The Nation - News from June 22, 1989

Federal investigators have asked the Navy to retrieve a cargo door that tore off a United Airlines Boeing 747 jet over the Pacific nearly four months ago, sending nine passengers to their deaths. The door is believed to be resting on the ocean floor more than three miles under water and about 85 miles southwest of Honolulu. United and Boeing would share in the cost. A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman said the Navy was asked to search for the door, but the Navy said it has not received a formal request. NTSB investigators have said retrieving the door would help determine what caused it to pop open at an altitude of 22,000 feet on Feb. 24.