Obama’s Plane Makes Unscheduled Stop for Safety Check

Julianna Goldman
Bloomberg
Monday, July 7, 2008

Barak Obama’s presidential campaign plane landed safely in St. Louis in an unscheduled stop caused by a maintenance issue, forcing him to change the location of a planned economic speech.

The landing was a “precautionary” measure, Obama adviser Linda Douglass said.

The first officer said the pilot had difficulty controlling the pitch of the plane, requiring a diversion of the flight. Obama intended to fly from his home in Chicago to Charlotte, North Carolina, to give a speech touting his economic plans.

(Article continues below)

Obama will deliver his prepared remarks at the Drury Inn at the St. Louis airport this afternoon. He spoke via telephone for almost 10 minutes to the gathering in Charlotte, apologizing for missing the event, criticizing Republican rival John McCain and promising to bring economic relief to working families.

“John McCain wants to continue the same policies that George Bush made the cornerstone of his administration,” Obama told the group of about 275 people. “They haven’t worked, and the message that we need to spread all across North Carolina is that if you are satisfied with the way things are going now, then you should vote for John McCain.”

Temporary Plane

Obama, nine aides, 10 security agents and about 20 journalists were aboard the plane, a chartered Midwest Airlines MD-80 being used temporarily while the North American Airlines 757 the campaign normally uses is being reconfigured.

Obama, 46, an Illinois senator, made light of the incident this morning.

“I just thought we’d spice things up a little bit today,” he joked to reporters at the back of the plane as they waited on the tarmac.

Full article here

• 
• Social bookmarks
• 
• Email this article
• 
• Print this page

Comment Terms Of Use

5 Responses to “Obama’s Plane Makes Unscheduled Stop for Safety Check”

1. Howard Says:
   July 7th, 2008 at 4:12 pm

   So if Obama is knocked off, does Zeig Hill become a candidate again?

2. popov Says:
   July 7th, 2008 at 5:36 pm

   If something happens to Obama, this country will be shut down. There will be a general strike and we will demand a justice commission. That needs to be made known. The threat of retaliation can be a powerful deterrent.

3. mntruthseeker Says:
   July 7th, 2008 at 6:19 pm

   Oh that breaks my heart. Are you sure this wasn’t just another secret meeting? I’m sure that this wouldn’t happen to such a nice person. Does anyone dare ask if he knew if this was planned? It might be out of line.

4. hANOVER fIST Says:
   July 7th, 2008 at 7:33 pm

   Read very carefully ANY comments by Killary or Billy-Boy…Hale Boggs was led to his plane by Bill…he didn’t survive…

   Ron Brown threatened to blow the whistle on certain events…he was found with a bullet hole in his cranium.

   John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. was running for the Senate in New York – this was the same day that David Cone pitched a no-hitter…his plane went down due to MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES…

   Barack Hussein Obama…you better not be a tool of the ‘Boule as I’ve heard…but if you aren’t – you’d best strap a parachute to yourself 24/7.

5. Jeff Says:
   July 8th, 2008 at 12:26 am

   Oops! Looks like they screwed up the “unfortunate plane accident”?