European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 4, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes saturday february 4,1989 pilots in b-1b crash misjudged height of says Washington a the air Force said Friday that it lost one of its new b-1b bombers in a crash last fall because the Pilot and co Pilot lost track of their Altitude while attempting an instrument Landing. The Accident which occurred nov. 17at Ellsworth fab s.d., destroyed the $280 million plane. The four crewmen ejected safely. The crash was the third involving production Model b-1b in 14 months leaving the air Force with 97 of its Origi Nal 100 planes. The Accident report released by the strategic air come was unusually direction citing Crew error. The bomber s Pilot a highly qualified instructor aircraft commander allowed the aircraft to descend below the published minimum descent Altitude for the approach being flown and the plane hit a Power line and poles More than a half mile from the runway the report said. It said the plane  Pilot failed to advise the Pilot that he was too Low. It col. George Peck a spokesman for said Friday that no disciplinary action had been taken against the Crew. He declined to speculate whether any would be. The aircraft commander was  c. Skillman of Bellmeade . His co Pilot that night was capt. Mick r. Guthals of los Alamos . Also aboard were capt. Graver  of Aiken s.c., the offensive sys tem operator and maj. Dean c. Spray gins an instructor defensive system operator from Voorheesville . The crash at Ellsworth occurred at 10 40 . Local time. While the weather conditions were cold and foggy with alow Cloud ceiling another b-1b landed safely just moments before the crash the report said. It said that neither aircraft nor engine icing was a contributing Factor tothe Accident and that maintenance and other records revealed no other factors leading to the mishap. Skillman and Guthals were making their second attempt to land that night having broken off an earlier approach. On the second try Skillman had lev eled the plane off at 3,480 feet the minimum Altitude specified for that run Way and approach but then allowed it to Drift lower the report said. After a unidentified crewman called out Alti tude the Pilot applied additional Power to arrest his descent. The plane remained level or in slight descent for five seconds and then commenced an uninterrupted descent seven seconds later the right Wing. Struck and sheared three wooden 1 Monitor poles the investigators wrote. The four engine swing Wing b-1b Isth first addition to America s manned bomber Force in More than 25 years. The plane is designed to fill the Gap Between the aging Fleet of b-52 bombers and the new b-2 stealth bomber. The b-1b, built by Rockwell International corp., has a maximum Speed of about 1,000 Mph and a Range of More than 7,000 Miles. Lawmaker not kidding about votes St. Paul Minn. A a state lawmaker has proposed that12-year-Olds be allowed to vote in state elections saying argument against her Bill Are the same ones once used by opponents of voting rights for women and Blacks. It s kind of an adult supremacist attitude state rep. Phyllis Kahn said thursday As she introduced her Bill calling for a constitutional amendment to be placed on the state ballot for the 1990 general election. Do i think it s going to be in stantly agreed upon and pass no said Kahn a member of the demo cratic Farmer labor party from Minneapolis. I think it s a concept that people have to think  it did t take much thinking foursome legislators like rep. Bernie Omann an Independent Republican from St. Joseph to dismiss the proposal which has been dubbed the kiddie vote Bill. Kahn who holds a doctorate i biophysics from Yale and a Mas Ter s degree from Harvard acknowledged that she and the Bill Senate author Donna Peterson did have much More in mind than Chil Dren s suffrage. I think that giving children the right to vote is an essential part of giving them additional political benefits. This route is just a Little less paternalistic she said. Helena blast site residents return Home Helena Mont. A thousands of people returned to their Homes after spectacular Railroad explosion and fire but a dangerous Power shortage caused by blast damage threatened the Community Friday As temperatures ranged to 38below Zero. We be got to minimize Power usage right Down to the last Light bulb said Leroy Lamach Helena division Engineer for Montana Power co. It s that  As wind chills dipped to 70 below Zero National guard and air Force troops relieved local firefighters late thursday to Monitor the explosion scene overnight and extinguish the last stub born fires. We re just going to keep pouring water on it All night said sgt. Ron Weber a National guardsman stationed in Helena. The cars that were the most threatening Are now huge  the wreckage continued to smolder Friday morning said Paul Spengler Lewis and Clark county disaster services coordinator. The temperature at 7  29 degrees below Zero. Bitter cold that swept Down out of Alaska was indirectly responsible for the pre Dawn explosions that rocked Montana s capital thursday severing Power lines and showering neighbourhoods with debris. Authorities said the Accident occurred when Railroad workers tried to switch locomotives on a freight train because the Heater in one locomotive had failed. Forty eight freight cars rolled away during the switch travelling nine Miles site of rail car derailment and explosion Montana is into Helena before derailing and blowing into a propane tank. The tank exploded authorities said igniting a rail car filled with highly Flam Mable Hydrogen peroxide. But a second Hydrogen peroxide filled car was coated with ice in the frigid cold apparently preventing it from exploding. The owner of the propane tank said Friday that his tank did not explode. Only two minor injuries were reported which Spengler termed Mirac Ulous adding we Are All speculating what a disaster we d have had if that had happened at the Rush  the explosions in Helena scattered de Bris for a Quarter mile radius showering a nearby College and sending a 1,500-Pound coupling unit through a dormitory roof. Windows were blasted out of Homes and businesses up to two Miles away. About 2,000 residents were evacuated within a Square mile area around the blast site As the tempera Ture hovered near 30 below Zero. Power was knocked out in parts of he Lena for up to six hours. By thursday night the evacuation order had been lifted although parts of neighbourhoods near the blast site remained without Power. Lamach said the Strain on substation carrying rerouted Power was so heavy that any further problems could Force rolling blackouts throughout the City. North trial judge Gesell approves 32 for jury panel  map afar fun. Us us Washington a after four Days of questioning prospective jurors the judge and lawyers in Oliver North s Iran Contra trial Are learning that even in this news Hub there Are people who Don t give a darn about what s happening. By the noon recess Friday . District judge Gerhard a. Gesell had declared 24 women and eight men ignorant enough of North s 1987 congressional testimony to earn them a shot at being on the jury. Gesell wants a panel of 50 from Whicha jury of 12 and six alternates will be chosen maybe next week. That pane will consist Only of those who convince the judge and lawyers that they did no watch North on television hear him on the radio or read about him in newspapers and magazines. Those chosen Friday included a woman who said she does t pay Atten Tion to news because it is  North lawyer Brendan Sullivan pressed her for her recollections of the six Days Dur ing which North testified before the Iran Contra investigative committees. At the a Mth use Senate hearings in the summerow 1987, the former Marine lieutenant Colo Nel detailed Many of the activities that Arenow charged to him As crimes. He was on to All Day Long on All morning All afternoon and rerun a night Sullivan said. It made me mad he was on All the channels the woman said. I did not look at it at All my Mother probably did. I Call her the news Media " a woman working As a military personnel clerk at the Pentagon qualified after testifying that i hate bad  stable currencies called Way to Cap interest rates 1\ t a r Vyt it a. T is t1��x to Washington up stabilizing Exchange rates Between major world currencies should permit interest rates to level off since inflationary pressures Donot seem to be increasing French finance minister Pierre Bergovoy said Friday. Finance ministers of the group of seven the United states West Ger Many Japan France Britain Italy an Canada met thursday and Friday to discuss the state of the world Economy and the external debt of Middle income developing countries  As those of latin America. Bergovoy told a news conference that items at the top of the Agenda included the rising Dollar upward pressures on interest rates and Trade imbalances be tween surplus countries  As West Germany and Japan and deficit coun tries  As the United states. Cooperation Between the Industrial countries needs to be strengthened to stabilize Exchange rates the minister said. If Exchange rates stabilize interest rates May Start leveling off and fall Levels of Long term interest rates Are satisfactory Bergovoy said. But there is pressure on Short term rates which Are on the Rise. The ministers examined charts which Snow that inflation is not accelerating in the industrialized nations Bergovoy said although the germans always worry about  the minister refused to discuss what Exchange rates would be acceptable to the g-7. Asked How the group would react to a rising Dollar he answered secrecy is the Best  g-7 meetings also Are examining ways of alleviating the debt of the devel Oping countries he said