An American Airlines flight bound for Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic crashed in Rockaway section of the New York City borough of Queens this morning, apparently killing the 255 people aboard. Investigators were quick to say that there is no evidence of terrorism, although the cause of the crash is still being investigated. For an industry already struggling from the September 11th attacks and the simultaneous recession, today’s crash could be crippling. With passengers already tentative about flying, today’s crash could be crippling to airlines hoping the big holiday travel season might rescue them. What impact will this crash have on the airline industry? And what could have caused the Airbus A300 to crash?

Guests:

Larry Costanzo, investigator for TWA Flight 800, Valuejet, Alaska Air, and other major airline disasters;
Vahid Motevalli, Director of the Aviation Safety and Security Management Program at George Washington University;
Michael Arndt, covers the airline industry for Business Week magazine