Crew Member, ‘Black Box’ Expected to Shed More Light : Jet’s Wreckage Searched for Clues

GRAPEVINE, Tex. — Federal investigators sweltered under a hot Texas sun Friday, continuing their search through charred, broken wreckage for clues to what caused Wednesday’s crash of a Delta Air Lines jet.

Spokesmen for the National Transportation Safety Board said an afternoon interview with Steven Mark Judd, a member of Flight 1141’s hospitalized cockpit crew, was expected to shed more light on the crash of the Boeing 727 that killed 13 of the 108 aboard.

In addition, investigators in Washington said they hoped to glean further details from the cockpit sounds and conversations that have been heard on the “black box” cockpit voice recorder recovered from the wreckage.

Focus on Two Possibilities

Although the NTSB cautioned again that it was still too early to pinpoint the causes of the crash, attention continued to focus Friday on two possibilities--engine failure and improperly deployed wing flaps.

A “one-time listen” to the cockpit voice recorder has revealed “some sort of conversation about an engine problem,” according to Lee V. Dickinson Jr., the NTSB member who is heading up the probe.

A number of witnesses reported hearing explosions and seeing flame and smoke as the big plane struggled to lift off from Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport on a flight to Salt Lake City on Wednesday.

Dickinson reported Thursday night that the cockpit handle used to control the plane’s “flaps” and “slats” was found in the “up position after the crash” rather than the “down position” that would be expected.

Normally Are ‘Down’

Flaps and slats are extensions of the wings that are normally deployed in the “down” position to give a plane the extra lift needed for takeoff.

The witnesses said the big plane rose only about 25 to 30 feet into the air before it began to sink, slamming into the ground about three-fifths of a mile beyond the runway and bursting into flame.

A source close to the investigation--who asked not to be identified--said Friday that it apparently was Judd who called out the warning about the engine problems as the plane began to falter.

Judd, as flight engineer, would have been monitoring the engine instruments as the 727 attempted the takeoff.

The recording of the cockpit sounds and conversation was said to be of good quality, and further readings were expected to reveal whether the crew went through the entire, mandatory check list during the takeoff procedure.

Confirmation Mandated

The check list mandates confirmation--prior to takeoff--of whether the flaps and slats are properly deployed.

In addition, investigators will be listening to the cockpit recording for additional, tell-tale sounds, such as the “click” that should be audible if the flap control is snapped properly into the “down” position.

Another clue will be whether a warning horn--which should sound if the flaps are not properly deployed--can be heard.

The biggest job at the crash site Friday was the removal of the plane’s three JT8D engines for examination at the Hartford, Conn., plant of their manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney.

A forklift was used to tear away part of the broken tail to give access to the No. 2 engine, which is located directly under the rudder.

Using Stoop Labor

While heavy equipment was being used on the engines, old-fashioned human stoop labor was being used to collect, catalogue and mark hundreds of small bits of wreckage along the 100-yard scar that the plane carved through light brush before it came to rest against a chain-link fence.

Temperatures soared into the 90’s here Friday and with the humidity hovering near 50%, it was hot, dirty work.

Some of the workmen pried open an emergency door near the rear of the plane to examine its mechanism. Questions remained whether the door may have jammed during the crash, trapping some of those who died in the flaming wreckage.

A preliminary report from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office indicated that all 13 succumbed to smoke inhalation.