Air travelers put out by pair of problems

Monday, March 20, 2000 | 11:26 a.m.

A normally busy weekend at McCarran International Airport was made busier by a pair of incidents that had the potential for disaster but turned out to be just aggravating inconveniences for passengers.

On Saturday a man who set off an airport security system alarm then fled into the D gate terminal forced the evacuation the area and left planes sitting on the runway for almost two hours. Officials said the man got onto a tram to the D terminal and was never found.

On Sunday the 134 passengers and crew aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 639 from Las Vegas to Seattle had a scare around 5 p.m. As the MD-80 was preparing to take off from McCarran, the brakes caught fire. The blaze, however, was put out and passengers took different flights, officials said.

Airport spokeswoman Debbie Millett said today that at least 7,000 passengers were forced to endure the two-hour delay that began at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

"They had to be brought back and rechecked, but nothing was found," Millett said, noting that the man who set off the alarm apparently blended in with the crowd and either got through a second time without setting off the alarm or left the airport.

After the man slipped through security, Metro Police determined that the D terminal and its 28 gates should be evacuated, officials said.

Passengers waiting for their planes were brought back to the main terminal by the tram and then had to go through security again. Planes that landed sat on the runway until the terminal was searched.

Passengers were allowed to return to the D gates about 12:20 p.m.

The Sunday incident began when the Alaska Airlines pilot saw an indicator light go on and contacted the tower noting that his brakes were hot, Millett said.

He taxied his plane to the holding pad near the fire station and reported that he started smelling smoke, Millett said, noting that a fire broke out and was quickly extinguished by airport firefighters. No one was injured, she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.