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American Morning

Pope Hospitalized; 'What's In It For Me?'; Breaking News: Plane Crash At Teterboro Airport in New Jersey

Aired February 02, 2005 - 07:30   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: Welcome back, everybody. It's 7:30 here in New York, 7:32 in Pennsylvania, where we're watching Punxsutawney come out. Do we have the shot? Put it up if we do. Any moment now...
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: He's out, Bill.

HEMMER: He's out?

COSTELLO: He's out.

HEMMER: He's almost out. That's Phil inside the stump. So, what's the deal? He sees his shadow, and we're...

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Six more weeks of winter. They're cheering for him. But is that in anticipation or in celebration? You know...

COSTELLO: I don't know. I thought they pulled Phil from the hole, but...

HEMMER: They gave him the microphone. So we expect comments, right, from the animal? Maybe not.

O'BRIEN: We are all over this story, I want you to know. And can I tell you something? With or without Phil, we've got six more weeks of winter. It is cold.

HEMMER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: It is -- look at that. It's, what, 28 degrees and we're celebrating how warm it is today? Come on.

HEMMER: Well, you asked Chad if they do this anywhere else. Thirty-six different places across the country. Chester is in St. Louis, Soledad. Claude is a crawfish in Louisiana. Let's see. French Creek Freddy. Beauregard Lee down in Atlanta. Buckeye Chuck in Ohio. And Punxsutawney Phil right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

O'BRIEN: Look.

HEMMER: Nowhere else.

O'BRIEN: He's out. He doesn't look happy. He's, like, you just woke me up, you people. HEMMER: There you have it. Regardless of what Phil is seeing there in Pennsylvania, it's 27 chilly degrees here in New York. Good morning, everyone.

The pope's illness is not only of great concern to Catholics, John Paul II has been one of the most influential political figures of the past quarter-century. Ray Flynn, the former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, has known the pope for a very long time, and he's our guest in a moment to talk about the latest.

O'BRIEN: And, Bill, but later this morning, we'll talk about "90-Second Pop" and pop culture, of course. Hollywood's fascination with video games is full circle now. There's a video game of a Hollywood classic. Our "90-Second Pop" crew tells us just how far they've gone in the name of realism. We are listening to the Godfather there. So, just take a guess what they've made into a video game.

HEMMER: Yes, they had to go a long way to act that scene. Hardly.

Hey, Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, we spent all of that time with Punxsutawney Phil and we did not remain to see if he sees his shadow.

O'BRIEN: They haven't announced it. But you know what?

COSTELLO: What?

O'BRIEN: It's six more weeks of winter! I know I'm not a meteorologist, but why don't you people believe me?

HEMMER: You know what, Carol? Soledad and I really don't give a hoot.

O'BRIEN: No, I do!

HEMMER: Oh, you do? I don't.

O'BRIEN: I mean, I do.

COSTELLO: You guys, like, absolutely are no fun.

O'BRIEN: Yes, we...

COSTELLO: I'm going to move on with the headlines now.

O'BRIEN: OK. Go to it.

COSTELLO: Good morning, everyone.

"Now in the News."

President Bush is putting the final touches on his State of the Union address. The White House releasing photos of the president running through his speech. A senior official says today's address is the blueprint for achieving the goals outlined his inaugural speech, including a detailed plan for revamping Social Security. CNN will have primetime coverage of the State of the Union address beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

Homeland security secretary-nominee Judge Michael Chertoff beginning his confirmation hearings. Chertoff is set to be on Capitol Hill in just about two and a half hours. He is likely to be grilled on advice he gave the CIA regarding interrogation of terror suspects. Chertoff was assistant attorney general at the time of the September 11 terror attacks.

Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean is emerging as the new leader of the Democratic Party. Yesterday, former Texas Representative Martin Frost dropped out of the race, failing to win support from national labor unions. Many of those groups are backing Dean. Members of the Democratic National Committee will vote on a new DNC chair on February 12.

I'm not going to tell you about Punxsutawney Phil since you don't care.

O'BRIEN: We'll update everybody when we find out whether he saw his -- I do care. I'm telling you, six weeks. Want to put money on it? A dollar, like Hemmer?

COSTELLO: A dollar.

O'BRIEN: Carol, thanks a lot.

Pope John Paul II spent the night in a Rome hospital after he was rushed there late last night. The 84-year-old pontiff, seen here on Sunday in his last public appearance in the Vatican, has been suffering from the flu. He was having problems breathing last night.

Well, this morning, the Vatican says there is -- quote -- "no cause for alarm."

Ray Flynn is the former mayor of Boston and was President Clinton's first ambassador to the Vatican. Ambassador Flynn now serves as the national chairman of Catholic Citizen, a nonpartisan public policy organization. And he's in Boston this morning.

Nice to see you, sir. Thanks for being with us.

RAY FLYNN, FMR. U.S. AMB. TO THE VATICAN: Good morning, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: I know Vatican officials gave you a call to update you on the pope's situation. What exactly did they tell you?

FLYNN: Well, just that a heads-up, more or less, a courtesy, that I have been friendly with the holy father, with many Vatican officials for 20-30 years, I guess, now, 25 years. And what they are concerned about is that the Catholics throughout the United States have an understanding of what the holy father is experiencing and some of the physical problems that he's witnessing. Certainly, his age, his vulnerability, his weaknesses, frailty, all of those are factors. So, it's important that the information be communicated to the people of the United States.

It's more than just an interest -- a casual interest in Catholics across the country, Catholics across the world. Don't forget, he's a man that has an extraordinary moral impact on various issues from war to peace, to the economy, to humanitarian efforts.

So, right from the White House to the Middle East, his voice is very important. So, disseminating the accurate information is so very, very important about this truly remarkable man, who, as you said, is 84 years old and really not in very good health.

O'BRIEN: And you sort of laid it out there in the sense that flu, in an elderly person, any elderly person, can be deadly. We all know that. But, again, the pope has survived numerous surgeries. He's survived an assassination attempt. He's elderly. He is already not in great health. Do you have serious concerns this time around for his health right now?

FLYNN: I certainly do, Soledad. I know the statements that are made by the Vatican, Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the official spokesperson for John Paul II. I go back to the assassination attempt on John Paul II. I maintain that he really has not ever fully recovered from that, and it's had an incredible impact with him on his health.

I have spoken to him. In fact, I had a conversation with Ronald Reagan about it as well, and Ronald Reagan spoke to John Paul II about it. I don't think that's something that you really over -- you know, you get over, despite the fact that he got excellent medical care.

But they're just making sure that whatever precautions are necessary, they take those precautions from a medical point of view.

This man is -- there's a great deal of anxiety, Soledad, and there's also a great deal of concern. People will anxiously await how he recovers from this kind of situation. And I maintain that many Catholics across the United States, people across the United States, across the world, will be praying for John Paul II. This is kind of an anxious time for many of us.

O'BRIEN: No question about that. Dire predictions, though, about the pope have been given again and again and again and again. And this really is a man who truly maybe defines the word "survivor," I think it's fair to say. Would you agree?

FLYNN: Yes, there's no question about it when you think about it. I've written about him in a couple of books about John Paul II. When you think about him as a young man, he was the witness to Adolph Hitler marching into Poland on September 1, 1939. And just after that was over, communism and Joseph Stalin came into his native Poland in Eastern Europe, the iron curtain. All of that that this man has had to be a witness to, and he's brought the church through some really tumultuous times, including up to the present. And, you know, there's a certain place in history for John Paul II. We may not see it immediately, but I think in 20-25 years you'll see that this is a man of -- probably the man of the century, along with Roosevelt, along with Churchill. This man was really a witness, not only a witness, but a participant to some of the greatest events of the 20th-21st century.

O'BRIEN: Ambassador Ray Flynn is a former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, also the former mayor of Boston. Nice to see you. Thanks for talking with us.

FLYNN: Good to be with you. My pleasure. Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Thank you very much. Thank you -- Bill.

HEMMER: Soledad, later tonight, President Bush will share his second-term vision when he delivers his State of the Union address. What do average Americans expect to hear tonight? To find out, we went back to the people who took part in our recent series called "What's In It For Me?" And Kelly Wallace is back with us here in New York.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

What we found out when we sat down with our fabulous panel is that they might not see eye to eye on politics, but they all want one thing from the president tonight, and that is details about his plans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know. We're almost home.

WALLACE (voice over): We brought together Dawn Jimenez, whose husband just returned from Iraq, John Pollinger, Middletown, New Jersey's police chief, Roseann Salanitri, a conservative activist, and Ilana Reich, a psychologist from Manhattan, along with her boyfriend, Bob Agnes.

Over lunch at a New Jersey restaurant, they all said they wanted specifics from President Bush tonight.

ROSEANN SALANITRI, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: I don't want to hear sound bites. I don't want to hear tax reform. All right. What does that mean?

BOB AGNES, RETIRED: I think he's got to reach out to the American people and explain exactly what he means to do about those programs.

ILANA REICH, PSYCHOLOGIST: I never find those kinds of speeches helpful, because they're not clear enough, specific enough.

SALANITRI: I do want to hear him say that the things that he mentioned in his campaign and the things that he ran on, that it's still full speed ahead.

WALLACE: Chief Pollinger, what do you want to hear from the president tomorrow night?

CHIEF JOHN POLLINGER, MIDDLETON, N.J. POLICE CHIEF: Less arrogance. I was kind of disappointed when, right after the election, he decided that this was a mandate. When you get just past 50 percent of the popular support, it's not a mandate. It's a privilege.

DAWN JIMENEZ, HUSBAND SERVED IN IRAQ: I want to know what he's going to do for our military, how he's going to help them get what they need in order to secure our home front and keep the war over in Iraq and Afghanistan and, et cetera, and away from our back yards.

WALLACE (voice over): And following Sunday's elections in Iraq, what do they want to hear? They all agree the president should not lay out a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops.

JIMENEZ: I do not expect a timetable. Do not give me a timetable because I won't believe it.

POLLINGER: And what I would like to hear the president say we're not going to abandon the Iraqi people until they are confident enough to ask us to leave.

REICH: I think the issue is: Are we going to be going all over the world all the time to free countries and is that our policy?

POLLINGER: He needs to tone down the rhetoric...

REICH: Perhaps that's not what we want.

POLLINGER: ... to create the fear that we're going to be...

AGNES: I think the insurgents have to believe that we will stay there forever if it takes that long.

POLLINGER: Absolutely.

AGNES: They're not going to win. Give it up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And coming up at 9:30, more from our panel of everyday Americans, hear what they want the president to do to try and bring the country together.

HEMMER: And no shortage of opinions either.

WALLACE: No shortage there.

HEMMER: And we know it's going to be Social Security. We know it's going to be Iraq. We know it's going to be fiscal discipline. But when you're spending $5 billion every month for Iraq and Afghanistan, some suggest that may be a difficult sell.

WALLACE: Interesting. And, again, it's so interesting. They want to hear details, specifics.

HEMMER: Yes.

WALLACE: They want to hear a lot more than just sort of the bullet points.

HEMMER: We'll see. We'll be watching tonight.

WALLACE: We'll be watching.

HEMMER: See you later, Kelly.

WALLACE: OK.

HEMMER: Later tonight, stay tuned to CNN for our live coverage of the State of the Union address. Our primetime coverage starts at 8:00 on the East Coast, 5:00 out west -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Let's get another check of the weather this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: We've got this just in to CNN this morning, these pictures coming to you from Teterboro Airport. That's in Teterboro, New Jersey, a plane apparently slamming into a building after going off the runway at that airport.

Here is what we understand happened. The plane ran through a fence, crossed over Route 46 into the building. There are firefighters on the scene. Obviously, as you can see from the pictures there, very heavy smoke is what they're dealing with in addition to some flames.

From some of these pictures we can also see that the left wing of the plane is lying on the ground. It's been ripped off the plane or fallen off the plane. It does not appear to be a large jet. It appears to -- from what we can tell underneath this heavy smoke, it could possibly be a smallish private aircraft.

We're going to get more information on this throughout the morning and update you on the situation there. But, again, you're looking at live pictures coming to you from Teterboro, New Jersey, at Teterboro Airport, where a plane has run across Route 46 and gone right into some kind of a building structure.

HEMMER: It's just about 30 minutes from the city here in New York, across the Hudson. Oftentimes, you can get there in less depending on traffic. An airport that is frequented by private jets, a small airport, and company planes frequent this particular airport, right along Route 46 in New Jersey. One report that suggests that it had crossed that highway.

The weather is clear today in the New York area, clear skies, blue skies today, about 28 degrees. It had been much colder just about a week ago. But this past week, it's been fairly mild here in New York for late January, early February. We do not have a cause for this, not even close, in fact. Not many more details than that. Teterboro, New Jersey as we watch this burn.

O'BRIEN: And you can see the snow, obviously, all around where the firefighters are working. I actually just flew out of this airport a couple days ago. And it was very well-cleared. So, it didn't seem at the time -- it hasn't snowed since that time that I flew out. It didn't seem as if there would be any massive pile-up of snow or any sort of conditions outside of, you know, what's already been there from our last snowfall.

We are going to update you on this story as we continue to follow it this morning. But you're looking at some live pictures.

HEMMER: There's a traffic helicopter pilot, Soledad, from New York radio station WCBS. Through the Associated Press, we're getting this report that confirms what we just said. It appears that a private jet broke through a fence and skidded across Route 46 into this building. What this building is, we do not know. How far this is from the airport, we do not know. But we know it must be in the vicinity of the runway at Teterboro.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Well, you can see, I mean, Teterboro runs right along 46. So, it's actually very close, and you can see it does look as if it has gone sort of -- if you look at the left side of your screen -- it crossed right over that and then smacked into that building, which is the source of all of that heavy smoke.

There has been, by my count, at least nine firefighters on the scene, although one would imagine many more than that, because you can still see the flames as they're coming out of this relatively small, it looks like, private aircraft that has slammed into this building.

And it looks like a relatively low-level building. It's almost like it's more than one or two stories at this time. At one point, we could see the shot from the chopper that the left wing appeared to have either fallen off or had been ripped off the side of the jet. Of course, it's impossible to know, at this point at least, exactly if that was any kind of cause or fallout from this accident. And you can see that the plane...

HEMMER: Just another thing in my ear here, Soledad. WCBS Radio, I mentioned them a moment ago, they're also saying it was a two-engine jet. Just a bit of clarification there, but not much more information than that, and so much we do not know at this point.

Teterboro, New Jersey, is right near the Hudson River, right outside the city of New York. This is what we know. Apparently, a two-engine jet, according to WCBS Radio and also the AP, this private jet breaking through a fence near the airport and skidding across Route 46 into a building that has not yet been identified.

O'BRIEN: And we're going to continue to update you on this story as we get more information throughout the morning. Obviously, a lot of work for the firefighters ahead as they are on the scene trying to put water on that fire. It looks like the plane ran into a vehicle as well. You can see that that actually seems to be what is on fire at this time as they are there. As the camera is panning left, you can see some of the tracks there. It looks like it skidded off, ran right across the highway there, through a fence and then smack into a building.

HEMMER: We are going in between live pictures here. WABC now with this helicopter shot above what is obviously smoke and a little bit of flame, too, inside that building and perhaps on the plane as well.

Just to repeat, weather does not appear to be a factor today. Sure, it's cold in the area. But, again, it's the first week in February, about 28 degrees locally. And as I mentioned before, clear skies, blue skies throughout the New York area.

O'BRIEN: And you can see from this shot, now that they've widened out, right there on your far right is the edge of the runway. So what's happened here is it's gone over the runway, gone all through that grassy, snowy area, and kept going across both lanes of 46 and then smack into a building, which to me looks as if it might be some kind of a parking structure possibly. It's very low-lying, and there are cars right there. And, in fact, it looks like one of the cars is what appears to be on fire, maybe in addition to the plane.

Teterboro is one of the nation's oldest airports apparently, or in the metropolitan area at least. It's only 12 miles from New York City, which is -- it makes it perfect, frankly, for businessmen who are hopping on their private planes to get out of town and avoid LaGuardia or JFK or even Newark. You know, obviously, heavy traffic for the small private aircraft...

HEMMER: Arguably, probably the closest airport, too, to New York City for getting in and out. We'll continue to watch this again, Teterboro, New Jersey. As we get more information we'll pass it along to you.

Let's get a break here. In a moment at 12 minutes now before the hour, Uncle Sam wants you to help solve what may be an impending crisis. We'll get back to that, "Minding Your Business" in a moment on that.

O'BRIEN: OK. But we're going to continue to take you back to the pictures from Teterboro Airport as we continue to update this story. Once again, you can see on the scene now, fire trucks and heavy smoke continues to pour out of this structure. We're unclear, though, what this structure is. It's obviously relatively low. It is only -- it looks like it couldn't be more than one or even two stories high at this time. And firefighters are trying to put out the flames, which are still going on.

It looks as if a small private jet, relatively small at least, has crossed past the runway, it wasn't able to take off, and ran right through a fence at the edge of the runway. It crossed over Route 46 and then slammed a relatively short distance into that low-level structure, where at least it appears to be a car or something else has burst into flames and is now on fire.

There are, by my count, nine firefighters on the scene. It could be more. One would expect more.

And now you can see actually those flames have spread. The tail part of the small jet is -- it looks to be engulfed in flames as well. And obviously, we don't have any information at this point on exactly who was on board that plane. And...

HEMMER: WCBS Radio was reporting earlier it appears this jet broke through that fence and went across the runway. They were also saying, what, a two-engine jet as well. But also getting a report -- give it to me again, Ted, if you've got it.

O'BRIEN: Oh, yes, we can see from the shot, obviously, it looks as if they have taken someone out who is injured. It's not clear on the status of this person at that time or if that is the only person on board. But the firefighters have now moved some of their energy -- you guys, if you can drop that banner. When we get back to that shot, we'll be able to see it a little more clearly. Firefighters are clearly working on somebody who has been pulled out of this wreckage.

You can see now it's, of course, covered with this foam that the firefighters use to try to bring down the flames. But you can see the tail number and the part of the plane that doesn't look like to be heavily-damaged, though. But if this camera were to pan a little bit further left or wider, you could see the left wing is actually gone. It was ripped off. It's unclear if it was ripped off in transit, into the building, if it happened on impact or if that was actually the cause of this aborted takeoff. And look at that.

HEMMER: And there it is, yes.

O'BRIEN: There is what we were wondering about, essentially the impact on Route 46. We're talking about, of course, rush hour traffic.

HEMMER: It's rush hour traffic in the morning, yes, with a lot of people trying to make their way into the city. That's right.

O'BRIEN: No question. You see a vehicle there. That looks as if the top of it has just been sheared right off. That is Route 46 in Teterboro, New Jersey, which borders right along Teterboro Airport, and so clearly some devastation to that vehicle, although it doesn't look as if there are many more vehicles in that area as the firefighters remain on the scene trying to put out the flames that seem to have spread from the front and maybe what we saw was the impact with the vehicles on 46. Because there was clearly a vehicle that was on fire that's right under the nose or where the nose would be of this plane.

At the same side of the impact with the building there was clearly a vehicle there, and it was on fire. And then the firefighters, of course, are trying to put it out.

HEMMER: Let's reset here. Here is what we know. Teterboro, New Jersey, just outside of New York City. As the crow flies, it's 12 miles from downtown Manhattan. On a good day without traffic you can get there in less than 30 minutes, very close to the city. Teterboro is an airport that is frequented by private jets. Company planes fly in and out all day long at this airport in part because it is so convenient to the city. Business travelers use this airport. Celebrities use this airport quite often, right along Route 46.

And as we mentioned earlier -- and you'll see it again in this picture when it goes wider -- this plane skidded across the highway, broke through a fence, hit at least one vehicle with the top of that car right there you see in the middle of the highway sheared off.

We did see at least one person on a stretcher getting medical attention. We do not have any word on the condition of that individual or how many people may have been aboard this plane.

WCBS Radio is saying it was a two-engine jet. But after that there's not a whole lot more we know.

The weather is clear in New York, about 28 degrees locally, blue skies. And oftentimes, Soledad with these smaller jets, you worry about de-icing and whether or not the ice gets heavy on the wings and whether or not this plane can take off in the air. But based on the weather conditions today, that would not appear to be an issue this morning.

O'BRIEN: We are getting word from the Associated Press that this is a corporate jet, which has appeared to have veered off the runway and gone straight into a building.

Here's what we know about Teterboro. It's comprised of a broad range of general aviation aircraft. Two runways there, one is about 7,000 feet long, the other is just over 6,000 feet long.

The smoke, actually we've seen it greatly increase since we started our coverage just a few minutes ago. Firefighters are on the scene, obviously trying to put out the flames. And also we've seen them try to work on some of the folks who have been injured in this. Since Route 46 borders Teterboro Airport, no surprise there at rush hour that it's possible this plane slammed into, and we saw from one shot, sheared off the top of a vehicle making its way down Route 46. And it looks as if also there's another vehicle that's under the nose of the plane as well.

So there's -- it's a surprise, actually I would imagine, that the traffic wasn't heavier at this time, because this is the height of rush hour traffic.

HEMMER: As you mention that, here's the word. Route 46 is closed now in both directions, not much of a surprise when you see the wider image there right near the airport, right near the runway.

O'BRIEN: Lots of questions at this time, of course. Look how much that smoke has grown. When we first started our coverage, you could actually very clearly make out the plane. It was really to the point where you could read the tail number, to the point where you could see that the left wing had been sheared off of that plane as it hit the building or before it hit the building. HEMMER: One thing we're getting here out of Chad Myers, who is watching this as well down at the CNN center. Chad, you did some research here on the tail number.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

HEMMER: How did you get the tail number, first of all?

MYERS: When they zoom in, Bill you can actually see it. It was the N370V, manufactured by Canadair Limited in 1980. There are 13 seats in that plane registered to a company out of Dallas, Texas. But we don't know how many people, obvious, within those 13 seats. Two engines, 750 horsepower each. Manufactured, again, in 1980. And actually, there was a runway closure at that airport as well for construction, 190. Runway 190 is closed, but they were taking off on -- or landing on 240 there -- Bill.

O'BRIEN: That's a shorter runway, actually. It's about 1,000 feet shorter than the 190 runway, which is the north/south runway at Teterboro. And who knows exactly what played a role.

But, Chad, you know, let's take a moment and talk about the weather, because I've got to tell you, it is a beautiful day here in New York City. A little chilly, but a very clear day. I flew out of this same airport on that same runway a couple days ago right after the snow that we had had. And I was a little concerned about the de- icing, a little concerned about the weather. And we had no problems whatsoever, because they actually had cleared the runways very, very well.

Give me a sense of the weather and what kind of a role that could have played.

MYERS: Soledad, the temperature was 22 degrees, absolutely clear skies, no wind whatsoever. Now, there could have been some frost on the wings, because as the skies cleared overnight and the winds went down, you can get frost. But typically, obviously, the pilots will take a look at that.

I'm still not sure whether the plane was actually taking off or landing. I do not have any information on that. We're doing a search on the flight plan right now.

O'BRIEN: One has to imagine, though, Chad, it was taking off.

MYERS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: And here's why. If you look at the runway and you look at the direction that the plane has gone, it moved from the runway across the fence into a building. I can't imagine a scenario where you could do that and be landing at the same time, because it doesn't look like it hit the building first and missed the runway, if you know what I'm saying.

We should mention that Route 46 is now closed in both directions. We've seen them holding up the traffic. And we've also seen firefighters on the scene. They are working on some of the injured folks. We've seen at least two stretchers there and at least nine, by my count, firefighters who are working on this blaze.

Interestingly, the smoke, Chad, we actually, as you pointed out, you could read the tail number very easily just a few minutes ago. You could also read -- see the damage to the plane there. Now look. Take a look, because this is actually a good shot.

HEMMER: WABC is reporting now that this plane never got off the ground. It apparently veered off the runway. That's the description we're getting, based on the local report there. WABC television reporting that.

Teterboro, New Jersey here. Firefighters on the scene here of a burning building hit by a private jet that apparently skidded off the runway and also hit at least one vehicle as it was crossing Route 46, perhaps more.

There's a traffic helicopter pilot from New York radio station WCBS describing how this plane went off the runway, broke through a fence, crossed the highway, and then slammed into the building, which is where the majority of firefighters are working at this point.

Also, television reports show smoke billowing out of the building and the skid marks, too, clearly seen leading to the crash site. No word on injuries. And Route 46 is now closed in both directions. But we do know there will be injuries, based on at least one person we spotted here on a stretcher, now getting attention there along Route 46.

O'BRIEN: And, in fact, the local news here in New York, WNBC, is reporting there are some injuries. Unclear, though, if those injuries are on the ground, in the cars that were going down Route 46 at the time of impact, or if the injuries are from the folks who were on board the plane. It is unclear at this point. And we will, of course, continue to try to get information on that.

One has to imagine, though, there was a vehicle that we saw, a black car that they've shown some shots of, that looks like, you know, it was opened by a can opener. Just the top shredded, ripped off. And one has to imagine that whoever was inside that vehicle, that was a tough impact from that plane.

HEMMER: Here's a little more from WABC. They're describing this building now as a warehouse. The aircraft, as Chad was mentioning, a Challenger aircraft, CL-600. It can seat just about 13 people, including crewmembers, maximum on board that plane. No immediate reports on injuries in that crash.

And also, that accident -- look at this right here very closely now through that window, it appears that there are flames inside of that jet as well, which would explain why so many firefighters giving that particular part so much attention. If you were with us just about, oh, 12 minutes ago when we first took this live picture, there were many more flames coming out of that building and also out of that jet. That building is described as a warehouse now through WABC.

O'BRIEN: And WABC is also reporting this morning that there were 12 people on board this flight. We have not got confirmation of that. But that's the information we're getting from WABC.

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Aired February 2, 2005 - 07:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. It's 7:30 here in New York, 7:32 in Pennsylvania, where we're watching Punxsutawney come out. Do we have the shot? Put it up if we do. Any moment now...
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: He's out, Bill.

HEMMER: He's out?

COSTELLO: He's out.

HEMMER: He's almost out. That's Phil inside the stump. So, what's the deal? He sees his shadow, and we're...

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Six more weeks of winter. They're cheering for him. But is that in anticipation or in celebration? You know...

COSTELLO: I don't know. I thought they pulled Phil from the hole, but...

HEMMER: They gave him the microphone. So we expect comments, right, from the animal? Maybe not.

O'BRIEN: We are all over this story, I want you to know. And can I tell you something? With or without Phil, we've got six more weeks of winter. It is cold.

HEMMER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: It is -- look at that. It's, what, 28 degrees and we're celebrating how warm it is today? Come on.

HEMMER: Well, you asked Chad if they do this anywhere else. Thirty-six different places across the country. Chester is in St. Louis, Soledad. Claude is a crawfish in Louisiana. Let's see. French Creek Freddy. Beauregard Lee down in Atlanta. Buckeye Chuck in Ohio. And Punxsutawney Phil right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

O'BRIEN: Look.

HEMMER: Nowhere else.

O'BRIEN: He's out. He doesn't look happy. He's, like, you just woke me up, you people. HEMMER: There you have it. Regardless of what Phil is seeing there in Pennsylvania, it's 27 chilly degrees here in New York. Good morning, everyone.

The pope's illness is not only of great concern to Catholics, John Paul II has been one of the most influential political figures of the past quarter-century. Ray Flynn, the former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, has known the pope for a very long time, and he's our guest in a moment to talk about the latest.

O'BRIEN: And, Bill, but later this morning, we'll talk about "90-Second Pop" and pop culture, of course. Hollywood's fascination with video games is full circle now. There's a video game of a Hollywood classic. Our "90-Second Pop" crew tells us just how far they've gone in the name of realism. We are listening to the Godfather there. So, just take a guess what they've made into a video game.

HEMMER: Yes, they had to go a long way to act that scene. Hardly.

Hey, Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, we spent all of that time with Punxsutawney Phil and we did not remain to see if he sees his shadow.

O'BRIEN: They haven't announced it. But you know what?

COSTELLO: What?

O'BRIEN: It's six more weeks of winter! I know I'm not a meteorologist, but why don't you people believe me?

HEMMER: You know what, Carol? Soledad and I really don't give a hoot.

O'BRIEN: No, I do!

HEMMER: Oh, you do? I don't.

O'BRIEN: I mean, I do.

COSTELLO: You guys, like, absolutely are no fun.

O'BRIEN: Yes, we...

COSTELLO: I'm going to move on with the headlines now.

O'BRIEN: OK. Go to it.

COSTELLO: Good morning, everyone.

"Now in the News."

President Bush is putting the final touches on his State of the Union address. The White House releasing photos of the president running through his speech. A senior official says today's address is the blueprint for achieving the goals outlined his inaugural speech, including a detailed plan for revamping Social Security. CNN will have primetime coverage of the State of the Union address beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

Homeland security secretary-nominee Judge Michael Chertoff beginning his confirmation hearings. Chertoff is set to be on Capitol Hill in just about two and a half hours. He is likely to be grilled on advice he gave the CIA regarding interrogation of terror suspects. Chertoff was assistant attorney general at the time of the September 11 terror attacks.

Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean is emerging as the new leader of the Democratic Party. Yesterday, former Texas Representative Martin Frost dropped out of the race, failing to win support from national labor unions. Many of those groups are backing Dean. Members of the Democratic National Committee will vote on a new DNC chair on February 12.

I'm not going to tell you about Punxsutawney Phil since you don't care.

O'BRIEN: We'll update everybody when we find out whether he saw his -- I do care. I'm telling you, six weeks. Want to put money on it? A dollar, like Hemmer?

COSTELLO: A dollar.

O'BRIEN: Carol, thanks a lot.

Pope John Paul II spent the night in a Rome hospital after he was rushed there late last night. The 84-year-old pontiff, seen here on Sunday in his last public appearance in the Vatican, has been suffering from the flu. He was having problems breathing last night.

Well, this morning, the Vatican says there is -- quote -- "no cause for alarm."

Ray Flynn is the former mayor of Boston and was President Clinton's first ambassador to the Vatican. Ambassador Flynn now serves as the national chairman of Catholic Citizen, a nonpartisan public policy organization. And he's in Boston this morning.

Nice to see you, sir. Thanks for being with us.

RAY FLYNN, FMR. U.S. AMB. TO THE VATICAN: Good morning, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: I know Vatican officials gave you a call to update you on the pope's situation. What exactly did they tell you?

FLYNN: Well, just that a heads-up, more or less, a courtesy, that I have been friendly with the holy father, with many Vatican officials for 20-30 years, I guess, now, 25 years. And what they are concerned about is that the Catholics throughout the United States have an understanding of what the holy father is experiencing and some of the physical problems that he's witnessing. Certainly, his age, his vulnerability, his weaknesses, frailty, all of those are factors. So, it's important that the information be communicated to the people of the United States.

It's more than just an interest -- a casual interest in Catholics across the country, Catholics across the world. Don't forget, he's a man that has an extraordinary moral impact on various issues from war to peace, to the economy, to humanitarian efforts.

So, right from the White House to the Middle East, his voice is very important. So, disseminating the accurate information is so very, very important about this truly remarkable man, who, as you said, is 84 years old and really not in very good health.

O'BRIEN: And you sort of laid it out there in the sense that flu, in an elderly person, any elderly person, can be deadly. We all know that. But, again, the pope has survived numerous surgeries. He's survived an assassination attempt. He's elderly. He is already not in great health. Do you have serious concerns this time around for his health right now?

FLYNN: I certainly do, Soledad. I know the statements that are made by the Vatican, Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the official spokesperson for John Paul II. I go back to the assassination attempt on John Paul II. I maintain that he really has not ever fully recovered from that, and it's had an incredible impact with him on his health.

I have spoken to him. In fact, I had a conversation with Ronald Reagan about it as well, and Ronald Reagan spoke to John Paul II about it. I don't think that's something that you really over -- you know, you get over, despite the fact that he got excellent medical care.

But they're just making sure that whatever precautions are necessary, they take those precautions from a medical point of view.

This man is -- there's a great deal of anxiety, Soledad, and there's also a great deal of concern. People will anxiously await how he recovers from this kind of situation. And I maintain that many Catholics across the United States, people across the United States, across the world, will be praying for John Paul II. This is kind of an anxious time for many of us.

O'BRIEN: No question about that. Dire predictions, though, about the pope have been given again and again and again and again. And this really is a man who truly maybe defines the word "survivor," I think it's fair to say. Would you agree?

FLYNN: Yes, there's no question about it when you think about it. I've written about him in a couple of books about John Paul II. When you think about him as a young man, he was the witness to Adolph Hitler marching into Poland on September 1, 1939. And just after that was over, communism and Joseph Stalin came into his native Poland in Eastern Europe, the iron curtain. All of that that this man has had to be a witness to, and he's brought the church through some really tumultuous times, including up to the present. And, you know, there's a certain place in history for John Paul II. We may not see it immediately, but I think in 20-25 years you'll see that this is a man of -- probably the man of the century, along with Roosevelt, along with Churchill. This man was really a witness, not only a witness, but a participant to some of the greatest events of the 20th-21st century.

O'BRIEN: Ambassador Ray Flynn is a former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, also the former mayor of Boston. Nice to see you. Thanks for talking with us.

FLYNN: Good to be with you. My pleasure. Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Thank you very much. Thank you -- Bill.

HEMMER: Soledad, later tonight, President Bush will share his second-term vision when he delivers his State of the Union address. What do average Americans expect to hear tonight? To find out, we went back to the people who took part in our recent series called "What's In It For Me?" And Kelly Wallace is back with us here in New York.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

What we found out when we sat down with our fabulous panel is that they might not see eye to eye on politics, but they all want one thing from the president tonight, and that is details about his plans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know. We're almost home.

WALLACE (voice over): We brought together Dawn Jimenez, whose husband just returned from Iraq, John Pollinger, Middletown, New Jersey's police chief, Roseann Salanitri, a conservative activist, and Ilana Reich, a psychologist from Manhattan, along with her boyfriend, Bob Agnes.

Over lunch at a New Jersey restaurant, they all said they wanted specifics from President Bush tonight.

ROSEANN SALANITRI, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: I don't want to hear sound bites. I don't want to hear tax reform. All right. What does that mean?

BOB AGNES, RETIRED: I think he's got to reach out to the American people and explain exactly what he means to do about those programs.

ILANA REICH, PSYCHOLOGIST: I never find those kinds of speeches helpful, because they're not clear enough, specific enough.

SALANITRI: I do want to hear him say that the things that he mentioned in his campaign and the things that he ran on, that it's still full speed ahead.

WALLACE: Chief Pollinger, what do you want to hear from the president tomorrow night?

CHIEF JOHN POLLINGER, MIDDLETON, N.J. POLICE CHIEF: Less arrogance. I was kind of disappointed when, right after the election, he decided that this was a mandate. When you get just past 50 percent of the popular support, it's not a mandate. It's a privilege.

DAWN JIMENEZ, HUSBAND SERVED IN IRAQ: I want to know what he's going to do for our military, how he's going to help them get what they need in order to secure our home front and keep the war over in Iraq and Afghanistan and, et cetera, and away from our back yards.

WALLACE (voice over): And following Sunday's elections in Iraq, what do they want to hear? They all agree the president should not lay out a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops.

JIMENEZ: I do not expect a timetable. Do not give me a timetable because I won't believe it.

POLLINGER: And what I would like to hear the president say we're not going to abandon the Iraqi people until they are confident enough to ask us to leave.

REICH: I think the issue is: Are we going to be going all over the world all the time to free countries and is that our policy?

POLLINGER: He needs to tone down the rhetoric...

REICH: Perhaps that's not what we want.

POLLINGER: ... to create the fear that we're going to be...

AGNES: I think the insurgents have to believe that we will stay there forever if it takes that long.

POLLINGER: Absolutely.

AGNES: They're not going to win. Give it up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And coming up at 9:30, more from our panel of everyday Americans, hear what they want the president to do to try and bring the country together.

HEMMER: And no shortage of opinions either.

WALLACE: No shortage there.

HEMMER: And we know it's going to be Social Security. We know it's going to be Iraq. We know it's going to be fiscal discipline. But when you're spending $5 billion every month for Iraq and Afghanistan, some suggest that may be a difficult sell.

WALLACE: Interesting. And, again, it's so interesting. They want to hear details, specifics.

HEMMER: Yes.

WALLACE: They want to hear a lot more than just sort of the bullet points.

HEMMER: We'll see. We'll be watching tonight.

WALLACE: We'll be watching.

HEMMER: See you later, Kelly.

WALLACE: OK.

HEMMER: Later tonight, stay tuned to CNN for our live coverage of the State of the Union address. Our primetime coverage starts at 8:00 on the East Coast, 5:00 out west -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Let's get another check of the weather this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: We've got this just in to CNN this morning, these pictures coming to you from Teterboro Airport. That's in Teterboro, New Jersey, a plane apparently slamming into a building after going off the runway at that airport.

Here is what we understand happened. The plane ran through a fence, crossed over Route 46 into the building. There are firefighters on the scene. Obviously, as you can see from the pictures there, very heavy smoke is what they're dealing with in addition to some flames.

From some of these pictures we can also see that the left wing of the plane is lying on the ground. It's been ripped off the plane or fallen off the plane. It does not appear to be a large jet. It appears to -- from what we can tell underneath this heavy smoke, it could possibly be a smallish private aircraft.

We're going to get more information on this throughout the morning and update you on the situation there. But, again, you're looking at live pictures coming to you from Teterboro, New Jersey, at Teterboro Airport, where a plane has run across Route 46 and gone right into some kind of a building structure.

HEMMER: It's just about 30 minutes from the city here in New York, across the Hudson. Oftentimes, you can get there in less depending on traffic. An airport that is frequented by private jets, a small airport, and company planes frequent this particular airport, right along Route 46 in New Jersey. One report that suggests that it had crossed that highway.

The weather is clear today in the New York area, clear skies, blue skies today, about 28 degrees. It had been much colder just about a week ago. But this past week, it's been fairly mild here in New York for late January, early February. We do not have a cause for this, not even close, in fact. Not many more details than that. Teterboro, New Jersey as we watch this burn.

O'BRIEN: And you can see the snow, obviously, all around where the firefighters are working. I actually just flew out of this airport a couple days ago. And it was very well-cleared. So, it didn't seem at the time -- it hasn't snowed since that time that I flew out. It didn't seem as if there would be any massive pile-up of snow or any sort of conditions outside of, you know, what's already been there from our last snowfall.

We are going to update you on this story as we continue to follow it this morning. But you're looking at some live pictures.

HEMMER: There's a traffic helicopter pilot, Soledad, from New York radio station WCBS. Through the Associated Press, we're getting this report that confirms what we just said. It appears that a private jet broke through a fence and skidded across Route 46 into this building. What this building is, we do not know. How far this is from the airport, we do not know. But we know it must be in the vicinity of the runway at Teterboro.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Well, you can see, I mean, Teterboro runs right along 46. So, it's actually very close, and you can see it does look as if it has gone sort of -- if you look at the left side of your screen -- it crossed right over that and then smacked into that building, which is the source of all of that heavy smoke.

There has been, by my count, at least nine firefighters on the scene, although one would imagine many more than that, because you can still see the flames as they're coming out of this relatively small, it looks like, private aircraft that has slammed into this building.

And it looks like a relatively low-level building. It's almost like it's more than one or two stories at this time. At one point, we could see the shot from the chopper that the left wing appeared to have either fallen off or had been ripped off the side of the jet. Of course, it's impossible to know, at this point at least, exactly if that was any kind of cause or fallout from this accident. And you can see that the plane...

HEMMER: Just another thing in my ear here, Soledad. WCBS Radio, I mentioned them a moment ago, they're also saying it was a two-engine jet. Just a bit of clarification there, but not much more information than that, and so much we do not know at this point.

Teterboro, New Jersey, is right near the Hudson River, right outside the city of New York. This is what we know. Apparently, a two-engine jet, according to WCBS Radio and also the AP, this private jet breaking through a fence near the airport and skidding across Route 46 into a building that has not yet been identified.

O'BRIEN: And we're going to continue to update you on this story as we get more information throughout the morning. Obviously, a lot of work for the firefighters ahead as they are on the scene trying to put water on that fire. It looks like the plane ran into a vehicle as well. You can see that that actually seems to be what is on fire at this time as they are there. As the camera is panning left, you can see some of the tracks there. It looks like it skidded off, ran right across the highway there, through a fence and then smack into a building.

HEMMER: We are going in between live pictures here. WABC now with this helicopter shot above what is obviously smoke and a little bit of flame, too, inside that building and perhaps on the plane as well.

Just to repeat, weather does not appear to be a factor today. Sure, it's cold in the area. But, again, it's the first week in February, about 28 degrees locally. And as I mentioned before, clear skies, blue skies throughout the New York area.

O'BRIEN: And you can see from this shot, now that they've widened out, right there on your far right is the edge of the runway. So what's happened here is it's gone over the runway, gone all through that grassy, snowy area, and kept going across both lanes of 46 and then smack into a building, which to me looks as if it might be some kind of a parking structure possibly. It's very low-lying, and there are cars right there. And, in fact, it looks like one of the cars is what appears to be on fire, maybe in addition to the plane.

Teterboro is one of the nation's oldest airports apparently, or in the metropolitan area at least. It's only 12 miles from New York City, which is -- it makes it perfect, frankly, for businessmen who are hopping on their private planes to get out of town and avoid LaGuardia or JFK or even Newark. You know, obviously, heavy traffic for the small private aircraft...

HEMMER: Arguably, probably the closest airport, too, to New York City for getting in and out. We'll continue to watch this again, Teterboro, New Jersey. As we get more information we'll pass it along to you.

Let's get a break here. In a moment at 12 minutes now before the hour, Uncle Sam wants you to help solve what may be an impending crisis. We'll get back to that, "Minding Your Business" in a moment on that.

O'BRIEN: OK. But we're going to continue to take you back to the pictures from Teterboro Airport as we continue to update this story. Once again, you can see on the scene now, fire trucks and heavy smoke continues to pour out of this structure. We're unclear, though, what this structure is. It's obviously relatively low. It is only -- it looks like it couldn't be more than one or even two stories high at this time. And firefighters are trying to put out the flames, which are still going on.

It looks as if a small private jet, relatively small at least, has crossed past the runway, it wasn't able to take off, and ran right through a fence at the edge of the runway. It crossed over Route 46 and then slammed a relatively short distance into that low-level structure, where at least it appears to be a car or something else has burst into flames and is now on fire.

There are, by my count, nine firefighters on the scene. It could be more. One would expect more.

And now you can see actually those flames have spread. The tail part of the small jet is -- it looks to be engulfed in flames as well. And obviously, we don't have any information at this point on exactly who was on board that plane. And...

HEMMER: WCBS Radio was reporting earlier it appears this jet broke through that fence and went across the runway. They were also saying, what, a two-engine jet as well. But also getting a report -- give it to me again, Ted, if you've got it.

O'BRIEN: Oh, yes, we can see from the shot, obviously, it looks as if they have taken someone out who is injured. It's not clear on the status of this person at that time or if that is the only person on board. But the firefighters have now moved some of their energy -- you guys, if you can drop that banner. When we get back to that shot, we'll be able to see it a little more clearly. Firefighters are clearly working on somebody who has been pulled out of this wreckage.

You can see now it's, of course, covered with this foam that the firefighters use to try to bring down the flames. But you can see the tail number and the part of the plane that doesn't look like to be heavily-damaged, though. But if this camera were to pan a little bit further left or wider, you could see the left wing is actually gone. It was ripped off. It's unclear if it was ripped off in transit, into the building, if it happened on impact or if that was actually the cause of this aborted takeoff. And look at that.

HEMMER: And there it is, yes.

O'BRIEN: There is what we were wondering about, essentially the impact on Route 46. We're talking about, of course, rush hour traffic.

HEMMER: It's rush hour traffic in the morning, yes, with a lot of people trying to make their way into the city. That's right.

O'BRIEN: No question. You see a vehicle there. That looks as if the top of it has just been sheared right off. That is Route 46 in Teterboro, New Jersey, which borders right along Teterboro Airport, and so clearly some devastation to that vehicle, although it doesn't look as if there are many more vehicles in that area as the firefighters remain on the scene trying to put out the flames that seem to have spread from the front and maybe what we saw was the impact with the vehicles on 46. Because there was clearly a vehicle that was on fire that's right under the nose or where the nose would be of this plane.

At the same side of the impact with the building there was clearly a vehicle there, and it was on fire. And then the firefighters, of course, are trying to put it out.

HEMMER: Let's reset here. Here is what we know. Teterboro, New Jersey, just outside of New York City. As the crow flies, it's 12 miles from downtown Manhattan. On a good day without traffic you can get there in less than 30 minutes, very close to the city. Teterboro is an airport that is frequented by private jets. Company planes fly in and out all day long at this airport in part because it is so convenient to the city. Business travelers use this airport. Celebrities use this airport quite often, right along Route 46.

And as we mentioned earlier -- and you'll see it again in this picture when it goes wider -- this plane skidded across the highway, broke through a fence, hit at least one vehicle with the top of that car right there you see in the middle of the highway sheared off.

We did see at least one person on a stretcher getting medical attention. We do not have any word on the condition of that individual or how many people may have been aboard this plane.

WCBS Radio is saying it was a two-engine jet. But after that there's not a whole lot more we know.

The weather is clear in New York, about 28 degrees locally, blue skies. And oftentimes, Soledad with these smaller jets, you worry about de-icing and whether or not the ice gets heavy on the wings and whether or not this plane can take off in the air. But based on the weather conditions today, that would not appear to be an issue this morning.

O'BRIEN: We are getting word from the Associated Press that this is a corporate jet, which has appeared to have veered off the runway and gone straight into a building.

Here's what we know about Teterboro. It's comprised of a broad range of general aviation aircraft. Two runways there, one is about 7,000 feet long, the other is just over 6,000 feet long.

The smoke, actually we've seen it greatly increase since we started our coverage just a few minutes ago. Firefighters are on the scene, obviously trying to put out the flames. And also we've seen them try to work on some of the folks who have been injured in this. Since Route 46 borders Teterboro Airport, no surprise there at rush hour that it's possible this plane slammed into, and we saw from one shot, sheared off the top of a vehicle making its way down Route 46. And it looks as if also there's another vehicle that's under the nose of the plane as well.

So there's -- it's a surprise, actually I would imagine, that the traffic wasn't heavier at this time, because this is the height of rush hour traffic.

HEMMER: As you mention that, here's the word. Route 46 is closed now in both directions, not much of a surprise when you see the wider image there right near the airport, right near the runway.

O'BRIEN: Lots of questions at this time, of course. Look how much that smoke has grown. When we first started our coverage, you could actually very clearly make out the plane. It was really to the point where you could read the tail number, to the point where you could see that the left wing had been sheared off of that plane as it hit the building or before it hit the building. HEMMER: One thing we're getting here out of Chad Myers, who is watching this as well down at the CNN center. Chad, you did some research here on the tail number.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

HEMMER: How did you get the tail number, first of all?

MYERS: When they zoom in, Bill you can actually see it. It was the N370V, manufactured by Canadair Limited in 1980. There are 13 seats in that plane registered to a company out of Dallas, Texas. But we don't know how many people, obvious, within those 13 seats. Two engines, 750 horsepower each. Manufactured, again, in 1980. And actually, there was a runway closure at that airport as well for construction, 190. Runway 190 is closed, but they were taking off on -- or landing on 240 there -- Bill.

O'BRIEN: That's a shorter runway, actually. It's about 1,000 feet shorter than the 190 runway, which is the north/south runway at Teterboro. And who knows exactly what played a role.

But, Chad, you know, let's take a moment and talk about the weather, because I've got to tell you, it is a beautiful day here in New York City. A little chilly, but a very clear day. I flew out of this same airport on that same runway a couple days ago right after the snow that we had had. And I was a little concerned about the de- icing, a little concerned about the weather. And we had no problems whatsoever, because they actually had cleared the runways very, very well.

Give me a sense of the weather and what kind of a role that could have played.

MYERS: Soledad, the temperature was 22 degrees, absolutely clear skies, no wind whatsoever. Now, there could have been some frost on the wings, because as the skies cleared overnight and the winds went down, you can get frost. But typically, obviously, the pilots will take a look at that.

I'm still not sure whether the plane was actually taking off or landing. I do not have any information on that. We're doing a search on the flight plan right now.

O'BRIEN: One has to imagine, though, Chad, it was taking off.

MYERS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: And here's why. If you look at the runway and you look at the direction that the plane has gone, it moved from the runway across the fence into a building. I can't imagine a scenario where you could do that and be landing at the same time, because it doesn't look like it hit the building first and missed the runway, if you know what I'm saying.

We should mention that Route 46 is now closed in both directions. We've seen them holding up the traffic. And we've also seen firefighters on the scene. They are working on some of the injured folks. We've seen at least two stretchers there and at least nine, by my count, firefighters who are working on this blaze.

Interestingly, the smoke, Chad, we actually, as you pointed out, you could read the tail number very easily just a few minutes ago. You could also read -- see the damage to the plane there. Now look. Take a look, because this is actually a good shot.

HEMMER: WABC is reporting now that this plane never got off the ground. It apparently veered off the runway. That's the description we're getting, based on the local report there. WABC television reporting that.

Teterboro, New Jersey here. Firefighters on the scene here of a burning building hit by a private jet that apparently skidded off the runway and also hit at least one vehicle as it was crossing Route 46, perhaps more.

There's a traffic helicopter pilot from New York radio station WCBS describing how this plane went off the runway, broke through a fence, crossed the highway, and then slammed into the building, which is where the majority of firefighters are working at this point.

Also, television reports show smoke billowing out of the building and the skid marks, too, clearly seen leading to the crash site. No word on injuries. And Route 46 is now closed in both directions. But we do know there will be injuries, based on at least one person we spotted here on a stretcher, now getting attention there along Route 46.

O'BRIEN: And, in fact, the local news here in New York, WNBC, is reporting there are some injuries. Unclear, though, if those injuries are on the ground, in the cars that were going down Route 46 at the time of impact, or if the injuries are from the folks who were on board the plane. It is unclear at this point. And we will, of course, continue to try to get information on that.

One has to imagine, though, there was a vehicle that we saw, a black car that they've shown some shots of, that looks like, you know, it was opened by a can opener. Just the top shredded, ripped off. And one has to imagine that whoever was inside that vehicle, that was a tough impact from that plane.

HEMMER: Here's a little more from WABC. They're describing this building now as a warehouse. The aircraft, as Chad was mentioning, a Challenger aircraft, CL-600. It can seat just about 13 people, including crewmembers, maximum on board that plane. No immediate reports on injuries in that crash.

And also, that accident -- look at this right here very closely now through that window, it appears that there are flames inside of that jet as well, which would explain why so many firefighters giving that particular part so much attention. If you were with us just about, oh, 12 minutes ago when we first took this live picture, there were many more flames coming out of that building and also out of that jet. That building is described as a warehouse now through WABC.

O'BRIEN: And WABC is also reporting this morning that there were 12 people on board this flight. We have not got confirmation of that. But that's the information we're getting from WABC.

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