the faa says that everything is fine. think there are an awful lot of experts in the industry that i have spoken to that question that. >> o'brien: how much evidence is there, if at all, that safety is being compromised by this system of repair and maintenance? >> it's going to be at the expense of a smoking hole at the end of the runway. i mean, i hate to see it come to that point, you know? it's going to be more reactive than proactive, and the downside is... is there's going to be people that are going to die. and i hate to see that happen. >> o'brien: of course, no one can predict a crash, but industry insiders are increasingly sounding the alarm about the high cost of flying cheaper. just last week, there was a new development in our investigation into airline maintenance. a lawsuit was filed against st mobile by pilots and flight attendants at us airways. they allege that they were exposed to toxic fumes due to faulty work performed during seven weeks of maintenance at st mobile. the plaintiffs claim the problems wi

alt least six individuals are accused by the faa of sleeping on the job, behavior the faa says must end immediately. after three weeks of reports of controllers allegedly sleeping on the job, the man who ran the air traffic control operation, hank krakowski, today lost his job. >> what happened in the control towers with controllers sleeping is outrageous. it's the kind of behavior we will not tolerate at the faa. >> reporter: it all started last month when two passenger planes had to land on their own at washington's reagan national airport as a controller slept. >> air chief randy babbit was furious. >> as a former pilot, i'm outraged at what happened there. >> since then, more cases, in knoxville, in lubbock, outside of seattle, and yesterday's case of a medevac plane unable to wake a sleeping controller in reno. >> we have a sick patient. we may just have to land. if we have clearance or not. >> reporter: after circling for 16 minutes, he did land on his own. safety an ls and veteran controllers insist their constantly changing schedules cause fatigue on the job. some report working

tonight, the faa admits it has a widespread okay, there we are... um, these days we're all trying to save money, that's why i'm shooting this commercial myself, at home. it's really easy and i can pass the savings onto you. okay, ready for the food part? check it out. my warm and flaky croissant sandwiches. supreme or sausage. both made with fresh egg and melting cheese. you get 2 for just 3 bucks okay, i'm back, whoa- oh, i am so ready for this recession to be over. >> alan: it's happened again. another case of an air traffic controller sleeping on the job. caught today in miami, and tonight, the government is taking action to keep controllers awake. tomas roman is in san francisco airport with more on how they plan to do it. >> reporter: the air traffic controller who fell asleep in miami has been suspended. he is the seventh air traffic controller to be found sleeping on the job and also the catalyst causing the faa to revisit scheduling in order to deal with fatigue. there are 4,000 aircraft in the skies over the u.s. at any given time. air traf

you work for the faa? [laughter] >> folks, there are, according to the faa in 2008, 19,734 airports in the united states, 19,734. now, it's sort of a trick question because 14,555 of those are actually private airports not available for public use. private airports that are not available for public use. i was at an airpark two weeks ago just below stanford airport, some people live on these private airports but there are 5100, 5100 public use airports. some publicly owned by public entities, some privately owned but 5100. meaning that we have this amazing infrastructure that allows us the kind of mobility that was talked about. commercial airlines serve about 10% of those. they do it very well. they move us around the country. but those of us who fly general aviation aircraft were able to go lots of places. i thank carol by the way for this beautiful photograph above us. it's the cessna mustang. fantastic aircraft. it gets people all over the country. if you're interested in that or would like something a

now, the faa is taking emergency steps to counter the disturbing trend. susan mcginnis is in washington this morning with more on this. susan, good morning to you. >> good morning. the head of the faa and the chief of the air traffic controllers are starting a seven-city training tour today. this is to reinforce the message that sleeping on the job is not acceptable and to explain the faa's new regulations. the new rules start with an order to get more rest. instead of the mandatory eight hours off between shifts, the rules now require nine hours off. the rules also ban controllers from swapping in to a midnight shift after a day off, a scheduling trick often used by controllers to get a three-day weekend. >> more rest time, more managers on duty and making sure that the controllers are not looking out for their own schedule rather than the safety schedule that we think needs to be put in place. >> reporter: the new rules come after another air traffic controller was caught sleeping on the job, this time in miami early saturday morning. according to the f

i remember going through this with the faa with american. it is hard within the operation to justify the capital necessary for the equipment that does not directly touched the customer. business is about the top line and the bottom line. both are aimed at producing value. if you cannot close the business gap, it will never happen. closing the business case is harder to do but it is not impossible to do. we spent the last couple of years looking at this and itt had a lot to do with that. we found a path that can basically help airlines and other operators closed the business case for equipping the airplane. at the same time, will fill the need for investors of any private sector capital to the problem which is necessary. today, commercial operators, in spite of the fact they shrunk the capacity and improve profitability, still have weak balance sheets. make a large investment in something that will not be around in terms of benefit for maybe five or six years is hard to do. that is just common sense of business that you cannot use capital at

now the faa is taking action. >>> budget battle. president obama unveils his plan to cut the deficit, and unleashes a scathing attack on a republican proposal. >>> and guilty. former baseball slugger barry bonds is convicted of obstruction of justice in a federal case linked to steroid obstruction of justice in a federal case linked to steroid use. captioning funded by cbs >>> good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us, i'm betty nguyen. >>> the faa is putting more air traffic controllers on the overnight shift after another controller was caught sleeping on the job, this time it happened at the reno-tahoe airport in nevada. the controller has been suspended. just last month, the faa put two controllers on duty for the midnight shift at reno but reversed the action just a few days later. wyatt andrews reports. >> reporter: this time, the air traffic controller fell asleep in the control tower in reno, nevada. and this time the pilot flying a medical flight with an emergency patient on board grew insistent as his urgent request t

the faa is trying to put the issue of sleepy air traffic controllers to rest. following seven incidents where staffers dozed off on the job, air traffic chief hank krakowski abruptly resigned thursday. the faa is also beefing up shifts, adding a second person to overnights at more than two dozen airports and conducting a sweeping review of the entire system. >> we'll get to the bottom of this. but i want the flying public to know we're not sitting around trying to, just make excuses. >> reporter: the shake-up comes after a medical flight with a sick patient couldn't make contact with a sleeping controller in reno wednesday. >> they're not answering the phone line either. >> reporter: the pilot eventually landed safely, but the incident only added to growing concern over controller exhaustion. >> people are being scheduled to a point where they are really getting fatigued by virtue of their schedule. >> reporter: the heads of the faa and the air traffic controller's union met privately with lawmakers thursday. one congressman stressed that the faa needs to help

today the faa and air traffic control officials began a coast to coast tour. they're driving home the message that sleeping on the job won't be tolerated. >> reporter: the head of the faa and the president of the air traffic controllers union headed for the busiest airport this morning, hartsfield jackson in atlanta of it was the first of several meetings around the country to help stop controllers falling asleep. the latest happened saturday in miami at a regional center that controls long-distance flights. but in this latest case, there were other controllers on duty. new rules take effect in the control towers this week. now controllers must have at least a nine-hour break between shifts. and they will no longer be allowed to work a midnight shift after the weekend to arrange for a three-day weekend. faa rules have always forbidden sleeping on the job but former controllers say many supervisors often look the other way, especially the midnight shift. >> the reality is the way we've been operating over the past three decades, it has proven to be a horrible w

manuel on what the faa is doing now to make sure it doesn't happen again. >> an air traffic controller fell asleep at work early saturday morning. the controller was on a midnight shift manning a radar facility that handles high altitude air traffic. air traffic tapes show the controller did not miss any calls from planes trying to land or take off. 12 controllers and two managers were also on duty. the sleeping controller was suspended. the newest problem prompted the head of the federal aviation administration to prohibit scheduling practices that most often lead to fatigue on the job. those changes will go into effect tuesday. faa administrator released this statement that says we are taking important steps today that will make a real difference in fighting air traffic controller fatigue. but we know we will need to do more. this is just the beginning. the changes in addition to actions taken this week to add a second controller to overnight shifts at more than

latest embarrassing incident to be investigated by the faa. how could this happen? >> the question we're asking far too often. >> right, these days. >> in the last couple weeks. >>> also this morning, one woman's terrifying experience with online dating. could bring changes for everyone looking for love on the internet. her ordeal and her lawsuit could make a big difference. >> yeah let's face it, that's how a lot of people meet these days. yeah we're not advertising these. these. later on i'll be saying good-bye to my favorite foods if just 17 days, all right? i committed for 17 days. i'm giving up these cookies, these are my favorites and i'm starting the hot, new hollywood diet to try to lose somewhere those postbaby pounds. it's called the 17 diet. coming up. and i don't start it until after 6:00 a.m. when we're off the air and i may indulge in one of those as a final farewell. >> by me. >> that's mean. >>> first, another air traffic controller is being blamed for another midair mishap after a plane carrying the first lady came to close to a military cargo plane

the faa has now disclosed seven instances of sleeping controllers, including last night in reno. two instances in lubbock, texas. one caught napping three times in seattle. in knoxville, the controller had made a bed in the tower while on duty. in washington, two passenger jets landed unassisted as the controller slept at reagan national, just across the potomac from the white house. >> i'm outraged. i'm disappointed, i'm disturbed. >> reporter: cbs news transportation safety analyst, mark rosenkerr says seven sleeping controllers is a sign the public is at risk. >> i believe, with no pun intended, this clearly is a wake up call and the faa is going to do something about it. >> immediately putting two controllers in 27 towers that don't have two controllers in them from 12 midnight until early morning hours. >> reporter: the faa will also investigate its own training. a suggestion there may be management problems here that go beyond the seven sleeping controllers. >>> flights will go out from ffo's new terminal 2 starting tomorrow morning. that's where american airlines and virgi

the faa is talking about more frequent inspections for these flights. meanwhile, southwest says of the 79 planes it grounded over the weekend, three were found to have small cracks while 64 have been returned to service. nearly 72 hours after southwest flight 812 made the emergency landing in yuma, arizona, the faa is ordering checks on specific groups of the 737 300s, 400s and 500s with at least 30,000 cycles or takeoffs and landings. the plane involved in friday's emergency had nearly 40,000 cycles on it, and say they were surprised to find signs of pre-existing cracking under a lap joint and along a rivet line. a large chunk of the fuselage will undergo metal fatigue tests at the ntsb lab in washington. >> it was not believed that this was an area that could fail until we see it now. >> reporter: today's faa inspection order affects 175 planes worldwide. 80 in the u.s. the vast majority at southwest. investigators are wondering whether planes used on short haul flights with multiple takeoffs and landings like southwest routes incur greater metal fati

how the faa is responding after this latest problem. >>> listening in. the scandal that stretches from hollywood all the way to buckingham palace. how private lives became so public. >>> and making a difference. one man's crusade against parkinson's disease and those one man's crusade against parkinson's disease and those banding together to help. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. here we go again. the same weather system that has already killed at least 17 people in the south this week moved up the east coast today, spawning more destructive tornadoes this afternoon. in the raleigh, north carolina, area, fallen debris and flooding have left tens of thousands without power tonight. there are reports of widespread tornado damage in central north carolina. tornado watches along the mid-atlantic today have extended as far north as pennsylvania. this after two days of violent storms left a trail of death and destruction from oklahoma on through alabama. and tuscaloosa, alabama, is where the weather channel's jim cantore begins o

but the faa isn't taking any chances. the new inspected ordered for boeing jets around the world. >>> good morning, it is tuesday, april 5. i'm sydnie kohara. >> hi, everybody. i'm frank mallicoat. time now is 5:00. let's check weather and traffic. julie, it's beautiful. but i guess you better get the coats out later in the week? >> break out the parkas. you might need them especially at the coast later this week. hey, maybe not that cold but definitely chilly. we have one more day with relatively mild temperatures although you will notice they are significantly cooler than yesterday in some spots. 5 to 15 degrees lower depending where you live. 64 san francisco, 69 today in oakland, 71 san jose, 72 concord. mostly sunny skies, but breezy if not downright windy by the coast. i have details coming up. but first a check of traffic are elizabeth. >> earlier roadwork on 880 at the bay bridge and 580 has been picked up. we're good to go there. crossing towards silicon valley, westbound 237, you're fine. top speeds all the way

realization that the work hours of some of their air traffic controllers is screwed up. >> reporter: faa administrator immediate this comment today: >>> he is suggesting that -- something that passengers take for granted, the controller schedules need to change, and anyway consider nap times during breaks, and is now a firing offense. >>> on monday, the head of the faa and air traffic controllers onon are going to be touring every air traffic control center in the country, holding meetings on what they call a set call for higher standards. >> alan: empty friends and family remembered a young marine today who was killed in afghanistan. lisa amin gulezian reports from gold golden gate national ceremony tear. >> hadn't corporation -- lance corporal harry lu was a friend and a brother to many. >> i consider harry one of our brothers. >> hundreds remember the graduate who died while on watch duty in afghanistan april 3rd. lu's death is still under investigation. >> at it really sad. to be here for this reason. report lu enlisted a year after graduating from high school. he was deployed in dec

the faa says there was no communication for about 16 minutes. >> congress is considering faa reauthorization and we hope congress adopts a budget for the faa that allows them to fully address adequate staffing at the air traffic control towers. >> the reno controller has been suspended. so have controllers in seattle and lubbock, texas, for separate incidents. >>> during president obama's speech someone was caught apparently napping. >> i guess so. of all people his number 2 man seemed to doze off. take a look. vice president joe biden, hello, he appears to catch a little shut-eye. his eyes were closed for about 25 seconds. [ laughter ] >> i know the feeling. i know the feeling. so, you know, quo -- >> while your reading the story, i'm dozing off. it's early. >> someone who is bright eyed and bushy-tailed this morning, lawrence karnow has nice weather. >> that's how i feel right now. [ laughter ] >> working last night. >> yeah. no kidding. hey, at least the vice president wasn't drooling, huh? that would have been terrible. hey, folks, if you are headed out the door this morning, it is chill

. >>> plus, the faa orders emergency inspections on boeing jets after southwest midair emergency. how the service that made the airline famous could be putting planes at risk. >>> good morning. it is tuesday, the 5th of april. thanks for joining us. i'm sydnie kohara. >> hi, everybody. i'm frank mallicoat. it is 4:30. it's nice and early. hope you got your coffee. >> depending what schedule you're on. >> we have another day to enjoy this sunshine. >> you really are out doing yourself. >> i figure today's my last day here on the morning show i wanted to give you a sunny day. >> not the last day with the company. >> no, going back to consumer. why not give you one last day of sunshine. it may not be a beach day. we're dropping 5 to 15 degrees depending where you are. you can see temperatures here in san francisco, mid-60s. 64 san francisco, 69 oakland, 72 concord. breezy if not windy conditions, as well. we'll talk more about that coming up. but first, a look at the roads. elizabeth. >> we have a lot of roadwork out there this morning. a lot of bridges and several spots in the south

the faa is going to do something about it.rankly, immediately. >> the administration did react immediately, ordering 27 new controllers to work the mid night shift. >> putting two controllers in 27 towers that don't have two controllers in them. >> reporter: but the faa will also investigation their own training and scheduling practices, which is a clear suggestion there may be management problems here, that go beyond the controllers. >>> in southern california, authorities are looking for a man who not only crashed a car driving drunk, he was caught on tape admitting he was intoxicated. a man who lives in the west hollywood neighborhood heard the crash and decided to head outside with his camera and investigate. >> can i just give you cash. i will give you $6,000 cash right now. i really don't want to go to jail. i'm drunk. >> that driver walked away from the scene and never returned. his car was impounded. >>> not a good one there. everything is on tape, including the weather, lawrence? tonight's go >> well, we started with

the faa is trying to avoid what happened do this jet. >>> southwest airlines says the faa order will not affect their operation because they have just inspected their entire fleet of boing 337s following that incident in arizona. those inspections led to more flight cancellations. southwest cancelled eight flights in oakland. three in san jose. passengers are trying to take all these delays in stride. >> actually my flight was supposed to leave at 8:30 then they pushed it back to 11:00. >> it makes it frustrating but you just have to deal with it. >> reporter: southwest says its night operations around the nation should be back to normal by tomorrow. >>> and later this hour, we sit down with an aviation accident. just how common is mental fatigue on airliners. and how the stress of the short routes can be stressful. >>> texas instruments is buying national semi conductor. texas instruments is paying $6.5 billion in cash for the santa clara based company. the semi conductor emphasizes on chips. news of the years sent semi conductors soaring. shares opened today at about $14. >>> aligh

. >> also this morning, the faa increases the number of air traffic controllers on duty overnight after another controller falls asleep on the job. four of those airports are in california. >> live look at the embarcadero where we have a few high clouds hanging around. we'll talk about mild temperatures, even with the warmer trend. >> bay bridge toll plaza and in san leandro and all more details coming up. >> and oakland school leaders say 230 pink slip teachers will be able to keep their jobs after all. and the fate of hundreds of middle school and high school teachers. good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm janelle wang in for kristen sze. this morning barry bonds is waking up as a convicted felon after a jury found him guilty of obstruction of justice. will he spend any time in jail? terry mcsweeney joins us live from the federal building in san francisco to tell us what is next for the home run king. >> reporter: still a lot coming up. prosecution says it will decide soon if necessity they want a retrial on the three counts where there was no verdict. defense says it will appeal t

the faa is trying to avoid what happened do this jet. >>> southwest airlines says the faa order will not affect their operation because they have just inspected their entire fleet of boing 337s following that incident in arizona. those inspections led to more flight cancellations. southwest cancelled eight flights in oakland. three in san jose. passengers are trying to take all these delays in stride. >> actually my flight was supposed to leave at 8:30 then they pushed it back to 11:00. >> it makes it frustrating but you just have to deal with it. >> reporter: southwest says its night operations around the nation should be back to normal by tomorrow. >>> and later this hour, we sit down with an aviation accident. just how common is mental fatigue on airliners. and how the stress of the short routes can be stressful. >>> texas instruments is buying national semi conductor. texas instruments is paying $6.5 billion in cash for the santa clara based company. the semi conductor emphasizes on chips. news of the years sent semi conductors soaring. shares opened today at about $14. >>> aligh

at any given time according to the faa. traffic controllers keep those planes from flying into each other and assuring they land safely. news that another controller was asleep at the screens concerns many of the passengers. >> flying is risk it's not completely safe but to worry and it comes down or not whether there is more safety. >> knowing that people that are controlling the air are sleeping. >> the faa confirms that seven air traffic controllers have fallen asleep on the job in the last month. the president of the air traffic controllers association. >> we have a fatigue issue and we have a high stress occupation that works 24 hours, 7 days a week. >> the faa started adjusting controllers' schedules. no incidents were reported but analyst ron wilson says they have managed to safely operate within the difficult schedules for years. >> there were some controllers on a night shift for three weeks and then they go to day shift for three weeks and then they go to swing shift for three weeks. some of that overlaps, it boil

he did reach the faa in california. >> reporter: he did reach the faa in california. >> it will be at your own risk. >> reporter: the pilot look the ri l >> reporter: the pilot took the risk and landed safely. >> at no time, and i want to stress, at no time was safety compromised. >> reporter: but the safety of the skies is very much in question. the faa has now disclosed seven instances of sleeping controllers in just the last three months, including reno, two instances in lubbock, texas. one controller was caught napping three times in seattle. plus the infamous sleepers in knoxville and washington, d.c. in the knoxville tower. >> no one is answering. >> reporter: the controller had made up a makeshift bed while on duty. in washington, at reagan national. >> the tower is apparently unmanned. >> reporter: two passenger jets landed unassisted as the controller slept just across the potomac from the white house. >> it's time to do something now before we get into a catastrophic accident as a result of a controller not able to make decisions because he's either fatigued or asleep. >> re

. >> reporter: airport officials say there is no overnight shift at menetta san jose but the faa tells us sfo and oakland international have at least two air traffic controllers working at all times. unlike in reno, where a lone controller fell asleep and was unreachable for 16 minutes, as a special medical flight carrying an ill passenger was attempting to land on wednesday. >> that was shocking to me and i think to most americans that there was only one guy on duty after midnight. >> reporter: in addition to reno, other recent documented cases of air traffic controllers sleeping on the job occurred in knoxville, tennessee, seattle, lubbock, texas and washington, d.c. the scandal prompted the head of the faa's traffic control unit to resign today and now at least 26 towers nationwide that used to have just one controller on the midnight shift will have at least two. >> it sounds like a good idea to always have a backup there in case somebody does get tired and needs to step out and wake up for a little bit. >> reporter: meanwhile, the faa is trying to determine if it was a breakdown i

the faa doesn't have jurisdiction over most other airlines but they usually listen to the faa recommendationssouthwest has minimal delays and cancellations today but if you are on a 737, check your flight before you head out. >> thank you, kiet do live in san jose. thank you. >>> julie watts and elizabeth have our weather and traffic. julie? >> the forecast is looking nice. but cooler than yesterday. sure, we'll still see sun, but temperatures dropping. outside this morning still mild. 49 out the door in pacific can. 50 san rafael. 53 fairfield, 55 concord right now 49 out the door in pacifica. later today, a significant decrease especially close to the coast. yesterday's temperatures topped out with well above average for this time year. 80 santa rosa, 78 san jose, 77 concord and 75 in san francisco. now, fast forward to today and notice the decrease. we are down 12 degrees in santa rosa, down 7 san jose, 5 in concord and 11 degrees lower in san francisco. and this, folks, is just the beginning of a cooldown. we'll talk more of what's to come in a bit but first traffic with elizabeth. >> tha

my message to congress is pass the faa bill so we have the resources. it's been extented 18 times, chris. we need a bill. we need the ability to have the resources to do these things we need to do. i hope when congress comes back from the easter recess they will pass the bill. >> chris: all right. i have to go through other issues with you. do this as a lightning round. there was a problem with the southwest flight a couple of weeks ago. taking a look at it. hole ripped open in fuselage at southwest jet at 34,000 feet and you ended up finding cracks in a number of older 737 jets. question: where are you with that problem? >> the planes have been inspected. they have been inspected to make sure that that will not happen again. the planes are back in service. the ntsb is conducting an investigation. >> chris: you don't have a problem with cracking now? >> they've been inspect and passed inspection and are book in service. >> chris: this week, air bus 380, the largest commercial passenger plane -- just looking at this video, which is unbelievable -- passen

the faa insists first lady michelle obama was never in any real danger when her plane had to abort a landing at andrews air force base monday, but the incident which also involved a military transport jet focused more attention on air traffic controllers who have taken a lot of criticism lately. susan mcginnis joins us live from washington. good morning, susan. how did this happen. >> good morning, betty. this is apparently not an uncommon event. it was not a near miss or even a close call, but when the first lady is on board, it's going to get a lot of attention and it is yet another embarrassment for the faa. the first lady and jill biden, wife of the vice president were returning to washington on monday, after a joint appearance in new york. air traffic tapes showed their plane, a military version of the boeing 737 got too close to a larger cargo plane flying just ahead as both aircraft prepared to land at andrews air force base. >> executive one foxtrot, contact approach 119.3. >> reporter: an apparent mistake by an air traffic controller allowed mrs. obama's plane to get within

the faa is investigating this incident. david stevenson, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the corner identified a pilot who was killed. 73-year-old richard emanuel had just taken off. it appeared that the plane was having engine trouble before it went down yesterday afternoon. aviation experts are working to determine the exact cause of the crash. >> the chauncey bailey murder trial excuse a juror today. the juror was afraid of reprisals. they testified today that devaughndre broussard shot chauncey bailey and then turned around and shot him a third time to "make sure he was dead." >>> now to reports that the man charged with the rape and kidnapping of jaycee dugard plans to plead guilty. he and his wife are accused of kidnapping the 11-year-old dugard and holding her captive. nancy garridos will stand trial unless she gets an acceptable plea deal. >>> no proceedings in the barry bonds case but we have a development to tell you a ballots. the judge is considering whether to allow an audiotape to be admitted as evidence -- to tell y

it has been almost four years since the faa bill was real authorized. we are making progress towards getting a good bill now, but we have lost a lot of time. funding for badly needed nextgen systems liked has been inadequate. its implementation has been much too slow. every aircraft flying in the ational aerosp -- air space system still needs its own. mr. by national labor boards is also a major obstacle to success -- mischief by national labor boards. people just want to get on a plane and go someplace. why should the public care? commercial aviation is 1.3 trillion dollars in economic activity. that is a lot of jobs. that is a lot of economic activity. 5.6% of the whole u.s. economy. and we support 12 million jobs. the nation's economy relies on a safe, secure, and efficient aviation system. how do we get from doing better to doing well? by concentrating on the fundamentals. that's what we say in business all the time. by assuring a sound infrastructure, modern technology, reasonable regulations, it's flexible work force, and stable energy prices. sta

the faa says he deliberately went to sleep during his midnight shift on february 19th. a co-worker was left to handle both incoming planes and other aircraft in the area. >> regarding this situation, at no time were the passengers, based on the information that we were given, the safety of the passengers compromised. >> last month, the lone air traffic controller at reagan national airport fell asleep while two airliners landed. at a congressional hearing yesterday, the head of the faa said the agency was re-evaluating overnight staffing at airports around the country. >>> defense secretary robert gates is in iraq this morning. his first visit there this year. gates flew to baghdad yesterday from saudi arabia. he is scheduled to meet with prime minister nuri al maliki today to discuss the final withdrawal of u.s. troops. most are expected to leave iraq in late summer or early fall. >>> libyan leader moammar gadhafi made a direct and very personal appeal to president obama to end the allied strikes. in the letter to the president, gadhafi wrote, you will always remain my

show the faa's scheduling system partly to blame for fatigue. one study of rotating shifts, for example, where controllers work day shifts and midnight shifts in the same week concluded that controllers often carry an acute sleep debt on to night shifts and this sleep disturbance can lead to increased fatigue and unsafe conditions. to the union that one extra hour off is critical. >> there should be a minimum of nine hours between a shift which allows a property amount for sleep so the controller comes back to that day shift rested. >> reporter: but some of the controllers are also to blame for not getting their sleep while off duty. >> and it was obvious from the interviews that we have done with controllers that have been now suspended because they fell asleep that some of them, when they were-- during their rest period, may have been doing other things rather than resting. >> reporter: one other recommendation from that study on fatigue is to give controllers on the midnight shift a two and a half hour sleeping break while on duty. transporta

representatives from the faa plan to visit the airports on a state alert campaign . no mistakes can be made . so it is a concern of ours. >> a recent incident in washington reagan national airport involved a sleepy controller and prompted putting a second controller in the tower. the faa ordered reno to go back to using one controller and then a solo controller nodded off in the tower forcing an air ambulance to land without help. >> postal rates are raising. first class letter prices are not raising. the cost of magazine and items that weigh more than one ounce. it is for the first ounce of a letter. second and third ounces will cost 20 cents a piece . that is up from 17 cents currently. >> recall for the top selling vehicle expanded today. ford's recall of 150 trucks will recall a million through 2004 through 2006 model years. the electrical short caused the air bag to deploy. the company agreed to recall more than 50,000 of the truck in january. >> a new survey shows what bay owners know. >> not a good time to sell your home. >> everybody said not in my neighborho

a new mandate was handed down by the faa in february requiring boeing 737 planes to be inspected for cracking in fuselages frames. the faa said the cracks would reduce the structural integrity of the plane and could result in rapid decompression of the fuselage. similar to the cracks suspected in last week's incident. southwest tried to have the inspections delayed but was denied. the airlines in the schedule for inspections was too demanding and said that completing the safety checks posed a burden to them. half of its 737 planes will be requiring an additional scheduled maintenance visit. our team coverage continues with jeff bush was booked passengers at oakland international airport. southwest passengers at the oakland international airport were mostly happy with the way that the airline had a problem. most people i talked to said they had some delays at other airports but made it here without much hassle. we had a half-hour delay, we left at 10:45 p.m. it wasn't much of a problem. >> we were waiting to see what would happen over the weekend in terms of the arrangements and chang

it usually takes six months to determine the cause of a crash. >>> faa is breaking the plane into five pieces and pulling it out of the mud they got most of the fuel out yesterday afternoon, this whole salvage process really expected to take most of the afternoon by tonight they are hoping they will have all of the pieces at a sacramento yard for ntsb to take a look at it. frank. >> sharon thank you very much. >>> another deadly crash to report this one in the congo a plane carrying un staff members and peace keepers crashed killing at least 26 people onboard. bbc reports the plane broke into pieces trying to land in a rainstorm. >>> in other news a 17-year-old boy is being called a hero for saving several children from a burning mobile home. flames tore through this redwood city home about 2:00 a.m. this morning. the teens mother couldn't get to her kids she was blocked by flames in the laundry room. her 17-year-old son heard her screaming, woke up his three siblings and a friend and helped them escape through a bedroom window. >> pretty amazing for this young man to keep his composur

the faa and national air traffic controller's association will launch a series of nationwide meetings to help improve air traffic safety starting monday in atlanta. cbs news. >>> an east bay restaurant named after william went to the cub by outside. he is raising money for brian stowe and until 11:00 tonight. the restaurant will do donate of the proceeds to the fund. a raffle and auction was also henned among the items are -- donations were steady all day. >> their response has been tremendous, from little kids given $1 from their allay wans to people making huge -- >>> doctors are carefully watching the reactions of brian stowe this weekend. they are reducing the medication that has kept him in a coma since he was savagely beaten. experts say the next two to three days are critical and it's how difficult to tell after being removed in the coma. doctors say some people wake up and they are okay. some wake up and they're not okay and some never wake up. stowe has not yet opened his eyes. >>> the debate over medical marijuana shops in san jose could end this we can. just last week, the

the new faa rules order controllers to get more rest. the eighth case of sleeping on duty surfaced on saturday in miami at a regional control center for high altitude flights but in this case there were other controllers on duty and no landings were missed. under the rules that phase in this week, the mandatory eight-hours off between shifts increases to nine hours off. and the long standing scheduling trick of working a midnight shift right after a weekend in order to arrange a three-day weekend is now banned. >> more rest time, more managers on duty, and, making sure that controllers are not looking out for their own schedule rather than the safety sketd that we think needs to be put in place. >> reporter: the changes are admission by the faa that its own scheduling procedures are contributing to fatigue. controllers are so often given schedules that minimize sleep time the national transportation safety board warned in this 2007 letter controllers are sometimes working when they are significantly fatigued, the letter said. and are com

the faa admitted they had tried to save money by keeping traffic low at airports at night. despite the warnings. >> you do not put money over safety, you don't do that. the public understands that and they're willing to pay for it. >> this is just the most recent case of controllers sleeping on the job. on march 23rd, two commercial flights had to land on their own at washington's reagan national airport. the controller was suspended for sleeping. february 19th, the faa says a knoxville controller willfully slept as seven planes landed over a five-hour peerious without his help, and today, we have learned of two other cases, march 29thth, controllers suspended for not answering calls, and on april 11th, a boeing controller from washington state suspended for sleeping on the job. >> this is ridiculous and i'm not going to let it happen, not on my watch. >> today, secretary lahood ordered that immediately that 27 airports with lone controllers over night will now have at least two controllers on duty at time. >> these are big cities. they'll no longer have just one controller

. >>> heads rolled today at faa over the embarrassing and potentially dangerous problem of sleeping air traffic controllers. at least five air traffic controllers have been allegedly caught on the job asleep over the last couple of weeks. air traffic controllers working that overnight shift will not work the graveyard shift alone anymore. monty francis joins us from sfo. >> reporter: safety changes are coming to about 26 airports nationwide but those changes are already in effect here at sfo. that's because air traffic controllers here don't work the midnight shift alone. pilot paul staal flies large cargo planes all over the world. he says it doesn't surprise him that air traffic controllers occasionally doze off if working overnight. >> if there's only one person, i could see that one person falling asleep, sure. i imagine it happens all the time. >> reporter: and depending on the situation, staal says landing without the assistance of the tower is not as dangerous as it might sound. >> from the pilot's perspective, it wouldn't make a whole lot of difference. he doesn't need the tower

the faa and national air traffic controller's association will launch a series of nationwide meetings to improve air traffic safety starting monday in atlanta. cbs news. >>> checking some bay area headlines. the man accused of barricading himself inside a bank to protest capitalism has pleaded guilty. 24-year-old anthony lee held up in a bank of america for six hours last month after allowing the staff and customers to leave. he told police negotiators, capitalism was destroying the country. as part of a plea deal, he's expected to receive probation at his may sentencing. >>> the debate over medical marijuana shots in san jose could end this week with the city council banning all pot clubs. last week, they tentatively approved zoning for the clubs. some council members want to limb the number to 15. right now there are more than 100 in the city. >>> and the palo alto railroad crossing where a driver died yesterday is open again. a husband and wife visiting from indiana were trapped in their car when the crossing gate went down. the husband was able to escape, but his wife did not. and

that led to several faa air worthiness directives. airlines were ordered to inspect 737s for signs of metal fatigue. two years ago, the faa fined southwest $7.5 million for failing to conduct timely crack inspections on its 737 fleet. we talked to the ntsb on the scene. >> we will be looking at everything. right now we are here to look at this accident, and if we find issues related to this accident that could be applied to the rest of the fleet, we will make that point known. >> reporter: and metal fatigue has led to tragedy. in 2005, a chalk's airways plane crashed on takeoff from miami when its wing ripped off. 20 people were killed. in 1988, the top of an aloha airlines plane tore off in flight. a flight attendant was sucked out of the plane to her death. metal fatigue is caused by the constant movement on the skin of the airplane, the constant contraction and expansion, every time the plane takes off for or lands. and those cycles are more important than the age of the aircraft. this aircraft was 15 years old, with nearly 40,000

the faa said the two planes were never in any danger.ost high profile in a series of receipt mistakes by air traffic controllers. earlier this week a controller in cleveland was suspended after he was caught watching a movie on the job. since the beginning of the year as many as seven controllers were found to be asleep while on duty. a government source said no emergency was declared at andrews and that passengers on the first lady's plane didn't even realize that something out of the ordinary was happening. rob and peggy. >> all right, thank you. >>> well, president obama's on the road in california today to push his plan to reduce federal red ink. mr. obama's facing a tough sell according to the latest abc news poll. only 39% of americans approve of the way he's handling the deficit. republicans fared even worse, they got only 33% on that same issue. most americans, 72%, approved of raising taxes on the wealthy as a way to cut the deficit. but most rejected a voucher plan for medicare and cuts to medicaid. >>> and really the top story

we weighed in on the faa reauthorization, and we're pleased that their version of the faa bill blocks the agency from moving forward. now, let me conclude, carol, i'm afraid i'm into your schedule already. excuse the pun, but i've given you a quick 30,000-foot view of the basic steps we can take to improve the aviation industry, an industry that is so critical to our economic success and our way of life. much like the u.s. economy, u.s. airlines are climbing out of a deep hole in the wall, and we have a long way to go to be financially strong. to assist in that process, we've got to redouble our efforts to educate policymakers about the importance of aviation. we must ensure federal policies recognize the rink between the national -- link between the national aviation networks and jobs, between the link and economic development and global competitiveness, between this link in the quality of life and between it and national security, and the industry itself must continue to innovate, transform, and reinvent itself to meet growing demands to force the profitability and meet competitive

at any given time, according to the faa. air-traffic controllers keep the planes from flying into each other and assuring they land safely. news another flight controller was asleep at the job, concerns many concerns. >> i think that flying is totally safe, but it's the weary, and i guess it comes down to whether they are overworked and getting enough breaks. >> it would definitely make me feel more unsafe knowing that people are controlling the err sleeping while they are supposed to be controlling the air. >> the faa confirms that 7 air-traffic controllers have fallen asleep on the job in the last month. paul is the president of the air-traffic controllers association. >> we have a fatigue issue. we have a high stress occupation that works around the clock, 24 hours, 7 days a week. >> today the faa started adjusting schedules. they said the controllers have managed to safely operate within their difficult schedules for years. >> the working controllers on a night shift for three weeks and then they go to day shift for thre

rule the faa investigates. >> tsa says it's review it's airport screening policies after video of little girl being patted down went viral on the internet. a six-year-old was selected for the extra screening in news conference. they defended the search that children have been used to carry explosives in some countries and are subject to the same screening measures as adults but anna's parents told "good morning america," at the the extra screening was unnecessarily traumatic. >> she broke down crying because -- we were struggling how to explain this. it really stressed her. not to be touched in certain places and she is pat down in a public setting at an airport. >> in a statement the tsa said the officer followed proper procedure but that the agency is reviewing the policies to try to

the faa is scrambling to enact new rules for air traffic controllers after some scary cases of controllers falling asleep on the job. allison burns reports from our washington, d.c. newsroom. the question is what took so long? >> reporter: in some of the most scary cases, pilots, including one on a medical flight, had to go it alone and land outa -- without a controller leading him in. the new rules announced yesterday, require that controllers now have a minimum

the faa suspend another air traffic controller but not for falling asleep.ng. >> live from the bay area new station this is the kron 4 morning news. >> justine: i'm just been and is 10:00 a.m. on tuesday april 19th. let's start with a full check on your forecast with james. >> james: isn't this a cool shot. we have low clouds out there, a lot of location seeing low clouds fog and mist. partly sunny this afternoon things will improve temperatures low '70's, that is good news there. tonight it cools off a bit and we set the stage for tomorrow which is more clout and rain. the satellite and view shows you've clouds in the pacific connected to the system that will bring us the rain. in may start about 4:00 p.m. tomorrow light sprinkle as well north of santa rosa. over the night hours two- seat spotty showers until 5:00 a.m. on thursday. widespread showers for the morning hours. but by noon time it breaks away. by year evening commute at 5:00 p.m. looking good. that's how tomorrow's weather will go. it will not be heavy, light rains, it will keep us on that patte

could end up being part of the faa overhauled safety program. south west says the emergency inspection will not cause more cancellations because those 80 planes under scrutiny had already undergone a rigorous examination over the weekend. reporting live from oakland enter until airport, abc 7 news. >> okay thanks very much. transportation shall on the ground. muni blames human error for door open on moving light rail train at the transit agency promise that is employee will be held accountable. watch. as you can see the you tube video show as door staying open as train speedsu! between the van ness and church station during last friday evening rush hour. muni requires all doors closed before a train can move. the video shows the door does close as you can see here. >> the reward for information leading to the arrest of the 2 men who beat up a giants fan last week at dodger stadium jumped to 50,000 dollars today. 42-year-old brian stow of santa cruz was assaulted in the stadium parking lot after game. stow is paramedic. he remains in medically in