We know what the FBI would have said: "no suspected ties to terrorism."
Thank you. My brother was in the 101st. I was stationed overseas when this happened and he never mentioned it to me nor did I see it in the press. God bless them all.
According to what I could Google, it was a DC8-63. Standard seating capacity would have been from 180 to 220 for that model per Boeing. So they were really packed in, and probably had a full load of luggage and equipment as well. If the model info is correct, the plane wouldn't have been that old. 63s were built between 1967 and 1972 and many have racked up over 100,000 hours in the air.
Sgt. Brian Dumpert and his wife lived next door to me in 1983-84, back when he was in the 82nd. I remember they'd come over with homemade popped popcorn (pre-microwave) to watch movies, and I'd roller skate on their carport. Sgt. Dumpert was also the person who taught me the word "wuss." (No, he didn't call me one -- I was only seven or eight at the time). His family had moved to Indiana by the time of the crash. He had an 18-month-old, and a newborn he had not yet seen. Sad, sad day all around.
Wonder if someone planted eight maples separately for the crew members.
How very sad.
I had PCSd from the 311th MI earlier that year. The day after the crash I called back to my old unit to find that two of my friends had died.
Odd enough, one was from Lebanon if I remember correctly.
Should be remembered these soliders died on yet another mission to the ME - peacekeeping ops in the Sinai.