DJ Diverted United Air Flight Leaves NZ For US On 4th Try
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)--More than 200 United Airlines passengers on Friday
made their fourth attempt in three days to fly to San Francisco after three previous
flights were aborted because of plane malfunctions and turbulence.
The saga began Wednesday when Flight 862 from Sydney to San Francisco had to
detour to New Zealand because of severe turbulence that injured seven people,
including a flight attendant whose leg was broken. There were 269 passengers and
21 crew on board.
"It was like an earthquake in the air," passenger Julie Greenwood told the New
Zealand Herald newspaper. Five people were treated at the hospital for injuries
ranging from fractures to cuts, bruising and severe muscle strains.
The flight was then rescheduled for Thursday. But after passengers boarded the
plane, they were held on the tarmac for four hours before the flight was canceled.

"The captain said they had a strange noise on the plane so we cleared customs
for a second time and went back to the hotel," said an American on board. He said
he didn't want to be named because he was negotiating compensation with United
Airlines.
The man said United staff on board said there would be a new plane for the next
rescheduled flight, which was Friday. However, United spokeswoman Sheryl Kurtie
said the aircraft remained the same.
Passengers returned to the airport Friday for their third attempt to fly to San
Francisco.
The American passenger said people on board were feeling relaxed as the plane
took off successfully. But things soon went wrong.
The captain told passengers there was a serious mechanical problem, the plane
was losing air pressure and needed to turn back to Auckland. He said a related
problem meant the wing flaps, which help a plane land and take off, might not be
operating and the plane needed to go to "secondary power," the passenger said.

"The captain declared a state of emergency just prior to landing (back at Auckland
airport)," Kurtie said.
The airline said the plane that hit the turbulence Wednesday had been inspected
and cleared as fully operational on Thursday.
A fourth attempt took off Friday night - but not everyone was still on board.

"Some passengers abandoned the flight, yes," Kurtie said, but was unable to confirm
how many. Some had decided to return to Australia, and "yes, it's very unlucky,"
Kurtie said

(END) DOW JONES NEWS 05-03-02
09:41 AM- - 09 41 AM EDT 05-03-02