Witness Tampering Alleged in Flt. 587 Probe

NewsMax.com ^ | 7/16/02 | Carl Limbacher & Staff

[goody2shooz]

A group of eyewitnesses to the Nov. 12 crash of American Airlines Flight 587 are charging that the National Transportation Safety Board has engaged in deliberate cover-up; complaining that investigators have ignored their accounts of a fiery midair explosion and even tried to persuade some of them to change their story.

"The plane was definitely on fire. It was in the middle of the plane," said Maureen Hager, a flight attendant who watched Flt. 587 crash from her apartment window in Belle Harbor, New York.

She told the New York Daily News that crash investigators tried to get her to change her account. "They told me I didn't see it," she complained.

Hager was one of 25 who addressed a gathering of Flt. 587 witnesses at a Queens, New York restaurant located not far from the crash scene last week.

Others were equally adamant.

"I resent the fact that the NTSB and all these other people think we're making this stuff up," added Joann Catanese, a Rockaway Park resident who joined the group of 45 fellow Flt. 587 witnesses.

Still others said the NTSB simply refused to take witness statements from those whose accounts conflicted with official theories of how the crash happened.

Some who said they saw an explosion claimed the NTSB declined to conduct follow-up interviews.

Since the earliest hours after Flt. 587 crashed outside JFK International Airport, the NTSB has maintained there was no indication of an onboard fire or explosion, evidence that could show terrorists brought the plane down.

Yet most of the witnesses at the meeting said they heard an explosion, then saw the Airbus 300-600 engulfed in a fireball before it plummeted to the ground, killing all 260 aboard and five on the ground.

The crash took place on the Veteran's Day holiday, a day after the FBI had issued an air travel terrorist alert.

Five weeks later, al Qaeda terrorist Richard Reid was apprehended trying to detonate a bomb on board Miami-bound American Airlines Flight 63.

"I kind of think there's a cover-up," local diner owner Kenny Good told the Daily News.

Good, also a Flt. 587 witness, said he had to force investigators to recover jet debris he collected from the roof of his restaurant.

"I had parts [from the crash] for a full day and nobody picked them up and they could be covered with explosive residue," Good said.

The NTSB was invited to attend the Flt. 587 witness meeting but declined to send a representative.

[goody2shooz]

Move along, folks. Nothing to see here

...and the coverup continues.

[Sabertooth]

Deja vu.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

You forgot the second part, "Clearly an isolated incident." "Totally unrelated".

[Sabertooth]

Hey, can we get this placed in Extended News or Front Page News?

This is a pretty significant story, and merits wider attention. Thanks.

[Map Kernow]

A group of eyewitnesses to the Nov. 12 crash of American Airlines Flight 587 are charging that the National Transportation Safety Board has engaged in deliberate cover-up; complaining that investigators have ignored their accounts of a fiery midair explosion and even tried to persuade some of them to change their story.

Naah, they're just being prepared by "experts" who know what they really saw. [/sarcasm]

The government lies to us more than we'll ever know, especially about "national security" matters, regardless of who's in the White House.

[Samwise]

Deja vu.

All over again. Bump.

[Askel5]

You should see if someone can't link up the ATC tape wherein pilots who had visual contact reported a cloud of smoke mid-air.

[RobRoy]

This isn't a coverup. It is clear that these "non-expert" witnesses just don't always know how to interpret what they are actually seeing. The Flight 800 crash was rife with the same type of "eyewitness" accounts.

With that crash people thought they saw a missle rising up to the plane when what they were really seeing was the plane itself rising after the nose came off.

Likewise, in thig case they did, in fact see the plane engulfed in a fireball, but that is because they saw it AFTER it hit the ground and then bounced high in the air, making it look like it caught on fire before it ever hit the ground.

I'm sure the FBI can do one of those computer simulation thingies that makes it look really real.

Few casual observers ever take into acount what investigators call the BM, or "Bounce Factor."

[Sabertooth]

You should see if someone can't link up the ATC tape wherein pilots who had visual contact reported a cloud of smoke mid-air.

Hey Race, you were active on the Flight #587 threads... do you have a lead on the tape to which Askel5's referring?

[RobRoy]

Oops. Two things: BM = BF
and < /sarcasm >

[zarf]

Another BS article from NEWMAX......file this in the tin foil drawer....

[Shermy]

It was wind shear. I know, kooky, but when combined with an onboard explosion it could happen...or look like it could of happened that way, with a selective analysis of evidence.

[MeekOneGOP]

All over again. Bump.

LOL! Ya beat me to it!

[Alberta's Child]

TWA Flight 800 (apparently shot down off the south shore of Long Island)
Egypt Air (suicidal pilot or co-pilot)
SwissAir (crashed off the coast of Newfoundland)
American Airlines Flight 587 (explosion, or tail simply fell off)

Every one of these disasters involved a commercial jet flying out of New York's JFK International Airport and crashing under unknown or unusual circumstances. In some cases, the explanation was even more bizarre than the most far-fetched allegation that was ever made.

I can't imagine why anyone would be willing to fly out of JFK Airport these days.

[SpottedBeaver]

It was wind shear. I know, kooky, but when combined with an onboard explosion it could happen...or look like it could of happened that way, with a selective analysis of evidence.

And you know, the strange thing about how the plane fell out sky... It wasn't an onboard explosion... It was when the wings fell off, after the onboard explosion.

[Ferris]

It was the center wing fuel tank...

Always trust your government...

For your government is always right...

[Sundog]

The eye witnesses to 587 saw an explosion at the base of the starboard wing first, then the plane went down. I listened to one of them describe exactly what she saw, to the reporter, moments after she saw it, and it was precise, clear and immediate. She had been staring at the plane fly and saw it happen.

My flight 93 web site has disappeared, www.flight93crash.com. It had quite a bit of circumstantial evidence that Todd Beamer wasn't the only one bringing the flight down.

Funny, just like the witnesses who saw a missle go up before flight 800 came down, they were collectively told what to think and where to go.

Cheers.

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks, I was wondering about the BM thingy there, hehehe

[gunshy]

Why do you people continue with this effort to get the government to admit the truth. There is no provision in the constitution requiring the government to be truthful. All you are doing is creating a diversion to keep the government from its main job of oppressing the people. You should all be ashamed.

[Free the USA]

Index Bump