「ふふふ～ん♪」と午前８時１５分にお客様をホテルへお迎えに行くと・・・スーツケースを持った日本人が送迎バスから降りてきます。「？？？」の脳みそでしたが、「きっと遅延でもしたのね。」と海へ向かいました。
そして、ダイビング後にランチをテイクアウトしようと思い、シゲさんにもお誘いの電話をかけたら・・・「ジャジャから電話があって、サイパン空港がＦ１６（米軍戦闘機）のトラブルで閉鎖されたんだって。」と言うことでした。
「えぇ～？！」と驚きつつ、そのまま情報源のアシアナ航空乗務員さんのジャジャさんに電話をしました・・・サイパンまでの長い道のり＆各航空会社の動向なども踏まえて、驚きの事実を聞かせていただきました。
「サ・サ・サイパンでもそんなことが起こるのね・・・。そう言えば・・・今朝、ご帰国されたリピーターさんは巻き込まれたよね。今日、サイパンへお越しになるお客様はおられたかしら？？」」と考えながら芋屋レストランへ突入しました。
ランチができるまではウエイトレスさんとお話して時間を潰していました。そこで、サイパン空港の話をしたら「えぇっ？！」と皆さんビックリです。唯一、料理長さんだけが「今日の新聞に載っていたよ！」と教えてくださいました。
そこで写真付きのトップの記事を見て・・・改めてビックリです。美味しいランチを食べた後、即行インターネット検索で新聞記事を見つけた次第です。
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
★Ｓａｉｐａｎ Ｔｒｉｂｕｎｅ（サイパンの地元新聞）
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http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=116724&cat=1
F-16 makes emergency landing
By Moneth Deposa
Reporter
* Two flights from Japan, Korea cancelled
* Hydraulic issues said to cause emergency landing
U.S. Air Force F-16 Falcon fighter made an emergency landing at the main runway of the Francisco C. Ada-Saipan International Airport yesterday morning, shutting down the airport's runway until midnight and causing the cancellation of two commercial flights.
The Commonwealth Ports Authority confirmed in a brief statement that the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting unit received a report from the Air Traffic Control Tower around 10:56am yesterday of an aircraft incident involving a military aircraft on runway 7/25. ARFF personnel, CPA said, immediately responded within minutes of the incident and secured the scene.
The agency reported that the aircraft was intact and the pilot was unharmed.
In a separate statement from the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam a few hours after, it said that the F-16 Falcon fighter made the emergency landing at the airport about 11am with one person-the pilot-onboard.
It said the aircraft was in a training mission in support of COPE North 2012 and assigned to Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.
The statement said that upon landing, the aircraft rolled off the end of the runway. There was no reported damage to the airfield while damage to the aircraft was unknown. The pilot, it added, also reported zero injuries.
As of press time, the Andersen Air Force Base was putting together a response team composed of aircraft maintenance personnel who will provide on-scene assessment. The U.S. Air Force said the exact cause of the emergency landing is still under investigation.
Witnesses at the airport told Saipan Tribune that they suddenly heard a loud noise on the runway, “like something heavy had fallen.” Later, ARFF personnel and ports police were seen rushing to the scene.
Because of the incident, the main runway was immediately shut down.
The 7/25 runway has been undergoing rehabilitation for several months now. CPA closes the runway during construction and opens it only when international flights are expected to come in. The runway was open when the incident happened yesterday morning.
Saipan Tribune learned that two flights were cancelled yesterday.
Delta Air Lines' Flight 298, which was supposed to arrive at 3pm, was cancelled until further notice. The flight is from Narita, Japan and carries nearly 300 passengers.
Also cancelled was Flight 603 of Asiana Airlines from South Korea. The flight was supposed to come in at 2pm yesterday with an estimated seat capacity of about 400 passengers.
These two flights are expected to resume anytime today.
As of yesterday noon, sources said the runway is estimated to be reopened after midnight when all necessary work is completed.
Sources also disclosed that based on initial assessment, “hydraulic issues” caused the emergency landing of the jet fighter.
Saipan Tribune saw the arrival yesterday of some U.S. Air Force personnel who will presumably conduct the initial assessment.
Meantime, another team was expected to arrive on Saipan around 8pm last night to bring the needed equipment and parts to repair the aircraft.
As of 3pm yesterday, CPA personnel, including executive director Edward Deleon Guerrero, were still at the emergency management office of the ARFF department, monitoring the situation.
★Ｍａｒｉａｎａｓ Ｖａｒｉｅｔｙ（サイパンの地元新聞）
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http://www.mvariety.com/2012022144184/local-news/f-16-emergency-landing-delays-flights-44184.php
F-16 emergency landing delays flights
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 12:00AM By Alexie Villegas Zotomayor - Reporter
FLIGHTS to and from the island were delayed as a U.S. Air Force F-16 Falcon aircraft made an emergency landing at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport main runway yesterday.
As of yesterday afternoon, investigation was still ongoing as to the exact cause of the emergency landing.
An official statement from the Air Force disclosed that the aircraft, assigned to Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, made an emergency landing at about 11 a.m. yesterday.
The aircraft with one person on board was participating in the training mission in support of COPE NORTH 2012.
“Upon landing the aircraft rolled off the end of the runway. There is no reported damage to the airfield at this time and the damage to the aircraft is unknown. The pilot has reported zero injuries,” the Air Force said.
The Commonwealth Ports Authority, for its part, said its Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting unit received a report from the Air Traffic Control Tower at approximately 10:56 a.m. that there was an incident involving a military aircraft on Runway 7/25.
“Aircraft Rescue responded within minutes of the incident and secured the scene,” CPA stated, adding that it closed Runways 07 and 25.
Variety learned that an Air Force team would be arriving last night to conduct an investigation.
The F-16 Falcon is a multi-role fighter aircraft with a Mach 2 speed or twice the speed of sound. It can carry two 2,000-pound bombs as well as two short-range, air-to-air missiles.
One F-16 Falcon costs $18.8 million.
Stalled flights
Delta Airlines, Variety was told, accommodated stranded passengers who were supposed to fly to Tokyo yesterday afternoon.
In an email, Delta corporate communications manager Ryoko Matsumoto said: “We confirm some delays for Delta flights between Saipan and Japan due to runway closure at the Saipan airport.”
Matsumoto added, “We are working closely with the airport authority to resume operations as soon as possible.”
Asked if she could confirm if flights would resume today, she said, “It depends on the runway availability.”
★ サイパン・メイダイブ１９６８のサイト→
http://www.meidive.com/ ★
