[null and void]

My understanding is that flight 800 was too high for a stinger missile, hence why so many cling to the idea that the navy shot it down.

For a Stinger fired from the ground, yes, no way.

Could a Stinger be fired at altitude from an ultralight?

Is the Stinger the only light weight Man-Portable Air Defense System?

And what left the powdery red residue on the seats behind the foot diameter hole with the edged bent inward on the left(?) side at the point of the explosion? There has been speculation that it was soot from the rocket motor, that the proximity fuse set the warhead off before impact and the main body of the missile rammed the fuselage.

We'll never know. It wasn't officially analyzed, and IIRC think the man who smuggled out a few square inch samples for independent analysis was arrested and for all I know may still be in prison...

[OA5599]

But why would a stinger missile enter the fuselage? It’s a heat seeking missile, so I would think it would target an engine. And with the warhead forward of the rocket motor, wouldn’t the explosion blow the unused rocket fuel away from the plane and not inside and onto some seats?

Also, it only has a little over two pounds of explosives. I don’t think it would do such immediate catastrophic damage to a giant 747. Bet that big old beast would lumber on for quite some time.