av8boy
13th Apr 2004, 05:35
OK, there's some poor reporting here. Can anybody spot it?
In fact, let's try to make this amusing... isolate:
1. Things the reporters might have understood but got wrong;
2. Things the reporters didn't understand; and,
3. Things that, assuming the reporters DID report accurately, expose poor design in some facet of aviation or electric transmission.
Dave
***************
Edited to say: "sorry. I was in a bit of a mood just then when I thought it important to complain about this story."
:(
***************
From the Los Angeles Times... 12 April 04
Brief Power Outage Delays Planes at LAX
By William Wan and Cynthia Daniels, Times Staff Writers
A bird standing on an electric line caused a two-second power outage at the Los Angeles International Airport control tower Monday, delaying nearly 100 commercial jets as technicians scrambled to bring the equipment back on line.
The 9:38 a.m. outage occurred when the bird touched a power pole adjacent to the airport, sending 34.5 kilovolts through its body. The jolt momentarily cut off power at the control tower and administration building before the circuit restarted.
But even when power was restored, some of the control tower's air radar, ground radar and communications gear didn't immediately work. As a result, 70 planes that were approaching LAX for landing were forced to circle around the airport anywhere from 10 minutes to nearly 1 1/2 hours. It look up to three hours for all the equipment to work properly again.
Federal Aviation Administration officials stressed that the tower never lost contact with the planes and that departing flights saw only minor delays.
"Tower controllers were always in contact with aircraft," said Donn Walker, spokesman for the FAA, adding that an air-traffic control center in San Diego was monitoring all the flights. "Even during those two seconds when the L.A. tower blacked out, the San Diego control tower was there."
The outage, however, disabled the equipment that instantaneously connected controllers in San Diego and Los Angeles. The San Diego controllers generally guide planes until they are five to eight miles from Los Angeles International. At that point, the LAX tower takes over.
"Normally they can just push a button and instantly talk to San Diego, but after the outage, they had to dial by phone," Walker said.
The malfunctioning connection forced controllers in Los Angeles to land planes at half their normal rate.
The FAA on Monday also launched an investigation into why the control tower equipment took so long to restart after the power loss.
"Obviously, the equipment is designed to work when power comes back on," Walker said.
Passengers and others at the airport seemed unfazed by the delay.
"Since 9/11 we've been accustomed to anything happening at the airport," said Mickey Ramos, a TV producer waiting for a client who was on one of the delayed jets. "I'm always ready for longer lines, flights coming in later and gate changes. Anything goes at the airport."
In addition to the 70 flights in the air when power went out, some LAX-bound flights remained grounded at other airports until the control tower was operating again.
Power officials said the outage had its roots at an electric pole near the airport. They believe a bird squatting on the line touched either the pole's cross-arm or another grounded device.
"But we didn't find the bird on the ground, so it might have flown away," said Carol Tucker, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
The power disruption short-circuited a 34.5 kilovolt line that brought power to 26 stations in airport complex. The power went out for two to 10 seconds in different patches of the airport before the circuit automatically re-energized.
In fact, let's try to make this amusing... isolate:
1. Things the reporters might have understood but got wrong;
2. Things the reporters didn't understand; and,
3. Things that, assuming the reporters DID report accurately, expose poor design in some facet of aviation or electric transmission.
Dave
***************
Edited to say: "sorry. I was in a bit of a mood just then when I thought it important to complain about this story."
:(
***************
From the Los Angeles Times... 12 April 04
Brief Power Outage Delays Planes at LAX
By William Wan and Cynthia Daniels, Times Staff Writers
A bird standing on an electric line caused a two-second power outage at the Los Angeles International Airport control tower Monday, delaying nearly 100 commercial jets as technicians scrambled to bring the equipment back on line.
The 9:38 a.m. outage occurred when the bird touched a power pole adjacent to the airport, sending 34.5 kilovolts through its body. The jolt momentarily cut off power at the control tower and administration building before the circuit restarted.
But even when power was restored, some of the control tower's air radar, ground radar and communications gear didn't immediately work. As a result, 70 planes that were approaching LAX for landing were forced to circle around the airport anywhere from 10 minutes to nearly 1 1/2 hours. It look up to three hours for all the equipment to work properly again.
Federal Aviation Administration officials stressed that the tower never lost contact with the planes and that departing flights saw only minor delays.
"Tower controllers were always in contact with aircraft," said Donn Walker, spokesman for the FAA, adding that an air-traffic control center in San Diego was monitoring all the flights. "Even during those two seconds when the L.A. tower blacked out, the San Diego control tower was there."
The outage, however, disabled the equipment that instantaneously connected controllers in San Diego and Los Angeles. The San Diego controllers generally guide planes until they are five to eight miles from Los Angeles International. At that point, the LAX tower takes over.
"Normally they can just push a button and instantly talk to San Diego, but after the outage, they had to dial by phone," Walker said.
The malfunctioning connection forced controllers in Los Angeles to land planes at half their normal rate.
The FAA on Monday also launched an investigation into why the control tower equipment took so long to restart after the power loss.
"Obviously, the equipment is designed to work when power comes back on," Walker said.
Passengers and others at the airport seemed unfazed by the delay.
"Since 9/11 we've been accustomed to anything happening at the airport," said Mickey Ramos, a TV producer waiting for a client who was on one of the delayed jets. "I'm always ready for longer lines, flights coming in later and gate changes. Anything goes at the airport."
In addition to the 70 flights in the air when power went out, some LAX-bound flights remained grounded at other airports until the control tower was operating again.
Power officials said the outage had its roots at an electric pole near the airport. They believe a bird squatting on the line touched either the pole's cross-arm or another grounded device.
"But we didn't find the bird on the ground, so it might have flown away," said Carol Tucker, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
The power disruption short-circuited a 34.5 kilovolt line that brought power to 26 stations in airport complex. The power went out for two to 10 seconds in different patches of the airport before the circuit automatically re-energized.