making news in america this morning, deliberate action. the co-pilot of the doomed germanwings plane now the center of an investigation. his house now a crime scene. we're live with the latest evidence from investigators. a massive explosion rocking a new york city neighborhood. new video this morning of the blast as people on the streets scatter to safety. plus, what investigators believe is the cause. caught on camera. patrolling the streets turning into a life-saving scene. a police officer jumping into action with children trapped inside a burning sur. and march madness. the elite eight beginning to take shape. one game down to a few final minutes and another big blowout.

good friday morning. i'm ryan smith in for t.j. holmes. >> and i'm reena ninan. we begin with the plane crash investigation in the french alps which now appears to be a mass murder. >> we have all angles covered this morning including new details about the co-pilot who investigators believe deliberately took down the plane. and searchers are beginning another day of work sifting through the mangled wreckage. >> plus, cockpit safety coming into question. what's being done to reduce the risk of this happening again. we have team coverage beginning with abc's molly hunter near the crash site. good morning, molly. it's already a very busy morning there. >> reporter: it is, reena and ryan. helicopters are busy taking crews up to that crash site. but the overwhelming question on everyone's mind this morning is why. this morning an up-close look as the grim work goes on. searchers looking for remains and clues on these steep treacherous slopes all that's left of germanwings

flight 9525. officials say this man, 27-year-old co-pilot andreas lubitz, locked the pilot out of the cockpit and deliberately flew the airbus into the ground. the cockpit voice recorder capturing it all. as the plane hits cruising altitude the captain asks lubitz to take control stepping out of the cockpit presumably to use the rest room, lubitz resetting the autopilot beginning the deadly descent. the pilot frantically banging on the reinforced door pleading to be let back into the cockpit but there's no response. lubitz is heard breathing normally, never speaking as the seconds tick by. the jet closes in on the mountains in full view of the passengers. in germany, the home he shared with his family, now a crime scene. police gathering any clues that could explain his motive. lubitz had just 630 flying hours, but the airlines saying there were no red flags, he was 100% fit to fly. he even did some of his training two years ago in arizona.

back here in france, a touching ceremony, flags in tribute showing all the nations that lost citizens in this tragedy. recovery crews are trying to recover that second data recorder. investigators hoping that it will provide clues to explain exactly what happened in those final moments. reena, ryan. >> hopefully answering some of the many questions. molly, how much longer do they think this place will take? >> reporter: ryan, initially investigators thought that the actual investigation on the crash site would only take a week, but now that they have spent about a week up there, four days up there, they think that it will take much longer. we've seen pictures of that crash site. now, thousands of pieces and it's hard to imagine they'll be able to get all of that down from the mountain into the hands of investigators and forensic experts here in any short amount of time. >> well, we certainly will keep our eyes on this, molly.

thank you so much. molly hunter live in france. the crash is raising new questions about those reinforced cockpit doors that kept the pilot out. >> that's right. and this morning we're learning more about how security measures designed to protect passengers and pilots may have worked against them. our team coverage continues with abc's david kerley. >> reporter: since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 commercial aircraft including germanwings airbus a320 have a nearly impenetrable cockpit door. >> after 9/11 what we were trying to do is make sure the bad guys couldn't get into the cockpit, so they reinforced the door to where you couldn't even blow it off the hinges. >> the new reinforced phase two cockpit door. >> reporter: as this airbus demonstration video explains, once the cockpit door is locked from the inside, a digital code is required to get back in. but even then the pilot inside the cockpit can block re-entry for five minutes. >> but, of course, along with that comes a problem. what happens if you need to get into the cockpit and nobody inside is able to let you in or even worse, a situation like we have here where somebody's denying access.

>> reporter: u.s. regulations require that two people always remain in the cockpit. if one pilot exits, a relief pilot or a flight attendant must take their place. this was not the policy of germanwings. some international carriers including air canada and norwegian air are changing their policy to match that of the u.s. david kerley, abc news, new york. >> stay with abc news for the latest on the plane crash. live team coverage coming up on "good morning america." now to the escalating conflict in yemen. a key u.s. ally in the middle east. a day after saudi arabia launched air strikes against rebel forces there, egypt says it is ready to send in troops. that is raising fears about a prolonged ground war in a country already in chaos. the rebels backed by iran now control large parts of the country and forced the u.s.-backed president to flee. in illinois a national guardsman and his cousin hatched a plot to kill soldiers in the

name of isis, that according to prosecutors. hasan edmonds was arrested at midway airport allegedly en route to join and fight with isis, but before he left according to the fbi, he planned to give his cousin jonas edmonds his uniform so he could get to wear it inside a nearby base. and here in new york investigators are hard at work to determine exactly what caused a building explosion. surveillance video from a business across the street shows the moment that the blast took place and the chaos in the street that followed. 19 people were injured. several of them critically. one young man is missing this morning. abc's ron claiborne has the details. >> reporter: witnesses say a thunderous explosion rocked the five-story building then within seconds fire engulfed it. >> i heard a huge explosion, a massive explosion and i could see the structure fall. >> reporter: jameel says the front fire escape still intact in this photo he took seconds after the explosion collapsed forcing people trapped inside to leap from the windows. hundreds of firefighters poured in to battle the raging inferno.

dense, black smoke making it almost impossible to see just a few feet. the cause still unknown but suspicion immediately pointing at gas. ron claiborne, abc news, new york. students will head back to school today in areas of oklahoma that were hit hard by wednesday's tornadoes. aerial video from the community of moore, oklahoma, shows the widespread damage there. one person was killed in the storms near tulsa and there were dozens of children rescued from a gym that lost its roof. abc's rob marciano spoke with one girl who was inside. >> crazy is that you were in it when it was torn down. >> it was tough, but we were tougher. >> the mayor of moore, oklahoma, where 24 people died in a tornado two years ago called wednesday's storm, quote, a junior tornado. well, time now for a look at friday's forecast. plan on showers in the northwest. winter-like cold in the upper midwest. some thunderstorms along the mid-atlantic and sweltering conditions in the southwest.

>> those temperatures will soar above 90 in much of the southwest. but they'll only hit the 20s and 30s in the upper midwest. typical readings of 50s, 60s and low 70s in most other spots. still ahead, sex, drugs and did e -- dea agents. the bombshell report released by the justice department. a mile high adventure turns terrifying for skydivers as they're forced to make an emergency landing. plus, school surprise. students get an impromptu visitor walking down the hall.

a small plane with six people on board was forced to make an emergency landing last night in south carolina. the pilot reported engine

failure and it was too far to the nearest airport so he put the plane down on the road. most of those on board are part of a skydiving team but they did not need their parachutes. the prosecution in the boston marathon bombing trial is close to wrapping up its case. while seeing graphic photos of the wounds sustained by a victim killed in the attack, jurors listened as a medical examiner discussed her fatal wounds. two more medical examiners are expected to testify on monday then prosecutors are expected to rest their case. italy's highest court is set to issue its ruling today on whether to uphold or overturn amanda knox's conviction for the 2007 murder of her roommate, meredith kercher. if that conviction is upheld, italy could ask the u.s. to extradite her and she would be facing 28 years in prison. knox insists she will never set foot in italy again saying she would rather be a fugitive. illinois congressman aaron schock raised some eyebrows during his time on capitol hill. there was this redecoration of his office in the "downton

abbey" theme and now his farewell speech to congress. schock compared his current troubles to those suffered by abraham lincoln and resigned over questions about his spending. actor ben affleck joined microsoft founder bill gates on capitol hill to urge more foreign aid for parts of africa and they focused primarily on help for the democratic republic of congo where affleck is work ging to rebuild the coffee industry and offered up a shout-out to the appropriation committee's ranking democrat, senator leahy. >> to senator leahy i would be remiss if i did not acknowledge my co-star in "batman," a role marginally smaller than mine but i understand you're quite good. >> that sounds like confirmation from affleck that senator leahy will make a cameo in the upcoming. "batman v superman: dawn of justice" set for release next year. leahy has appeared in four previous "batman" movies. who is his agent?

>> looks like he has something to brag about in the senate cafeteria. smoke pouring from a vehicle inside. an officer's heroics actions caught on camera. and busted at breakfast. the bank robbery suspect spotted at a restaurant and what the officers did next is actually going viral. this is my body of proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis from the inside out... with humira. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further joint damage and clear skin in many adults. doctors have been prescribing humira for nearly 10 years. >>humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers including lymphoma have happened, as have blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections,

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read the label ...and have 50% less calories? exactly. now you drop... ...and give me the 50. trop50 calcium. new taste so good you won't believe it has 50% less calories. mother nature needed a bit of help from machines to clear away giant snow still piled on a hampton beach in new hampshire. the community is concerned that it won't melt fast enough to make way for all the kinds of upcoming spring and summer events. i hope it does. we're not hear ging about any major snow interfering with this morning's commute but you might see some slush on the roads around the great lakes and watch out for roadways along the mid-atlantic. >> so cold it's making your tongue freeze. if you're flying, you might run into airport delays, miami, new york city, boston and d.c. and traffic is back to normal after a deadly crash on an interstate in central texas. >> place say a

tractor trailer crashed into an overpass causing it to collapse. the immediate -- the impact caused other beams to come down. one of them landed on a pickup truck killing the driver. three other people were taken to the hospital. they're investigating whether the tractor trailer's load was too tall for the bridge. they say speed was not a factor. disturbing allegations against senior dea agents working overseas. a news justice department report found the agents took part in sex parties with prostitutes funded by drug cartels. the parties alleged lyly took place in government leased housing with laptops and other devices in the room potentially exposing the agents to extortion. >> a lawyer representing that california woman at the center of a possible kidnapping hoax now says it was real and that she is cooperating with police. he came forward last night to say denise huskins met with vallejo police for several hours hoping to clear her name and a lawyer for her boyfriend aaron quinn also insists the kidnapping was not staged and that he played no role in any hoax. >> our client has no responsibility for this

kidnapping. he was forced to drink something that even the kidnappers told him was drugged. >> vallejo police have not yet commented on these latest statements made by the attorneys or whether they questioned either party. and frightening moments for a family near columbus, ohio, unaware that their suv was on fire. fortunately two police officers spotted the smoke and flames and pulled the family over. they rescued a man, a woman and then pulled two little girls from the backseat. there were no major injuries. well, a low-key arrest in south florida over a breakfast of eggs, potatoes and bacon. the martin county sheriff's department had been tracking a bank robbery suspect when they spotted him at a busy diner. so the sheriffs and two deputies sat down at the man's table just while he was finishing eating. he was then placed in handcuffs and led outside so i guess he got to finish his breakfast. also taken into custody, a small alligator that made its way into a middle school in tampa where staff lured it into

a trash can then waited for a trapper to arrive. they all believe the little gator came from a small pond nearby. and a heartwarming story. some of the former players coached by the late dean smith say a gift he included in his will perfectly sums up his generosity. smith coached the university of north carolina tar heels for 36 seasons. he died last month. his will includes an order to send $200 checks to all his letter men. all the kids that earned letters playing basketball for him along with a note saying they should have dinner on the coach. about 180 checks were mailed out. at least one player says that's a check he won't cash. i'm sure he'll save it. >> what a sweet gesture. >> the tar heels went out of march madness last night. >> they sure did with the evening's other action here's our guys at espn. >> with stan verrett, i'm chris haskell. the sweet 16 tipped off on thursday night. man, west virginia's night was over basically before it even got started. >> yeah. they had a freshman who made a prediction that they would end

kentucky's perfect season. not quite how it worked out. kentucky up 25 in the first half. willie cauley-stein and trey lyles. kentucky with seven blocks. that looked like two on the same play. their defense is so long, so strong, and then they didn't have much problem with west virginia's pressure. they had only ten turnovers. andrew harrison there. west virginia shot just 24%. the cats get notre dame net. the irish beat wichita state. >> will a notre dame player guarantee a victory. 37-1. sean miller taking on his former top assistant chris mack. remember miller had the success of xavier. well, mack having success too. jalen reynolds gives "x" a three-point lead and davis switching hands. four-point lead for xavier, under ten to go but arizona tightened the screws on defense, t.j. mcconnell hits a three and brandon ashley hits one from the elbow and arizona wins it by eight and

they will get a rematch. a rematch that we've been waiting for against wisconsin in the elite eight. >> yep. that's all we got from here. sweet 16 continues on friday. we send it back to you. >> good stuff. well, coming up next on "the pulse," the producers of "downton abbey" making a big announcement about the show's future. and ceremony surprise. what happens when a superstar shows up at your wedding. allergies can distract you. so when your symptoms start, doctors recommend taking non-drowsy claritin every day of your allergy season. with claritin, you get powerful, non-drowsy relief 24 hours a day, day after day. which is important because with fewer symptoms to distract you you can focus on the extraordinary things you do every single day. live claritin clear. every day.

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♪ time now for "the pulse" and i was starting to do my british accent. it didn't quite work. we start with rumors now confirmed the next season will be the last of "downton abbey." >> i know you thought reena and i would be in the cast. not quite. it will be the hit series sixth season and it won't start airing here in the u.s. until next january. in all nine new episodes featuring all the characters both upstairs and

downstairs will be produced over the next few months. >> the entire cast gathered in london to read through the scripts of "downton abbey's" final season yesterday. of course, complete secrecy about plot lines is being maintained. >> say it ain't so. all right. how about this, from one group leaving to a key guy leaving another -- an emotional message from a member of one direction after that stunning departure that sent millions of teens and tweens into a tizzy. >> oh, in response to zayn malik quitting the group, band member liam payne tweeted "this last week has been some of the worst times. it's sad to think for the time being we won't grace the stage as five bros but i'm sure -- i'm super sure us and zayn will always remain the closest friends. i guess what i'm really trying to say is it it's far from over." >> wow, that guy is deep. super sure. that's how sure he is. the news lit up spotify with streams for one direction up by more than 700%. and another british pop star isn't breaking hearts.

he's bringing them together. >> oh, a just married australian couple was about to take part in a traditional first dance when they were surprised by a live wedding singer. >> for the first dance as husband and wife, bring in the wedding singer, please. here he is. [ cheers and applause ] >> oh, my god. ♪ when your legs don't work like they used to before ♪ ♪ and i can't sweep you off of your feet ♪ >> i love him. ed sheeran, of course, he showed up to sing his hit song "thinking out loud" for the astonished couple. >> so nice. the sheeran surprise and the entire tab was picked up by a local radio station after learning the financially struggling couple had to postpone their wedding plans when the bride's mother passed away. what a class act. not only sheeran but the radio station. >> both parties absolutely and to have him come and show up and play at your wedding, i love that. >> many cool points earned by ed sheeran. well for some of you, your local news is next.

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. good friday morning at 4:28. i am kristen sze. >> i am eric thomas. leyla gulen is here with traffic and mike nicco has the both. no more records? it will cool off? >> we had fog. >> there was fog. very shallow only on or 600' deep but pushing from petaluma at quarter-mile and half mile at half moon bay and pushing into the bay. still going to be warmer than average but not as war as yesterday because of the sea breeze. most of us wake up in the low-to-mid 50s. we will stay in the upper 50s to low 60s at the coast and mid-to-upper 60s around the bay and low-to-mid 70s inland for the afternoon.

>> early on friday morning and we could not have problems already? >> we should not but we do have one issue near the benicia bridge but the bay bridge is looking clear. we will hope for friday lite this morning. hopefully this afternoon. as we move to the san mateo bridge the drive is not showing fog impeding the commute. there are flashing lights. the lanes are blocked eastbound side. watch out for the cones and slow down. >> thank you leyla. the lawyer for a woman would claim she was kidnap asked held for ransom denies what police say, it was a hex. our reporter has the latest twist in the mystery. >> she is emotionally and physically broken. the fact she has been designated as a suspect only hurts further.

>> the attorney for denise huskins lashed out at police accusing her and her boyfriend of orchestrating the abduction for $8,500 ransom. >> it is very early she was accuses of being a suspect in the case of a hoax rather than a victim of a crime. >> police say there is in evidence to substantiate the claim but quinn's attorney say police obtained e-mail to quinn from the alleged kidnappers. they took the phone app off airplane messages from the kidnapping. >> he said he was bound and drug by two kidnappers. >> he voluntarily was given a police department test so the police could confirm the kidnappers drug hill. >> the couple could face state or local charges if they invented the