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MH370 Searchers Hope to Resume Friday; Experts Creating Formula to Track Debris; Could Lithium Batteries Have Impacted Flight?; Flight Families Endure Trauma of Waiting; Two Boston Firefighters Killed in Nine-Alarm Fire

Aired March 27, 2014 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: But then I think about what lies beneath, and with the currents, would that really -- we've talk about the ooze, right, on the bottom of the ocean, would that really be churning as well or is that sediment pretty stuck?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's far enough down that the ooze wouldn't get churned. There are enough different layers through here that you can't get the eddies to get all the way down two-and-a-half miles to make that murky down there, no.

But if the pinger has stopped pinging, there is a sonar that will drive, but with thermal clines down there, some of those pings pop right back up and they never can get all the way down there.

This doesn't get easier from here if the pinger has indeed gone away because that battery is now dead.

BALDWIN: That's why I asked. That's really the question. The answers could lie at the bottom of that ocean floor. Chad Myers, thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

BALDWIN: Chad was talking about the weather and the wind and the waves here, and all of this is adding at difficulty of this possible debris we've seen now in myriad satellite images.

So, how do you actually find these items drifting in the ocean? CNN spoke with a navy oceanographer today who said she has come up with a formula that take this all of this into account.

Next, his idea to pinpoint the debris field.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We are past the bottom of the hour here on CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin with the special coverage here of Flight 370.

And, today, more satellite images spotting this mysterious debris fields -- plural, here -- on the suspected crash site.

So, here, we're learning 10 objects have been spotted by Japan. Thailand also coming forward with this, you see this picture? They've actually counted 300 shiny objects snapped by satellite Monday. All in these sightings are in same general vicinity, you can see here by this map, but the real question is this. The weather, the conditions, will that permit planes to zero in on any of it before it drifts away.

3:35 in the morning in Perth, Australia, you have icy conditions. You have zero visibility forcing some of these search planes to double back to Australia. They just can't fly. Five ships are still out there, continuing to look for any signs of this jet.

And powerful ocean currents may carry many possible objects very long distances actually before search engines or ships can physically get out there and have this stuff in their hands. And the goal is to figure out exactly where the objects are heading.

So, let's go straight to Brian Todd, because he has an animated model showing this.

And, Brian, you talked to experts today who made this. How did they figure this out?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, they took some sophisticated weather models from NOAA. They took their own computerized models of currents and other calculations that would just make your head swim to figure all of this out.

Figuring out that ocean dynamic in that region could really be crucial to solving all of this and possibly finding parts of the missing plane.

We just came from a facility in northern Virginia where a team led by former Navy oceanographer Van Gurley has developed these animation models for two of the important object fields spotted by satellite in recent days.

Using their expertise in ocean currents and weather, they projected where objects spotted by satellite earlier this week could have drifted between when they were spotted and midday today, right about now.

They first projected the object spotted on Sunday by a French satellite, those 122 objects clumped together. When they projected, they also projected where the 300 objects spotted by a Thai satellite on Monday could have drifted by today.

Now, here's where Van Gurley says those 122 objects spotted by the French could be right about now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VAN GURLEY, FORMER U.S. NAVY OCEANOGRAPHER: The circle is where it was spotted on the 23rd, and this particular field is about 60 miles on this axis from the southwest to the northeast.

But the pattern doesn't really go to the north. It does go to the south again about 60 miles. (END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: So, to clarify, he says the object spotted by the French satellite could have drifted about 60 miles in three different directions. Northeast, southwest and south.

Gurley says those 300-some objects spotted by the Thai satellite on Monday, which are not very far away from those objects spotted by the French satellite, they could have drifted about 60 to 65 miles in each direction.

Now, I asked Gurley if he could project the debris back in time, back to March 8th to when the last known signals came from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and see where the plane may have hit the ocean if, indeed, it did.

He says it's much more difficult to project backward, especially that far back, because of the amount of time that's passed. We're about three weeks into this, Brooke. He says that's really too difficult.

BALDWIN: That's incredible, though, the map here and helping in this search. If anyone needed an excuse to get into the field, they've got it.

And, Todd, we'll be watching for your whole report tonight with Wolf on "THE SITUATION ROOM," 5:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

Coming up next, this, a training video from the Federal Aviation Administration shows exactly how flammable lithium batteries can be.

Remember, there were more than 500 pounds of these batteries on board in the cargo hold of this missing plane.

What investigators are now saying about this, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Lithium-ion batteries were in the cargo hold on Flight 370, 440 pounds worth, and investigators are looking into whether the batteries could have ignited and helped bring this plane down.

But these batteries, as we've learned, can be so dangerous the FAA even has a warning video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(Inaudible)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CNN's Randi Kaye has been looking into the dangers of these specific batteries. She joins me here. And, Randi, what did you find?

RANDI KAYE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: It's pretty scary, isn't it, Brooke?

BALDWIN: Yeah.

KAYE: We discovered that in the last two decades or so, since 1991, the FAA has reported more than 140 incidents involving batteries in cargo or baggage.

The real danger are these lithium batteries that we're talking about, which we all use in our laptops. We use them in our personal electronics, all that popular stuff.

But now, in most cases, the FAA reported the batteries were undeclared. In other words, the passengers never even mentioned them and likely didn't package them properly either in their luggage.

Now, in some cases baggage handlers noticed that the baggage was on fire or hot to the touch. Onboard, laptops burst into flames or started smoking. Even flashlights started to smoke. You saw the laptop there in the airport smoking, before.

But there have been pretty serious incidents related to these batteries. In 2006, fire forced a UPS plane to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia. The pilot survived, luckily, but investigators found electronics containing lithium batteries in the cargo area where that fire started.

And then in 2010, that was the really big one. A UPS plane crashed in Dubai. The Boeing 787 was carrying 80,000 to 90,000 lithium batteries. A chain-reaction fire filled that cockpit with smoke, Brooke. In that case, both pilots died.

BALDWIN: Yeah, we've talked a little bit about that particular explosion.

But help us understand. You have these batteries. How would a fire start, and if they are so dangerous, why are they allowed on airplanes?

KAYE: Yeah, that's the big question, right? The problem with the lithium batteries is that they can short circuit, and that can really happen just by chance.

Just to give you an example, say you have loose batteries in a passenger's checked bag and say they come into contact -- maybe they put keys their keys in there or there's some loose coins or maybe there's some jewelry, that can create a circuit and that becomes a path for the electricity.

So, the current flowing through that short circuit creates this extreme heat. It leads to sparks and fire and it gets so hot, Brooke, that one pilot told us it can actually melt the plane's fuselage.

But now, even so, as dangerous as that is, lithium batteries are still allowed in the passenger cabin. I guess they can put it out if they smoke or a fire. They can put it out quickly.

But in 2008, the FAA did ban loose batteries in checked bags so they don't come into contact with the keys or the stuff that might create that short circuit.

But they can be checked if they're packaged properly, so it's recommended that you tape on those contact points to protect them and avoid any disasters.

Brooke?

BALDWIN: Something to think about.

Randi Kaye, thank you so much on those lithium-ion batteries, much talked about the last couple of weeks. Thank you.

And, as in three weeks, to be precise, very few answers throughout this investigation, some passenger family members have remained in a hotel, waiting for any word of their loved ones.

One expert says, as this ordeal plays out, it only adds more pain. We will take a closer look at the trauma of simply waiting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Exhausted, angry, unable to grieve without proof, without answers, the family of those 239 souls on board this plane spend each and every day waiting for definitive word on exactly what happened inside that plane.

And CNN's David McKenzie introduces us to this one man who is emerging as their voice, and he explains why the families cannot bear to give up hope..

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The trauma of waiting, for weeks, hundreds of family members of those on board Flight 370 have been stuck in a hotel in Beijing.

The pressure cooker of grief and emotion, when they were told the plane went down, some via text message, it was overwhelming. Then grief boiled over into anger.

These families have banded together and leaders, like Steve Wang, have emerged.

Without physical evidence, he believes his mother could still be alive, but the weight is weighing on them all.

STEVE WANG, MOTHER WAS ON FLIGHT 370: Well, it is a hard time. But all of us are exhausted, both mental and physical. We can do nothing, but just simply wait, so it is really a hard time.

MCKENZIE: Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Gordon Peters has experience dealing with trauma. He calls the situation terrible.

DR. GORDON PETERS, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL SOS: They have no closure. They are not able to say, let's deal with this, let's discuss it. They still have confliction of, is my loved one alive? Are they dead?

MCKENZIE: Often family members are stuck inside this conference room for hours each day.

Many tell me that they still believe their family members are still alive, even if logically the chances seem quite remote.

PETERS: They go to bed at night and probably logically know it's happening but don't want to give up. They want to have the good moments with their life. They want to continue to hope for the best.

MCKENZIE: And in a culture where family is everything, they are refusing to give up because the consequences are just too great.

WANG: Well, my mom used to say that where there are people, there are family. But one is lost, so I think it is a disaster to my family.

MCKENZIE: David McKenzie, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: David, thank you.

Coming up next here, more on the investigation of the pilot and the co-pilot, today, the captain's son is breaking his silence and coming forward to defend his father. You will hear from him, ahead.

Back in 90 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Quick reminder, college hoops, March Madness back in full swing again tonight. Sweet 16 tipping off in just a couple of hours. Four games on tap tonight.

So, make sure you watch our sister network, TBS, broadcasting two of them, you have Baylor and Wisconsin tipping off around 7:45 on TBS and then San Diego State takes on Arizona after that.

More news in 90 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Before I left you go today, I just wanted to take a minute to note the passing of two heroes, the kind who walk among us everyday, keep us safe, put their lives on the line by doing so, Boston firefighters.

Lieutenant Edward Walsh was 43-years-young, Firefighter Michael Kennedy, 33. Both died Wednesday fighting a nine-alarm fire on Beacon Street in Boston's just beautiful Back Bay neighborhood. Nine alarms, folks, that's as big as it gets.

They ran into the burning building, helped people get out, but the fire moved so fast, like a blow torch, that's how firefighter officials put it to us here at CNN.

Firefighters Walsh and Kennedy became trapped in the basement. In fact, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady lives all of four doors away, and he watched as Boston firefighters went to work.

And this morning he paid tribute to these fallen men.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BRADY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (via telephone): I feel so badly for the families of the two firefighters that were lost and obviously all of the men that were associated with fighting that fire yesterday, losing one of their close friends.

So, I mean, we as athletes think that we're heroes, but when you witness firsthand what I saw yesterday, you realize who the real heroes are in this world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Ed Kelly is on the phone. He's president of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, and, Eddie, I know we were texting before I went to bed. My condolences again.

But I just want to hear from you about these two guys. Walsh, I know, was a father of three, and Kennedy, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. Tell me more.

ED KELLY, PRESIDENT, PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS OF MASSACHUSETTS (via telephone): Two great guys, really, we lost two of the best firefighters we had in the city. Both Michael and Eddie were big, tough kids.

And Eddie was like a natural leader, the strong, silent type who was certainly on the fast track to be one of the top chiefs in the fire department. He came from a long line of firefighters. His father, his uncles, his cousins are all firefighters.

And Michael was like the life of the party, just a great kid. I got to spend (inaudible) and I were out at a fundraiser together, as well as another friend of ours, fundraiser about two weeks ago, and I had a great night. He kept me laughing all night. He was a super kid.

Michael was actually on Ladder 15 the day the marathon was attacked last April, and he performed quite heroically, saving lives back when the terrorists attacked us on Boylston Street.

Just two great guys, I had the pleasure of working with both of them. My firehouse is in the same district, the next house over, and I had fires with both of those guys. And, like I said, we lost two of our best.

BALDWIN: Eddie, you and these men are the folks who run towards the flames, toward the explosions, be it Boylston Street or Beacon Street, when everyone else is running away.

Can you just in the final 45 seconds I have with you tell me why you do what you do?

KELLY (via telephone): You know, I think that as people we're conditioned to jump into a fight, and when people are in trouble, you know, you dial 911, you pull -- poke on the red box on the corner, and help is coming. And we're proud to do that. That's our calling in life.

And, you know, Eddie and Michael were the epitome of that. They proved as firefighters -- the cornerstone of being a firefighter is your willingness to sacrifice, and Eddie and Michael did a tremendous job.

And, you know, I think there were four or six people saved in that building. And they did a tremendous job. It was a hellacious fire. Wind has a way of making a fire dance, and you know, we just caught a really tough fire.

BALDWIN: Heroes rescuing those folks out of the townhouse, and I know about a dozen firefighters were injured, as well, so we're thinking about them, we're thinking about the families.

Ed Kelly, thank you so much for calling in. I just wanted to take a moment to do that. Thank you.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks for being with me.

Jim Sciutto, up next, in for Jake Tapper, "THE LEAD" start now.