The World - News from May 2, 1988

A preliminary report on a 1985 air crash in Newfoundland that killed 248 U.S. troops omits evidence of a possible explosion or flash fire on board, critics said. The report by the Canadian Aviation Safety Board, distributed confidentially last December, concludes that failure to de-ice the wings of the chartered, heavily loaded jetliner probably caused the Dec. 12, 1985 crash, two Canadian newspapers reported. But the Ottawa Citizen and the Toronto Globe and Mail said a split over the report among board members had caused the resignation of the board’s chairman. The Citizen said that a U.S. explosives expert, Irving Pinkel of San Diego, concluded that an explosion was the probable cause.