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Carrier Says Safety of Obama's Plane Was Not in Question
July 07, 2008 3:59 PM
The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that it is investigating what caused Senator Barack Obama’s plane to make an unexpected landing today in St. Louis.
The presumptive Democratic nominee for president was traveling from Chicago to Charlotte when the pilot's first officer announced that they were experiencing controllability issues with the pitch of the MD-80 series aircraft.
Those on board were told the issue was a "minor little problem," and the plane remains in St. Louis this afternoon for maintenance. In statements today, the NTSB called the incident "an uneventful precautionary landing" and Midwest Airlines, the carrier that runs the charter plane, said "there was never an issue as to the safety of the flight."
The carrier said an emergency slide in the tail cone of the plane had inadvertently deployed in flight. The Federal Aviation Administration said today that a slide deploying in flight does indeed happen from time to time, and could cause flight control problems.
Indeed, on Monday NTSB chairman Mark Rosenker called this a "serious incident."
"It is extremely serious in this particular case," Rosenker said. "There are hydraulic lines back there. There are control cables that deal with the elevators and other areas of control surfaces for the aircraft, and could potentially make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to fly the aircraft."
MD-80s series planes are some of the oldest aircraft that U.S. airlines are flying today, and their age means they're more likely than newer planes to require maintenance. The same type of plane was at the center of this spring's mass flight cancellations, when Delta and American cancelled thousands of flights to reinspect wiring on their MD-80 series aircraft.
The Air Transport Association has approximately 470 MD-80 series aircraft registered to their member airlines, the vast majority of which are operated by Delta and American. According to John Eakin, aviation safety consultant and president of Air Data Research in Helotes, Texas, MD-80 planes actually encompass a number of different aircraft models. Douglas manufactured several variations of the DC-9 as early as 1966. He added that when the company was taken over by McDonnell, their aircraft became known as MD planes of various types.
-Matt Hosford, Kate Barrett and Sunlen Miller
July 7, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (1074)
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hmmmmm, if Obama goes would Hilliary be next in line for the nomination @ the DNC. Afterall, she did throw out a few assination references before she crashed and burned.
Posted by: thinker | Jul 7, 2008 4:24:06 PM
Matt Hosford, Kate Barrett and Sunlen Miller:
It looks like that you do not have any engineering background whatsoever..
This sentence says it all..."MD-80s series planes are some of the oldest aircraft that U.S. airlines are flying today, and their age means they're more likely than newer planes to require maintenance. "
All items need periodic maintenance. If I had written the above sentence in any engineering and or maintenance report, my instructor or first line manager would have laughed me right out of his presence.
You three may want to stick to what you do best.. promoting leftist propaganda and calling it news.
Posted by: Fernao de Magalhaes | Jul 7, 2008 4:24:43 PM
'My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of
the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it.'
- Barack Obama
WOW! President? Really?
Posted by: Calicoveritas | Jul 7, 2008 4:24:58 PM
Hey People...
Anytime any airliner makes an unexpected landing or has to divert due to maintenance issues, the NTSB investigates - regardless of who is on the plane. Your tax dollars would be spent either way. You just know about it because there were a gaggle of journalists who were probably having an otherwise boring day.
Posted by: Ryan | Jul 7, 2008 4:25:11 PM
Why are we talking about this, Obama needs to build a new forty-mile long particle accelerator, before it's too late!!
PS:
If you don't know about Barack Obama being a secret Muslim you is ignorant.
The end??????
Posted by: A Secret Muslim | Jul 7, 2008 4:26:32 PM
Every single comment is borderline insane. From the insanity of the birth certificate to racism and the claim that the Obama people want this investigated. This is standard operating procedure when a plane has to be diverted for possible mechanical problems. It is a commercial jet that will be carrying regular passengers tomorrow. You people are all morons... Waste of tax dollars? I'm sure you would be saying that the government doesn't do enough if that MD-80 fell out of the sky, right? 2 months ago people were up in arms about poor inspection records of AA and DL MD-80s. Now there is an issue, it is investigated and people flip? Idiots...
Posted by: Mike | Jul 7, 2008 4:26:34 PM
As a pilot, I beg to disagree with some of the comments. Pressure on the control cables causing difficulty controlling the elevator has the potential for disaster. Thank God Barack is safe. The reason for the deployment of the slide should be investigated to be sure it was not sabotage.
Posted by: CD | Jul 7, 2008 4:27:15 PM
this plane was flown by Bill and Hill's pilot. I guess he had 2nd thoughts and decided to land.
Posted by: Isy Marcus | Jul 7, 2008 4:27:25 PM
RG:
The birth certificate is irrelevant. The problem with Obama is that he is a hard core leftist and wants to move the US to the left. We all know what that means. The US goes away from their independent spirit and has the nanny government take care of them.
Posted by: Fernando de Magallanes | Jul 7, 2008 4:27:27 PM
Some of these commenters are incredibly pathetic.
His birth certificate is public record. His net worth isn't a fraction of the McCains or the Clintons. Any current issue you want to ask him about, it's probably there on his website or in his last book. You people are entirely too easy to refute.
Sad sad people.
Posted by: Neal | Jul 7, 2008 4:27:37 PM
It was me, the ghost of democrat past.
Posted by: Vince Foster | Jul 7, 2008 4:27:37 PM
I wish it crashed.
Posted by: Johnny | Jul 7, 2008 4:29:28 PM
Why would he show his birth certificate? That's a piece of personal information that can lead to identity theft and fraud. Only an idiot would publicly post their bith certificate.
Posted by: idiot | Jul 7, 2008 4:32:10 PM
I see that the partisan hacks here can't see through their own narrow brand of Barack HUSSEIN! (OMFG! HIS NAME IS THE SAME AS THAT GUY FROM IRAK!!! OH NOES!!) Obama hate to take in the larger picture (woah! You mean the haters here don't have a broad well rounded world view? Shocking, I know.)
I would hope that a through investigation be done in the event of any sort of mishap like this involving a person who is one of only two people to be chosen as our next president (of course, I suppose some of you cynical types here are Bob Barr supporters. Good luck with that - you guys would last two weeks in Bob Barr's America - you'd blow you life savings on firearms and colloidal silver supplements before your own neighbors over run your outer defenses and breach your basement fall out shelter looking for cigarettes and beer...)
The fact is if it was any of you on that plane you'd not only be demanding some sort of official investigation, you'd also probably be lawyering up claiming some sort of emotional injury from the whole affair... The whole time you'd be claiming that some airline is just trying to walk all over you, the honest, hard working little guy who pays his bills on time and just wants whats his...
Oh but a presidential candidate - particularly one with a little D beside his name ... then, it's not big a deal, a waste of time, yadda yadda yadda.
Pulllezzz...
Posted by: mrgoodbar | Jul 7, 2008 4:32:28 PM
NoBama! NoBama! No Rookies In The White House!! NoBama!!
Posted by: Eddie | Jul 7, 2008 4:32:34 PM
NoBama! NoBama! No Rookies In The White House!! NoBama!!
Posted by: Eddie | Jul 7, 2008 4:32:36 PM
Anyone who believes that the NTSB should not investigate this matter is out of their mind. Certainly, the government would investigate this event if it occurred on Air Force One. The only difference between Air Force One and Obama's campaign plane is a matter of time.
Posted by: billinvirginia | Jul 7, 2008 4:32:42 PM
Barack Obama has run an admirable campaign based on HOPE and CHANGE. A campaign that promises the American people a new level of transparency.
So why won't he show the public his birth certificate?
http://www.birthcertificatenow.com/
Posted by: Bart Hook | Jul 7, 2008 4:13:21 PM
It's a shame that people look for ways to demonaize this man.
Posted by: mike | Jul 7, 2008 4:33:10 PM
Posted by: mike | Jul 7, 2008 4:34:36 PM
Barack has already published his birth certificate a long long time ago:
http://images.dailykos.com/images/user/3/BO_Birth_Certificate.jpg
Has McCain published his yet? Does it really matter? have we become of country of smear addicted?
Folks stay focused on what matters for all of us Americans.
Let's all focus on the issues like: economy, gas preis, Iraq war, War in Afghanistan, health care, mortgage crisis, global warming.
Let's spend our time dicusssing what really matters for this nation.
Posted by: JohnS | Jul 7, 2008 4:35:08 PM
When you buy cheap or rent cheap then you get cheap. Come on a small MD-80 you would think with all the funds He's getting maybe someting newer or a lot bigger??
Posted by: randy smith | Jul 7, 2008 4:35:19 PM
Isy,
Obama is the new Nixon... not some radical
http://bannedindc.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/barack-obama-the-new-nixon/
Posted by: mark fleming | Jul 7, 2008 4:35:31 PM
What, Barak has to take an airplane to get somewhere? Why golly, I thought Superman can fly?! Heck, he said the day he secured the nomination that, "Today we stop the waters from rising." (Excuse me while I vomit.) Heck, if Jesus can float (Ascension) surly Barak the Magic Messiah can fly! Why does he need a plane – HE’S GOING TO SAVE THE WORLD!! (And raise your taxes, and make government bigger, and take away your gun rights, and make third trimester abortions legal, and cave in to the environmental lunatics, and ruin our health care system. But by-god it’s time for CHANGE!
Posted by: John | Jul 7, 2008 4:36:29 PM
one link from Drudge and all the chicken hawks come a' squawkin!
Just as long as you respect the office of the presidency and salute President Obama this january.
And don't worry. You STILL won't have to join the fight in the oil war that you wanted so badly.
Posted by: Gars Luber | Jul 7, 2008 4:36:37 PM
Judging from the level of ignorance of some of the comments I would think you'd be the type of degenerates that would be flying Midwest on the ever popular route to Kansas City and would want them to check out your Greyhound with wings...
Zing!
Posted by: Jon | Jul 7, 2008 4:37:52 PM
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