[Lemon:] Smoke detectors are everywhere and rightly so. But carbon monoxide is every bit as deadly. Yet CO detectors, though readily available and cheap, are nowhere near as common. A grief- stricken father in Michigan wants to change all of that. CNN's Susan Candiotti has his story.
[Richard Lueders, Carbon Monoxide Victim:] I would not wish this on anyone.
[Susan Candiotti, Cnn National Correspondent:] Two days after Christmas at the Doubletree Grand Key Resort in Key West, Richard Lueders lost his only son, Thomas, to apparent carbon monoxide poisoning. The fire chief says he suspects a malfunctioning boiler next to their room was to blame. The state fire marshal says there's no record the boiler was ever inspected.
[Lueders:] We believe that some good needs to come of this incredibly tragic situation.
[Candiotti:] 26-year-old Thomas Lueders was on a holiday trip with his dad to the Florida Keys.
[Lueders:] My last vision of Tom was on the bed in the room reading a book. I remember falling in the shower and then I think I tried to get up and that was pretty much when the lights went out.
[Candiotti:] When Lueders came to the next day, he was in an oxygen chamber. No one told him about his son.
[Lueders:] A feeling came over me and, frankly, I felt Tom's presence. When that happened, I knew he was gone.
[Candiotti:] Lueders later learned other hotel guests fell ill from CO poisoning in the same room five days earlier.
[Lueders:] It just leaves you just completely perplexed. How could it be, you know?
[Candiotti:] Citing an ongoing investigation, neither the hotel nor its management company would answer any questions about the incidents. The hotel does not now have CO detectors, but told CNN it plans to install them when it reopens.
[Lueders:] What happened to Tom should not have happened to anyone in this country, and for want of a $20 carbon monoxide detector.
[Candiotti:] Eleven states require CO monitors in homes. Only seven of those states also require them in hotels. After five La Quinta guests suffered carbon monoxide poisoning near Denver in 2001, the hotel chain began installing detectors on some of its properties. Marriott requires them at all of its hotels. Hilton and Holiday Inn did not respond. Richard Lueders vows to fight for laws making CO monitors mandatory in every state. [on camera]: What do you think Tom would think of this, your efforts?
[Lueders:] I think he would be happy to know that we would be doing the best we could to be sure that he was the last person to have this kind of experience.
[Candiotti:] Susan Candiotti, CNN, Detroit.
[Lemon:] New details coming in on that breaking story in California. Let's head back to the newsroom and T.J. Holmes. T.J., what do you know?
[Holmes:] Well, now we're getting word, the Associated Press is reporting that, yes, in fact, two people on board that flight in Van Nuys that just crashed about an hour ago were, in fact, killed in this crash. Again, two people on board, according to the Associated Press, this Cessna 525 that was taking off from the Van Nuys Airport heading to Long Beach were, in fact, killed in this crash. You are looking at the wreckage here. We've been following this story for the past hour here, after this crash, trying to find out how many people were on board. Got word that there were two and now again, A.P. reporting that, yes, in fact, those two did die in the crash. And the two were, according to the A.P., the two crew members. We have I believe Jon Regas is on the phone with us. Mr. Regas, do I have that name right for one? Are you with us? A pilot who is familiar with this route down there. Are you with me, sir?
[Jon Regas, Pilot:] Yes, sir.
[Holmes:] Can you tell me about this plane, the Cessna 525 Citation, I believe, is its name? A good reputation here with this aircraft?
[Regas:] It's generally regarded as a very forgiving and relatively easy to fly jet. And it is sometimes owner operated and sometimes used for corporate flying or charter flying, and sometimes even training in jet operations. Boy, my initial impression is if they were going to Long Beach, that's less than about 30 miles. And in a jet, that's a relatively quick flight except, of course, for the traffic in the Los Angeles area. But I know the first question I have is, was this airplane just coming out of the maintenance hangar? Was any work done at the Van Nuys Airport and this plane was just going back on its initial flight after maintenance? I have no data to support whether this was the fact or not, but it's my first question.
[Holmes:] Now, what makes that pop into your head and that be your first question? Does that happen a lot down there at the Van Nuys Airport, where, in fact, you make a stop there for maintenance? Is that what you are saying?
[Regas:] It's very possible. There are a number of capable maintenance shops there. A plane might have just gone in for routine servicing and this may have been the first flight afterwards. I the airplane should be able to fly quite well on one engine, if one of its two engines had quit. My initial thought, could there be a fuel problem, but there was so much fire there. It appears that there was plenty of fuel for the fire, so this is really a puzzler. The weather is good. The airplane is a good plane. And the runway is plenty long for this plane. It's 8,001 feet long. The weather is good. I just can't imagine what happened. But the first thing that comes to mind is, was any maintenance done?
[Holmes:] OK. Well, Jon Regas, a pilot familiar with this aircraft and familiar with that area there and with that flight. Stay with us if you can. You certainly hit on a couple of things that has you scratching your head and you are familiar with this flight and this plane. So it certainly has us scratching our heads now. You bring up some good points. We certainly want to hit on those with you a little more, so please stay with us. But, again, the word now that we are confirming are not confirming, however, but the A.P., at least, is reporting that two people have been killed in this crash in Van Nuys. We're going to keep an eye on this. Hope to talk to Jon Regas a little bit more, but I'll hand it back to you guys for now.
[Lemon:] All right. T.J., thank you.
[Phillips:] Straight ahead, doing time on your dime. Congressional felons keep cashing their pension checks. Why reform failed before and will it succeed now. Drew Griffin joins us with his special, exclusive report straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.