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.
Cameras, as shown on web sites, are very wide angle. They have to be to see traffic on a mile long bridge at relatively close range. Aircraft from JFK disappear from view very quiclky and are never more than dots in the first place.
When will some FReepers realize that purpose of sites like NewsMax and even worse WND and DEBKA, are simply to get you riled up, so that can sell web advertising based on hits.
The only question is, will we be dumb enough to fall for it.
For now, I share your view on this. The camera that recorded this was likely a low quality unit with rather poor resolution, similar to what you can get at Circuit City for $40 that connects to a PC. My guess is that the FBI was given the tape because the have the facillities and equipment in their labs to enhance the images of the plane. Now if this tape isn't released to the public after a few days, then this starts to smell.
after all, turbulence or mechanical failure is just too damn boring to be the truth!You're right friend, we should all just go on about our daily lives, nothing to see here. Maybe we could all go out and plan a long flight to stimulate the economy and help out the airline industry in general. I mean, we all know how safe it is to fly don't we? Isn't that what the airlines have been telling us for many years? Hmmmm, now it seems that they want us to think that a plane being downed by turbulence is a common event... Yea, that makes sense.
No no no, thats not what happens to video's. Remember, they are blank and nothing was ever recorded on them or someone accidently erases them. Fire and rat droppings only happen to the papework. :-)
If everyone thought that a bomb took it out, nobody would want to fly.
But if the public could be tricked into believing that there is a fatal flaw in a fair number of the world's fleet of airplanes, they would get a warm and fuzzy feeling of safety, and run to their travel agents to buy tickets, by the droves.
As Arthur Miller said in "Death of a Salesman", "attention must be paid to this man.".
You wouldn't have thought that if you had seen and heard her on FOX this morning. Not tryin' to be mean, but she kinda looked and sounded like female impersonater. But it was early and I'm not at my best at 6:30 AM either.
They were at an "undisclosed location." Like Dick Cheney, or maybe WITH Dick Cheney?
I think you and I can also agree that the FBI should keep classified the surveilance videos connected with the FBI investigation of the OKC bombing. The cameras may have seen something they didn't see, right?
To say nothing of a ripple effect on fourth quarter sales this year.
Wooeee. This presents a conundrum. Say somebody here has in their possession a videotape of the whole thing, clearly showing a bomb bringing the plane down.
Might it be considered unpatriotic to release such a thing, seeing as how it could devastate the economy, give the terrorists a victory and a huge setback to America in the War on Terrorism? Wouldn't "loose lips sink ships" -- or the country's economy -- apply here?
Or is an honest and open government more important than any of that?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.