
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, September 24, 1993                   TAG: 9309240140
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

MARINE CORPS GROUNDS MOST AIRCRAFT FOR TESTS

The Marine Corps is grounding most of its 1,150 airplanes and helicopters for two days next week in a safety exercise, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

The order affects nearly all active duty and reserve Marine aircraft around the globe.

Excluded will be President Clinton's helicopter fleet - which undergoes routine rigorous inspections - and those aircraft now based in Italy participating in the "Deny Flight" operation over Bosnia, officials said.

The order comes in the wake of the crash of an AV-8B Harrier jet at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Wednesday, in addition to four accidents since Aug. 17 involving six Marine helicopters. Those incidents claimed the lives of 11 Marines and one civilian, a Pentagon statement said.

The halt in operations will take place Monday and Tuesday. Until then, only flights deemed essential to commanders will be allowed to occur, the statement said.

The grounding will allow commanders to assess operations procedures and to discuss safety-related issues with the flight crews.

- Associated Press

Keywords:
FATALITY

by CNB