L 1011 News Today

With new long-range single-aisle jets, the industry is shifting and airlines are starting to put narrowbody aircraft on flights across the Atlantic.

Green lights indicate the main landing gears are down. but the nose gear indicator remains dark. >> the nose gear showed that it wasnt either down or up. it didnt say what position it was actually in. so they broke the approach and advised air traffic control that they needed some time to sort through a technical problem. >> unaware of whats going on in the cockpit, flight attendant beverly raposa feels the plane turn away from the airport. >> i wasnt concerned, because i mean, things like that ...

It is simply too late to do anything about it. it sounds impossible but that sort of thing has happened before john. >> these are the questions. with the flight recorders in hand, perhaps well get answers quickly. tom foreman, thank you. lets bring in our panel. david stoosy a former faa inspector and author of "why planes crash" and les obviousen is a former airline pilot. david, tom foreman laid out some scenarios there. based on what youve seen so far today, do any of you jump out to you as t...

Are flying into the terrain. it is controlled situation. this happened a couple times the last one of serious accidents of all times was back in miami out in the everglades when in 1972 an l-1011 was diverted and flying around looking for the cause of this landing gear that wasnt coming down properly. the flight crew was so fixated o on trying to figure out why this wasnt working they forgot to maintain and look out the aircraft and see why theyere they were flying and it slowly dissented. they ...

Wasnt either down or up. it didnt say what position it was actually in. so they broke the approach and advised air traffic control that they needed time to sort through a technical problem. >> unaware of whats going on in the cockpit, flight attendant feels the plane turn away from the airport. >> i wasnt concerned because things like that happened and if there was a problem, we had a phone by each of the flight attendant seats. if there was a problem the pilot would have called us. >> to troubl...

When the pilot extends the landing gears. green lights indicate the main landing gears are down. but the nose gear indicator remains dark. >> the nose gear showed that it wasnt either down or up. it didnt say what position it was actually in. so they broke the approach and advised air traffic control that they needed time to sort through a technical problem. >> unaware of whats going on in the cockpit, flight attendant beverly raposa feels the plane turn away from the airport. >> i wasnt concern...

Landing gears. green lights indicate the main landing gears are down. but the nose gear indicator remains dark. >> the nose gear showed that it wasnt either down or up. it didnt say what position it was actually in. so they broke the approach and advised air traffic control that they needed time to sort through a technical problem. >> unaware of whats going on in the cockpit, flight attendant feels the plane turn away from the airport. >> i wasnt concerned because things like that happened and i...

Beverly feels the plane turn away from the airport. >> i wasnt concerned because things like that happened and if there was a problem, we had a phone by each of the flight attendant seats. if there was a problem the pilot would have called us. >> to troubleshoot the problem, the l-1011 climbs to 2000 feet. then heads towards the everglades. the captain puts the plane on auto pilot. >> everybody wants to find the solution. thats just nature. we want to accomplish the mission. >> the crew suspects...

On tvs "the west wing" summed up a common frustration among passengers. >> were flying in an l-1011. carries a sim 5 transponder tracking system. are you telling me i can still flummox think thing with something i bought at radio shack. >> short answer to that question is apparently question yes. im joined by "new york times" aviation writer christina groney. i see people breaking this rule all the time. my producer was listening to his ipod on takeoff. so should i be worried? >> well, i think y...