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ValuJet testimony: Oxygen canisters mislabeled
November 8, 1996
Web posted at: 3:00 p.m. EST
MIAMI (CNN) -- The head of a maintenance company that packaged oxygen-generating canisters aboard ValuJet Flight 592 said Monday that the canisters were not labeled as hazardous material.
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Final moments: The ValuJet transcripts |
On the opening day of a National Transportation Safety Board
hearing into the May 11 crash of the ValuJet DC-9,
SabreTech Corp. president Steven Townes said that one of the
lessons learned from the crash is that hazardous material
labeling needs to be improved.
(416K/18 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)
"My mechanics shouldn't have to guess," said Townes.
The NTSB released documents Monday showing that employees of SabreTech told investigators that the oxygen generator canisters were sitting around a stockroom at SabreTech in Miami when a stock clerk decided to gather them up and send them back to ValuJet in Atlanta.
Townes testified that his employees believed they had met all the requirements for packaging the canisters. He said special safety caps had mistakenly been listed as being installed and the canisters were mislabeled as empty.
Townes' testimony came after the NTSB released a dramatic transcript of the last moments of the doomed flight. In those last moments, voices can be heard screaming about a fire in the cabin just before the DC-9 slammed into the Everglades, killing all 110 people aboard.
While no official cause of the crash has been named, sources have told CNN that 150 of the oxygen generators -- improperly packed and stowed in the DC-9's cargo hold -- are believed to have ignited the fire that brought down the plane.
NTSB member John Goglia said that employees of SabreTech had been advised by their attorneys not to testify because a criminal investigation into the crash is still going on.
goglia said the employees had earlier provided the NTSB with extensive information about the packaging of the canisters, and that SabreTech had provided Townes and another witness who will testify.
The hearings began Monday were expected to last all week. In addition to Townes, ValuJet President Lewis Jordan, Federal Aviation Administration investigators, and members of the Airline Pilots Association are expected to testify.
While a final report on the crash is not expected until next spring, the FAA has decided to require fire detectors and extinguishers in cargo compartments of 2,800 older aircraft.
Special Section:
Related stories:
- Transcript of final moments of ValuJet Flight 592 released - November 18, 1996
- Six months later, ValuJet families still grieve - November 17, 1996
- ValuJet 592 crash to be blamed on oxygen canisters - November 15, 1996
- Government to require airline cargo fire detectors - November 14, 1996
- FAA simulates fire aboard ValuJet 592 Everglades crash - November 8, 1996
- Fiery tests show probable cause for ValuJet nosedive - Nov. 7, 1996
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window- National Transportation Safety Board
- FAA
- ValuJet
- 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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