[Rokke]

"i can understand a shootdown being necessary, as well as the desire to keep the fact of it a secret."

What rationalization would there be to keep a shootdown secret? If anything, it would be helpful to broadcast the fact that we did shoot one down.

[John W]

"What rationalization would there be to keep a shootdown secret? If anything, it would be helpful to broadcast the fact that we did shoot one down."

Well,the nuttiest of the conspiracy theorists would say this one had to be shot down as the passengers were about to take control of it and supposedly land it with hijackers still alive to tell "the truth".