Cause of chopper safety hazard eludes Army
     BOSTON -- March 21, 1998 10:06 a.m. EST -- Several months after
 it restricted flights of UH-1 helicopters, the military says it is
 unable to find the source of a potentially catastrophic mechanical
 problem, The Boston Globe reported Saturday.
    Nonetheless, the Army and National Guard have decided to continue
 to operate the helicopters, despite predictions that gearbox fail-
 ures are likely to occur more than once a month.
     "It amazes us that they are continuing to let us fly," a Massa-
 chusetts National Guard pilot told the newspaper on condition of
 anonymity. "I have never seen a situation where they are predicting
 engine failures and they continue to operate the aircraft."
     The choppers, nicknamed Hueys, have a history of gearbox problems
 that were blamed for some near disasters last year. Pilots reported
 the engines would speed up while the gauges dropped to zero.
     According to a Feb. 24 memo obtained by the Globe, there were 22
 "mishaps" related to the so-called N2 gearbox between August 1996 and
 January 1998. None resulted in a death.
     "Since November, several additional N2 failures have occurred,"
 the memo states. "At current (operational) tempo an average of 1.25
 to 1.5 mishaps per month can be expected to occur."
     So far, neither the Army nor the National Guard has come up with
 a solution to fix the gearboxes. The memo says it may be up to a year
 before any repairs are begun and three years before all Hueys are
 fixed.
     The Army and the National Guard in November ordered nationwide
 restrictions on the aircraft, including bans on night flying, flying
 over mountains and water, and operations such as firefighting, ex-
 cept for lifesaving operations.
     Massachusetts went a step further by restricting the choppers'
 flight patterns and barring them from within 35 miles of Boston.
     Bob Hunt, spokesman for the Army Aviation Missile Command at
 Redstone, Ala., said a safety team reviewed options that include
 banning the helicopters altogether.
     "The Army has looked at the situation and believes the flight
 restrictions currently in use will be adequate to ensure the safety
 of the operators," he said. "Should anything change they will change
 the status of those flight restrictions."
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        Blown tires blow schedules at Washington-area airport
     WASHINGTON - March 21, 1998 10:01 a.m. EST - The main runway at
 Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport was closed Friday when a
 Delta Air Lines plane blew two tires after landing and came to rest
 just inches from the end of the tarmac.
     No one was hurt and the 113 passengers aboard the MD-80 aircraft
 were taken by bus to the terminal, airport spokeswoman Tara Hamilton
 said.
     The incident occurred around 6:10 p.m. EST, during one of the
 busiest periods at the airport. Hamilton said after the baggage was
 unloaded, the plane probably would have to be towed.
     "Delta flight 1418 from Atlanta landed safely," she said. "After
 landing, two tires were blown and the plane is on the very edge of
 the runway."
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 Washed-out runway might have contributed to deadly plane collision
     CORONA, Calif. -- March 21, 1998 09:48 a.m. EST -- The deadly
 collision between two small planes occurred while one pilot was
 circling the city while he waited for repairs on a runway that had
 been partly washed away by recent El Nino storms.
     Perry Armstrong, 56, a veteran flight instructor based at Corona
 Municipal Airport, was awaiting the scheduled 5 p.m. reopening of
 the airport's lone runway Thursday when his single-engine Cessna hit
 a twin-engine Cessna carrying two men.
     All three men died as the planes crashed into a large house and
 12 condominum units. No one was hurt on the ground, but several homes
 were damaged by fires ignited by the crashes.
     "It may not have happened if normal operations were in effect,"
 said Roger Conway, chief flight instructor at Armstrong's training
 school.
     Corona's runway was closed for most of Thursday so crews could
 build a wall to divert water from the runway.
     The victims on the twin-engine Cessna were Lee H. Hunter, 49,
 also a flight instructor, and David Jay Cash, 56.
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                    Four killed in plane crash
     NEW LEBANON, Ind. - March 21, 1998 08:48 a.m. EST -- Four people
 were killed when their plane crashed behind a residential area here,
 authorities said.
     Indiana State Police troopers said the plane went down Friday
 evening in this town about 30 miles south of Terre Haute.
     The victims' names were not released. Authorities said they were
 from the Aurora-Downers Grove suburbs of Chicago.
     Steve Fortner said he saw the plane nose dive into the ground
 while he sat on his back porch.
     "The noise came out of nowhere," Fortner told the Sullivan Daily
 Times. "It went straight into the ground and exploded."
     Fortner said he went to the scene and saw a man sitting in the
 pilot's seat in the burning plane, but flames prevented him from
 attempting a rescue before the plane exploded.
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