Oregon lawmakers want to reopen Air Force crash probe
     WASHINGTON (September 3, 1997 2:51 p.m. EDT) - An Air Force memo
 disclosing another engine problem with a military cargo plane is
 prompting calls to reopen an investigation into the C-130 crash that
 killed 10 airmen from Oregon last November.
     Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and a lawyer for
 several widows of the airmen want the Air Force to open the findings
 of its confidential probe to the National Transportation Safety
 Board for an independent review.
     The Air Force, which was unable to determine the cause of the
 engine failure that led to the crash, earlier rejected the request.
     The Air Force Reserve HC-130P cargo plane from Portland, Ore.,
 crashed during a training mission about 40 miles off the California
 coast on Nov. 22, 1996. Ten crew members were killed and one
 survived.
     But a newly disclosed memo, dated July 16, about a near-accident
 over Colorado indicates the C-130s continue to have the kind of en-
 gine failures that were believed to play a role in the Oregon crew's
 loss of power.
     The memo from an Air Force safety officer describes the engine
 failure shortly after takeoff from Peterson Air Force Base in
 Colorado Springs, Colo., in early May.
     C-130s have "had these roll-backs for many years and modifica-
 tions have been performed to help alleviate this serious condition,"
 says the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press
 and first reported last week by Willamette Week, a weekly newspaper
 in Portland.
     The modifications have not eliminated the problem, the memo
 said.
     "The causes of the roll-backs are not completely known," the
 safety officer wrote.
     An Air Force official said the Colorado incident had no bearing
 on the Oregon case.
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           Autopsy planned for woman who died on airplane
     OMAHA, Neb. (September 3, 1997 2:27 p.m. EDT) -- A Continental
 Airlines flight made an emergency landing Wednesday after a passen-
 ger was found unconscious in a restroom.  Attempts to revive her
 failed and she was pronounced dead at a hospital.
     An autopsy was planned on the body of Lila M. Shakerdge, 36, of
 Tucson, Ariz. She was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital
 shortly after the flight landed shortly after 4 a.m., police said.
     Passengers on Flight 1740 from Las Vegas to Cleveland told
 officials that the woman appeared to be intoxicated.
     She apparently went into the restroom and when she didn't come
 out for an hour, a flight attendant checked and found her
 unconscious.
     "She was not breathing, there was no pulse," said Sarah Anthony,
 a spokeswoman for Continental, which is based in Houston. The crew
 called Continental's medical service, which advised the quick
 landing, Ms. Anthony said.
     The flight, which had about 135 passengers, was resumed after
 about a two-hour delay.
     Donald L. Smithey, executive director of the Omaha Airport
 Authority, said the airport handles more medical emergencies than
 most, "since we're in the middle of the country and most major
 airlines fly in here."
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