TWA 800: Pilots speak out

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com ^ | May 17, 2003 | Jack Cashill

[xrp]

The questions I have are:

What altitude was the plane at and what was its airspeed?

The American Stinger missile and the Soviet equivalent, the SA-7. The Stinger has a maximum range of 8000 meters and a ceiling of 10,000 feet. The SA-7 has a maximum range of 4500 meters and a 3000 meter ceiling. The Stinger's warhead is 6.6 pounds. These missiles are designed to take out low flying helicopters, not really high flying jumbo jets.

I would think that something like a jumbo jet would need to be a Standard SM-2 or SM-3 missile from a US Navy ship. Perhaps any former US Army Freepers who know more about the Stinger would be able to post as to whether or not a Stinger could have taken down a jumbo jet at altitude.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

If this was a cover-up by the Clinton administration, even the liberals will tar and feather the bum!

[Mulder]

Now that Bush is in the White House, I'm sure the truth will all come out.

[Marine Inspector]

My father is a retired pilot. 30+ years civilian and 8 years as a Naval Aviator flying jets off carriers.

I asked him about this once.

He stated that if fuel was in the center tank and making the aircraft unbalanced, thus requiring it to be pumped to the wing tanks, the warning buzzer and light would have gone off within 100 feet of take off if not when the front landing gear left the runway.

If the warning buzzer and light did come one when they were supposed to have, why would the pilot wait several minutes and several thousand feet to start the pumps to remove the fuel.

As my father said, the damn buzzers are annoying and you would want to correct the problem ASAP, not wait.

[gitmo]

I think WND's assertion is that this was a Navy missile that was fired at a small plane reportedly laden with explosives. TWA 800 was caught in the explosion of the terrorist plane.

[Cicero]

I can't answer your question in detail, but I read somewhere a few years ago that the Chinese have built a modified Stinger or SAM with longer range than the original. I don't know if this is true, but it's possible. And it's possible that the Arabs could have gotten their hands on one.

[Thommas]

If this was a cover-up by the Clinton administration, even the liberals will tar and feather the bum!

Nope. They will not - they would have to be sane & rational, which then precludes them from being liberal.

[xrp]

TWA 800 had to be at least at 20,000 feet. Do small planes (cropdusters and personal type planes) go that high? Plus, the small plane would have to be in front of TWA 800 and moving at the same speed or slightly faster. Smaller planes typically fly at 300mph or less. Jumbo Jets fly at upwards of 600mph. I don't really see this as plausible, no matter how many pounds of explosives are packed into the small plane -- and you can't pack that many.

[LadyDoc]

I don't know a thing about this, except that if it was the fuel tank, I'm putting my life on the line every time I fly in a 20 year old 747 in the Philippines. Of course, I remember the early 1990's when an interisland airliner "disappeared" without explanation and two weeks later, a bomb went off inside a plane that was late in taking off and was still taxing. SO either way I take my life into my hands when I visit my relatives. (considering how they drive, I'm more frightened in a car than an airliner).

However, One day on Fox, the "green beret" Bevalaqua talking about a different subject (I think it was the missle attempt on an ElAl airline in Kenya last year) mentioned that it had happened before with twa 800. Now, missles have take out airliners before (accidentally and deliberatly, mostly overseas). Later that night, he was discussing the same subject and although they did not ask about what he had said earlier, he pooh poohed the twa 800 missle theory in passing. It makes one wonder if it was a "freudian slip" that he later got the story right.

[yoe]

During an administration of ‘head-in-the-sand' politics when it came to anything like terrorism, it is no wonder that on Bill Clinton’s watch, TWA Flight 800 on July 17, 1996, was covered up with all the investigation gobbly-gook, time and money wasting efforts. Terrorism was running amuck but we were much too busy watching Janet Reno and her terrorist handling of Waco, Ruby Ridge and probably other endeavors from that sick person.

Bill Clinton refused to recognize terrorism while smoozing with Arafat, watching golf or dallying with interns in the Oval Office, OBL was gathering steam and getting ready to do what eventually happened on 9/11. Bill Clinton was an utter failure as a president and as an American. He governed by polls and appeasement, never by decision of what was best for America unless he was wagging the dog over one of his many scandals. And that flag burning, womanizing, lying SOB is still at it today – trying to drub out the most decent, respectable leader, President Bush, with more of his childish out and out lies. Democrats, beware, you are being led by one who by his actions, is determined to bring you down along with your country. Bill Clinton doesn’t like America or anything she stands for. He wants to be Secretary General of the United Nations, a rogue organization that, like Clinton, lives and thrives on other peoples money and woes. IMHO flight 800 was due to terrorism.

[longshadow]

TWA 800 had to be at least at 20,000 feet.

It was at 13,000 ft, doing about 300 knots in a shallow climb, when it came apart.

[NYDave]

Don't count on it pal. Bush has not been forthcoming with what the intellegence community knew before 9/11 and he has hushed up any further inquiries into the Clinton nonsense, including sales of missle technology by Hughes and Lorel to the Chinese. Bush is a breath of fresh air after the stink of Clinton, but he still is a firmly intrenched memeber of the "establishment". I doubt he would want to open up the can of worms that any further pursuit of TWA800, in any official capacity. I think that the government just hope that this will fade out of the Americian conciousness. And, by the way, most people I know are buying the gov. bullsh%t. Most people don't want to believe that the gov. can really be involved in such massive coverups. The think it's all conspiracy silliness.

[mr.pink]

...f it was a "freudian slip" that he later got the story right.

I believe George Stephanoplous also had a similar unfortunate freudian slip some time back, saying "when TWA flight 800 was bombed".

But what would he know anyway? It's not like he was in the WH or anything. ;o)

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[NYDave]

Sorry, Pal. A repost to clean up the typos. My fingers are not obeying my brain, today.

Don't count on it pal. Bush has not been forthcoming with what the intelligence community knew before 9/11 and he has hushed up any further inquiries into the Clinton nonsense, including sales of missle technology by Hughes and Lorel to the Chinese. Bush is a breath of fresh air after the stink of Clinton, but he still is a firmly entrenched member of the "establishment". I doubt he would want to open up the can of worms that any further pursuit of TWA800, in any official capacity, would cause. I think that the government just hopes that this will all fade out of the American consciousness. And, by the way, most people I know are buying the gov. bullsh%t. Most people don't want to believe that the gov. can really be involved in such massive cover-ups. The think it's all conspiracy silliness.

[gitmo]

As Flight 800 climbed toward 13,000 feet, controllers had conversations with seven other planes at about the same time: Virgin Flight 009, Mesa Airlines Flight 5523, Eastwind Flight 507, TWA Flight 900, Alitalia Flight 609, Boston Jet Express Flight 18 and Air France Flight 008.

At 8:30:19, the Boston center had its last communication with the doomed jetliner - instructions to rapidly climb to 15,000 feet to leave a 3,000-foot separation between it and the Jet Express flight. A minute and a half later, the Eastwind flight reported an explosion.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nytwa98-crash115.htmlstory

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

I was just about to mention George Stephanoplous' comment. It was interesting.

[LaraCroft]

hee hee.. perfect oxymoron alert.

[buccaneer81]

If this was a cover-up by the Clinton administration, even the liberals will tar and feather the bum!

Nope. After all, the femi-nazis love the bum even though they know he has committed numerous rapes and sundry sexual assaults.