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Rescue Operation Goes From Bad to Worse; Is al Qaeda Targeting Commercial Airliners?
Aired May 30, 2002 - 20:00 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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A high-altitude rescue operation goes from bad to worse. An Air Force Reserve helicopter goes down while trying to rescue climbers trapped near the top of Oregon's Mount Hood. We're going to go live to the scene as the rescue goes on.
ANNOUNCER: Does al Qaeda have commercial airliners in its target?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENERAL PETER PACE, VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: We take very seriously the fact that our opponents do have surface-to- air missiles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: We'll go live to Washington for the latest on a new nationwide alert.
The FBI gives its agents more freedom to battle terror.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Unnecessary procedural red tape must not interfere with the effective detection, investigation and prevention of terrorist activities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: But will today's move infringe on your civil liberties? A live report from Washington is ahead.
Remembering those lost and those who worked around the clock at the site where the Twin Towers once stood. CNN cameras take you live to ground zero, as recovery efforts end.
Trying to avert an all-out war between two countries armed with nuclear weapons.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are making it very clear to both Pakistan and India that war will not serve their interests.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: We'll get live reaction from Islamabad and New Delhi.
CNN is live from Washington, New York, India, Pakistan, and other datelines around the globe.
Now Carol Lin.
LIN: Disaster today at Oregon's famed Mount Hood during a desperate rescue attempt. Nine climbers had fallen into a crevasse near the top of the mountain. Three died immediately and three more were critically injured.
An Air Force Reserve helicopter participated in the rescue effort. But as television crews watched, it ran into trouble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAT DOORIS, KGW REPORTER: And there it is waving off. So, I didn't see anybody go up. Look out. Look out, guys. There we are talking about things going wrong. Hang on, fellows. Oh, my goodness. Oh, that is horrible. Good Lord. Oh, fellows. Oh, my goodness.
You're watching this live, folks. Oh, if only this was a movie. You've seen the helicopter. You saw the tail go into the mountain. And it just flew apart, rolling down the hillside. Oh, good Lord.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: The exact cause of the accident has not been determined. At least two crew members aboard the helicopter suffered serious injuries. A spokesman says they are getting treatment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. CHRIS BERNARD, RESCUE SQUAD: All the crew members are out and are being treated right now. I'm unsure of their injuries, but there is a couple that are serious. But we're making every effort. We're getting them off first and bringing them to the hospital and taking care of them. The other helicopters here are coordinating to go up and get other patients and the other injured climbers from the original mission.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were three separate teams. There was two at the top tied together, a team of three tied together, and then our team of three, all those above the Bergstrom (ph), in that order, towards the Bergstrom. So, the two gave way, hit the other three. And those five hit our three and went down into the crevasse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: At least two of the climbers remain on the mountain with minor injuries. CNN military analyst, Major General Don Shepperd, was involved with the rescue efforts during in his years with the Air Force. And he joins us now from Washington.
General, good evening. Thanks for being here.
RET. MAJOR GENERAL DON SHEPPERD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Hi, Carol.
LIN: Was this the appropriate helicopter to be involved in this particular high-altitude rescue operation?
SHEPPERD: Absolutely, Carol.
This was from the 939th Air Rescue Wing, the Air Force Reserve. They are a professional rescue outfit. They know what they're doing. And this is the equipment that we use to go on these types of rescues. And they've done it before. Something went wrong here badly.
LIN: Did something go wrong with the chopper itself, though?
SHEPPERD: Well, it's hard to say. But it appears to me, from just watching, it was a fairly standard stall caused by something. It could be an aircraft malfunction. But it appears to me they were hovering next to a near-vertical wall. And there's lot of turbulence coming off those walls that affect the lift of the helicopter.
It's right at the top of its capability. And it appears -- when you stall, you normally dump the nose and dive. And there was no place to dive. In this case, they were trapped in very steep terrain. And the rotor appears to have struck the snow and then broke off. And then the aircraft came apart and tumbled.
LIN: The rescue operation was occurring at about 9,800 feet. Would that affect the performance of this particular helicopter? Or, by the appearance of the video, does it look like it might be pilot error, then?
SHEPPERD: No, it appears to me that the conditions are what caused this, again, where he was hovering.
Now, when you're cruising -- the ceiling of the helicopter, where it can normally operate in cruising flight is probably around 15,000 to 19,000 feet. Hovering around 10,000 feet is about the max. So, it's right at the edge of it's capability. When turbulence is kicked up by its rotors, it can actually stall the rotors, cause rolling sensations, even more.
In this particular case, there was somewhere between four and five crew members. The pilot and co-pilot would be strapped in. But normally the others would be standing up, getting ready to lower the hoist or be lowered. And they probably were thrown about in the helicopter or thrown out of it as it tumbled down the slope.
LIN: Obviously a devastating situation, both for the climbers who were caught in that crevasse, as well as the rescue workers, some who may be extremely injured.
But I'm just wondering, General, do you have any thoughts on military personnel going into what essentially are rescuing tourists, who are taking these own personal risks on their own personal time?
SHEPPERD: Yes, I do.
This is what we do as rescue forces out there. People don't get injured in good weather and convenient places. People do things that they do to enjoy their life. And they occasionally get in trouble. And the Air Force is called upon to rescue them when civilian equipment is not available to do so. We always deploy civilian equipment first. And when they can't, then the military comes in. And it's the type of thing we also do in combat. It's being done daily over in Afghanistan at very high altitudes.
In this case, it was over snow. In Afghanistan, a lot of it was over sand. And it's desperately difficult and dangerous, Carol.
LIN: Obviously.
Well, General, the rescue operation, as you know, continues as we speak. We are going to, in fact, get a live report from the scene, the very latest on the survivors and how the wounded are being treated.
Thank you very much, Major General Don Shepperd, our military analyst.
Well, turning now to the threat of terrorism: the solemn tolling of bells recalling the horror of the 9/11 attacks, mixed with new FBI warnings today that al Qaeda may have anti-aircraft missiles and may use them against American jetliners.
We're going to go live to ground zero in New York in just a little bit, but first CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has the latest on the newest terror alert.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Law enforcement agencies should be on alert to the potential use of shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles against commercial airliners in the United States, warns an FBI intelligence bulletin obtained by CNN.
The nationwide warning followed a disturbing discovery earlier this month at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, first reported by CNN. An empty, expended SA-7 shoulder-fired missile tube was found by a Saudi patrol inside a perimeter fence approximately two miles from where U.S. planes routinely take off and land.
PACE: There are no reports by any U.S. aircraft or any aircraft that we've been able to identify of any sighting of surface-to-air missile firings. That does not mean it was not fired. It simply means we do not know if that particular weapon was fired at that location or simply dropped off there. MCINTYRE: But the FBI now believes terrorists linked to al Qaeda may have tried to shoot down a plane. A May 22 advisory says subsequent investigation suggests that the discovery is likely related to al Qaeda targeting efforts against U.S.-led forces on the Arabian Peninsula.
Two days after the FBI alert, airlines and domestic law enforcement agencies were advised of the information, but weren't asked to take any specific precautions. In fact, the FBI warning says: "The FBI possesses no information indicating that al Qaeda is planning to use Stinger missiles or any type of portable anti-aircraft weapons against commercial aircraft."
PACE: Regardless, we take very seriously the fact that our opponents do have surface-to-air missiles -- shoulder-fired surface- to-air missiles. And we take precautions on the ground and in the air any time we have our aircraft arriving or departing.
MCINTYRE (on camera): Administration officials are downplaying the threat of terrorists using shoulder-fired missiles, insisting the FBI threat was aimed more at educating local police than sounding an urgent alarm. But these days, nobody wants to be accused of failing to share information that could have made a difference.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well, as Jamie mentioned, commercial airliners were warned of the missile threat this month. They also were told Osama bin Laden hinted a while back that he had shoulder-fired missiles and would use them against American military aircraft.
For more on that, we go live to CNN's Patty Davis in Washington -- Patty.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, the Transportation Security Administration sent an alert out to U.S. airlines and airports last Friday.
In addition to the recent apparent targeting of U.S. military forces in Saudi Arabia by al Qaeda, it mentions a recent posting on an Arabic-language chat site suggesting that terrorists have brought shoulder-fired missiles into the U.S. to bring down civil aircraft and hurt the U.S. economy.
Now, it stresses that -- quote -- "There is no information that al Qaeda is planning to use MANPADS" -- those are shoulder-fired missiles -- "against commercial aircraft in the United States." But the alert does say that the TSA is not, at least, discounting the threat either -- Carol.
LIN: Patty, how vulnerable are commercial jetliners to these shoulder-fired missiles?
DAVIS: Well, that's a good question. Airline safety and security consultants say that the most vulnerable time is takeoff and landing and when they're close to the ground. Now, these missiles can only reach about 13,000 feet. That's the outside limit. Now, it's interesting that 747s, I'm told, and other large aircraft are actually less vulnerable -- one consultant saying that, if a missile hit an engine, that engine is designed to contain an explosion, and the aircraft would still be able to land -- Carol?
LIN: So, the next time you get on a plane, Patty, are you going to be worried? Should the public have something to be worried about here?
DAVIS: Well, the Transportation Security Administration alert is -- they're saying that it is unlikely that terrorists would post an operation that they're planning to do on a public Web site, or this chat room, as they found it.
Also, security around the perimeter of airports has been beefed up since September 11. Certainly, there's increased vigilance from local, state, and federal law enforcement as well. So, you have to hope that the government is doing what it can -- Carol.
LIN: Yes, all right, thank you very much, Patty Davis, in Washington with that.
Well, the Bush administration is giving broad new powers to the FBI for domestic spying to prevent terrorist attacks. Now, critics say the changes could violate individual civil rights.
CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena joins us live from Washington with more details on this -- Kelli.
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Carol, well, the new guidelines announced today directly affect the way that an agent behaves in the field, changing rules that have been in effect for 25 years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): The Justice Department is easing restrictions on domestic surveillance, giving FBI agents the freedom to monitor anything open to the public, including Internet sites, mosques and political organizations to look for terrorism clues, even if agents are not pursuing a criminal investigation.
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Under the current guidelines, FBI investigators cannot, for example, surf the Web in the same way that you and I can, to look for information. Nor can FBI investigators simply walk into a public event or a public place to observe ongoing activities.
ARENA: The old guidelines were put in place back in the '70s in reaction to the FBI keeping intelligence files on civil rights figures and anti-government protesters. The attorney general says those restrictions give terrorists an unfair advantage, but civil rights groups say the rule changes go too far.
LAURA MURPHY, ACLU: People who go to places of worship, people who go to libraries, people who are in chat rooms, are going to have Big Brother listening in, even though there is no evidence that they're involved in anything illegal whatsoever.
ARENA: What's more, critics contend the new powers could be easily abused.
REP. JOHN CONYERS (D), MICHIGAN: We can't be naive. You don't lower the standards to a point of extinction and say: "Everything is OK. Trust me. We're just doing what citizens do." Of course -- I mean, that's a little bit insulting to our intelligence.
ARENA: Ashcroft says the limits are clear.
ASHCROFT: It's very simply stated, for the purpose of detecting or preventing terrorist activities.
ARENA: The changes, which do not require congressional approval, also give FBI field offices the authority to open terror investigations, undercover operations, and seek search warrants, without going to headquarters first.
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: To free up our extremely talented law enforcement agents to aggressively investigate possible terrorist plots without unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles or hurdles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: The new guidelines are part of a wholesale reorganization aimed at helping the bureau anticipate and not react to acts of terrorism. And, as one senior Justice official put it, "We will never return to the bad old days" -- Carol.
LIN: So, Kelli, in these wider authorities that field agents now have, does it mean that a field agent can launch a probe just on a hunch, for example, just a gut feeling that something might be going wrong in the neighborhood?
ARENA: Yes.
If they have some information or some suspicion that someone is involved in terrorist activity or associating with terrorist groups, they can go and gather information. Now, this is information -- the attorney general made it very clear -- this is information that's available to the public, to businesses that are doing a search on you. This is stuff that you can get off the Internet.
If you happen to go to church, they can go and see what type of church you go to, who you talk to at that church. So, there doesn't need to be a criminal investigation under way. That's the difference here. They may have nothing on you, just a suspicion, but it has to be terrorist-related. That's the difference here.
LIN: Well, let's see if they go on to define terrorist-related
(CROSSTALK)
ARENA: That's a good point. That's a good point. And that was what several members of Congress said. You heard from Representative Conyers. It's: Does this get abused? Can you go even further?
And they figure, once you open up Pandora's box, there's no turning back. So, this is something people are going to take a good look at. And, again, no congressional approval necessary. These are administration guidelines for conduct in the field. The attorney general has the power to change this without going to Congress.
LIN: Gotcha. Very interesting -- Kelli Arena in Washington, the latest there on the war on terror.
Well, despite all the steps the Bush administration is taking in the war on terror, fewer Americans today think the United States is winning than the 1st of the year. The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll finds that one in seven Americans think terrorists are winning. But 35 percent say neither side has an edge; 41 percent think the United States is winning. Now, the number of those who say the U.S. is winning has steadily declined from 66 percent in January to 41 percent right now.
Well, coming up, in just a few minutes, we'll go live to ground zero, as the country pays tribute to the victims and heroes of September 11.
ANNOUNCER: Next: the fate of tens of thousands of Americans in India and Pakistan if war breaks out between those bitter neighbors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PACE: Each embassy worldwide has plans that they have developed over the years to evacuate U.S. citizens and others.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: But what happens if that war goes nuclear? We'll have the latest on possible emergency plans.
The drumbeat of war increases, as Pakistan appears ready to move troops engaged in the war on terror to Kashmir.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PAKISTANI PRESIDENT: For Pakistan, the first priority is its own security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: We'll take you live to both Pakistan and India for the latest on the crisis. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: The dispute over Kashmir goes back to India's independence and the formation of Pakistan in 1947. The first war broke out that same year. It ended in a cease-fire two years later. A U.N. plan for Kashmiris to vote on whether to join India or Pakistan never happened. A second war in 1965 ended in a stalemate.
LIN: The dispute between nuclear powers India and Pakistan over Kashmir is getting hotter by the day. Most of the seven million people living in the Himalayan region of Kashmir are Muslim. And many, if not most, would prefer to be part of Pakistan. Now, concern is growing that, if war does break out, both India and Pakistan could exercise the option of using nuclear weapons.
All of this also affects President Bush's war on terror and raises the serious question of what to do about the tens of thousands of Americans in the two countries.
CNN senior White House correspondent John King has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president says he is determined al Qaeda not benefit from escalating military tensions between India and Pakistan.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Al Qaeda is a-- they'll find weakness and we are doing everything we can to continue to shore up our efforts on the Pakistani-Afghan border.
KING: Mr. Bush announced after this Cabinet meeting, he is dispatching Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to the region, in addition to an already scheduled diplomatic mission by the Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.
Secretary Rumsfeld's mission is to assess the impact of the standoff on the U.S.-led war against terrorism, and to remind nuclear neighbors, India and Pakistan, of the stakes.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It's the millions and millions and millions of people who live in those two countries who would be damaged by conflict.
KING: One immediate debate in the Defense and State Departments is whether 63,000 U.S. citizens in both countries and the roughly 1,100 U.S. troops in Pakistan should be moved or evacuated.
BUSH: The secretary is--both secretaries are analyzing what it would take to protect American lives if need be.
KING: Pakistan said it might move the troops away from the Afghan border and toward the disputed Kashmir region. British troops already are fortifying the Afghan side as a precaution. The Pentagon says U.S. troops might adjust as well. U.S. officials tell CNN India is preparing conventional warheads for its medium-range Prithvi missiles. Those are capable of carrying nuclear warheads and some of the Pentagon feel a launch could bring a catastrophic miscalculation.
RUMSFELD: Things have a way of starting and then proceeding in unpredictable ways in life, and certainly wars can escalate in unpredictable ways.
KING: Mr. Bush again puts the burden on Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, urging him to stop terrorism acts originating on the Pakistani side of Kashmir.
BUSH: He must do so. He said he would do so. We and others are making it clear to him that he must live up to his word.
KING (on camera): The continued incursions have strained relations with a leader who has been a key ally in the war on terrorism. U.S. officials say any Pakistani troop movements away from the Afghan border could cause additional strain, complicating the search for al Qaeda and efforts to keep the president's promise to "patiently hunt these people down."
John King, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Of the three wars between India and Pakistan since 1947, two have been over Kashmir. Their long animosity, if not outright hatred of each other, seems to grow deeper by the year. And, in this latest standoff, neither side shows any signs of backing down.
We are going to have two reports from the region, but right now we begin with Satinder Bindra in New Delhi.
Satinder, reports today, confirmed by the Pentagon, that India has armed its missiles with what the United States believes are conventional warheads, although, apparently, these medium-range missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. What is the status of those missiles right now and what exactly are they pointed at?
SATINDER BINDRA, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Carol Lin, for operational reasons, the Indian military, of course, will not be commenting. But I've been talking to several nuclear and missile experts. And they believe these reports are very true.
For the past several days, the Indian media has been leaked reports that these missiles have been moved to front-line areas. Now, this follows the testing recently of three Pakistani short- and medium-range missiles which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Also, recently, the Pakistani ambassador to the United Nations has said that, if Pakistan is attacked, then it reserves the right to use nuclear weapons.
Now, what's happening in return is what nuclear experts describe as signaling from the Indian side. The Indian side is signaling that, if Pakistan uses nuclear weapons first, then it will invite a massive retaliatory strike from the Indian side. I've been talking to the Indian establishment. And they feel that they, at this point, are willing to call what they say is Pakistan's nuclear bluff.
Now, the rains will soon hit the northwestern part of India. And that will neutralize Indian armor. So, many military planners believe that India has a narrow window of opportunity which it can use for tactical advantage. So, that is why the international community at this point, Carol Lin, is very concerned. And that is why the United States is sending two very senior envoys to this region -- back to you.
LIN: All right, those senior envoys, Satinder, the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, as well as the deputy secretary of state, Richard Armitage. What can they do to diffuse the situation?
BINDRA: Well, at this point, the viewpoint in New Delhi, Carol Lin, is that words just don't matter -- in fact, one senior diplomat telling me -- quote -- "Talk is cheap."
What they expect of the United States at this point is to put pressure on their ally, Pakistan, to stop what India calls cross- border terrorism. India says its patience is exhausted. And when the United States was hurt and affected by terrorism, the United States took military action against the al Qaeda in Afghanistan. So, the message from the Indians when these envoys do visit, will be very blunt, which is: India has to exercise the military option if there is no let-up in what India calls cross-border terrorism -- Carol Lin.
LIN: All right, Satinder Bindra in New Delhi, thank you very much.
For the other side of this perspective -- all day, we've been reporting that President Musharraf in Islamabad has said that he is going to move Pakistani troops away from the Afghan border and head them towards Kashmir.
A report filed just hours ago from CNN's Tom Mintier.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It may not be war, but, with each passing day, it is becoming a war of words, the latest salvo from no one other than the president of Pakistan himself, General Pervez Musharraf. During a visit to Pakistani Air Force Base, Mr. Musharraf offered a warning to India.
MUSHARRAF (through translator): I've been telling everyone that, if the war is imposed on us, then India must know that we want peace, but not at the cost of our sovereignty. If India comes one inch across the line of control, it will create a crisis. It will be a crisis that Pakistan armed forces will not fight along this side of the line of control, but across the border.
MINTIER: In the past week, Pakistan has tested three medium- and short-range ballistic missiles, tests that may have raised the discomfort level a notch for India.
A speech by the Pakistani president also did little to cool things off. The speech was not only delivered in uniform, but in harsh tones, tones that have not softened.
MUSHARRAF (through translator): Our strategy is not only defensive. The victory is achieved through offense. And I have said already that all of the nation is with our army.
MINTIER: The president is also quoted by a local press agency of using harsher tones while talking to Pakistani Air Force pilots -- quote -- "Seeing the glimmer in the eyes of all pilots and airmen I met," he says, "I'm fully confident that, Insha-Allah" -- God willing -- "the Pakistani Air Force will give a benefiting response to any adventurism by India and create yet another chapter full of glory and valor in the history" -- end quote.
The rhetoric in front of the military sounds quite familiar. It was Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee who fired the first salvo weeks ago, when he told Indian troops to prepare for battle.
(on camera): There are currently diplomatic efforts by the world's major powers, Russia, Great Britain, and the United States, to pressure both sides to turn down the heat and cool the tensions. The British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, visited both Pakistan and India, but so far, it seems, was unsuccessful in moving the two sides away from shooting and any closer to talking.
Tom Mintier, CNN, Islamabad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: And next: a last look on the last day of the heartbreak and hard work at ground zero.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Time for your opinion. What should be done with Ground Zero? Make it a memorial, rebuild, or rebuild with a memorial? To take the quick vote, head to cnn.com, the AOL keyword is CNN. Right now, nearly three-quarters of those voting say rebuild with a memorial.
LIN: After nearly nine months of difficult work, the cleanup at Ground Zero in New York came to an end today. CNN's Michael Okwu joins us now live from Ground Zero. Michael, it must be an eerie feeling to be there with such an empty space.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An incredibly eerie feeling you could see on the faces of those people who attended the service this morning that all the memories from 9/11 came rushing back and they paid tribute in a very special way.
Perhaps it's because no words could do justice to those people who lost their lives here or perhaps know after eight months that there was nothing more to really say. Regardless, this morning no words were spoken.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OKWU (voice over): Chimes in Lower Manhattan, the official bell of the fire department rung 20 times, the signal that a firefighter has fallen.
Thousands of recovery and construction workers and families of the victims watched in silence as a stretcher, this one empty for a change, was placed in an ambulance, a symbol of the 1,720 people who died here and haven't been recovered or identified.
The silence here was punctured only by the steady beat of a pipe and drum unit, as a flatbed truck, draped in black cloth, slowly proceeded up the ramp, its cargo Ground Zero's last load of steel.
Taps was played and "America the Beautiful" before a quintet of helicopters flew over the site. And as the last line of New York City police officers, Port Authority police officers and firefighters marked the official end of the recovery efforts here, memories from a dark day came rushing back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OKWU: Now, Carol, the recovery efforts are not completely over. Teams will continue sifting through some of the rubble at a nearby site on Staten Island, and the Medical Examiner's Office will continue trying to match some remains that they have with DNA samples that have been provided by some of the families. The closing of a very dark chapter in New York City's history, but certainly not the end of the story by any long shot. Carol.
LIN: You're right. Michael, what happens next? Are they going to rebuild on that site?
OKWU: That's really the talk of the town. It is the million dollar question. This is not only a gaping hole in our landscape here, but it's also I think a hole in the city's psyche, and what they do next will go a great deal in fixing that.
There's been some discussions about building some more commercial buildings here. What they have decided is that the areas of those two towers, that is the very perimeter, square perimeter where those towers stood, nothing will be built there.
There will be some sort of memorial of some kind and the area beyond that may be open for more development, more commercial development, but that is still an issue, still a very contentious one. Carol.
LIN: Yes, and what those buildings, those future buildings might actually look like and if they might resemble the World Trade Center. All right, thank you very much, Michael Okwu live at Ground Zero, what's left of it.
All right, we want to show you some live pictures right now of this dramatic helicopter rescue that's been going on for the last several hours that almost ended tragically.
A helicopter there crashing on the slopes. One of the members of that rescue crew was injured. There may be several more injuries, and three people who actually fell into the crevasse which started this rescue, did indeed die. But we're going to get a live report right after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: A crewmember of an Air Force Reserve helicopter is in critical condition after his chopper tumbled down the side of a mountain. The helicopter was part of a mission to rescue four climbers trapped in a crevasse near the peak of Mount Hood in Oregon.
Three other climbers died earlier in the day, after two groups of climbers fell down the mountain. One of the witnesses describes the crash of the Pave Hawk helicopter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I watched one guy take two entire flips in the helicopter, hanging outside of it until his last gunner's belt finally broke, at which point it just left him sitting in the snow, and each consecutive roll left one more person sitting in the snow.
So this helicopter finally came to rest upside down with five people just sitting in the snow, kind of wondering what in the heck had just happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: After the crash, an official on the ground said the rescue effort had gone from bad to worse, one rescue turning into two. Joel Iwanaga of CNN affiliate KOIN joins us live from Mount Hood right now with the latest there -- Joel.
JOEL IWANAGA, KOIN CORRESPONDENT: Well good evening, Carol. Things certainly went from bad to worse when that Pave Hawk helicopter crashed into the mountain and actually rolled down the mountain.
As you mentioned, three of the four rescuers in that helicopter suffered critical injuries. One on the ground suffered injuries as well. As a result, you can see the helicopters brought behind me. They were brought in to help out.
Now as you mentioned it was to continue a rescue effort after nine climbers fell into a deep crevasse early this morning here in Mount Hood, Oregon. It happened about 9:00 Pacific time, four critically injured. Now two weren't injured and three climbers died. Now, the critically injured were eventually airlifted off the mountain to area hospitals near the Portland, Oregon area.
The latest right now, we understand that two people are still stranded on top of the mountain, about 800 feet from the summit. Mount Hood is about 11,000 feet high and again about 800 feet from the summit, two climbers still up there right now. A helicopter, another Pave Hawk helicopter is up there trying to get them off right now. Carol, back to you in Atlanta.
LIN: Joel, if you can hear me, what are the weather conditions up there right now and what are some of the dangers that the rescue crew might continue to face there?
IWANAGA: Weather conditions surprisingly, Carol, for Mount Hood are very clear today. We have sunny blue skies, but at the same time it makes for some hazards as well. Very clear for the rescuers, but again at the same time, it provides a lot of thin air and very dangerous, hazardous for those helicopters.
Also, with the sun out, it melts the snow quicker up there and could make for some slushy conditions, so, good and bad conditions for those rescuers, back to you.
LIN: And ironic, because they need the daylight in order to continue the rescue operations. Thank you very much, Joel Iwanaga of KOIN, our affiliate in Oregon.
Well you've heard the latest warnings about terrorists armed with shoulder missiles, their targets U.S. passenger jets. Coming up, how these missiles work and a look at the U.S. made Stinger.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Welcome back and returning to one of our top stories. CNN has obtained copies of alerts to U.S. airlines warning that commercial aircraft could be targeted by al Qaeda terrorists using shoulder fired missiles, like those you see right here.
But the FBI and the Transportation Security Administration says there's no specific intelligence about a planned attack. Of the different types of shoulder fired missiles, one of the best, not the best, is the U.S. made Stinger. CNN's Bruce Burkhardt explains how this weapon actually works.
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BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): During the Cold War, the Stinger and its Russian-made counterpart circulated around the world like trading cards, highly-mobile, easy to operate and extremely effective. The Stinger is a short-range surface-to-air missile that uses infrared to lock on to a heat source, such as an aircraft engine. It is not laser guided.
A small rocket fires the missile out of a six-foot tube. Then when the missile is well clear of the person firing it, the main solid rocket engine ignites, sending the missile off at nearly 1,500 miles per hour to an altitude of 11,000 to 13,000 feet where airplanes find themselves when landing or taking of.
The early models, ones from the '60s and '70s, the ones most likely to have fallen into the hands of terrorists, are easily foiled by countermeasures, but more importantly, they have a shelf life, an estimated 10 to 12 years. The gas needed to cool the targeting device eventually goes bad. Still the threat to commercial aircraft is real. Though military aircraft can employ countermeasures, civilian planes don't have that capability.
In October of '98, a passenger jet carrying 40 passengers was shot down in the Eastern Congo by rebel fighters. It's suspected than an SA-7, the Russian version of the Stinger was the weapon used. That missile, apparently, still had some shelf life left.
Bruce Burkhardt, CNN.
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LIN: Mariane Pearl, the widow of a murdered reporter has a new chapter opening in her life. An update is ahead. And just days before starting a world tour, Diana Ross has a problem.
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LIN: Welcome back and now we've got a quick look at some of the other stories and the headlines right now. Final arguments are set for Monday in the trial of Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel.
Today, prosecutors made and then withdrew a request that jurors be allowed to consider a lesser charge. Skakel is charged with murder in the beating death of Martha Moxley in 1975, when both were 15 years old.
And weeks before launching a world tour, Diana Ross goes into a drug and alcohol rehab center in Southern California. The singer's publicist says Ross is in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) center to "clear up some personal issues." The former member of the Supremes, is to begin a tour in Germany in June.
Well, the widow of murdered "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl has given birth to a son. Mariane Pearl and her baby in Paris today, four months after her husband was killed in Pakistan. Adam D. Pearl weighed 5.7 pounds and the family says mother and child are both doing well. We'll be back in a moment.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up, we'll go back live to Ground Zero, where today marked the end of recovery efforts, but for some there is no closure.
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ROMAN GERTSBERG: I spoke with the General Examiner's Office. I speak with them very often. They have a lot of parts which still has to DNA'd and I still hope they will find something.
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ANNOUNCER: We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LIN: We'd like to go back now to New York, where workers aren't removing debris from Ground Zero for the first time since September 11th. Now as we told you, the recovery effort officially ended today with a formal ceremony and a tribute and CNN's Michael Okwu joins us once again from Ground Zero.
Michael, you've had the chance to really get to know some of the families who have gone through this experience and trying and hoping to find any remains of their loved ones, at least signaling some closure for themselves.
OKWU: That's right, Carol. It is just heart wrenching to think about and it occurred to me in talking to some of these families that there are countless stories or countless lessons, I should say, that we've learned from September 11th, including the fact that that often- used word "closure" may be very difficult to realize indeed, and for some families it may be impossible.
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OKWU (voice over): For families who lost lives here, it is the site of a massacre. For some it is also a final resting place.
ANNA GERTSBERG, MOTHER OF VICTIM: We came to this country to have better life and we did have it for 22 years for the fairy tale. Now it's reality.
OKWU: Russian immigrants Anna and Roman Gertsberg lost their only child, 25-year-old Marina. None of her remains have been identified. She arrived for work at Cantor Fitzgerald in Tower One early on 9/11. It was only her seventh day.
R. GERTSBERG: That day she had to go to school and that's the reason she was early. She is with us. She is with us. She can hear us. She's just in a different state.
A. GERTSBERG: We see her in dreams and we talk to her and we hug her. Usually when the person has a dream, they want to wake up and say, you know thank God it was a dream. But we have the opposite thing. We don't want to wake up.
OKWU: Every morning for 91 days, retired firefighter Lee Iopi woke up to search for his son, 29-year-old Jonathan, a firefighter with Rescue 2. Iopi continued to come long after he lost hope that his son was alive.
LEE IOPI, FATHER OF VICTIM: I help out in a lot of situations where people were found. We didn't find them alive but we found them and when we found somebody that made it easy for somebody out there. But I said I'm staying here until I find my son.
OKWU: He said searching for his son was agonizing, day after day, back when residents here said the air carried the scent of unsettled souls. To get through it, he talked to his dead son. What did you say to him?
IOPI: That I miss him. I miss his (UNINTELLIGIBLE) every day of the week. I miss him. I told him we're going to bring him home.
OKWU: On December 11th, he did, one of the 289 intact bodies recovered.
A. GERTSBERG: This is Marina's room.
OKWU: Without remains, the Gertsbergs hold on to remnants, photos of the life, young, developing, and still full of promise. A video of their joint 50th birthday party watched here for the first time since 9/11.
R. GERTSBERG: I spoke with the general examiner's office, I speak with them very often. They have a lot of parts which still has to be DNA'd and I still hope they will find something.
OKWU: But Anna now says she'd rather they not find anything at all.
A.GERTSBERG: I have a story that she vanished, she burned and that's it. That's why they can't find the pieces, nothing. But if they're going to find the pieces, that means she suffered and I don't want her to suffer. She didn't deserve to die.
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OKWU: Now the Gertsbergs were here today. They say that coming to Ground Zero is like returning to family, not only because they can be closer to their only daughter, Marina, but also they can be closer to families who have experience what they have, which is a sense of loss and a much deeper connection to Ground Zero than any of us can ever imagine. Carol.
LIN: Yes, I'm sure, Michael, something that those of us who weren't there and didn't lose somebody couldn't probably really fully understand. Thank you very much, Michael Okwu, for joining us tonight, great story. And that's it for tonight. I'm Carol Lin. "LARRY KING LIVE" is next.
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