that is the route according to the national transportation safety board. when it comes to helicopter. >> reporter: the national transportation safety board is making 21 recommendations to improve the safety of helicopters. and some of them will make a big impact. >> reporter: 2008 was a record year for medical crashes in the u.s. trooper 2 went down in heavy fog near andrews air force base. the accident triggered a play from the lone survivor. >> i went down with all of these helicopters. so this will never happen again. >> reporter: now, they recommend major safety improvements to all 750 medical helicopters across the country. the ntsb says they neat night vision technology. flight data recorders -- auto pilot and terrain warning systems. >> we have seen too many accidents that could have been prevented, had they implemented this technology. >> reporter: it's unclear if the technology would have prevented maryland's crash. the ntsb is still investigating! we believe we are 100% on task with the ntsb. >> reporter: >> reporter: maryland is on task. they are

. >> the national transportation safety board hits metro with another urgent warning. >> this following new findings in the investigation of the fatal crash back if june. brittany morehouse joins us live now with the latest. brittany. >> reporter: with a letter, the ntsb woman uses strong vocabulary. she says there is a pressing need to address safety glitch that's could lead to another tragic accident. and yet this new safety advisory appears to be nothing new at all. while the national transportation safety board has yet to determine the cause of that fatal crash in late june, investigators now say the signal system that was supposed to tell the colliding train to stop failed that day. instead those signaling circuits told the train that all was clear, leading its way to the deadly accident that killed nine people and injured 80 more. now four organizations are looking over urgent recommendations issued by the ntsb, a company that makes the circuit. the federal transit administration, the federal railway administration and metro. >> they recommend we examine a track circuit. >> report

the metro accident happened three months ago. ntsb says there is a pressing need to address safety glitches that could lead to another tragic accident. we're told the investigation is far from over. the national transportation safety boardrking to figure out why the metro crash near the fort totten metro crash in june. investigators have new information on the signal system that was supposed to tell the colliding train to stop. the system failed that day. the findings revealed those signaling circuits told the train the track was clear. the equipment did not signal to slow or top the approach -- stop the approaching train. nine were killed and 80 injured. now four organizations are looking over urgent recommendations just issued by the ntsb. >> the ntsb recommends that we examine track circuits. >> reporter: the concerns about the circuits are nothing new. metro says it continues to check them twice a day and take other measures. >> the trains have been operated in manual mode by train operators, and will continue in manual mode until further notice. >> reporter: the urgent message is based on recommendations. the ntsb tells 9 news now during all of the investigations it reserves the right to issue these kinds of letter

the ntsb issues urgent safety recommendations to metro following june's deadly crash. >>> it's been three months since that deadly crash on metro's red line. now the national transportation safety board has come out with a new list of safety recommendations it wants the transit agency to follow. there are nine recommendations for metro and the manufacturer of its train detecting circuits. the safety board considers six of those to be urgent. most of the concerns center around the safety of the train control systems that detect the presence of trains on the tracks. megan mcgrath joins us from the tacoma metro station with more. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. for some time we've been hearing how investigators are focusing on track circuits. what they have found has raised concerns there could be a similar accident on other rail systems that rely on the same technology that has prompted the ntsb to unveil new nationwide safety recommendations. investigators have stopped short of naming the exact cause of june's deadly metro collision. but problems found with the audio frequency track circuits have prompted the ntsb to issue urgent nationwide recommendations to all transit systems u

now the national transportation safety board weighs in on how long pilots should be allowed to work. >>> and helmets to prevent heat exhaustion. stay with us. the 5-day forecast is coming up ne >> there's another look at this gorgeous day outside. here's marty with the five day. >> here's the 5-day forecast. fall like mornings, spring like amps. 78degrees tomorrow. and 80 on friday. saturday we go partly sunny and as i mentioned a few minutes ago. we have to look and see if a low comes in and gives us a few more clouds and a chance for a shower object -- on sunday. we'll keep our fingers crossed all the way through the labor day holiday weekend. >>> tune in to wjz for the prime time lineup tonight. at 10:00, it's ncis followed by eyewitness news at 11:00. if you wished you could ski and snowboard all year long, you can. the university of virginia has the university of virginia has built

metro has received another urgent warning from the national transportation safety board. this follows new findings in the investigation of the fatal crash in june. 9 news now digital correspondent alex trev nix -- ino's with the latest and met tremendous' response. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning. many people are starting their morning commute and ntsb says there is a pressing need to address safety glitches that could lead to another tragic accident. three months since the deadly accident, this complex investigation is far from complete. the ntsb is working to determine the cause of the fatal crash near the fort totten metro in late june. investigators have new information about the signal system that was supposed to tell the colliding train to stop. the system failed that day. the findings revealed circuits told the train the track was clear. the signal did not signal to slow or stop the approaching train. nine people were killed and 80 injured. now, four organizations are looking over you are jen recommendations just issued by the ntsb, the company that ma

the national transportation safety board says the older 1,000 series cars are not crash worthy. a rail car involved in a crash in june killed nine people. after the crash, metro said it was putting the older cars in the middle of the trains. they say they use the older cars at the front when there's a shortage of cars and they don't g.nt to keep riders itinwa students arehe tnee ang bei m flu,u, more or shee ne oepoav hav symptoms atd toge.nd 1 georgetown cases. 1 cases. george mason 3, howard non. men unit did not have anyone. they are not testing patients to see which strain of flu they have, they are treating every case as if it's swine flu. sick students are encouraged to go home. >>> a new kcavity prevention gaining popularity. >>> drivers eyes light up. >>> f >>> news for your health. a new way to prevent cavities without picking up a toothbrush. we have the story. >> reporter: afraid of drilling, afraid of fillings? joe has 32 reasons to avoid the dentist chair. >> i think if dental health starts to slide, you are in for a lot of pain and discomfort as you try to correct

a short time ago the national transportation safety board release keyed findings in its investigation. the agency is making nine safety recommendations to the transit agency that it says should be implemented as soon as possible. ntsb says a false signal occurred that allowed one of the trains involved in the crash not to be detected on the tracks. the safety board also says it has not officially determined the cause of the train accident that killed nine people. metro was planning to hold a news conference at 6:30 tonight. we will bring that to you live. >>> in other news, the fbi is telling police across the united states to be on alert against possible terrorist attacks. today counterterrorism authorities sent out a memo warning police about the desire of terrorists who attack places where americans congregate. >>> steve hdelsman is on capitol hill with the latest. >> reporter: good evening. this is another metro-related story. keyword is bulletin. this is not an official federal government warning. something less. a heads-up to police nationwide. be alert at football games. the ne

the national transportation safety board recommended replacing those cars. metro has not done so. metro said it would begin putting cars in the middle of trains, but officials tell news4, there's still older cars traveling the front parts of the trains and they consider the occasional use of them in the front to be safe. >>> a dark cloud is hanging over virginia this morning in the wake of new budget cuts. hundreds of state workers will learn they'll be losing their jobs. governor tim kaine announced $1.35 billion in budget cuts. nearly 600 state employees will be laid off, some asked to leave starting today. those keeping their jobs will have to take one day without pay next year. kaine has also ordered the closing of two prisons and funding cuts for state-supported colleges and universities. >>> 6:07 is your time. 67 degrees. more cricis sm thilimor in tfog virginia. gubernatorial candidate bob mcdonnell about something he said years ago. >>> new evidence found near the home where a california woman was held captive for 18 years. why police now say there could be another victim.

we're ld the national transportation safety board has been notified about the incident. live in alexandrea, karen gray houston, fox 5 news. >>> the battle has been heated at times. the two candidates and cree deeds made a rare appearance together. beth parker with the news edge on virginia. >>> coming out here with 52 days and seven hours left. >> reporter: candidates mcdonald and cree deeds are clearly cdays. at a luncheon, the potomac officer's club, each spoke but not to each other. >> i didn't see him until my question-answer. he's sitting in front of me. >> reporter: mcdonald's spoke first and then deeds. both told reporters how disappointed they were with last night's outburst during the president's speech. >> that was inexcusable but we live in a world where inexcusable things happen from time to time. >> you want people to believe you, i think you have to deal with them. that is where my -- the way my parents raised me and hope everyone will conduct themselves that way. >> reporter: this took place at the rich carlson in tyson's corner, steps outside of the hotel

. >> reporter: a recent hearg by the national transportation safety board looked at 55 crashes that left 54 people dead, and found that those incidents could have been prevented with simple corrective action. but all of that negative shaken team's confidence. >> they affect you. they affect me and my family. i'm not afraid to fly. i've never been afraid to fly. >> if it's not safe to do it, then we won't do it. >> med star has not been involved in any of the recent crashes. officials mntain the med star program is one of the safest in the nation. >>> "the tonight show" host conan o'brien is back at work tonight after a trip to a hospital and a weekend at home. o'brien was hit on the head on friday while filming a stunt with actress teri hatcher. production on the show was halted and nbc ran a repeat of "the tonight show" instead of the program that was scheduled to air. today o'brien poked some fun at the incident. >> as you may know on this past friday's show, i was doing a stunt right here and i hit my head and i suffered a concussion, and -- yeah, and i promise, folks, if you're a ver

today the national transportation safety board issued urgent safety recommendations in response to june'ssh. while the exact cause is still under investigation, the ntsb identified signal failure as a major concern. nine sigh safety recommendations, some to metro. the agency wants metro to examine track circuits that may have a problem where the crash happened. a program to monitor electronic components t

the recommendation from the national transportation safety board topped the list. it includes replacing old railcars and buses. there will be power upgrades to allow the use of eight-car trains. >>>igen neorhbs are wrioredor at tewa thkn w if there is any erdaowknngthf eris any danger from a newly discovered a leak along georgetown pike. we are on their side with details. >> the gas station the ec behind me is one of many stations that are being sold off. part of the checks is the testing of underground tanks. according to the state, leaks were found that may have been here as much as -- as long as three years. this is the source of concern tonight. within the leak was discovered in one of the underground fuel tanks. state officials are testing area wells that maye affected by this leak. there is a contaminated well on one of the streets. >> it is my only source of water. i don't know what they all drank. >> this neighborhood is where robb waters lives. he is concerned how his well can be impacted and why the community had not been notified. >> why have they not al

. >>> the national transportation safety board is calling for strict new policies for medical helicopters. they approved recommendations requiring pilots to go through better training and helicopter operators to install more sophisticated equipment. under the recommendation, only operators that pass safety audits. the action comes in response to a record of nine deadly emergency helicopter crashes between september 2007 and october 2008. >>> in the city has paid over $28 million a week. the program will be cut down to six weeks and live it -- and limited to $20 billion. >>> it does still remain a powerful storm. the system is packing winds in excess of 100 miles an hour. mexican authorities are helping at thousands of slum dwellers seek shelter. >>> we may be more concerned about what is happening in the atlantic on our side. >> the latest projection from the hurricane center says it is getting a little bit stronger, and it will weaken a little bit. stay tuned, because if it moves too slowly, the winds could -- it is crazy. initially, it does not seem like a powerful storm. we will keep y

the national transportation safety board is trying to determine whether the control system caused the deadly crash in june. nine people died in that crash. >>> a man tried out run police with a 3-year-old child inside of his car. it ended with a crash on new york ave. jennifer is live. it was anybody hurt? >> the officer was not hurt, but the suspect did have the good of the hospital with minor injuries. we have a 3-year-old boy and protective custody. it is father is accused of possessing drugs, trying to get rid of them, leading a chase, and endangering his son. this was the end of the police chase involving drugs and an innocent little boy. inside the van, they found a 3- year-old boy. his father is under arrest and facing a slew of charges. >> it was a three year-old -- >> neighbors said that they often saw the little boy playing outside. the boy's father took off when officers tried to stop him for a minor traffic violation. during a chase with the boy in the car, he crashed into a tractor-trailer and tried to ram into a police squad car. the chase continued in new york avenue wh

the national transportation safety board released the details in a congressional committee today. all three people aboard the plane and a pilot and five italian tourists aboard the helicopter were killed. >>> a long time movie rental chain is closing nearly 1,000 of its stores by the end of next year. blockbuster's chief executive says the closures come as the company plans to set up more dvd rental kiosks. the closures are more than blockbuster previously announced. blockbuster is hoping to have about 10,000 kiosks around the country. >>> another big rally for stocks on this wednesday. on the heels of good news about industrial production. the dow soared past 9700 with a 108 point gain. the nasdaq gained 30 points on the day and the s&p gained 16. production climbed higher than expected last month. thanks in part to the cash for clunkers program, which had automakers ramping up their operations to meet demand for all those new cars. >> wall street is having a good week this week so far. >>> coming up next on news4 at 4:00, spring may be the season of love, but fall has its share

the national transportation safety board has yet to determine what caused the crash. brian looks at the questions that surrounds the crash and talked to a man who says he put his career on the line to prevent it. >> reporter: to use the word anniversary may be grammatically correct. it hardly seems appropriate for a tragedy that leaves many questions. sunday at 11:57 p.m. marks the time a year ago when trooper two fell from the sky killing the pilot and the other passengers. four deaths that should have been prevented this man says. >> in your whistle blower letter, the first line was your immediate attention is requested to prevents will of life. >> did you believe that at that time? >> yes, i did. >> pete peterson was the maryland state police pilot who wrote this whistle blower letter before the crash of trooper 2. he had been flying with ms p for more than nine years and says his concerns were too deep, too critical not to blow the whistle. that people would die if the life saving aviation command continued as it was. >> i thought it was a matter of time. >> turns

the hospital now. hyde is charged with two counts of attempted murder. >>> too many accidents. inadequate safety. that is the ruling when it comes to medical helicopters. adam may reports from washington. >> reporter: the national transportation safety board is making one 21 recommendations to improve the safety of medical helicopters. and of this them will have a big impact on maryland's medical system. >> reporter: 2008 was a record year for medical helicopter crashes in the u.s. more than two dozen people died, including two in in immediate -- four from maryland. the accident triggered a plea from the lone survivor. >> if i went down with this helicopter, i hope it doesn't ever happen again. >> reporter: major improvements to safety in all helicopters across the country. the ntsb says they need night vision technology, flight data recorders, auto pilot and terrain warning systems. >> we have seen too many accidents that could have been prevented had they implemented this technology. >> reporter: it is unclear if this would have prevented the crash. >> we believe 100% in what the ntsb is saying. >> reporter: medivac already has helicopters. maryland state police are also planning to buy three new helicopters. but the budget is tight. an

they will be issuing recommendations from the national transportation safety board, like upgrading the infrastructure. planners identied $11 billion in capitalprimovenim.ts the money would be used to. , td inmata, expain and improve ra, ndbu a s paratransit service. part of that would include replacing all of metro's 0001, series railcars which have been in service since the system opened in 1976. >>> amtrak is taking extra steps to make sure travelers are safe with two days until 9/11, tsa, amtrak security and law enforcement officers are testing their ability to respond to a terrorist attack on the rails. tracee wilkins reports. >> reporter: today amtrak put theory into action to have a drill to protect passengers in the case of a terrorist attack. >> i think clearly it is an area of terrorist interests. most attacks around the world have been focused on mass transit, whether subway or rail system, spain, for example. we think it's definitely an item of concern for us. >> reporter: during today's morning and evening commutes, tsa practiced their ability to communicate with one anothe

the national transportation safety board said the pilot read back the wrong radio frequency to an aircraft traffic controller. later attempts to reach that pilot were unsuccessful. >>> a twin engine planed crashed shortly after takeoff near oakland, california today. the aircraft burst into flames after narrowly missing a warehouse. still unclear on how many people were on board or what the status might be of their conditions. >>> a huge fire in california today looked like a scene straight out of a movie. flames engulfed a multimillion dollars mansion in hollywood. l.a. firefighters battled the blaze but eventually all they could do was keep it from spreading to nearby homes. the cause now being investigated. >> all right. around here, little cloud, little rainy. >> showers. they say it is golfable. sunny day in ireland. >> every day is golfable for you pretty much. >> almost. that's true. more clouds tonight and tomorrow. then a little bit of a break. here is your forecast first. next three days right out of the gate. a few showers tomorrow but not a lot of activity. i'm trying to emphas

yesterday three months after the crash, the national transportation safety board released new information about what failed, but no new information about why it happened. michael flynn has our report. >> we hear stories on a daily basis about communication and automatic train control problems. >> reporter: the head of the local transit workers union insisting she is not surprised by the ntsb's preliminary findings about june's rail crash that killed nine people. with more so-called anomalies revealed about the automation system, the union wants rail operators to stay in the slower, manual mode till more answers come out. >> we ask the public to bear with us as we are continually working to ensure a safe ride for everyone. >> reporter: the ntsb yesterday issued an urgent alert warning that the same signal system which failed to detect the stop train in june's metro disaster should be checked by other rail operators across the country. also the ntsb revealed tests of some rail automation equipment at a ft. totten control room found false signals registering the track was clear when there wa

the buildings, they have set back fires which clear an information before approaching flames have time to spread. >>> the national transportation board meets to discuss recommendations for improving safety on board helicopters which are used during medical emergencies. adam may reports from washington, the panel's recommendations are sure to haven't impact. the transportation board is making recommendations to improve the safety of mel helicopters and some of them will have a big impact on the system. 2008 was a record year for crashes in the u.s., more than 2 dozen people died when trooper two went down snare andrews' air force base. >> were you afraid you were going to die. >> i just prayed to god. >> reporter: the accident triggered a plea from the lone survivor.. the national transportation board recommends mainly safety improvements to all 750 mel helicopters across the country. the ntsb says they need technology. auto pilot and single pilot choppers and terrain warning systems. >> we have seen too many accidents that could have been prevented had we implemented the technology. >> it is unclear if it would have prevent the maryland's crash which is still being investigated. >> we a

the national terror warning and new recommendations after the deadly metro crash. >> jim handly joins doreen gentzler next for news4 at 6:00. >>> the national transportation safety boardeased its recommendations after june's deadly metro crash. >> police in arlington tonight are investigating a man who showed a girl pornography on an

metro notified the national transportation safety board about the accident and they will investigate. >>> metro said that three people working for them have been killed in the last year. one was the metro driver who died in this crasin june. the other was a track repairman hit by a piece of equipment while working on the orange line last month. the third, a metro subcontractor was electrocuted in august. >>> a teenager attacked and nearly kidnapped by a man armed with a knife and police believe the same man struck before o. wednesday, he attacked an 18- year-old woman walking on polo drive in the fairoaks area. the cops think he tried to abduct another woman sunday. fox 5s wisdom martin has more. >> reporter: shawn, police believe this is connected. the two attacks are connected. the attacks happened in areas close together. now, the second incident happened september 9th. an 18-year-old woman was approached by a man and tried to have a conversation with her, she kept going and the man grabbed her. he pulled out a knife. there was a struggle. she managed to get away without getting in

. >> dave makes a great point because we do not have the final report from the national transportation safety board as to the cause of that accident, but we do have strong recommendations for improvement of mant nabs along the line, along the track system, particularly those systems which indicate there are other trains on the way. there's one particular instance where there was a piece of equipment that was replaced that required the signal strength to be tweaked, if you will, after that replacement procedure which apparently did not happen. so, there are a lot of unanswered questions. mr. catoe's gotten his contract renewed, i guess, for another three years. and again even if there are lower level people in his bureaucracy who are responsible for some of these breaches, ultimately he will bear responsibility. >> but the fact is that i think one of the problems here, catoe's going to have to tighten the reins because we're talking about maintenance problems. we're talking about managerial problems. mid management has been a problem with metro. the other instances you speak of, pat, besides the cra

the national transportation safety board just issued some urgent sa

trace: breaking news from the national transportation safety board. airman now says the pilot of the plane involved in the collision read back the wrong frequency to eliot air-traffic controller, but he was not corrected. harris faulkner is following this. >> the big question, why did that airplane hit the helicopter? the air traffic controller did not to tell that claim that there was something in the airspace. now we know that the air traffic controller had handed off communications to the airport. he told the pilots the frequency for that and when the pilot read back the frequency to double checked, he had the the numbers wrong. the ntsb chairman says that air traffic controller never corrected the pilot. by the time newark figured out that they needed to be talking to this guy, it was too late. this crash on august 8 was what people thought would be another miracle on the hudson. an intense search went on for it anymore survivors. it just was not to be this time. big questions about why that was. today, a little peek into may be why that plane did

. >>> the national transportation safety board is urging the government to impose new safety recommendationsu. >> reporter: good morning, jeff, the ntsb says there are too many accidents because of operators to move quickly and sometimes in bad conditions. they're calling for some sweeping changes. last year was the deadliest year yet for emergency medical helicopters. 12 accidents, 29 fatalities six were killed in this collision in flagstaff, arizona, involving two medical choppers. >> you see one coming you know directly overhead and one coming underneath. >> now the ntsb wants 19 major safety changes, including more bad weather training and simulators for pilots mandatory night vision imaging systems in every cockpit. they even suggest paying higher medicare reimbursement rates to chopper operators who immediate higher safety standards to encourage everyone to improve. now we should point out that each year patients and organs are transported safely by helicopter, the faa says it's going to consider the recommendations as it makes new rules for medical choppers due out early next year. >>

the wrong radio frequency. national transportation safety board says the air traffic controller gav the plane's pilot the frequency for newark airport. the pilot read back the wrong frequency. an air traffic controller tried to reach the pilot later but didn't get through. the single owe engine plane and a helicopter collided over the hudson river and nine people killed. >>> a man survived an awful crash at the heyward airport today. the twin engine plane hit the side of the building. the pilot was the only one on the plane. >>> the lottery in bulgaria is under review tonight. that's because the same numbers were drawn two weeks in a row. the lottery over there is called a tantalizer. last week the numbers that came up were 4-15-23-24-35-42. this week those same numbers came up again b in a different order. the numbers are drawn in front of a studio audience and independent inspectors, however, the government appointed a special panel to look into the matter. the chances of the same numbers coming up two weeks in a row are 1 in 4 million. it pays to help people. you can consider the story of 86-year-old jeanine ve

board meeting to discuss the agency's budget and capital improvements to the metro system. a possible fare hike is expected to be discussed and capital expenditures are on the agenda. national transportation safetyoard recommendations will get top priority. that includes replacing all 290 of metro's aging 1,000 series railcars. board members will also get an update on the maintenance work that shut down a number of metro stations over the weekend. joe? >> well, if you take the metro or marc train throughout montgomery county today you're going to notice a lot of extra police officers, but you shouldn't be concerned. this is all par of a planned security drill designed to try to keep you safe. news 4's megan mcgrath joins us from the shady grove metro station with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. there are a number of different law enforcement agencies that will be taking part in this drill, and as you say, people should not be alarmed. you're going to expect to see an increased police presence at the metro and marc stations in montgomery county. it is all a part of a training exercise. it's something they do periodically. in fact, the video we have to show you is from a sim

the longest senator in history is hospitalized. good evening, i'm wendy rieger. >> i'm pat lawson muse in for jim handly tonight. >>> national transportation board released safetymendations after the deadliest crash in metro's history. ntsb is concerned about the safety of train controlled systems used in rail and transit operations. therefore, the officials recommend that the federal transit administration advise all rail transit operators and railroads that use audio frequency track circuits in their train controlled systems. the crash happened back in june this year. we'll have much more later i