Posted on 11/06/2007 9:21:21 AM PST by neverdem
More than six years after retired United Airline captain Ray Lahr launched his Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) petition into the fate of TWA Flight 800, the FBI has shown him—likely by accident—one seriously smoking gun.
The Boeing 747 blew up off the coast of Long Island on July 17, 1996. One of the FBI documents received recently by Lahr and his attorney, John Clarke of Washington DC, details a communication that took place six days after the crash:
"On Tuesday, July 23, 1996, a representative from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) advised [the FBI] that after a visual analysis of both the videotape as well as a number of still photographs taken from various portions of the tape, the phenomenon captured by [name redacted] appeared to be consistent with the exhaust plume from a MANPAD [Man-portable air-defense] missile."
“The FBI guy who looked at this must not have read it, or not have realized what it would reveal,” says Lahr. “Otherwise he would have redacted most of it as before.”
Adding a new level of intrigue to the investigation is the fact that the video in question appears to have been shot on July 12, 1996, five days before the crash.
The earlier, unedited FBI document reports that a fellow and his friend on Long Island were attempting to videotape the sunrise when they saw and recorded “a grey trail of smoke ascending from the horizon at an angle of approximately 75 [degrees].”
So compelling was the visual that the fellow made a comment to his friend, heard on the tape, “They must be testing a rocket.” The fellow calculated that object was heading towards the Atlantic Ocean.
On the document Lahr first received, the story of the video ends right there. The next two paragraphs had...
(Excerpt) Read more at cashill.com ...
Since you apparently have knowledge about the fuel tanks, capacity, and consumption, please inform those of us on the board who are ignorant of these areas just how much fuel the tanks hold and how much should have been in the tanks for this trip.
What’s that? You have absolutely NO EFFING IDEA what you are talking about? How about shutting up until you have actual knowledge. It’s really not too much to ask, is it?
Don’t you love it when these people make this ridiculous claims without actually having the brains to consider what you posted ahead of time. Unlike the Yankee issue, we are in absolute agreement on this one.
Just how damn foolish can you people be. Seriously, some of you people have shown an embarrassing lack of mental ability.
Just at a guess, if you’re trying to land in an emergency then you might want as little of the stuff that might burst into flames onboard as possible.
My point was that they always seem to be carrying an excess of what they need.
So, because airplanes don’t carry EXACTLY the estimated amount of fuel on board, you infer that they carry full tanks everywhere they go? Deep thinking. Really.
Is there no current flowing, even when switched off. Thought so. BTW, no doubt getting down to proper weight is primary objective, but hard to believe that a secondary reason is to reduce flammable fuel.
Oh wise one, I did't make the response in comment# 58, which was a reply to my comment# 55. Without reposting a comment, I don't know what you're writing about.
Oh, so a plane’s fuel tanks never explode. Riggghhhttt.
You’re very close. Use those analytical skills to figure it out.
Having been to mines and demolition school,returning to my home battalion,and having the fun job of training all inclusive in the techniques of said training,[approx 450 men],I,as many,could not believe the crap the Govt.tried and accomplished,to make the people believe that there was a spark between fuel tanks that sent all those people down.
I will not and never will believe that no matter what.
What is sad,is our Govt.is sad in more ways than one.God help us in 2008.
Having been to mines and demolition school,returning to my home battalion,and having the fun job of training all inclusive in the techniques of said training,[approx 450 men],I,as many,could not believe the crap the Govt.tried and accomplished,to make the people believe that there was a spark between fuel tanks that sent all those people down.
I will not and never will believe that no matter what.
What is sad,is our Govt.is sad in more ways than one.God help us in 2008.
The center fuel was reported to be empty or nearly empty of fuel, IIRC, for a trans Atlantic flight. I didn't infer they carry an exact amount of fuel. Are you sure you want to make your comments to me?
My comment# 64: "My point was that they always seem to be carrying an excess of what they need."
An excess of ideal fuel consumption for an expected route does not necessarily imply a full tank.
Not full. Not empty (see our U.S. Air Force desert storage aircraft).
Not even shot. http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2004/07/mythbusters_scuba_diver_in_a_f.html
It takes a *large* boom to actually set off fuel tanks...even catching them merely on fire takes effort.
That's why NBC was busted for using high explosives to film their "exploding pickup truck" instead of simply filming the real thing (and pickup trucks use a far more volatile gasoline fuel than the kerosene used by civilian passenger jets...see Car Caper #3: http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2004/07/mythbusters_scuba_diver_in_a_f.html ).
Doubt that.
I’m with you either one or the other.
Filed under “Things I’ll never know.”
The first announcement I saw of TWA 800 was a bulletin on CBS. It said that the Pentagon was reporting...... I don’t ever remember the first report of a civilian aircraft disaster coming from the Pentagon. Neither CBS nor any other network ever cited the Pentagon again.
That smarts... ;)
I still have my Frank Sinatra “Come Fly With Me” album in pretty good shape.
You do know that 800 took off in the slot originally designated for an EL AL flight....or is that not common knowledge?
It was a sad day when TWA went under. Ditto for Pan Am.
From time to time, one can buy a variety of TWA items on E-Bay (dinnerware, flight bags, etc.). I may have to get some to add to my airline collection.
I heard about it when I was pulled into the main bank of phones to deal with the passenger inquiries. We ended up being the destination for all the info calls to the 800(creepy huh?) number.
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