Charleston, W.Va. ? One of the 12 miners killed in the Sago Mine disaster was carrying an expired air pack, a mistake the mine’s owner blames on a typographical error.

The device, known as a self-contained self-rescuer, may have been four or five months beyond the manufacturer’s recommended 10-year service life, said Ira Gamm, a spokesman for International Coal Group Inc.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Thursday that the outdated air pack was assigned to Jesse L. Jones, 44, of Pickens, one of the 11 men who died of carbon monoxide poisoning during the hours they waited for rescue.

The problem with the outdated rescuer “appears to have resulted from a typographical error on the master list maintained at the Sago Mine office,” Gamm said. The list indicated the device was made in August 1996, when it should have said August 1995.