Pilot error blamed in Vietnam Airlines crash that killed 64
     PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - May 26, 1998 07:32 a.m. EDT - Pilot error
 caused the crash of a Vietnam Airlines flight that killed 64 people
 eight months ago, according to a report released Tuesday by Cambodian
 authorities.
     Only two young children survived the Sept. 3 crash of the
 Russian-built, twin-engine Tupolev 134, as it was landing at Phnom
 Penh's airport during a heavy rainstorm.
     The investigation by the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation
 reported that the pilot was flying so low that the plane struck a
 palm tree, even though the runway was not in sight.
     Pham Van Tieu, 59, ignored pleas by his first officer and flight
 engineer to turn back, displaying "psychological unreadiness to
 abort the landing," the report said.
     Minutes before the crash, a slight drizzle had turned into a
 heavy downpour.
     According to a transcript of the cockpit voice recorder, the
 pilot failed to heed warnings from the flight engineer and first
 officer that the plane was flying too low.
     After receiving a warning from the flight engineer, the pilot
 ordered the crew to look for the runway.
     "Don't see, don't see, captain! Turn back," the first officer
 responded. The aircraft then struck the palm tree, according to the
 report. Only then did the pilot start an unsuccessful attempt to
 abort the approach.
     The aircraft struck several palm trees, damaging the left wing,
 and crashed into rice fields on the edge of the capital's Pochentong
 International Airport. Six crew members and 58 passengers died.
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     Prosecutor seeks Italian jurisdiction in Marine pilot case
     ROME - May 26, 1998 6:08 p.m. EDT -- Claiming jurisdiction in a
 case that has strained U.S.-Italian relations, an Italian prosecutor
 on Tuesday asked for indictments against the crew of a Marine jet
 that severed a ski gondola cable in the Alps, killing 20.
    Trento prosecutor Francantonio Granero is pushing for manslaughter
 charges in Italy even though the Italian government itself has acqui-
 esced in American prosecution of the four crewmen, already charged in
 U.S. military court.
     An Italian judge must rule on Granero's indictment request.
     The United States insists it has sole jurisdiction in the case
 because of a NATO treaty. Washington maintains the EA-6B Prowler was
 flying under the auspices of NATO when it sent the ski gondola crash-
 ing to the ground on Feb. 3, killing 19 skiers and the gondola
 operator.
     Granero, however, argued that the plane violated the NATO
 treaty's mandated flight patterns, and therefore the flight should
 be considered a U.S. mission -- which would give Italy jurisdiction.
 Granero also is challenging the constitutionality of the NATO treaty.
     Even if indicted, the pilots are unlikely to come to Italy to
 face justice. Italian law allows defendants to be tried in absentia.
     Seeking the indictment, on charges of multiple manslaughter and
 endangering the safety of transport, was well within Granero's
 powers; Italian prosecutors have a large measure of independence.
     Premier Romano Prodi said he found "great responsiveness and
 sensitivity" by American authorities on the matter.
     Speaking Tuesday to local officials in Trento, 290 miles north
 of Rome, Prodi said: "It's up to us and to you not to let too much
 time pass and to act so that America can proceed quickly," the
 officials quoted him as saying.
     Bruno and Antonio Malattia, the Italian lawyers for the four
 Marine officers, insisted Tuesday that the United States has
 exclusive jurisdiction in the case.
     In the United States, the four are charged with 20 counts of
 involuntary manslaughter each. If court-martialed and convicted of
 all counts, they face life in prison. Hearings have been going on
 at Camp LeJeune, N.C.
     Granero also requested the indictment of three top U.S.
 military officials at the Aviano base in northern Italy where the
 jet was stationed.
     A Marine investigation board that worked closely with Italian
 officials blamed the crew, saying they broke rules on how fast and
 how low they could fly.
     The accident set off a crisis in U.S.-Italian relations and
 sparked calls from some Italians for the removal of U.S. troops from
 their country.
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    Four dead in small plane crashes in Massachusetts, Rhode Island
     MIDDLEBORO, Massachusetts -- Four people were killed in separate
 plane crashes in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Monday after both
 pilots reported engine trouble.
     Two men were killed when their two-seater plane crashed in the
 woods in southeastern Massachusetts. The plane had taken off from
 nearby Taunton and was expected to return to the same airport.
     Fire officials found the wreckage of another small plane that
 crashed in a rural area of Middletown, Rhode Island. Two people on
 board were killed and two were injured.
     The Federal Aviation Administration called fire officials saying
 a plane had reported engine trouble. The plane was flying from
 Nantucket to Danbury, Connecticut.
     None of the victims' names was released.
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