European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes saturday August 18,1990 f-15 canopy linked to near collision by Deedee arr1ngton Dok Kaiserslautern Bureau an f-15 Pilot s Yiew of an oncoming Airliner was partly blocked by a portion of his canopy shortly before the two planes nearly collided last May 17th air Force officials say. An examination of the f-15 after the incident also revealed a faulty radar receiver a recently released report said. But officials would not speculate whether the radar malfunction had any effect at that moment when the near collision occurred. The report was conducted to obtain information that might prevent Acci army alcohol policy. M extended to civilians by Rosemary Sawyer staff writer supervisors can now ask their . Civilian employees to submit to blood alcohol tests when they suspect the on duty workers have had too much to drink. And employees arc deemed to have consented to such tests by accepting logistical support from the military according to a Usa eur policy introduced earlier this year. Logistical support includes commis sary and Exchange privileges and Usa eur licenses and plates. The policy applies to appropriated and non appropriated fund workers but it does not include contract work ers and local nationals. If a supervisor believes alcohol has impaired an employee s ability to work he or she will have the employee escorted to the nearest . Medical facility or Law enforcement Agency for a blood alcohol level or blood alcohol Content test according to the policy. Reasonable cause for ordering the tests includes observing that the employee has difficulty in performing common motor functions and noticing the odor of intoxicants on the employee s breath according to the policy. Workers who refuse to be tested or whose blood alcohol level exceeds Usa eur limits could be disciplined. Depending on severity such discipline can Range from the supervisor s asking the employee to use an Nual leave and go Home to suspension or dismissal. The Community can also take disciplinary action by revoking such privileges As commissary and Exchange shopping or taking away an employee s Usa eur Driver s License. The policy said the civilian employee s blood alcohol Content is not to reach 0.05 percent or higher while on duty. The 0.05 percentage rep resents 50 milligrams of alcohol in . By consuming two drinks in an hour a 160 to 180-Pound person can push his blood alcohol Content to 0.05. A 120-Pound person drinking the same two drinks could have a 0.08 level. Twelve ounces of Beer 5 ounces of wine or 1 a ounces of 80-proof liquor arc considered one drink. Usa eur and 7th army com Mander Gen. Crosbie e. Saint introduced the policy March 17 because he wanted a civilian policy that mirrored the policy for soldiers Usa eur spokesman capt. Dee Jopson said. The blood alcohol Standard for civil ians is the same As for soldiers. An exception to the alcohol policy May be made for special ceremonies held during work hours the policy said. Generals and Community com Manders Grant exceptions for such functions. Nimitz sailors punished for nuke safety allegations san Diego a four sailors have lost their clearance to work on nuclear ships because they publicly questioned nuclear reactor program safety on the aircraft Carrier Simiu instead of Tell ing superiors Navy officials said. The sailors have been temporarily As signed to the ship s engineering depart ment received pay cuts and will eventually be assigned to another Post because the Navy no longer trusts them to work around reactors a Navy spokesman cmdr. Bob pilchard said thursday. The commanding officer lost Confidence in their ability to perform Pritchard said. They would be made available for reassign ment to another ship or installation de pending on their  but family members awaiting the Nimit s arrival Friday at Nas North Island near san Diego contend the Navy made scapegoats of the men without adequately investigating their complaints. Correction directions to the Rosso Bianco museum in a Schaffenburg were incorrect in this week s stripes Maga Ine. To find the Auto museum take either the East or. West  exit off autobahn a3 Frankfurt our Burthen follow the signs marked  there Are too Many questions they Don twant answered. I wonder what the Navy is afraid of said Rima Puma the Mother of machinist mate 2nd class Steven Puma. Puma and three shipmates told a Seattle television station on aug. 2 that Crew Mem Bers cheated on exams to compensate for their inadequate training. They also said test results for radiation leaks were fabricated and that faulty hardware was installed on the Nimit based in Bremerton Wash. The four also threatened to sabotage the vessel s reactors to draw attention to their complaints. The names of the other three sailors have not been released. A joint investigation by several naval agencies found no evidence to support the allegations made and concluded that the ship s reactors Are Safe and that the Crew is qualified to operate them Pritchard said. But the probe did reveal that some sailors cheated on exams that covered their technical knowledge. A handful of Guys admitted they looked on their buddies test paper during one exam Pritchard said. However there was no finding that would Call into question the qualification and capability of the Crew cooperate the propulsion Plant  Nimit. Capt. Robert c. Williamson or dered the tour sailors into protective custody As the ship was leaving its Home port. They were released aug. 8 after the ship sailed. Pritchard said. Dents not to determine the cause officials said. Procedural improvements Are being sought to prevent such incidents a 17th air Force official said. He would not elaborate. The f-15 was heading Northwest As it returned to Tilburg a West Germany from a training Mission May 10. The encounter took place in late morning at about 9,000 feet near the City of Hermes Keil. Three of the approximately 15 Passen Gers aboard the Dan air flight suffered minor injuries when the airline Pilot Sud Denly dipped the Hawker Siddeley 748 aircraft to avoid hitting the f-15. The fighter Pilot pulled his plane up and passed Over the Airliner. The f-15 Pilot it. Col. David l. Sonnenberg commands the 22nd tac fighter so at Pitburg. A second f-15 was close by when the near collision occurred but Only one fighter Jet had to take evasive action the Dan air flight was headed South West in route from Berlin to Saa Briick in. The Pilot capt. Robert j. Dearling is an 11-year Veteran of the airline. An exact miss distance Between the f-15 and the British Dan air Airliner in the incident was never established officials said in response to questions about the report. The Dan air Pilot estimated 50 feet while the f-15 Pilot put the Dis Tance at Well within 500 feet the re port said. Sonnenberg was flying on visual flight rules when the incident occurred because red Cross workers join Gulf troops Stuttgart West Germany three staff in members from the american red Cross in Europe Are part of a 12 member team now in saudi Arabia to handle communications and emergency financial assistance for troops involved in operation desert shield a spokesman for the Agency said Friday. The red Cross personnel have already told a number of american service members of births Back in the United states Joanne Jones said. The Agency will also deliver emergency message when necessary. It s the same reason that we re Here Jones said. She said the Agency has established a Headquarters in saudi Arabia and will keep staff members there As Long As the american military has a presence in that country. Mail to Gulf area gets weight limit Ramstein a West Germany is a 12-ounce limit has been imposed for personal mail to military pos offices in saudi Arabia. Post office officials in Europe said the weight restriction applies to mail sent to or from saudi Arabia. The previous weight allowance of 70 pounds was Low ered Friday to provide space for needed equipment said senior master sgt Ven me Moore of the 7025th air postal so a Ramstein. The weight limit also is a routine part of army contingency plans for events such As the troop deployment to saudi Arabia said Bill Tyler of the army Post Al group Europe in rheingau West Ger Many. His flight Altitude was below 10,000 feet. At that level and above pilots must use instruments As guides under West Ger Man flight regulations. Visibility was mostly Clear except for sporadic obstructions from Clouds the report said Sonnenberg s View was obstructed by the Bow a strip of Metal that encircles the canopy in front of the Pilot and latches it jul the aircraft. In the report investigators also noted that window frames in the Hawker Sid Deley aircraft would have restricted cock pit vision. Officials said however that they could not say whether the frames kept the Dan air pilots from seeing the f-15s. The second f-15 Pilot was the first to see the Airliner approaching and warned Sonnenberg on the radio. The report said the Dan air Pilot and co Pilot remembered receiving Only one of two warnings about the oncoming f 15 from Ramstein a control. They both looked up upon hearing the one warning they heard and immediately saw both f-15s," the report said. Their first visual Contact was Between two to five seconds before the near Colli Sion the pilots said. A West German air Force controller at Ramstein who warned the airline pilots about the oncoming f-15s was Hon ored by . Air forces  and Ger Man authorities for his role in preventing a midair collision. The f-15s switched their radios from the temporary reserved airspace Monitor at Karlsruhe West Germany to Eifel control at Span Dahlem a seconds before the incident the report said. The airspace Monitor staffed by Ger Man military air traffic controllers helps pilots of military single or two seat jets operating within the temporary reserved airspace or training areas. It keeps the airspace secure and provides traffic in formation on aircraft flying by instrument flight rules that Are travelling or penetrating the reserved airspace. News updates republics of treaty Moscow a Lithuania and the soviet Union s largest Republic have signed a Trade and economic co operation treaty that bypasses the Central government the official Tass news Agency reported. The treaty signed wednesday be tween Lithuania and the russian re Public is the first of its kind Between two soviet republics. It is the result of russian Republic president Boris n. Yeltsin s offer last month to negotiate a Range of political economic and so Cial treaties with other republics. The treaty was signed in the lithuanian capital of Vilnius by the re Public s prime minister Kazimiera Prunskiene and russian prime min ister Ivan Ilayev Tass said. The Independent news  said prices of goods will initially be negotiated by the buyers and Sellers but will gradually move to world prices. Brando free on bail los Angeles up Marlon Brando s eldest son Christian was Reed from county jail wednesday on a $4 million property Bond Pend ing his trial on charges he murdered his Hall sister s Lover. Marlon Brando was animated in his glee to have his eldest son released from jail which was made possible when the actor posted his $4 million Mountaintop estate the slaying site As collateral for his son s bail