President sparks effort to fight old electrical wiring

June 2, 2000
Web posted at: 8:51 p.m. EDT (0051 GMT)

From White House correspondent Major Garrett

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- The White House will launch a new effort next week to prevent old electrical wiring from sparking catastrophic accidents in civilian and military aircraft and power plants.

The President's National Science and Technology Council on Wednesday will call together experts from the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, NASA, the departments of Energy and Commerce to study ways to minimize dangers posed by aged wiring, said White House spokesman Jake Siewert.

Experts from the Navy, NASA and the FAA have been studying the problem on their own for months, Siewert said. The White House now wants to unify those efforts, share discoveries and speed up the application of any possible solutions, he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that a center fuel tank explosion caused TWA Flight 800 to crash into the Atlantic shortly after takeoff in July 1996. All 230 passengers and crew died. The NTSB has not reached a conclusion on the "probable" cause of the accident but the potential that a spark from faulty electrical wiring may be involved has been heavily scrutinized.

The TWA 800 investigation heightened awareness and concern about the potential hidden dangers aged electrical wiring may pose to civilian and military aircraft.

Siewert said the Energy Department may also join the council's deliberations to ensure the safety of old wiring in nuclear power plants and other energy-producing facilities.

The council will also share information and recommendations with the private sector, Siewert said. It will also coordinate requests for more federal funding. The council is due to publish a full report on its efforts in October.

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