1996
DECEMBER
December 16, 1996
High Flying Deal
The Seattle-based airplane manufacturer Boeing has announced plans to acquire archrival McDonnell Douglas for $13.3 billion dollars. The resulting global colossus would unite the world's largest commercial-jet manufacturer with a military-aircraft powerhouse, creating a single giant defense contractor for the U.S. government.

December 10, 1996
Hurry Up And Wait
Rather than rushing, what millions of us really do is spend more than 40 hours a year sitting in traffic jams. It's costing us over $50 billion and the problem is only getting worse.

NOVEMBER
November 22, 1996
Lowdown On Air Bags
A look at new federal safety guidelines for automobile air bags.

November 19, 1996
Answering TWA Questions
James Kallstrom, FBI Assistant Director in charge of the criminal investigation, on the crash of TWA Flight 800.

November 13, 1996
Indian Air Disaster: Could It Happen Here?
The largest midair collision in history happened Tuesday near the New Delhi airport between a Saudi Arabian airliner and another operated by a Kazak airline. All on board the two planes, some 349 people, were killed.

SEPTEMBER
September 19, 1996
Change Of Direction?
TWA Flight 800 crashed into the waters off of Long Island July 17th, killing all 230 people on board. Investigators have yet to determine what caused the plane to go down.

September 9, 1996
All Charged Up
Is the era of electric cars finally arriving? With smog in the air and concerns rising over oil dependency, the forces of technology, government, and capitalism show signs of converging to make elecrtic-powered cars a reality.

September 9, 1996
Sketchy Security
President Clinton announced new measures in airport security based on the preliminary work of a federally appointed commission. After a Tom Bearden backgrounder, Elizabeth Farnsworth discusses these measures with panel of industry insiders and critics.

September 3, 1996
Safe Enough?
Airport security has tightened up quite a bit in the last twenty years, but is it enough?

AUGUST
August 23, 1996
Close To The Vest
New information may be coming to light in the tragedy of the TWA crash of Long Island. But investigators are cautious with their revelations.

August 22, 1996
Still Sifting The Ashes
The massive investigative and recovery effort that has followed the July 17 crash of TWA Flight 800 is making progress, as more fragments and more bodies are brought up from the depths.

JULY
July 26, 1996
The Search Continues
This marks day nine in the investigation of the crash of TWA Flight 800, and federal investigators are working on more clues to what caused the accident.

July 25, 1996
The Price Of Security
New and more effective technology exists for better airport security and airline anti-terrorism. But neither the government nor the private sector feels they can afford the expense. A panel of experts discuss who should pay for safer skies.

July 25, 1996
Weeding Out The Bombs
What equipment is in place to prevent explosives from being smuggled onto airliners? What equipment is available to improve detection?

July 25, 1996
Looking For Answers
An update on the search for answers about TWA Flight 800.

July 24, 1996
Angry Familes In Limbo
As Bill Clinton prepares to visit families of victims of TWA Flight 800, housed in a hotel in New York City, TWA president Jeffrey Erickson discusses their frustration with rescue operations and poor communications.

July 19, 1996
Threats To Freedom
A terrorist bomb continues to circulate as one of the possible reasons behind the downing of TWA Flight 800. In light of continuing speculation, a panel of terrorist experts and civic leaders discuss attempts to balance security versus personal freedom.

July 18, 1996
No Word
It's unclear when authorities will know what caused the crash of TWA's Flight 800 that killed 230 onboard. As investigators hunt through 240 square miles of wreckage, a panel of experts considers possible scenarios.

July 18, 1996
TWA Crash-Press Conference
. An update on the crash of TWA Flight 800. While investigators waited out the bad weather on Long Island, they briefed reporters on what they've learned so far.

July 18, 1996
TWA Crash
Kwame Holman begins NewsHour coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800, which ended in flames off the coast of Long Island, New York.

July 18, 1996
Rosenblatt On The Scene
A different view of the crash story from NewsHour essayist Roger Rosenblatt. He was on the scene in East Moriches, Long Island and spoke with Charlayne Hunter-Gault earlier.

JUNE
June 25, 1996
Safer Skies?
Kwame Holman reports on the House hearings on the ValuJet crash and the issue of airline safety.

June 19, 1996
A New Flight Plan
The Federal Aviation Authority has had its mandate changed. Once both a promoter and inspector of the nations airlines, those twin responsibilities have now been deemed in conflict and separated.

MAY
May 14, 1996
Unsafe Skies
The crash of ValuJet Flight 592 is again the top story.

May 13, 1996
Seeking Safer Skies
The FAA administrator says ValuJet is safe, even through 109 died after one of its planes crashed Sunday. But the Department of Transportation inspector general has her doubts.