26 injured in
aborted isle takeoff

An engine on a Delta jet
may have lost power, causing
the pilot to abort

By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

The reef runway at Honolulu International Airport -- the primary departure runway -- was closed for a while today following last night's aborted takeoff of Delta Air Lines Flight 54, which sent 14 people to the hospital.

Delta officials confirmed today that 14 people received treatment at Queen's Hospital for injuries ranging from a fractured ankle to abrasions. Passengers on the Atlanta-bound jet were hurt as they evacuated the plane after a tire fire, said Kim King, Delta spokeswoman. "All were released; one was kept in the hospital a little bit longer," King said.

Mercy Ambulance Service Hawaii personnel yesterday reported treating another 12 people at the scene for minor injuries and abrasions.

There were 295 passengers and 11 crew members aboard the three-engine L-1011 jet, which blew a tire during takeoff at about 7:30 p.m. yesterday, King said. The flight was originally scheduled to leave at 4:10 p.m. but was delayed to check out a lit warning light and because of the large number of passengers that had to be processed, Delta spokesman Bill Berry said yesterday.

All the passengers were given overnight accommodations and were to be flown out during flights today.

"I know plans were in place as soon as the event occurred last night to go ahead and get those passengers on the flight reaccommodated as soon as possible," King said.

Meanwhile, the reef runway was expected to reopen by this afternoon, as soon as the aircraft is moved closer to the terminal, said Marilyn Kali, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

All the luggage aboard the aircraft was unloaded and the plane defueled while repairs were being made to left landing gear.

The Federal Aviation Administration will try to determine what caused the pilot to abort, but suspect an engine may have lost power, said Tom Rea, the FAA's regional representative.

The air traffic control tower noticed sparks coming from the undercarriage of the aircraft as it was aborting, he said. "It's not unusual when it brakes very fast and blows tires."

Said King: "We rejected the takeoff and as the aircraft came to a halt on the runway, the tires on the main landing gear blew. I don't know if there's a reason; it just kind of happened."

Berry added that Flight 54's earlier mechanical problem was not related to the aborted takeoff.

"They were late departing (the first time) because of processing the heavy number of passengers but when they were taxiing out, the captain noticed a light indicating an overheat in a heating duct, so he came back," Berry said.

"It turned out to be a malfunction of the sensors and it had nothing to do with the rejected takeoff later. We don't know what started the fire, but it had nothing to do with engine failure. One possibility is a brake fire."

Two of the aircraft's three landing gears, which have four tires each, were on fire when the airport's two crash fire rescue crews arrived at the scene, said Fire Capt. Sanford Padeken.

Passengers praised the work of the Delta flight crew and the airport's crash rescue units.

"The real heroes are the pilot, flight attendants and firefighters," T. Cooper James of Greensboro, N.C., said. "Everybody is here because of them."

Many of the passengers heard the tire blow before the pilot began braking the jet on the 12,000-foot long runway, bringing it to a halt about 500 yards from the water.

"The pilot kept the plane straight and stopped it in 15 to 20 seconds," said James, who began helping other passengers after exiting the plane from one of five chutes.

"I could see the wheels were on fire and felt the heat as I was catching people coming down.

"Then out of nowhere, the fire truck was there and a firefighter put out the flames right away," he added.

Joyce Papero of Connecticut would have preferred a less exciting finish to her Hawaii vacation.

"We were taxiing but it was bumpy and then I heard this pop," Papero said. "The pilot was trying to stop the plane and he did an excellent job. I thought we were going to tip into the water.

"When I got off the plane I looked back and saw the tires burning," Papero added. "I just ran as far away as I could."

Dr. David Reid III of Washington, D.C., the national medical director for the U.S. Postal Service; his wife, Beverly, and 8-year-old twin daughters were the first passengers to go down the chute.

"I think it took less than five minutes to get everyone out," Reid said. "I know there were four people with wheelchairs aboard and a 9-day-old baby. The crew did a heck of a job."

Air traffic at Honolulu Airport was diverted to three other runways last night as officials unloaded baggage and fuel from the damaged jet before replacing seven tires so the airplane can be moved off the reef runway.

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Star-Bulletin reporters Debra Barayuga and
Pat Omandam contributed to this report