Show Transcripts

Dan Rather Reports

Episode Number: 231

Episode Title: Plastic Planes

Description: Top former and current Boeing engineers believe the new 787 Dreamliner should not be certified to fly since it was built primarily out of high tech plastics called composites. And from Florida, dolphins in danger because people are loving them to death.

(GRAPHICS)

PLASTIC PLANES:

DAN RATHER (ON CAMERA)
GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK. THE NATION’S BIGGEST AIRPLANE MANUFACTURER BOEING HAS BET THEIR FUTURE ON A REVOLUTIONARY NEW AIRPLANE. IT’S BECOME THE FASTEST SELLING AIRPLANE IN BOEING’S HISTORY AND WITHIN LESS THAN A YEAR PASSENGERS WILL BE FLYING ON WHAT THE COMPANY CALLS THE DREAMLINER. BUT A FORMER BOEING ENGINEER AS WELL AS SOME SENIOR ENGINEERS INSIDE THE COMPANY SAY THIS PLANE IS BEING RUSHED TO MARKET AND COULD BE UNSAFE TO FLY.

BOING EMPLOYEE
Ladies and Gentlemen, your 787 Dreamliner.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
IN JULY AMIDST MUCH ANTICIPATION AND FANFARE, BOEING ROLLED OUT THE 787 DREAMLINER. THE EVENT WAS BROADCAST AROUND THE WORLD IN NINE LANGUAGES. THE DEMAND IS SO STRONG THAT IF YOU ORDERED A 787 TODAY FOR NO LESS THAN $146 MILLION DOLLARS, YOU WOULD HAVE TO WAIT SEVEN YEARS FOR DELIVERY. WHEN YOU STRIP AWAY THE PAINT, THE 787 LOOKS LIKE NO OTHER COMMERCIAL AIRLINER COMING OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE ANYWHERE. BOEING HAS BET ITS FUTURE ON THIS AIRPLANE LARGELY MADE OUT OF HIGH-TECH, REINFORCED PLASTICS KNOWN AS COMPOSITES. A FORMER LONGTIME BOEING ENGINEER IS COMING FORWARD FOR THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT BECAUSE HE SAYS BOEING AND FEDERAL REGULATORS ARE COMPROMISING THE 787’S SAFETY BY RUSHING THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY INTO THE SKIES.

VINCE WELDON, FORMER BOING ENGINEER
The problem is all the unknowns that are being introduced and then explained away as if there is no problem. Well, this is how you sell a used car in my mind, is you just make everyone comfortable and say there is no problem.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
VINCE WELDON IS A 46-YEAR VETERAN OF BOEING AND A PIONEER IN AEROSPACE DESIGN INCLUDING THE USE OF COMPOSITE STRUCTURES. IN HIS LONG CAREER WELDON PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE ON A WIDE RANGE OF PROJECTS FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY WING DESIGN OF THE 727, WHICH ENABLED IT TO LAND ON SHORT RUNAWAYS TO THE SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER. WELDON SPENT MUCH OF HIS CAREER SUPERVISING STUDIES FOR NASA AND THE AIR FORCE ON WEAPON SYSTEMS. BOEING THOUGHT SO HIGHLY OF WELDON, THEY HAD HIM RESEARCH HOW ADVANCED COMPOSITES COULD BE USED IN THE NEXT VERSION OF THE 787 AND FUTURE COMMERCIAL JETS TO MAKE THEM LIGHTER. WELDON SAYS COMPOSITES, USED ON MILITARY AIRPLANES FOR YEARS, HAVE LOTS OF ADVANTAGES.

WELDON
Its a lighter structure for a given weight than aluminum would be.

RATHER
And there for more fuel efficient.

WELDON
Right. And then you have the advantage of less corrosion and better fatigue resistance, so you can possibly get a longer life out of the airplane.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE 787’s REVOLUTIONARY DESIGN IS SETTING A NEW STANDARD FOR PASSENGER COMFORT WITH LARGE WINDOWS AND BETTER LIGHTING. BOEING SAYS THE DREAMLINER WILL SAVE THE AIRLINES 3 BILLION GALLONS OF FUEL OVER 20 YEARS. THIS SHOULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE BOTTOM LINES.

RATHER
Well given that, one can certainly see when an aircraft manufacturer, particularly a large one, such as Boeing, would be very interested.

WELDON
Oh yes and all of them are, and it has panned out quite well in the past uses such as the B-2 which is a bomber which is virtually all composite airframe. However, it is not a commercial jet-liner. And it doesn’t have to face some of the negative factors that are inherent in composites.

RATHER
What are the disadvantages, questions and dangers?

WELDON
The biggest problem with composites of the type Boeing is using on the 787, is the lack of toughness. Toughness means resilience. Toughness means plastic deformation that absorbs shock, if you have the negative event of a crash-landing.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
WELDON AND OTHER SENIOR AEROSPACE ENGINEERS STILL INSIDE THE COMPANY WERE SO CONCERNED THEY DECIDED TO BREAK RANK IN 2005 TO CRITICIZE THE 787 DESIGN. THEY FEARED FOR THEIR JOBS IF THEY STEPPED FORWARD AND SO THEY SAY THEY NEEDED A WELL-RESPECTED BOEING VOICE WHO WAS CLOSE TO RETIREMENT.

WELDON
I would say that they needed a spear point and it had to be somebody with a record of accomplishment in developing new hardware.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
SO WELDON SPOKE TO HIS SUPERVISOR.

RATHER
And what did he say?

WELDON
You’re dangerous and you need to find another job. And so just I said that’s a waste of time.

RATHER
So then you take it to the ethics organization?

WELDON
Yes I did.

RATHER
And you’re confident at that time, that it’s going to work itself out?

WELDON
I thought it had a good chance. They told me now, well, you’re not only credible, your super credible.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE LIST OF ISSUES THAT WELDON AND OTHERS HAVE WITH THE 787 PROGRAM IS LONG AND INCLUDES “MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEMS,” AS THIS FEBRUARY 2006 E-MAIL WRITTEN BY A BOEING ENGINEER INDICATES.

WELDON AND HIS SUPPORTERS THINK THE 787 PROGRAM WILL TURN INTO A NIGHTMARE IF PROBLEMS ARE IGNORED AND WORRY ABOUT AN ENGINEERING DISASTER MUCH LIKE THE SPACE SHUTTLES CHALLENGER AND COLUMBIA. IN THIS AUGUST 2005 E-MAIL TO A BOEING TOP MANAGER IN CHARGE OF ETHICS INVESTIGATIONS, AN ENGINEER WROTE THAT IF WE DO NOT RECTIFY THESE ISSUES, THE 787 PROGRAM WILL BE THE LAST FOR THE BOEING COMPANY, AND WILL IRREPUTABLY DAMAGE OUR REPUTATION AND FINANCES. BOEING SAYS THEY REVIEWED THE COMPLAINTS, BUT FOUND THEM TO NOT BE A CONCERN. WELDON AND HIS COLLEAGUES SAY THEY BELIEVE BOEING NEVER DID A TRULY INDEPENDENT REVIEW AND THAT THE COMPANY SIMPLY DID NOT WANT TO HEAR BAD NEWS ABOUT THE 787 PROGRAM. TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW COMPOSITES ARE USED IN COMMERCIAL JETS, WE TALKED TO ENGINEER JOSEPH RAKOW OF EXPONENT, A NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSULTING COMPANY.

RATHER
So when I look at an aircraft, one that’s built with composites, would this include the fuselage?

JOSEPH RAKOW, EXPONENT, INC.
Yes absolutely. Most very light jets that are coming out on market use composites heavily for the fuselage. The 787 uses composites for the fuselage. The skin of the 787 is about 100 percent composite structure.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
AND THE FACT THAT THE 787 HAS A COMPOSITE FUSELAGE OR BODY MAKES THE 787 LIGHTER THAN AN ALUMINUM PLANE.

RAKOW
In airliners, we’re always trying to save weight to increase fuel efficiency, to increase payload, to increase the number of passengers that we can, that we can carry. Composites don’t corrode in the way aluminum does. So you can have a more humid environment in the cabin, so that when you land at your destination, you aren’t all dried out and dehydrated.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
LAST YEAR, RAKOW CO-WROTE A PAPER THAT LOOKED AT COMPOSITES IN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS.

RAKOW
One thing that is interesting about the difference between metals and composites is that metals are a ductile material.

RATHER
What does that mean?

RAKOW
A ductile material is material that deforms permanently before it breaks. So as an example you can look at this flat piece of aluminum, this is aircraft aluminum and if you were to bend that piece of aluminum, it would look like this. Composites are different. They’re a brittle material. A brittle material is one that doesn’t deform permanently to any significant degree before it breaks in half. So if you look at these two different pieces of composite, they were actually at one time, one flat piece of composite. And what I had done, was I bent it until it broke and you can look at it now and see that there is really no obvious indication that it was bent.

RATHER (VOICEOVER)
FOR WELDON THE BRITTLE NATURE OF THE GRAPHITE AND EPOXY COMPOSITE USED IN THE 787 COULD MEAN TROUBLE IF THE AIRPLANE CRASH LANDS. TO ILLUSTRATE HIS CONCERNS, WELDON HAS CALLED THE ATTENTION OF REGULATORS TO THE 2005 CRASH OF A EUROPEAN MADE AIRBUS IN TORONTO, CANADA.

WELDON
The plane came in, in bad weather. It hit long on the runway. It over ran the runway and went into a ravine that was 30 feet deep. Now when that thing first impacted the ground and it crumpled the fuselage. The aluminum fuselage was bent, but it was intact.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
WELDON SAYS THAT GAVE THE 309 PASSENGERS AND CREW ENOUGH TIME TO ESCAPE THE SMOLDERING PLANE JUST BEFORE FIRE ENGULFED THE ENTIRE FUSELAGE.

WELDON
With a composite airframe, the fuselage would not crumple, it would shatter. Okay. And when then the plane would nose over the ravine, that shattered hole would be there for the fire that’s going into the airplane. Instead of everyone getting out, a far less positive result, in fact a tragic result at some level would have occur.

MARY SCHIAVO, AVIATION LAWYER
People say, well, you know if you’re in a plane crash, you’re gonna die. And if you’re time is up, your time is up. People believe that. It is absolutely false. People survive plane crashes all the time.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
MARY SCHIAVO IS AN AVIATION LAWYER AND FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, WHICH OVERSEES THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE NATION’S AVIATION WATCHDOG.

SCHIAVO
One of the things that you have to do now, if you’re going to build a new airplane, is you have to meet certain survivability levels and impact levels.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
OVER THE YEARS, THE FAA, NASA AND INDUSTRY HAVE STUDIED PASSENGER SURVIVABILITY BASED IN PART ON DROP TESTS LIKE THIS ONE CONDUCTED IN 2000 WHEN THE FAA DROPPED A 737 ALUMINUM FUSELAGE WITH DUMMIES CONNECTED TO COMPUTERS. THIS DROP TEST WAS NOT PART OF ANY CERTIFICATION PROCESS RATHER IT WAS A STUDY. FROM THESE KINDS OF TESTS, THE INDUSTRY LEARNED HOW TO MAKE ALUMINUM AIRPLANES MORE SURVIVABLE OR CRASHWORTHY.

SCHIAVO
You have to be able to have a crashworthiness standard of 30 feet per second. And the metal planes, by and large, are supposed to meet that and do meet that. And you’re supposed to be able to survive that kind of a plane crash and that’s very important because people do.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BUT THE VERDICT IS OUT FOR SOME LIKE WELDON ON WHETHER THE 787 IS AS CRASHWORTHY AS AN ALUMINUM PLANES.

WELDON
They are not doing any thing close to the thoroughness of the drop test that they did in 2000. They’re not doing that for the 787. Basically, I believe because if you can’t stand the answer, don’t ask the question.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BUT BOEING, WHICH DECLINED OUR REPEATED REQUEST FOR AN ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW, WROTE US THAT THEY WERE ASKING THE QUESTION BY DOING TESTS TO MAKE SURE THE 787 HAS THE SAME OR BETTER SURVIVABLILITY AS A SIMILARLY SIZED ALUMINUM AIRPLANE. THEY SAY THEY HAVE CONDUCTED SIMULATIONS AND ACTUAL DROP TESTS OF A PORTION OF THE 787 TO PROVE THE CRASHWORTHINESS OF THIS NEW PASSENGER AIRLINER. THE COMPANY WOULD NOT SHARE THE DETAILS OF THOSE TESTS WITH US, SAYING THEY WERE PROPRIETARY. SINCE WELDON FELT BOEING WOULDN’T LISTEN, HE PRESENTED HIS CONCERNS TO THE FAA WHICH WAS ALREADY EXPERIENCING A LEARNING CURVE WHEN IT CAME TO COMPOSITES.

WELDON
The FAA has admitted, recently, only within the last couple of months, that there’s a lot about composites that they don’t understand. And if the FAA doesn’t understand it, than neither does Boeing.

RATHER(VOICE OVER)
THE FAA PROPOSED NEW GUIDELINES DESIGNED TO ENSURE THAT THE 787 IS AS CRASHWORTHY AND FIRE RESISTANT AS ALUMINUM PLANES. BOEING SAYS THEY WILL COMPLY WITH THE FAA’S GUIDLELINES. WELDON IS SO WORRIED THAT HE WROTE THIS LETTER TO THE FAA SAYING THAT THE RULES DON’T GO FAR ENOUGH TO MAKE THE 787 AS CRASHWORTHY AS AN ALUMINUM PLANE.

WELDON
Let’s assume that we use some special devices that Boeing has been looking at to improve the crashworthiness of the current design. And what that is, is to put what we call snubbers underneath the cargo floor. Now that will provide some limited amount of improved shock absorbing capability. It is relatively unproven, but it’s a band aid. It is nothing close to the potential of metal frames.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
AIRBUS BASED IN EUROPE JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WILL BE MANUFACTURING THEIR ANSWER TO THE DREAMLINER, THE AIRBUS A350, WITH A COMPOSITE DESIGN FOR THE FUSELAGE. AIRBUS CONSIDERED INCLUDING AN ALUMINUM FUSELAGE FRAME FOR THE AIRPLANE. BUT NOT EVERYONE WAS PLEASED WITH THAT. ACCORDING TO SCHIAVO, THE AIRLINES WERE NOT HAPPY ABOUT THE EXTRA WEIGHT FROM THE ALUMINUM.

SCHIAVO
Airlines complained to Airbus that they’re adding weight and they want the lighter composites cause its cheaper. So it comes down to money. And, um - in the airline world that, that’s first. That’s on list number one.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
ANOTHER CAUSE FOR CONCERN WITH COMPOSITES, SAYS WELDON, IS FIRE.

RATHER
Let’s talk about combustibility – the fire danger.

WELDON
Yeah well let’s compare it to aluminum. Aluminum deflects heat away. Now you’ll see many picture of the aftermath of a crash with an aluminum airliner and you’ll see a lot of the hull that isn’t there anymore. And you can see where it melted. But the people were long gone before that, in general. It’s going to be a much different situation with a composite airliner. If the bottom of the airplane is shattered due to the crash landing, there’s an open hole for the fire to get directly into it.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE SMOKE FROM BURNING COMPOSITES FABRICATED OUT OF GRAPHITE AND EPOXY IS SO TOXIC THAT THE FAA HAS ALREADY EFFECTIVELY BANNED IT INSIDE AIRPLANES CURRENTLY IN SERVICE. ALTHOUGH THE EXTERIOR OF THE 787 IS MADE FROM THIS TYPE OF COMPOSITE, IN AN E-MAIL, BOEING SAYS THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY INDICATIONS OF ADVERSE TOXICITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF COMPOSITES ON THE NEW 787. AND THEN THERE IS THE ISSUE OF LIGHTNING.

WELDON
Airliners are subject to lightning strikes. In fact on average they hit one or two times a year. I’ve actually been on a severe lightning strike flight in which the passengers were screaming and I was one of those who helped calm them down because I said that, you know, airplanes are designed to disperse electricity and don’t worry about it we’re gonna be fine.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BUT COMPOSITE MATERIALS AS ENGINEERS AND AVIATION EXPERTS KNOW HAVE A POOR CONDUCTIVITY.

SCHIAVO
They’re plastic. And so there is nothing to direct the lightning around the wing, which is the fuel tank, or even the center fuel tank, rather than into it. And so the issue is, well, what are you gonna do to direct lightning around it, rather than into the structure where it will cause a disaster.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
TO DEAL WITH THE LIGHTNING PROBLEM, BOEING IS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, EMBEDDING COPPER ALLOY MESH INSIDE THE AIRPLANE’S SURFACE TO DISPERSE LIGHTNING STRIKES. BUT COOPER ALLOY HAS PROBLEMS OF ITS OWN. SOME ENGINEERS, LIKE WELDON, ARE CONCERNED THAT VAST TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCES ON THE GROUND AND AT HIGH ALTITUDE WILL CAUSE THE METAL MESH TO EXPAND AND CONTRACT SO MUCH THAT IT WILL DAMAGE THE COMPOSITE STRUCTURE.

EVEN MORE TROUBLESOME IS A LIGHTNING STRIKE POTENTIALLY DAMAGING A METAL FASTENER IN A VULNERABLE PLACE LIKE THE WING, SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE FASTENER TO FAIL. BOEING SAYS IT BELIEVES SPECIAL COATING ON THE FASTENERS WILL PROTECT THE AIRPLANE IN A LIGHTNING STRIKE. THE FAA SAYS THAT BEFORE THE 787 WILL FLY BOEING NEEDS TO PROVE THAT THE CHANCE OF LIGHTNING SPARKING A FUEL-TANK EXPLOSION IN FLIGHT IS LESS THAN ONE IN A BILLION. IN A STATEMENT PROVIDED BY BOEING THEY SAY THAT WITH EACH NEW GENERATION AIRPLANE QUOTE -- WE WORK DILIGENTLY TO ENSURE WE CREATE DESIGNS THAT ENHANCE THE SAFETY OF OUR PRODUCTS --- END QUOTE. COMPOSITES ARE THE FUTURE, SAYS RAKOW, AND BOEING, HE SAYS WILL EVENTUALLY GET IT RIGHT, CONTINUING, HE BELIEVES, ITS REMARKABLE SAFETY RECORD.

RAKOW
I’m excited to ride on the 787, I’m excited to fly in composite aircraft.

RATHER
You wouldn’t have any personal concerns

RAKOW
Not at all.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE FIRST 787s ARE SCHEDULED TO BE DELIVERED IN MAY 2008 TO JAPAN’S ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS. SO, IF THERE ARE ISSUES WITH THE COMPOSITE DESIGN, AS WELDON AND OTHERS INSIST, IT SEEMS LATE FOR THE FAA TO BE DISCOVERING THEM.

SCHIAVO
When the FAA does something like this, its usually because somebody complained. And it is usually to cover, to cover - themselves. And that’s not bad. If the FAA has been made aware of the situation and now their gonna step in and require something, good they should.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BUT AVIATION EXPERT SCHAIVO SAYS THE FAA DOESN’T OFTEN CHALLENGE THE POWERFUL AVIATION GIANT. THAT MAY BE DUE IN PART TO THE REVOLVING DOOR THAT SWINGS BETWEEN THE FAA AND BOEING.

SCHIAVO
The revolving door between the FAA and Boeing is in good health. There is no permanent restriction on moving between the industry and the FAA for employment. And it is not unusual at all to see someone either take an early retirement or simply leave the FAA and go to work in the industry they used to regulate.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
IN NOVEMBER OUTGOING FAA CHIEF MARION BLAKEY WILL BECOME THE TOP LOBBYIST FOR THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION, WHOSE BIGGEST MEMBER IS BOEING. MOREOVER, THE TWO TOP FAA OFFICIALS IN CHARGE OF CERTIFYING THE 787 HAVE TIES TO BOEING. ALI BAHRAMI WORKED FOR MCDONNELL DOUGLAS, AN AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER THAT MERGED WITH BOEING IN 1997 AND JOHN HICKEY WORKED FOR BOEING BEFORE JOINING THE FAA IN 1990. THE FAA DECLINED TO DO AN ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW WITH US SAYING THAT IF THE 787’s NEW TECHNOLOGY DOESN’T MEET THE SAFETY STANDARDS ALREADY ESTABLISHED THEN THE PLANE WON’T FLY. AS FOR WELDON, HE SAYS, AT THE TIME OF HIS COMPLAINTS, BOEING ASSIGNED A SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR TO THE CASE.

RATHER
Do we know what IT finally concluded?

WELDON
Well I was told that their findings were. They made that assumption that crashworthiness is material independent … which is patently absurd.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE ETHICS INVESTIGATORS TRANSFERRED THE COMPLAINT TO A TECHNICAL REVIEW COMMITTEE, SAYS WELDON.

WELDON
I found out by late in 2005, that nothing had changed. In fact, their focus had been on changing the requirements rather than doing any thing about my allegations. In other words, the design wasn’t changed at all.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
IN 2006 WELDON WAS FIRED FOR ALLEGEDLY MAKING THREATENING AND INAPPROPRIATE REMARKS ABOUT A COLLEAGUE. WELDON SAYS HE WAS FIRED BECAUSE HE WOULD NOT STOP CRITICIZING THE COMPOSITE DESIGN OF THE 787. EVEN AFTER ALL HE SAYS HE HAS ENDURED, WELDON STILL CONSIDERS HIMSELF A BOEING MAN.

WELDON
I love the company. They’re paying for my retirement. I’m concerned about Boeings long-term success. Not for any perceived short-term stock advantages, bonuses and things like that.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
WELDON SAYS HE DECIDED TO SIT DOWN FOR THIS INTERVIEW BECAUSE HE AND OTHERS INSIDE BOEING CONTINUE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE 787 DESIGN.

WELDON
Boeing is way down the pike of course now, having roll-out. And now were into the certification period now. And you know, we have to deliver by May of 2008 in order to stay on schedule. And to let this thing go on for this length of time is practically unbelievable to me.

RATHER (ON CAMERA)
AS BOEING AND AIRBUS USE MORE COMPOSITES TO MANUFACTURE COMMERCIAL AIRPLANES, A DEBATE HAS EMERGED OVER HOW THE AIRLINES CAN BEST MAINTAIN AND DETECT DAMAGE OF THIS REINFORCED PLASTIC MATERIAL. AIRPLANE MAKERS SAY VISUAL INSPECTIONS ARE SUFFICIENT TO DETECT ANY SERIOUS DAMAGE. BUT MANY COMPOSITE EXPERTS SAY VISUAL INSPECTIONS ARE INADEQUATE AND URGE AIRLINES TO INVEST IN HIGH-TECH TOOLS IF THEY WANT TO FLY COMPOSITE AIRPLANES SAFELY.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
ONE OF THE SELLING POINTS OF THE NEW 787 IS LOWER MAINTENANCE COSTS. BECAUSE THE COMPOSITE AIRFRAME WON’T CORRODE OR RUST, BOEING SAYS THE MAINTENANCE COSTS WILL BE CUT BY 30 PERCENT. THEY ALSO SAY THAT DETAILED VISUAL INSPECTIONS ON A PERIODIC BASIS SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO DETECT SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE COMPOSITE MATERIAL. WE ASKED COMPOSITE EXPERT DAVID MAASS IF HE AGREED.

DAVID MAASS, COMPOSITE EXPERT
No. Almost anybody I know in the composite field does not agree with that statement. It is very easy to have serious damage in a composite that is not visible. I know the reason that they made that statement. But I believe it is a false statement.

RATHER
You said you think you understand the reason. What reason could there be?

MAASS
During certification they will intentionally put flaws and they will intentionally impact the composites to create internal damage that can’t be seen and then they will apply repeated loads for two lifetimes of service and prove that that damage will not propagate. It’s a complex situation. The statement that if a composite has no visible damage, it therefore is perfectly safe to fly is not true.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
VINCE WELDON, A FORMER BOEING ENGINEER, EXPLAINED HOW COMPOSITES WERE MARKETED TO THE AIRLINES.

WELDON
They’ve even gone around to the airlines and they give ‘em a piece of aluminum, beat on it with this hammer. And of course it’ll dent immediately. And they say “Now take this piece of composite structure and beat on it with a hammer.” And a hammer bounces off it.

RATHER
Pretty impressive.

WELDON
Well, no it’s not impressive at all to anyone who knows what’s actually going on. But it’s very deceiving because where the damage is its micro-cracking that you can’t see and you have to use ultrasound inspection to determine it. But what it does, it builds up internal damage to the structure once you start getting a flaw in the composite structure that starts being able to entrain moisture like water on a humid day. And every day you fly, you’re going to go from hot, humid environment to a cold, very cold, dry environment, every time that water freezes it expands and it breaks a few more fibers. And what do you have after three, four, five years of that happening. So these elements of composites structure that aren’t fully understood.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
COMMERCIAL AIRPLANES GO THROUGH A LOT OF WEAR AND TEAR EVERYTHING FROM BAGGAGE CARTS BANGING AGAINST THEM TO TURBULENCE IN THE SKIES.

RATHER
Your point is “Well this can be deceiving because damage would be interior?

WELDON
this is so subjective you know? this is like a convenient operation in order to keep things flying and, and tell everybody that everything’s okay. But every thing may not be okay.

RAKOW
Well I have here is a piece of composite laminate that has been impacted.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
JOSEPH RAKOW WITH THE CONSULTING COMPANY EXPONENT SHOWED US WHAT DAMAGED COMPOSITES LOOK LIKE.

RATHER
I don’t see it. It looks just like every other piece you’ve shown me today.

RAKOW
Right. There is no strong indication of the impact of this composite.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BUT THEN RAKOW TOOK THIS DAMAGED PIECE OF COMPOSITE AND PUT IT UNDER A SPECIAL ULTRASOUND SCANNER IN THE LAB. THIS ULTRASOUND MACHINE IS SIMILAR TO TECHNOLOGY USED TO SEE A BABY INSIDE A MOTHER’S WOMB.

RAKOW
As the machine scans back and forth on the composite piece, you start to see the image develop on the screen.
The information that this machine provides allows us to quantify the level of damage and correlate that level of damage with any sort of potential safety hazard that it is associated with.

RATHER
As we spoke earlier if you did a visual examination you wouldn’t have any indication of this.

RAKOW
If you remember when we looked at the piece there was not this level of indication of damage on the surface. It wasn’t until we put the piece into the machine that we were able to see what sort of damage lies under the surface.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
AT A TIME WHEN MANUFACTURERS AND AIRLINES ARE TRYING TO CUT BACK ON COSTS, THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY IS NOT CHEAP; JUST ONE OF THE SONOSCAN MACHINES COST ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. MAASS ADVOCATES THE USE OF INSPECTION TOOLS LIKE TAP TESTS, ULTRASOUND, SHEAROGRAPHY AND EMBEDDED SENSORS TO HELP DETECT DAMAGED COMPOSITES, ESPECIALLY WHEN A COMPOSITE PART HAS A HISTORY OF TROUBLE.

MAASS
To sort of ignore the tools that you have at your disposal because you want to save a couple of hours of inspection time, is almost criminal.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BOEING AND AIRBUS USE INSPECTION TOOLS DURING MANUFACTURING, BUT SAY THEY ARE ONLY NEEDED IF DAMAGE IS VISIBLE ONCE A PLANE IS IN SERVICE. FUELING THE DEBATE ABOUT HOW TO KEEP PACE WITH THIS NEW MATERIAL ARE VAGUE FEDERAL GUIDELINES AND THE HISTORY OF AN OLDER AIRBUS AIRPLANE WHERE VISUAL INSPECTIONS DID NOT CATCH DAMAGE. IN 2001 AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 587 CRASHED AFTER ITS COMPOSITE TAILFIN BROKE OFF AND LANDED IN JAMAICA BAY, NEW YORK. FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS RULED THAT PILOT ERROR, RATHER THAN COMPOSITE FAILURE WAS THE CAUSE OF THAT ACCIDENT. BUT SOME PEOPLE WERE SKEPTICAL.

TODD WISSING, PILOT
In 60 years of commercial aviation flying, large aircraft, no pilot has ever manipulated the rudders to cause the tail of the airplane to fall off. It’s always easier to blame a deceased pilot who can’t defend himself.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
TODD WISSING IS A PILOT WHO FLEW THE AIRBUS A300, THE SAME MODEL THAT CRASHED IN NEW YORK. HE SAYS THERE WILL ALWAYS BE CONTROVERSY OVER THE CAUSE OF THAT CRASH. WHAT IS CLEAR, SAYS WISSING, IS THIS TECHNOLOGY NEEDS A MORE THOROUGH INSPECTION REGIME.

WISSING
After 587 we started paying attention to the way that the inspections were occurring on these composite materials. What struck us was that these were 21st Century materials, we think that you would use sophisticated 21st Century methods to inspect them, that can find the damage.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
SOMETIMES PILOTS AND MECHANICS CAN SEE PROBLEMS WITH THE COMPOSITE TAIL SECTION ON THE AIRBUS IN QUESTION, SAYS WISSING, SPECIFICALLY WITH THE RUDDERS AND ELEVATORS WHEN THEY SOAK UP WATER AND OTHER FLUID.

WISSING
Some times on the walk around you can look up on the underside of the tail and see a bubble. And you would have to check and see whether that was a repair or whether that was a new problem. Because if the water got underneath the skin of the tail, it would look pretty much the same as the repair so you’d have to check with maintenance to see if it had been repaired.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BUT DAMAGE IS NOT ALWAYS VISIBLE SAYS MAASS, WHO TOLD US ABOUT AN INCIDENT ON MARCH 6, 2005 IN WHICH PROBLEMS WERE NOT CAUGHT IN TIME.

MAASS
This was a Canadian aircraft, an Air Transat that was actually taking off from Cuba. And all the sudden the composite rudder which is the control surface on the fin, simply departed the airplane.

RATHER
Which is to say it broke off.

MAASS
It just broke off almost completely

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THAT AIR TRANSAT PLANE WAS AN AIRBUS A-310 AND IT LANDED SAFELY. TODAY, FOREIGN AIRCARRIERS, AMERICAN AIRLINES AND FEDEX FLY SOME OF THE AIRBUS PLANES IN QUESTION. AFTER THE RUDDER INCIDENT, THE FAA ISSUED A MANDATORY ONE TIME INSPECTION OF CERTAIN AIRBUS AIRPLANES.

MAASS
They said “Not only look at this rudder visually of the remaining ones in the fleet, this time use a tap test.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. BUT EIGHT MONTHS LATER FEDEX DID FIND SOMETHING.

MAASS
During routine maintenance on a FedEx airplane, they found a massive area that had de-bonded from the inside of a A-300 rudder.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
IT WAS ABOUT THREE-SQUARE-FEET OF PREVIOUSLY UNDETECTED DAMAGE, ACCORDING TO THIS MARCH 2006 NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD REPORT. IN ADDITION, HYDRAULIC FLUID HAD LEAKED INTO THE COMPOSITE MATERIAL WHICH COULD CAUSE FURTHER DAMAGE. CANADA’S TRANSPORTATION SAFETY OFFICE IS STILL INVESTIGATING THE AIR TRANSAT CASE. IN LIGHT OF THE FEDEX INCIDENT, THE NTSB URGED MORE THOROUGH INSPECTIONS OF CERTAIN AIRBUS RUDDERS. THE NTSB ALSO WROTE THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN DANGEROUSLY CLOSE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE AIR TRANSAT INCIDENT AND THE AMERICAN AIRLINES CRASH IN 2001.

MAASS
The NTSB wrote the FAA saying “Hey, um, the airworthiness directive you have issued with respect to that rudder loss, you didn’t go far enough. They’ve specified you have to do repetitive inspections. And in fact, they’re doing non-destructive inspection now.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BUT THESE REPETITIVE INSPECTIONS ON THE TROUBLED COMPOSITE PARTS ARE OUTSIDE TAP TESTS, NOT MORE SOPHISTICATED TESTS LIKE ULTRASOUND. WISSING AND OTHERS WANT TO SEE MORE DONE.

WISSING
Our concern is that they’ve tried to establish the visual and tap testing as the basic foundation for composite inspection. We’re not catching the damage that is occurring. If that were good enough we’d catch it early and consistently. We’re not.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BUT THAT MAY BE CHANGING AS AIRPLANES ARE MADE WITH MORE COMPOSITES. WHEN BOEING DELIVERS THE FIRST 787 DREAMLINER TO JAPAN’S ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS IN MAY 2008, THE AIRLINE WILL HAVE INVESTED HEAVILY IN ULTRASONIC EQUIPMENT AND A CORE OF MECHANICS TRAINED BY BOEING TO CARE FOR THE AIRCRAFT. SO IT SEEMS 21ST CENTURY INSPECTION METHODS ARE ON THE WAY TO SOME AIRLINES. AND FOR WISSING, WHO IN 2002 STOPPED FLYING THE TROUBLED AIRBUS AIRPLANE BECAUSE HE FELT THEY WERE NOT PROPERLY INSPECTED, HE MAY ONE DAY FLY THE 787 DREAMLINER … THAT IS GOOD NEWS.

WISSING
Pilots are analytical. We put safety as our top priority. We use the 21st century inspection methods with these new materials. Then we have complete confidence in the product, and we have complete confidence that we can get in that airplane with our passengers and go fly because that’s what we do.

RATHER (ON CAMERA)
TWO WEEKS AGO, BOEING ANNOUNCED THEY WERE POSTPONING THE FIRST FLIGHT BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY SAID WERE PRODUCTION DELAYS. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THESE DELAYS CAN CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT COMPRESSION OF THE PROGRAM FOR TESTING AND SAFETY CERTIFICATION. BUT BOEING STILL PLANS TO DELIVER THE FIRST 787 ON TIME, 8 MONTHS FROM NOW. WE’LL BE BACK IN JUST A MOMENT.

DOLPHINS IN DANGER:

RATHER (ON CAMERA)
WE FEEL AN OBLIGATION ON THIS BROADCAST TO TELL IT TO YOU STRAIGHT, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ADAQUITELY INFORMED ABOUT WHERE YOUR REPORTER IS COMING FROM ON ANY STORY WE REPORT. YOU’VE GOT A RIGHT TO EXPECT THAT, AND WE DON’T FLINCH FROM LAYING IT OUT THERE FOR YOU.
THAT’S DOUBLY TRUE IF THERE’S ANY BIAS TOWARD A SUBJECT. SO, ON THIS NEXT STORY, WE FEEL THE NEED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING RIGHT AT THE TOP. I LIKE DOLPHINS

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
FOR THAT MATTER, HOW CAN ANYONE NOT LIKE DOLPHINS? AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM. THESE INCREDIBLE CREATURES OF THE WILD, WHO SIT ON TOP OF THE OCEAN FOOD CHAIN AND IQ-CHAIN, FACE A REAL THREAT FROM MAN. WE ARE -- LITERALLY-- LOVING THEM TO DEATH. MARINE BIOLOGIST DR. RANDY WELLS MAY KNOW MORE ABOUT DOLPHINS THAN ANYONE. HE HAS BEEN STUDYING THEM SINCE HE WAS 16.

DR. RANDY WELLS, MARINE BIOLOGIST
We’re on a survey to locate the dolphins that we can identify in Sarasota Bay – to be able to learn more about where they spend their time, who they spend their time with and the fates of their calves.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
NOW, AS HEAD OF THE SARASOTA DOLPHIN RESEARCH PROGRAM RUN BY THE CHICAGO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY AND SUPPORTED BY FLORIDA’S MOTE MARINE LABORATORY, WELLS HAS CHRONICLED THE LIFE STORIES OF ABOUT 150 BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS CURRENTLY INHABITING SARASOTA BAY. AS THEY COME UP FOR AIR, EACH ANIMAL CAN BE IDENTIFIED BY NOTCHES ON ITS DORSAL FIN. THEY’RE AS DIFFERENT AS HUMAN FINGERPRINTS. EACH DOLPHIN IS GIVEN A NAME FOR RESEARCH TRACKING. THERE’S SCRAPPY AND NICKLO. MURPHY BROWN AND SCOOTER. AND THE LESS EUPHONIOUS FB-183 AND FB-28. WELLS’ STUDY HAS BEEN UNDER WAY FOR 37 YEARS AND A GREAT DEAL HAS BEEN LEARNED ABOUT THESE ALLURING ANIMALS, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT THEY ARE A VERY COHESIVE GROUP. MOSTLY STAYING IN THE AREA WHERE THEY WERE BORN FORMING LIFELONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER DOLPHINS.

WELLS
Knowing that we can find individual dolphins, that we can recognize those individuals and find them on a predictable basis has set the stage for doing all the rest of the research. It’s also set the stage for understanding how to be able to engage in conservation activities. We know that these animals have a home. And we know that they remain in this home generation after generation. We’re visitors to this home.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, OR NOAA’S MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE THE FEDERAL AGENCY CHARGED WITH PROTECTING DOLPHINS. WELLS’ TEAM IS ON THE WATCH FOR UNUSUAL HEALTH THREATS IN THE STUDY GROUP. EVERY SO OFTEN WELLS AND HIS TEAM WILL – BRIEFLY AND CAREFULLY- REMOVE SOME OF THE DONLPHINS FROM THE WATER FOR VETERINARY EXAMINATIONS. AND WHAT THEY ARE FINDING FROM THEIR STUDIES IS DISTURBING.

WELLS
The problem of dolphins become entangled in fishing gear or ingesting fishing gear is one that has increased dramatically in magnitude in the last few years. We’re getting a lot more reports of dolphins wrapped up in fishing line or dolphins dying with fishing gear inside their throats, inside their stomachs.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
IN THE SARASOTA BAY AREA, WHERE WELLS’ STUDIES ARE BASED, THE FATALITY FIGURES ARE ESPECIALLY ALARMING.

WELLS
Two per cent of our residents died from ingesting fishing gear last year. These are animals that we knew from the time they were born in many cases. They were ones that never engaged in this sort of behavior before. And to see this kind of behavior spreading is very scary for those of us that have watched these animals be born, watched them grow up and live into their old age. To see this happening to this population is something that is unprecedented, and something that we don’t want to see spreading elsewhere.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
SO NOW, IN A RACE TO SAVE DOLPHINS’ LIVES, THE SCIENTISTS HAVE HAD TO BECOME DETECTIVES OF A SORT: WHY WOULD THESE INTELLIGENT ANIMALS, NORMALLY SO WARY OF DANGER, BECOME SO BLIND TO THE THREATS OF SUCH HUMAN TOOLS AS HOOKS, LINES AND LURES? NOT FAR FROM THE STRETCH OF SALTWATER WHERE RANDY WELLS TRACKS DOLPHINS, ALLAN ENGEL GOES TO WORK ON THE WATER AS WELL. A PROFESSIONAL FISHING GUIDE, HE’S PURSUING THE REDFISH, SNOOK AND GROUPER WHICH DRAW THOUSANDS OF ANGLERS TO THE TAMPA BAY AREA EVERY YEAR. HE TOO HAS BEEN SEEING STRANGE BEHAVIOR FROM DOLPHINS

ALLAN ENGEL, FISHING GUIDE
I’ve just had more encounters of dolphin either eating fish or coming alongside the boat, checking things out, just interaction, you know. And I’ve heard of other people having interaction, either hooking a dolphin that was eating a fish they had on the line or you know. I’ve heard of a lot more of those instances.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
WHAT ENGEL ALSO SEES ON THE WATER IS TOO MUCH HUMAN DISREGARD FOR THE DAMAGE THEY CAN DO BY DISCARDING OLD FISHING LINE AND OTHER TACKLE IN THE WATER. MOST DANGEROUS TO DOLPHINS: THE DISCARDING OF POPULAR MONOFILAMENT LINE.

ENGEL
Monofilament line, first of all, is never going to you know– it’s not going to go away. Once you throw it in the water, it’s either gonna lay there on the bottom or until something comes through – a crab, a bird, a fish or anything that gets wrapped in that, eventually it’s gonna die. You know it’s not gonna just all of a sudden just disintegrate in the water, you know, this stuff stays around for a very long time.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE SPECIFIC DANGERS OF MONOFILAMENT LINE FOR DOLPHINS WERE EXPLAINED TO US BY RANDY WELLS.

WELLS
Monofilament fishing line is very sharp. And when there’s pressure on it, it can cut through soft tissues like a dorsal fin. FB-28 is a 42 year old male that we’ve known since the 1970’s. He’s one of our oldest males in Sarasota Bay and he’s also afflicted with a skin disease called lubromycosis – the white material that you see on his fin. There’s actually three strands of line that are wrapped around and are actually cutting into the leading edge of his fin. If it doesn’t come off, it is likely to cut through the entire fin. We’ve seen this happen with other individuals here and with other dolphin populations elsewhere.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
ALSO, TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE PURPOSELY FEEDING WILD DOLPHINS, AN ACTION THAT IS BAD FOR THE ANIMAL - AND VIOLATES FEDERAL LAW.

THE DOLPHIN SEEN IN THIS VIDEO IS KNOWN AS BEGGAR. HIS REPUTATION IS WELL KNOWN IN SOUTH FLORIDA.

ENGEL
Oh yeah that one down in Venice gets fed all the time. I’ve seen people throw him ham sandwiches and spaghetti to him.
STACEY CARLSON, SOUTHEAST CONSERVATION COORDINATOR, NOAA

He does know how to hunt and forage on his own. He has been seen fishing on his own. But he has been fed – predominantly you know by passer bys for so long that he stays, you know– in that certain area of the waterway and comes up to every boat looking for that free handout.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
STACEY CARLSON, NOAA’S SOUTHEAST CONSERVATION COORDINATOR FOR BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS, EXPLAINS THE CONSEQUENCES OF ILLEGAL FEEDING OF WILD DOLPHINS.

CARLSON
It changes the animals’ behavior from wild to being habituated to people. They learn where to go for free meals. And so it’s an easy target for them. So they’ll now approach anglers and their vessels, or fishing from piers. And steal the bait and the catch right off the line.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE UPSHOT IS THAT MORE DOLPHINS ARE TRYING TO EAT FISH THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN HOOKED BY HUMAN FISHERMEN. AND MORE DEAD DOLPHINS ARE TURNING UP WITH FISHING HOOKS AND LURES IN THEIR MOUTHS AND STOMACHS. THIS COLLECTION WAS FOUND IN THE STOMACH OF A SINGLE DEAD ANIMAL. SINCE 1972, THE COUNTRY HAS HAD THE MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT, WHICH MAKES SURVIVAL OF THE DOLPHIN, WHALES AND OTHER ANIMALS A NATIONAL PRIORITY. TRACY DUNN, DEPUTY SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE OF THE NOAA OFFICE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR THE SOUTHEAST IS ONE WHO IMPLEMENTS THAT LAW.
TRACY DUNN, DEPUTY SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE OF THE NOAA OFFICE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR THE SOUTHEAST

It looks at it from a very broad brush aspect. In other words, it defines what a “take” of a dolphin is. It’s illegal to “take” a dolphin. And that definition in the act describes all the things you are not allowed to do: hunt, harrass, kill. It, you know, pretty much, well known violations, or things you’re not allowed to do. But they did add feeding as a “take” under the definition. So if you were to feed a dolphin that is considered a “take” and it is illegal.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
ILLEGAL TO FEED THEM, ILLEGAL TO PET THEM, ILLEGAL EVEN TO APPROACH THEM TOO CLOSELY. FOR NOW - THOUGH THE LAW IS CLEAR - THE GOVERNMENT HAS OPTED FOR AN EDUCATIONAL APPROACH, RATHER THAN MASS ARRESTS OF DOLPHIN-FEEDERS. AGENT DUNN, ADMITTING HIS AGENTS ARE SPREAD THIN, SAYS THE FEDS ARE READY TO GET TOUGHER IF NEED BE.

DUNN
If that fails to get the response we want, then we will put a uniformed officer down there and see if an officer presence help will curb the activity. And of course we have to rely on reports after that officer is gone. It’s much like speeding. If you see an officer, everybody slows down. And then as soon as you’re beyond and you don’t see that officer, the trend picks up again.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
SOME OF THE PROBLEM, SCIENTISTS BLAME ON WHAT THEY CALL “THE FLIPPER SYNDROME” - THE CONFUSION OF FICTIONAL ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMS OF THE PAST WITH ACTUAL DOLPHIN LIVING PATTERNS.

WELLS
It’s a situation where the people really care about the animals, they’re really interested in the animals. And on the surface of it, that would be a great thing. But they’ve taken it too far and put the animals at jeopardy. The idea that you can go out there and interact with these animals in the same way that Bud and Sandy did in the “Flipper” series way back when is a dream a lot of people would like to have fulfilled. And it’s not hard to do. If you’ve got a bucket of fish and you find a wild dolphin and you throw a fish at it you’ve got the possibility of training that animal. And that creates a horrible situation for the animals in terms of modifying their behavior.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BEYOND HOOKS AND MONOFILAMENT LINES, HUMANS ARE THROWING MANY THINGS INTO THE OCEAN WHICH CAN KILL UNSUSPECTING DOLPHINS.

CARLSON
Well, our most interesting scenario happened last year when we had to disentangle a bottlenose dolphin in Sarasota Bay from a Speedo bathing suit. It, we think, swam through the waist and then in through one of the legs. And it got caught up around its pectorals and was starting to cut through its pectoral fins. It’s just things that you don’t think of that may seem benign can pose a risk to any marine mammal or any aquatic animal for that matter.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THIS YOUNG LADY, WHO HAS BEEN GIVEN THE NAME “WINTER” FOR THE SEASON OF HER SALVATION, WAS JUST A FEW MONTHS OLD WHEN SHE ALMOST DIED FROM AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE LINES COMMERCIAL CRAB FISHERMEN USE TO TIE THEIR TRAPS TO FLOATING BUOYS. IN 2005, WINTER GOT SNARLED IN A CRAB TRAP LINE. SHE WAS FOUND DEHYDRATED AND NEAR DEATH ON A SAND BAR. LUCKILY FOR WINTER, NOAA HAS IN PLACE VOLUNTEER DOLPHIN STRANDING TEAMS ALONG AMERICA’S COASTS. TWO OF THESE TEAMS - FROM HARBOR BRANCH OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE AND THE HUBBS SEA WORLD RESEARCH INSTITUTE - CUT THE BABY DOLPHIN FROM THE ENTANGLEMENT AND RUSHED HER TO CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM, WHERE VETERINARIANS AND BIOLOGISTS WERE STANDING BY. ONE OF THEM WAS DIANE YOUNG OF THE CLEARWATER AQUARIUM STAFF.

DIANE YOUNG, CLEARWATER AQUARIUM STAFF
Well, the first time I saw her, I was like, there’s no way. There’s no way she could survive. And then her tail literally just started to fall off.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
CIRCULATION TO THE TAIL HAD BEEN CUT OFF BY THE CRABTRAP ROPE.

YOUNG
There were volunteers here around the clock every minute of every day. She got fed every two hours. Her respiration needed to be monitored. She needed wound care on that tail. So it was very, very critical care for her for about four or five months.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BUT THEN - A SMALL MIRACLE. AS SHE GREW UP, WINTER BEGAN LEARNING HOW TO SWIM WITH NO TAIL. WHERE NORMAL DOLPHINS MOVE WITH A POWERFUL UP AND DOWN MOTION - WITH HELP FROM HER TRAINERS, WINTER TAUGHT HERSELF TO SWIM WITH SIDE TO SIDE MOVEMENTS- SOMEWHAT LIKE A SHARK.

SHE CAN NEVER BE RETURNED TO THE WILD BECAUSE SHE COULD NOT ESCAPE PREDATORS. BUT SHE IS HEALTHY, GROWING, AND HAPPY. AND HER HANDLERS HOPE SHE CAN SOON BE FITTED WITH A PROSTHETIC TAIL FOR PART-TIME WEAR, TO MAKE SURE HER SPINE STAYS FIT. A COMPANY THAT MAKES PROSTHETIC LIMBS FOR SOLDIERS WOUNDED IN IRAQ IS WORKING ON THE TAIL. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN HUMANS AND THESE FASCINATING CREATURES OF THE SEA IS CLOSING ALL THE TIME -BECAUSE OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES AND BECAUSE OF MAN’S DESIRE TO ENJOY TIME ON THE WATER. MUCH NEEDS TO BE LEARNED. BUT WE DO KNOW THIS: FOR THE DOLPHIN, PROXIMITY TO HUMANS – MUCH AS WE MAY SAY WE LOVE THESE FRIENDLY CREATURES - POSES A REAL DANGER. IT DOES NOT SEEM TOO MUCH TO ASK THAT MAN LEARN TO BE THE GOOD NEIGHBOR WHEN VISITING THE DOLPHIN’S HOME.

WELLS
This would be a much poorer environment if we didn’t have the dolphins in the waterways out there. The people that go out there and enjoy fishing and boating through the area wouldn’t have nearly the same experience if these long-term resident animals living in their backyard were no longer there. So we need to find a way for all of us to be able to use the water successfully.

UPDATES:

RATHER
NOW, AN UPDATE ON SOME OF THE STORIES WE'VE BROUGHT TO YOU.

IN MAY WE REPORTED ON THE DISAPPEARING BEE POPULATION AND IT'S

POTENTIALLY DEVASTATING EFFECT ON OUR FOOD SUPPLY, ENTIRE COLONIES, APPROXIMATELY 25 PERCENT OF THE BEE POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES, HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. THE ECONOMIC IMPACT CONCERNS WERE SERIOUS ENOUGH FOR CONGRESS TO LAUNCH HEARINGS. AND SCIENTISTS WERE HOPING TO FIND THE CAUSE FOR WHAT IS KNOWN AS COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER, OR "CCD." THE SCIENTISTS WE INTERVIEWED TOLD US THEY BELIEVED A VIRUS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE. AND TWO WEEKS AGO, THEY ANNOUNCED THEY HAD PIN-POINTED THE ISRAELI ACUTE PARALYSIS VIRUS AS A LIKELY CAUSE. THE U.S. GOVERNMNET HAS SET ASIDE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO FUND FUTURE BEE RESEARCH, IN HOPES OF COMBATING THIS KILLER.

IN THE LAST YEAR, THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN UNDER INCREASING CRITICISM. IT STARTED WITH THE REMOVAL OF NINE U.S. ATTORNEYS AND ALLEGATIONS THAT PARTISAN POLITICS PLAYED A HEAVY ROLE IN THE HIRING AND FIRING OF CAREER LAWYERS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. BI-PARTISAN CRITICISM OF THE LEADERSHIP OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE HAS CULMINATED WITH THE RESIGNATION OF ATTORNEY GENERAL ALBERTO GONZALES, A LONG TIME CLOSE POLITICAL OPERATIVE OF PRESIDENT BUSH

ROSLYN PARK
And I believe just to have the right to vote, that’s a privilege and an honor.

RATHER (VOICE OVER)
IN JUNE, WE TOOK A LOOK AT THE DEPARTMENT'S CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION AND TOLD YOU THE STORIES OF VICTIMS WHO TURNED TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO PROTECT THEIR CIVIL AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS ONLY TO FIND THAT JUSTICE WAS NOT ON THEIR SIDE. SINCE OUR STORY AIRED, IN ADDITION TO GONZALES, ALMOST EVERY SENIOR JUSTIVE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL HAS RESIGNED OR ANNOUNCED PLANS TO STEP DOWN. THIS INCLUDED THE DEPARTMENT'S NUMBER TWO IN CHARGE, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL PAUL MCNULTY, AND BRADLEY SCHLOSZMAN, WHO ONCE HEADED THE CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION AND IS NOW UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR THE FIRING OF THE U.S. ATTORNEYS.

WE HAVE REPORTED EXTENSIVELY ON PAKISTAN AND IT'S IMPORTANT YET TENUOUS ALLIANCE WITH THE UNITED STATES. A FEW WEEKS AGO WE TALKED TO FORMER PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER AND CURRENT OPPOSITION LEADER BENAZIR BHUTTO, WHO HAS BEEN LIVING IN EXILE FOR NEARLY A DECADE. SHE ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK THAT SHE WILL BE HEADING BACK TO PAKISTAN ON OCTOBER 18TH, BUT IT IS UNCLEAR WHAT KIND OF RECEPTION SHE WILL GET. WHEN ANOTHER FORMER PRIME MINISTER, NAWAZ SHARIF TRIED TO ENTER THE COUNTRY A WEEK AGO, HE WAS IMMEDIATELY SENT BACK INTO EXILE AND HIS SUPPORTERS ARRESTED.

RATHER (ON CAMERA)
IN THE COMING WEEKS WE WILL RETURN TO PAKISTAN TO INVESTIGATE THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF U.S. MILITARY AID.

AND NOW TO A PERSONAL NOTE. OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, YOU, OUR VIEWERS, HAVE SENT US HUNDREDS OF EMAILS AND LETTERS - AND WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. WHILE YOU HAVE SHARED YOUR THOUGHTS AND CRITIQUES OF INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMS, FOR THE MOST PART YOUR CORRESPONDENCE HAVE CONFIRMED SOMETHING WE HAVE HOPED FOR AND BELIEVED, THAT THERE IS AN AUDIENCE EAGER FOR SERIOUS NEWS OF INTEGRITY. IT¹S A GOAL TO WHICH WE, HOWEVER IMPERFECTLY, ASPIRE. WITH THAT IN MIND, SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT – WE’RE NOW ENTERING ANOTHER EXTENDED NEWS CYCLE WHERE IT SEEMS LIKELY O.J. SIMPSON WILL DOMINATE THE HEADLINES, WHERE A SINGLE MISSING CHILD CASE IN
PORTUGAL, AS TRAGIC AS THAT IS, GARNERS HOURS OF AIRTIME, WHILE THE WARS, FAMINES, AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES OF ENTIRE COUNTRIES AND CONTINENTS APPARENTLY MERIT BARELY A MENTION, AND WHERE BRITNEY SPEARS CAREER IS PARSED IN GREATER DETAIL THAN ENTIRE SECTORS OF AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY. THERE ARE MANY NEWS OUTLETS AND ORGANS DOING SERIOUS REPORTING. BUT FOLLOWING THE NEWS CANNOT BECOME A NICHE PURSUIT OR A HOBBY. KNOWING WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR WORLD IS TOO IMPORTANT FOR THAT. WE HOPE THAT AS WE HEAD INTO TABLOID DAJA-VU WE ALL RESIST THE URGE TO SINK TO THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR.

FOR HDNET, DAN RATHER REPORTING. GOOD NIGHT.