Investigators I've known will tell you theirs is not a pleasant job. But it is an interesting one. They are compelled to put the puzzle together to give the families of the victims in these trajedies some answers. Those answers will, hopefully, prevent repeats of such disasters.
How many times have we stepped off a plane, or a train, or gotten out of our cars after successfully reaching our destination, unaware that the work of the NTSB changed something that eliminated a risk factor in our journey.
The release of the preliminary report will likely be the last official communication from the NTSB for six to nine months. After the initial shock, grief, and buzz of speculation we are entering that long period of virtual silence until the NTSB comes up with a "probable cause."
With no flight data recorder, no cockpit voice recorder, in its own way, this investigation could prove more challenging than some of the major airline disasters of the past.
But whether it's the loss of one person or hundreds...we all await the final word on just what went wrong.
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