a close watch on things just in case -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Walter Rodgers live from Rome. Thank you for that.
Stay with CNN throughout the day for updates on the pope's condition. You can also visit cnn.com for more, including a pictorial history of Pope John Paul II. And our own show here have a Vatican expert coming up telling us how the church deals with this, as the pope faces this latest health crisis.
SANCHEZ: A lot of stuff going on. You know, there's this story, one midwestern town with two very different stories. Still to come during this hour, what happens when a factory town takes a big hit?
KAGAN: And Yankees' great Yogi Berra. He has a bone to pick with some TV ads. That story is coming up a bit later.
SANCHEZ: And on later as well, will we see six more weeks of winter? Punxsutawney Phil has given his prediction. By the way, there's one of these down south, too, we'll tell you about. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back CNN LIVE TODAY. Tonight's State of the Union Address is going to feature more of the president's ideas on revamping Social Security and Sunday's historic vote in Iraq. Now, the White House released photos showing Mr. Bush rehearsing for the speech. He's had four full run-throughs, as we understand, with a teleprompter over the past couple of days.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux looks at how second terms often differ from the first four years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the State of the Union, President Bush will lay out an ambitious agenda for a second tern. But with another four years, he could also face the dreaded second-term curse.
ALAN LICTHTMAN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: The second-term curse is as old as the Republic.
MALVEAUX: Scandal-bedeviled Bill Clinton with the impeachment trial.
BILL CLINTON (D), FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I did not have sexual relations with that woman.
MALVEAUX: Ronald Reagan with the Iran-Contra.
Ronald Reagan, LATE UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I did not know about diversion of funds to the Contras, but as president I cannot escape responsibility.
MALVEAUX: And Richard Nixon with Watergate.
RICHARD NIXON, LATE UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I shall resign the presidency effective noon tomorrow.
MALVEAUX: So why does it happen? Is it inevitable?
LICHTMAN: Presidents bring it upon themselves.
MALVEAUX: Presidential historian Alan Lichtman says second termers potentially aren't as influential, because they can't be re- elected. And it's precisely at this time they are overtaken by arrogance of power and the problem of isolation.
LICHTMAN: They've been in the bubble too long. You lose touch with ordinary people and you even lose touch with reality.
MALVEAUX: But Lichtman believes Mr. Bush can avoid succumbing to the curse and averting a lame duck presidency, by attempting to accomplish the big goals that could establish his legacy.
LICHTMAN: No. 1, he has got to take care of Iraq. If Iraq does not work, everything else falls apart.
MALVEAUX: And making friends may not be necessary to accomplish it.
LICHTMAN: He's not going to make the French and Germans love him. But the things work in Iraq, if he is able to broker a Middle East peace settlement, and there does seem to be some opening there, then the world will fall in line.
MALVEAUX: But Lichtman says Mr. Bush will need friends to push through his domestic agenda.
LICHTMAN: And if he can cut some adroit deals and make some clever compromises, then I think he has a chance to beat the second- term curse.
MALVEAUX: One thing the president has going for him, Lichtman says, is the way he's handled crises in the past.
LICHTMAN: George Bush has been very good on the many scandals that have come up in his administration, getting out front, taking responsibility and saying we are going to solve it. If he follows that path in the future, it's unlikely he is going to suffer the slings and arrows of scandals that have bedeviled other administrations.
MALVEAUX: And for President Bush, that's the hope.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And we'll have it for you. State of the Union Address that is. You can watch it right here on CNN. Our live prime time coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and then continues through midnight.
KAGAN: Speaking of live, let's see what's happening right now. Live in Washington, D.C., two key nominees for President Bush's second term are under going scrutiny this hour. The full Senate is debating the nomination of Alberto Gonzales, Mr. Bush's choice for attorney general. As many as 30 Democrats are expected to vote against Gonzales, but not enough to block his confirmation.
In fact, Republican senators say there won't be a vote today because the Democrats do not want to give the president a success to boast about in tonight's State of the Union Address speech.
In today's CNN "Security Watch," President Bush's security choice is also on Capitol Hill. This hour, Michael Chertoff is appearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. There is Mr. Chertoff right there. Chertoff will face questions on the treatment of prisoners, such as those being held in Iraq or Guantanamo Bay. As many as 30 Democrats are expected to vote against him as well, but that's not enough to block his confirmation. There will not be a vote today on Chertoff as well.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for your reliable news about your security.
SANCHEZ: Here is an interesting question. We were talking just a while ago about the State of the Union. Well, what about the state of the states? And the reason we ask that is, well, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I worked at this plant for 29 years and seven months. And I walked away with absolutely nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We go from state to state. We visit one Ohio town in particular to find out what's troubling America most as the president starts his second term.
KAGAN: Plus, Gerri Willis is along with her ""Top Five Tips"."
Give us a peak, Ger.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, are you in a complaining mood? We will tell you the best way to file your gripe when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Justice vows to be blind. But let me ask you a question, do you sometimes feel like businesses are deaf, at least when it comes to trying to resolve your particular consumer disputes or complaints? In today's ""Top Five Tips" we're going to look at the art of the complaint. What to say, how to say it and whom to say it to.
CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis joins us now to share her expertise on this. And we begin with a list.
And many are asking where is the list and how do I get on it, Gerri?
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIS: Or how do I get off it, Rick, right? You want to get off the list for those solicitors. Hey, they are sending you e-mails, they're sending you mail in your mailbox. They're calling you at dinnertime. It's so annoying. How do you get off the list?
Well, you probably do know about the Do-Not-Call List that's at donotcall.gov. But there's something else you can do. Go to the Direct Marketing Association Web site at dmaconsumers.org. And there you can fill out some forms and stop being bugged.
SANCHEZ: I guess it's important as well, to make sure that the damages are known. You have got to tell somebody, right?
WILLIS: Well, every year thousands and thousands of products go haywire, whether it's toys or electronics goods. You have to complain to the right people. The great place to go is the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They have got a Web site, too, cpsc.gov. Check it out. You can complain there about things that are not working for you. And find out if there have been problems already with these products.
SANCHEZ: Now, let me quote my 5-year-old, but daddy, is it OK to be a tattle tail?
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIS: In this case, it is. Definitely you want to be a tattle tail if you have got problems. Two great places to go are the attorney general's office in your state. Particularly if you are having problems with a local business, a local salesperson, somebody who's operating in your town or neighborhood. Another great place to go is the Better Business Bureau, because they maintain lists of problem vendors in your area. So you can find out ahead of time before you have the problem who to avoid.
SANCHEZ: One of the places where we read a lot about problems is on the Internet, as well. People get sucked in by some of these Internet proposals what do you do there?
WILLIS: You want to go to the top. You want to go to the FBI because they are showing people how to fight this Internet fraud. They are listening to your stories. They're going to take action. Definitely check it out go to their Web site and get help now.
SANCHEZ: There's a new show on TV, where all they do is follow people around in an airport with a camera and watch them fight with airline officials. And...
WILLIS: It's a great show.
SANCHEZ: Well, I have got to tell you though. Man, it's entertaining. But there really are problems sometimes with airlines. What do you do there?
WILLIS: Well, first thing's first. You should tell the airline you're having a problem first because they need to hear the first thing. But if you're not getting satisfaction, you really should go to the federal government because there are places to go to complain. Be sure to check out the federal government's web site for airlines to find out what to do. That's at the Aviation Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Transportation. They have a Web site, which we'll show you, airconsumer.osc.gov, it's a great place to go if you want to complain, Rick. SANCHEZ: Speaking of new shows, you know I was going to be segueing into this. I understand you are working on a little project yourself there, Gerri.
WILLIS: Yes, we have got a big project coming at 9:30 on Saturdays. It's called "Open House." Hey, Rick, whether you are buying a new house or renovating your old house, we're going to cover everything you need to know about your biggest investment.
This Saturday, we will be taking a look ahead at the 2005 market for real estate. We will tell you who's going up, who's going down. And in our weekend project, we will show you how to fix up your bathroom in just two days. How to go from boring to beautiful.
SANCHEZ: I need those. Those makeover things are just a hit nowadays.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Grabbing right on to that. Gerri Willis, we do thank you for that.
WILLIS: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: All righty.
KAGAN: We have got jobs, the economy, war on terror. What can you expect to hear tonight from President Bush? We're going to preview the State of the Union Address and see how it might compare with past presidential speeches.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like a bad nightmare to be out here, and see nobody but me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: On the job for 30 years and now little to show for it. CNN's Paula Zahn looks at this midwestern mother and grandmother, and her prospects.
KAGAN: Plus, we are continuing to watch the events out of Teterboro, New Jersey, where a small plane crashed this morning. The latest details just ahead.
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