“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Ross asked. “With me, I mean?”
“Yes,” Griffin said matter-of-factly. “It’ll give the segment instant credibility. Don’t be so shy.”
“I’m not shy,” he huffed. “I’ve given interviews before.”
“Then you know the routine.” She turned to Lee. “How does he look?”
“Camera ready,” Lee replied, adjusting the lighting. He casually motioned to the top of Ross’s head.
Griffin reached into the bag and produced some extra hold mousse. She gave Ross’s hair two squirts and brushed the mousse through it.
She caught Ross staring at her in the wall mirror.
Griffin smiled and faced the camera.
“We’re coming to you from the Courtyard Marriott on Layton and 5th Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, has established its temporary headquarters. I’m here with Thomas Ross, the man in charge of the NTSB’s vaunted Go Team, which is investigating the airline tragedies that occurred here on Monday morning and in South Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday.”
She turned. “Mr. Ross, what can you tell us about the black boxes that have been recovered? Will they provide any clues to what caused these incidents?”
“Yes and no,” Tom replied. “We’ve recovered two CVRs, or cockpit voice recorders, and two flight data recorders, or FDRs. Both sets are in good condition. We’ve analyzed the Delta boxes, and preliminary results have shown that the flight controls and instruments were functioning normally during the plane’s takeoff. But shortly after that, there was an indication of a problem with two of the major systems: maneuverability and thrust. The data indicated that—”
“Excuse me, could you explain that?”
Ross noticed Griffin’s perfume.
“Um, sure… um… I’m sorry… er, yes, we found that one engine had lost all capability to produce turns due to compressor failure. In layman’s terms, a jet engine does four things: suck, squeeze, burn, and blow. Something literally stopped the air from being squeezed or compressed — something very violent.
“Second, we know that shortly after takeoff, the aircraft started turning and lost its ability to straighten its nose. The pilot’s best recovery reaction, given the time frame involved, would have been to control that movement by the rudder on the plane’s tail. It appears that something dramatic happened to Flight 771’s rudder, and that meant the pilot was unable to bring the nose back to the original flight path. Then it went into an uncontrollable roll.
“We also know that the loss of control happened at a specific point in time. The data shows that it was instantaneous. What we don’t know is how or where the problem originated. It could have come from a variety of places, including something as simple as a stripped screw that allowed the rudder to move back and forth. That’s only a theory right now, though. We’re still recovering the physical pieces.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. Ross, but that sounds similar to the accident that happened in the Belle Harbor area of Queens, New York, two months after 9/11. Wasn’t that also a rudder problem?”
“Yes, unfortunately, that’s true. American Airlines Flight 587 took off from John F. Kennedy Airport and lost an entire section of its tail. We concluded that it was caused by a combination of improper pilot pressure on the rudder pedals and a concentrated vortex of air created by the jet wash of an earlier departure. It was both operator and manufacturer-related. At this time, we’re not ruling that or anything out.”
“In his press conference on Tuesday, the president would neither confirm nor deny any terrorist linkage. Is that still true?”
“I certainly can’t speak for the president, Homeland Security, or the FBI, but at this time there are no indications that these crashes were caused by anything other than mechanical failure. The Delta flight’s voice recorder supports further evidence of that. Conversation between the pilot and first officer is relaxed and normal up to the point where they discover something is wrong. Sadly, the time element between that discovery and the actual crash itself was very brief. There simply wasn’t a lot of talk. That’s strong evidence, though, that there was no pilot duress and no unauthorized persons in or trying to gain access to the cockpit.”
“What can you tell us about Flight 605?”
“Oddly enough, the engine failure appears to be identical to that of Delta’s except that both of United’s engines lost power at the same moment in flight.”
“Doesn’t it seem incredible that two different aircraft have crashed under circumstances exactly like those of two Russian planes in 2004?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s incredible, but it is highly unusual,” Ross clarified. “Those things just don’t happen. Flight 771 was a Boeing MD-90 and Flight 605 was an Airbus. However, it’s important to understand that while the aircraft are different, their flight control systems and mechanics still have many similarities, especially in physical components and parts. Those similarities are then vulnerable to similar failures. If it is a mechanical or physical defect in a common component, then I’m confident we’ll find it.”
“How long would it take for a mass replacement of such a defective part?”
“Good question. It would happen airline by airline. I can’t begin to estimate the time frame. I do know that the maintenance staffs in the entire industry would work day and night to correct such a defect. I don’t want to speculate, but it would take a while.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ross.” Griffin turned to the camera. “Incredible or highly unusual? We’ll have to wait and see. In the meanwhile, stay tuned for regular updates. Reporting from NTSB investigation headquarters in Milwaukee, this is Neela Griffin, Fox 6 News.”
Lee turned off the camera.
“Nice take, Neela. This is sweet stuff. The other stations know we’re here, and they’re really ticked. How come Fox gets such preferential treatment?”
“Never mind about that.” Griffin turned to Ross. “Do you want to edit this?”
“It’s fine; let it go.”
Griffin ushered Lee to the door. “There’s a deadline in four hours,” she said to her cameraman. “There’ll be more to come. I’ll call you.”
Ross rose from his chair. “I’m impressed. A lot of people are uncomfortable with our findings on Flight 587. And you did your homework on those Soviet flights. How has reaction been at your news station? Are you still a problem child?”
“Are you kidding? They’re treating me like I’m Ann Curry, Megyn Kelly, and Diane Sawyer rolled into one. It’s been a complete turnaround. I can do just about anything I want with segment topics and time slots. They did think it was a little unusual that I was given private access to such a sensitive investigation, but everyone in this business realizes that’s where the media is heading. It’s certainly a good way to present the truth. My colleagues did wonder why I’m staying here when I live just ten miles away, but other than that, it’s all good.”
“I see you’re hosting a fund-raiser tonight for some of the families,” Ross said, reaching out and gently grasping Neela’s hands. “How are you holding up? I mean, can I help with anything?”
“I’m a little tired, but other than that, I’m okay.” She gave a quizzical look and then smiled. “You’re even busier than I am, but that was really sweet. Thanks for asking.”
Ross pulled her closer. Neela’s expression fell somewhere between interested and shy. She didn’t resist. She lowered her eyes briefly, then raised them to meet his. Ross placed his hand under her chin. His kiss was ultra-soft, barely touching at first, then grew firmer.
Warmth rippled through her body, and her cheeks flushed pink.
Ross pulled his lips away slowly.
Trancelike, the couple stood an inch apart, eyes closed. The moment was interrupted by vibrating from Ross’s pocket.