Transportation

Crashed tanker spills asphalt oil, closes on-ramp

A highway on-ramp was closed four hours Tuesday as crews clean up a leaking tanker truck that crashed.

Allen Dale Wightman, 51, of Clovis, was hauling 3,400 gallons of asphalt oil when he overturned the truck while trying to enter southbound Highway 99 from Rio Mirada Drive.

The California Highway Patrol news release said he was driving at an unknown speed, but Officer Robert Rodriguez said earlier in the day that he apparently took a corner too fast, which caused his load to shift and and flip over.

Wightman received minor injuries, according to the CHP.

Plane makes emergency landing at Meadows Field

By Cory

A commercial plane made an emergency landing Friday morning at Meadows Field.

The plane's crew noticed smoke in the cockpit about 10 a.m., prompting the landing. No one was injured.

The plane was going to Fresno from Los Angeles.

The cause of the smoke is under investigation.

View Comments | Post a Comment

1 dead as SUV crashes into canal

By Cory

A 65-year-old man from Sonora is dead after his SUV crashed into an Oildale canal.

The Kern County Sheriff's Office search-and-rescue team pulled the vehicle from a canal in the area of State Road and Olive Drive on Thursday morning. It apparently flew off Highway 99 about 5 a.m., crashed through two fences and landed on its top.

A Kern County Sheriff's sergeant said rescuers had to deal with swift-moving water during the operation.

The driver was found dead inside the SUV. The California Highway Patrol didn't release his name, but said he hails from about 250 miles to the north.

It's unknown what caused the crash, but authorities said there's no indication the driver braked before the crash.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Driver crashes into tree, may face DUI charges

By Cory

A man will likely face drunk-driving charges after crashing his truck into a tree.

The California Highway Patrol didn't identify the man, who it said was under the influence of alcohol when he crashed about 1:30 a.m. Monday after missing the Airport Drive exit off northbound Highway 99.

The driver sustained moderate injuries, according to the CHP.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Meadows Field reopens after TNT scare

By Cory

Meadows Field was operating normally Tuesday night, but the discovery of what authorities thought was TNT inside a checked bag sparked an evacuation and the grounding of all flights earlier in the day.

The substance in question turned out to only be honey.

The airport reopened about 1:30 p.m., more than five hours after it was closed. Passengers and employees were bussed over to the airport's international terminal, and incoming flights were diverted to Los Angeles.

The luggage that set off alarms contained five Gatorade bottles filled with what appeared to be honey, but the Kern County Sheriff's Office said three tests on the substance came back positive for TNT and TATP, both of which are explosive.

"It's probably honey inside of the bottles," Youngblood said during a midday news conference. "We're as confused probably at this point as everybody else is."

His assumption turned out to be correct.