Replies

The NTSB report from their files turned into congress in 2006, almost nothing:
https://www.ntsb.gov/about/Documents/SPC9901.pdf
Dubrovnik, Croatia - Crash of Secretary Brown’s Aircraft On April 3, a U.S. Air Force CT-43A (B-737-200), carrying Secretary of Commerce Ronald Brown, other government officials, and a delegation of business executives, crashed on a mountainside while on approach to Cilipi Airport in Croatia. All 35 people aboard the aircraft were killed. The NTSB provided technical assistance to the Air Force investigation in the areas of flight control systems, structures and aircraft performance. As part of the investigation, the flight control system, including the rudder system, was examined in detail and certain components were shipped back to the U.S. for extensive tests and analysis. The Board advised the Department of Defense (DOD) to equip military transports with cockpit voice and flight data recorders similar to those required on civilian transport aircraft.
___________________________________________________
I reviewed news articles from the LA Times and the Chicago Trib and the only things they mentioned consistent were the lack of updated compasses and the lack of a cockpit recorder and that the air force had decided to violate policy and have them land there in rainy weather.
We both know there was no rain. There were low clouds, but the airport was not set up for ILS as no beacons for that purpose were in place and the radio compass they were using was supposedly stoned knives and bear skins. They never should have landed there no matter what we are guessing. It could be done, but someone had already determined the odds were bad enough to set policy it shouldn’t and that was ignored by unidentified air force command level staff. Can’t find who on that one.
So, I surmise that were told to land in an unsafe condition, against air force policy, by someone at command level that was not identified, using an aircraft and an airport that was not set up to handle the task, basically for no reason. There were airports capable of easily handling a 737 at Zagreb, Split, Zadar, Pula, Rijeka (on the island of Krk), Osijek, Bol and Mali Lošinj. Croatia isn’t exactly Alaska so most likely all of these were within the capacity of the aircraft and the craft would have been set up with additional fuel and/or refueling capacity in the air. This was not a transport.
And the real irony of this is that the aircraft, Boeing 737-200, was built as a navigational trainer. And nothing I can find tells me just how much of the training equipment was still on board that both pilots had probably used at least in sims.
“it was planned and they were cleaning it up prior to the NTSB getting in there and file a report.”
Still stands with me also.
rwood

If what my fellow controller said is true (and I've served a 12 month remote in South Korea with him, and I DO trust him) then a Radar Precision Approach was available from a USAF G.C.A. unit, IF the pilot would have only ask for it.
But if that unit was for emergency military fighter type aircraft only, the the pilot might have not even know that it was there at the time of his approach.
Also, since the pilot was a military pilot, he should have been experienced with a P.A.R. Approach, even if the military was in the process of phasing out that type of approach.

All being said though, I believe it was a planned "hit" and the Clinton Administration didn't care who they hurt in the process.

"We both know there was no rain. There were low clouds, "

The weather at the time of the approach was reported as 400 feet broken, 2,000 feet overcast, 8 km or about 5 miles visibility, rain, surface winds for 120, 12 knots, because of the weather, the crew is required to fly an instrument approach procedure into Dubrovnik.

At seven minutes prior to impact, a pilot on the ground at Dubrovnik made a radio call to IFO-21 and told them he had landed about an hour earlier and the weather was near minimums for the approach.
This same pilot who had flown the U.S. Ambassador and the Croatian Prime Minister to Dubrovnik testified that the crew acknowledged his radio call.
Five minutes before impact, IFO-21 reported to the Dubrovnik tower they were sixteen miles from the airport.

Be sure, I REPEAT, Be real sure ... to view and read

Dubrovnik-bound Flight Crew’s Improperly Flown Nonprecision Instrument Approach Results in Controlled-flight-into-terrain Accident
(Flight Safety Foundation - Flight Safety Digest, July-August 1996)
Pages 1 through 25 .

One other point reference your comment:

"We both know there was no rain.
There were low clouds"

As a retired controller, both USAF and FAA, what you may not know about the reported weather at the time of the approach:

400 feet broken, 2,000 feet overcast, 8 km or about 5 miles visibility, rain, surface winds for 120, 12 knots

That weather had to have been reported earlier and no other official change to the weather requiring a new report had happened.
That weather could have been as old as about 4 minutes prior to the top of the current hour, or as close as 4 minutes to the aircraft commencing the approach.
Realize that even if the rain had stopped after the aircraft had started the approach, it would take a few minutes to gather the new weather information together and transmit the new report.
But all of that information is just a minor detail about that crash.

My main question is HOW did "the White House "White Mice" get there before the first medieval helicopter did..." ?