-Caveat Lector- http://www.ohio.com/bj/news/ohio/docs/008715.htm See Also Falling from the Sky A Dayton Daily News investigation into military aviation accidents http://www.activedayton.com/partners/ddn/projects/1999/Falling_from_the_Sky/index.html Newspaper: Some military accidents not included in statistics DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- Hundreds of military aviation accidents have not been included in statistics used by Congress and the public to assess air safety, the Dayton Daily News reported today. Those omitted included at least 282 accidents that killed at least 78 people and injured 130, the newspaper said. Among the accidents not reported: the crash of an F-4 fighter near Las Vegas May 14, 1993, that killed two pilots; the Sept. 9, 1996, accident in Orlando, Fla., that destroyed a helicopter assigned to the White House; and the mysterious 1997 crash of an A-10 jet on a Colorado mountain in which the Air Force concluded the pilot committed suicide. The percentage of accidents that were not counted increased from 5.6 percent of the total accidents in 1990 to 23 percent in 1997, the Daily News said. The newspaper, which began publishing a six-day series on military safety Sunday, based its findings on an 18-month examination it said involved the review of accident reports and computer records made public for the first time. According to the Daily News, military rules for determining which aviation accidents should be included is open to interpretation. Though the Army, Air Force and Navy, which also investigates Marine Corps accidents, included all but a few accidents on its computer databases, special codes prevented them from appearing on records provided to the public. ``There is zero intent to hide anything,'' Brig. Gen. Gene Martin LaCoste, commander of the U.S. Army Safety Center in Fort Rucker, Ala., told the newspaper. That was echoed by Rear Admiral Frank ``Skip'' Dirren Jr., who commands the Naval Safety Center in Norfolk, Va. Both said they were following guidelines given them by the Defense Department. Military officials told the Daily News the guidelines were rewritten in 1989 to exclude certain types of aviation accidents because they believed Congress was not interested in knowing about all accidents. The rewritten guidelines increased the cost thresholds for Class A and B accidents, those most closely watched by Congress. The threshold for a Class A accident jumped from $500,000 to $1 million and $100,000 to $200,000 for a Class B accident. But the guidelines left some accidents open to interpretation. On Oct. 18, 1994, an F-16 sustained $1.8 million in damage when its landing gear failed at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. But the Air Force did not count it as a Class A accident because the bulk of the damage was to a pod used for night flying that was not a permanent part of the plane. The policy also allowed the military to exclude a larger number of accidents that occurred on the ground, the newspaper said. Before 1989, any accident occurring once an aircraft started its engines was counted in the mishap rate, but the new regulations require the aircraft to be moving on a runway and have an ``intent for flight.'' Helicopters must be off the ground. -- ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
