Air Force One Delayed by Radar Problem

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Nov 1, 2000 - 01:51 AM

Air Force One Delayed by Radar Problem The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - President Clinton said Tuesday night that Air Force One was delayed on a flight to New York from Louisville because of a radar problem. White House press secretary Jake Siewert said the problem forced Clinton's plane to follow an ordinary commercial air route to New York, rather than fly, as it usually does, on a straight path.

Siewert said the radar difficulty prevented controllers from guiding other aircraft away from Air Force One if it had flown directly.

"It was a localized problem," Siewert said. "It essentially added 15 to 20 minutes" to Clinton's time in the air.

At an Irish-American fund-raising event in New York, Clinton apologized for being late, explaining the radar problem. "The radar went out in Louisville, Ky., today," he said. "So it took us a while to get off. Even Air Force One needs radar because there are incoming planes."

The president apparently referred to a power failure at the Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center, which handles high-altitude air traffic for portions of Kentucky and six other states, including Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAL9VON0FC.html

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), November 01, 2000


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