ID:

336

Date:

2008-08-18

Headline:

EXCLUSIVE: FAA Tapes Reveal Drama of Obama Jet Incident

Reporter's name:

Brian Ross, Joseph Rhee, and Eric Longabardi

Delay/denial:

No

Lawsuit:

No

Fees:

No

Media outlet:

ABC News

City:

Chicago, IL

Summary:

The pilot for Senator Barack Obama's campaign airplane declared an emergency after losing partial control of the aircraft during a campaign flight, audiotapes obtained through FOIA revealed, contradicting initial statements by Midwest Airlines, which operated the aircraft, and an FAA representative asserting that no emergency existed. The pilot regained full control and landed the plane safety.

Notes:

AP reported that ABC News used FOIA to obtain St. Louis air-traffic control recordings from July 7, when a plane carrying Senator Barack Obama made an unscheduled landing there. Both the FAA and the airline had initially downplayed the nature of the incident, with the FAA claiming that the pilot had not declared an emergency, and the airline claiming that safety "was never an issue."

Keywords:

FAA, plane, Barack Obama, NTSB, emergency

URL:

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Politics/story?id=5581453&page=1

Agencies:

FAA
NTSB

States:

IL
MO

Categories:

air safety
presidential election
transportation