Daily News (Newspaper) - March 23, 1992, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania Opinion Ime Monday Phone 64V4043 I HUNTINGDON MOl NT and SAX ION Use our loll telephone 634 or 6434040 Vol 71 mm i Y i iv a PIK MONDAY MARCH 23 1992 No 38 More than 20 die in USAir crash at La Guardia Airport NEW YORK AP workers slogged through snow slush and rising tides today after a USAir jet with 51 people aboard crashed during a snowstorm and skidded into frigid Flushing Bay Police said at least 20 people were killed I opened my eyes but there was no plane over me one passenger said describing the instant after the crash I was next to itn At least 27 people were injured and four were missing among those aboard USAir Flight 405 The plane had been taking off for Cleveland when it veered off the runway at La Guardia Airport and crashed Sunday night Survivors swam walked or crawled to safety More than 500 rescuers struggled into the night to remove bodies from the mostly submerged We did a primary search and saw the pilot strapped in his seat Fire Department diver Lake said We tried to cut him out but couldnt We were working against the tide The real problem was that the plane was upside down and people were still strapped into their seats because it was takeoff All were dead Lake said USAir did not immediately identify any of the victims More than 30 emergency workers were reported injured in the treach erous rescue Its dark and cold and theyre in water May or David Dinkins said About am the search was called off until daybreak The water was a numbing 38 to 40 degrees and the air about 31 degrees when the plane went down at pm The National Transportation Safety Board began an investigation NTSB officials said they couldnt immediately tell what caused the crash Law enforcement officials and witnesses said the jet had just begun to lift off when it slammed back to the ground veered sharply to the left and crashed over an earthen embankment The nose a wing and an engine snapped off and the rest of the plane skidded in a fireball into the water with its top sheared off The plane a Fokker 28 Model 4000 with a capacity of 68 was carry ing 47 passengers and four crew members USAir said Police reported 20 people were killed The injured many of whom suffered burns cuts and internal injuries were taken to at least five hospitals Twentyone survivors waded to land and walked to the nearest termi nal Port Authority police said Four survivors crawled onto the nearby Grand Central Parkway where they flagged down a van for help according to Emergency Medical Service worker Adelaide Connaughten The crash occurred near the beginning of a storm that dumped five inches of snow in the metropolitan area Agnes Huff a USAir regional manager said the aircraft was in good working order and had been than once before it toot off One the woman who described opening her eyes after ifie the pilot told passengers he was deicing the plane a second time to be safe The passenger a 23yearold from Solon Ohio who agreed to the interviewed on ihe condition she be identified only by her first name Laura said the plane seemed to be a few feet off the ground when it tilted to the left quickly and hit the ground She said she saw a flash of light the next thing she knew she was Continued on Page 2 o Wreckage of USAir plane A New York City police boat stands near the wreckage of a USAir plane that crashed into Flushing Bay after an aborted takeoff from LaGuardia Airport Sunday night Below a fireman stands next to one of the engines of USAir Flight 405 The plane was carrying 51 people At least 20 were reported dead f kN V v Things keep getting worse for children in state across US WASHINGTON AP A higher percentage of children in Pennsylvania are living in poverty com pared with a decade ago part of a trend that justifies boosting support for programs that benefit the young and families advocates say A report released today finds that six of nine key indicators used to gauge the wellbeing of children such as birth weight poverty rates and births to single teens have worsened Nationwide the percentage of children living in poverty increased by 22 percent between 1979 and 1990 said the report issued by the Center for the Study of Social Policy and the Annie E Casey Found ation In Pennsylvania the increase was 13 percent The percentage of births to single teenagers jumped 14 percent and in Pennsylvania by 26 per cent The percentage of low birth weight babies increased by three percent nationally and by nine per cent in Pennsylvania The condition of children and families has deter for a decade Douglas W Nelson the found ations executive director said in a statement We must help families better fulfill their most irreplaceable function raising healthy secure and productive children he said Failing our families means consigning our children and our nation to an eclipsed future There were some bright spots in the study For example infant mortality rates improved by 23 per cent in Pennsylvania from 132 deaths for each 1000 births in 1980 to 102 in 1989 And the percentage of state students graduating high school also inched upward by one percent between 1982 and 1989 from 76 percent to 77 percent The national rate was fiat But overall the message was that children and youth lost ground in the 1980s One startling change Continued on Page 2 iji Hydrogen oxygen leaks delay launch of shuttle CAPE CANAVERAL Fla AP called off todays space shuttle Atlantis because of fuel leaks The flight was not immediately rescheduled High levels of both hydrogen and oxygen were detected in the engine compartment shortly after NASA began pumping more than a half million gallons of the fuel into the shuttle for an atmospheric research mission Launch director Bob Sieck halted the countdown about five hours before the scheduled am liftoff The seven astronauts had not yet boarded Engineers struggled to pinpoint the source of the leaks which were extremely unusual because they involved both hydrogen and oxygen The two highly flammable fuel components are pumped into the spacecraft separately The launch team tried to duplicate the hydrogen seepage by pumping more of the fuel into the shuttle but nothing leaked There is some about what the situation could be said NASA spokesman George Diller Hydrogen leaks grounded the shuttle fleet for almost half a year in 1990 Both Atlantis and Columbia were crippled Atlantis finally flew after getting a new external fuel tank and other plumbing work that took months to complete Until today the launch prepara Continued on Page 2 Traffic halted Windows were broken out of both vehicles in an accident at noon Sunday on Route 22 in Brady Township Tarps were placed over the cars so volunteers from the Mount Union Fire Company could keep the snow and cold away from the occupants The vehicle in the fore ground is a Chevrolet where there were two adults and two children all injured The Ford Mustang in the background had just the driver who was also injured State police at Hunting don were in charge of the investigation See police log for details on this accident and others related to the snow Photo by Kim Free Spring storms cripple travelers across nation By The Associated Press A storm coated the Great Lakes and the Northeast with springtime snow A jet crashed while taking off in the storm in New York City killing at least 20 people and at least six traffic deaths were blamed on the weather Rain was blamed for a 20car pileup in Southern California Noone was ser iously hurt The US Air jet carrying 51 people skidded off the runway at La Guardia Air port and into a shallow bay Neither the airline nor the Federal Aviation Admi had any immediate explanation of what caused the crash Between 4 and 6 inches of snow fell in the New York metropolitan area causing delays at the three major airports It was the citys second snowstorm in a week Until last week New York had received only about 3 inches for the season Snow fell Sunday from the lower Great Lakes through the Ohio Valley and into southern New England Three people were killed in northern New York and numerous accidents were reported along the storms path People forgot how to drive evidently said Fred Tedesco a sheriffs deputy in New Yorks Erie County The calendar says spring so were to drive like that T JP inches of snow over Michigan and 6 inches fell in northern Indiana Northwest Ohio had up to 8 inches snowdrifts formed in in Monroe Mich about 35 miles southwest of Detroit Three planes slid off runways and many flights were canceled at Chicagos O Hare International Airport Two people were killed in traffic accidents in suburban Chicago where up to 10 inches of snow fell police said A woman was killed in a traffic accident near Madison Wis The California pileup came on Interstate 10 in suburban Los Angeles White Point Beach near San Pedro about 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles was closed after a mudslide United Way asks locals for help to stay afloat INDIANAPOLIS AP United Way of America may go under unless its local affiliates hand over at least some of the dues theyre withholding in protest the organizations acting president warns Many of the 1400 United Way affiliates around the country have withheld dues from the nations largest charity to protest the 5463000 in annual salary and bene fits given former president William Interim President Kenneth Dam on Sunday told a national conference of local representatives that the organi has no cash reserve and is having trouble meeting the payroll I may have to preside over the dismantling of United Way of Ameri ca he said resigned and was removed from the payroll March 16 after it was reported that he rode in limousines and traveled on the supersonic United Way expense He also was accused of rewarding friends and associates with jobs Members of the organizations board of governors asked local representatives for understanding and assured them that measures already arc in effect Dam said the national office isnt asking for full payment right away Instead he urged affiliates to consid er forwarding at least some of the dues The local chapters raise money and to charities in their territo ries They customarily send 1 percent of the money they raise to the nation al office in Alexandria Va which provides administrative support and has a budget of million Dam said the agency has stopped paying club memberships for its banned the use of portable phones is selling its cars and is using the most economical transportation available Limousine travel is banned and officials must fly coach he said The organization put a freeze on hiring and ordered a 10 percent cut in its annual budget Dam said John Akers chairman of IBM and of United Way of Americas board of governors expressed hope the national operation would emerge from its troubles a better organization The way we govern in Continued on Page 2 Inside Ann 13 1415 Hints from Horoscope News of Obituaries 2 People Teaser A triple teaser for today Fifty years ago the president of the Hun tingdon Fair Board special award for the best display from a garden His name Take a guess of the name of the fair board secretary at the time Also in 1942 a famous Pitt football player and later coach resigned his post at the university in order to spend more time on molar work His name Check News Yesteryear Weather cloudy with flurries Low 20 to 25 Wind northwest 10 to 15 mph then ivest 10 to 15 raph Tues morning flurries otherwise partly sunny High around 40 Wednesday through cloudiness Wednesday with a chance of showers late in the day Highs 40 to 50 Lows in the 20s A chance of showers Thursday and Friday Highs Thursday 45 to 55 Lows in the 30s Cooler Friday wife highs in the 40s Lows in the 30s Lottery Here are the selected Sunday in the nia Slate Lottery Daily and
