Voice Of Reason
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USAir/ Hudson River F/A did *NOT* Open Door: NTSB & Pax Who Speculated So Apologize
Now that her rep has been ruined in the nat'l press (and certain message boards)....
"Official apologizes to attendant on flight that ditched
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A board member with the National Transportation Safety Board has apologized to a flight attendant from Beaver County after he was quoted last week saying that a passenger aboard a plane that crashed in the Hudson River would contradict her statement that a panicked passenger had tried to open the plane's rear door.
Robert Sumwalt was quoted by The Associated Press as saying the passenger, Billy Campbell, was being called to testify today at a public hearing into the crash in Washington, D.C., to contradict statements made by Doreen Welsh, 57, of Economy, the flight attendant in the rear of the plane.
Ms. Welsh has said a panicked passenger pushed past her and tried to open the door, cracking it slightly, as water rushed into the rear of the plane from a hole in the fuselage.
Testifying today, Mr. Campbell described Ms. Welsh as a hero and said she told him at a reunion several weeks later about the panicked passenger. Mr. Sumwalt had told the AP that his written statement prior to the hearing suggested Ms. Welsh opened the door herself, but Mr. Campbell said nothing of the kind and instead complimented her on her professionalism. He was called to testify because he had the most detailed account of what happened in the back of the plane, the NTSB said.
The AP story was carried in papers across the country, including the Beaver County Times, angering Ms. Welsh.
"The whole thing is ridiculous," she said on Monday from her home. "The NTSB made a mistake."
She promised that the record would be set straight today at the hearing. Ms. Welsh said this morning that she was relieved that the mistake has been corrected and that the issue is behind her.
Mr. Sumwalt apologized to Mr. Campbell and to Ms. Welsh, although he did not name her.
More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
First published on June 9, 2009 at 12:07 pm"
Now that her rep has been ruined in the nat'l press (and certain message boards)....
"Official apologizes to attendant on flight that ditched
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A board member with the National Transportation Safety Board has apologized to a flight attendant from Beaver County after he was quoted last week saying that a passenger aboard a plane that crashed in the Hudson River would contradict her statement that a panicked passenger had tried to open the plane's rear door.
Robert Sumwalt was quoted by The Associated Press as saying the passenger, Billy Campbell, was being called to testify today at a public hearing into the crash in Washington, D.C., to contradict statements made by Doreen Welsh, 57, of Economy, the flight attendant in the rear of the plane.
Ms. Welsh has said a panicked passenger pushed past her and tried to open the door, cracking it slightly, as water rushed into the rear of the plane from a hole in the fuselage.
Testifying today, Mr. Campbell described Ms. Welsh as a hero and said she told him at a reunion several weeks later about the panicked passenger. Mr. Sumwalt had told the AP that his written statement prior to the hearing suggested Ms. Welsh opened the door herself, but Mr. Campbell said nothing of the kind and instead complimented her on her professionalism. He was called to testify because he had the most detailed account of what happened in the back of the plane, the NTSB said.
The AP story was carried in papers across the country, including the Beaver County Times, angering Ms. Welsh.
"The whole thing is ridiculous," she said on Monday from her home. "The NTSB made a mistake."
She promised that the record would be set straight today at the hearing. Ms. Welsh said this morning that she was relieved that the mistake has been corrected and that the issue is behind her.
Mr. Sumwalt apologized to Mr. Campbell and to Ms. Welsh, although he did not name her.
More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
First published on June 9, 2009 at 12:07 pm"