[AT YOUR SERVICE]

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Inspectors debrief
Navy on status of
spy plane

An unnamed Pentagon source says
the EP-3E could fly out of China

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Reuters

U.S. military officials in Honolulu received detailed information yesterday from technicians who inspected a crippled U.S. Navy surveillance plane that collided with a Chinese fighter jet last month. The briefing was scheduled to continue through today.

The U.S. technical inspectors from Lockheed Martin Corp. arrived at Honolulu International Airport about 4:30 a.m. Hawaii time, said a second Pacific Command spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Rex Totty.

The five-person civilian team evaluated its findings with other Lockheed officials in Atlanta by video-teleconference before meeting with military officials.

Adm. Dennis Blair, U.S. Pacific Commander, will review the findings and then send them to the Pentagon.

"They will forward recommendations on whether the aircraft can be repaired to a flyable state," Totty said. "It is anticipated the recommendations from this command will be forwarded to the secretary of defense sometime next week."

It is not known how long the team will remain in Hawaii, but there were no plans for a media briefing on what it learned, Totty said.

China is holding the Navy's EP-3E reconnaissance aircraft on Hainan Island, where it made an emergency landing after the collision on April 1.

The plane was damaged in the incident and its 24-member crew was held on the island for 11 days.

A Pentagon official said Friday the plane could be repaired and flown off the island.

The official, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that a brief, preliminary report from the civilian technicians indicated the four-engine turboprop EP-3E could be repaired for flight despite damage to the nose and engines.

Pentagon officials said earlier Beijing had indicated it did not want the EP-3E repaired for flight. One alternative would be to take the aircraft apart for shipment by boat.

The Pentagon reported earlier that the five technicians spent about six hours inspecting the plane with full cooperation from the Chinese military.

"All the necessary inspections have been completed. They (the team) were given unrestricted access to the aircraft and the necessary support to complete the inspections," Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said.

The U.S. demand that the aircraft be returned is expected to be discussed at a proposed meeting of a U.S.-China maritime safety commission.