European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 18, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Navy probing Landing accidents of f/a-18 tighter by Norman Black Washington a Navy investigators have begun a special review of six Landing accidents this year involving the new f/a-18 Jet fighter. The review was prompted in pail by the death of a Pilot earlier this month. Cmdr. Ken Dell Pease a Navy spokesman confirmed the Start of the special review on monday. Me stressed that the f/a-18, the Navy s newest front line fighter had not been grounded and said the service suspects that the accidents May have been caused by Pilot tech  Pease refused to discuss the relationship of the special probe to the death on dec. 3 of capt. Henry m. Rice Man the officer who led the August 1981 Mission in which two soviet made libyan fighters were shot Down Over inc Gulf of Sidra. But a source who demanded anonymity said there was a lot of emotion within Klyeman s Squadron about what happened to him and the Navy is always going to err on the Side of caution when you be got a group of concerned  Klicman was killed during a Landing at Miramar Nas in California. After touching Down on a wet run Way his f/a-18 rolled about 5,000 feet and then Sud Denly swerved to the right spun around 360 degrees and ran off the runway and flipped Over. He had approximately 50 hours of experience in the plane nicknamed the Hornet. Prior to Klyeman s death the Navy a j reported five accidents this year involving ground landings of the Hor net which Cost roughly si9 million apiece. No one w injured in those accidents. The Navy maintains that two of those five can be differentiated from the others but acknowledges that the remainder involved a loss of control during Landing in crosswinds or on wet runways. According to Pease the Navy believes the problems can be traced to pilots who arc moving up from the older f-4s and f-l4s to the f/a-18. Experts say it is very easy in the latter to overreact with the control stick to compensate for crosswinds or wet landings because the of a 18 has More sophisticated computers assisting the Pilot. For example with this plane the computers arc automatically correcting for crosswinds Pease said. The plane will go where you direct it regardless of Cross winds. It s Tike going from a car with a stick shift and regular brakes to one Wilh Power steering and Power  the spokesman also cited statistics that he said sup port a claim that the f/a-18 has the Best safely record of any new plane Ever introduced into the  nevertheless Pease said a team of Navy investigators As Well As employees of the Mcdonnell Douglas corp., which makes the plane have begun a special review of the accidents. The Navy times an Independent newspaper based in Springfield va., reported the Start of the probe. Wednesday december 18, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 3 dutch court orders truckers to end Border blockades by of a Poitier Bremerhaven Bureau Rotterdam Netherlands a dutch court tuesday ordered striking truck Drivers to end their two Day blockade of Border Crossings into Holland. The action is expected to remove delays for .  trying to reach or leave the vehicle processing Center in Rotterdam. The Benelux terminal in Rotterdam handles about 1.800 privately owned vehicles each year said Adrian a. Melsert operations manager for the port facility. Because of massive traffic tie  at Border Cross Ings and actions by the truck Drivers to Block major intersections and Bridges. Mils cart had recommended delaying a trip to the Rotterdam facility. In an interview before the court order was handed Down mils cart said Pov traffic is possible but i would t recommend it to anybody a court in utrecht tuesday evening ordered truck Drivers to Stop the Border blockades the associated press reported. Most Crossings were blocked monday by dutch truck Drivers who want their wages to be indexed to the Cost of living As Well As full pay during periods of hospitalization. The truck Drivers action was directed against truck traffic but delays were reported for All vehicles using the Border Crossings. Most military and government personnel using the shipping facility arc from shape Headquarters Bel Gium and Camp new Amsterdam Holland mels Crl said. About 5 percent of the Pov traffic comes from locations in Germany he said. Military shipping was relatively unaffected by the strike Mcl Serl said. Barges arc a preferred method of shipping military cargo to the rein River cities of main and Mannheim he said. Trucks Block dutch Border crossing at Venlo. Pershing if test in Florida measures readiness of military missile Crews Cape canaveral Fla. Tupi a Pershing ii missile was launched monday on an apparently successful test flight the first in a series to test the combat readiness of missile Crews based in West Germany. The eight ton intermediate Range missile equipped with a Dummy warhead streaked away from its Mobile launcher at the Cape canaveral air Force station at 8 03 . Est on a flight to an unknown target in the Atlantic Ocean. The missile was fired by a team of soldiers flown to Cape canaveral from West Germany the soldiers who have been in Florida since thanksgiving weekend running mock countdowns did nol know monday s test was the real thing unlit just a few minutes before launch. The exact Range and flight duration were classified these arc operational tests so i m restricted in what i can Tell you said Dave Harris a spokesman for the army s Redstone Arsenal in hunks Villa Ala. But Harris said it was a Long Range  the Maxi mum Range of a $2.5 million Pershing ii is about  Miles. It was the 23rd Pershing ii Tecsi firing. Submit contract bids Admiral tells europeans by Dave Diehl . Burrau London Competition among overseas companies for department of de sense contracts should make for a More ready and More affordable Navy the serv ice s top procurement officer said tues Day. Rear . Stuart f. Plait the Navy s Competition advocate general said at a press conference that including foreign companies in competitive bidding for de sense contracts will make suppliers More efficient. That should lower their contract prices and Lead to lower costs to the Navy he said. Platt who is based in Washington is in England this week to meet ministry of defense officials and British defense Industry representatives. The readiness of the Navy s current Fleet and the readiness of its proposed 600 ship Fleet can be related to costs. Plait said. Affordability is a readiness Issue he said. We can t put them ships to sea and maintain them and keep them ready if the Price is too  the Admiral said the Navy is encouraging bids for contracts from overseas companies to Supply parts and equipment. Al though there is no limit to the size of contracts that can be awarded. Plait said it is unlikely thai . Warships Ever would be built in foreign ports As a result of the program. One of the reasons for plan s visit is to help advertise to european companies thai the Navy is interested in doing business with them. Platt said the service s Campaign is in line with Navy and Dod plans to award More contracts through competitive bid Ding. In fiscal year 1985, the Navy awarded almost 70 percent of its contracts through Competition versus 50 percent in fiscal 1984 and .10 percent in 198. He said. The amount of Money for competitive contract awards has doubled in recent years plan said. Raid ends poker game in Vogel Weh housing area by Dick Hodgson kaisers Eulern Bureau Kaiserslautern . Forces police confiscated More than si6,000 and 4,000 Marks during a raid on a poker game in a military housing area air Force officials said. Thirteen people involved in the game were apprehended at the Vogel Weh housing area dec. 4. No charges have been filed and the investigation is continuing said maj. James Dilda Ramstein a spokesman. Four of the 13 were Milc vol cos two were retired military members six were . Civilians and one was a German Dilda said. The two army and iwo air Force members were re leased to their commanders. Because the military docs not have criminal jurisdiction Over civilians the other nine were released. However the civilians employed by the military could be subject to disciplinary action in their jobs Dilda said. About $900 Worth of Cash and chips found on the table during the raid was retained for evidence in the Case Dilda said. The remaining Money was returned to its owners. The gambling raid was the first involving americans in Kaiserslautern in More than two years he said. Dilda said military regulations prohibit Mucsi forms of gambling on government property. Military members involved in such activity arc subject to court martial. The Only types of gambling allowed arc Bingo Slot machines and Casino nights conducted in official military clubs he said