European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 1, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 28 the stars and stripes sunday May 1,19880 blast on torn Jet linked to structural defect Kahului Hawaii a a structural failure and nol a. Bomb May have caused the big bang thai ripped open an Aloha airlines Jet injuring 61 people and apparently sucking a flight attendant from the Cabin to her death sources said Friday. The Boeing 737. Which was cruising at 24.000 feel an an Island hop from Hilo to Honolulu made a Safe emergency Landing at Kahului Airport thursday after flying about is minutes with 10 feel of its upper fuse Lage just behind the front passenger door torn away to he floor witnesses said one engine was on fire. There was a big bang when it happened and every body looked up and we were looking at Blue sky said passenger Bill Fink of Honolulu. The possibility of a bomb having exploded aboard the aircraft has been ruled out said one source in Washington speaking on condition of anonymity. The Federal aviation administration had ordered a close inspection of the upper skin of older Model Boe ing 737s including the Aloha Jet in october because of crack near where sections of Sheet Metal bunkers from Page 1 construction of deep underground bunkers Lun Nas secret subway lines and other facilities be Neath Moscow other soviet cities Aid the Sites of major military commands the boat said. As nuclear arsenals on both sides have be come larger and More potent these facilities have Wen expanded and have reached greater depth according to the Book. The of the program and the uncertainty about the extent Anu nature of these facilities Are major causes for underground program rivals soviet Offen Sive strategic weapons programs in Scalf and level of commitment and remains undiminished even As the soviets have agreed to limit their Ball Isic missile defences the report said. The Bun or facilities have extensive communications systems and also have life support sys tems to protect personnel front chemical and biological attack which Wilt enable the soviet leadership to carry out military operations for Many months / the United states has do comparable facilities and it would be almost impossible to begin a similar pro Jcj on the scale of the soviet Initia Tive Carlucci admit cd. J but he Saick Lac United states is working on measures to counter the Broth action afforded so Viet leaders of. The underground facilities at considerably is Cost Ihan the soviets have spent on building them he would not elaborate on what those Mea sures arc. 3 j the detailed ably so of the Bunker network is the most significant addition to this year s ver Sion of soviet Miu Lafy Power Pentagon officials noted that the soviets seem to be moving Forni introducing new systems to perfecting existing pics which accounts for the shortage of new Devilo Prennis in the Book. But the Book Dos detail continued testing and deployment of us full Range of soviet Mili tary systems Over me fast year. Highlights incl do initial deployment of about 10 rail based 55-24 ballistic Jissi Lellbach with 10 warheads and the ss-n-2f sea last Chad cruise missile sys tem. A introduction of the ucar a bomber armed with the As ii Long rank nuclear armed cruise missile. The uhf Ching of he new a Luckock strategic bombers imminent he report said. Deployment of new typhoon and Delia in ballistic Mifaile submarines carrying ss-n-20 and ss-n-2j missiles respectively. Widespread Fielding of he lairs generation of fighter aircraft and conventional forces including inc Mig-29 fulcrum Mig-31 Fox hound Su-27 flanker and Lhotj-80 Battle tank. Additionally the soviets Sll Are modernizing inc ballistic missile defense Yiem around mos cow. A they also have made their sl-16 medium lift space launch vehicle operational and have begun testing the sl-x-17 heavy lift space launch vehicle designed to directly compete with the . Space shuttle program. Overlap and had warned such cracks could cause rapid Cabin decompression according to Faa officials in Washington. We Are in full compliance with the october directive Stephanie Ackermann Aloha airlines spokeswoman said Friday. She said the inspections have been done As outlined by the Faa and turned up nothing unusual. Faa records also showed that the Aloha plane had extensive repair work done o mend cracks and corroded Metal twice in 1983, but most of thai work involved problems with he lower half of the plane which seemed not to be involved in thursday s Inci Dent. A source close o the Accident probe in Washington said investigators arc focusing on whether a structural failure such As Metal fatigue or corrosion might have caused the air plane s skin to tear causing rapid de compression. One theory i that Strong winds May then have ripped away the huge upper Section of the fuselage from just behind the front door to within a few feel of the Wing sources said. Investigators also believe that it is unlikely that an engine failure played a significant part in the plane tearing apart a source said. Meanwhile a coast guard Cutler and helicopter searched the Pacific Ocean South and Southeast of Maul for anything associated with the explosion of flight 243," according to spokesman Brad Nelson. Searchers had been unable to locale night attendant of arable b. Lansing of Honolulu a 37-year Veteran with the airline or any debris from the plane. Nelson said. Aloha officials said they believe Lansing was sucked out of the plane when it rapidly decompressed alter the explosion. Passengers held onto another flight attendant so she would not be sucked out of the open plane according to passenger Dan Dennin a Honolulu Salesman. Seven of the injured remained at Maul memorial Hospital on Friday. One was in critical condition and one in guarded condition. First Navy comic of support ships will get women in afe summer Washington is the first group of women 10 be assigned to combat logistics ship under new guidelines that opened up thousands of Navy jobs to females will report for duty Laic this summer. Pentagon officials said Friday. Two female officers and 22 female enlisted personnel will report to the Fleet oilers Cimarron based in part Harbor Hawaii in August and the Monongahela based in Norfolk a. In september said cmdr. Bob Nicha o defense department spokesman these two ships wire selected because they require the least modification to accommodate Nicha said. Further assignments of women to combat logistics ships will continue at a gradual Pace from december 1988 through july 1991, As ship alterations Are completed and operational requirements warrant he said. Former Secretary of the Navy James Webb announced last december that the service would open about 9,000 billets on 27 ships to women Over the nest few years. There Are about 5,000 billets aboard ships now open to women according to Navy statistics. The Navy has about 54,000 women on Active duty representing about 9 per cent of he Force. The policy also opens about 500 positions on Orion up 3 reconnaissance aircraft to women and they will begin receiving assignments to those slots in october 1988, pin Cha said. The Navy responding to mounting congressional Prev sure to open More naval combat support positions to women made the changes based on recommendations contained in a study group s report on How females Are assigned in the sea service. At the heart of the a new definition of combat Mission in Navy regulations. Ships will have a combat Mission if one of its primary objectives is to seek out engage the enemy uie Navy study said. Navy officials said that will still bar women from serv ing on combat logistics ships steaming with Battle groups. But other support ships carrying ammunition stores or fuel such As the Cimarron and Monongahela Only make shuttle runs to Battle groups meaning women arc eligible to serve aboard them. Raise from Paget Board raise and i hts Lei Dod to sort out the quarters allowances As a separate initiative and report Back to us on what should be done."1,. V differences Between the House us Senate commit tee pay plans will Hove to be worked a than conference later this year. ""t4fofficer-Cijli situation in Light of inc in report and Hift Salacone s voluntary plan he thinks the House will go Alan Vilh the Senate committee s wishes for a waiver or Teone year rather than a Complete repeal of All rom air congressionally Man dated cuts. A the Senate Bill contains the goods weight limit increase that is in the House Bill which guarantees its inclusion in the final version of the Leiv lation. The provision Calls for new weight tables with separate limits for married and single personnel to Lake effect in May 1989. Aid from Page 1 vessel flying a non belligerent Flag that Are not carry ing contraband or resisting legitimate visit and s Ofifi by a persian Gulf belligerent he said following a request from the vessel under attack assistance will be rendered by . Warships or aircraft if they Are in the Vicinity and their Mission permits rendering such assistance he said. No increase in current . Force Levels in the persian Gulf is anticipated he added. The United states maintains 12 to 17 ships in the Gutsal any one time said a Pentagon spokesman. Carluci said the Aid is a logical and humanitarian outgrowth of recent events in the Gulf but it should not be interpreted As a tilt in either direction in the Iran Iraq War. Our policy has been and will continue to be one of strict neutrality he said. We want this War to end. We want to see an end to the Wanton waste of human life that has characterized this Carlucci said the policy would go into effect once the linked Stales has informed those free world non belligerent countries that maintain shipping inter ests in the
