Investigators Find Signs Birdstrike May Have Caused Crash of Flight 587

Wall Street Journal ^ | November 13, 2001 | SCOTT MCCARTNEY

[Axion]

Investigators examining one of the separated engines from American Airlines Flight 587 found foreign debris inside, indicating that the engine may have ingested a flock of birds and then caught on fire.

The engine burned internally, people close to the investigation said. But its parts appeared intact, except for the damage from what is known in aviation as ``foreign object debris,'' or ``FOD.'' That would suggest that the engine didn't suffer a catastrophic failure from some mechanical breakdown, but from sucking in birds, these people said.

[Steve_Seattle]

"We ought to consider the possibility that a birdstrike did happen."

Birds have brought down airliners before, so there is nothing absurd about the possibility, but too many people seem determined to spin conspiracy theories or make jokes.

[Steve_Seattle]

"conspiracy hunting"

I agree there's way too much of that here.

[MassLengthTime]

but the bird thing.....well....this one will take some time to digest. It's still a little too raw.

It does seem a bit flighty. Are you crying fowl?

[bootless]

Re: the vertical stabilizer: It is lighter and more aerodynamic than the two engines. Given the prevailing wind, and the motion of the plane relative to the wind, if it separated at approximately the same time the engine(s) did, it would have blown back several blocks towards the Bay.

[bootless]

A bird can't knock off a wing, but ingestion of a bunch of birds can rip the hell out of an engine.

[d14truth]

Friends of Rockaway--Jamaica Bay Wildlife Preserve

I had forgotten about the 'mosquitoes'.

[catpuppy]

Well said. I think that your skepticism is reasonable.

[patriciaruth]

Birdstrike damage on takeoff at Paris airport two years ago. Captain received award for being able to get the plane down. Damage inside cockpit including bird bodies not shown as I didn't save them.

[patriciaruth]

View pictures above.

[Paradox]

If you think that the people who are able to see through this concocted BS gov't story are in the minority here, perhaps you need to find a different forum. The fact is, the vast majority of the folks here KNOW what didn't happen.

See, you dont KNOW for a fact. Neither do I know for a fact that there ISN'T a conspiracy going on. At this point, I just doubt it, but I do admit that it IS a weird case. The fact that you think you know, for a fact, these things that you simply cannot know yet is very telling. Like I said, speculation is cool, I think we here on FR _MUST_ do so, but the witch/conspiracy hunting that goes on here sometimes is ridiculous.

As for leaving FR, there are plenty, if not a majority of us here who can maintain our scepticism of the "mainstream" and the Government, while still recognizing the conspiracy orgies for what they are. I am just as conservative as the next guy, but that doesn't mean I can't be skeptical of the nihilistic, cynical skepticism that often breaks out here.

[patriciaruth]

See pictures above.

[concerned about politics]

One intelligence official said a warning was sent to senior Bush administration officials last week stating that unidentified terrorists were planning to carry out some type of mass attack on Nov. 11 — Veterans Day — at 11 a.m. There was no attack Sunday at 11 a.m. or p.m.

No, it happened the next day!!!
HERE

[patriciaruth]

See photos above.

[d14truth]

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Preserve

"This major refuge encompasses 9,155 acres of diverse habitats, including salt marsh, upland field and woods, several fresh and brackish water ponds, and an open expanse of bay and islands. It is internationally renowned as a prime birding spot where thousands of water, land and shorebirds stop during migration."

Note nearby attractions: JFK International Airport

[concerned about politics]

See pictures above.

See post #293

[Howlin]

Let me ask you this: some people reported seeing the wing break away. Do you think that could have been the tail section we saw on TV?

[upchuck]

Well, now the PETA wackos are saying that any airport that has birds within 2 miles of it should be shutdown permanently. Can't have planes killing innocent birds!

[patriciaruth]

Did terrorists or birdstrike bring down the American Airlines plane in Paris two years ago? (photos above in my file for over a year.) We have to get a grip and look at the evidence, not at our fears or suspicions. I was voting yesterday for sabotage, but birds CAN and HAVE done this in the past, those big migratory suckers that we all love to see in flight are downright dangerous near airports. So I am accepting that just some usual ghasty accident may well have occurred and NOT the sum of all our fears.

[texasbluebell]

The following thread posted by afraidfortherepublic has some interesting ideas on it too.

Counterfeit Bolts as a Possibility in NYC Plane Crash?