[Asmodeus]

There are three fundamental things to keep in mind when reading speculations about such incidents.

Tinfoil Hats routinely spread misinformation about such matters.

Truth is always dependent on facts - not suspicions, speculations, allegations or accusations.

ex•pert "A person with a high degree of skill in or knowledge of a certain subject".

[Vinnie]

According to one anonymous source connected with a Taiwanese think tank, the possibility that a Chinese missile downed the plane can't be ruled out. The People's Liberation Army is currently practicing drills along China's southern coast, the source noted.

This sounds very much like Clancy's book 'Executive Orders'

Damn, that guy is prophetic !

[Free the USA]

Bump list

[okie01]

Among the justifications for "overheating" in the center wing tank of TW 800 was that a.) it was a hot July day, b.) the plane sat on the ground in the take-off queue for a considerable period and c.) it had not yet achieved sufficient altitude to cool the uninsulated tank.

Right or wrong, none of these factors apply to CI611.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Please keep in mind that I am next to clueless on these subjects, but here goes. Haven't 747's been flying for years? Why is this suddenly a problem now? How come all of these planes haven't been grounded and redesigned before they can fly? This doesn't make sense to me.

[rageaholic]

"center fuel tank explosion" = shoe bomb. I wear my tinfoil with pride!

[Tuor]

Yeah...Sort of like how the FBI worked to shut up all the witnesses who claimed to see a light rising up towards the plane and striking it. No, citizen, you did not see that. That was aluminum flying upwards...I mean flying downwards but appearing to fly upwards...it was Venus! Er...sorry, wrong investigation.

Flight 800 was struck by a shoulder-launched SAM, probably a Stinger, probably a Stinger we gave to the Afgans to repell the Soviets. The 'evidence' given by the FBI and NTSB is not as compelling to me as the eye-witness accounts from so many people.

Tuor

[galt-jw]

In the case of TWA 800, experts said fumes inside the tank were heated to above the temperature at which they become explosive -- dooming the 747. What's not known is what ignited the blast.

how about an errant missile, a more likely scenario, give the numerous, independent eye witnesses who saw something streaking upward before the explosion, and, the navy was in the area holding exercises.

this was right before the olympics, and does anyone here, given the recent info on the fbi ignoring terrorist warnings, think that
a. klinton would never cover something like this up, in the face of the start of the olympics on US soil, with the entire world watching, literally
b. the fbi is competent, not corrupt, would act independently of Klinton and reno, and has no history of cover up to begin with.

not to mention, i cannot recall any other planes blowing up in the middle of the sky in recent history of its own accord. i can recall many planes blowing up in the middle of the sky from missles and bombs.

[aristeides]

Maybe next the Chinese will agree that the bombing of their embassy was an accident due to the use of old maps.

[Asmodeus]

As to be expected because of the title of this thread - Theories Abound To Explain Cause of China Airlines Crash Similar To TWA Flight 800 - another theory not yet discussed here is as follows:

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John Barry Smith's Cargo Door Theory

Smith Table for Matches for Air India Flight 182, Pan Am Flight 103, United Airlines Flight 811, Trans World Airlines Flight 800, and China Airlines Flight 611
Evidence	AI 182	PA103	UAL 811	TWA 800	China Airlines Flight 611
Boeing 747	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Early model -100 or -200	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Polyimide wiring (Poly X type)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sudden airframe breakup in flight (partial or total)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Breakup occurs amidships	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
High flight time (over 55,000 flight hours)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Aged airframe (over 18 years of service)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Previous maintenance problems with forward cargo door	Yes	Maybe	Yes	Maybe
Initial event within an hour after takeoff	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Initial event at about 300 knots while proceeding normally in all parameters	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Initial event has unusual radar contacts	Maybe	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Initial event involves hull rupture in or near forward cargo door area	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Initial event starts with sudden sound	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Initial event sound is loud	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Initial event sound is audible to humans	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Initial event followed immediately by abrupt power cut to data recorder	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Initial event sound matched to explosion of bomb sound	No	No	No	No
	AI 182	PA103	UAL 811	TWA 800	China Airlines Flight 611
Initial event sound matched to explosive decompression sound in wide body airliner	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Torn off skin on fuselage above forward cargo door area	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Unusual paint smears on and above forward cargo door	Maybe	Maybe	Yes	Yes
Evidence of explosion in forward cargo compartmen	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Foreign object damage to engine or cowling of engine number three	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fire/soot in engine number three	Maybe	Yes	Yes	Yes
Foreign object damage to engine or cowling of engine number four	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Right wing leading edge damaged in flight	Yes	Maybe	Yes	Maybe
Vertical stabilizer damaged in flight	Yes	Yes	Yes	Maybe
	AI 182	PA103	UAL 811	TWA 800	China Airlines Flight 611
Right horizontal stabilizer damaged in flight	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
More severe inflight damage on starboard side than port side	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Port side relatively undamaged by inflight debri	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vertical fuselage tear lines just aft or forward of the forward cargo door	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fracture/tear/rupture at a midspan latch of forward cargo door	Maybe	Yes	Yes	Yes
Midspan latching status of forward cargo door reported as latched	No	No	No	No
Airworthiness Directive 88-12-04 implemented (stronger lock sectors)	No	No	No	Yes
Outwardly peeled skin on upper forward fuselage	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Rectangular shape of shattered area around forward cargo door	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Forward cargo door fractured in two longitudinally	Yes	Yes	Yes	Maybe
Status of aft cargo door as intact and latched	Yes	Yes	Yes	Maybe
	AI 182	PA103	UAL 811	TWA 800	China Airlines Flight 611
Passengers suffered decompression type injuries	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
At least nine missing and neverrecovered passenger bodies	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wreckage debris field in two main areas, forward and aft sections of aircraft	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Initial official opinion of probable cause as bomb explosion.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Initial official determination modified from bomb explosion	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	AI 182	PA103	UAL 811	TWA 800	China Airlines Flight 611
Structural failure considered for probable cause	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Inadvertently opened forward cargo door considered for probable cause	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Official probable cause as bomb explosion	Yes	Yes	No	No
Official probable cause as 'improvised explosive device'	No	Yes	No	No
Official probable cause as explosion by unstated cause	Yes	No	No	No
Official probable cause as explosion in center fuel tank with unknown ignition source	No	No	No	Yes
Official probable cause as improper latching of forward cargo door	No	No	Yes	No
Official probable cause as switch /wiring inadvertently opening forward cargo door	No	No	Yes	No
Significant Direct and Tangible Evidence Obtained for Four B747 Breakups in Flight	AI 182	PA103	UAL 811	TWA 800	China Airlines Flight 611

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Contents Cargo Door Website
Page 2 Details on Accidents
barry@corazon.com Email author here.

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It continues to be self evident that many more facts will be necessary before any of the theories can be evaluated.