News briefs for August 5, 2005

Friday, Aug. 5, 2005 | 10:55 a.m.

Floor of MGM evacuated

One floor of the MGM Grand was evacuated Thursday night after the discovery of "a suspicious item" that turned out to be "just some furniture parts," Metro Police Lt. Juanita Goode said.

A few people were evacuated from the hotel around 7 p.m., she said. She said police and firefighters were called to the hotel for the suspicious item, which turned out to be harmless.

Bearing caused Predator crash

The March crash of a $4.4 million MQ-1 Predator unmanned vehicle in Iraq was caused after a bearing used to keep a propeller spinning failed, according to an Air Force report.

Air Force investigators found that progressive failure on a pilot bearing, which supports a push-pull shaft that allows the propeller to spin failed, causing an adaptor within the shaft sheer, according to an Air Force statement.

The remotely piloted aircraft are based out of Creech Air Force Base north of Las Vegas. Pilot error was found to blame for another crash in November after the aircraft hit the ground short of a runway at Nellis and was destroyed on impact.

Officials did not specify where in Iraq March's crash occurred.

A misrouted oil line caused another Predator to crash in August outside Balas Air Force Base in Iraq, officials said.