ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 15, 1996 TAG: 9605150080
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NORFOLK
SOURCE: Associated Press
A Boeing 727 with 120 people aboard made an emergency landing at Norfolk International Airport Tuesday after it lost cabin pressure, officials said.
Miami Air International Flight 297 was bound for the Dominican Republic from New York City when it depressurized about 9:20 a.m. about 100 miles off the Virginia coast.
The plane, with a crew of eight, landed safely shortly before 10 a.m. Paramedics treated several people for injuries such as bloody noses and ear drum problems caused by the rapid decompression, said Don Haupt of Norfolk Fire and Paramedical Services.
One passenger, Mariana Valerio, 54, of New York suffered chest pains and breathing problems and was taken to Lee Hospital. A hospital spokeswoman said late Tuesday morning that her condition was being evaluated.
The plane took off from John F. Kennedy Airport and depressurized after it reached its maximum altitude, said Miami Air International's president, Ross Fischer. He said he did not know the altitude the plane had reached.
Miami Air International was founded in 1990 and primarily serves charter flights from the United States to Caribbean vacation spots, Fischer said. The airline has a fleet of seven jetliners, and all have passed Federal Aviation Administration inspections, he said.
In 1991, air traffic controllers spotted someone hanging from the bottom of a Miami Air International jet as it took off from an airport in Havana. The plane's crew could see no one on the plane as it left Cuba, however, and decided to continue its 45-minute flight to Miami. The person apparently fell into the ocean before the flight landed.
LENGTH: Short : 39 linesby CNB