the ntsb is now investigating. our own kristen welker has more on what happened and why. >> reporter: by all accounts united airlines flight 967 was terrifying for the 255 passengers and ten crew members on board. >> i thought the plane was going to crash. >> reporter: the boeing 777 took off from washington dulles airport at 5:27 p.m. headed for los angeles. the pilot flew around a line of thunderstorms, but hit turbulence over the midwest. all of the sudden passengers say there was a violent drop. >> it felt like i had gone down an elevator shaft and hit the bottom and came back up. >> the bottom fell out. people hit the ceiling. it was pretty bad. >> reporter: pictures taken by a passenger show just how bad it was. a crack marks the spot where a woman hit her head. tomato juice is splattered on the ceiling. the oxygen masks deployed. >> laptops everywhere. looked like there was a huge party on the plane, but there wasn't. >> reporter: the pilot diverted the plane to denver where emergency crews took 21 people to

the ntsb conducted those tests.e recall covers 2009 and 2010 models and will love fitting -- and will involve fitting the cars with a special protectioner to cap the leak. >>> the ford motor company today rolled out a lighter, more fuel-efficient version of the suv. the new model will be bit on a car frame instead of a truck platform. because of that it won't have the same towing power as the old ones. it was built where the new explorer will be built. >> we've not only invested $400 million in our chicago manufacturing facilities to explore the explorer large, we're also adding a second shift. beyond that, this project is going to be exported to the 90 countries and it will involve 100 supplies in 23 states across the u.s. >> the ford is said to have 0% better -- 30% better fuel economy. >>> the base price for the new explorer will reportedly be 28,000 with the fully equipped version costing about 10,000 more. >>> coming up next at 6:00, new information tonight involving the driver of an suv who triggered a horribl

we found this in constant ntsb reports. we found is over and over and over again. explain to me how you draa the connection when your own regional carriers cannot commit level, you hhve been trimming your private? >> back to the relationship between the network carriers and our regional partners. our safety management organization works together -pwith our regional partner management organization to insure that the safety process is that we hold the best practice at united, shared with the regional carriers. we audit them together with the faa. we share informatiin with the faa relative to our work with the regional carriers. we're mindful of the risks associated with new employees of any type. we're mindfullof that and understand that. as jeff has said a moment ago, they are necessary. they are important. yoo think about all of them. air china, ingapore air, the german airline, british airlines, austrian air, all the acrrss the entire star alliance, the global international association carriers, all of the safety authority that exists in all of those countries, we

but we don't ground every plane the next day until the complete ntsb investigation is completed six months later. >> chris: senator -- >> we don't do that, we never do that and we shouldn't. >> chris: senator vitter, quickly, because we're beginning to run out of time. is it something they're going to do -- i know they're not doing well in federal court, but is there something you'll do in senate and congress to block the moratoria? >> absolutely. we have a bill i'm a lead sponsor of to end the moratorium. i'm meeting on regular basis with secretary salazar and other administration officials giving them good specific concrete ideas of safety measures we can do now, today, tomorrow to lift the moratorium. >> chris: finally, less than a minute less, mr. nungesser, i wonder, not to get aof ourselves as the president says, but is there a feeling of hope in plaquemines parish this morning there hasn't been for 90 days? >> absolutely. when i was at a town hall meeting and announced it, cheers broke out in the room. i saw hope in the face of the fishermen they can get their life back soon. so, we

officials say they found nothing wrong during the first look at the plane's interior but the faa and the ntsb will be looking more closely this morning. and for the passengers who were not injured on that diverted plane, united airlines has set up another trip to complete that trip to los angeles. it is a special flight for those stranded travelers. >> michelle, thank you very much. i am one of those people creature of habit, on the plane i always stay buckled. >> it only takes one incident of severe turbulence. more than enough. betty nguyen standing by at the news december week a look at the other headlines. >>> good morning. plans to permanently plug the oil spill in the gulf are moving forward. but that may stop because forecasters warn a storm could be headed their way. cbs news correspondent kelly cobiella is in grand isle, louisiana, with the latest this morning and joins us. good morning, kelly. >> reporter: good morning. right now that storm is near puerto rico and it is expected to become a tropical storm in the next day or so and could be in the gulf by the weekend. in the meantime

the ntsb blamed it on pilot error. 49 people were killed in that crash. calls for limiting pilots' schedules, boosting job requirements and improving training. the bill goes to the senate today. >>> the u.s. marshals office is investigating threats against a federal judge in the arizona immigration battle. judge susan bolton has received thousands of phone calls and e-mails since her ruling. some of those messages are positive but the marshal service says others were threatening, and those will be investigated. >>> dozens of people protesting arizona's new immigration law were arrested outside the county jail in downtown phoenix. police in riot gear fought with demonstrators. protesters in several cities also rallied. a federal appeals panel is expected to rule on the enforcement of some of the more controversial aspects the law. >>> what about the woman at the center of the immigration battle? arizona's republican governor jan brewer? she's taking on not only protesters but also the president and the department of justice. here now is david muir. >> repo

the faa and the ntsb are investigating but it's a good reminder, meredith, why we're all told wear our seat belts even when we're sitting down. back to you. >> absolutely, tom. very scary experience for those folks. tom costello, thank you very much. it is 7:04. >>> now to the turbulence facing the obama administration over the resignation of an agriculture department official. was she forced to quit her job for comments that were taken completely out of context? we're going to talk to shirley sherrod in a moment, but first, nbc's savannah guthrie is at the white house with the latest. savannah, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, matt. these developments are moving really quickly. at first there were condemnations against shirley sherrod for alleged racist remarks. now some of the very first people to rebuke her are now apologizing and over the night the white house directed the agency that fired her to reconsider. this is the video at the center of the controversy. with having to help a white farmer save his farm -- >> reporter: first posted on a conservative website, it