European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 28, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday january 28,1989 the stars and stripes pages of ready to pin by b crash on Pilot error by the Washington Post Washington barely two minutes after air controllers cleared the b-1b bomber Kiska 51" to land at a South Dakota air base on a Cloudy night Las fall a voice in the control Tower barked he s Down. He s Down he s Down  we have a by that just crashed shouted another voice summoning the Rescue squad. Mayday May Day mayday the final confirmation noted yes we have a crash at Ellsworth air Force base in the overrun. It appears to be a by  All four Crew members ejected to safety seconds after the $280 million bomber slammed into three Utility poles and seconds before it erupted in flames Asit crashed 1,200 feet Short of the runway at the air base near rapid City. An air Force report released thursday said the bomber that crashed just after Midnight nov. 18 showed no signs of mechanical failure indicating the service is preparing to blame the mishap on Pilot error. Investigators reported however that the bomber Cut Short its training flight partially because of aircraft maintenance problems and deteriorating Wea ther missed its first Landing approach in the overcast weather and had requested an instrument Landing on its second and final runway approach. The report said the Crew of the Long Range strategic bomber aborted its training flight Halfway through a planned 6.4-hour Mission because of aircraft maintenance problems weather in the Low level route and Tanker cancellation for refuelling. About 20 minutes before Kiska 51" made its first Landing attempt controllers on the nearby Rushmore area control frequency noted that the Cloud ceiling inthe area was becoming dangerously Low. One controller reported to the Crew of Kiska 51,"that a civilian aircraft Landing in the area said the ceilings were at about 250 feet right now and  Kiska 51 the ceilings Are at what the control Tower then gave Kiska 51" and another by b bomber Tiger 02," permission to abort their missions and land Early. Kiska 51" aircraft commander maj. Thomas  missed his first Landing attempt but gave no indication of any malfunction in the minutes prior tothe crash. After one controller reported he went missed Guys the Tower controller said ask him if he would like All of the runway lights turned up on the next on with the  the second b-1b, Tiger 02," asked that the lights be turned up requested an instrument Landing an landed without incident. As Tiger 02" made its approach the one controller gave Kiska 51" a new heading and asked can you make one turn to final from there Kiska 51 a Well  minutes later a controller reported Kiska 51 heavy Bombe be advised the by front of you broke out of the Clouds. And he Felt the lights were  then Kiska 51 heavy. Cleared to  Kiska 51 Kiska 51 cleared to  for the next two minutes the transcript indicate radio communications went silent. Finally the Tower voice he s  the air Force released Only the portion of the report that provides factual technical details of the crash. The sections of the report containing the depositions of the Crew members and controllers involved in the incident remain classified. Air Force officials said they will release a second More detailed analytical account of the crash,.includ-ing More precise information on the cause within the next several weeks. The report gave no indication of any icing problem son the wings of the b-1b As previously reported by some news organizations but said the civilian aircraft that reported Low ceilings reported icing problems be cause of a broken window Heater. The air Force has not yet released any of its finding son another b-1b bomber that crashed 10 Days earlier at Dyess fab near Abilene Texas. Air Force official shave said that crash is believed to have been caused by a ruptured fuel line. Three a lbs have crashed since the aircraft went into service late in 1986, leaving the air Force with 97 of the bombers. Doe denies it May ease Plant safety Washington not the department of Energy is considering reducing safety requirements so it can Speed the reopening of the troubled reactors at its Savannah River Plant the chairman of a department safety advisory panel said thursday. But Doe s chief safety official objected vigorously and said the proposal to ease safety rules had been made by the contractor that runs the Plant . Dupont de Nemours & co., an was not under serious consideration by the department. The disagreement represents flare up in a longstanding dispute be tween the Energy department s officials responsible for safety and those who manage the production of weapons. See related Story Page 6. The Plant is the nation s Only source of tritium a radioactive form of Hydrogen used in nuclear War Heads. It has been out of production since april for safety reasons and resolving the question of Cooling the reactor in an emergency could take Man months. The department s safety official shave had great influence with the Energy Secretary John s. Herrington for the last four years but he departed with the Reagan administration. President Bush s Choice to Lead the department retired adm. James d. Watkins declined to discuss the Issue before he is confirmed in the Post by the Senate. A Senate committee is toehold a hearing on Watkins feb. 2. The proposal to ease the safety rules to make it easier to reopen the Savannah River Plant was disclosed at a Senate hearing by John f. Ahearne chairman of the Energy department s advisory committee on nuclear facility safety. Ahearne said the department s Savannah River operations office was trying very hard to make the Case that the definition of the worst possible Acci Dent the sudden break of a major Cool ing water pipe was unrealistic. The officials at the Plant near Aiken s.c., propose instead that the safety analysis should be based 9n the lesser danger posed by a leak in the . Nuclear Power Market Shaw of a i in percent of electrical Power produced hydroelectric Coal Oil natural Gas nuclear total plants number with Federal Low Power operating License per year 120 40 20 0 19767880 82 84 86 88 Chicago Tribune graphic pipe which would give warning of a impending break and allow time to shut the reactor he said. But the department of Energy Schief safety official Richard w. Sta Rostecki said in a Telephone interview that using the Standard for the lesser danger was Only a proposal by Dupont and was not under consideration by the department. I had a violent reaction to the idea he said. If the safety Standard was lowered the Plant could be reopened without completing an expensive program under Way to Analyse and improve equipment. American airlines raises fares As much As $40 per round trip new York in the first major change of fares since the airline Industry restructured its ticket Price schedules i november american airlines said thursday it has increased discount fares out of its Dallas fort Worth Hub by As much As $40 per round trip. Most other airlines said they would match the increases. The new fares which will affect Only 40of american s 5,000 routes Are apparently a reflection of excellent business. We an Al Zed the markets and found that we were not earning what those markets were Worth said Mary o Neill an american spokeswoman. Thus it seemed appropriate to take this  fares on 20 american routes to the Western United states will Rise effective with tickets purchased Friday while in creases on flights to other parts of the country Are to go into effect feb. 1. The Price of longer trips  As dal Las los Angeles and Dallas san Francisco will Rise by $40, but tickets for Shorter flights Dallas Cleveland for example will be raised Only $20 per round trip. The fare Between Dallas and los an Geles will Rise from $258 to $298 at off Peak times the airline said and from $298 to $338 for flights at Peak times. Dal Las Cincinnati fares will Rise from $238 to $258 off Peak and $278 to $298 Peak. The period from noon monday to noon thurs Day is considered off Peak by the airlines the fares being increased Are on Dis count tickets carrying significant restrictions. Reservations must be made at least 14days in Advance and the tickets must be paid for within 24 hours of making the reservation. A saturday night Stopover is also required. Analysts said they do not think that the increases portend across the boar Price increases by the nation s airlines but they said the moves Are significant i that they were taken during what is generally the bleakest part of the business year for the airline Industry. Any increased fares you can get i january have to be considered positive said Raymond Neidl airline analyst wit the new York research firm of Mccar thy Crisanti & Maffei. This is traditionally the slowest month of the slowest Quarter. Now we have to see if they can make these new fares stick. What Ameri can is telling us is that traffic and and Vance bookings Are stronger than it had been thought they would  Louis Marckesano airline analyst wit the Philadelphia brokerage of Janney Montgomery Scott said the new fares will have a meaningful effect on the Bottom line of the  american quietly put the fare changes into its computers late tuesday. Sands of time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Jan. 28, 1949 . West Pacific chief adm. Oscar Badger said an adequate number of Marine and naval units would be kept in China to protect . Citizens and other foreigners from uncontrolled  30 years ago foe a. Jan. 28, 1959 during the 21st Congress of the soviet communist party soviet Premier Nikita s. Khrushchev announced the soviet Union had launched production of intercontinental ballistic missiles. /20 years ago today. Jan. 28, 1969 at his first news conference As president Richard Nixon prom ised new tactics in the quest for a Vietnam War peace settlement and pledged an urgent Effort to Cool the Middle East situation. 10 years ago today. Jan 28, 1979 former vice president Nelson Rockefeller one of the 20thcentury s wealthiest and most influential men collapsed and died of a heart attack at his Rockefeller Center office in new York