NATIONAL
Jetliners collide, killing eight
ROMULUS. Midi (AIM A jetliner
i lipped another while preparing to t.ike off
from the Detroit airport in tieav\ tog Monday
igniting a fire that left one plane in smoking
ruins. At least eight people were killed and JO
injured. officials said
It was not immediately < lear what caused
the collision between a IX 9 and a Hoeing
727-200. both operated In Northwest Airlines
A spokesman for air Iratfii controllers said the
IK Ml appeared to have become lost on a slu k.
foggy laxiway and strayed into the 727 s path
For nearly an hour after the accident,
smoke billowed out of the fuselage of the IX
0. where passengers apparently tier ame
trapped by the fast-moving lire Hy the time
the fire was extinguished, much id the plane's
roof was open to the overcast skv
Officials had initially said that I'l people
were killed, hut Northwest officials and
Wayne County Fxecutive Fdward Mi N'emara
later said that was wrong
McNamara said the medical examiner hail
"swept through the wreckage twice" and
found eight bodies
Northwest spokesman Hob Cihhons
stressed that authorities were not ruling out
further changes in the death toll "This is
probably going to go up or down all evening."
he said shortly after 7 p in.
The 1X1-9. Flight 14H2 to Pittsburgh, was
i arrving 99 passengers and four crew members
according to the airline The 727. Flight 299 to
Memphis, was carrying I-Hi passengers
Both flights had originated in Detroit, said
Patrick McCann, a Northwest spokesman at its
headquarters in Fagan. Minn
"Apparently the right wing of the 727 hit
the aft section, the engine, of the IX 2). t.iking
the engine off." said Alan Muni aster, another
Northwest spokesman. " That resulted in the
fire. That, at this point, is all we know
At tin- 111mi* lit the i r.isli visibility rsas
pour .nut tin* ground was rset from .1 morning
snow and sleet storm tll.it delayed (lights .it
Detroit Metropolitan Airport Muneaster said
thi* airport hud Iweii dosed to inliound tr<itfi<
hut that pi.uifs even* hfing allowed to take oil
loin Drrsdi'ii .1 spokesman for the Na
tiiinal Air Traffic t Controllers Assoc iation, a
union representing .nr traffic controllers said
thi'ii* was ahout a quarter mile visibility 111 the
air hut 011K about Mttlt feet on the ground
"We've had some discussions with our
people out there. Dresden said I he IK 0
pilot became lost on the runways The pilot
gave the ground controller erroneous informa
lion about his position and turned right onto
the nimvriv where the 727 was taxiing
" I'he IX 0 pilot discovered .0 the verv
last moment where lie was and so the ground
1 ontroller told him to immedi.iteh get oil that
runw.w but it was too late
lie stressed that his iotorm.itmu was pie
liminarv I'he l-'ederal Aviation Admimstra
lion, which supervises air trait 11 controllers
did not immediately comment about Dresden s
statement
Investigators from the National Transpor
tat ion Safety Hoard were being dispatched to
begin a probe aimed at determining the 1 ause
ol the <11 1 iilent. a safety board spokesman said
One survivor from the IK C q, 4t-year old
|ohn l//o. said he was do/iug when he heard
a bang, felt a thud and then all of a sudden
there was a blast
"I sayy the tire to the right real I'he whole
top burned away, licit something eyas delinite
lv blown away because something flees over
my head " said l//.o. a Wostinghouse inn leal
engineer ysho yyas returning to I’ittsburgli Irnm
a business trip
l/./.o said he escaped by lumping from a
yvmg to the ground I le yvas not hurt
Chicken Little-esque claim
persists, but no quake yet
COI.DKN « <>!<> (,\l'| At
least four moderate
r.iltlril parts (it the world, lull
there u.e> narv .1 tremor Moil
dav along the New Madrid
I .mil w here .1 scientist said .1
earthquake was likely to o« ( ur
"This is itist ,1 normal dav.
said Waverh Person. ihiel ot
the 1 S (ieolngh al Survey s
National I Mirthquake Inlornui
lion ('.enter We re not hai k
inn the predir lion at .ill
\long the New Madrid t anil
some schools were cameled
and residents puri based earth
rpiake emergent v kits and nth
ers lell low n nisi in 1 ase 1 Inna
tolngist limn Browning was
right
Browning said there was a
a(l 'at i hum e tor a inujnr earth
i|tiake carlv this week along the
(null, wliii h stretches from
Marked tree, Aik northeast
through New Madrid Mo to
I aim III t le helitwes tidal
forces (an trigger earthquakes,
a theor\ most si ientists rejei I
t here's |nst no w ai to (ire
ilnt an earthquake prer iselv .
said I’erson who has I tee 11 with
the t s (ieologicul Survey fol
more than J > years I here are
no two earthquakes alike
t he ( (Mitel tei mi eil more
than all ( alls about the New
Madrid lorei asl Mondu\ morn
ing and hundreds last week
said Person, who began doing
interv iews lor radio and lelevi
sum stations jus! after mid
night
\s IVrsoil talkfil .’I seisino
graphs rli Ill'll mil .nti\ilv re
i null'll l>\ monitoring t'i|iiip
ini'iit in tlifli'ri'iil |i.irls of I hr
l ihIimI Sl.ilrs ranging from
M.isk.i In Tennessee
A ni'i'illi' 111n11>i'ii a lew mi Ii
i's ai toss llii' seismogl.iph inn
ni'i tril In monitoring nquip
infill in Tnnnpah. Nev I’erson
si <• niii'il tin- i hail anil t .illi'il In
a i olleague It in.i\ In' a mil If
at Ifsl That's w lifif lluiy con
illli I llinsf Ifsls
A few immilfs lalfr I In* imr
illf jumped again l lial's not
a Ifsl, hf sanl "That's a
ipiake
Willi a nif.isiirfil fVf. Ilf fstl
niatfil thf ipinkf was m.igm
Imlf 2 ~i In I o nil llif Kic htrr
si .ilf tjuii k i ah .illations
show ml llii- ipiakf was magni
Imlf I f». if illf it'll abnul III
mill's snutlmi'sl nl Ki\ \c\
llftuffii midnight ami fvim
ing tour mndfratf ipiakfs were
ri'i nnlfil al (inlilfll l liri’f were
in llif St mi I Ii I '.ii iln a 'i ‘I mag
mluilf sliakfi iifar Mew (lair
(Ionia, ami ipiaki's nl > 1 anil
> II m llif arm nl I'unga l lif
fourth was a a ‘Imagmlude
Iflllblni in northfrn ( olnmtila
A quake nl lli.it si/f i an
i alisc i niisidflalilf ilamagf in a
pnptilalfil area tint aren't inn
sniered sfrlous in remote spnls
About mill ipiakfs Im'Ivvi'I'H
magnituilfs i n anil > ‘i arc if
i nnlfil fm il sisir said I'M IS
spokesman Don 1 inley in
Wasliinglon
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