the ntsb has confirmed that excess speed contributed to the derailment. these facts implicate the railroad industry. >> crew size, fatigue, inward facing cameras and the expectations for amtrak. the small percentage of americans who are working locomotive engineers and all railroad operating employees are among the most highly skilled, highly trained and highly regulated professionals in the nation. but today's workforce or workplace often creates task overload for engineers and when too much is expected of any system, man or machine a breakdown is inevitable. one of the questions before us now is what level of risk we're willing to accept knowing all of that. most of the industry and not amtrak or vnsf seeks a blanket five to seven-year extension of the deadline. although not on the nec, there have been peripheral problems with the spectrum and fcc radio tower approvals and those must be addressed and they do not justify a blanket delay and i urge you not to be stampeded for one. we must remember that ptc is no silver bullet. it's not designed to prevent

we are looking for to the ntsb but we do know the ntsb for the 1969 propose that we should move forward with positive train control. is something called the most wanted list in 1990 the first edition of the most wanted list said we needed positive train control. and since that time quite a number of people have died in preventable accidents around the country because of the lack of positive thinking for. yes, human error, that's what positive train control is designed to prevent human error. this was probably human error. we still don't know that there was a mechanical malfunction. it's a relatively new train set but we don't know yet. the point is ptc could prevent accidents like this. if there prevented many other accidents over the last two decades since it was first recommended by ntsb. we need to move forward with all new dispatch inside of it on passenger or other passenger railroads and on the entire amtrak system, and on those required critical franklin particularly those caring hazards materials particularly to urban areas. so i'm pleased we are today to try and understand bett

the ntsb has confirmed that excess speed contributed to the derailment. these facts implicate the railroad industry. >> crew size fatigue, inward facing cameras and the expectations for amtrak. the small percentage of americans who are working locomotive engineers and all railroad operating employees are among the most highly skilled, highly trained and highly regulated professionals in the nation. but today's workforce or workplace often creates task overload for engineers and when too much is expected of any system, man or machine a breakdown is inevitable. one of the questions before us now is what level of risk we're willing to accept knowing all of that. most of the industry and not amtrak or vnsf seeks a blanket five to seven-year extension of the deadline. although not on the nec, there have been peripheral problems with the spectrum and fcc radio tower approvals and those must be addressed and they do not justify a blanket delay and i urge you not to be stampeded for one. we must remember that ptc is no silver bullet. it's not designed to prevent

the ntsb says it would aid against distraction, fatigue, human error. rthbound track where that derailment happened did not have that at time. the deadline for installing that system is coming up at the end of this year. the federal railroad administration testified that deadly will be met. one projection going five more years until that system is fully installed. one senator said that is a big danger. >> we need to get this technology installed quickly. and then we must do some more. we must make sure that we prevent further delays. and we must also consider whether additional technologyies could prevent further crashes. >> i did reach out to the ntsb directly also to amtrak directly for comment, and they told me they cannot comment on the particulars of this investigation. he tells me electronic devices are required to be turned off, stored out of sight, along with any ear pieces, headphones or any electronic equipment. the finding this morning is brandon bostian, engineer of amtrak 188, did not have his cell phone in use. live in the digital operation

richard: leon, this is the ntsb report. it says electricity on the third rail, and just like in your house, there is wiring. it needs insulation. the ntsb says that metro did not deal with that properly. at l'enfant plaza, safety and smoke are big concerns. >> i'm apprehensive about riding. richard: in january, toxic smoke's filled the tunnels. >> it was a tragedy. it seems unnecessary. richard: the ntsb report is recommending "immediate action," and says that inspectors found that third rail power connections were improperly constructed and installed. those conditions allowed moisture and contaminants to enter components, creating a potential of short-circuiting and fire and smoke. >> it scares me to death. it makes me not even want to ride the train anymore. richard: photos from the report show another problem. some electrical cable connectors do not have a sealing sleeve designed to keep moisture and contaminants away from the high voltage conductors. >> you see sparks coming out. i don't know what it is. richard: this ph

the ntsb credited the staffing levels and quick response with saving lives. so tonight, we investigate what if a similar crash happened at silicon valley's airport. is san jose prepared? senior investigator steven stock has our report. >> i need you to bring in the medical gear. >> reporter: video from a firefighter's helmet camera gives an up-close look of the crash at sfo. but it also shows the incredible and immediate action of the first responders there. >> they all shared a first experience of initial impact. >> reporter: the ntsb investigation credited the san francisco fire department as being quote, instrumental in responding so quickly and saving lives. >> there seems to be two large openings. >> reporter: sffd had firefighters on the crash within minutes, the first vehicle there within three minutes. so we wanted to know just how prepared is the fire department at silicon valley's airport in case of a similar disaster here. we compared data from ten other major airports listed by the faa as similar in size and passenger traffic to san jose internati

the ntsb has confirmed that excess speed contributed to the derailment. these facts implicate the railroad industry. crew size, fatigue, inward facing cameras and the expectations for amtrak. the small percentage of americans who are working locomotive engineers and all railroad operating employees are among the most highly skilled, highly trained and highly regulated professionals in the nation. but today's workforce or workplace often creates task overload for engineers and when too much is expected of any system, man or machine a breakdown is inevitable. one of the questions before us now is what level of risk we're willing to accept knowing all of that. most of the industry and not amtrak or vnsf seeks a blanket five to seven-year extension of the deadline. although not on the nec, there have been peripheral problems with the spectrum and fcc radio tower approvals and those must be addressed and they do not justify a blanket delay and i urge you not to be stampeded for one. we must remember that ptc is no silver bullet. it's not designed to prevent an

here's what the ntsb is saying today. there were no calls, no texts and no data usage from the engineers phone. and that his phone was not connected to the train's wifi system. where does that leave the investigation? >> nbc10's deanna durante has been asking about that today. where do things stand? >> it was just a little while after that amtrak train left here at 30th street station. it derailed in the port richmond section of philadelphia. we've spoken with the ntsb. the phone is part of the investigation. and there still is a lot of work left to be done. >> certainly not as straightforward as originally we would hope it to be. >> he's not part of the ntsb investigation, but as a rail expert, he says the information released by the ntsb today does make determining a cause of the crash more difficult. because amtrak's 188 was accelerating as it went into the curve, investigators will have to continue to look at the train engineer. brandon bostian and his actions before the fatal crash occurred. >> he pulled the emergency

the next step in the ntsb investigation comes later this month. two-day hearing is intended to look deeper in the metro program and the maintenance procedures. a crime alert in the district today after a brazen armed robbery that was caught on video. it happened in the early morning hours of may 30 at a convenience store near the intersection of bradenburg road and south dakota avenue northeast. in the video, tw roon in a convenience zore, guns drawn. one held a bystander by her shirt and the man then subdued two clerks and forced one to empty the cash register. a reward is offered for tips leading to an arrest. first on 7 -- three more life sentences for the man known as the east coast rapist. aaron thomas pleaded guilty to raping three women in prince george's county ten years ago. the plea agreement called for a life sentence in each case. thomas is already serving life in prison for three attacks in virginia. thomas is accused of raping 17 women in maryland, virginia connecticut, road island. the victim of a 2005 attack in fairfax has to relive

we are not sure if that is the ntsb but they are expected this morning. the sheriffs office says this pilot may have reported problems to the tower shortly before the crash. witnesses say the plane went down. men firefighters say lived. investigators say the pilot of the sip l enen edge are -- that person was the only person on board that i know of. ever >> i they had felt it and heard it and hear the airplane's ebb gin -- so we can't find a tail number and we are working on that right now. >> reporter: investigators say this plane crashed in the same area where another plane crashed about nine months ago. typically it takes months for the ntsb to come up with a probable cause for accidents. so it could be some time before we figure out exactly what happened in this field. live from livermore i'm tara moriarty. >>> a wanted parolee is back in custody after a wild police chase in san francisco last night. the chase ended in a crash involving several vehicles at fifth and mission about 5:30 last night. police officers struggled getting them out of the car. s

but the ntsb has been checking to see if that story's true. and so today, we should hear the answer, we will hear the answer now between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. now, meantime last night, the u.s. house passed a bill that will cut amtrak's budget by $242 million. the white house has threatened to veto that bill. lawmakers added $9 million in funding to install video cameras inside train cabs to record the engineers and that would help investigators get to the bottom of crashes, line the derailment in philadelphia. if we had cameras, we would know if he was on the phone at the time of the crash. the federal railroad administration urged transit agencies to identify dangerous curves along the tracks and make sure automatic train control is in place to stop speeding trains. that's the system that was not in place on the section of track where train 188 derailed in philadelphia. now, last night, the acting administrator told us exclusively she's hoping for even more money from congress to implement these safety systems across the board. >> when the real

that according to the ntsb. it also goes on to say that amtrak's records confirm that the engineer did not access the train's wifi. now the question remains, why was this train going more than double the speed limit around this curve as it was traveling through philadelphia bound for new york? that is still a mystery. we already know from the ntsb that at this point they have not found any problems with the tracks they have not found any problems with the signals. now they are saying in this statement that there is no indication that the engineer was using his cell phone at the time of the crash. so now perhaps the focus now back on his experience his knowledge, his situation alal awareness at the moment this train derailed. we do know he had been on this specific route for about two weeks. they will be looking closer at that now that they've been able to cross out distraction. >> again, the engineer on that amtrak train was not using his cell phone, according to the ntsb. >>> still to come attackers target one o

fascinating report by the ntsb. e sort of allude to do in the opening, but i think it's important. there is a lot of speculation about the engineer and what he was doing with his cell phone. after this weeks-long investigation, the ntsb was able to determine that there was no data being moved on that cell phone, and so as of right now, they believe it to be truthful when the engineer said that he was not on his phone in any capacity. we learned that it was not connected to the wi-fi on the train and that he allowed them to go and access his phone by giving them the password. the question now that will remain is was it on airplane mode which is something that amtrak licensed conductors do when they are operated and trained. we don't know the answer to that. but so far it seems at least from the initial offering of the ntsb report that the cell phone was not the cause of this accident. >> such an odd thing, because, you know you would think if you were distracted it was probably -- you know as you're saying phone calls

in the last hour, metro's top official says their primary focus is getting the ntsb safety mandates in place immediately. the first order of business is to properly install watertight seals on the third rail. preliminary reports show faulty or nonexistent seals as the cause of the smoke incident in january. >> we are working with the ntsb to get to the root cause of what happened at l'enfant plaza and we are fully committed to enacting any recommendations that come. sam: metro also address those 4000 series cars taking outlining the last 24 hours a you a video showing him him will officials say an investigation is ongoing with preliminary report showed he not related incidents. in one case, faulty or fatigue metal allowed one of those doors to open. and in this edition is ongoing right now and it is expect completed on tuesday. the meeting is still going on. we are also waiting to hear if metro will exercise their option to purchase 220 more 7000 series cars. jummy: some good news in a story many of you have been following with us. sassy the whole is safe and sound. -- pitbull is safe

the ntsb meeting starts in hours. follow adam tuss on twitter for the updates. >>> 50 million americans are under the threat of severe weather today. more strong storms expected in the midwest. it's going to be unbearably hot here today as well. chuck bell has more. >> that's right. here's a look at the future weather at 4:00 this afternoon, all severe thunderstorms coming through the area. so all eyes on social media and nbc4 later on this afternoon for updates. >> all right thank you, that's the broadcast this morning. we appreciate you starting your day with us. >> the "today" show is next. we're back in 25 minutes. have a great day. >> make it a great tuesday, everybody ♪ ♪ ♪ you're only young once. unless you have a subaru. (announcer) the subaru xv crosstrek. symmetrical all-wheel drive plus 34 mpg. love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru. >>> good morning. breaking overnight, violent tornadoes. at least 14 reported from kansas to michigan. five people rescued after be ing trapped at a camp site near chicago. the

. >> reporter: happening today, the ntsb will beginning hearings into the deadly metro incident that happened here at the l'enfant plaza metro station back in january when smoke filled the train car and one person died. what went wrong and how can it be prevented from happening again? those are no doubt two of the biggest questions investigators hope to get answers to this week. the ntsb has already said the incident was caused by arcing and then made worse by a poor ventilation system. instead of ventilators pushing smoke out of the tunnel, it pulled the smoke toward the train. this led to one person dying, dozens of others hurt and trapped. another concern today on the agenda, first responders and communication issues they face. 911 and radio calls. because passengers were trapped for about half an hour before they were rescued and there has been a lot of criticism over that response time. montgomery county fire chief scott goldstein will also be here to testify today. the hearing is open to the public. if you'd like to attend, you can do so you canle live stream it online. we have

the ntsb says it will take about a year to determine what probably caused this plane to crash. the coroner will release the identity of the pilot today. in livermore, lisa chan, kpix 5. >> and the ntsb should have a preliminary report out in one to two weeks. >>> several people rushed out of their monte sereno home after it caught fire overnight. kpix 5's kiet do tells us now they are trying to track down their pet cat. >> reporter: and firefighters worked for quite some time to put out those stubborn flames. they are taking up one lane of highway 9 now to complete their investigation and find out what caused this fire. it's causing a huge headache out here on highway 9, a very busy thoroughfare through los gatos this afternoon. there fire started at 2:30 this morning. the firefighters when they got here said that the second story was engulfed. part of the roof had collapsed. it quickly went to two alarms. this is on the 18000 block of saratoga los gatos road also known as highway 9. it is an older 100-year-old two-story home that doesn't have a lot of modern fire suppression de

>>> the ntsb issue a report today and we now know what engineer, brandon bostian was not doing before his train accelerated into the junction curve and left the tracks at the cost of eight lives john rawlins is at the scene in port richmond, we are talking about his cell phone. >> reporter: that is right. you remember last week there was concern that the ntsb could not say if the engineer was on his phone or not at the time of the crash, they can say that no he was not, not talking on the phone, not texting and no way connected to an outside network that said, however, they condition tell yet if the phone was switched off or on in the airplane mode. that is something they are continuing to investigate. >> in terms of cause of the philadelphia accident, do we know anymore about that yet? >> the senate hosting rail safety experts including an ntsb board member was engineer brandon bostian using his cell phone prior to the crash the latest finding analysis of the phone records did not indicate that any calls texts or data occur during the time before the crash and he did not access the t

. >> reporter: the ntsb released surveillance video of the minutes before and after the chaotic scene along with a transcript of its interview with the train operator. >> smoke was first seen coming from the tunnel at 3:09. >> reporter: the surveillance video is chilling shown here 10 time the speed of realtime, it reveals smoke gradually filling the l'enfant plaza metro station. >> heavy smoke can be seen comingthe southbound tunnel. >> reporter: the ntsb also released the transcript of its interview with the operator of the train in the smoke filled tunnel. >> please remain calm. >> reporter: according to the transcript, he begged central controllers for permission to back out and get back to the platform saying people on the train can't breathe. they're coughing. they're vomiting. he told investigators he was repeatedly urged to stand by. >> maybe once a week or every other week i might drive just because i think that might be the day there's going to be an incident. >> reporter: rail passengers express strong feelings about riding metro. >> i believe if anything happens, i need to

the ntsb has ruled out he was talking or texting on the phone. there's a lot more work that needs to be done. >> 400,000 records. what we have found, though we were able to verify the engineer was not talking or texting. there was no wireless connection on the phone. we use phones for other things. >> the ntsb says despite this new information released today. the investigation is far from over. it's expected to last a year or more according to a spokesman. >> it's not as straightforward as we would hope it to be. >> the ntsb is not saying exactly what steps are next. a railway expert and university of delaware professor tells us investigators were focused on any other distractions the train engineer may have encounter. why the train sped up when it should have been slowing down. >> it comes back to the question that was raised from the very beginning. why did the train accelerate from 70 miles an hour to 106 miles an hour going into the curve at a time where it should have been decelerating. >> experts say the actions of the engineer is going to

. >> this is the piece that the ntsb recognizes, not being a part of our installation. >> reporter: months of the investigation for the smoke disaster that killed glover and nearly suffocated scores of metro riders have pinpointed what the ntsb says are improperly constructed and installed electrical connections. >> please remain calm that there will be no fire in the tunnel, just smoke. >> reporter: they say that they are following their urgent recommendations, for the immediate action. >> and this is what the sleeve is, fitting essentially right here. >> this is the connection where metro will be pointing two things to keep water in it and to install this in each ring to protect the electrical cable right there. and then this sleeve that will also help keep water in contaminants. >> reporter: the ntsb says that the electrical booth was so badly burned that it is still unsure if they had that plastic sleeve. but metro, they now plan to install sleeves in 6,400 of those booths throughout the system. and getting that work done means single tracking trains in the middle of the work days, may

the ntsb says could have prevented last month's deadly train derailment. resident promised the safety system positive train control, ptc, will be in place along the tracks throughout the northeast corridor as soon as possible. >> i promise you that by the end of this year this system, which will dramatically enhance safety, will be complete and operational on the nec. >> the ntsb released its preliminary report today. it says their investigators are looking at the train engineer's phone and phone records. so far it's unclear whether there was any -- so far it's unclear whether there was any phone activity while he was operating the train. the report also says the ntsb is looking into reports of vandals throwing rocks at trains around the time of the derailment. >> thank you. a third, big hearing on the hill takes place just a few hours. ta takata's vice president talking about the company's defective air bags. it called nearly 34 air bags because they can explode in your car. the problem caused six deaths. we learn they plan to use a different chemical prop

. >>> the ntsb says train engineer brandon bostian was not using his cell phone in the moments before a speeding amtrak train 188 careened off the tracks in port richmond last month. but philadelphia police say their investigation is far from over. >> these decks are still actively running on this job still actively investigating it. >> we want everyone to know we'll be working alongside federal authorities to dot every i, cross every t to ensure we have all the evidence. >> reporter: ntsb investigator investigators sayre their analysis does not indicate to bostian sent or received any phone calls texts or e-mails during the time he was operating the train that night. he did not access the train's wi-fi system either. da says the investigation is still wide open. >> it could have been a mechanical problem. it could have been human error that was just an accident inter could have been human error so negligent it could be crimina. >> it doesn't explain why the engineer was operating so recklessly so outrageously going at such an excessive rate of speed. >> sources tell fox 29, philadelp

the ntsb credited the firefighter staffing levels and quick response with saving lives.igate, what if a similar crash happened at silicon valley's airport? is san jose prepared? senior investigative reporter stephen stalk has our report. male: i need you to bring in your medical gear reporting to me at the-- stephen stalk: video from a firefighter's helmet camera gives a close-up look at the chaos of the asiana crash at sfo. but it also shows the incredible and immediate actions of the first responders there. female: they all shared a similar experience of an initial impact. stephen: in fact, the ntsb's investigation credited san francisco's fire department's staffing levels as being, quote, "instrumental in responding so quickly and saving lives." male: there's essentially two large openings. stephen: sffd had 23 firefighters on duty all on the scene within 5 minutes of the crash. the first vehicle was there within 3 minutes. so we wanted to know just how prepared is the fire department at silicon valley's airport in case of a similar disaster here. we compared data fro

the ntsb is still reviewing the engineer's phone and text records.they do say the track and train braking systems were working normally at the time of the crash. the president of the engineers and trainmen's union told members of congress it comes back to money. >> we cannot expect amtrak to run a first class worldwide if it's funded at third world levels. >> reporter: members brought the idea of installing seat belts. amtrak and the federal railroad administration said it would be expensive and do little to improve safety. reporting from washington tonight, for the investigators i'm mitch blacher, nbc 10 news. >>> exactly three weeks after the derailment one patient at temple university hospital improved, condition was upgraded. three other patients at temple two others in critical condition. >>> and now to an update on breaking news out of south jersey an escaped sex offender is back in custody tonight after giving police the slip while still in handcuffs. caesar lockley escaped in cumberland county as he was taken in for sentencing. about two hour

this is what the ntsb is telling metro. it wants immediate action taken. it wants electrical problems dealt with. it says there are problems with the power supply and poor construction of the equipment and it was poorly installed. it said the findings are supported by the incident on january 11 at the courthouse station where there was also smoke in the tunnel. in the aftermath of that incident the investigators found cable connectors were missing ceiling sleeves. these are a protective device that are supposed to be on the connectors. the connectors which carry the electric power to the metro system. now, in the aftermath of these findings, the ntsb says that it must -- that metro must begin taking step to prevent the future incident and rectify the problems. it does say at this time, so much damage was done here on january 12 after that incident that it doesn't know whether it was an electrical problem like the missing ceiling shre which caused the fatal smoke incident. but the investigation continues. reporting live, stephen tschida, abc7 news. leon: all

when recommendations come from the ntsb, how do you decide if it is not a requirement? how does the fra decide if it is going to implement them? it seems to me that some of these recommendations remain on a list until there is an accident. ms. feinberg: i wish it were as easy as just implementing the recommendations. it does not work that way. we will have to go into an emergency order that will not stand up in court. generally, a lot of times we have two and her into a rulemaking that takes years. we make recommendations that chairman hart does not agree with. my predecessors right back and forth to one another and the staff works together to see if we can come together on it. i think when i arrived we had 72 outstanding ntsb recommendations. i have said it is one of my top priorities to clear the deck. we are down to 63. we worked to clear this every week. >> thank you. >> among other things, and there are members who would defund on amtrak generally. this accident pointed out the importance of amtrak in ways that we should observe. i think mr. boardman, maybe you can

we'll learn about the findings when the ntsb releases the latest report this morning. bostian suffered a concussion in the crash. he told investigators he can't remember anything about the accident. this comes hours after the u.s. house passed a bill to cut amtrak's budget by $242 million. the white house has threatened to veto that bill. lawmakers added funding to install video cameras inside the train cabs to record engineers. that would help investigators get to the bottom of crashes like the derailment in philadelphia. also yesterday, the federal railroad administration urged transit agencies to identify dangerous curves and make sure automatic train control or atcs set to the speed limit. that's the system that was not working on the track taken by amtrak 188 when it derailed. last night the acting administrator told us exclusively she's hoping for more money from congress to implement the safety systems. >> the reality is that the president and this administration have asked the congress for $825 million for just this purpose. assist commuter railroads, assist pa

we'll learn about the findings when the ntsb releases the report later this morning. he suffered a concussion in the crash. he told investigators he can't remember anything about the accident. now this comes hours after the u.s. house passed a bill to cut amtrak's budget by $242 million. the white house has threatened to veto the bill. lawmakers did add $9 million in funding to install video cameras inside train cabs to record engineers in what they're doing and not doing. that would help investigators get to the bottom of crashes like this derailment here in philadelphia. also yesterday, the federal railroad administration urged the transit agencies to identify dangerous curves like that one in port richmond and make sure that automatic train control and atc set to the speed limit. that's the system that wasn't working on the track when taken by amtrak train 188 when it derailed on may 12th. now, eight people were killed in the derailment. last month, more than 200 passengers were injured. and a few of them in the hospital. as soon as investigators released those fin

>> in my experience, the ntsb is not shy about recommending improvements to safety. and so we will work closely with them, and anything that comes out of the accident we will work very closely in. >> will you say this is one of the cheapest accommodations that you could make? >> on seat belts? >> no, i would not. >> it's more expensive than other accommodations? >> it's implementing seat belts, and again, implementing seat belts on trains would require the change of every seat, which would again, expense is not the priority here, but we would have to harden all of the seats. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> that would cost billions of dollars is what you're saying? >> yes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. first of all, mr. hart, i have a copy of the metro link crash report from 2008. you're familiar with that. >> yes, i am. and in that, you had two recommendations, major recommendations. one that we have cameras installed. inward looking cameras? >> yes. and then you also had the positive train control recommendation, correct? >> yes. >> i want to talk about both of those. l

we are expecting the ntsb to come out here. the pilot had a problem with the aircraft are. here is a clip of his conversation. >> i have a slightle control problem. i'm going to circle and check it out and head back to the president pattern. >> take notice of how calm he was. it's not clear how soon after that bit of conversation his plane lost kro and crashed into the field. you can see in the photos from people who live near the field, they heard the plane crash a temperatured images. the fire department was able to put it out. the pilot did die at the scene. this is fortunately a remote area. the closest is a good mile away. no one on the ground was in danger. the ntsb expected this morning to get a better sense of what caused the craft to go down unfortunately i willing the one man. >> hopefully his family could get resolution. 6:05 now. happening today a court hearing for the woman accused in a road rage crash that killed a ser vase vis man from the bay area. new cell phone video shows dar la jackson's nissan altima closely following a motorcycle on i-5. you see it spo

joining us now is the ntsb chairman christopher hart. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. >> we know the answer to that question? >> no we don't. it'll take us several months to determine. when we do cell phone records, it's a very meticulous thorough examination. >> when you say cell phone records, what are you looking for? >> well oftentimes the cell phone is on the site and we take the cell phone with us because it was on scene and we have the phone itself. >> the phone that was with the engineer? >> yes. this time the engineer had the phone. in fact made a 911 phone call six minutes after the crash. we know he still had it. that makes our search more difficult because now we need to go beyond just the phone and we need to look at an enormous volume of records. >> was the windshield hit by some sort of object that could have distracted him, inadvertently pushed that throttle forward to go from 50 miles an hour to 100 miles an hour? that's one of the theories that's been out there. >> that's one of the questions we're looking at. we ha

. >> the ntsb has now released its report on the fatal amtrak crash.this was coming, i didn't think it would come they are. >> i wait to go hear i guess. >> on the cell phone dave schratwieser here. dave? >> hey, guys, the analysis just of the cell phone, at this point. the ntsb now saying, that the engineer brandon bostian was not on the phone during the trip from washington, to the crash site. he was not on the phone. >> waist not ticking, emails or using the phone, that's their conclusion, that they've come up with at this point, the report just released within the last couple of minutes, at this point their determination is after looking at 400,000 files on that phone that it was not in use in the moments leading to up that crash in fact, my under standing is it was not in use any time since the time he left washington earlier in the evening, went to philadelphia, and then on to the crash site, when that happened. they are also saying that he voluntarily turned over his password to the phone, and other information to them, so they could analyze the

i think the ntsb is fairly certain of this. they're looking at the data carrier or cell phone provider because they do have some facilities not in the statement time zone but they looked at 400,000 pieces of metadata with the phone and he did provide it with the passcode to assist the ntsb. so the mystery remains as to why with no problem found on the train yet as to why the speed was not reduced heading into this curve. so a missly to besolving and it pose as problem. >> what do you think if it's not distracted driving or something else, what else could it be? >> in most cases in the past, that's what it has been. now, there have been a couple of accidents where there was a train malfunction that made it impossible for the train to slow and i won't say a runaway train but it could not be put into slower mode. it's possible they just can't find it given the condition of the wreckage and they aren't able to find the particular malfunction. that's a possibility. but in most accidents of this time it was a situation where the engin

the ntsb will be leading the investigation of it today. ktvu fox 2 tara moriarty is out there at the scene now. she will have the latest on what investigators will focus on. that is coming up at 5:30. >>> the head of the transportation security administration has been reassigned after a new report shows airport security screeners failed to defect fake explosives and banned weapons 95% of the time. under cover agents were able to smuggle prohibited items through tsa check points across the country in 67 out of 70 attempts. travelers learning about the report says it makes them nervous about flying. >> it would be nice to know i was more secure. not just anybody can get on there. >> i feel very scared on that. only because it's not just me. it's the whole plane. >> in response to the report, homeland security secretary jay johnson has ordered the tsa to revise airport security procedures, retrain officers, and retest screening procedures. >>> the fbi is operating a small air force carrying high- tech surveillance video. that is is according

plan to single track all day, even during rush hour for an entire week. >> this is the piece that the ntsbs, not being a part of our installation. >> reporter: months of the investigation for the smoke disaster that killed glover and nearly suffocated scores of metro riders have pinpointed what the ntsb says are improperly constructed and installed electrical connections. >> please remain calm that there will be no fire in the tunnel, just smoke. >> reporter: they say that they are following their urgent recommendations, for the immediate action. >> and this is what the sleeve is, fitting essentially right here. >> this is the connection where metro will be pointing two things to keep water in it and to install this in each ring to protect the electrical cable right there. and then this sleeve

that was in use whether it was texting or using cell phone service during that time. >> reporter: the ntsbalso said they are still investigating whether claims of rocks thrown at the windshield could have caused the crash and the head of amtrak apologized for the tragedy that night and had high praise for all those who responded. >> we've been greatly helped in that effort by the people of philadelphia, and i would like to thank all of them, but particularly mayor nutter, the police, the fire the ems services and the staff, the hospitals who received and treated the injured. >> several members of congress also asked why trains don't have seat belts in place. officials say that would cost billions to change the seats topp renee. >>> federal officials are investigating five bogus bomb threats targeting planes including one that landed at philadelphia international this morning. 88 passengers on a u.s. airways flight from san diego had to get off the jet and go through screening in philly after anonymous calls claimed the plane had a bomb on board. it comes on the heels of a shakeup at the ts

the ntsb recommended to the fra that installed the devices.it says it all so recommended that the fra installed base. then your recommendation in 2005 there was a crash of the freight trains. ntsb made the fine recommendations. is that correct? >> yes, that is correct. >> what did the fra do ms. feinberg? >> previously the fra has not taken action -- >> did not take action in 2000 it was also recommendation. is that correct? >> that is correct. >> it's been very difficult. since then many of the freight rails have installed those devices. are you aware of that? >> yes sir. >> that it has been difficult. they've had to go through lawsuits. i want this entered into the record. kansas city southern is attempting to put in cameras in the cab. they were sued by mr. comstock and his group. not only were both union to post, i'll be asking the court to join them going ahead with the plan. and we put that in the record please? that is the cameras and a little bit of history and nothing being done. let's talk about financing and positive train control.

the ntsb found some improperly instruct -- constructed and installed. >> it is sad because there are people that have to read the metro. something should be done about it and hopefully will be addressed soon. reporter: metro said it is putting a single crew do work to eradicate the risk from some 6400 boots. it is expected to take about a year and a half. >> long-term singletrack outages from to one week during railroad ridership months. reporter: the delays have some passengers frustrated and angry >>. it should never have gotten to this point it all. reporter: the current time estimate is based upon using a single crew, but it is time to come up the resources for another crew. if he gets one, it might take about 14 months. still not a quick fix it reporting live, steven tschida. leon: for metro riders, the metro leaders approved the elimination of paper fare cards. the change could take affect in march of next year. itmaureen: virginia teenager has died from an apparent drug overdose inside a d.c. nightclub. victoria callahan of sterling. she had just turned 19. police say she was c

andrea mccarren was at the hearing and is leave from ntsb headquarters. >> reporter: the chairman of the ntsb began today's hearing on a somber noted with an apology to the victim carol glover's family and the board released critical moments leading up to the incident caught on surveillance video. >> smoke was first seen coming from the tunnel at 3:09. >> reporter: the surveillance video is chilling shown here 10 times the speed of realtime it reveals smoke gradually filling the l'enfant plaza metro station. >> heavy smoke can be seen coming from the southbound tunnel. >> reporter: this ntsb hearing exposed new details about critical problems which emerged immediately as the video began. >> they got the radio signal start emitting a distinct sound referred to as honked out. >> reporter: the ntsb press released the transcript of its interview with the operator of the train in the smoke filled tunnel. >> please remain calm. >> reporter: according to the transcript hing abouted central controls are for permission -- he begged central controllers for permission to bag out and get back on

. >> reporter: it's day two of the ntsb hearings into the deadly metro incident that happened here back in january at the l'enfant plaza metro station when smoke filled the train killing one person and injuring about 80 others. disturbing new details came out in the hearing yesterday. i was there for it. most of all was probably the tran crypt that was release -- transcript that was released of an interview with the train operator. he begged controllers for permission to back out and get back to the platform because people on the train couldn't breathe. he told investigators he was repeatedly told to stand by. but that's not all. we also learned about everything that went wrong that day, the poor ventilation system which clearly failed to push smoke away from the tunnel and water leaks which caused arcing. one metro employee testified yesterday that water leaks are a huge ongoing problem in tunnels. he said they have about two million gallons of water that is leaked into opportunity hims each day. to put that -- tunnels each day. to put that in perspective, that's about three olympic si

the hearing gets underway at 9:00 a.m. this morning and at ntsb headquarters and will continue through tomorrow. back to you in the studio. >> thanks megan. you can watch everything that happens at the hearing online. we're sending news4 transportation reporter adam tuss there today. follow him on twitter. he'll be tweeting updates. >>> it's time to move the flag from the capitol grounds. >> that was south carolina governor nikki haley calling for lawmakers in her state to remove the confederate flag from the state capitol grounds. this comes less than a week after a 21-year-old white man gunned down nine people because they were black. "usa today" reports religious and political leaders are flocking to south carolina now to press lawmakers to stay in session next week and vote on the flag issue. debate over the flag and what it means is reaching a fever pitch and now retailer walmart eliminated all merchandise with the confederate flag on it. page after page of confederate themed goods are now gone from walmart's website. one shopper said she's h

the ntsb says an amtrak engineer was not talking, wasn't texting and wasn't on the internet before the deadly derailment in philadelphia last month. that's one question anticipated about the crash. but investigators have a lot more. here's nbc's chris clackum. >> reporter: in the minutes leading up to the deadly derailment in philadelphia may 12th ntsb investigators have concluded that amtrak engineer, brandon bostian, was not using his phone for calls texts or data but needs more time to say whether he was using an app on the phone. >> we have determined that there was no talking or texting or data usable involved. however, things like use of an app or other use of the phone has not been determined. >> reporter: shortly after the crash that left eight passengers dead 200 others injured bostian happened over his phone to the ntsb, leading investigators to these conclusions. plus, amtrak says records show he was not using the train's wifi system either during that time. the train was going 106 miles a hour, headed into a curve that should have been approached no fast they were 50. bosti

the ntsb says an amtrak engineer was not using his phone before a derailment. ot weather ahead. hot summer weather may put you in the mood for some sweet tea. a south carolina town broke the record for the largest container of sweetie. that is how i learned how to say it. it is 1400 gallons of the stuff. they used garbage bags to make the tea. doesn't that look appetizing? sweetened with 2800 pounds of sugar. it will also come with 2100 pounds of insulin. [laughter] leon: give us a good word if you can. steve: humid tomorrow, 95 degrees. we will dodge most of the raindrops until friday. leon: >> dicky: from hollywood it's "jimmy kimmel live." tonight -- from "game of thrones," kit harington. comedian chris gethard. and music from dwight yoakam. with cleto and the cletones. and now, it's that time again -- here's jimmy kimmel! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> jimmy: hi, everybody. that's very nice.

. >>> the ntsb unveiled brand new information today in the crash of amtrak 188, john rawlins is live now at the scene of the accident. he was not on the phone but they left over the door that the engineer may have been using the phone in some fashion. >> that is correct, the agency says that there is no evidence that the phone was connected to an outside system at the time of the crash. however, they have not been able to determine if the phone was switched off or on in what is known as the airplane mode. was amtrak engineer brandon bostian using his cell phone prior to the crash this is what the ntsb announced. the analysis does not reveal that texting or calls or data was going on at the time of the crash. before a senate committee this morning ntsb board member said this. >> yes we have this, there is no talking or texting or data usage involved however -- >> however the safety agency went out of its way to rule out that the phone was connected to wifi or a cellular system but could not determine if it was switched off or in airplane mode. it's looking at the system and 400,000 fi

the ntsb says there were no calls, no texts and no data usage from brandon's cell phone. that's also that his cell phone was not connected to the train's wifi system. answers to what went wrong won't come for months. federal investigators said their probe is expected to take a year. the ntsb said they're not finished looking through the engineer's phone. >> 400,000 records, but what we have found, we were able to verify the engineer was not talking or texting, there was no wireless connection on the phone. we use phones for other things. >> philadelphia's district attorney weighed in on the findings today. seth williams can't talk about the work that's being done by his office but says he believes a cause for the crash will be determined. >> hard to believe we're less than four months away from the meeting of families. >> the head of philadelphia's archdiocese is sharing more details about the historic event. rosemary connors is joining us now with more. rosemary zm. >> reporter: the archbishop told the conference that this is special for both the archdiocese of philadelph