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Harrison Ford Survives Plane Crash; Delta Flight Skids Off New York Runway; Passenger Describes Terrifying Ordeal; Did Hillary Clinton Violate E-mail Policy?; Obama Discusses DOJ Report on Ferguson; Ferguson Police Chief Dodges Questions

Aired March 6, 2015 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ford was pulled from the plane by doctors who happened to be playing golf on the course. First responders say Ford was conscious and is lucky to be alive. Ford's son tweeting, "Dad is OK. Battered, but OK. He's every bit the man you would think he is. He's an incredibly strong man."

And his publicist says his injuries are "not life-threatening and he's expected to make a full recovery."

This isn't the first time that Ford has had a close call. In 1999 Ford had to make a hard emergency landing while flying this helicopter with a flight instructor.

FORD: Down the runway like...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERCAMMEN: And later today, federal investigators will be back, and we expect that the plane will also be removed from the course later on today -- Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Add to that Harrison Ford probably bothered by all the fuss, just hoping to get back to what he does -- loves to do. All right, Paul, thanks so much for that.

We turn now to this situation in New York. The passengers and crew on board a Delta Airlines jet also very, very lucky. That plane right there you see it, skidded off an icy runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport, slamming into a barrier just feet from the frozen bay.

CNN's Miguel Marquez is at LaGuardia this morning with a status of how things are this morning at the airport as the investigation continues.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, trying to get back to normal here, Michaela, and it is absolutely incredible when you consider how forceful that plane came to a landing, that nobody was more badly injured.

Ten-eight-six, a Delta flight from Atlanta to LaGuardia, landed here around 11 a.m. just after pilots throughout the day had reported different conditions on the runway, Runway 13 here at LaGuardia, that goes along Flushing Bay. It is a 7,000-foot runway. When that plane hit the ground, passengers tell us that it never got

traction. It literally started to skid from the second it hit the ground. The wing then clipping a fence. The plane taking a sharp and violent right-left turn into an embankment that is there to protect anything from falling into the bay. In this case, it was an MD-88.

The nose portion of that plane, the cockpit up over that berm, hanging out over the water. The force so great that it ripped the wheels right off the front of the plane. The nose cone of the plane also came off.

The people were able to get through the right side door off the right wing and to safety. Amazingly, just a handful of injuries, most of them minor neck and back injuries. A few people transported.

And right now, the big thing is to get that plane off this runway so that LaGuardia can get back up and working in normal order. There are a handful of delays and cancellations, both outbound and inbound today. But for the most part, it's getting back up in the air here -- Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Miguel. The detailed reporting, very helpful. That graphic showing what happened with the plane, very helpful.

But there is no substitute for understanding what happened there than hearing it from someone who was on board. And Michaela spoke to a man named Jared Faellaci earlier this morning. He was on board Flight 1086, and you will rarely hear a better account of what it was like to be on a plane than he one he told us. He says as it touched down, they knew they were in trouble. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JARED FAELLACI, PASSENGER ON DELTA FLIGHT 1086: As soon as the wheels touched down, within two seconds, I knew there was an issue.

PEREIRA: You felt something?

FAELLACI: We didn't feel the wheels take.

PEREIRA: You usually feel that. The gripping and all.

FAELLACI: Exactly, they grab, and you feel that.

PEREIRA: These are the pictures that you took, right?

FAELLACI: Exactly. I gave them to Joey Hirsch (ph) and they sent them off to you guys when I landed.

So literally, within two seconds, the wheels didn't take, we started to skid, we veered to the left-hand side of the runway. And then you're just feeling nothing but rough ground.

PEREIRA: What are you thinking? FAELLACI: Well, an array of emotions. First of all, my buddy, Dave

Sanderson, was on the Hudson River crash a couple years ago. And he went through that tragedy on the water. So I'm immediately thinking, "I'm going to end up in the water just like Dave."

And then the next thought that goes through my mind is "I'm going to end up dead. This is it. My time has come. You know, God is calling me home." And it just is like -- and literally, I brace the seat in front of me. People are doing all sorts of things. Some people were crying; some people were obviously frantic. Some people were praying; some people were, obviously, shouting.

But I grabbed the seat in front of me. I just bowed my head and prayed and just asked for God's protection in that moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: And let me tell you, they needed it. Let's discuss why.

We have CNN aviation analyst and PBS science correspondent, Mr. Miles O'Brien. CNN family. And CNN safety analyst and former FAA safety inspector, David Souci.

Great to see you both, as always. Thank God we're not talking about people who lost their lives in a tragedy, but the examination important, nonetheless.

One of the reasons, Miles, that this plane didn't go off the runway is that they built up the area there after what happened in 1992. You remember on takeoff there, that plane lost it, went into Flushing Bay; two dozen people swallowed up by the freezing water. That was the concern about what was happening this time. Is this just an accident?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, it's hard to say. It's always more than one thing for one thing.

But what we're talking about here is an airport that is, on a good day, a varsity airport: 7,000 feet of runway. The MD-88 needs about 5,000 feet on a good day. You had low visibility, low ceiling and you had what we call a contaminated runway, which means it's got some ice or it's slick.

The air-traffic controller relies primarily on pilot reports. The plane that went in before them said headquarters said, "Hey, good braking action; it's fine."

It's a dynamic situation, the weather is changing; and one person's good braking might be another guy's slick runway.

CUOMO: Miles calls it a varsity airport. David, anybody who flies in and out of there a lot may use something more negative when discussing LaGuardia Airport. Is this a situation where it is reasonable to state the proposition that these planes may be pushed to land because of efficiency and business, even when it's not completely safe? DAVID SOUCI, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: I think that is what it comes down

to. The question is going to be, and the investigation is going to be, did the Port Authority clear the runway properly and did they report the conditions properly? You do rely on those pilot reports, but you also have to rely on the fact that the people maintaining that airport are doing the right thing.

You've also got the downwind leg going here. The airplane had wind behind it, quartering (ph) wind behind it, which is a difficult thing to do, even on a dry runway.

And in addition to that, on this airplane, you can't deploy the thrust reversers or the wing spoilers, which plant you on the ground really strongly. You can't do that until those flat switches have completely compressed on the landing gear. They have to be all the way down, and then you can put the thrust reversers, which are clam shell doors that come out of the back of the engine and actually push back.

So when he talked about feeling the gripping on the ground, partially, what that is, as well, is those thrust reversers coming out, because they have a very strong -- you can hear those engines come back up again and push back. And that's what I think may have happen here, is it didn't get planted firmly in the first place, and therefore they ran out of runway.

CUOMO: And what we want to find out is whether or not they just got lucky. You know, and not going into the water, or was it because the pilot did the right thing and those from air-traffic control, they did the right thing. We will have to wait for more information. The NTSB is on it.

So we go from that one to the celebrity crash. Miles, here's what I don't get. I know Harrison Ford is an experienced pilot. I read the briefing on it. Why fly these old planes? I mean, to the uninitiated, I say what do you think is going to happen, you're flying this old thing, you know? There are going to be problems. Is that naive?

O'BRIEN: Well, why drive an old Ferrari? Why -- you know, there's a lot of things that people with...

CUOMO: You're on the ground. They're on ground, Miles.

O'BRIEN: They go very fast, you know. People with deep pockets and a taste for thrill and the Zen of flying, will do this. And it's a labor of love. It's a piece of history that you're caring for. And besides, you look really cool when you're in the cockpit of one of those things. You got one of those leather helmets on.

CUOMO: He looks cool anywhere. Is he a good pilot?

O'BRIEN: He's a great pilot.

CUOMO: Was this his fault, or was this just engine failure and it happens? O'BRIEN: You know, it's hard to say. The one way it might be his

fault is if he took off with a dry tank of gas. I doubt it. You know, it's probably -- it's an old radial engine. These things, you know, circa 1941, a lot of things can happen to these airplanes. He did everything right when the engine went out.

CUOMO: Is that fair scrutiny, David? Or am I just misunderstanding what it is to fly these planes and that they're just fine? And they made it through the war, and it's part of the adventure of the experience of being a pilot?

SOUCI: Well, you know, I've done certifications, re-certifications, taking one aircraft of this type from a military-grade aircraft into a civilian use such as this. I've done a lot of those. And you can -- you can't believe the amount of meticulous detail that goes into the scrutiny of whether this aircraft is ready to fly or not. I spent hours and days actually just doing the inspection part, let alone the maintenance that goes into it beforehand.

So as Miles said, these are deep-pocket people that really want to do it right. And they do it right. And they don't hold anything back as far as making that aircraft just as good as it was when it came off of the original factory floor.

CUOMO: Which was a long time ago, and we've learned a lot about how to do it the right way since then.

But look, luckily, he's fine, and luckily he was in the back seat. One of the things we learned about this airplane is that, when you're alone, you fly it from the second seat. If he'd been in that front seat, take a look at the pictures. You see what his fate may have been.

Miles O'Brien, thank you for this.

O'BRIEN: My pleasure.

CUOMO: We'll come back to you and David Soucie when we get more information about the Delta crash. Thank you very much -- Mick.

PEREIRA: So I take it you and I are not going flying in a World War II...

CUOMO: I don't see it as something that's on the ground. That's all I'm saying.

PEREIRA: All right.

CUOMO: It's a more dangerous proposition.

PEREIRA: OK. I just need to know.

CUOMO: I get the back seat, by the way.

PEREIRA: Of course. Of course, I could have guessed that. All right. Moving on to other news now, the State Department is

knocking down reports that Hillary Clinton automatically violated policy by using personal e-mail while being secretary of state, saying it wouldn't know whether Clinton actually broke the rules until the full review was done.

Our senior political correspondent, Brianna Keilar, joins us live from Washington with the very latest details on all of this e-mail-Gate, I guess you could call it.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I guess you could call it that. And Michaela, even once this entire review is done, the State Department might not be able to tell if there were rules that were broken. And that's because Hillary Clinton and her team, they maintain control over this private e-mail account that she solely used over this e-mail server that she has. They continue to maintain control over that. And they decided what e-mails to turn over to the State Department system last year in 2014.

So really, as long -- what we're hearing from the State Department official, and this comes after some reports that suggested Hillary Clinton might have been in violation from 2009 to 2014 by not turning over her private e-mails into the public system. They're saying as long as she eventually turned over the e-mails, she was in compliance.

But you know, overall, you really don't want to miss the forest for the trees here. And that's really that by having this e-mail account that she solely relied on. She didn't have a State Department account. And by having this server, she's really opened herself up to these allegations that she was trying to maintain her privacy, maybe bend the rules, if not break them, at the expense of transparency. And that's really the liability here for Hillary Clinton, as she eyes declaring her candidacy, we expect here, in the next few weeks -- Chris.

CUOMO: All right. Now we're hearing that the server may have been her way of making it as safe as possible, because there wasn't an understanding that you could use personal e-mail. There's a lot of need for clarification here...

KEILAR: Yes.

CUOMO: ... and for more voices to come in. Brianna, thank you so much for chasing this for us.

Well, one big voice we hadn't heard from yet until now, is President Obama. This morning he is offering his first response to the Justice Department report blasting the Ferguson Police Department, something that does deserve focus.

CNN's senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta, what did he have to say about this report, because everybody's talking about it?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris. Well, the president did not comment on some of the really offensive

remarks that were made in some of those e-mails internally inside the city of Ferguson that were highlighted in the Department of Justice report. But did he did touch on the controversy. And this was really, as you mentioned, the first opportunity for the president to comment on some of these revelations that were unearthed by the Justice Department. And he made those comments to "The Joe Madison Show" on Sirius XM just about 20 or 30 minutes ago. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (via phone): We just saw the Ferguson report come out. I don't think that is typical of what happens across the country. But it's not an isolated incident. I think that there are circumstances in which trust between communities and law enforcement have broken down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And the president took this opportunity to talk about an effort that is under way inside his administration to create what is -- they're calling this 21st century policing task force. It's a task force aimed at breaking down the barriers that exist between law enforcement and minority communities.

And it's important to point out, the president is making these comments ahead of a couple of very important events later on today. He's going to be traveling down to South Carolina to speak at a traditionally black college about civil rights issues and expanding economic opportunity in minority communities.

And then tomorrow, a very big event for this president. The president, the first lady, their two daughters will be heading down to Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the bloody march. That's the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama. It was a big civil rights moment 50 years ago. The president will be marking that moment tomorrow and using it as a clarion call to younger generations to continue the mission of civil rights activists who sacrificed so much 50 years ago -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: A significant day to commemorate, and we know that other leaders will be joining him there. Jim Acosta, thank you so much for that. We appreciate it.

Overseas, we're getting some chilling reports of a massacre by Boko Haram in a remote village in northeast Nigeria. Fighters are said to have killed at least 68 people in the raid. It happened as many villagers were attending morning prayers. Witnesses say they targeted men and boys, and torched homes in that village.

CUOMO: A federal judge shot in front of his home in Detroit. Terrence Berg is recovering after being shot in the leg. Police tell our affiliate, WDIV, it was an apparent robbery and probably not targeted because of his profession. PEREIRA: Wow, a monster storm packed with snow and ice, socking a

third of the nation. Kentucky, Interstate 65 -- look at that -- became a virtual parking lot. The heavy snow piled up around cars. It trapped drivers in their cars for hours. Officials are still trying to clear that jam this morning.

Another incident to tell you about: a teen slammed by a car in Rhode Island following a chain-reaction crash. The 18-year-old was on the side of the road when a driver slid on ice, lost control, hit her. Luckily, we are able to tell you that she is OK. My goodness.

CUOMO: All right. The Ferguson Police Department, certainly in the news here, but it may not survive after the Justice Department's stunning details of racism. CNN caught up with the police chief. Hear what he had to say about his department and his future.

Alisyn, how is it down there in Texas?

CAMEROTA: It's great, guys, because I am here in the Oval Office. OK. It's an exact replica of the Oval Office here at the Bush Center in Dallas. They have recreated every minute detail of this room, from George W. Bush's presidency, including even the speed-dial buttons on his phone that he used. There's one here for his chief of staff, Josh Bolten; his press secretary, Dana Perino; and then there's a button on here that says just "41." There's also a red button here that I'm not going to touch.

But meanwhile, stick around, because we're going to have an exclusive live interview with former first lady Laura Bush. She is opening up about what she believes will be the key to stopping extremism in the Middle East.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Many are calling for the resignation of Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson over that Justice Department report outlining rampant racism within his department. CNN's Sara Sidner caught up with him exclusively and asked him about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don't you think you should have known some of the things that came out? The racist e-mails, the numbers. Were you just trying to bilk people out of money instead of protecting them? Telling your department to just go ticket them?

TOM JACKSON, FERGUSON POLICE CHIEF: OK. Thank you. And I will be in touch. Get ahold of Jeff.

SIDNER: I've talked to -- I've talked to everyone. I've given you literally every opportunity. We've been talking for days and days and days. All we want is an answer from you.

JACKSON: I'm going to analyze the report and take action where necessary.

SIDNER: Does that mean you're going to stay around?

JACKSON: I'm going to take action where necessary. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: Let's bring in Charlie Dooley. He was St. Louis County executive, the head of the county for 12 years. During the protests in Ferguson, he was active in trying to calm protesters while letting them have their voices heard.

Mr. Dooley, a pleasure to have you here today. I want your reaction to what you heard Sara Sidner try to get out of the police chief there. He says -- Jackson says he'll take action where necessary. What do you hear in that? What does that mean to you?

CHARLIE DOOLEY, FORMER ST. LOUIS COUNTY EXECUTIVE: Well, first let me say good morning to you, Michaela. I'm glad to be here.

PEREIRA: Glad to have you. DOOLEY: I'm somewhat disappointed. I know the police chief in Ferguson personally. I consider him a friend. I'm disappointed in his reaction to the report. The e-mails, very disappointing. It's not very encouraging at all.

And the issue about him stepping down, I think that the decision should be his and the city council. And I think for the betterment of that community, something needs to change. And he's a part of the change that needs to take place.

PEREIRA: OK. As a friend, are you counseling him as such and telling him that you think that Ferguson needs a change?

DOOLEY: It's obvious if the e-mail -- I did not look at the e-mails personally myself. But the e-mails are true, it's very concerning to me that the city government endorse those type of activities. That is not the norm.

PEREIRA: So you have been quite vocal about the problems that African-Americans have faced in Ferguson. The Justice Department report likely not a surprise to you. But you were, I understand, surprised by the extent of how far the discrimination went in Ferguson.

DOOLEY: Yes, I was. The e-mails and the -- the vast amount of e- mails, the indication of making up city revenue with -- on the backs of other people, I think is very discouraging. There have been rumors of those situations.

The Ferguson situation is not isolated. It's not rampant, but it's not isolated. And it's a symptom in our community that needs to be corrected.

PEREIRA: So sir, as a city executive, did you not feel heard? Did you voice your concerns during your tenure there about what was happening in Ferguson? Or were you deafened?

DOOLEY: Again, during my 11 years as county executive, there were concerns. Those things was brought to bear.

Again, people think that a municipality is a creature of the county. It is not. It's a creature of the state, and the state rules in those types of situations. So there's very little power that the county government can do other than speak to those issues. And we did speak to those issues.

PEREIRA: And what kind of response did you get?

DOOLEY: It was a very negative response from the municipalities, from the municipal league itself. It's called meddling. I'm of the opinion -- in St. Louis County, they say there are 90 municipalities. The 90 municipalities is not the problem. It's the level of service and respect in those municipalities, is the issue.

PEREIRA: So you think that this -- Ferguson is just indicative of what's going on in other communities in your state?

DOOLEY: It's indicative of what goes on across America. Is it an isolated incident? No, it's not. Is it rampant? Probably not. It's about how do we treat one another? Again, it's about African- Americans, the Michael Brown case for example.

I was encouraged that attorney general Holder launched those two investigations. But to come back and say that no wrong was done, that simply isn't true. That's not the spirit of the law.

PEREIRA: I want to ask you a quick question before we end up here. Some of the very people cited in that report from the Justice Department, are the very people that are now charged with having to be involved in fixing what is going on in Ferguson. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to some.

DOOLEY: That's -- that's the real problem right there, is not that the investigation wasn't proper. It's just who's doing it? Who's involved? Who's the authorities?

And those individuals are concerned about defending themselves as opposed to trying to correct the situation. And that's a real problem. To not acknowledge that things went wrong; you can't fix it. And those individuals indicated that they're being defensive or it is the norm.

Those e-mails are very damaging to the community. Does it speak to the whole community? No, it don't. But does it exist? Yes, it does. And when it does exist, we need to address it in a very aggressive way. But denying it or trying to defend it, that is wrong.

PEREIRA: Charlie Dooley is the former St. Louis County executive.

We want to know what you think at home.

Thank you so much for joining us, sir. DOOLEY: Thank you.

PEREIRA: Is this going to be a wake-up call? Will other communities find themselves having these kind of conversations in their communities? Tweet us. Go to our Facebook page. Add your comments there -- Chris.

CUOMO: All right. It is the 50th anniversary of the historic march in Selma. Not marking the occasion? Any members of the Republican leadership in Congress. Why not? John King is going to talk about this on "Inside Politics."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)