Hawai'i briefs
Advertiser Staff
General aviation cleared for takeoff
Local flight schools were back in business yesterday as the Federal Aviation Administration lifted a flight ban to allow nearly all general aviation pilots back into the air.
The ban was imposed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
General aviation pilots will be allowed depart from and return to Honolulu International Airport under visual flight rules, as long as their aircraft weighs 6,000 pounds or less. Student solo flights and flights for news media and traffic watches are still restricted.
It also was announced that no photography will be permitted at any airport security checkpoint or of any equipment such as X-ray machines.
Air Guard escorts problem flights
Hawai'i Air National Guard F-15 fighter planes escorted a commercial jetliner to the Honolulu International Airport yesterday afternoon after the pilot reported a mechanical problem.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Tweet Coleman said there were no security problems on the unidentified aircraft.
The pilot reported a mechanical problem on the Los Angeles-bound aircraft and said he would turn the plane around and return to Honolulu. Because it was an unscheduled landing, F-15s escorted the aircraft as a precautionary measure, Coleman said.
The plane landed at about 6:10 p.m. without incident.
Maj. Charles Anthony of Hawai'i Air National Guard said another airliner was escorted Thursday by F-15 jets to the airport because of possible engine problems.
Pedestrian killed in Kapolei named
Hathaway Decierdo has been identified by the medical examiner's office as the pedestrian who was fatally struck by a pickup truck Tuesday while she crossed the street near Kapolei 16 Theaters.
Decierdo, 67, was trying to cross Kamokila Boulevard near Nau Place, makai-bound at 7 p.m., and was not in a crosswalk when she was hit by a gray 1987 Dodge Ram 50 pickup truck, police said.
The driver, a Kane'ohe man, 56, was Honolulu-bound and changing lanes.
McCully water flow returns to normal
Water service was restored yesterday afternoon to 20 homes and businesses in the McCully area after a break in the water main Thursday night.
The break occurred at the intersection of McCully and Algaroba streets at about 6:10 p.m. and flooded several homes. Twenty-five people were left homeless.
Crews restored water flow to the area at 1:20 p.m. McCully Street was expected to reopen last night.
Residents affected by the flood can file damage claims with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. For information, call 527-5250.
Navy stems tide of sewage overflow
About 5,000 gallons of sewage spilled from a Navy wastewater line onto a portion of 'Aiea Elementary School yesterday.
Navy crews stopped the overflow and cleaned up about 4,500 gallons of wastewater from an area near the school's Adult Education building, a Navy spokeswoman said. An estimated 500 gallons entered a storm drain, she said.
A manhole clogged with debris is being blamed for the spill.
Hale'iwa stabbing suspect sought
Police were searching yesterday for a 21-year-old Hale'iwa man who allegedly stabbed another man during an argument Thursday night in Hale'iwa.
The stabbing occurred at 10:55 p.m. when a 21-year-old man and his 17-year-old brother got into an argument with a 23-year-old man at a Hale'iwa Road home, police said.
The brothers allegedly assaulted the man, and then the older brother stabbed the man in the lower right ribs. The injured man fled and called police.
