Congressmen Make Emergency Landing

Seven Members Of Congress Aboard A Continental Flight Which Lost Air Pressure

(CBS/ AP)  A Continental Airlines flight carrying former presidential candidate Ron Paul and six other members of Congress to Washington, D.C., made an emergency landing in New Orleans on Tuesday after a loss in cabin pressure.

The seven congressmen, all from Texas, were trying to get back in time for a Tuesday night vote on an aviation safety bill when the flight landed without incident, a spokesman for one of the representatives said. No injuries were reported among the 128 crew and passengers.

FAA spokeswoman Lynn Tierney said Flight 458 from Houston initiated a rapid descent to bring the plane to an altitude below where adding oxygen was necessary and was given priority to land at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Trevor Kincaid, a spokesman for passenger and Rep. Nick Lampson, said his boss told him "there was absolutely no panic on the plane." Lampson told Kincaid the plane's oxygen masks dropped down.

"Continental Airline's personnel and staff were exceptional; executing what seemed to me a textbook performance in emergency procedure. I was very impressed," Lampson said in a release.

Also on the flight were Reps. Paul, Ted Poe, John Carter, Solomon P. Ortiz, Ciro Rodriguez, and Henry Cuellar, Kincaid said. The group was trying to make a vote on the Aviation Safety Enhancement Act.

Poe told CBS affiliate KHOU the flight was about an hour late leaving Houston because of mechanical difficulties with an engine. He said things went downhill from there not long after taking off from Bush Intercontinental Airport.

"Suddenly, we started to descend more rapidly than normal and the oxygen masks came out," Poe said.

The pilots told everyone to fasten their seatbelts.

"There wasn't any talk because a lot of people had their oxygen masks on," according to Poe. "Everyone seemed to be quite calm."

The flight landed about 20 minutes after the scare began.

"You're thinking of everything, of course. You're thinking of all the possibilities," Poe said. "But the pilots did a great job of getting us down. And when we got down we saw all the fire trucks on the runway, just like in the movies."

For Poe and the others, it was an unforgettable experience.

"It was exciting to say the least," Poe said. "Glad to see that landing gear come down."

DeeAnn Thigpen, a spokeswoman for Poe, said the flight is frequently used by members of the Texas delegation who have returned home for the weekend. The 1:05 p.m. flight is the latest one that allows them to get back to Washington in time for 6:30 p.m. votes, she said.

Paul and his wife were aboard the flight and left New Orleans by 5:30 p.m., said Jesse Benton, a spokesman for Paul's non-profit Campaign For Liberty.

"There's no cause for alarm," Benton said.

Airline spokeswoman Julie King said the airline was working to get passengers on other flights.

The emergency landing was the third time in two days a plane was diverted over cabin pressure issues. A US Airways flight and a Northwest Airlines flight were diverted to airports in Kentucky and Wisconsin on Monday over cabin pressure issues.

[libsluv2spit]

OK congressmen, the greed driven cost cutting of safety measures and maintenance by commercial airliners almost killed some of your own fraternity. When will you learn that the US needs a national airline, whose lack of need to make exorbitant profits at any cost, will be a means to pressure the commercial airlines to either get their act together, or go out of business?

Instead of "bailing them out" we should be either buying them out, or letting them fall, otherwise we are wasting our money paying for this level of "service".


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Posted by brianbwb at 12:22 AM : Jul 23, 2008
+ report abuse

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let me get this striaght..a government hating, conspiracy thoery having liberal wants the government to ''do a hugo chavez'' and take over the airline industry????????????????????????????

hey lets do that to the media as well..lets ''nationalize'' it..

[newtagagain]

Look at the scheduled airports - Bush Airport to Reagan Airport.

Posted by ynaught

At least the distress incurred by arriving at Bush Airport in Houston is mediated by leaving the airport on JFK Highway.

[six-six-seis]

RATS........

[brianbwb-2009]

OK congressmen, the greed driven cost cutting of safety measures and maintenance by commercial airliners almost killed some of your own fraternity. When will you learn that the US needs a national airline, whose lack of need to make exorbitant profits at any cost, will be a means to pressure the commercial airlines to either get their act together, or go out of business?

Instead of "bailing them out" we should be either buying them out, or letting them fall, otherwise we are wasting our money paying for this level of "service".

[flreason]

With seven members of Congress on board, you would think that there would be enough hot air to counterbalance any drop in air pressure. (Just kidding.) Glad for all passengers that there was a positive outcome.

[wardoglrs]

nsSherlock1 say''s:What a shame! That could have been a good start toward cleaning house in November.

Sherlock huh?.. Look deeper in the rabbit hole

[wardoglrs]

newview08 Says: I wouldn''''t miss them, I would be more interested in my XBox 360 to be honest.

Go play your Dumb Downed Game. And you better be in bed on time for preschool classes. And don''t forget to wipe this time or your just going to have to sleep in it

[wardoglrs]

One would wonder about the odds here.. Congress Paul the only true American in congress..

Hard to fly like an Eagle when your buzzed by vultures.
God is with you DR Paul. To bad America didn''t listen to you sir.

[lochlan-2009]

"spokeswoman for Poe, said the flight is frequently used by members of the Texas delegation who have returned home for the weekend. The 1:05 p.m. flight is the latest one that allows them to get back to Washington in time for 6:30 p.m. votes, she said."

Is stating this really in the best interest of national security? Jeez, some of these people aren''t the brightest bulbs in the box.

[sistatee-2009]

Airlines to passengers: If you want a plane that''s flyable, that''s extra.