By Jeff Lipton
The cause of the 9:15 a.m. crash was unknown, as investigators continued to sift through wreckage that spilled across Beach 129th and Beach 131st Streets. There were no indications of terrorism, federal investigators said. The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary investigation indicated it was an accident, possibly the result of a catastrophic mechanical failure with the plane's equipment. The cockpit voice recorder was immediately recovered and it showed no distress calls from the pilot.
Witnesses and neighbors said the plane sounded as if it were in trouble in the sky, before it nose-dived into a row of private homes, completely destroying four of them and damaging eight others. Several homes were set on fire.
It was unknown how many residents were injured, but there were several reports of people being rescued or evacuated from their buildings. Initial reports indicated at least 41 injured, many of them rescue workers, were rushed to area hospitals, officials said.
It's pretty much a miracle that not more people were injured, said one city detective.
No one on board the plane is believed to have survived, authorities said. As of Tuesday morning, police said, 262 bodies had been recovered. Among the victims were five infants traveling with their parents. It is not known how many were killed on the ground, but six to eight residents were reported missing, police said.
American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300, crash-landed in Belle Harbor, when many adults were off from work and children home from school because of Veterans Day. The plane apparently experienced trouble about three minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy Airport. The plane was bound for the Dominican Republic and about 175 of the passengers were Dominican, authorities said.
The plane started to break apart, scattering pieces across the residential area, witnesses said. The engine was found at a nearby Texaco Station, between the gas pumps and the building. The tail section was found in the water nearby.
Saud Aziz, of Beach 135th Street, said he was outside his home sweeping his yard when he spotted the plane in the sky.
I was hearing a sound like a tractor-trailer dragging something right on top of my house, about 2,000 feet or so, Aziz said. And then I saw something fall from the wing and a piece of the wing fell down.
It was coming nose down, Aziz added. I was afraid that it was going to fall on us. I saw with my own eyes the plane hit. It wasn't a strong explosion, but I felt a vibration. I heard people crying, screaming, coming out of their houses. People were running out of their homes carrying bags.
One neighborhood resident, who was in tears, begged a police officer to get to her home to see if it was still there. I want to see my house, she pleaded with police officers, who erected barriers to keep all but rescue workers away from the crash.
Reminiscent of the Sept. 11 disaster at the Twin Towers, people fled the smoke-filled streets, many covering their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs and surgical masks to block the acrid fumes.
Queens firefighters and the Atlantic Beach Rescue Squad were among the first emergency personnel at the scene and other firefighters from across Long Island's South Shore soon followed. An army of firefighters, EMS personnel, police and FBI agents also arrived at the scene, as police helicopters hovered above the site.
To assist in the rescue and recovery efforts, Nassau County dispatched police helicopters and crews, police Marine Bureau boats and assigned 50 police officers to the site. Ten fire engines and 25 ambulances were dispatched to a staging area at Marshall's Department Store parking lot, at the Bay Harbour Mall on Rockaway Turnpike in North Lawrence. Lawrence-Cedarhurst, Inwood, Woodmere and Hewlett Fire Departments were on standby in the staging area.
We had three pieces of fire equipment ready to go, said L-CFD Chief Tony DeLuca, who works as a manager for a private bus company in the Rockaways and was on Beach 63th Street when the plane crashed. From where I was I could see the black heavy smoke, he said. I got word to my guys a half-hour before the communication went out.
All area bridges and tunnels were immediately shut down and reopened a few hours after the crash. But the Atlantic Beach Bridge was one of three area bridges that remained closed throughout the day for safety precautions. Three area airports were also closed.
One resident of 142nd Street, who has lived in the neighborhood for 32 years, said she was talking on the phone with an area church to see if she could help in the soup kitchen. All of a sudden, I heard a tremendous crash and my phone went dead and the lights went out, said the woman, who did not wish to be identified. I feel sad. I was just getting over the one at the World Trade Center and now this happens.
Chris Plunkett of Beach 127th Street said he was in bed when he heard the plane above. You could hear the engine and it was screeching and it just hit and you could feel the vibration, Plunkett said. It bounced me out of bed.
I then heard pops and heard an explosion.
His friend, Chris Rudolph, who lives on Beach 130th Street, right near the crash site, said the impact threw him out of bed.
I was sleeping when I heard the plane going overhead, Rudolph said. I thought it ripped the roof off of my house. It rolled me out of bed.
I heard a crash, a big explosion and popping sounds.
Joseph O'Brien, of Beach 128th Street, said, The only thing I heard was a thud. I knew it was a plane [crash]. There was a lot of black smoke and there was a huge mushroom of red fiery smoke in the center.
Families of the victims of Flight 587 were taken to Ramada Plaza Hotel near JFK, where they were briefed about the latest details and met with grief counselors. American Airlines has set up a special number for victims' families, 1-800-245-0999.
