a-b-c's david kerley has tips to stay safe. script: (shopping) tis the season... of packed malls.... (timelapse lot) and mall parking lots... which can be dangerous backing out... nats: crash triple a says this morning most of us are parking the wrong way... sot: kerley su 112634 the majority of us when we park in a parking lot actually take the vehicles nose in first in to the parking spot, the aaa says that is actually putting [end retrack] every year.... drivers backing out of a automotive engineering 4645 dk: so i am going to try and back in to this space, and this you are telling me is the right way/ jn: this is the right way to park. dk: and i have a camera that is tests showed.. that technology doesn't always work - in its tests systems failed to detect passing vehicles 30 percent of the time, and passing bicycles 40 percent sot: standing john nielsen/ aaa automotive engineering 10;27;31;43 jn: understand your car but never let the technology replace you being a safe driver dk: i see somebody right here backing in, in.... sot: marie byard/driver 102940 dk:

>> david kerley with us tonight. david, thank you. >>> there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this monday. the new headline this evening about women, pregnancy and autism. >>> also tonight, the very popular christmas gift now being banned by several major retailers. the new investigation under way tonight, and what to look for involving the batteries. >>> also, look at that. the pickup truck driver smashing into an american hotel lobby. what we're now learning about the driver tonight. >>> and remember, 1977, almost 40 years ago, "star wars" first hit the screen. no one knew what to expect. tonight, we take you to the premiere on the west coast. stay tuned. in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems.

abc's david kerley has the story. zero. we have liftoff. >> reporter: this is spacex's return to flight after its last rocket blew up but this mission was to prove more than delivering 11 small satellites to space. this was about returning the main rocket, the first stage, to earth and land it to be reused. >> the first stage is returning to land. >> reporter: finally spacex workers at the california headquarters and at cape canaveral could see it returning. >> the falcon has landed. >> that was so awesome. >> reporter: spacex's ceo and tesla magnate elon musk called keys to going to mars. he got an up close look shortly after the falcon 9 first stage landed. but musk is not alone. there is a new space race, a private company space race under way call it the battle of the billionaires. rocket stage landed after a test launch. a victory for that company's founder, amazon a jeff bezos. at the time musk needled him tweeting congratulations but adding there is a, quote, difference between space and orbit. the back and forth con

david kerley, abc news, washington. >> david, thank you. >>> we turn to the economy tonight, and the new headline affecting your christmas packages. after americans spent $4.5 million online after thanksgiving, fedex and ups are struggling to get your packages there on time. here's rebecca jarvis. >> reporter: they're as universal as santa claus and christmas trees at the holidays. ups and fedex trucks, making the rounds. orders soaring 14%, those deliveries are already hitting delays. the on-time delivery rate at both ups and fedex now down from this time last year. flooded with orders after a surge in online sales over the thanksgiving weekend. ups now delivering some packages in u-haul trucks. >> during the holiday season it is very common for ups to use u-haul trucks to help handle the extra package deliveries that are needed. fail" to become a popular hashtag with consumers crying foul on their computers. of course, if you don't want to worry, there's always the old-fashioned way. >> there are huge benefits of going into the store. discounts that a staff member can offer you, if

david kerley, abc news, washington. >> just absolutely amazing what they were able to accomplish. >>t's a big deal. >> yeah. >> but not as big of a deal as you and i. >> oh. that would be -- >> what we achieved. >> that would not be a good thing. >> on an overnight spacex mission. >> would you be the captain and i would be tenille? >> oh. there you go. i like how you think, kendis gibson. >> i would be scared to see you in the driver's seat there. >> i would too. especially with sleep deprivation. the study we did yesterday about people who work the overnights and drive. coming up, what women are paying and why they're paying more than men are. >>> plus, bad christmas gifts. "the mix" is next. [coughing] [coughing] [coughing] [coughing] [coughing] coughing disrupts everyone's life. that's why so many people are turning to delsym for longer lasting cough relief. delsym has an advanced time release formula that helps silence coughs for a full 12 hours. that's three times longer than the leading cough liquid. all night... or all day. we are inage neutral.ageless. age defiant. age agnost

david kerley covers aviation. >> reporter: in these rolling hills, those trying to save lives lost theirs. this medevac helicopter going down, killing the pilot, two medical personnel, and a patient. the chopper crashing north of bakersfield, its destination. it was dark and foggy. difficult conditions, even for those looking for the missing chopper. >> medevac one, negative. we're not going to go out there. we can see the weather from here. it's pretty bad. >> reporter: the medevac, operated by a private company. those killed offered to take the place of another crew. >> there's inherent risk in ems and especially air ambulance. >> reporter: we have seen those risks. last year in new mexico, a medevac taking off from a hospital crashing on the roof. so often, crashes that are deadly. in the past decade, 78 lives lost in medevac accidents. the national transporation safety board is concerned. vision. >> the very people that go out to save lives are unfortunately crashing and claiming lives. >> reporter: the ntsb is on the it learns prevents another david kerley, abc news, washington. >> d

warranted bringing in the fbi, but david, no one is saying what that evidence is. >> all right, david kerleyon the investigation tonight. david, thank you. >>> when we come back here, word of another air scare tonight, happening just moments ago. the emergency landing. the severe turbulence. passengers now being rushed to the hospital, as you can see. we'll have much more as it comes in. >>> and, what happened at the north pole that is now making major headlines. we'll be right back. happy birthday. i just had a heart attack... and now i have a choice. for her. for them. and him. a choice to take brilinta. a prescription for people who've been hospitalized for a heart attack. i take brilinta with a baby aspirin ...no more than 100 mg. as it affects how well it works. it's such an important thing to do to help protect against another heart attack. brilinta worked better than plavix. and even reduced the chances of dying from another one. don't stop taking brilinta without talking to doctor. since stopping it too soon increases your risk of clots in your stent, heart attack, stroke, and even d

>> david kerley wit us. thank you, david. >>> new developments tonight after that air scare for passengers on board a boeing 777. the air france jet bound for paris making an emergency landing in kenya over the weekend. passengers evacuated, emergency slides deployed after what looked like a bomb, complete with a timer was discovered in the bathroom. it was a fake. cardboard, paper and a clock. the passenger who alerted the crew, a retired police officer, was questioned, but has been released and that investigation does continue tonight. >>> there are also new developments this evening in the international manhunt for that american teenager, ethan couch. people in a drunk driving accident, now missing since skipping a check-in with his probation officer. and this evening, authorities now officially declaring his mother missing, as well. revealing they believe she's helped him. here's abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: police say ethan couch is on the run tonight,ossibly in this black ford truck that belongs

david kerley has all the details. >> reporter: their sea world holiday vacation, stuck. >> i want to out of this thing. >> reporter: the more than 40-year-old rotating, 400-foot sky tower elevator -- >> the tower is stuck with approximately 50 people and two employees. >> reporter: -- didn't move for about three hours, leaving this view for passengers. firefighters -- >> establishing sea world command. >> reporter: -- arrive for the rescue, as parents try to calm children. >> i know you're getting tired. just chill out and rest. >> reporter: finally, a basket. >> they're bringing supplies up with them. >> reporter: carrying a technician, as well. once on top of the sky tower, that technician able to get the ride to move. >> the technician was able to jerk the ride free, which did cause some people a little bit of panic as we jumped a little bit. >> reporter: but finally, the sky tower was lowered back to the ground. customers say they were told the emergency brake malfunctioned, it froze. sea world would not comment. of the 50 on board, none were injured. david kerley abc news washin

david kerley, abc news, washington. >>> next to a major hollywood snub. >> and finding two new voicese "finding nemo" sequel. "the skinny" is next. >> announcer: "world news now" >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our ♪ skinny, so skinny >>> it is time for "the skinny" and topping our headlines this morning, new details behind why leonardo dicaprio said no years ago to george lucas. >> the revenant" recently opened up to a british magazine that george lucas offered him the role of anakin skywalker soon to be darth vader in star wars 2 and 3. >> having been recently off his high profile role in titanic, he said he turned the role down uneasy with his new status as an international heartthrob. not ready to dive back into another block buster. >> poor guy. >> it is so tough. he even rejected the lead in spider-man instead opting for more artist mick roles in "the beach" and "the man in the iron mask." we have him to blame for hayden christenson. >> since "finding nemo" dory has made no friends. the new creatures will have familiar voices, as well. of course, with do

abc's david kerley tonight on the investigation. >> reporter: this fiery crash into an office building -- >> just total shock. you don't think this could happen in downtown anchorage. >> reporter: -- stunned residents. but was it an accident? the fbi leading the investigation is saying very little tonight. but as crews removed the wreckage of the small cessna, some unusual clues or coincidences. the pilot, doug demarest, a member of the civil air patrol. which is an auxiliary of the u.s. air force, took the plane around 6:00 in the morn, without authorization and struck the katherine, works as a lawyer. she was not in the building at the time. from the damage, it appears the plane flew in from the west. hit that first building where flames. also, neighbors say police and medics were at the couple's home the night before the crash. authorities say no one was taken to the hospital, and no crime had been committed. an aviation investigator is quoted as saying evidence warranted bringing in the fbi, that evidence is. >> all right, david kerley on the investigation tonight. david, thank you

>> david kerley lye with live ws tonight. david, thank you. >>> and back here at home this evening and to a much different mystery involving a newly elected mayor in alaska. the mayor of that state's capital found dead in his home, a popular figure, elected to the office just weeks ago. abc's neal karlinsky tonight on the investigation. >> reporter: greg fisk was only sworn in as mayor of juneau five weeks ago, but tonight, his mysterious death has left alaska's capital city reeling. police saying the new mayor, whose facebook page is filled with campaign photos, was found dead in his home monday by his adult son, adding cryptically that investigators are "aware of rumors that an assault occurred in connection with fisk's death. those rumors are speculation." a cause of death hasn't been determined, but police now say the mayor did have injuries. >> it's quite a shock to a lot of people. he had come into office as an innovator, to really shake things up. >> reporter: this was fisk in a recent debate. he was 70 years old, well