Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; A policeman guard the field during the third quarter blackout in Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS - The cause of a 34-minute blackout at the Super Bowl remains under investigation, but public records show that Superdome officials were worried about a power outage several months before the big game.
An Oct. 15 memo released Monday by the Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District, which oversees the Superdome, says tests on the dome's electrical feeders showed they had "some decay and a chance of failure."
The memo also says 2011 blackouts that struck Candlestick Park, where the San Francisco 49ers were playing a nationally televised Monday night football game, was one reason for ordering the tests.
The state board later authorized spending nearly $1 million on Superdome improvements, including more than $600,000 for upgrading the dome's electrical feeder cable system.
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