VIRGINIA : Jet Crew Grounded for Storm Takeoff

The cockpit crew of a USAir Shuttle 727 was grounded after taking off in a storm so severe that controllers fled the tower and National Airport shut for 40 minutes, an airline official said. The crew was grounded pending a federal investigation and an airline review, the official said. Flight 6500, carrying 111 passengers, was shaken by wind shear and one of its wings was damaged when it may have dipped so low that it hit a runway light, aviation officials said. No one was injured. A tornado warning had been issued for the Washington area just before the plane took off.