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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1992)
World & Nation Page 8 The Battalion Wednesday, April 29, Worn part causes plane to crash WASHINGTON (AP) - The failure of a severely worn part in a propeller control system was blamed Tues- NTSB blames faulty propeller system for crash that killed Tower, 22 others last day for year's com muter plane crash that killed former Sen. John Tower, R- Texas, and 22 others. The National Transportation Safety Board said that the part's failure made the aircraft uncontrollable. Atlantic Southeast Airlines flight 2311, a two-engine Embraer 120 built in Brazil, crashed on April 5, 1991, while approaching the Glynco Jetport at Brunswick, Ga. at a height of 2,300 feet. The Tower dead included Tower; his daughter, Marian; and astronaut Manley Lanier (Sonny) Carter. The safety board said the crew was not responsible for the ac cident and could have done nothing to prevent the crash. While the board ruled that the malfunction of the propeller- control system on the left-wing engine was the probable cause of the crash, it also faulted Hamilton Standard, the manufacturer, and the Federal Aviation Admin istration. The safety board said Hamilton Standard's propeller-control system design was deficient in that it did not anticipate the kind of failure that occurred in the Georgia crash. The board said the FAA's approval of the design also contributed to the accident. A spokesman for Hamilton Standard said the company, a division of United Technologies, could not comment because it is being sued for damages by Tower's estate and the estates of other victims of the crash. A month after the crash, the FAA ordered an emergency inspection of about 100 airplanes with the same type of propeller. On at least 10 of the planes, a new type of hard, rough coating on a tube inside the propeller control system was found to have caused excessive wear on a companion part. The board said the design was flawed because one three-inch part, called a quill, was softer than the tube in which it was contained. The teeth of the tube became badly worn and essentially lost their grip. “It acted like a file and over time it wore down the teeth that controlled the propeller unit," said acting safety board chairman Susan Coughlin. The two parts disengaged, changing the angle of the propeller blades. The safety board's report said that failure of the system caused a lift and drag condition “that exceeded the capability of the pilots to counteract with the airplane controls available." Coughlin said the battering air currents "forced the aircraft into a left wing down position." She said the problem has been corrected in aircraft with similar propeller-control systems. Investigators find abuses in state clinics WASHINGTON (AP) - Private psychiatric hospital abuses — including paying “bounty hunters" to find patients — are among the most "scandalous episodes in the history of health care in America," the chair-woman of a House com-mittee charged Tuesday. “We cannot allow this kind of unconscionable ripoff to go on," Rep. Pat Schroeder said as she opened her committee's hearing on abuses by facilities in Texas, New Jersey and other states. Psychiatric hospitals and clinics are milking the government and private insurers of hundreds of millions of dollars annually, Schroeder said. The House Select Com mittee on Children, Youth and Families has found thousands of cases where patients were hospitalized for psychiatric treatment they did not need, held against their will or wrongly diagnosed for the purpose of inflating billings, said Schroeder, D-Colo. Patients were also abruptly released when their health insurance benefits expired, and military de pendents were targeted for their generous coverage, she said. The committee heard from Texas state Sen. Mike Moncrief, who is chairman of a Senate committee invest igating widespread claims of patient abuse in the Texas psychiatric care industry. “We have uncovered some of the most elaborate, aggressive, creative, decep tive, immoral and illegal schemes being used to fill empty hospital beds with insured and paying patients," said Moncrief, D- Fort Worth. Support for space station increases WASHINGTON (AP) - Space Station Freedom's supporters in Congress say they are better prepared this year to repel the attack by those wanting to cancel federal funding for the proposed orbiting laboratory. The space station came close to losing a life-or-death struggle last year, when the House Ap propriations Committee slashed $2 billion from the project. It took an intensive lobbying effort by the Bush administration and sup porters to restore the money. Round Two was due to begin Wednesday, with House consid eration of the National Aero nautics and Space Administration authorization bill. And opponents say they too are prepared, though they realize they have an uphill battle on their hands. “The space station . . . people have very wisely spread their project across the nation so that many districts benefit from this spending," said Rep. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., a leading space station opponent. Another opponent. Rep. Tim Roemer, planned to introduce an amendment Wednesday to kill funding for the space station. The Indiana Democrat opposes the project on grounds that it is too costly and its scientific benefits are too few. Both sides agree the fight will be a tough one — largely because the space station and a sister science project, the super conducting supercollider, are due to grow at a time when domestic programs overall are shrinking by $6.4 billion. President Bush has requested $2.25 billion for the space station in fiscal 1993, a 10 percent increase over this year. Afghan rebels declare Islamic government Continued from Page 1 Najibullah, who was forced from power April 16 and hiding in Kabul, lost his grip on power after Moscow cut off arms supplies in January. The mujahedeen seized government positions around the country and then overran Kabul on Saturday. The Red Cross said fighting killed at least 15 people and wounded nearly 300 by Tuesday morning. The fighting slackened for a few hours Tuesday, but erupted again as soon as Mojaddidi for mally accepted power. Rocket and machine gun fire shook several parts of the city. The strongest attacks were aimed at Hekmatyar's troops at the Interior Ministry and on a strategic south ern ridge called Martyrs' Hill. Columns of white and brown smoke rose near the Interior Min istry compound, and at least one office building there was burning. Masood loyalists in a bunker on a hill above town raked the area with heavy fire. Gunfire and explosions also could be heard from east of the airport, and two large explosions were seen near the TV and radio towers in the southeast. A televi sion cameraman was slightly wounded by shrapnel in a morn ing rocket attack on the airport. Mojaddidi said the council was ready to accept Hekmatyar if he met its terms, but said if the radi cal guerrillas continued fighting, “this government, in accordance with Muslim law will take ac tion." Mojaddidi promised amnesty for all sides in the Kabul fighting and in the civil war. When asked whether Najibullah was included, he said the council would let "the Afghan people decide." Mojaddidi is to govern for two months, then give power for four months to Burhanuddin Rabbani, political leader of Masood's Jami- at-e-Islami party. A council then is to choose an interim government to oversee elections, expected within two years. "The time has come to join hands and work for the recon struction of our homeland," Mo jaddidi told supporters, who re peatedly chanted "Allah Akhbar" during the power-changeover. Justice department disapproves release of JFK documents WASHINGTON (AP) - Legislation to release Kennedy assassination documents hit a snag Tuesday as the justice department, in a policy re versal for the Bush admin istration, came out “strongly" against the proposal. Assistant Attorney General W. Lee Rawls said in a letter made public Tuesday that the proposed House-Senate reso lution “would severely en croach upon the president's constitutional authority to protect confidential informa tion." Rawls also raised national security concerns, saying that language clearing the way for the release of CIA and FBI documents could endanger intelligence methods and sources. And he said the bill would leave law enforcement and executive branch deli berations open to public scrutiny. “We strongly object to the resolution in its current form," Rawls said. If passed, the justice department “would give serious consideration to recommending presidential disapproval." Until Tuesday, top ranking Bush administration officials — including CIA Director Robert Gates and FBI chief William Sessions — had supported the legislation, saying they would cooperate with enorts to make public thousands of secret documents relating to the 1963 slaying of President Kennedy. Rawls said the justice department is “sympathetic to the concerns" of a public anxious to know more about the assassination. Justice is drafting an alternative version. But the department's bill would broaden tne president's power to withhold information and increase his control over the review process. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., chairman of the House Government Operations Com mittee, said the letter from Rawls arrived Monday evening, the night before the committee's Legislation and National Security Subcom mittee met to consider the bill. He said justice departmen officials declined to attendIjjVol. 91 hearing. Gates was alsoinvitfi but could not attend. The specter of a president veto drew immediate criticm from Republicans and Den ocrats on the panel. "I have a tremendous concern that we not cob promise the bill in order to$ something that is veto-proof, said Rep. ChristopherShay^ R-Conn. “It's really hardfoi "We thought it best tote an independent agency so there would be no question!! the public's mind" thatdt cisions would be made''oiiU the realm of politics," Stoko said. By opposing the legislatior the justice department goauj against a wave of f pressure. Court indicts former HUD aide Dean WASHINGTON (AP) - Debo rah Gore Dean, a one-time top aide in the Department of Hous ing and Urban Development, was indicted Tuesday on charges of re ceiving an illegal gratuity and making a false statement to a Sen ate committee. Dean, who wielded consider able power as the executive assis tant to former Housing Secretary Samuel Pierce, is a central figure in the investigation of alleged in fluence-peddling at HUD during the Reagan administration. A federal grand jury charged her ixi a two-count felony indict ment with receiving $4,000 illegal ly in connection with a private re quest for HUD funds. She also was accused of filing a false statement with a Senate com mittee in June 1987 related to her nomination to be an assistant HUD secretary. The nomination was never confirmed. "I am innocent of all charges," Dean told reporters at a news con ference. She maintained the indict ment was "designed to intimidate and coerce me into pleading to a crime I did not commit and then to testify against others," includ ing Pierce. “I am not saying that there weren't bad apples at HUD," Dean said. “Some people sold in fluence." She refused to elaborate. Independent Counsel Arlin Adams said in a statement that his office was continuing to investi gate Dean's activities and that the indictment was brought now so the case would fall within the statute of limitations. Her attor ney, Steven Wehner, said Dean refused to waive the statute of lim itations and would not waive! right to a speedy trial. Pierce has not been cha$ but Adams has been authorized investigate whether helieduad oath to Congress about his tee- at HUD and whether he shoi' 1 illegal political favoritism in! ministering HUD program Pierce served during all years of the Reagan adminisN tion. Dean, 37, worked for $ from 1982 to 1987 and forthei* three years served as Pierce'se'? utive assistant. articipat reast car "This i spite of si etection Texas me to imagine what natiora||Teiriple < security issues are at stake." I Memorie Shays' predecessor in Coisl necticut's 4th District, thelalf Rep. Stewart B. McKinney, wrote the first bill in theearij 1980s proposing the release if assassination documents. Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind, said that if Bush vetoes thebi the House should act inde pendently to release its das sified documents "and setai example for the executin branch." Under the proposed rest lution, the federal appealscout in Washington woula appohti five-member citizen boardl! review and decide on th release of assassinationdoa ments. In cases involving executive agencies suchasIlK FBI or CIA, the president could refuse to release material hi only on narrow privacy or national security grounds. "The thrust of the legislate is to release everything that releasable," said Rep. Louis Stokes, D-Ohio, co-authord the bill and former chairmand the House assassinationscoe mittee of the late 1970s, The review board's in dependence from the executis branch — the focus off justice department's objedii — is a central element of bill, Stokes said. Moc Mike I Californ Polygram Recording firtists The Hunger GRADUATES DIPLOMAS FRAMED Myra s Gallery and Custom Framing has a wide selection of Live in Concert TONIGHT Stafford Opera House with special guests Bamboo Crisis and fiequo finimo Doors open at 8 tickets $6 in advance Diploma Frames and Mats. We can frame your diploma the day you bring it in. Stop by Myra's today and register to get your Diploma Framed FREE* Drawing will be on May 12, at 4:00 p.m. You need not be present to win. Myra f s Gallery & Custom Framing 404 University Dr. East College Station 693-6894 available at Marooned Records FRAME MY DIPLOMA FREE presented by ■ Name: Limelight Productions 1 | Adress: | and KfiNM Student Radio 1 Phone: 1 1 r i i i cut here DEFENSIVE DRIVING CLASS May 5, 6, 1992 (6-10 p.m. & 6-10 p.m I L STATE APPROVED DRIVING SAFETY COURSf Register at University Plus (MSC Basement) Call 845-1631 for more information on these or other classes D&M EDUCATION ENTERPRISES I _ _ __ _ _ _ _ cut here _ _ _ _ Chal invo' MAY GQAD6 If you ordered a 1992 Aggieland and will not be on campus next fal to pick it up, you can have it mailed. You should stop by loom 015 (basement) of the Reed McDonald Building between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and pay a $5 mailing and handling fee. Refunds will not be made on Aggieland yearbooks not picked up within one semester of the publication date. By Mi Student: solved in t ege Statior date Doug ( "If stud tnd vote, t he power t jovernmen urer in the i\ent dep ihouldn't ji )lace, they hat is hom er place, tc itudents wi snee." Member lion, is r he perce hg wea city man