Posted on 01/07/2002 10:09:49 AM PST by Beach_Babe
New Yorkers who believe they saw American Airlines Flight 587 explode in flames before its tail sheared off have accused crash investigators of ignoring their eyewitness accounts and prematurely ruling out a terrorist attack.
Six witnesses, including a recently retired police lieutenant, an FDNY deputy chief and a former firefighter, have written to the National Transportation Safety Board demanding they be called to testify at a public hearing.
Tom Lynch, 59, a retired firefighter, said he had also spoken to 18 other people who saw the Airbus A300 flying on fire before it crashed into houses in Belle Harbor, Queens, on Nov. 12, killing 265 people.
"The NTSB is not publicly acknowledging the many eyewitness accounts of the in-flight fire or explosion, many from people who are adamant that the fire occurred before any tail or engine breakups," he told The Post.
Lynch, who organized the letter, said he was standing on Rockaway Beach Boulevard when he saw a bright orange ball of flame streaming from the right side of the plane.
Two or three seconds later, he said, he saw a larger eruption of flames consuming the entire right side of the plane's fuselage.
"There were no falling parts until the second explosion of flames - I'll go to my grave with that," he said.
The witnesses said they were surprised NTSB Chairwoman Marion Blakey was able to say, only hours after the crash, that all indications pointed to an accident, rather than a terrorist attack.
"How could that statement be made while the flight-data recorder had not been recovered, the crash-investigation team had not yet showed up and initial eyewitness reports included many accounts of one or two explosions in flight?" Lynch said.
Another witness not involved with Lynch's group, Michael Benjamin, said he saw a huge orange fire engulfing the front third of the plane's right side while he was driving along Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.
Benjamin, who works for the Oversight, Analysis and Investigations Committee of the state Assembly, said he had attempted to contact the NTSB but had not received a return call.
Preliminary reports written by the NTSB have not mentioned in-flight explosions, but have focused on air turbulence, the composite materials used to build the jet's vertical tail, and sudden rudder movements.
An NTSB spokesman said more than 200 eyewitness accounts had been recorded and were being considered as part of the investigation.
But he said if the NTSB decided to conduct a public hearing, it would most likely seek opinions from air-safety and aeronautical-design experts rather than witnesses.
The people who signed the letter, in addition to Lynch, are retired NYPD Officer James Conrad, FDNY Deputy Chief Peter Hayden, retired transit cop Richard Kvies, sales manager John Power and food-services manager Ellie Scholfield.
More proof that the tail didn't come off because of air-loads. It came off for structural problems.Bzzzt. The NTSB recently admitted the tail was NOT the problem. Now they are looking at "pilot error." Get with the program! The cover-ups are moving faster than the slower, more dull-witted shills.
More proof that the tail didn't come off because of air-loads. It came off for structural problems.Bzzzt. The NTSB recently admitted the tail was NOT the problem. Now they are looking at "pilot error." Get with the program! The cover-ups are moving faster than the slower, more dull-witted shills.
With about as much lying and stalling by our government, who, by the way, lies to us about 90% of the time on everything.
Call me a tin-foil hatter.Recall it happened a couple weeks after bin Laden said more planes would fall, while Bush was at Ground Zero and the UNGA was in town (bin Laden has some beef with the UN, which I don't get, but whatever). That and witnesses say they saw explosions. It was ALWAYS clear that terrorism should have been the working assumption.
Now that all the denials about the shoe bomber have also unraveled, it is starting to look painfully obvious something nasty happened on AA587. Compare this to the litany of bad engine, bird strike, bad tail, wake turbulence, harmonic vibration, cheese, etc., theories. ALL of them wrong. Now who's wearing the tinfoil?
Good point. I hadn't thought of that.
-PJ
The Bridge and Tunnel Officers have access to the administration building which is located on the Brooklyn side of the Marine Parkway Bridge. Right behind the administration building is a locked trailer. Recording equipment is in that trailer and the officers do not have access to the trailer.
The tape in question is surveillance tape of the Cross Bay Bridge which is approximately three miles east of the Marine Parkway Bridge. There are also surveillance cameras in the administration building, the parking lot, and in the toll lanes.
The tail was fished out of the bay just west of the Cross Bay Bridge and the impact site is approximately midpoint between the two bridges
I was told that the FBI and the NTSB came that day (11/12) to retrieve the tape, but TBTA/MTA would not release it to them. They did hand it over a few days later.
And to answer your question, no, the men did not see the tape...but they never see any of the tapes. The rumor is that the plane shows up on the tape, it shows something falling off, and it shows it crashing. I specifically asked my friend about an explosion, but he said he hadn’t heard anything about that.
Isn't that the group of which Goebels was in charge in another time and place? I wonder why we no longer call it "the propaganda machine". These days speaking the truth is costly.
It's the economy.
Gotta keep that bubble going in order to keep the current crop of politicos in office.
Dozens of eyewitnesses report seeing FIRE or SMOKE or EXPLOSIONS near the right wing/fuselage juncture. Witnesses describe TWO explosions...coincidentally, the cockpit voice recorder recorded two "rattles".
Those who tell you they can look at pictures on the internet and rule out sabotage or an explosion are not reliable. They are basing their claims on those pictures that were allowed to be released.
IMHO, a shoebomber detonated near the center fuel tank, the tank subsequently exploded near the wing. This caused the plane to spin relative to the flight vector. Resulting sidewards wind pressure sheared off the tail. Once the tail was gone, stability was compromised and the still firing engines ripped from their mounts.
I have complied a list of links for those who wish to research this further.
Jet "exploded into pieces"
Feds Downplay Flt. 587 Explosion Reports
Breakup of Airliner is captured on security film.
Flight 587 Video Shows "Puff of Smoke" in Sky
FBI Sitting on Flt. 587 Videotape
Accident Theories Falling Like Dominoes (a collection of trial balloons)
Air Turbulence May Be Factor in Jetline Crash, Officials Say
Sabotage Explains Fight 587 Crash, Expert Says
JetBlue Pilot Saw American Airlines Crash
Flt. 587 Eyewitnesses insist Expolsion Came Before Tail Broke Off
Another terrorist air attack at that time would have had catastrophic effects on the travel industry and the holiday season, and subsequently, the econonmy. It was important for them to rule out terrorism quickly...whether true or not.
I think now that a shoe bomber has been stopped, now would be a perfect time to go ahead and admit this was probably sabtoage or terrorism. I think the people's psyche could handle that info now. I pray they will do the right thing.
Flight data indicates a sharp lurch to the left just as the trouble started. This could have been caused by an explosion on the right side of the plane...an explosion that is confirmed by mulitple eyewitness testimony.
If the plane spun on it's vert axis, similar to a semi fishtailing, the resulting sidewards wind forces could shear off an already weakened composite tail.
The search presupposes the result.
Keep this story alive...
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.