Series of EmergencyNet News "Real Time" Reports Concerning the Crash of American Airlines Flt. 587: 12 to 16 Nov 2001

Investigation Continues...

NEW YORK CITY: Investigators said on Thursday that American Airlines Flight 587 twice ran into turbulence left by a jumbo jet, including a blast of air that sent it careening sideways seconds before it crashed on take off near John F Kennedy Airport. Marion Blakey, NTSB chairwoman, cautioned that investigators were not ready to conclude turbulence caused Monday's crash, which killed all 260 people aboard the jet and five more people on the ground in Queens. Examination of the flight data recorders continues today in Washington, and careful consideration is being given to the cause of the tail detachment that reportedly occurred early in the crash sequence. Few other official details were made available in the past 24 hours...

From: ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-Wednesday, November 14, 2001-Vol. 5, No. 320-10:00CST

NATIONAL NEWS:

Mystery Of Flight 587 Crash

According to sources, a preliminary inspection of the engines from American Airlines Flight 587 has revealed no sign of an in-flight engine explosion or of a catastrophic failure capable of tearing the jetliner apart. But something caused the Airbus A300 to begin breaking up in air, killing at least 262 people when it crashed in a neighborhood of New York City. Both engines detached from the wings before the plane hit the ground, falling in separate spots several blocks away from the primary crash scene. And a half-mile from there, the jet's large vertical tail fin came down -- intact and virtually unscratched -- in Jamaica Bay.

The discovery has stunned investigators, who now must consider the possibility that the destruction of the plane began in the rear. Engineers say it would likely take a wholesale structural failure, a sudden sideways movement of the jet, sabotage, or an explosive force to break off the fin.

Veteran crash investigators say if the vertical stabilizer was the first failure on Flight 587, the aircraft may have been rocked by vibrations severe enough to knock the engines off the wings. Investigators say they can tell from looking at the wreckage that the plane did not plunge with the kind of speed normally needed for large parts to begin breaking off.

The NTSB said that cockpit recordings, pulled from the voice recorder found on Monday, showed unusual "rattling" noises about 107 seconds after takeoff. Seven seconds later, the pilot remarked to the co-pilot about encountering the wake of another plane, presumably a Japan Airlines 747-400 jet that took off immediately before American 587 from New York's JFK Airport. More rattling can be heard eight seconds later. Then the co-pilot, who was flying the plane, called for maximum power and the two discussed losing control of the jetliner. The recording ends 17 seconds later.

The plane's second black box, the flight data recorder, was recovered Tuesday after a 24-hour search through a Queens neighborhood. The flight data recorder tracks speed and the performance of the engine and instruments and could provide clues to what brought down the flight.

A source close to the investigation said that the NTSB was looking at whether the plane's engines failed after sucking in birds, a phenomenon that has caused severe damage to airliners in the past. But, the NTSB's George Black Jr said that an initial inspection of the engines found no evidence of a collision with a bird(s). He said a more detailed analysis still needs to be done.

Authorities said that 262 bodies had been recovered along with 180 parts of bodies. According to police, the bodies included a man found holding a baby. The FBI plans to interview airport personnel, family members, airline employees and witnesses in the coming days as well as monitor for any intelligence of terrorists taking credit for the crash.

No Evidence Terrorism Caused Flight 587 Crash

With at least 265 bodies recovered so far, investigators will continue on Tuesday the task of sifting through the rubble from Monday's crash of American Airlines Flight 587. Marion Blakey, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board, says "everything points to an accident" and communications on the cockpit voice recorder were "normal up until the last few seconds before the crash."

It is too early in the investigation to rule in -- or out -- any particular theory on the cause, but much attention is focusing on whether there might have been an engine problem. The Federal Bureau of Investigation plans to interview airport personnel, family members, airline employees and witnesses in the coming days as well as monitor for any intelligence of terrorists taking credit for the crash.

A bomb team from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is on the scene and is expected to start a more detailed search of the debris. Federal investigators say nothing will be overlooked, including a claim by air-port personnel that unusually heavy bird activity near the runways at the time of the crash could have played a role.

The American Airlines plane, en route to the Dominican Republic, crashed on Monday moments after takeoff from John F Kennedy Airport, setting homes on fire. There were no known survivors aboard the plane and at least six people are missing on the ground.

The FBI believes an explosion occurred aboard the airliner and witnesses reported seeing an engine fall off. But investigators suggested the noise was caused by a catastrophic mechanical failure.

A few minutes after 0900 EST, Flight 587 plunged in a fireball into a small residential community just miles from the airport. The jetliner, carrying 251 passengers including five infants sitting on their parents' laps and nine crew members, went down at 0917 EST in clear, sunny weather in the waterfront neighborhood 15 miles from Manhattan.

Less than a minute and a half after takeoff, radar contact with Flight 587 was lost. There was no distress call from the pilots. The plane only climbed to 2,800 feet at a speed of 270 miles an hour before it apparently started coming apart as it plunged to the ground. Parts of the plane were scattered over a much wider area than first thought, raising the possibility of a large in flight explosion.

Late Monday, salvage crews pulled a large, nearly intact section of the jet's tail from Jamaica Bay, several blocks away from the main crash site -- strong evidence that the Airbus A-300 began breaking up before the jet hit the ground. Veteran crash experts say it would likely take a "sizeable" explosion to sever the tail. There is some evidence that one of the plane's engines did explode in flight but investigators are at a loss to explain how that could have damaged the rear of the plane. One engine was found intact on the lot at a Texaco station, missing the gas pumps by no more than six feet.

Six houses were destroyed, and six others sustained serious damage in some cases, the siding was melted off the homes by intense heat. Forty-one people were treated for injuries at area hospitals -- mostly rescue workers, firefighters and police. All were hurt not in the crash but in the aftermath, with most of them suffering smoke inhalation.

Officials located one of the plane's the two so-called "black boxes," believed to be the cockpit voice recorder and brought it to Washington for analysis. NTSB officials said that preliminary indications suggest that no "unusual" communications took place before or during the catastrophic failure that brought the plane down. 

15:00CST/16:00EST - 12 Nov 2001

Mayor Says More than 160 Bodies Recovered at Crash Scene

QUEENS/NYC (EmergencyNet News) -- NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced recently at a news conference that 161 bodies have been recovered from the crash site of AA Flt. 587. Giuliani also said that the most recent information that he has would suggest that six (6) residents of Rockaway were also missing as the result of the crash. More than 30 people, none of whom are believed to have been on the plane, have been treated at various area hospitals for their injuries. Mayor Giuliani said that he is not aware of any survivors from the ill-fated aircraft.  Ground-zero for a bulk of the plane wreckage appears to be in the vicinity of 133rd and Newport.

Numerous investigative agencies are reported to be on the scene and at least one of the "black boxes" is said to have been recovered and already sent to Washington for further inquiry. EmergencyNet News is monitoring events closely and will provide additional details if/when they become available....

*****

11:00CST/12:00EST - 12 Nov 2001

Reports of "Explosion" On-Board Stricken Plane Before Crash

Queens, NY (EmergencyNet News) -- As yet unconfirmed reports are coming in to EmergencyNet News concerning the possibility of some sort of fire and "explosion" prior to the actual crash of AA Flt. 587. Eyewitnesses describe a fire on one side of the plane prior to the crash and said that parts of it had fallen from the fuselage as it was going down. Retired firefighter Tom Lynch, who lives in neighborhood, is being quoted by the Reuters News Service as saying, "It definitely exploded in the sky." "It wasn't that loud. ... I saw a whoof, a flame, and looked like a wing falling off the airplane and it nosedived right down," Lynch said.

Several officials in Washington told EmergencyNet News said no threats directed at aircraft had recently been received and that the pilot of Flight 587 did not issue a 'may-day' prior to the plane going down. There is presently "no evidence of terrorism," a senior official is quoted by several sources as saying.  Federal officials said that the incident is currently being investigated "as a accident" and not a terrorist event.  Marion Blakey, chairwoman of the NTSB said, "All information we have currently is that this is an accident."

ERRI's Clark Staten said, "It is way too early to speculate about the cause of this crash...many more facts must be gathered before any conclusion about the cause of this event can be determined." "That said, however, and given the current tactical and strategic situation, some consideration will likely be given to any sort of 'foul play' as the various potential causes are either ruled in or out...we're sure that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)  will be considering all of the possible causes of this disaster," Staten added. 

There are no current reports concerning survivors from the crash.  There are unofficial reports of at least two people on the ground being taken to the hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. Search and rescue efforts continue at the scene at the time of this report.

*****

MONDAY, NOV. 12, 2001, 9:20 A.M. CENTRAL
AMERICAN AIRLINES STATEMENT REGARDING FLT. 587
 
Flight 587, an American Airlines Airbus A300 aircraft en route from New York Kennedy to Santo Domingo, crashed today near Kennedy airport. The preliminary passenger list indicates the aircraft carried 246 passengers and a crew of nine. American Airlines will not speculate as to possible causes of the accident. At this point, no additional details can be confirmed.
 
Family members wishing to receive information about passengers may contact American Airlines at the following toll-free number: (800) 245-0999.
 
American Airlines officials are in direct contact with officials of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, and American is cooperating fully with federal, state and local authorities.

All New York City airports are closed at this time. For information regarding your immediate travel plans, go to www.aa.com/gatesandtimes or www.aa.com.

*****

09:20CST/10:20EST - 12 Nov 2001

Continuing Reports of Level One Emergency in NYC

Queens, NY (EmergencyNet News) -- Confirmation continues to come in regarding the apparent crash of a American Airlines Airbus A-300 into a residential neighborhood in the vicinity of 129th Street and Newport Avenue. The FAA said there were 246 passengers and nine crew members aboard the plane. According to emergency services sources, at least ten buildings are reported to be on fire. A "level one" emergency has been declared by NYC officials. More than fifty pieces of fire equipment have been dispatched to the scene. Numerous other police and emergency units are also on the scene or enroute to this major emergency. All New York area airports were closed shortly after the crash, Port Authority police said.

*****

08:20CST/09:20EST - 12 Nov 2001

*FLASH* - Plane Crash Being Reported in NYC Area

NYC  (EmergencyNet News) -- We are getting early and unconfirmed reports of a plane crash in Queens, NY - Few official details are presently available, but a major emergency service response has been dispatched to the scene.  Secondary reports are suggesting that the stricken aircraft was American Airlines Flt. 587, an Airbus A-300. No immediate cause is being given for the crash...

© EmergencyNet News Service, 2001. All rights reserved. May not be redistributed or otherwise published without the expressed permission of ERRI/EmergencyNet News.

Emergency Response & Research Institute
EmergencyNet News Service
6348 N. Milwaukee Ave. #312
Chicago, IL 60646, USA
773-631-3774 - Voice/Messages
773-631-4703 - Facsimile
http://www.emergency.com - Main Webpage
webmaster@emergency.com - E-mail