Lobbyists Join the Crash Investigation

When American Airlines flight 587 crashed in Queens in 2001 -- killing 260 people on the plane and 5 more on the ground -- the National Transportation Safety Board swung into action to find out why the plane went down -- to make sure it didn't happen again. Like all investigators, they were looking for facts. But their job was made more difficult when lobbyists for the airline and the plane's maker, Airbus, jumped in to pressure the government on which facts would carry what weight in the investigation. The lobbyists for both sought meetings with each of the NTSB's five board members, hoping to sway their final report. (NYT)