I remember the couple who lived on long island and brought their tape to the today show a day or so later. They played the video on air and there was no mistaking the bright orange streak chasing the plane before it exploded. There was never any mention of the video ever again.
I don't recall the video ever making it on air. I remember NBC saying they received the video. Then the FBI stepped in and confiscated all copies.
The plane broke in half and the running turbines took the front half straight up, thus the tracer. People imagined they saw surface to air tracers.
That’s the spin given by officials in a documentary I watched. I didn’t buy it.
Personally I think it was an accidental shoot down. But on the other hand how do you keep all the sailors on board a naval vessel quite about this? Perhaps it was an intentional shoot down by terrorists? But on the other hand why over Long Island Sound when the aircraft would be very high and more difficult to hit and take down. The logical area would be just East of JFK airport with terrorist with man pads.
I do know that the CIA produced a film showing the zoom climb of over 1000 feet purported to explain what those thought was a missile trail is totally and 100% impossible aerodynamic feat. Why did they produce this film that was impossible?
Is the center fuel tank explosion accurate? Maybe. I would like to see data on assumed fuel tank temperatures verses fuel vapors and minimum oxygen concentration to make an explosive fuel vapor air explosion. It is all about vapor pressure and oxygen content. 747s have been flying since the early 70s. Why has this occurred in only one time? What is believed to be explosive residue was recovered, this is odd. Link to NY Times article on this. https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/31/nyregion/more-traces-of-explosive-in-flight-800.html#:~:text=Federal%20investigators%20announced%20yesterday%20that%20they%20had%20discovered,plane%20was%20brought%20down%20by%20a%20criminal%20act. A chopper pilot in the air described what he thought was missile strike. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNT7EQObFnA
Bottom line is we do not know. I do know our government has not been honest.
“...and there was no mistaking the bright orange streak chasing the plane...”
I seem to recall that was discussed later on. Explained away as an “optical illusion” of flaming debris that was actually falling away from the plane.
Another video I’ve never been able to find again was from 9-11. One of the recognizable news anchors was monitoring all of the action and reports.
“This - just in - one of the towers has collapsed! One of the towers is completely collapsed.”
.
.
“Um - okay, well - we have the live shots here showing both buildings still standing, smoke billowing high above the ....”
Perhaps 2 to 5 minutes later the first building collapsed. I recall it was shortly after, but longer than a 20-second long censorship lag might be.
I’m guessing it was the field reporter said something about the building might collapse, they are worried the building will collapse, and the anchor misunderstood. But weird.