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Six months later, ValuJet families still grieve
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Hearings start Monday
November 17, 1996Web posted at: 10:00 p.m. EST
From Correspondent Susan Candiotti
MIAMI (CNN) -- Six months after ValuJet Flight 592 slammed into the Florida Everglades killing all 110 people aboard, the crash site remains closed to the public.
Overhead, planes run a normal flight pattern toward Miami International Airport. Below, jet fuel has prevented wildlife from coming back. Birds keep a distance. Vegetation is slowly recovering.
Where the DC-9 dove into the shallow water, personal effects -- clothing, credit cards, photo IDs -- continue to float to the top. Twice a month, wildlife officers and homicide detectives gather them up.
Since the crash, some of the victims' family members have felt compelled to come back to this site. They are escorted by Lt. Jerry Lord, a Florida wildlife officer who witnesses the healing provided by the visitations. (8 sec. /96K AIFF or WAV sound)
Marilyn Chamberlin, the mother of the flight's captain, Candalyn Kubek, said her life has totally changed in the past six months. Not only did she lose her daughter, but her mother has had to leave home to move into a nursing home. (13 sec. /160K AIFF or WAV sound)
To help deal with her grief, Chamberlin planned to attend National Transportation Safety Board hearings on the crash that begin Monday in Washington.
At the hearings, investigators are expected to reveal that highly volatile, improperly packed oxygen canisters self-ignited in the cargo hold.
Sabertech, the company hired by ValuJet to pack the oxygen generators, has since fired two employees.
"We do not want to be finger-pointing," Sabertech attorney Kenneth Quinn. "We don't think it's a useful or effective exercise. We want to be part of the solution, not the problem."
Special Section:
Related stories:
- Government to require airline cargo fire detectors - November 14, 1996
- Fiery tests show probable cause for ValuJet nosedive - Nov. 7, 1996
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window- Department of Transportation - Research and Special Programs Administration
- UMass Polymer Scientists Developing Fireproof Aircraft Materials for FAA
- Fire/Cabin Safety Overview
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