I’ve said for years that IF TWA Flight 800 was brought down by a missile, it was most likely an accident and the U.S. military was almost certainly involved.
I remember the Vincennes shot down an Iranian airliner. It can happen.
And the gub mint had to cover it up so as to avoid a few billion dollars of lawsuits from victims relatives.
Out of curiosity, have you ever served? And if so, in the navy?
For some quick background, during the first several years of my military career, I was a LAAD officer; an officer in a unit that employed both MANPADs and pedestal-mounted Stingers (Avengers). I’m also familiar with the now decommissioned MIM-23 Hawk system which is a much more capable, robust SAM system. And during the course of my initial schooling and continued training, I’ve seen most of our SAM systems operate. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’m an ‘expert’ in air defense missile systems as i was only in that job for a few years, but I probably know more than most.
Could a MANPAD (Stinger) have caused the catastrophic damage that TWA experienced? Almost certainly not. First, given its position essentially in the middle of the Long Island Sound, TWA 800 was very likely out of range for any MANPAD platforms that existed back then. More importantly though, MANPADs use a surprisingly small warhead that is designed to home in on the strongest IR signature, which on an airplane is going to be turbine exhaust. Even in an aircraft with an inboard engine(s) like a fighter - 747s have outboard engines mounted on nacelles - these aircraft experience engine failure that results in a catastrophic fuselage disintegration very rarely; it’s not like the movies where the missile hits the fighter and it blows up into a millions pieces. In fact, the ‘explosion’ is surprisingly muted, just a big puff of smoke really.
An aircraft with an outboard-mounted engine would be that much less likely to experience catastrophic fuselage failure. For example, how many 747s, or other passenger aircraft have seen total fuselage failure due to a bird strike on an outboard engine? None....by design. The same design elements that keep the fuselage secure in a engine/bird strike are the same elements that would keep it secure during MANPAD impact on an engine. There have been a number of incidents where multi-engine passenger/cargo planes have been struck by a MANPAD and continued to operate and eventually land safely.
If not a MANPAD, then what? A SAM from a surface ship or submarine ‘accidentally’ took out TWA 800? In a word, that is INSANE. The pre-launch procedures of a SAM aboard a ship are significant. It’s not like a person can accidentally lean on the ‘launch’ button and then, oopsie, missile away. Accidental launches are, by design, impossible. But, let’s arguendo say that it still happened. What are you going to do with the ship/sub full of sailors who, while sailing in the Long Island Sound, listened as their vessel ‘accidentally’ launched a missile to then find out minutes, hours or day later that at that very moment, a passenger plane fell out of the sky in one of the most notable airline accidents in aviation history? And Pro/Tip: A missile launch aboard a ship is not something that happens without being noticed. Everyone - literally everyone on the ship - can hear a missile launch. And yet, no one has said a word?
I honestly can’t believe 25-years later, there are people who still cling to this ABSURD conspiracy theory.
Agreed, I believe at the time the only “enemy” of the US who had the AA capability to do this was Russia, and maybe Iran. Unfortunately the deep state is the real enemy!
I always believed the terrorist angle and even now think it is possible.
A year before this disaster, I was with a group of travel agents taking TWA800 from JFK to Paris.
At that time, the final destination of TWA800 was Tel Aviv with a stopover in Paris.
There were many Orthodox Jews on that flight and prior to the evening take off, many were standing at the windows of the airport bobbing their heads praying.
Coincidence that flight was the only one ever to blow up spontaneously? No.