Briefly in the news

-- Paul Clinton

A Delta Airlines flight was delayed from leaving John Wayne Airport on

Friday morning after experiencing an unspecified mechanical problem, a

spokeswoman with the airline said.

Delta Flight 1938, heading to Atlanta, left the airport at 10:15 a.m.,

more than one hour after its 8:58 a.m. scheduled departure.

Delta spokeswoman Peggy Estes did not identify the mechanical problem.

The airport, along with others across the country, have been on a

state of heightened alert since the Sept. 11 attacks. One of the

airport’s terminals was closed last week after a woman found powder on a

piece of her luggage. After tests, it was determined the powder was

harmless.

The jet, a Boeing 757, sat on the tarmac with 165 passengers while

airline workers fixed the plane’s problem.