southwest used a special test to clear 19 of its planes to fly over the weekend. but three jets failed that test. inspectors are finding more cracks. the section of the southwest airlines jet that ruptured in flight is being shipped to washington. federal investigators want to know what caused it to break apart and what caused the tiny cracks discovered on three other southwest 737s. >> it will undergo intense, in-depth analysis. >> on friday passengers on board southwest airlines flight 812 captured home video of a five foot long hole after the fuselage ripped open. the plane landed safely in arizona. southwest quickly grounded 80 of its 737s for inspections, and canceled hundreds of flights over the weekend. investigators from the national transportation safety board say the quarter inch cracks were discovered along joints that run the length of the plane. until now, that was an area that wasn't considered vulnerable to problems. >> there are methods, using technology, to inspect. it's just in the industry, it was not thought that this was an area that needed to be inspected.

> the 15-year-old jet had almost 40,000 takeoffs and landings. >> fatigue happens in all aluminum-type aircraft, all metal-type aircraft. >> reporter: following the incident, southwest inspectors discovered three more jets with sub surface cracks. the ntsb is wrapped up its on scene investigation, now the focus shifts here to washington where in depth analysis begins on the section of the plane that ripped apart. >> the roof ripped off of one of them. you have to look at the rivets and look at what's going on. >> reporter: despite the problems, many southwest passengers are still flying. >> just not really that worried about it. have faith. >> reporter: southwest has inspected 64 jets and returned them to service. and after several days of wide spread cancellations, the carrier is expected to launch a full schedule of flights today. the emergency inspection order is not a one-time deal, it requires repeat inspections at regular intervals, betty? >>> all right, joel brown in washington for us this morning. thank you, joel. >> now to the dead-locked budget talks. with the government shutdown looming friday, key lawmakers are meeting with president obama this morning a

have been checked but may have these small cracks that cause the kind of problems we saw on the southwest jet. >> reporter: the action comes after a hole tore open in the roof of a southwest flight on friday. investigators are now examining the piece of metal that ripped o the new faa inspections involve about 175 boeing-made planes worldwide. southwest owns 78 of them and has found cracks in at least five. 737 are known as workhorse of the skies. friday's southwest jet was 15 years old and had logged 39,000 take-offs and landings, putting stress on the fuselage each time. >> every time you take off, you blow up the airplane when you appreciatize it. when you land, you relax it. next take-off, you blow it up, pressurize it and then relax it. that puts that wrinkling effect like this on that aluminum. >> reporter: southwest points out that the maker of the plane, boeing, never alerted the company of a potential problem. boeing is now considering recommending airlines do closer inspections on more models of the 737, some 1800 airplanes worldwide. randall pinkston, cbs news, laguardia airport, n

today we learned inspectors have found subsurface cracks in at least three more southwest jets. similar to those that may have caused the tear last friday. but faa officials stress, that is not unusual for a fleet that is 10 to 15 years old. and that the planes are subject to regular investigations. >> cracks are found and repaired, routinely, again most failures, airplanes are designed if there is a structural failure it's not catastrophic. >> reporter: no catastrophe, quite an inconvenience for thousands of passengers. >> i was really ready. i would rather they get the planes fixed first. >> more than 50 planes inspected returned to service. southwest expects to finish the process and be back to regular flight schedule by tomorrow. u.s. airways the only other u.s. carrier that also flies the 737, 300 right now with 19 of those models on its fleet. the company says its aircraft are configured differently so not susceptible to the same stress cracking. meanwhile, southwest jet in this latest incident is almost 15 years old and was last inspected march 29th. ntsb says maintenance

with us tonight from yuma, arizona where the southwest jet made the emergency landing on friday. mr. sumwalt, when you consider the fact that no one saw the crack in advance and also that southwest brags within the industry about their quick turnaround, how many flights per day they get out of the aircraft, are they more susceptible for this kind of thing? >> good evening, brian. it's important to understand that aircraft cycles -- takeoffs and landings -- are what determines the maintenance intervals, not necessarily how long a particular airplane flies. just because a particular aircraft is doing more takeoffs and landings that in itself doesn't make it more susceptible to damage. >> so there is nothing about their schedule of maintenance. when people hear that the cracks are impossible to see most of the time, it doesn't exactly fill the flying public with confidence, especially considering that these 737s are the workhorses of so many domestic fleets. >> well, brian, again, as long as the airplane is properly maintained and inspected, it should not matter how many takeoffs and

nationwide, 300 similar jets to the ones that southwest is taking a close look at. aiting to see if they they are going to order inspections of the other jets. >> kristen: also word of an unrelated emergency landing. a flight from oakland to san diego, landed safely in los angeles international after an electrical smell in the cabin. passengers continued to san diego after getting on another plane. carrier only flies 737s. >> eric: alameda coroner is identifying a man killed in a small plane crash near oakland airport. he is richard manual of san mateo county. his plane went down in the marina yesterday inch and will remain there until investigators wrap up initial assessment later on today. they say he had taken off from oakland international and was the only person on board the plane. witnesses say they heard the plane's engine cut off and saw the pilot try to make a crash landing. witnesses say he appeared to be trying to avoid a family sitting at the shoreline. >> a fran is in medical induced coma as doctors try to reduce brain swelling following a savage beating

it was a harrowing moment at 34,000 feet when the skin of the southwest jet opened up. a five-foot hole. passengers could see daylight as oxygen masks dropped and the pilot began to dive to a lower attitude. >> mask came down and it was pretty frightening. >> reporter: investigators found widespread cracking in the metal. the initial thought, metal fatigue, caused by the plane's 39,000 takeoffs and landings. but abc news has learned that, in fact, part of the problem may have actually been a defect when the boeing plane was manufactured in 1996. investigators are focused on rivets, thousands of metal pins that hold the pieces of an airplane together. the concern is that, in the area that failed, those pieces were not held together as they should have been. at this seam in the fuselage, where one piece of metal overlapped another, sources say some of the rivet holes were not sized correctly. that the two pieces were not fastened together tight enough at the seam. over time, it's believed, that stressed the area and resulted in the cracking. even as the investigation cont

theoretically never happen. >> reporter: two years ago fatigue cracks led to a hole in another southwest jet, and in 2005 an alaskan jet opened up in flight. it had been bumped on the ground before takeoff. but the worst mishap, more than 20 years ago when an aloha jet came apart literally ripping a flight attendant from the plane. she plunged to her death. now, that aloha incident was really a wake-up call. it led to an extensive program of inspections for older planes. they're checked for any metal fatigue, any fatigue in the fuselage skin. dan, it's far too early to know whether that was a factor here. >> it's a terrifying story, especially for frequent fliers. lisa stark, thank you very much. >>> we're going to talk now to two of the passengers who were actually on board that flight, willie wright and shawna melvini-redden. they are in sacramento this morning, and good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> so, shawna, let me start with you. you tweeted out some rather extraordinary pictures from the ordeal, from the plane. let me ask you at what point did you know that something wa

and this is the second hole in a fuselage on a southwest jet. another one in 2009 was blamed on metal fatigue. that's something airlines are required to check for. the jet now being scrutinized was 15 years old. it's last major inspection was over a year ago. meantime, those on board the flight finally made it to their destination late friday night. arriving in sacramento to hugs and tears and joy. a few years ago southwest paid a record $7.5 million fine for failing to inspect the fuselages on its planes but the airline says today, that the plane that had this incident and all of the ones it grounded were up to date on their inspections. david? >> lisa stark leading us off. thank you. i want to bring in john cox, airline safety expert and veteran pilot, he's flown many of these 737s. right to the gaping hole and notion of metal fatigue. what is metal fatigue? >> david, metal fatigue can come in a couple different ways. one is a type of corrosion, you could think of an aluminum can exposed to the weather. the other is due to the airplane taking o

. >>> plus, on top of that, a southwest jet skids off the runway. what happened? and what are they saying about the pilot this morning? stay with us. cash back with my credit card? love the idea. no hoops to jump through to get it? even better. not a big fan of hoops. that's why i have the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. we get 1% cash back on every purchase. there's no limit to the amount of cash back i can earn. and the rewards -- yes. won't expire. bankamericard cash rewards. 1% cash back. no hoops to jump through. nice and simple. just the way i like it. [ male announcer ] the refreshingly simple bankamericard cash rewards credit card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. with reese's peanut butter cups every delicious cookie is crammed to the core with chocolate peanut buttery goodness... ♪ chips ahoy! crammed with joy! milwaukee, fargo... and miami. ♪ [ female announcer ] because sometimes sunglasses aren't an option, they're a necessity. great sunglasses like ray-ban and oakley tailored perfectly to your prescription. lenscrafters. we're t

the gaping hole that opened up in the roof of the southwest jet didn't just blow open one airplane -- it blew apart the nation's entire system for inspecting and maintaining aging jets. that's why the government is ordering inspections of nearly 100 planes and why it may rethink its critical safety program for older jets. >> we can't allow planes to be blowing holes in their roof while people are at 30,000 feet. we just can't. >> reporter: here's the problem -- extensive metal fatigue cracks were found just where the fuselage failed -- shocking the airline, boeing and the government. it was a spot no one had thought of, so there was no requirement to do anything more than a visual inspection on that part of the airplane. >> well, it is obviously a very disturbing trend because now we have airplanes cracking in places that we never expected. >> reporter: officials realized that age and repeated takeoffs and landings could cause metal fatigue when an aloha jet blew apart more than 20 years ago. now there are hundreds of inspection requirements for older jetliners but it's clearly not en

he points out the entire fleet of southwest jets is 737s and a similar problem happened on a southwest 737 in 2009. what's going on in he says too many takeoffs and landings. >> every time you take off, you pressurize it, when you land, you relax it. next take off, same thing. that's putting that effect on that aluminum. >> some airlines take off two to three times a day, southwest averages six to seven. this 15-year-old jet has logged 39,000 takeoffs and landings. they are still investigating what happened, but some passengers aren't waiting for their findings. >> i will search other options first. i will use southwest as a last resort. >> reporter: well, tonight the faa is set to issue an authority that would ground all 80 of those jets for inspections of cracks. but southwest says it has already inspected 39 jets and found three with cracks. those planes have been grounded. i can tell you tonight, passengers coming out still say they are feeling the ripple effects from delays from the cancellations. the airline says all the cancellations will be over by tomorrow morning. >> all righ

two years ago a hole opened up in the fuselage of another southwest plane. a jet also 15 years old. investigators blamed fatigue cracks and boeing ordered extra inspections for its 737s. 1988, aviation officials first realized age could take a toll on the plane's skin. after the roof peeled back on an elal flight. one flight attendant was killed. for tonight there was simple thankfulness that no one was seriously hurt, that everyone got home safely. for "nightline," i'm lisa stark in washington. >> what an ordeal there. thanks to lisa stark. >>> just ahead, a florida pastor's decision to burn a koran touches off a riot in afghanistan. and eventually kills at least seven u.n. workers. i'll ask him if he shares any blame when we return. [ sneezes ] allergies? you think i have allergies? you're sneezing. i'm allergic to you. doubtful, you love me. hey, you can't take allegra with fruit juice. what? yeah, it's on the label. really? here, there's nothing about juice on the zyrtec® label. what? labels are meant to be read. i'd be lost without you. i knew you weren't allergic to me. [ snee

. >> investigators say they now know what tore a gaping hole in a southwest airlines jet, and the findings could prompt big changes in the industry. we'll have the ntsb's findings, and a live report on the headache this is causing at bay area airports, straight ahead. >>> half moon bay making the move to outsource police services to help close their budget gap. we'll tell you what happens to the officers now. >>> and lawmakers in washington have a lot on the chopping block. we'll tell you what is at stake if they don't reach a deal by the end of the week. the news at 5:00 starts now. >> good evening. diane dwyer is off. i'm vicky nguyen. we begin tonight with the investigation into a southwest airlines flight that had to make an emergency landing after part of the roof tore off mid flight. the passenger jet was carrying 123 people on the way to sacramento from phoenix when the cabin suddenly lost pressure. nbc's francis quo has the latest on what ntsb investigators learned today. >> reporter: a preliminary federal investigation reveals what may have caused the southwest jet to make an emer

more problems revealed in that southwest jet that tore open at 36,000 feet. was the plane an accident waiting to happen? and what about other jets in the fleet? >>> days of rage. the spreading anger and protest in afghanistan. what caused it. and what the u.s. is doing to put out the fire. >>> sex slaves, lured here with the promise of a better life, forced into selling themselves, maybe in a neighborhood near you. >>> and once upon a time, the man who is making a difference bringing children's books back man who is making a difference bringing children's books back to life. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. investigators tonight are getting a much better idea as to why a five-foot hole ripped open on a southwest airlines jet over arizona friday evening. a roof section of the boeing 737-300 will be removed and sent to washington overnight for closer analysis. but already, investigators have found evidence of previous structural fatigue and widespread cracking in the plane's fuselage, despite the fact it underwent a major inspecti

all are southwest jets and sources say all five were built around the same time as the plane that came apart. >> the cracks are along this joint here where the two pieces lap. that crack will become worse and worse and worse with every pressurization. >> passengers we spoke with have mixed reactions about the latest findings. >> we take chances and we fly anywhere and there can be problems that occur occasionally. but i still believe in the system. >> they should have found it earlier. they are not strict enough on the regulation. >> it shouldn't be an issue at all. >> they should have been taken out of service until they investigate them. >> the investigation is still going on. and in fact the plane that ripped apart has been patched and is expected to go back into service. live at sfo, lisa amin gulezian, abc7 news. >> lisa, thanks very much. >>> this santa clara mother has been arrested for leaving her toddler alone in her suv while she gambled. police arrested 25-year-old maria sasson for child endangerment outside the casino. a security guard called police after noticing the littl

there are some major developments tonight in the wake of a midair rupture in a southwest passenger jet. ntsb investigators have discovered cracks in three more planes. they say the cracks are similar to the one that caused a 737 to lose a five-foot chunk of its roof during a flight from phoenix to sacramento. the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in yuma, arizona where it remains tonight. southwest canceled hundreds of flights this weekend to pull 79 planes out of service for inspection, but the problems are far from over. nbc bay area's kimberly tere is at oakland international airport with the latest and the scramble for passengers. kim? >> reporter: hundreds of frustrated travelers had no other choice but to sit and wait it out here at oakland international airport, where southwest canceled about 50 outbound and inbound flights today. and we could see much of the same situation tomorrow. southwest has already warned it could cancel 300 more flights nationwide. southwest airlines passengers had to pack their patience as they navigated the long lines and dealt with canc

call in the skies over arizona last night when a large hole ripped open in the cabin of a southwest airlines jetull of passengers. and it's just the latest in a series of problems onboard planes dating back decades. tom costello reports. >> the plane involved a 15-year-old 737-300, another southwest plane had a hole open up in the roof nearly two years ago at 30,000 feet forcing an emergency landing in west virginia. 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 to

the cracks are similar to the ones that forced the southwest jet to make an emergency landing in arizona on friday. 118 people were on the sacramento bound flight when the fuel sill lodge ruptured leaving a five foot tear and causing cab into lose pressure. those inspections will delay southwest flights around the country for a third day in a row. today the airline says 100 flights nationwide will have to be canceled. so far this morning 14 arriving and departing flights at oakland will have to be canceled. >> i think it's always scary. but at the same time i think it's appropriate to delay them and take all the precautions you can to make sure that everybody's safe. >> southwest flight schedule could be back to normal by tomorrow. that's when the airline says it should be done with those inspections. >>> well, another southwest flight that took off from the bay area had to make an emergency landing. that flight from oakland to san diego landed safely in los angeles last night. that's after reports of an electrical burning smell in the plane's cabin. 142 people were on board. no one was

the order would apply to boeing 737s, the very same jet model as southwest airlines jet where a five foot long hole ruptured during a flight on friday. the emergency inspections will look for tiny cracks related to weak metal on the lodge. most of the planes that need inspections are registered to foreign carriers. southwest says the new f.a.a. order will not cause them anymore delays because they've already inspected their 737s for the past three days. southwest canceled hundreds of flights nationwide including several right here in the bay area so those inspections could take place. but southwest says operations should be back to normal today. >>> passengers on board a san francisco bound flight that made an emergency landing yesterday in new orleans say there were signs of trouble from the very beginning. the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit and equipment failure shortly after taking off. passengers told us here at ktvu the plane was making strange noises and that reading lights and the public address system just stopped working. the plane headed back to the new orleans airport

call for emergency inspections of boeing 737s in the wake of friday's incident involving a southwest airlines jet that split open in midair forcing an emergency landing. news correspondent don teague is in love field in dallas, southwest main hub with the latest on this story. don, good morning. >>> good morning, chris, the inspections will be ordered for 175 boeing 737s worldwide. fewer than half of the planes are here in the u.s., but most of those here are operated by southwest airlines. the federal aviation administration has ordered emergency inspections for at least 80 boeing 737s operated in the u.s. the move comes days after a terrifying incident when a southwest airlines 737 ruptured and depressurized at 34,000 feet. new inspections are required for older models of the planes, those built in the '890s with at least 30,000 takeoffs and landings. >> issuing this service bulletin, it will take care of the aircraft that need attention. for the remaining fleet, i don't believe there are structural deficiencies. >> the 737 is the work horse of the skies. nearly 7,000 of the jets have been buil

. >>> more trouble for southwest, during the morning news we first told you about the jets unscheduled landing at lax. 142 passengers were onboard. a spokesman says that snow was unrelated to problems with a crack in the fuselage and we learned of inspection is being conducted. certain types of planes are more prone to cracks and it has less to do with age than you may think. we will have that story coming up in 13 minutes. >>> passengers had to use emergency slides today after the pilot was forced to return to the airport in new orleans. david stevenson is live at sfo where he spoke to passengers who arrived in the last few hours. >> reporter: united airlines flight for 97 arrived at 5:05 p.m. today after a harrowing take off this morning. flight 497 took off at 5:00 a.m. and the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit and inch and a failure. the plane blew a tire as it landed in ran off the runway. those passengers were put aboard another plane that arrived in san francisco a few hours ago and they shared with his impressions of the pilot struggled to control and land the plane. >> we to

. >>> officials now say that southwest airline jet that landed last week with a hole in its roof did have up to date safety records. boeing says testing were not expected to crack until after 60,000 flights. the southwest jet that was force today make an emergency landing last week had only made 40,000 flights. as a result of that incident, the f.a.a. has ordered electromagnetic testing for older boeing 737s. >>> tomorrow cal train could approve a plan to have riders more and operating less often. 64 weekend trains, but a cost cutting schedule that's been tentively approved would eliminate ten weekday trains, close three stations and increase fares and parking fees. they face a $30 million budget gap in the coming year. coming up at 4:50 we'll tell you about another bay area transit looking to come up with ways to make up its deficit. >>> time now is 4:35. head right back out to sal who is watching our early morning traffic for us this morning. hi, sal. >>> hi, claudine. good morning to you. traffic is moving well around the bay area. no major problems 80 westbound. a nice drive comi

. >> southwest airlines has finished inspecting it's older planes. five of them have cracks in the fuselage. 737-300s jets were grounded when a hole developed flew a flight from phoenix to sacramento. southwest cancelled nearly 700 flights from saturday through yesterday. federal officials plan to order emergency inspections for cracks on similar 737's belongs to other airlines. >> and this morning, a southwest jet was forced to return to oakland shortly after taking off whether an indicator light came on. it's a different mod federal the plane that the h the fuselage terry has been pulled. 103 passengers were put on a different flight. >>> a new government report says airlines are cancelling more flights to avoid potential fines for long delays on the tarmac. 5% in february that is the eighth highest. airlines were more willing to cancel a flight especially if major storm back east. cancelling flight reduces costs to airline. most passengers can be rebooked so airline doesn't lose the fare. >> a high stakes showdown to avoid a government shutdown. and short term fix that the gop is now proposing. >> also

. >> southwest airlines has finished inspecting it's older planes. five of them have cracks in the fuselage. 737-300s jets were grounded when a hole developed flew a flight from phoenix to sacramento. southwest cancelled nearly 700 flights from saturday through yesterday. federal officials plan to order emergency inspections for cracks on similar 737's belongs to other airlines. >> and this morning, a southwest jet was forced to return to oakland shortly after taking off whether an indicator light came on. it's a different mod federal the plane that the h the fuselage terry has been pulled. 103 passengers were put on a different flight. >>> a new government report says airlines are cancelling more flights to avoid potential fines for long delays on the tarmac. 5% in february that is the eighth highest. airlines were more willing to cancel a flight especially if major storm back east. cancelling flight reduces costs to airline. most passengers can be rebooked so airline doesn't lose the fare. >> a high stakes showdown to avoid a government shutdown. and short term fix that the gop is now proposing. >> also

the jet was 15 years old, 39,000 take-off cycles. 288 in the u.s. operated by southwest, u.s. airways and continental. >>> the pilot of a small plane died when his world war ii era plane crashed. it happened just off a trail that wraps around alameda. not far from the airport runway. witnesses say the single engine was 200 feet in the air when the engine appeared to quit. the plane wrashed into the shore. the pilot who flew around at the time of the crash says the weather conditions were mild. >> you know, the national transportation safety board is going to investigate this. it takes several months to come out with a preliminary report. the main thing is for people not to jump to conclusions as to what actually happened. we don't know. >> the name of the pilot has not been released. the faa is investigating the crash. >>> the federal government will run out of cash if congress does not agree to a financial plan. negotiations this weekend went nowhere. if there's no budget, hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors will not be paid. offices, museums and non-emer

southwest. that airline has already looked at more than 60 of its planes. it has found cracks in the fuselage on three of its jets. all of this to prevent another southwest flight 812. >> on a scale of 1 to 10, about 25. i've never been that scared in my life. >> reporter: in phoenix, at about 3:45 friday afternoon, the 737 carrying 118 passengers departed for sacramento. just 18 minutes into the flight, as the jet was climbing through 34,000 feet, what sounded like an explosion. >> it was scary. i was one row from where the plane blew out and, you know, we all had that moment, we thought we were -- weren't sure what was going to happen. >> it sounded like a big tire popping and the pressure in the cabin was so -- it was just hard to describe. >> reporter: a five foot section of the fuselage ripped apart on the top of the jet. passengers could see the open sky. and at 34,000 feet, temperatures can be as low as minus 60 degrees. >> i was in the very front of the plane so i felt the plane lurch, there was a loud think, it depressurized, the oxygen masks cam down. >> reporter: oxygen masks deployed as the cabin depr

>> well, we just got word that southwest says cracks were found in five of its older jets during theseurrent inspections that are ongoing. there's also new information about the specific southwest plane that prompted the inspections. there are reports that the plane, it's roof -- its roof, that ripped -- that ripped over -- open, had a busy life, taking off and touching down many times and it's possible the crack could have developed over time. and" the walt journal "says southwest planes spend 11.73% in the air. now, southwest airlines says the new faa order issued this morning will not cause them any additional delays because by the time the order has been issued they will have already investigated their fleet. southwest did have to cancel hundred flights across the country, but the airline says this morning that operations should be back to normal today. we just spoke with passengers at oakland airport this morning about their concern. >> i'm nervous. this is my first time ever catching a plane. it happens to be southwest. i mean, yeah, it's definitely a concern, yeah. bone nobody w

southwest airlines has been in the headlines all weekend. this happened last night a little after 8:00 p.m. pacific coast time. the jet diverted going from oakland to san diego for a burning smell that passengers smelled in the cabin. >> we heard there was smoke inside. that has everybody on edge as you mentioned southwest spent the weekend in the headlines. >> exactly. good morning. welcome to "the early show." chris wragge along with ea hill. 142 passengers all safe. let's get to the breaking news. cbs news correspondent don teague is in dallas, southwest's home base. with more with new trouble for southwest airlines. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, chris. it was a frightening incident for passengers on board a southwest airlines flight. as you mentioned, 142 passengers on this plane last night that had left oakland, and was en route to san diego. the plane didn't make it there. it had to divert to los angeles after the passengers began smelling smoke in the cabin. so, as a precaution they landed safely in los angeles. now, of course, southwest has canceled 600 flights over the weekend and is continuing ins

all are southwest jets and sources say all five were built around the same time as the plane that camert. >> the cracks are along this joint here where the two pieces lap. that crack will become worse and worse and worse with every pressurization. >> passengers we spoke with have mixed reactions about the latest findings. >> we take chances when we fly anyway and there can be problems that occur occasionally but i still believe in the system. >> should have found it earlier. i mean, they're not strict enough on the regulations. >> i don't see there being an issue at all. >> they should be taken out of, you know, service until they investigate them. >> this investigation is not over. in fact, while it's still going on, the plane that ripped apart has been patched and is expected to go back into service. >> this santa clara mother has been arrested for leaving her toddler alone in her suv while she gambled. they arrested the 25-year-old for felony child endangerment outside the garden city casino in san jose on thursday night. a security guard called police after noticing the little girl

and investigators say they now know what caused a hole in a southwest airlines jet earlier this month. >> good morning. sun coming up at 6:24. plenty of clouds around but will we see any rain this week? >> so crews are cleaning up this morning after an apparent tornado tore through a terminal at the main airport in st. louis. air travel is still a mess across the midwest. here's more on the sudden terror at the st. louis airport. >> debris is scattered across runways. and windows in another. winds are so powerful, they lifted a shuttle bus in a parking garage. >> went totally black, and the wind picked the car up, maybe an inch or two, dropped it and blew out the windows. it happened real fast. piece of plastic came in and hit her. i threw the phone. and grabbed her out of the car seat and put her in my lap in the front seat. >> four people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. mostly from flying glass. >> instantaneously all the windows started blowing out at like one time. and then the next thing we know, we heard crashes and all the poles were falling and they told us to

jets. this follows the incident where a southwest airlines jet had a five foot hole open up in mid- flight last week. >>> just three days away from a shutdown of the federal government and democrats and republicans are far from reaching a deal. now, if the shutdown happens it would mean a delay in the processing of income tax returns, passports and much more. also many federal government offices would be closed. >>> and the payroll tax exemption inspired by twitter's threat to leave san francisco now has tentive approval. the county supervisors are scheduled to take a second vote next week on a plan that would exempt any business in the mid- market and tenderloin neighborhoods from payroll taxes on new employees until 2017. >>> san francisco police are looking for a man and woman who attacked a political protester carrying a controversial sign. it happened yesterday near golden gate park. the demonstrator had drawn a hitler mustache over a picture of president obama. police only have a vague description of the man, an asian man with long black hair. the woman described as white 5'6" with l

. >>> an inflight emergency on a southwest jet headed for california. >>> a religious protest in florida leads to a massacre in afghanistan. how the man whose actions sparked the killings is reacting to international outrage. >>> why would you talk to a young child about sex with a man and a woman let alone a man and a man or a woman and a woman. >> a field trip, why one mother questions if the elementary school thought it through. >>> less than 30 minutes ago, passengers made it to sacramento after they say their first plane got a whole in the top and -- a hole in the top and had to make an emergency landing in arizona. they e-mailed these photos. there appears to be a hole right there. that's the one they are talking about. it's near some of the over head bins. they landed in arizona after they suffered a fuse ---- rupp ter. the plane dropped from 36,000 feet to 11,000 feet. >> i heard a loud popping sound. >> i don't know, maybe 45 seconds to a minute before the oxygen masks came down. one of the flight attendants did actually faint, did probably broke his nose. he hit pretty hard and

abc's lisa stark has more. >> reporter: the gaping hole that opened up in the roof of the southwest jetnspecting and maintaining aging jets. >> we can't allow planes to be blowing holes in the roof while people are at 30,000 feet. we just can't. >> reporter: here's the problem. extensive metal fatigue cracks were found where the fuselage failed, shocking the airline, boeing and the government. a spot no one thought of so there was no requirement to do anything more than a visual inspection on that part of the airplane. >> it's obviously a very disturbing trend. now we have airplanes cracking in places we never expected. >> they realize that age and repeated take-offs and landings could cause metal fatigue. >> it means we've learned something new and that a whole other type of inspection or a total new inspection regime may be required. >> reporter: pilots check planes before every flight but it's up to mechanics to look for even the tiniest of cracks. they can be detected visually at one-quarter inch but even smaller at one-tenth of an inch with specialized equipment, including what's c

not a good sign how the day will play out especially since this morning's news that three more southwest jet airliners have small, sub surface cracks. when we told passengers, they looked at it as a good thing. see, they are doing a good job and inspections are working. >> there is a lot of flights that go out. it's all positive. got to get to minneapolis. >> here a shot of what started it all. five-foot hole that tore open in the cabin roof area after a plane left for phoenix on friday. the plane landed four minutes later at a military base. no one was seriously hurt. since then, southwest has grounded its 79 other boeing 737s and inspecting them. they believe metal fatigue cracks and nearly 300 similar planes exist and there is a chance that the faa may order a close look at all of them. >> kristen: firefighters are on the scene of a mobile home fire in redwood city. it happened just after 2:00 a.m. at a mobile home park in 3000 block of east bay shore road. there is word on the scene that four people were treated for smoke inhalation. we're told that a teenager helped people get out of th

the southwest jet was inbound from denver with 139 people on board. the jet skidded as it tried to land on a rain-soaked runway tuesday afternoon. the 737 stopped just 150 feet from a wall that separates the airport from a busy street. no one was injured. >>> the suspect in the attempted bombing of a colorado shopping mall is due in court this morning. oral moore was arrested tuesday at a grocery store in boulder. police believe moore planted the homemade bomb at a shopping center in a denver suburb last week. the bomb did not detonate and no one was injured. >>> now to what's being described as one of the worst online security breaches ever. tens of millions of sony playstation users in 59 countries are at risk after credit card data may have been stolen by a hacker. sandra hughes has our report. >> reporter: online gamers haven't been able to play their sony playstation for the past week. the network has been shut down, after sony says an unauthorized person hacked into the system and obtained user information, like names, addresses, birth dates and

> and this morning, the faa ordering mandatory inspections of boeing jets worldwide because of the hole in the roof of that southwest flight jet. kiet do is in san jose where flights are getting back to normal. >> reporter: good morning. southwest says it already knew about the faa's dramatic steps and forcing all these emergency inspections and so they say that the testing done since last friday will very likely satisfy the faa's requirement. the focuses of these overlapping pieces of aluminum riveted together. some older 737s will have to undergo testing for hidden metal fatigue. the inspections are because of the five-foot-long hole that opened up in a southwest plane last friday. about 175 aircraft worldwide are involved. 80 are registered in the u.s. and southwest owns the majority of them. southwest takes off and lands more often than other aircraft. >> every time you take off, you blow up the airplane when you pressurize it. when you land, you relax it. then you take off, blow it up, reaction it. that's putting that wrinkling effect on that aluminum. >> reporter: and southwest says again that they are confide

as investigators began cutting apart the damaged southwest jet in yuma, arizona they found a significant clue. metal fatigue cracks that may have caused the few sill looming to fail. >> we found evidence of widespread cracking across this entire fractured surface. >> those cracks can develop after repeated takeoffs and landings. what's more, they found similar cracks in three other southwest planes today. the airline's entire fleet of 737-300 are being looked at after the flight from phoenix to sacramento when 18 minutes after takeoff the top opened up at 36,000 feet. it turned out to be a five-foot long tear, but luckily for the 118 people on board, the plane was able to make an emergency landing at an arizona military base four minutes later. the big question now is how could this happen on a jet that was supposedly up-to-date on manet neps? -- maintenance. >> we have no indication that something was actually missed in an inspection, something that could have been detected that wasn't detected. >> the plane underwent an extensive inspection a year ago. but according to abc news, the go

absolutely. >> reporter: well dana, tonight the faa is set to issue an order that would ground 80 southwest jets by tomorrow morning. they are supposed to be inspected for cracks but, at this hour, the airline says that they have already inspected 79 of their jets and found 3 have cracks so those three jets have been grounded. but tonight, dana, they say they do not expect cancellations or delays related to these inspections for tomorrow morning. >> all right. robert liles, thank you. >>> 100 san francisco-bound passengers had to scramble for the exits shortly after takeoff from new orleans this morning. the crew of united flight 497 first reported smoke in the cockpit at 4,000 feet. then the co-pilot said the plane lost all he electronic controls. the plane veered off the runway on landing. passengers and crew evacuated safely via the emergency slides. >> it was scary up to the point i got off the plane and started running because i knew how much fuel was on the plane was what worried me. >> none of the passengers was jird. they arrived at sfo three hours behind schedule on another aircraft. th

tells congress his agency is reviewing safety requirements for older commercial aircraft like the southwest jet that made an emergency landing last friday. that incident could lead the f.a.a. to increase inspection requirements for older commercial aircraft which are becoming more common in airline fleets. but f.a.a. administrator would not comment on that possibility. >>> a richmond woman is facing felony charges this morning after a police chase sent five people including a police officer to the hospital. police say taylor was driving yesterday when she hit four cars during a high speed chase in pin ole. it started after police spotted taylor's car which was linked to a robbery. the chase ended after the police car was hit. and police say none of the injuries is critical. >>> one of president obama's closest friends has been arrested on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute. one of four men busted monday in an undercover prostitution sting. he's free on $5,000 bail. the 49-year-old attended school in honolulu with the president. he often joins mr. obama for golf and other activities when he's

. >> fatigue holes led to another southwest jet and alaska condition jet opened on flight that had bumped on the ground before takeoff. an aloha jet came apart, they plunged to their debt. >> it led to an extensive program for elder planes that continue today to check for any metal fatigue. it's still far too early to tell if that is what happened in this case. >> janelle: this morning, new documents are out about a high profile former jesuit priest now in prison nor sexually molesting young boys. church officials here in san francisco knew what was going on but never came forward. lyanne melendez spoke with the family of one of the victims. >> donald mcguire is serving 25 years in prison for sexual acts with minors in 1960s. he has been indicted in arizona for molesting this man's two sons. >> he did retreat in the phoenix area. i was an organizer. >> documents show that leaders knew month for more than 40 years that he was predator. in 1970 the president of loyola academy wrote -- his presence here has become positively destructive and corrosive. i consider it essential that he be remov

investigators today began cutting apart the damaged southwest jet. the section that burst open will be shipped to washington, d.c. for detailed analysis. and they have discovered a significant clue. as first reported by abc news, investigators have found metal fatigue cracks along the entire area that peeled apart. >> we did find evidence of widespread cracking across this entire fracture surface. >> reporter: those cracks, which can drop after repeated takeoffs and landings, may have been what caused the fuselage to fail. it came apart at a seam, where two parts are riveted together. an especially dangerous location. the plane can essentially unzip. >> that's a very disturbing point, because it's a place that can cause great amount of damage to an airplane. >> reporter: new details, too, from the cockpit and data recorders about the terrifying moments on board the boeing 737. no hint of trouble before takeoff. then 18 1/2 minutes into the fight, the top opened up. the plane, at 36,000 feet. pilots reacted immediately. >> the crew did do what they we

>>> now on to some developing news about the huge hole that ripped open in the roof of a southwest airlines jet. southwest has just announced that its inspect verse found cracks similar to those that caused friday's emergency landing in two more aircraft. earlier today, federal investigators confirmed there were problems with that boeing 737 before the landing. the ntsb says the entire length of the five-foot-long tear in the aircraft shows evidence of preexisting fatigue and cracking. the plane, bound for sacramento from phoenix, remains in yuma, arizona where it made friday's emergency landing. today southwest canceled 16 outbound and 30 incoming flights in the bay area. this morning, the check-in counters were jammed with people, some who missed their flights not because they were canceled, but because they couldn't check in on time. others scrambled to deal with their canceled flights. while passengers said it was frustrating, many said safety has to come first. >> i guess it's a catch 22 situation. because if it was me on that plane where a piece of it came off, you know, i think i wou wou

. >>> a southwest jet ran off a runway in chicago this afternoon coming to rest in a patch of mud. none of the 139 people on board was hurt. the federal aviation administration is looking into why the 737 drove off the driveway. >>> powerful storms are battering much of the midwest tonight, they come after a day of tornadoes and flooding. that warning sounded and the flood gates of a dam opened in branson missouri. the army corp. of engineers notified residents downstream that the release could cause flooding. >>> flooding breeched the -- the water came up so fast that some residents barely had time to get to higher ground. 15inches of water has fallen there in the past five days. >>> tornado ripped through parts of arkansas overnight. one path tore 3 miles long and 15 miles long north of little rock. at least 10 people were killed. officials say the number could have been higher if tornado warnings hadn 't sounded. 70 homes were demolishes. 50 others were damaged. here's our other view, we moved our storm tracker two to the west to give you a look at the sheer size of the system.

. >>> a southwest jet ran off a runway in chicago this afternoon coming to rest in a patch of mud. none of the 139 people on board was hurt. the federal aviation administration is looking into why the 737 drove off the driveway. >>> powerful storms are battering much of the midwest tonight, they come after a day of tornadoes and flooding. that warning sounded and the flood gates of a dam opened in branson missouri. the army corp. of engineers notified residents downstream that the release could cause flooding. >>> flooding breeched the -- the water came up so fast that some residents barely had time to get to higher ground. 15inches of water has fallen there in the past five days. >>> tornado ripped through parts of arkansas overnight. one path tore 3 miles long and 15 miles long north of little rock. at least 10 people were killed. officials say the number could have been higher if tornado warnings hadn 't sounded. 70 homes were demolishes. 50 others were damaged. here's our other view, we moved our storm tracker two to the west to give you a look at the sheer size of the system.

federal officials will begin investigating what caused a hole to rip open in the fuselage of a southwest jet airline. it forced the pilot to make an emergency landing yesterday. >> it's 52 in santa rosa. 58 in concord. wind will be picking up and it will be cooler. >>> thanks for joining us. i'm janelle wang. the giant's fan that was brutally beaten is still in critical condition. police have released two sketches of the violent beating. he was from santa cruz county and continues to fight for his life. lisa amin gulezian has more. >> we're like family here. we'll do what we can for each other. >> that they can't believe what happened to one of their own. paramedic was attacked by two dodger fans by leaving the season opener in los angeles. >> he went to the ground and hit his head and they kicked him several times and fled the scene. >> it's heartbreaking. >> he is now in medically incues had coma and in critical condition. >> we are very worried. we know it's a head injury is very significant. it could go either way at any time. it's one of those things that only time will tell. >> this wa

and on this third day after the roof ripped open on a southwest jet, the situation is improving for travelers. at oakland airport officials tell me there were four inland and -- inbound and four outbound flights cancelled today. indeed most passengers here seem to be free of any major problems. >> in fact we got early that very surprising, we arrived early on both going and coming which was rare. i've never been early. >> reporter: but there were some annoyed people. >> it makes it frustrating but you just -- you have to deal with it. >> reporter: all this couple wanted to do was return home but after their flight to texas was cancelled they felt like they got the runaround. >> we couldn't get through on the web so we ended up getting on the phone and waiting online for about an mower and we final -- about an hour and finally got through and she booked up today for 5:00 arriving at 3:00 in the morning in houston. >> reporter: although oakland airport officials are touting the shrinking number of flights, they acknowledge that travelers who have a multiple leg journey could see cancellations a

. >>> a southwest airlines jets were inspected after shortly taking off. 103 passengers were put on another flight. the plane involved as a 737-700 series. >>> we have learned that the plane involved in last week's incident has undergone many repairs. the most recent was in march of last year. southwest said it has completed inspections on all planes grounded last friday. they found cracks in the skin of the five other planes. >>> california utility regulators have been holding a meeting in san bruno. they are hearing from residents and others while the agency works to develop new rules for pipeline operation. it began with emotional testimony from victims of the september 9 explosion. >> as a person who lost my family home, pets, everything, all the metals from my father when he was in the war is all gone. >> they expect to hear from politiciansand consumer groups. >>> the state senate committee approved a bill that would require pg&e and other utilities to install automatic or remotely controlled valves on all pipelines located in populated areas or near active fault lines. it now goes to

an inbound southwest airlines jet skidded off the runway after it touched down at midway airport. unlike a similar incident in 2005 when a 6-year-old boy was killed, there were no injuries on the plane or on the ground. >>> and we end with perhaps the nfl's top pick of the 2019 draft. this utah kid is amazing. take a look at this utah draft who has become a youtube phenom. hundreds of thousands have watched the video of the 13-year-old quarterback showing off his incredible arm and his accuracy. it's remarkable. he and his dad made the video just for fun, but after all this attention he's getting and that arm, this guy may only have a few more years of free time on sunday. >>> now for a look at your national and regional weather, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. >> this april has been miserable for flooding. over 50 tornado reports almost 50 i should say throughout texas, louisiana and mississippi. this area has been hard hit. we have more storms on the way. we are dealing with storms throughout alabama. 71 mile per hour wind gust. they are