Nightline (ABC) - 1999-06-02
Channel: malgent
Transcript
Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)
[0:01] Finally tonight it's the story of a
[0:02] rescue. Let's set the scene. We go to
[0:04] the Los Angeles River. Firefighters are
[0:07] called in when a dog was swept away by
[0:09] storm waters.
[0:11] >> The dog was caught in the current. This
[0:12] all happened early this morning. It took
[0:15] a couple of hours for rescue crews to
[0:17] reach the dog. Eventually that worker
[0:18] was lowered into the river. He grabbed
[0:20] the dog. The dog taken to the vet
[0:22] veterinarian. He's doing all right. The
[0:24] vet says he should be just fine. What a
[0:28] day though.
[0:29] >> Tough guy there.
[0:30] >> Oh, he did just fine.
[0:32] >> He's a good swimmer. Did you see that?
[0:33] >> And he's a beaver fan too, I guess.
[0:36] Ah, that takes care of that.
[0:37] >> We love him then. Thanks for joining us.
[0:39] Have a great night.
[0:40] >> Good night.
[0:57] >> Fisher Broadcasting
[1:05] >> June 2nd, 1999
[1:10] >> I just came to grips with the fact that
[1:12] this is the end of my life.
[1:14] >> It's every passenger's nightmare.
[1:16] >> I remember the the stewardess screaming
[1:19] brace yourself.
[1:20] >> And things got worse.
[1:22] >> Getting out was just a mad dash to get
[1:25] out. It was like if someone yelled fire
[1:26] in a theater.
[1:28] Um every man for himself.
[1:30] >> We just had to rip open the back end of
[1:31] the plane
[1:32] and climb out.
[1:33] >> As the survivors waited for assistance
[1:37] >> They were just so much commotion going
[1:38] on. I mean, you know, everybody was more
[1:40] or less in shock.
[1:41] >> And loved ones watched and waited from a
[1:44] distance.
[1:46] >> I have the right to know what's going
[1:48] on. These people have the right, okay? I
[1:49] need some names, okay, sir?
[1:51] >> I was scared. I was just upset thinking
[1:53] he might not be here anymore.
[1:56] >> Tonight survivor stories, the crash of
[1:59] American Airlines flight 1420.
[2:06] >> From ABC News,
[2:11] this is Nightline.
[2:13] Reporting from Washington,
[2:16] Ted Koppel.
[2:19] >> The crew had already put in more than an
[2:22] 8-hour shift when bad weather and a
[2:24] change of equipment at Dallas-Fort Worth
[2:26] delayed the departure of American
[2:28] Airlines flight 1420 by another 2 hours.
[2:32] By the time the flight was over its
[2:34] ultimate destination, the airport at
[2:36] Little Rock, Arkansas, just about an
[2:38] hour from this time last night, the
[2:40] pilot and co-pilot were coming to the
[2:42] end of a 13 and 1/2 hour day.
[2:46] There was a lot of turbulence, and
[2:47] Captain Richard Bushman flipped on the
[2:50] intercom to remind the passengers to
[2:52] fasten their seat belts securely.
[2:54] Just prior to landing, winds were
[2:56] howling around the airport at 50 mph
[2:58] with gusts peaking at 75 mph.
[3:02] The McDonnell Douglas Super 82, which is
[3:04] American Airlines' most reliable
[3:06] workhorse, had 139 passengers and a crew
[3:10] of six on board.
[3:12] There were thunderstorms and lightning,
[3:14] and the runway was slick with rain and
[3:16] hail when flight 1420 put down. Some of
[3:19] the survivors say that the wheels didn't
[3:21] seem to grip.
[3:22] In any event, the plane veered off the
[3:24] runway and smashed into a metal tower,
[3:27] breaking into three parts.
[3:29] Nine people, including Captain Bushman,
[3:32] were killed. 83 others were injured.
[3:35] It'll be a long time before the
[3:37] investigation is complete, but there are
[3:39] a lot of people who experienced a piece
[3:42] of the nightmare, and we'll be talking
[3:44] to some of them tonight. First, here's
[3:47] Nightline correspondent Dave Marash.
[3:50] >> When an airplane crashes, four
[3:52] are immediately put under investigation.
[3:55] The weather at the time of the crash,
[3:57] the terrain where the plane came down,
[3:59] the condition of the plane, and the
[4:02] actions of the flight crew.
[4:03] >> It is not looking too terribly good
[4:05] right now. We've got a number of
[4:07] thunderstorms that are quite strong in
[4:09] the state.
[4:09] >> The weather last night in Little Rock
[4:11] and much of mid-America was ugly and
[4:14] violent, but neither unusual nor
[4:16] unpredictable. What was not predicted
[4:19] was this: the instant intersection of
[4:22] weather and airplane at runway 4R of
[4:25] Little Rock Airport.
[4:26] >> The aircraft arrived at about the time
[4:28] the first leading edge of a thunderstorm
[4:31] line arrived at the airport.
[4:32] >> The plane touched down, but hardly
[4:34] seemed to slow at all, skidding off the
[4:37] runway to the left, then back onto the
[4:39] tarmac, then careening off the end of
[4:42] the runway, spinning as it hit a light
[4:45] stanchion and tore apart in at least
[4:47] three pieces.
[4:48] >> The terrain around Little Rock Airport
[4:50] is not regarded as particularly
[4:52] troublesome, but there are questions
[4:54] tonight about the runway.
[4:56] >> Well, there are two things that you look
[4:57] for in the in the safety board will. One
[5:00] is what's called crowning, and that is
[5:02] to have kind of a peak in the middle of
[5:05] the runway so that the water will flow
[5:07] off to the sides immediately. The second
[5:09] thing is there can be
[5:12] mechanisms,
[5:14] sand areas, things that will slow down
[5:16] an aircraft at the end of a runway or
[5:19] the runway overrun.
[5:21] >> There seem to be fewer questions about
[5:23] the airplane itself.
[5:25] >> The aircraft involved was a McDonnell
[5:27] Douglas Super 80,
[5:28] which had an excellent safety record
[5:30] with us and with other airlines around
[5:33] the world.
[5:33] >> Our own check of FAA accident and
[5:36] service difficulty reports confirms
[5:39] Baker's account. For the past 11 years,
[5:42] the records show nothing more serious
[5:44] than a few blown switches or broken
[5:46] latches, all easily repaired. The pilot
[5:49] in charge of last night's flight,
[5:51] Richard Bushman, also had an outstanding
[5:54] record.
[5:55] >> The captain of flight 1420
[5:57] has been a pilot for American Airlines
[5:59] since 1979
[6:02] and had logged more than 9,600
[6:05] total hours at American Airlines
[6:08] including more than 5,500
[6:11] hours as an MD-80 captain.
[6:14] >> Which leaves the big question. Why did
[6:16] an experienced pilot like Captain
[6:18] Bushman try to land in such bad weather?
[6:21] Because everyone agrees that decision
[6:23] was his.
[6:25] And it seems clear that weather watchers
[6:27] in Little Rock knew there were big
[6:29] storms in the area.
[6:31] >> We We're getting reports of 60 mph winds
[6:34] from stations including the office here
[6:37] probably 10 minutes or longer before the
[6:40] aircraft touched down.
[6:42] You would characterize the gust if
[6:43] you're looking out your front window as
[6:45] probably small trees are really leaning
[6:47] into the wind pretty heavily.
[6:50] Large trees would be in active motion.
[6:53] >> If someone informed me that there were
[6:54] 50 knot gusts of wind
[6:57] at the airport that I was preparing to
[6:59] land at, I would leave town.
[7:01] >> So, why didn't pilot Bushman? Was he
[7:04] never properly informed by the Little
[7:06] Rock Tower of the danger he was flying
[7:08] into?
[7:09] Or was it this very human possibility
[7:12] cited by several people? Former
[7:14] Transportation Department Inspector
[7:16] General Mary Schiavo calls it
[7:19] get-there-itis.
[7:20] >> It's the last flight of the day, you
[7:21] want to get out, you want to get home.
[7:23] You know the passengers want to be
[7:25] delivered where they want to go. And
[7:27] former American Airlines Chairman Bob
[7:30] Crandall probably said it best himself.
[7:32] What airlines today are selling is a
[7:34] seat in time at a time when passengers
[7:36] want to go to arrival at a time when
[7:39] they want to be. That's what they're
[7:40] selling is time. And if you don't
[7:42] deliver the time, there's tremendous
[7:44] crash.
[7:44] >> Was it as simple as that? As former NTSB
[7:48] investigator Ira Furman points out, in
[7:50] this case, there is a good chance of an
[7:53] answer.
[7:54] In this case, of course, the the first
[7:56] officer has survived, so whatever
[7:59] thought patterns that were going on in
[8:00] that cockpit, expressed and unexpressed,
[8:03] I would hope he would be able to share
[8:05] with the investigators. Investigators
[8:08] have already begun examining the crashed
[8:10] plane's cockpit voice and flight data
[8:13] recorders, and we're told they're
[8:15] getting a lot of good information, which
[8:17] they should begin sharing with the
[8:19] public in the days and weeks to come.
[8:22] I'm Dave Marash for Nightline in
[8:23] Washington.
[8:25] In a moment, stories from Flight 1420,
[8:28] an interview I did a couple of hours ago
[8:30] with a father and son who sat in first
[8:33] class across the aisle from rows of
[8:35] passengers who disappeared. And a recent
[8:38] college graduate, just 2 weeks from his
[8:40] wedding, who escaped from the coach
[8:43] section.
[8:46] >> This is ABC News Nightline, brought to
[8:49] you by Pepcid AC acid controller.
[8:56] >> Hey, Dad.
[8:57] >> What are you doing up?
[8:58] >> We live in your mother's stuff, Pepcid.
[8:59] >> Heartburn again, huh? What are you
[9:01] taking?
[9:02] >> Tums, and I'm back for more.
[9:03] >> You still taking that stuff?
[9:05] Look, Dad, take a Pepcid AC. One tiny
[9:07] pill controls acid all night.
[9:09] >> I'm going to get some
[9:10] >> Sleep. Next time, take one before
[9:11] dinner, and you can stop heartburn
[9:13] before it starts.
[9:14] >> Before it starts?
[9:15] >> You don't see me suffering, do you?
[9:17] >> What are you guys doing up?
[9:19] >> Uh nothing, dear. We were just talking
[9:20] about your your peppers.
[9:21] >> Peppers? Yeah.
[9:22] >> I have some in the fridge.
[9:23] >> You can sleep heartburn free with Pepcid
[9:25] AC.
[9:27] >> There comes a point when one more sequin
[9:31] will ruin the dress.
[9:34] When one more brush stroke
[9:36] will spoil the painting.
[9:39] There comes a point when anything more
[9:41] is simply more.
[9:43] Park Avenue by Buick. Power, comfort,
[9:46] unparalleled elegance.
[9:49] And now, Park Avenue is even more
[9:51] rewarding.
[9:53] It's luxury, pure and simple.
[9:58] >> Thursday, John Stossel walks on fire,
[10:01] braves a voodoo curse, and shows you the
[10:03] tricks of the supernatural trade. Test
[10:05] your power of belief with John Stossel,
[10:07] Thursday.
[10:11] >> At American Tourister, we've always
[10:13] subjected our luggage to some pretty
[10:15] harsh treatment. So, we took it to
[10:18] Islands of Adventure at Universal
[10:19] Studios Escape in Orlando. Where it met
[10:23] Rex.
[10:34] American Tourister. Tough luggage for a
[10:37] tough world.
[10:41] >> First, there was Chevy Suburban.
[10:52] Then came Lincoln, Lexus, Mercedes, and
[10:54] the others.
[10:56] And in the end, the one that started it
[10:58] all is still the one that tows the most,
[11:01] holds the most, and does the most.
[11:06] Chevy Suburban. Like a rock.
[11:12] >> And joining us now from Little Rock,
[11:14] Richard Clapp and his son Jason, who was
[11:16] sitting in the front row of first class
[11:18] on flight 1420, across the aisle from
[11:20] passengers who were ripped from the
[11:22] plane during the crash landing. And at
[11:25] our Little Rock affiliate, KATV,
[11:28] Tad Harden, who was sitting in coach
[11:31] returning from performances in Europe
[11:33] with his college choral group. Um Mr.
[11:35] Clam, tell me if you would what you
[11:38] remember as being the the last thing
[11:40] that the pilot said to you and and if
[11:42] you can, tell me
[11:44] what what his tone of voice was if you
[11:46] remember.
[11:47] >> Okay. I remember that after we had left
[11:51] Dallas in in route to Little Rock, I
[11:54] remember that the pilot after we left
[11:57] Dallas had told us that they were having
[11:59] light rain showers in in Little Rock and
[12:02] it kind of gave the indication that the
[12:03] weather was was just rainy but nothing
[12:06] real serious. As we got closer to Little
[12:08] Rock, we could look out the airplane out
[12:10] the windows and we could see flashes of
[12:12] lightning and that there was a big
[12:14] thunderstorm ahead of us.
[12:16] But up until just before the plane
[12:18] crashed, the pilot finally came on and
[12:20] in a very calm voice, he told everybody
[12:22] to make sure their seat belts were
[12:24] fastened and told the stewardess to sit
[12:26] down in preparation for landing. He
[12:28] There was no kind of uh
[12:30] of danger or alarm in his voice
[12:32] whatsoever.
[12:33] >> But did there seem to be anything about
[12:35] this flight that caused you to be
[12:36] concerned?
[12:38] >> Yes. The thing that concerned me most
[12:40] about this flight was the fact that
[12:42] after we had began our descent into the
[12:44] Little Rock area, I noticed that the uh
[12:47] uh the bumpiness of the plane was more
[12:50] than I'd ever experienced before
[12:52] and I think it was because of the
[12:53] thunderstorm, the turbulent conditions
[12:55] that we were flying into. When it
[12:56] finally got into the area where it was
[12:59] uh close to being in close to being able
[13:02] to land, it seemed like it circled once
[13:04] or twice around the Little Rock airfield
[13:06] before it finally came in
[13:08] and I knew something was wrong when we
[13:10] hit the runway and there was a big loud
[13:13] thump and the plane went up and came
[13:15] down with another thump and it seemed
[13:17] like the plane never could really touch
[13:19] and grip the ground. It just seemed like
[13:20] it kind of ricocheted down the runway
[13:22] all the way till it finally till the
[13:24] time it finally of off the runway and
[13:27] and crashed.
[13:28] >> Now, Jason, if if you would pick up more
[13:30] or less at that same moment, in other
[13:32] words,
[13:33] after that after that first bump on the
[13:35] runway, describe for me what happened as
[13:37] you saw it and as you experienced it.
[13:40] >> Well, um
[13:42] when we hit the first bump on the
[13:44] runway, I knew right then I knew
[13:46] something knew something was wrong.
[13:48] There was no doubt in my mind.
[13:50] And then we
[13:52] we we were coming back down and we as we
[13:55] landed from our from the first bump, we
[13:57] kind of swerved a little to the right.
[14:00] And it seemed like the pilot tried to
[14:02] put his brakes on real quick. And doing
[14:05] that, he swer- he seemed like he wanted
[14:08] to go to the left a little bit. And
[14:10] I think what happened from there was the
[14:13] wind speed was so strong that it kind of
[14:15] pushed us as he was taking turning left
[14:18] and that I
[14:19] I think that may have like put us off
[14:21] the track.
[14:22] >> Now, Tenesha Harden, if if you'd pick it
[14:23] up from there, shortly thereafter the
[14:25] plane smashed into that into that light
[14:27] stanchion. What do you remember about
[14:29] that?
[14:30] >> Well, that was the first moment that I
[14:31] realized that we were no longer on the
[14:33] runway, that we had crashed into
[14:36] something, and we had we were actually
[14:39] on some kind of uneven terrain. Um
[14:43] and that's when I we started smelling um
[14:46] some fumes. We were scraping the ground
[14:48] and
[14:49] we didn't we didn't really know what was
[14:51] going on. We knew we were turning and
[14:54] later found out that crashing into that
[14:56] tower was what saved us from not going
[14:59] directly into the river.
[15:00] >> But what was it that happened
[15:02] immediately after you crashed into that
[15:04] tower? The plane, as we now know, broke
[15:06] into
[15:07] basically three sections. What could you
[15:09] see from where you were?
[15:11] >> Uh
[15:12] the section I was in continued to turn
[15:15] and
[15:17] stopped rather quickly. Um and all I
[15:20] could see at the at the front of my
[15:22] section was um
[15:24] a group of large flames to my left uh
[15:27] where the left wing had uh used to be
[15:31] and then I saw people immediately
[15:33] getting up uh to open the uh emergency
[15:37] exits over the wings.
[15:38] >> Now, who was that? Was that passengers?
[15:40] Was that members of the crew?
[15:41] >> It was passengers.
[15:43] >> And did there seem to be I mean, I would
[15:45] imagine that there was some sort of
[15:46] panic in uh on the plane or at least
[15:48] people
[15:50] exceedingly concerned.
[15:52] >> There was a lot of noise um a lot of
[15:54] people shouting. It was difficult to
[15:56] ascertain whether we were hearing flight
[15:58] attendants or passengers. Uh but as far
[16:01] as movement uh everyone in my section
[16:04] tended to uh do things very logically.
[16:07] We there was not uh a lot of chaos as
[16:11] far as that was concerned. We began to
[16:14] um
[16:14] get out row by row in a fairly orderly
[16:17] fashion even though it was rather noisy.
[16:20] >> Mr. Claramed, it must have been much
[16:21] more nightmarish where you were because
[16:23] as as I said in the introduction, an
[16:25] entire row of passengers was lost. Were
[16:29] you aware of that right away?
[16:30] >> No, not not really. What happened was um
[16:33] after the plane had gone out of control
[16:35] and I knew that we were uh off of the
[16:38] runway, I looked out the window and I
[16:39] could see grass going by the uh
[16:42] the uh window uh where once before
[16:44] pavement was going by
[16:46] and about that time I I lowered my head
[16:49] and uh all I remember was I just felt a
[16:51] tremendous jolt or an impact and I think
[16:54] I was knocked unconscious for about 30
[16:56] seconds.
[16:57] And uh when I came to
[17:00] uh I I there's about 30 seconds I can't
[17:02] account for, so I must have been out
[17:04] cold for a little while. I looked over
[17:06] to my left and all I saw was a the side
[17:09] of the fuselage and first class was
[17:11] completely open and I saw my son Jason
[17:14] who apparently had gotten up and gotten
[17:16] out of the aircraft and the passengers
[17:18] that were sitting over on the left on
[17:20] the left uh seats were no longer there.
[17:22] The seats weren't even there. So, I knew
[17:25] that at that time I needed to get out of
[17:26] there just as quickly as I can and my
[17:28] could and my son told me to to get out
[17:30] of there because he was afraid there
[17:31] might be an explosion.
[17:32] >> Now, Jason, can can you fill in that gap
[17:35] where your dad was unconscious? What
[17:36] what happened?
[17:38] >> Well, um when once the plane stopped, um
[17:42] I tried to get off the plane as quick as
[17:43] I could because there was a fire about
[17:45] 10 rows behind me
[17:47] and um
[17:48] I I was I was afraid, you know, you
[17:51] know, of course I thought there would
[17:52] might be an explosion cuz I was it
[17:54] seemed like the fire was rising pretty
[17:56] quick and it was going back towards the
[17:57] engine area. So, you know, I forgot just
[18:01] completely didn't even mess with getting
[18:03] my luggage off the um
[18:05] the rack above me. So, I just got off
[18:06] the plane
[18:08] and Dad my dad was kind of in a ga- a
[18:10] gaze. Um I had to keep yelling for him
[18:12] like, you know, "Dad, come on, you know,
[18:14] let's get let's get away from this
[18:15] plane. It's going to blow. We need to
[18:16] hurry." And so, from from there, he he
[18:19] followed me out towards the river.
[18:21] >> All right. We'll we'll pick up with the
[18:22] story in just a moment, but we have to
[18:24] take a short break. Back in a moment.
[18:31] >> One seafoam bridesmaid dress,
[18:34] $200.
[18:36] Seafoam dyed shoes,
[18:39] $90.
[18:41] Manicure in seafoam, $11.
[18:46] A friend worth wearing seafoam for,
[18:49] priceless.
[18:51] There are some things money can't buy.
[18:53] For everything else, there's MasterCard.
[18:55] Accepted all over. Available in gold and
[18:57] platinum.
[19:00] >> I worry too much. Merging two bank
[19:02] networks, but it wasn't a problem.
[19:05] AT&T nailed that.
[19:07] They really helped us connect our
[19:09] customers, trading partners,
[19:12] and everyone's together in real time.
[19:14] Now we can give service on demand.
[19:17] Very cool.
[19:20] Our revenue is going to go sky high.
[19:23] I like worrying about that.
[19:25] >> AT&T Net working to make your business
[19:28] succeed.
[19:30] >> For those smokers who are ready to quit,
[19:33] Nicorette introduces a breath of fresh
[19:35] air. New mint flavored Nicorette gum,
[19:38] the same craving fighting power of
[19:40] Nicorette and the flavor of mint.
[19:43] Nicorette helps you control your
[19:45] cravings, so you can break free from
[19:47] smoking. And now you can choose your
[19:49] flavor. Now isn't that a breath of fresh
[19:52] air?
[19:53] >> Nicorette helps you fight your cravings,
[19:55] your habit, your way. You can do it.
[19:58] Nicorette can help.
[20:02] >> Coming up, Boy Scouts.
[20:03] >> So you didn't last as a Boy Scout,
[20:06] right?
[20:06] >> No, the kids peed on my head.
[20:08] >> Politically incorrect with Bill Maher
[20:10] coming up.
[20:14] >> After 100 years, this landmark building
[20:17] is coming down.
[20:19] >> Nine.
[20:21] >> Only US West advanced PCS lets you use
[20:24] your office number as your wireless
[20:25] number.
[20:26] >> Yeah, phone's office.
[20:27] >> Hey, glad you're at your desk. Just
[20:28] wanted to say good luck at the 510
[20:30] building.
[20:31] >> Three.
[20:32] Two.
[20:33] >> Stop!
[20:34] >> Because when you really need to stay in
[20:35] touch, the simpler
[20:37] the better.
[20:39] Take your office number with you, only
[20:40] with US West. Life's better here.
[20:45] >> I think I just had a wake-up call.
[20:50] And it was disguised as a car.
[20:55] And it was screaming at me not to get
[20:57] too comfortable
[21:00] and fall asleep
[21:04] and miss my life.
[21:15] >> And back once again with Richard and
[21:17] Jason Clam and Tad Harden, all survivors
[21:19] of flight 1420. Um Jason, I want to come
[21:22] back to you for a moment because while
[21:24] while your dad was out, I mean he was
[21:26] unconscious, he did not see what
[21:28] happened to that row of passengers on
[21:30] the other side of the aisle from you.
[21:32] Could you see it? What did happen to
[21:34] them?
[21:34] >> Yes, I saw I saw everything that
[21:36] happened. Um
[21:38] W- While while the plane was
[21:41] um
[21:42] going towards its left when it when I
[21:44] think when the wind picked it up and
[21:45] took it off the tr- the track, um
[21:48] all of a sudden a huge chunk in the left
[21:51] part of the first first class area just
[21:54] came out of the plane and that took with
[21:56] it the passengers. I believe it could
[21:58] have been the
[21:59] all the all the four all the rows on
[22:01] that left side of the first class.
[22:02] >> Now, is that I I I assume those are the
[22:04] people in there who were killed?
[22:07] >> I don't know. I hope not, but
[22:09] um
[22:10] I don't know.
[22:11] >> Tad Harden, you were you were talking
[22:13] before about how relatively
[22:16] well-organized everything seemed to be
[22:19] back where you were sitting. People were
[22:21] helping one another?
[22:23] >> Yes, sir. Um quite a few of us were in a
[22:25] group together traveling and we were all
[22:28] seated together, so we knew each other
[22:29] and
[22:31] uh the few the few people that we did
[22:33] not know with us, we all worked together
[22:35] um as quickly as possible to get
[22:38] >> Talk Talk about that. How did How did
[22:40] people help one another?
[22:41] >> Uh well, um our choir director was the
[22:44] first one up and he uh was in the
[22:47] emergency exit and opened the door on
[22:49] the right side
[22:51] um while the others were being opened on
[22:53] the left side and then he motioned
[22:56] people with his voice um to keep coming
[22:58] and just row by row filed off
[23:00] uh and we were able on the right side to
[23:03] jump directly onto the wing and get to
[23:06] safety.
[23:07] Uh, the left side was, as I understand
[23:10] it, much more difficult. Uh, the wing
[23:12] was not there to jump to. They had to
[23:14] jump directly to the ground and
[23:15] actually, um,
[23:17] uh, go through a bit of of the flames.
[23:20] >> Mr. Clam, uh,
[23:22] how long was it before there was any
[23:24] help from fire department, police,
[23:27] before any authorities came to the
[23:28] scene?
[23:29] >> Okay, after my son or after my son and I
[23:32] got together after I got out of the
[23:34] aircraft, we proceeded, uh, along with
[23:36] several other people to an area that was
[23:38] probably about 200 yd away.
[23:41] It probably took us about, uh, five five
[23:43] to eight minutes to get over there. We
[23:45] had to walk through some water which
[23:46] which was probably about an ankle deep.
[23:49] And I didn't realize that we were very
[23:50] close to the Arkansas River. But as far
[23:53] as the time limit, uh, the time span
[23:55] from the time that the first help
[23:56] arrived, I estimate somewhere between 30
[23:59] and 35, maybe 40 minutes before the
[24:01] first the first fire trucks rolled in
[24:03] and they began, uh, spraying, um, some
[24:06] kind of flame retardant on the aircraft
[24:08] to, uh, spray out the flames. And
[24:10] following that came, uh, ambulances, but
[24:12] it was probably anywhere from 35 to 40
[24:14] minutes.
[24:15] >> Do you have any idea why it took so
[24:16] long?
[24:18] >> Well, I I was thinking that in my in my
[24:20] own mind that, uh, here it was midnight
[24:22] in Little Rock and nobody's expecting a
[24:25] an airplane to crash, so it probably
[24:26] takes time to, uh,
[24:28] after the in the and of course the plane
[24:30] was the plane was actually out of view
[24:31] for a while from, uh,
[24:33] from the airport. You couldn't even see
[24:34] it because it's kind of over the on the
[24:36] side. But, uh, I know one of the
[24:38] passengers happened to have a, uh,
[24:40] cellular phone
[24:41] and after he had kind of got, uh,
[24:43] control of his emotions and everything,
[24:45] he he decided to call 911 and that may
[24:48] have been the, uh, that might have
[24:49] helped help get some of the, uh, help
[24:52] get, uh, some of the rescue, uh, efforts
[24:54] in motion.
[24:55] >> Jason, talk about the talk about the
[24:57] weather conditions there at that time.
[24:59] It must have been pretty awful, huh?
[25:01] >> Yeah, they were they were pretty bad. Um
[25:04] Um well, when we were when we were
[25:06] walking when we were once we got rested
[25:08] in our group, we we all huddled
[25:10] together. There was about a dozen in our
[25:12] group to keep warm. But it was raining
[25:14] it was raining very hard and it was
[25:16] hailing. And I would say pretty
[25:18] extremely hard. Um the hail the hail was
[25:21] about the size of a a marble, maybe just
[25:23] a tad smaller.
[25:25] Um but it was all there was also
[25:27] lightning around us about I would say a
[25:29] quarter of a mile away.
[25:31] Because um when it when it struck, you
[25:33] know,
[25:34] usually when lightning's far away it
[25:35] strikes and it takes a period of time
[25:37] for you to hear, but this lightning
[25:38] would strike and then all of a sudden
[25:40] you would hear the thunder.
[25:41] >> Tanner Hardin, um there have been
[25:43] stories of people who actually went back
[25:46] into the into the plane to try to get
[25:49] others out and to help others out. Did
[25:52] Did you personally witness any of that?
[25:54] >> Uh it was difficult to see, but a few of
[25:57] of the ones in my group did go back in
[26:01] um especially through the back to um
[26:05] help other people that were having
[26:06] difficulty such as elderly um couples.
[26:10] >> It When when you say elderly couples,
[26:12] I'm I'm trying to get a sense of how
[26:14] difficult it would have been to get out
[26:16] of that plane. I mean, there there is
[26:18] smoke, it's dark, it's it's thundering
[26:22] and lightning and hailing outside,
[26:25] uh a lot of people yelling at each
[26:26] other. Um Just give me a sense of how
[26:29] tough it must have been for some of
[26:31] those older people to get oriented and
[26:33] to get out.
[26:35] >> They pretty much some of them had to
[26:36] trust us completely. They couldn't see.
[26:39] We had a hard enough time seeing and we
[26:41] were just guiding them by their hands.
[26:43] Um
[26:43] some of them just as far away from the
[26:46] plane and from the smoke as we could get
[26:47] them.
[26:48] >> By and large, it it sounds to me as
[26:50] though you feel everyone on the plane
[26:52] acted about as well as they could
[26:54] possibly have acted.
[26:55] >> I don't see how we could have expected
[26:58] any anything better. Um some people did
[27:01] go into shock, but not until the ones I
[27:03] witnessed, not until after we had
[27:06] deplaned.
[27:07] >> Well, Tana Herden, Richard Clam, Jason
[27:09] Clam, thank you all very much. I'm I'm
[27:12] just so glad that you're well enough
[27:14] that you're able to stand here and talk
[27:16] to us tonight and uh
[27:18] I really appreciate you taking the time
[27:20] to come.
[27:21] >> Thank you.
[27:21] >> Thank you.
[27:21] >> Thank you.
[27:22] >> I'll be back in a moment.
[27:29] >> Remember life in the fast lane?
[27:31] >> I do.
[27:32] >> First you meet, then you get married,
[27:34] and things slow down.
[27:37] >> Yeah, right.
[27:38] >> To help you keep up, drive the
[27:40] supercharged Regal GS sports sedan.
[27:42] Plenty of room, standard traction
[27:44] control, and the most power in its
[27:46] class. And now, Regal comes with
[27:48] something that'll make it even easier to
[27:50] drive.
[27:52] Regal by Buick, official car of the
[27:54] supercharged family.
[27:57] >> Captain!
[27:58] >> Need brakes?
[28:00] >> Now during the Midas $40 lifetime brakes
[28:03] rebate, save $20 per axle or $40 for
[28:05] your whole car. Lifetime guaranteed $40
[28:08] in savings right now. Go safely, go
[28:11] Midas.
[28:12] >> Two words, hot stock. Perfect for us.
[28:14] >> You get a sexy portfolio that'll make
[28:16] you rich. Me, a small commission.
[28:18] >> Trust me. I'm only here to make you
[28:21] money.
[28:21] >> Before you go here, go here. Whether
[28:23] you're tracking your own stocks or the
[28:24] market at go.com, you're in charge.
[28:29] >> Your eyes are tearing. It's hard to
[28:31] focus.
[28:33] >> It's not a mother-daughter thing. It's
[28:35] allergy season.
[28:36] >> There's something you can take
[28:38] helps you feel better without putting
[28:40] you to sleep. It's Allegra. Only Allegra
[28:43] has fexofenadine. It really works for
[28:45] people 12 and over. Ask your doctor or
[28:47] pharmacist for more information. Side
[28:49] effects may include drowsiness, cold or
[28:51] flu, nausea, or menstrual pain, and are
[28:53] low. Allegra, so you can enjoy the world
[28:56] around you.
[28:58] >> Tired of working for others?
[29:00] Tired of the stock market's roller
[29:02] coaster ride?
[29:03] Ever dreamed of holding your own
[29:05] business?
[29:06] Then take the first step this weekend.
[29:08] See national franchise companies at
[29:10] part-time at-home business
[29:11] opportunities.
[29:12] >> Having your own business is where I
[29:14] think most people really want to be.
[29:17] >> There's nothing like being your own
[29:18] boss.
[29:19] >> Start your own business. Visit the
[29:21] franchise show this Saturday and Sunday
[29:23] at the Oregon Convention Center, Hall C,
[29:25] Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
[29:37] >> There are a lot of used cars to choose
[29:38] from, but Honda certified used cars come
[29:41] with a factory warranty and have passed
[29:43] a rigorous 150-point inspection.
[29:46] So, you'll almost never find a Honda put
[29:49] out to pasture.
[29:51] Now, get special 5.9% APR financing for
[29:54] up to 60 months on all Honda certified
[29:56] used Accords and Civics.
[30:03] >> Tomorrow on Good Morning America, you'll
[30:04] get the very latest on the investigation
[30:06] into the crash of American Airlines
[30:08] Flight 1420.
[30:10] That's our report for tonight. I'm Ted
[30:12] Koppel in Washington. For all of us here
[30:14] at ABC News, good
[30:17] >> Nightline is always on with abcnews.com,
[30:21] now part of the Go Network.
[30:28] >> Nightline has been a presentation of ABC
[30:30] News. More Americans get their news from
[30:32] ABC News than from any other source.
[30:34] abcnews.com,
[30:36] now a part of the Go