Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Investigators recover second Alaska Airlines ‘black box’ by Matthew Fordahl Associated Press Los Angeles — Investigators found the second “black box” recorder from Alaska Airlines Flight 261 on Thursday, quickly locating the devices that could tell them why the plane flipped upside down and plummeted into the ocean. Navy crews off Southern California recovered Flight 261 ’s cockpit flight da ta recorder. It should show the positions of the plane’s controls and whether a problem with the horizontal stabilizer was merely a symptom of a larger failure that led to Monday’s crash and the deaths of all 88 aboard. “That will tell the tale,” said William Wbldock, associate director for the Cen ter for Aerospace Safety Education at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The MD-83 jetliner’s other “black box” was recovered Wfednesday. It records cockpit communications and showed the crew had problems with the horizontal stabilizer, a device on the tail of the plane which keeps the aircraft level. It captured the voices of the pilots trying to gain control of the jetliner as it rolled, flipped and spiraled nose-first into the water, confirming what witnesses saw. “The crew made references to being inverted,” National Transportation Safe ty Board Chairman James Hall said in Washington, referring to the contents of the recorder. The Navy used an underwater robot to locate the boxes about 200 feet apart and roughly 640 feet beneath the surface of the Pacific. The remotely operated submersible Scorpio 1 found the boxes in the debris zone, about 10 miles off the Ventura County coast within 20 hours of each other — the cockpit voice recorder on Wednesday around 5 p.m. and the data recorder around noon Thursday. From the beginning the investigation has focused on the horizontal stabilizer because the pilots had reported problems with it. Jammed or out-of-control horizon tal stabilizers have led to at least a half dozen emergency landings but never a crash of a commercial airplane, federal records show. A review of problems involving the device over the last 20 years show jam ming is rare but has never driven a plane totally out of control. An Associated Press examination of aviation records found that at least 20 in flight problems with stabilizers were se rious enough to be reported to the Fed eral Aviation Administration or the NTSB since 1979. In two-thirds of those cases, the flights peached their intended destination. Oth ers made emergency landings, includ ing an American Airlines MD-83, which returned to Phoenix minutes after tak ing off Tuesday. More than a half dozen involved jets made by McDonnell Douglas, which al so built the MD-83 that crashed off South ern California. Five of those cases in volved planes with stabilizers mounted high on the tail, like the MD-83. Trouble similar to what Flight 261 pilots reported never before led to a crash in the United States, according to experts and aviation reports. The stabilizer, a wing at the tail end of an aircraft, is designed to adjust — or trim — the up-or-down angle of an air craft’s nose. The device’s movement, controlled by two motors, is restricted so that the plane does not react violent ly “It’s like the small corrections you make in the steering wheel going down the freeway. Unless you’re really hand fisted, people don’t feel all those small corrections,” said Capt. Steve Roach, a pilot union official who flew MD-83s for three years. If the horizontal stabilizer starts mov ing on its own — something called run away trim — pilots can usually stop it by pulling circuit breakers and using other controls. In most cases, it will stop be fore reaching an extreme angle. In most aircraft, including the MD 83, a jammed stabilizer can be overrid den by moving elevators attached to its trailing edge and controlled by pulling forward or backward on the yoke in the cockpit. If it jammed at an extreme position, the pilots must exert more pressure on the yoke but still should be able to main tain control. “I have flown it in the simulator with the fully runaway trim, and that’s quite a handful to fly,” Roach said. “It’s out of limit for the autopilot. You’re handfly ing it and having to maintain a consider able amount of pressure on the controls to keep the plane straight and level.” Though horizontal stabilizer prob lems are rare, regulators last May gave airlines 18 months to inspect hinges con necting parts of the tail for signs of cor rosion. An error during manufacture can cause the hinges to rust more easily. The Alaska Airlines jet that crashed had not yet undeigone the inspection, but 10 of the MD-80s in the fleet did and showed no usual corrosion, said airline spokesman David Marriott. Records on other airlines’ fleets were not immedi ately available. Rod Mar KRT A memorial to the victims of the crash of Alaska Airlines Right 261 stands on the beach Feb. 1 at La Janelle Park in Oxnard, California. All 88 passengers and crew died when the plane crashed January 3L GOP establishment gets jitters after Bush's New Hampshire defeat by Ron Fournier Associated Press Washington—Republican strategists, elected officials, fund-raisers and other early backers of Geoige W. Bush are ner vously sifting through his stunning defeat in New Hampshire and demanding a change in tactics from their troubled front runner. The GOP establishment, heavily in vested in the Texas governor’s success, has a case of the jitters. “You’ve got to believe it is hard to get through to the ‘202’ exchange to day because the lines are buzzing about this in Washington," said Nelson Whrfield, former press secretary for 1996 nominee Bob Dole. th “I’m bleeding for the guy right now,” said Rich Bond, who was an operative for the candidate’s father, former President Bush. “Most professionals will tell you Bush will prevail,” he said, but the shock of an 18-point loss “should give one who cares about politics and, in my case, George W. Bush, great pause.” With McCain passing up Delaware’s primary next week, South Carolina’s Feb. 19 contest has become critical for both men. Bush’s formidable lead in state polls evaporated overnight with the news of his New Hampshire finish, according to two sets of South Carolina surveys re leased Thursday. “The prop-wash of defeat is going to be around for a while,” Bush told re porters Thursday, adding a thought for the second-guessers: “Tell them to hold fteir breath because they’ve got some body who’s about to win the Republican nomination.” Interviews with more than a dozen GOP leaders across the country, most of whom support Bush, underscored the party establishment’s strong belief that the Texan eventually will win the nom ination, given his formidable resources and lead in most national and state Dolls. Yet several troubling themes kept cropping up: • The sense of inevitability that cloaked Bush’s candidacy is in tatters. “I think if his odds were 20 to 1 before New Hampshire, they’re probably 10 to 1 now,” said Bush fund-raiser Ted Wfelch. “He needs to pull things together, and he will.” • He must be more critical of Mc Cain. “Bush is going to have to get up and fight,” said Rep. John Kasich of Ohio, who dropped out of the presidential race in July and endorsed the Texas governor. • He must convince voters that he is prepared to be president. “I think that Governor Bush has really got to bone up on a tremendous number of issues,” said Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who has not endorsed a candidate but said the Bush team suffers from “an inevitable sense of complacency.” Exit polls show that one-third of New Hampshire Re publican voters did not think Bush had the knowledge needed to serve effec tively. • He needs to be more spontaneous, because McCain shines by comparison. “I think he was overhandled and over scripted,” said New Hampshire GOP chairman Steve Duprey. • Endorsements don’t always help, and maybe hurt. McCain’s staff and some Bush advisers believe the father’s back ing of “this boy” diminished the candi date in the eyes of New Hampshire vot ers. “The endorsement strategy needs to be shelved,” said Scott Reed, Dole’s 19% campaign manager who is not tied to a campaign. Some Bush allies pointed to former Vice President Dan Quayle’s endorse ment in South Carolina on Wfednesday as evidence that his political team still does n’t get it. BtTsh’s own surveys suggest that South Carolina voters, long tom between the Texas governor and conservative Steve Forbes, now lean toward McCain. They argue, however, that the family’s political legacy in South Carolina and the state’s older, more conservative voters will turn the polls around once McCain’s momentum subsides. The answer, they say, is to sharpen the distinctions between Bush and Mc Cain, particularly on taxes, campaign fi nance reform, abortion and the Arizo nan’s claim to be a political outsider. Bush hit McCain on all but abortion in New Hampshire, but one adviser said surro gates, direct mail and TV ads will be used in South Carolina to reinforce the dis tinctions. The political team was debating how to calibrate the attacks. Bush accused McCain on Thursday of practicing “ Wellington-style politics.” His campaign spotlighted veteran Thomas Burch, who told one Bush cjowd that McCain “foigot us” after returning from a Vietnam prisoner of war camp. The Texan also plans to turn to his fellow governors for support, though their ranks include Bush allies who are still baffled that his New Hampshire team did n’t take advantage of political troops they dispatched to the state. Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating said Bush must show voters “that he has just as much character and integrity as McCain.” Massachusetts Gov. Paul Cellucci, a strong Bush ally still convinced Bush will win, said, “I think his message will be sharpened now that he’s out of New Hampshire and that message must be that George Bush is the outsider, not John McCain.” Gore: Better prepared for Congress than Clinton was in 1992 by Sandra Sobieraj Associated Press Los ANGELES—Asked to defend the administration’s spotty record of work ing with Congress, Vice President A1 Gore suggested Thursday that his re sume makes him better prepared for the White House than Bill Clinton was in 1992. Democratic rival Bill Bradley, work ing the other end of California, kept up his focus on differences between Gore and himself. At a San Francisco rally, he said national health care “has been a part of the Democratic platform for 50 years” and is “one of those issues in this campaign that distinguishes me from A1 Gore.” Gore, he said, “doesn’t have any • plan to get to universal health care.” Bradley’s hopes fora spectacular bayside rally with the Golden Gate Brieve as backdrop fell through because of ram. Instead, more than 1,000 peo ple jammed a restaurant to hear his re marks. Gore was in southern California with Gov. Gray Davis, touring Digital Domain and inspecting the firm’s special-effects technology being used to put together “The Red Planet,” a W Kilmer film due in June. Gore noted with a bit of envy: “Must be a fun place to work.” Californians, he said, “will have a very decisive voice in picking the Democratic nominee.” The state, wliich holds its primary on March 7, has 367 of the 2,170 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. In a question-and-answer session with employees, film editor Bill Brier told the vice president he was dis appointed with the Clinton-Gore ad ministration’s record with a resistant ~ - Democrats see page m Bauer to quit GOP race by Ron Fournier Associated Press Washington — Gary Bauer, the jani tor’s son who served in Ronald Reagan’s White House and mounted a presiden tial bid of his own, has decided to drop out of the race, a source close to the con servative activist said today. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bauer plans to an nounce the move at a news conference Friday morning. Bauer is a well-established social con servative who fared well in presidential debates, needling front-runner George W. Bush on abortion and China policy. He also had some success raising money, primarily through a large network of small donors built during his work as a con servative activis&n Washington. Bauer had trouble carving out a con stituency in a crowded field of GOP con servatives. He could not climb above 1 per cent in the critical New Hampshire pri mary. With his wife Carol at his side, he conceded that contest Tuesday night, and said the voters of New Hampshire “have not endorsed me but without hesitation I endorse them as being great citizens.” Bauer has struggled to even make a dent in national polls, and finished in fourth place in the Iowa caucuses, ahead of only Sen. Onin Hatch of Utah, who has since dropped out of the race, and Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who did not campaign in Iowa at all. “Gary is having a news conference on Friday. That’s all we’re saying about it,” said spokesman Tim-Goeglein. He would be the sixth Republican —DresidentiaLcandidateto drnn out. News Briefs ■ Seton Hall to place sprinklers in 2 dorms South Orange, N J. (AP) — Seton Hall University has announced that it will install sprinkler systems immediately in its two dormitories that lack them, in cluding one where a recent blaze killed three students. Three 18-year-old freshmen died in the Jan. 19 fire at Boland Hall. No charges have been filed, though The Star-Ledger of Newark reported Wednesday that in vestigators believe the fire was set. University spokeswoman Lisa Grid er discussed the sprinklers Wednesday, but referred all questions about the re port to the Essex County prosecutor’s office. Executive Assistant Prosecutor Charlotte Smith said her office would not comment on it. The newspaper said investigators be lieve'the fire, which injured more than 60 students, may have resulted from a feud between a group of students and non students who were in the building the night of the blaze. It said they had not concluded whether the third-floor lounge fire was started as a prank or an attempt to harm someone. A student resident adviser had asked three visitors to leave Boland Hall less than an hour before the fire broke out. Investigators said they believe one of the three remained in the building, located on the campus of the 9,200-student Ro man Catholic university. ■ U.S. fighter planes strike Iraqi air defense system Ankara, Turkey (AP) — U.S. war planes bombed an Iraqi air defense sys tem in response to artillery fire Thursday as they patrolled a no-fly zone over north ern Iraq, the U.S. military said. The U.S. planes hit a site near Bashiqah, about 250 miles north of Bagh dad, the Germany-based U.S. European Command said in a statement. All of the planes, based at Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, left the area safely, the statement said. The incident was the eighth con frontation between U.S. jets and Iraqi forces in northern Iraq this year. ■ Blair threatens to disband North Ireland’s cabinet London (AP) — Britain will strip pow er from Northern Ireland’s fledgling Protestant-Catholic administration with in days unless the Irish Republican Army promises to disarm, the government an nounced today. Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Man delson said he would introduce legisla tion Friday transferring power bachito London from Belfast. But the process would take several days and could be stopped if developments warranted, he emphasized. Mandelson’s statement was delivered to the House of Commons in London and watched closely by politicians in Belfast and Dublin. It was designed to buy a lit tle more time for those struggling day and night to defuse the crisis that is on the verge of derailing Northern Ireland’s peace process. As Parliament heard the announce ment, Irish prime minister Bertie Ah em left Dublin for southern England to discuss the peace process with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. “We cannot partially implement the Good Friday agreement,” Mandelson said. “It is all or it is nothing.” ■ Woman gives birth to triplets for 2nd time Baltimore (AP) — Defying odds of about one in 50 million, a woman has giv en birth to triplets for the second time in less than two years. Crystal Comick, 19, who was not us ing fertility drugs, gave birth Tuesday to her fourth, fifth and sixth children at the University of Maryland Hospital. Doc tors say Comick and her babies should be able to go home in a week or two. Comick and her fiance, Richard Williams, 22, said they were in shock when they learned they were having triplets again. “I was at work, she called me... and said we’re having triplets. I said, ‘No, you’re lying, stop lying,”’ Williams said. The children, Ariel, Tyler and Tyree, were in stable condition this morning in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.