European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 28, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday february 28,1988 the stars and stripes pages army probes fiery Texas copter crash Dallas a military investigators set up Camp in a North Texas cow pasture where an army helicopter crashed after catching fire in flight the death toll reaching 10 soldiers with eight injured. A special investigative team from for trucker. Ala., searched in a Light Mist for pieces of the twin Rotor ch-47dchinook, a Workhorse cargo helicopter with a history of mechanical problems. We Don t have any information about what happened on Board. The army is investigating the crash but any thing else i Tell you would be either Rumor or speculation said capt. Michael Monnet of fort Hood North of Austin. The copter was in route to fort Hoo from fort Sill. Okla., when it went Down thursday about 50 Miles Northwest of fort Worth. The death toll reached 10 Friday when a Soldier died at Brooke army medical Center in san Antonio. Fort Sill spokesman Richard brow said Friday that the unit commander grounded the base s seven remaining ch-47d Chinook helicopters and or dered inspections. Three soldiers from fort Sill were among those killed. Fort Hood officials said no decision had been made on whether to ground its Fleet of chinooks. A Soldier who leaped 35 feet from the burning Craft before it crashed said a fire had broken out at its Tail and that the soldiers had tried to move to the front to gel away from the flames. Department of Public safety sgt. Robert Rankin said. Officials at fort Hood and fort Sill would not comment on reports that the helicopter had undergone repairs hours before it crashed. The army grounded its entire Fleet of63 chinooks for i months in 1985 after an Accident injured eight soldiers. The Cii-i7d, which has a troop capacity of 44. Is a modernized version of the Craft used extensively in Vietnam. Monnett said five crewmen from fort Sill had flown the Craft to fort Hood a trip of approximately 300 Miles to pickup 13 soldiers for training at the Oklahoma Post. The helicopter went Down on the return flight. A Pentagon source who spoke on condition of anti enmity said army officials investigators Check the wreckage of the ci1-47d Chinook helicopter that crashed 50 Miles Northwest of fort Worth Texas. Had been told there was some maintenance work done on the ground after the Chinook landed at fort  but whether that s germane to any thing remains to be seen the official added. The investigators will have to Check into that. There s no indication pc that mechanics worked on something at Hood that later could have caused a  another 1  official said there was no evidence of an explosion aboard the helicopter while it was Hying Only of a fire. The aircraft appears by and Large to have been intact when it hit the ground said that source. An army source said in Washington that the Pilot and co Pilot were both chief warrant officers and that Means these Guys had been around  these were not beardless youth flying this chopper. You almost always get an experienced Crew when you get on a cd 47," the army source said. The tight Security around the investigation even extended to the injured sol Diers one of whom told the a from his bed at Dallas Parkland memorial hos Pital that he had been ordered not to talk about the Accident. Sec. Frank a. Prather. 33, of fort Sill and Daylong Beach. Fla. Said he could not even discuss his medical condition. Witnesses said the helicopter was tilted Forward at a 45-Dcgrcc Angle puffing smoke and descending rapidly when it sliced through a Power line and went Down. All of a sudden a Little thin Streak of smoke came out of it and there was Small explosion on the right Side under Neath it said Joe Hawon who was working near the crash site. Then it put out a Little More smoke Anil it Lew straight for a ways then parts went to coming out of  some of them injured were just sit Ting there  said 17-year-old Dale Christopher a Chico High school student who was among the first on the scene. And they kept asking us help us. Help us and then we d say help is on the Way that s All we could do for  actress angered As bail set at $ 100 for attacker . Paso. Texas a actress Tracy Scogins was attacked in a hotel elevator while in town to serve As a co Host of the miss Usa pageant police said Friday. Scogins who played Monica Colby in the Abc series the Colby suffered bruises in the attack thursday night said police it. . Grijalva. She did not re quire medical attention. Antonio Garcia 35, was charged with attempted sexual assault and released on $100 bail set by associate magistrate Adolfo Romero Grijalva said. Scoggins expressed outrage at the Low bail. What that says to me is that a Man like this can save himself a whole expensive night of dinner and dancing and just pay 100 to assault the woman of his Choice she said. That s a pretty Good  police said Garcia had followed Scog gins to her hotel and into the elevator. He pulled Down the front of her eve Ning gown and attempted to sexually As Sault her Grijalva said. She was Able to fight him off and when the door opened she was Able to gel out and Call for  hotel guests pulled the Man out of the elevator and held him until hotel Security and police arrived Grijalva said. The incident occurred As Scoggins was returning to her hotel from a taping of the miss Usa evening gown and swim suit competitions. Miss Usa will be crowned tuesday night in a nationally broadcast pageant. Earlier Friday an animal rights activist disrupted a news conference by pageant co Host Alan Thicke who replaced Bob Barker As the pageant s Host after Barker resigned last month to protest the giving away of fur Coats As prizes. It was just one in a series of bumps on the Way to tuesday s nationally televised Beauty contest. Miss Minnesota Usa and her runner up dropped out after it was Dis closed they had been arrested on shoplift ing charges. Another contestant is awaiting trial on Drunken driving charges. Miss Usa s prizes will include a full length Mink Coal and a Mink jacket. The Las Cruces n.m., and Elpaso chapters of Sangry do Cristo animal rights plan to picket the Elpaso convention Center during the pageant to protest the fur prizes. The activists say fur farming and trapping arc cruel activities that should be stopped. Bob Young the picket organizer and president of the group s Las Cruces Chap Ter has criticized Thicke for what recalls his hypocrisy in hosting the pageant. Thicke ends his weekly children s show animal crack  with the admonishment Here s hoping you will be kind to  Thicke appeared eager to address the charges at Friday s news conference. He said he prefers to work within the system instead of causing More abrasion in what is potentially a conflict live  do some of the things that we do such As meet with lobbyists and  he did not  the eight groups. At that Point. Young stepped in front of Thicke and held up a poster of a Rac Coon caught in a leg trap. Do your eight groups go along with this Young said holding up the poster. I m addressing All of that  Thicke said. Your eight groups i d like to know what those groups arc and if they go along with this Young said. I m sure they would be Happy to give you an Opportunity to speak when i m done Thicke said. As or. Reagan once said i paid for this microphone in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Feb. 28, 1948 president Truman was greeted by crowds of cheering thousands on a trip to san Juan puerto Rico. 30 years ago today. Feb. 28, 1958 tunisian president Habib Bourguiba called on the nato pow ers to intervene to end the conflict in Algeria where France was battling to put Down a nationalist rebellion 20 years ago today. Feb. 28, 1968. A cuban ship put three would be defectors overboard in a Rowboat rammed it and opened fire on the men apparently killing them five Miles beyond . Territorial limits in Waters off Portsmouth a. J 0 years ago today. Feb. 28, 1978 Federal authorities investigated allegations that cuban Premier Fidel Castro provided part of the Start up Money for an american banking firm that laundered Money for the cocaine Trade