Heathrow crash plane ‘just dropped’

LONDON, England (CNN) — Air crash investigators are trying to work out why a Boeing 777 landed short of the runway at London Heathrow airport, skidding on grass and ripping apart sections of the aircraft.

An investigator who has been briefed on the incident told CNN the plane’s captain is claiming there wasn’t power when he needed it.

Passenger Paul Venter told the UK Press Association: The wheels came out and went for touchdown, and the next moment we just dropped. I couldn’t tell you how far.

London ambulance services said 17 people suffered minor injuries, and the number could increase as several others are still being assessed.

Images showed the Boeing 777 — BA flight 38 from Beijing, China — grounded on tarmac after touching down several hundred meters short of the airport’s south runway, close to a perimeter road, with its emergency chutes deployed and white fire-fighting foam covering the engines.

The undercarriage, left wing and left engine of the aircraft were severely damaged, as if it had skidded across the ground. At least one of the plane’s wheels had been torn off.

The most visible damage was to the left wing, which was covered in mangled metal where it meets the fuselage.

Tire tracks hundreds of meters long could be seen in the grass behind the plane, which was surrounded by fire engines and other emergency vehicles.

Eyewitness Neil Jones said the plane had made a very, very unusual approach to the airport and sounded louder than usual, PA reported.

You could see the pilot was desperate, trying to get the plane down. The aircraft hit the grass and there was a lot of dirt. The pilot was struggling to keep the plane straight. I think he did a great job. Read passenger and eyewitness accounts of the crash landing

The BBC said an unidentified Heathrow worker told the broadcaster that he had spoken to the pilot. The pilot said, according to the worker, that the plane’s electronics had failed and that he was forced to glide it to the ground.

The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch will lead the inquiry into the crash landing. A team from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is also heading to London, accompanied by representatives from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Adminsitration.

Jerome Ensinck, a passenger aboard the flight, said there had been no indication that the plane was making an emergency landing.

There was no indication that we were going to have a bad landing, he said. When we hit the ground it was extremely rough, but I’ve had rough landings before and I thought ‘This is the roughest I’ve had.’

Then the emergency exits were opened and we were all told we should go through as quickly as possible, and the moment I was away from the plane I started to realize that the undercarriage was away, and we had missed the runway.

I feel lucky at the moment, but I think now I realize I’ve had a close call. If we had hit the runway, it would have been worse.

In a statement, British Airways said all 136 passengers and 16 crew members had been evacuated from the plane with six minor injuries taken to hospital.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh praised the actions of the crew. We are very proud of the way our crew safely evacuated all 136 passengers on board, Walsh said in a statement.

The captain of the aircraft is one of our most experienced and has been flying with us for nearly 20 years, he added. Walsh also said that an investigation was being conducted by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and that it would be inappropriate to speculate about likely causes.

Airport authorities said Heathrow’s southern runway had been closed, but the northern runway remained open. But the incident immediately led to major delays for passengers. Some incoming flights were being diverted to other airports on a flight-by-flight basis, according to Heathrow’s Web site.

A spokesman for London’s Metropolitan Police said there was nothing to suggest the incident was terror-related.

The Boeing 777 is the mainstay of many airlines’ long-haul fleets and has never been involved in a fatal accident. However, the aircraft involved in Thursday’s incident appeared to have had a fortunate escape, having approached Heathrow over heavily-populated west London suburbs before its crash landing.

CNN’s Richard Quest, who covers the airline industry, said it appeared the damage happened after the plane touched down.

The incident occurred at 12:42 p.m. (7:42 a.m. ET) as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was due to leave Heathrow for a visit to China and India. His flight was delayed but his jet was not directly involved, PA said.

British Airways has set up helpline numbers for friends and relatives concerned for passengers involved in the incident:

From within UK: 0800 389 4193. From outside UK: +44 191 211 3690
Heathrow crash plane ‘just dropped’ – found here.

Ibagaza seals Real Madrid cup exit

MADRID, Spain — Real Mallorca staged the perfect smash-and-grab raid at the Bernabeu to dump Real Madrid out of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Trailing 2-1 from the first leg of this last 16 tie, hosts Madrid dominated from the start but were stunned with seven minutes to go as Ariel Ibagaza scored with virtually Mallorca’s only shot of note to seal a 3-1 aggregate triumph.

Primera Liga leaders Real Madrid will look to rebound from their surprise elimination against third-place Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

I’m calm about being knocked out, coach Bernd Schuster said. This could be a help for us.

The defending champions have 47 points and a seven-point advantage over FC Barcelona.

Mallorca, meanwhile, now face a cup clash against Getafe who completed a 4-0 aggregate win over Levante with a 1-0 triumph. Jaime Gavilan got the only goal against the Primera Liga’s bottom club.

Villarreal set up a last eight meeting with Barcelona after goals from Marcos Senna and Giuseppe Rossi, the latter in extra-time, were enough to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Recreativo Huelva.

But Villarreal central defender Fabricio Fuentes will not play again for at least six months after tearing left knee ligaments.

He suffered the injury as he was warming up for Wednesday’s tie and the 31-year-old Argentine international was to undergo surgery later Thursday.

Fuentes joined Villarreal from Atlas of Mexico in August 2006 and previously played for Newell’s Old Boys, Velez Sarsfield and France’s Guingamp.

Athletic Bilbao will meet Racing Santander after the Basque club edged out Espanyol in a penalty shootout.

Racing beat Real Zaragoza 4-2 — 5-3 on aggregate. Valencia beat Real Betis 2-1 to go through 4-2, while Atletico squeezed past Valladolid on away goals after a 1-1 draw. E-mail to a friend

Ibagaza seals Real Madrid cup exit – found here.

Portsmouth conclude Diarra signing

LONDON, England — Portsmouth have completed the signing of France midfielder Lassana Diarra from Arsenal for an undisclosed fee.

The 22-year-old only joined the Gunners from Chelsea last summer but has been frustrated by a lack of first-team opportunities at the Emirates Stadium.

Diarra will join his new team-mates for training on Friday and could make his debut in Saturday’s Premier League match at home to Derby.

Paris-born Diarra began his career with Le Havre before moving to Chelsea in 2005.

He was named the club’s young player of the year after his first season but made just 31 appearances in two years and agreed to a $4million move to Arsenal.

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp, who turned down the job at Newcastle, told the club’s Web site: In my opinion he’s already one of the best midfield players in the Premier League and has the ability to be one of the best there is.

He’s strong, powerful, quick and can pass the ball. You don’t play for France for the last nine or 10 games unless you’re top quality.

I’m delighted he has decided to sign for us rather than a host of other clubs. It’s great news for Portsmouth Football Club.

Birmingham are reportedly close to signing Everton striker James McFadden. The Scotland international is set to discuss personal terms before undergoing a medical after Birmingham agreed in principle to match Everton’s reported $10 million valuation. E-mail to a friend

Portsmouth conclude Diarra signing – found here.

Australia steps into whaling standoff

(CNN) — Australia has sent a customs ship to retrieve two activists who were seized by a Japanese whaling vessel, the country’s foreign minister said.

The transfer, if successful, would end a tense two-day standoff in Antarctic waters.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Wednesday that the Australian ship, the Oceanic Viking, was within sighting distance of the Japanese whaler.

We would like the transfer to be effected as quickly as possible. But people should understand this will be a difficult operation, Smith told reporters in Perth.

The Japanese Fisheries Agency said Thursday that they will readily hand over the pair.

Australian citizen Benjamin Potts and British citizen Giles Lane, both members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, jumped on board the Yushin Maru No. 2 Tuesday to deliver a letter saying the vessel was violating international law and Australian law by killing whales.

The anti-whaling group accused the crew of the Japanese vessel of kidnapping the men based on a video that showed Potts and Lane tied to the ship’s railing. In the video, Japanese fishermen pace back and forth in front of them. Watch the anti-whaling activists board the Japanese vessel

Smith said the Oceanic Viking will pick up the pair from the Japanese vessel and transfer them back to the ship they sailed in on. . The transfer of men from one ship to another, and then to a third ship in any circumstances is a potentially difficult operation, he said. But this will be a difficult operation occurring as it does in the southern oceans and it will require the cooperation — the full cooperation — of the captains of the ships and the men themselves.

Smith did not answer questions about whether the men would be charged for their actions, stressing instead that the immediate priority was to retrieve them.

I’m not going to give a running commentary on who’s done what to whom and the various allegations and counter allegation, he said.

Capt. Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd, had said earlier that the men were seized by the Japanese crew and assaulted.

They’re being held hostage, they’ve been kidnapped and the Japanese are trying to use them to try and extort an agreement out of us, which is to leave them alone … which to me is a form of terrorism. Watch Watson describe the incident

The Japanese Fisheries Agency has charged that the Sea Shepherd members were the terrorists. At a news conference, the agency released pictures of broken bottles they claim group members threw at the ship. They also released a photo of the two activists relaxing and drinking tea aboard the Yushin Maru.

The image of the two men tied to the ship’s railing is the one that has caused concern.

For some time, for 10, 15 minutes, I understand, they were tied to a GPS mast, Tomohiko Taniguchi of Japan’s Foreign Ministry told CNN. The Japanese crew members feared that two crew members from Sea Shepherd might do something violent.

He said Potts and Lane boarded the vessel without permission. Watson said the two boarded only after attempts to contact the ship by radio were unsuccessful.

Japan has been hunting whales in the Antarctic and apparently plans to kill as many as 1,000 this winter. The killings are allowed under international law because their main purpose is scientific.

We regard them as poachers, Watson said.

Sea Shepherd claims Japan’s Institute for Cetacean Research, which is backing the operations, has said it will release the two activists if Sea Shepherd agrees to stop interfering in its whaling operations. The group says it will not agree to that demand.

Smith said the Japanese government, which formally approached Australia to assist in the transfer, did not lay out any conditions for the transfer.
Australia steps into whaling standoff – found here.

Medical examiner says Ike Turner died of cocaine overdose

(CNN) — Musician Ike Turner died of a cocaine overdose, the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday.

The cause of death for Ike Turner is cocaine toxicity with other significant conditions, Supervising Medical Examiner Investigator Paul Parker told CNN.

Contributing conditions included high blood pressure and emphysema, he said. The manner of death is an accident, he added.

Turner, who died December 12 at age 76, was perhaps best known for the blues, soul and funk music he and his then-wife Tina performed with the Ikettes during the 1960s and 1970s.

Their hits included Proud Mary and I Want to Take You Higher. E-mail to a friend

Medical examiner says Ike Turner died of cocaine overdose – found here.

Friend of Marine on the run: ‘He’s like MacGyver’

(CNN) — A woman who once worked with fugitive Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean and the pregnant Marine he allegedly killed said Wednesday that Laurean has MacGyver skills and training that could enable him to adapt to life on the run.

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, woman requested that she remain anonymous.

Earlier Wednesday, an FBI spokesman said the agency suspects Laurean may have returned to his native Mexico.

The woman, who left the Marines in December, described Laurean as well-trained to adapt to his situation.

He can rig just about anything — as could the lead character in the MacGyver television series of 1985 to 1992 — is strong, a fast runner and can handle weapons, including an M-16, she said.

She said Laurean is quiet but social, and has many friends. He often spoke to her about his 18-month-old daughter. Watch the friend describe Laurean’s personality

The woman said she has been a friend of Laurean for about four years; they were employed in the Personnel Department at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

She expressed shock that he was being sought in the slaying of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, whose charred remains and those of her fetus were found Friday in a pit in Laurean’s backyard. Lauterbach, 20, was reported missing December 19, when she was about eight months pregnant.

Laurean has been charged with first-degree murder in her death.

The friend told CNN: It’s an incredibly surreal experience for me to see someone I was personally acquainted with and friends with on a wanted poster. I just can’t wrap my mind around the fact he would’ve brutally murdered someone.

Lauterbach had been set to testify against Laurean at a military hearing after she accused him of raping her.

The friend said Lauterbach confided in her that she had consensual sex with Laurean, but that a verbal argument had occurred, and the alleged rape followed in Laurean’s office at Camp Lejeune.

The March encounter was judged to be not criminal in nature, or consensual, said Col. Gary Sokoloski, staff judge advocate for the II Marine Expeditionary Force. The second encounter, in April, involved no threats or force, Lauterbach said.

The woman said Lauterbach told her she feared Laurean, and sought a protective order, which expired in September.

Officials have indicated that was the only such order, but the woman told CNN Lauterbach came to her a second time and had her prepare a second protective order, which was in force when Lauterbach died.

She came in September when her original military protective order had expired, asking whether she could have, A, a copy of the original one and, B, a second one put into place, the woman said.

She also said Lauterbach told her she was thinking about withdrawing the rape allegation because she didn’t think officials were taking her seriously.

There is no way Lauterbach and Laurean had a relationship after the alleged rape, the friend said, disputing information from authorities who have said the two maintained contact after the alleged rape.
Friend of Marine on the run: ‘He’s like MacGyver’ – found here.