Update: MD-80 makes emergency landing at Sea-Tac airport

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Note the passenmgers impressions of the incident versus the official cause cited

MD-80 makes emergency landing at Sea-Tac airport

The Associated Press 2/26/00 11:44 PM

SEA-TAC, Wash. (AP) -- An American Airlines MD-80 jet made an emergency landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Saturday after the pilot reported the landing gear would not retract. American Airlines Flight 330 left Vancouver, British Columbia, at about 1:30 p.m. en route to Dallas when the problem occurred. After the pilot tried unsuccessfully to retract the landing gear for about an hour, the plane was diverted to Sea-Tac Airport.

"The landing gear door, I understand, didn't close properly -- so they tried one time, and then they went up, gained some altitude and then they tried to close it again, and it didn't quite shut properly," passenger Roge Belanger told KIRO-TV.

The plane landed safely. None of the 118 passengers on board was injured, but some said they spent a very anxious hour in the air.

"It depressurized and then it got colder and hotter, and the plane went a little slower and a little bit faster," Marty Kramer, another passenger, told KIRO.

The passengers later boarded another plane -- also an MD-80 -- headed to Dallas. Calls to American Airlines were not immediately returned Saturday evening.

The incident is the latest in a rash of problems reported with MD-80 series jets since Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashed near Los Angeles on Jan. 31, killing all 88 on board.

In the past week alone, 13 of the jets have reported problems, forcing three unscheduled landings.

The Flight 261 crash investigation has focused on the part of the tail that controls the pitch of the plane called the horizontal stabilizer.

http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?o1482_AM_WA--EmergencyLanding&&news&newsflash-oregon

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 27, 2000

Answers

This really makes me eager to fly to Orlando this friday in a Continental Airlines MD-80. Thanks for the 'encouragement'.

-- haha (haha@haha.com), February 27, 2000.

Yes, i have to take one to Indy Fri.--i bet i'll do a lot of praying.

-- Curly~Q (past1@pbtcomm.net), February 27, 2000.

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