Nexus - 0303 - New Times Magazine-pages

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"''to 'w.• .... ~. UFOs OVER MEXICO: UPDATE the collision and request emergency land­ ing procedures be instituted. The Aeromexico flight had been The remaining minutes of the Hight cleared to land by the central con­ passed slowly until the DelO and its pas­ trol tower of MexiIGo City sengers were safely on the ground. When International Airport. The short Captain Ruano exited the plane, the main­ hop from Guadalajara had been wutine. tenance crew was already inspecting the Captain Ruano Degan ihis final approach, undercarriage. The visible damage amazed locking lthe landing gear of the DC lOin everyone. T'he right strut had been sheared place. Suddenly the smooth descent of t~e in two: not broken or cracked! from metat jet was interrupted by a strong jolt. fatigue, but cleanly cut in half. Something had c0l1ided w,ith the aircraft. Demanding to know what had hit his air­ The veteran pilot immediately responded to lin'er, Ruano confronted the air traffic con­ the impact by calling the tower to report trollers who reported that radar indicated -=::::::::--------- -------­ ---p--------- -- --­_ __-;r-' _ ~-~ FO~ ~----==--r~ --'iI"H"~"""~ ~ ~_ '--;.,) TWOMO~e: ~ --b ~ T'""_...o.".\=-C C-._ A "--~~ COO"'''.~' l.·­~-=----:-' _ () ...., 0 .) TH': CfTHeR. \Jp A ::~~ ~? -=--=-....::---=--=-~ORFOL.IC ~~:E~ J' ~~_ __ _____.------ ~~'f/- -~.,./"\. ----- '-" ----- -;:: ~ ,/ .........- _ L--~ ) ~ ----- ............... '---==-~~~. ~ \.../'------'-/ AlL I -.......--'-C/"'~="=~.'. ~ .-/'-- '- ------- ...-/ \.­ ~\.---~ AJ'T \ v"-~~ ~-:.~ '-../ '-"--~ --->=--=<....~. ~~ 'J" ~~~ ~ ----cs-::-~~: 0- \./ ~./'-- '(, ~@ ~(- -~ s~. \,~\ '--" ~ ~-~--- ----'- . '-./ ..-J ---~ -- - -- ----~.- . . ~- -' .. -~~. . =-~ -,~ ----~~. . '~. .-)' . ~4;3 . ~ c . -::::- @V ._s . ..:, ~:'.tl.. nothing near the aircraft until the moment of impact. At that instant, an unidentified echo had appeared beneath the DCIO. A second after the collision, it had vanished. Captain Ruano had heard the stories of UFOs over Mexico, but generally dis­ missed the tales as th'e product of over­ imaginative minds. Now, as a pilot whose responsibility it is to transport the public safely, he set a personal mandate to discov­ er what else was occupying the airspace over the world's largest city. He wasn't alone in his quest. In less th'an two weeks, formal reports had been been filed on seven near-misses and one comsion between pas­ senger-carrying aircraft and unknowns. Supporte,d by the Pilots' Assoc.iation, Captain Ruan.o and others openly discussed tbe incidents. Everyo.ne concerned s,ought answers to unfathomable questions, includ­ ing many of the air traffic controllers-two of whom granted exclusive ,interviews. Each has over 20 years' experience and expressed confidence in their highly sophisticated radar system, the TDX 2000. Mike began t/'le conversation. "We have the most advanced radar system in Latin America. Our system takes readings from the surface to the sky. It basn't any limits." "This is very weird," Rick added. "It's not easy for us to report these things. The pilots have al reputation to protect. and so do we. But the passengers are our joint APRIL-MAY 1996 NEXUS • 6'