Another MD-80 has mechanical trouble

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Sunday, February 20, 2000 Another MD-80 has mechanical trouble AMY CLANCY KIRO 7 EYEWITNESS NEWS

For at least the sixth time in the past few weeks, passengers on board an MD-80 series aircraft endured a terrifying emergency landing.

The most recent report of trouble was this weekend in Salt Lake City.

What was supposed to have been a fun vacation in Mexico got off to a very bad start Saturday when more than 160 passengers on board an MD-80 suddenly found themselves making an emergency landing, surrounded by emergency vehicles.

Jozette Miles and her new husband were just two of the more than 160 passengers headed to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico early Saturday morning on board a Fun-Jet charter when, shortly after take-off, something went wrong.

"When we got up into the air, the flight was not stabilizing at all. It would not catch altitude, it was dropping altitude a lot," Miles said. Fun-Jet Charters would not reveal what caused the pilots to return the plane.

But Salt Lake International Airport Operations confirmed there was a problem with an indicator light and with the plane gaining altitude.

"I think a lot of us got sick because of that," Miles said.

This weekend's incident is at least the sixth emergency landing of an MD-80 series aircraft since 88 people lost their lives Alaska Airlines Flight 261.

Two days after the fatal crash, an American Airlines jet bound for Dallas had to return to Phoenix after pilots reported problems with the horizontal stabilizer -- the same problems reported aboard doomed Flight 261.

Then, on February 5, an Alaska Airlines MD-80 had to return to Reno because of a suspected wiring short.

It happened again, just days later, aboard an Alaska Airlines MD-80 from Puerto Vallarta to Seattle. This one had to make an emergency landing in San Francisco.

Then, four days after that, another MD-80 experiences difficulties -- this one flown by TWA. It was forced to return to Phoenix because of suspected hydraulic problems.

And just this past week, an American Airlines MD-80 had to make an emergency landing in Albuquerque because of smoke in the cockpit.

Passengers aboard the latest problematic flight -- the Fun-Jet charter -- have finally arrived in Mexico, but with frightful memories of how their vacation began.

"I mean, it was dropping a lot," Miles said.

Passengers, like Miles, say they are angry at Fun-Jet for more than just the emergency landing and the altitude problems that made many sick.

They say the charter service kept them at the airport for hours, awaiting word on when they could get another flight.

Their original jet was reportedly fixed and flew them all to Mexico nearly 14-hours later than scheduled.

http://www.seattleinsider.com/news/2000/02/20/md80troubles.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), February 21, 2000


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