Flight 587 Crash Probe Inconclusive

CNN ^ | May 3, 2002 | CNN

[John W]

HAMPTON, Virginia (CNN) -- Reporters got their first look Friday at a tail fin believed to have played a significant role in last year's crash of a jet minutes after takeoff from New York. But researchers said they have not yet found the cause of the deadly accident.

[John W]

Story buried in "Travel".

[Fred Mertz]

Shoe bomber 1 took this plane down.

Ignore this disinfo article. Very slick tho'.

[null and void]

Nothing to see here, move along™...

[Fred Mertz]

fyi

[null and void]

Ah! Someone else remembers the quickly buried eye witness report of an explosion at the "armpit" of the wing...

[Rokke]

Yeah. American has first class, business class, economy class, and stuff them behind the rear bathrooms near the auxillary power unit class. That's just where our suicidal, but thrifty, shoebomber was sitting. Clever. Very clever.

[Fred Mertz]

You and 90 percent of America believe the "tail fell off" story.

Freepers know better.

[Rokke]

Sure. A lucky 10% of the population are able to determine the causes of accidents by merely reading WorldNetDaily. I wish you guys would pass your skills on to the feds. You'd save the taxpayers millions.

[jlogajan]

Phooey, you tinfoilers are out tonight. Is it a full moon?

[Fred Mertz]

Too bad you don't know anything.

[Thane_Banquo]

But researchers said they have not yet found the cause of the deadly accident.

Translation: The NTSB is trying hard to find whatever evidence they can to classify this as a mechanical failure so they won't have to hand the case over to the FBI.

[Incorrigible]

Shoe bomber 1 took this plane down.

Shoe bomber 1 took down TWA800.

This was simply shoddy French manufacturing.

[Fred Mertz]

Don't muddle the puddle by including 800.

Let's stay on topic and discuss Flight 587. Thanks.

[Capitalist Eric]

Not to be sarcastic, but what is the theory among the "other" 10%? That it was a shoe-bomber???

[Fred Mertz]

This flight went down two months after the 9/11 tragedies.

It was an 'accident' that could not be explained. But they tried to explain it anyway.

Unfortunately, you and most others bought the government cover story.

[null and void]

NTSB had announced that it wasn't terrorism before the flames were even out...

[Capitalist Eric]

Unfortunately, you and most others bought the government cover story.

I STRONGLY resent your cavalier remark.

Frankly, the fact that there was no conclusive evidence in any direction makes it a matter that I could not, and still can't, make an informed opinion of... Like the other 90% out here... I don't think anybody would question the fact that it was a tragedy, and would have received far more attention were the WTC/Pentagon attacks not eclipsing the whole thing, with regard to both the number of dead/wounded/missing, or the cold calculation such a terrorist attack requires...

You might want to back off, a little. Some of us are waiting for more factual evidence, before making comments... Making rash assumptions (as you are currently doing) make the rest of us look like the stereotypical conspiracy-theorists...

[Doe Eyes]

Its very obvious, for those with a brane, that the American Airlines flight out of JFK was Richard Reid's first attempt. He just perfected it later.

[Young Werther]

Aviation Week has had some detailed analysis of the rudder excursions which would have caused the tail fin failure. There is a documented instance where rudder reversal occurred and the pilots did not recognize the reversal. Their rudder input was toO severe and opposite of the input necessary to correct the situation.

One article mentioned that on today's jet transports there is little need for rudder movements and in some sense this means that pilots are not experienced enough, and their simulator training doesn't focus on good pilotage techniques when it comes to rudder inputs. A retired B-47 then commerical airline pilot opined as much.

The answer is complex but in all likelihood was a wake turbulence induced transient followed by a rudder reversal and incorrect pilot control input which busted the tail fin off. Maintenance records show that this fin had been overstressed and "repaired". So, like most accidents there is no easy explanation but Boeing and Airbus are runniNg other engineering studies to see whether material design changes and pilot training enhancements are needed.

Still a work in progress BUT... NO SHOE BOMB!!!