Free Republic

Wellington - An official investigation found that the crash that killed crack New Zealand pilot John Borman, 60, occurred after he tried to repair his kitset amphibious plane with duct tape, it was reported on Sunday. Borman, who had represented New Zealand in formation flying competitions, died in 2005 when he crashed into Lake Taupo as he tried to take off after makeshift repairs to the plane, which he built himself. The aircraft had first been damaged when it hit the wake of a boat in a previous take-off attempt, according to an official report on the accident, published in...

Hanoi police has ordered the arrest of Pham Van Chinh, 43, at his home Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi, for his involvement in the case of theft of building materials in a ten-story office building. Mr Pham Van Chinh is the chief of the construction team building the foundation of the office building at 39 Ngo Quyen, Hanoi. He was charged with embezzlement of property under article 278 of the Penal Code. He admitted that he had stolen about five tons of steel and 40 tons of cement. The police has also ordered to call up five other people including...

Employees at a Topanga Canyon dump found a work boot containing a recently severed foot in dirt that was dropped off Monday from a construction site at Fox Studios in Century City, sheriff's officials said. After the 9:30 a.m. discovery, sheriff's and Los Angeles police detectives scoured the dump and the construction site at Avenue of the Stars and Pico Boulevard looking for other body parts, sheriff's homicide Capt. Ray Peavy said. Construction workers and a bloodhound helped in the search, but no evidence was found by nightfall. "This could be a case of foul play or some kind of...

Officials unsure what caused blast at construction site By Tony Plohetski AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Monday, November 3, 2003 An explosion with an unknown cause rocked a City of Austin construction site Monday afternoon, injuring four workers, one critically, and rattling the ground and buildings up to 50 yards away. Construction on the site, once home to a chemical company, had been halted this year after crews discovered a white substance that they said appeared suspicious. However, that chemical was determined not to be hazardous, and work resumed a couple of days later, said Fred Evins, division manager for the city's project...