California IN BRIEF : SAN DIEGO : 25 Puppies’ Deaths on Airliner Probed

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Friday launched an investigation into the deaths of 25 purebred puppies aboard a United Airlines passenger flight from Chicago to San Diego. Two dozen animals were found dead in the cargo hold of Flight 141 after the plane arrived at Lindbergh Field Thursday at 3 p.m., two hours later than its scheduled touchdown. Two other puppies and two kittens aboard the same flight survived the trip. Another puppy died Friday. United spokesman Rob Doughty said mechanical problems had delayed the plane at O’Hare Airport in intense noontime heat. Airport crews apparently neglected to remove the animals or give them ventilation, both standard procedures. “We are very, very upset,” Doughty said. Twenty-nine animals in all were shipped from a kennel in Omaha, Neb., and put aboard a connecting flight at O’Hare. After leaving its gate, the aircraft experienced an overheated gas exhaust system, Doughty said. The problem took two hours to correct amid ramp temperatures close to 100 degrees, he said.