FBI: Explosion Aboard Airbus

CNN | 11/12/01

[dep]

CNN quotes the White House, to wit: The FBI believes there was an explosion aboard the American Airlines A-300 which crashed this morning in Queens, NY. They are investigating in an attempt to learn the source of the explosion.

[ladyjane]

Check for any turbans who had access to the turbines --

Quote of the day.

[Colt .45]

The explosion could've been caused by a number of things, catastrophic blade failure, the sound of the engine breaking loose from its mount, fuel line rupture causing the fuel in the wing to ignite when it came in contact with the combustion section of the engine, etc. etc.

The fires aren't even out yet and we have the amature "Accident Investigation Board" here on this site digging bunkers in their backyards, sand bagging their porches, and breaking out their tin-foil hats. Before you folks start rumor mongering, why don't you let the professionals do their jobs and when they come out with their findings, then you can talk about that! GEEZ! Gimme a break!

[Yougottabekidding]

Tom Daschle never had an honest job in his life, the bastard.

[JoeSchem]

Or..... It was a simple mechanical problem, but if the sheeple think it was terrorists, then they just may agree to give up nore freedoms.

For all the libertarian ranting about how horrible the United States is, they've yet to pick a better country -- or move there.

This incident happened just two months after Sept. 11, and in New York City. A mechanical problem seems improbable.

[WOOHOO]

TWA800

[Silvertip]

1. Explosion
2. NYC
3. Aircraft
4. Veteran's Day.
5. Previous statement from OBL/Al Qaieda about "planes raining down from the sky"

No hint of terrorism here.

[WOOHOO]

TWA800

[dep]

What evidence is that, exactly?

numerous reports of a wing separation, and the pictures of the engine that landed in the gas station, which shows signs of a blowout much bigger than anything that throwing a bucket would cause. the airplane certainly came down with an engine and at least a substantial part of the wing separate from the fuselage. this isn't something that just up and happens.

dep

[Andy from Chapel Hill]

A Stinger would likely impact the rear of the engine and
rip off the wing. Remember, there are quite a few
unaccounted for Stingers from the Afgan/USSR conflict.

[Don Myers]

"You know what? If this was a terrorist attack, there's only one thing all partriotic American's will do today: Go to the malls and SHOP 'til you DROP! ( or go but a car)"

So the level of one's patriotism depends on how much you spend in shopping sprees. Are you female, by any chance?

[wimpycat]

If I saw pieces of a plane falling off of a flying plane, I could figure out if it was a wing that had fallen off, but I have no idea what an airplane engine looks like. Do you know for sure if the eyewitness who said they saw an engine fall off even knows what an airplane engine looks like? I might see something mechanical that looks like an engine, but that doesn't mean it's an engine. FWIW.

[Illbay]

Light travels just slightly faster than sound.

Hm.

Speed Of Light (Vacuum): 300,000,000 meters/sec.

Speed of Sound (dry air, STP): 331.45 meters/sec.

Er, that would make light "just slightly faster" than sound by a factor of just slightly more than 900,000.

What's your definition of "just slightly"?

[Ironword]

It was merely a center fuel tank explosion, citizens, nothing to see here, move along now, move along . . . .

[Silvertip]

Uh, because 'the professionals' lie.

[Yougottabekidding]

Before you folks start rumor mongering, why don't you let the professionals do their jobs and when they come out with their findings, then you can talk about that! GEEZ! Gimme a break!

True, but I still suspect a towlie in the woodpile.

[js1138]

There are lots of postings this morning suggesting turbine failure, but I thought the engine housing was supposed to contain this. Of course a fully loaded twin engine that had a total engine failure on takeoff might very well stall and crash, but there should not be an explosion and wing separation.

[KneelBeforeZod]

Despite the actions of delta pilots (if you knew anything about the airline industry before 9-11, this does not need to be explained) the #1 per capita killer of pilots isnot liver disease..... it's AIRBUS!!

And they want to build a double decker plane? God help us all.