[Rokke]

I have learned over time, that facts matter very little to people who are convinced TWA 800 is a government conspiracy. But since you asked (and I suppose it is only fair since I made the statement) here goes....

1. "258 witnesses were discredited - most of whom said they saw a streak of light leave the ground and strike the plane."
Off all the witnesses interviewed 183 say they saw a streak of light. Of those, 96 say the streak originated from the ground. Of those, 40 say it originated from the water and 10 said from the land. None of them reported seeing it "strike the plane".

2. "And most of those people were very credible - pilots - military - people in sciences who understood what they were seeing."
Very few of the witnesses to the event were anything like what you just described. With the exception of an ANG helicopter crew, none of the airborne witnesses (26 total including several airline pilots) reported seeing any streak at all. Your statement is simply false.

[Mr. Silverback]

What proves to me beyond doubt that these people didn't see a missile is this: No one (correct me if I'm wrong) reported seeing a missile launch. The launch would have had to be on or near long island, and anyone who's seen a missile launch at night knows that it would have been quite visible to hundreds of witnesses and gotten their attention.

Then there's the EastWind Air pilot who was looking right at Flight 800 when it exploded. He reported no missiles.