A pole punctures the co-pilot's side of the plane  ALSO: Amid chaos of shattered plane, passengers aided in rescue Investigators look at weather's role in Arkansas crash INTERACTIVE Scenes from the crash aftermath Most recent U.S. crashes  MESSAGE BOARD: Air Safety American Airlines hot line: American Airlines has set up a hot line for people seeking information about the condition of passengers on Flight 1420: 1-800-245-0999 RELATED VIDEO CNN's Aram Roston reports on survivor's reaction to viewing the wreckage Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Tony Clark reports on the crash investigation Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K 623 K / 6 sec. QuickTime movie Please enable Javascript See up close views of the crash scene Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K 183 K / 38 sec. / 240x180 QuickTime movie Please enable Javascript

June 4, 1999
Web posted at: 4:23 p.m. EDT (2023 GMT)

In this story: Victims' relatives embrace at crash site Flight data recorder may hold clues to crash RELATED STORIES, SITES

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (CNN) -- Federal investigators on Friday questioned the co-pilot of an American Airlines jetliner that skidded, broke apart and burned after landing in a thunderstorm in Little Rock.

"He was cooperative," George Black, lead on-site investigator for the National Transportation Board, told CNN. "We were thankful for that."

Nine people were killed, including the pilot, Capt. Richard Buschmann of Chicago, and 85 others were injured in the crash late Tuesday of American Airlines Flight 1420.

The hospital bed interview with First Officer Michael Origel, who broke his leg, should help the NTSB determine whether severe weather, a mechanical malfunction or human error contributed to the accident.

Victims' relatives embrace at crash site

Federal investigators also interviewed other survivors at hospitals Friday, while other survivors and relatives of victims -- some carrying flowers -- went to the crash site to see the crumpled plane. Many hugged each other.

The group, which arrived in chartered buses, was kept about 100 yards from the wreckage. As people left the buses, each was given a single flower before they walked up to a fence on a hill overlooking the wreckage. A makeshift memorial had been made of hay bales and flowers.

One woman with a neck brace was being aided as she walked; a man with a similar brace was in a wheelchair. Also in the group was a student who was traveling with a 25-member Baptist college choir that had entertained Kosovar refugees during a two-week tour in Europe.

Flight data recorder may hold clues to crash

Federal authorities want to know why flight spoilers -- devices that kill the lift on the wings to give more breaking action -- did not deploy and why the thrust reversers went on and off seconds after the plane touched down, two possible mechanical irregularities indicated by the flight data recorder retrieved from the wreckage.

The question is whether the anomalies were due to mechanical problems or were the result of choices by the pilot.

The plane landed during a ferocious thunderstorm with powerful wind gusts and dime-size hail. The control tower had issued two wind-shear alerts to the crew.

"Twice during the approach a pilot commented that he had lost sight of the runway," said NTSB board member George Black. "There was heavy rain reported, wind-shear alert advisories and the runway visual range was reported to be 1,600 feet."

The plane had enough fuel to fly to alternate airports in Nashville or Dallas, Black said. Investigators were analyzing the conversation between the control tower and the crew before the plane crashed.

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