[GSHastings]

On TWA flt 800, certainly any missile theory (small one, large one) can be ruled out by looking at the aircraft evidence.

Agree?

Agreed. The documentary I watched discussed in detail the evidence which would typically be found if the cause were a missile, or a bomb on board. And none of it was present.

[RunningWolf]

Right,

The aircraft was already out of range for a manpad (unless the aircraft was static at that altitude). A manpad would not have tracked to that part of the airframe, and even if it did track to that part of the airframe it would have impacted & detonated on the fairings or the heat exchangers and all of that hardware attached to the bottom of the wing box.

Where as the larger SAM (such as a Standard) would have had a large rocket plume to follow perhaps a definite radar track, and would have obliterated the jet liner (as happened in the Gulf). Either scenario would not have the investigators scratching head trying to piece it together that this is what happened.

Wolf