Marine jet crashes in Arizona desert, killing pilot
     YUMA, Ariz.- 9:45 p.m. ET April 22, 1998 - A Marine attack jet
 crashed Wednesday during a training mission, killing the pilot.
     The body of Lt. Peter E. Yount was found about a mile from the
 crash site, 35 miles northwest of Yuma, said Gunnery Sgt. Nathan
 Portman of the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.
     Yount, 42, apparently ejected from the AV-8B Harrier but did not
 survive.
     He and another Harrier pilot were en route to El Centro, Calif.,
 when the jet went down at 1:35 p.m. There were no bombs aboard the
 $23.7 million aircraft.
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                               SAFETY
     WASHINGTON - 9:14 p.m. EST April 22, 1998 The Federal Aviation
 Administration gave Bangladesh a conditional rating Wednesday for
 its aviation safety, meaning airlines from that country may fly to
 the United States under close supervision.
     The FAA reviews foreign aviation supervision and carriers from
 countries that meet International Civil Aviation Organization stan-
 dards are allowed to operate to and from the United States. The
 ratings apply to the regulation of civil aviation in particular
 countries and not to any individual airline.
     In the case of Bangladesh, flights will be permitted under
 heightened supervision while the agency works with that country
 to solve any problems.
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 Duncan panel to look into proposals to lower air fares at under
 served U.S. airports
 By Richard Powelson, News-Sentinel Washington bureau
 WASHINGTON -- With 30 percent of the nation's airports having
 little competition and high fares, a House panel plans to meet today
 to debate which legislative remedy is most likely to save air
 travelers money.
 "It is very difficult for communities to attract new business if
 they do not have good air service," said Rep. John J. Duncan Jr.,
 R-Tenn., chairman of the House aviation subcommittee. "We can take
 reasonable steps to help foster a competitive environment in
 communities" with high airfares.
 Among the remedies being considered:
 * Offer air carriers federal loan guarantees for new 50-seat commuter
 jets and new or additional access to one of four larger airports if
 they agree to provide new service to airports that the Department of
 Transportation considers underserved. The four airports involved are
 Chicago's O'Hare, New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy, and
 Washington's Reagan National.
 * Require DOT to decide within 180 days if a major carrier is start-
 ing a new low-fare flight or flights to drive a new competitor out
 of the market. DOT has the authority to order a halt to "predatory"
 activity.
 * Provide $10 million per year from federal over-flight fees to be
 divided among qualifying, smaller airports to market their areas to
 carriers and to offset early losses by an airline serving them.
 One bill would take some landing/take-off rights -- called slots --
 from a carrier that dominated a market and auction them to other
 airlines wishing to compete.
 The latter bill, backed by Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., would
 create more competition and "respond to the deluge of consumer and
 business complaints from my district about sky-high airfares," she
 said.
 She cites a DOT study showing her Rochester, N.Y., district has the
 third-highest airfares in the nation in price-per-mile for U.S.
 markets serving more than 200,000 passengers per quarter.
 In Duncan's home state, Chattanooga residents pay high prices to fly
 -- $210, for example, for a one-way trip to Chicago. But Nashville
 residents, with the benefit of competing and lower-cost carriers,
 can fly to Chicago for $70 one-way.
 The airport that Duncan uses most often, McGhee Tyson Airport near
 his hometown of Knoxville, had a 25 percent average fare increase
 over 15 years ending in 1994, an earlier federal study showed.
 Duncan's bill includes the federal loan guarantees for new regional
 jets that can cost $15 million to $19 million each, and the addi-
 tional access to the four large airports in return for providing new
 service to underserved airports for at least two years. It also in-
 cludes the $10 million for airport marketing and faster action on
 predatory activity. After hearings today and April 30, Duncan's
 subcommittee plans to pass a bill next month.
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