Monday, September 12, 2011
** California based US Navy medic investigated for threatening to blow up school
** NTSB issues preliminary report on Missouri air ambulance crash
UNITED STATES NEWS
** Marine Corps authorities are investigating a US Navy medic in California whose threatening note prompted a high school evacuation last Wednesday. The Deseret News (September 8) said Daniel Morgan, 22, who is currently in the Camp Pendleton brig, allegedly said he had planted explosives at a nearby high school. The note was found during a search of his quarters after he failed to show up for duty. According to the newspaper, 3,200 students at the San Clemente High School, as well as 180 staff, were evacuated during their first day of school. There is no word yet on what motivated Morgan or if his writing was an idle threat.
** A preliminary report on the cause of an August 26th air ambulance crash near Mosby, Missouri says the pilot initially overestimated his fuel reserves. That is the word from the Kansas City Star (Brad Cooper/September 7) which said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) tome indicates the pilot believed he had 2 hours of fuel in his tanks when he set off from his home base in St. Joseph. By the time he reached Bethany, however, the pilot indicated to dispatchers that there was less fuel than he originally calculated. Indicating that the aircraft went down after a power loss during an autorotation, the report also said there was no fire after the impact. Air Methods spokesman Craig Yale would not comment directly on the NTSB findings. He did say, however, his company has a policy that pilots must keep 20 minutes worth of fuel available at all times. Along with pilot James Freudenberg, 34, flight paramedic Chris Frakes, 36, and flight nurse Randy Bever, 47, also died in the mishap. In a related development, a lawyer for the husband of the patient killed in the crash said there was no medical emergency present requiring air transport. Terry Tacaronte was being flown to see a specialist after a week of stomach pains.
