Section A · Page 7
The University Daily Kansan
Monday, April 10, 2000
Nation/World
19 Marines killed in plane crash
Safety concerns plague aircraft
The Associated Press
MARANA, Ariz. — A Marine Corps aircraft attempting to land during a night training mission crashed and burst into flames, killing all 19 aboard and adding to a checkered history for a new breed of hybrid plane that can take off and land like a helicopter.
The MV-22 tiltrotor Osprey, which looks like a turboprop, is part of a new generation of aircraft scheduled to eventually replace all of the Marines' primary troop-transport helicopters. The military began flying the aircraft six months ago.
A Pentagon spokesman said the names of the Marines killed in Saturday night's crash — 15 passengers and four crew members — would not be released until their
families were notified, which could take until today.
The four crew members were from a task force headquartered in Quantico, Va., and the 15 passengers were from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., according to the Pentagon.
Investigators were reviewing the crash site at Marana Northwest Regional Airport west of Tucson yesterday. Few details were released.
Carol Ward, who lives about five miles from the airport, said she watched the plane fly by from her porch. It disappeared behind a mountain and a few seconds later she saw smoke and the dust from the crash eliminated the sky, she said.
A heap of twisted, charred metal was visible at the scene and aerial footage showed a large blackened patch on the airport grounds.
Military officials said the downed aircraft had been attempting to land at the airport when it crashed. It was one of two Ospreys simulating the evacuation of civilians.
"Our sympathies go out to the families of these Marines."
Lt. Mark Carter
Marine Corps spokesman
Firefighters said witnesses reported seeing the plane head straight down and becoming engulfed in flames after it crashed.
"Our sympathies go out to the families of these Marines," said Marine Lt. Mark Carter, a spokesman for the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, where the flight originated.
President Clinton called the units' commanding officers and asked them to pass condolences to the families and tell them of the importance of their service.
The crash again is raising questions about the safety of the aircraft, which took more than a decade to create.
North, South Korean leaders to meet
The Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea — The leaders of North and South Korea have agreed to meet for the first time, a Seoul government official said yesterday, marking a major step forward in relations between the two nations that technically remain at war.
South Korean President Kim Da-jung will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong II in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang June 12-14, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
It would be the first summit between the rival Korean states since the division of their peninsula into the communist North and the capitalist South in 1945.
The Koreas had planned to hold their first summit in the summer of 1994, but the meeting was canceled a few weeks before its scheduled date because of the death of North Korean leader Kim Il Sung.
Yesterday's agreement followed a series of upbeat statements by top
Seoul government officials. Last week, Kim Dae-jung hinted that the Korean were holding secret talks to thaw icy relations on the peninsula.
During a visit to Berlin in March, Kim said South Korea was ready to help North Korea rebuild its tattered economy, if the communist country makes a request through formal channels.
North Korea so far has shinned top-level dialogue with Seoul, which it has described as a U.S. puppet. But in recent months, North Korea has been increasing contacts with the outside world, ending decades of isolation.
Early this year, North Korea established diplomatic relations with Italy. It is either in talks or in contact with a number of countries, including the United States, Britain, Japan and Australia.
Kim Yong Nam, speaker of North Korea's parliament and ceremonial head of state, and Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun are now in Cuba attending a summit of the Group of
77, an association of 133 non-aligned countries.
North Korea's overtures to the outside world could be an act of desperation as much as a desire for reconciliation.
Years of famine brought on by drought, floods and economic mismanagement forced the totalitarian state to appeal for food donations from international donors, including the United States. Aid workers say the situation remains precarious.
Many obstacles to a lasting peace on the Korean peninsula remain.
North Korea's missile and nuclear programs and human rights record are a great source of concern to officials in Seoul, Washington and elsewhere. North Korea wants the United States to remove it from a U.S. list of countries that sponsor terrorist activities.
Pyongyang was put on the list because of involvement in the midair bombing of a South Korean airliner near Burma, now Myanmar, in 1987. All 115 people on board the Korean Air plane died.
From the Kansas and Burge Unions
As a result of the many students saving furniture and art objects while providing invaluable service to fire-fighters during the Kansas Union fire on April 20, 1970, insurance carriers decided to present the Kansas Union with a gift. Every year, the Student Union Activities Board awards several scholarships to deserving students who have made significant contributions to the University and Lawrence communities.
Qualifications
-- Enrolled full-time KU student (graduate or undergraduate) at the time of application and during receipt of the scholarship/award
-- Return to KU for Fall 2000 and Spring 2001 semesters
-- Must have demonstrated outstanding service to the University and Lawrence communities
-- GPA is not a prerequisite for completing the application form
Applications
Available at the SUA Box Office. Level Four, Kansas Union. Deadline is 5 p.m.Friday, April 14 at the SUA office. For more information call (785)864-3477.
STUDENT UNION ACTIVITIES
HERE'S TO YOU FOR KEEPING YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE
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