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American Airlines Flight 587 crashes in NYC

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Residents of the New York neighborhood where a plane crashed assisted firefighters with fire hoses and fire extinguishers.  


SUMMARY:

An American Airlines flight with 260 people aboard crashed into a New York neighborhood three minutes into its flight Monday morning. Flight 587 took off at 9:14 a.m. Monday and within minutes was in flames in Queens, one of New York's five boroughs.

UPDATE:

The plane was en route to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. American Airlines said the plane was carrying 251 passengers and nine crew members.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators have recovered the plane's cockpit voice recorder.

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said there had been no unusual communications with the cockpit. Asked if there were any indications of terrorism, Fleischer said, "We have not ruled anything in; we have not ruled anything out."

Fleischer said President Bush had spoken with New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Gov. George Pataki and told them the federal government would do everything it could to help.

Giuliani said there were two crash sites -- one where the plane landed and another where an engine landed. Both were about six blocks from a school building. The school was closed for the Veterans Day holiday.


  • Summary

  • Update

  • Key Questions

  • Who's who


Crash of AA flight
587
 VIDEO:
Firefighters, residents respond
Witnesses describe crash
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Fact Sheet
 INTERACTIVE:
Gallery 1 | Gallery 2
Flight 587's final seconds
A300 tail assembly
Crash site map
Tracking the wakes
 RESOURCES:
Airline releases victim list

The neighborhood where the crash occurred was the home of many World Trade Center employees and firefighters who died in the attacks of September 11, said Giuliani.

Relatives and friends in Santo Domingo waiting for the arrival of the flight at the airport sobbed and grasped each other after hearing about the crash.

KEY QUESTIONS:

What caused the crash?

How will the crash affect the airline industry?

What will the impact be on the psyche of New Yorkers who are still recovering from the terrorist attacks of September 11?

What is the extent of the injuries of those on the ground?

WHO'S WHO:

FAA: Federal Aviation Administration, government entity charged with ensuring and promoting the safety of civil aviation

NTSB: National Transportation Safety Board, federal agency that investigates aviation accidents in the United States

FEMA: Federal Emergency Management Agency, an independent agency that responds, plans for and promotes recovery from disasters



 
 
 
 


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