LAX Power-Outage Blamed On Equipment Failure And Bird

April 12, 2004

LAX Power-Outage Blamed On Equipment Failure And Bird
April 12, 2004 – The Los Angeles International Airport lost power Monday when a 34.5-kilovolt supply line went out for 10 seconds at 9:38 a.m., city Department of Water and Power spokeswoman Carol Tucker said.

"The cause is blamed on equipment failure," said Tucker. She reports that there was no reason to suspect sabotage.

A bird is thought to have come in contact with the line and at the same time touched a cross-arm or some other grounded device, the DWP said . The line re-energized moments later.

"But we didn’t find the bird on the ground, so it might have flown away," said Tucker.

Despite the immediate restoration of the power supply, the effect on the tower lasted longer.

Walker said the airport allowed about 30 flights to land during the hour after the blackout, but about 40 others had to stay in the air.

To check on flight delays, visit USAToday’s Flight Tracker.