Posted on 11/16/2001 1:24:12 PM PST by callisto
A videotape that could show exactly what happened to American Airlines Flight 587, which crashed three minutes after taking off from New York's JFK airport on Monday, is in the hands of the FBI -- but the bureau has thus far declined to release it.
New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Tom Kelly confirmed to the Daily News Friday that the agency has given surveillance videotapes from Cross Bay Blvd. and Marine Parkway bridges to the FBI.
"One tape captures the plane taking off from JFK," the News said.
Cross Bay Blvd. and Marine Parkway traverse Jamaica Bay, where the plane's vertical stabilizer was discovered intact after the crash.
Dozens of eyewitnesses have told media outlets they saw an explosion and/or a fire at the juncture of Flt. 587's wing and fusilage moments before it began to break up, losing its tail first, then both its engines.
Catastrophic engine failure, which was first suspected to have caused the explosion, was ruled out Tuesday after NTSB investigators examined the engines and found no evidence of mechanical failure.
Since discovering the engines were working properly, NTSB spokeswoman Marion Blakely -- along with most media outlets -- have quietly dropped references to witness accounts of a midair explosion.
The NTSB now says that wind turbulence from another plane is the most likely cause of the crash. One former jumbo jet veteran pilot was highly skeptical of the turbulence theory.
"If wind turbulence caused that accident, I'll never fly again," Barry Schiff, who flew 747's for TWA, told the New York Post.
But a videotape showing the exact sequence of Flt. 587's break-up could clear up any mystery, showing whether or not the break-up was caused by an explosion or by turbulence.
It's not clear why the FBI has not yet released the MTA video -- or even commented on what it shows. It's also not clear why the Flt. 587 video was not turned over to the NTSB instead of the FBI, which had reportedly adopted a secondary role in the wake of NTSB claims that the crash was an accident.
When an Air France Concorde jetliner crashed after catching fire on takeoff from a rural French airport last year, an amatuer video of the accident was released within 48 hours.
Calls to the FBI's New York office and to MTA spokesman Kelly were not returned by presstime.
These devices tend to stop recording data when they become seperated from the airframe.
Actually not, Correctol works wonders.
It's just that I won't accept the shrill cries of the mental midgets here who see everything as a conspiracy. This may seem strange, but that's called paranoia, and that is a disease. Paranoia is not patriotism.
Some FReepers are smart, experienced, logical people. Others are certifyable and should probably not be allowed out in traffic. They want us to believe they are so important that the government is out to get them. That's called delusions of grandour.
By the way..... Want to have some fun? Look at the old posts from these people. Read the doom and gloom they have predicted, and how about 2% of it comes to pass. This is not college, but it is the Big Exam called Life... and 2% is not a passing grade.
One more thing. If some government conspiracy is out to get us, we've been hearing about it for 60 years. I wish the government would drop it, or get better at it, beacuse the suspense is killing me!!!!
maybe she's mispronouncing "ordnance."
Not much of a better crowd, but they make a hell of a martini! :~)
Of course, those of you who believe that the government is covering this up, so that people don't cancel their travel plans and bankrupt the airlines are 100% correct.
If the public thinks that the terrorists struck again, they would stay away from flying in droves.
But.....if they were decieved into thinking that there is a fatal design flaw, or material failure, that remains unresolved, on an entire class of aircraft, that will inspire them all to go flocking to the airports to board these potential deathtraps, to visit Granny, and eat some dried out turkey next week.
Economy saved!
I remain in awe of your powers of reasoning.
Fly that flag, and lets not discuss this.
Lets just all put this behind us, and fly American Airlines.
Have a dangerou.....er.....nice flight.
That's some rhetoric you're totin' there. Name calling and psychiatric diagnoses... heh heh. Five thousand dead, repeated urgent warnings by the government of impending additional terrorists attacks, now all of a sudden anybody who has an opinion that isn't sanctioned by the FBI or FAA is automatically a kook? Do you realize that, by expending all of the energy and bandwidth attempting to stifle discussion, as you do, that even homeless psychotics and crack addled squeegie guys laugh at you?
Well, at least we know it wasn't terrorists, right?
Looked at your tax forms lately?
Nah. People would think it was just that one plane, and move on. It would be just a fluke. A bad accident. ( Which it may be, but may be not, via the discussions here)
LOL Now that I can agree with!!!
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