Navy Probing for Connection Between Radar Test, Blackout

SAN DIEGO —  The U.S. Navy Friday began an investigation into whether Navy aircraft conducting anti-radar exercises off the California coast inadvertently knocked out electrical service to 65,000 homes and businesses here.

However, the Navy disputed assertions by San Diego Gas & Electric Co. that the airborne exercise--which included release of non-toxic metal particles that formed a 50-mile-wide cloud that drifted over the San Diego area-- was actually responsible for Thursday’s three-hour power failure.

“At the present time, there is just no evidence that what we were doing was related to the outage,” said Lt. Cmdr. Tom Jurkowsky, a spokesman for the Navy’s Pacific air forces based at Miramar Naval Air Station.

No Particles Found

SDG&E; officials conceded that despite an intensive search, their workers had yet to find any of the tiny metal particles near the seven transmission lines and 24 distribution stations that short-circuited during Thursday afternoon’s episode.

“But we’re fairly certain that the Navy’s activities were involved,” said SDG&E; spokesman Maurice Luque. “If we can prove that this is what caused the problem, in order to protect our customers so that they won’t have to incur our repair costs, we will go after the Navy.”

The power failure caused traffic jams at many intersections when signal lights failed. It was blamed for at least one minor auto accident, temporarily forced a San Diego television station off the air and cut service to 100,000 cable television subscribers.

Radar service at Lindbergh Field also was temporarily disrupted during the incident, but no departing or arriving aircraft had to be diverted, Federal Aviation Administration officials said.

The Navy investigation will be directed by Rear Adm. Thomas Cassidy, commander of the Pacific Fighter Airborne Early Warning Wing.