National briefs

By Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 11, 2000

Navy helicopter crashes in Gulf of Mexico, killing two

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Two crew members were killed and two others were missing Thursday after a Navy helicopter crashed in the Gulf of Mexico during a training mission. Two others on board were recovering from injuries.

The survivors were found floating in a life raft about half an hour after the helicopter went down.

Jeremy J. Yaklin, 19, of Lapeer, Mich., and Adan Shawn R. Palyo, 20, of Stratford, Conn., were hospitalized in stable condition in Corpus Christi, said Lt.j.g. Chuck Bell with Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.

Cdr. Bob Riehl, commanding officer of the HM-15 mine countermeasures squadron based at the station, identified one of those killed as Jeffrey S. Paschal, 40, of Phoenix. The identity of the second victim was being withheld until family members could be notified. The crew was aboard an MH-53E helicopter, also known as a Sea Dragon, that crashed about 11 a.m. some 17 miles offshore. Crew members reported mechanical problems before the craft went down, Bell said.

A search over a 28-square-mile area will continue through the night for the remaining two crew members, Riehl said.

The helicopter was practicing mine-sweeping as part of a training mission when it reported the mechanical malfunction, Riehl said. It was attempting to return to shore when it crashed.

Alaska Airlines jet makes emergency landing in Seattle

SEATTLE -- An Alaska Airlines MD-80 was forced to turn around and make an emergency landing Thursday morning after the pilot reported problems with the plane's stabilizers.

Alaska Flight 288 took off at 8:02 a.m. from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, heading for Los Angeles with 51 people on board. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported a problem and landed shortly before 9 a.m. No injuries were reported.

Butt causes smoke in Capitol

WASHINGTON -- A cigarette butt thrown down a duct in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol caused smoke in the building Thursday, halting tours for about an hour.

Someone apparently threw an unfinished cigarette down a ventilation shaft behind the statue of Thomas Jefferson in the Rotunda, said Bruce Milhans, spokesman for the architect of the Capitol.

The cigarette caused a velvet rope stored in that duct to begin smoldering, he said.

A police officer smelled the smoke about 7:20 a.m. and sprayed the rope with a fire extinguisher.

The velvet ropes, used to cordon off areas, won't be stored in the ventilation duct anymore, Milhans said. But "the cord would have been fine if someone hadn't been smoking inside the Rotunda," he said.

Elsewhere

CARNIVORE REVIEW: A major university will conduct an independent review of the FBI's "Carnivore" Internet-snooping device and then issue a public report on its findings, Justice Department officials said. Justice Department officials said they plan to ask a still unselected university to study Carnivore to relieve fears of privacy groups and lawmakers.

MISPRINTED COIN: A gold coin featuring the front of a George Washington quarter and the back of the new Sacagawea dollar coin was auctioned for $29,900. Dwight Manley, 34, a Newport Beach, Calif., coin dealer and sports agent, made the winning bid. Frank Wallis of Mountain Home, Ark., found the coin in May in a roll of new golden dollars he bought. "I'm happy with the price. I paid a dollar for it," Wallis said.

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