THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 21, 1996 TAG: 9608211055
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: 38 lines
The Air Force's Air Combat Command will suspend normal operations Friday for a day of safety training in the wake of four crashes in the past month, including the weekend crash of a C-130 cargo plane in Wyoming.
The only units exempt from Gen. Richard E. Hawley's order Tuesday are those taking part in deployments, contingency missions, flight demonstrations and other activities for which agencies ``have made a substantial resource commitment.''
The Langley Air Force Base command oversees units at 32 installations in the United States, Panama, Iceland and Portugal, at which more than 980 aircraft and 108,000 active duty personnel and civilian workers are stationed.
Officials said despite the recent crashes, the command's overall accident rate was comparable to last year's.
Still, said Maj. Joe LaMarca, a spokesman for the command, ``the fact that we've had four incidents within the past 30 days is why it's important that we step back and take a look at what we're doing and how we're doing it so we can make sure we're flying the safest possible way.''
The C-130 that crashed was assigned to the White House and was carrying a Secret Service communications van. It went down near Jackson, Wyo., shortly after takeoff Saturday, killing all nine aboard.
Other recent crashes include a U-2 spy plane based at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., that crashed Aug. 7 in Oroville, Calif.; an F-16 fighter jet out of Hill Air Force Base, Utah, that crashed near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 3; and an F-16 out of Moody Air Force Base, Ga., that crashed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 31.
On July 11, an F-16 based at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., crashed in Pensacola, Fla..
KEYWORDS: U.S. AIR FORCE ACCIDENT MILITARY
ACCIDENT PLANE by CNB