Posted on 01/29/2008 12:45:23 PM PST by OESY
...Tonight's "The Final Report: Investigation of TWA Flight 800" on National Geographic Channel presents a brilliant, well-researched look into what the investigators found - and what they didn't find.
The show details the animosity that existed from day one between the NTSB and the FBI.
The NTSB is usually the final word in all air crashes. But because a number of eyewitnesses on the ground saw streaks flying towards the aircraft right before it exploded, and air traffic controllers reporting blips around the aircraft, the FBI came in and took over the investigation, calling it a possible crime.
There were immediately three prevailing theories. One was friendly fire. The US Navy runs weapons training exercises in a 300-mile-wide swath near the flight path.
The second held that it could have been terrorists with ground-to-air missiles.
The third was that there had been a bomb on board.
The producers interview most of the players in the investigation including eyewitnesses; Robert Francis, the former chairman of the NTSB who was not happy to have the FBI crawling over his investigation; James Kallstrom of the FBI, who knew that 747s just don't randomly blow up; Leon Panetta, then-White House Chief of Staff; as well as cops who dove for the wreckage, like Vincente Termine.
After this show, you may trust the government even less than you do now. Or you may think they are as honest as they possibly could be in simply admitting that they just don't know.
Whatever you conclude, you won't conclude that National Geographic didn't do a very thorough job. Great reporting.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
The final proof that it was a short circuit in the center fuel tank is that they NTSB grounded all 747’s to inspect the wiring...
Since the center tank was empty, the fuel pump switches were still off when the flight engineer’s panel was raised from the water.
Pray tell me how a short circuit happens when the switch is off?
If it was, they could have brought that plane down with a firecracker placed in an empty center fuel tank.
Has the passenger manifest ever been released?
I'll wager there was someone on that plane who the Clintons wanted dead.
I know two former tanker pilots who say the center tank theory is a load.
Sorry, but the plane was too high for a shoulder fired missle.
Also, until I saw a recent documentary about the first WTC attack, I had NO idea just how bad it was!
The media downplayed it heavily as well!
Thanks for posting this!
IF it was a center fuel tank and “nothing to see here,” it is VERY suspicious that the autopsies are classified.
That alone raises my eyebrows!
My uncle, now retired, was a senior mechanic for TWA at the time. He was off that night. He says the center fuel tank theory is baloney.
I agree. When I see James Kahlstrom trotted out for his opinion my blood boils. I don’t think you expressed that much animosity for the guy, but my gutt says he’s as dirty as the day is long. That’s must my opinion, but I haven’t been able to shake it for a long time.
AQ did not claim 9/11 for years (the Arabs blamed it on the Jews).
It used to be a signature of AQ not to claim their attacks.
Anyone watching CNN that night would have heard a call from a ret. Air Force Colonel who had just landed at Teterboro and said ..live...that he saw a missile hit the jet from his own airborne plane.. That call, to the best of my knowledge, was never repeated in later coverage. I heard it and remember his voice on the line.
I read it at the time. There was some speculation on this, and it stuck in my mind. I was living in New York City then, although I happened to be in England when the attack occurred. I returned a couple of days later and there were all sorts of odd reports in the NYC papers (such as the finding of a what seemed to be a launching tripod in the dunes at Jones Beach, etc.) How much was true, I don’t know; but the story certainly seemed to be going one way, and then suddenly it screeched to a halt and changed directions.
I saw it too. I saw stills somewhere, perhaps in the NY press, and in fact, I’m pretty sure I saw the video on some channel in England (where I was on the date of the event) about a day later. It was somebody taking a photo from their dock or porch where there was a party going on.
I think they later explained it by saying that somebody must have been launching fireworks in the background and it was just a coincidence that the plane (which would have been further in the distance, although it was night so you couldn;t tell) blew up at that moment.
It wasn’t too high, it was just too lucky a shot. It was at a low enough altitude, flying straight ahead, it would take a well placed lucky shot, though, I agree. Bordering on unbelief that a MANPAD did it.
Remember when the building was blown up in Oklahoma. During the coverage they made people run from rescues because of secondary explosive devices being suspected. Then it was just the truck out front and no one mentioned the other devices or even the suspicion they were there and I never saw those exact news shows again.
I think it was a missle and it was covered up to protect the Clinton Presidency.
I read the Third Terrorist and it completely convinced me there was an Iraqi angle to the bombing of the Murrah Building in OK City. But I still do not get why that is never spoken about. I would have thought the Bush Admin would play it up as another reason to go after Saddam. I don’t understand keeping things from the American people forever when it’s OUR country.
Let’s recall that we initially had strong suspicions that Oklahoma City was a foreign terrorist attack, the crash of TWA 800 in 1996 was caused by terrorism and strong suspicions in other cases, such as Pan Am 103, ultimately proved incorrect. TESTIMONY OF SAMUEL L. BERGER BEFORE THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON TERRORIST ATTACKS UPON THE UNITED STATES
OKC was just the white guys--pay no attention to the Iraqi connection, the work of Jayna Davies, the Nichols-Yousef connection, Carl Andreas Strassmeir, Dennis the FBI informant.
The CIA produced a cartoon showing the fuselage and nose separated and had an ascending dogfight while the airshow crowd gasped. Since Carter axed 820 agents Halloween 1977 and Church made the agency eschew those of low character it's become the realm of the Valerie Plames and their administration-destroying machinations.
If Obama keeps it up we'll see how his plane went down due to a malfunction of the in-flight film.
Note Gerald Posner was used by Mike Wallace in his 60 Minutes hatchet job on Ruddy for The Strange Death of Vincent Foster and later popped up to gloat over "natural causes" cited in convenient death of Carlos Ghigliotti FLIR analyst alleging 200 shots into Waco by feds.
Just think--we're on the eve of eight more years of this kabuki. To grease the skids, Dems oppose FISA and McCain bleats about any interrogation beyond a tea party.
I hear you Phil. Your thinking along the same lines as I am. Good post.
That OKC tie in to the Philipines is crucial IMO.
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