Patali: Pilot of AA flight dumped fuel prior to crash, in (likely) response to mechanical failures

Gov. Pataki | 11/12/01 | WABC Radio

[Steven W.]

Gov. Pataki is reporting that the pilot of the ill-fated American Airlines flight dumped most of the airplane's fuel over Jamaica Bay, anticipating a crash landing and most likely indicating a trained response to onboard mechanical failures.

[tray-sea]

I heard it too.. Glen Beck Show.. someone else earlier in this thread also said they heard this statement on CNN.. so perhaps the word will get out and we'll learn one way or another the fuel story. -T

[americanMel]

That's all I've heard...FoxNews, radio, internet....

Remember, we will believe what they tell us (sarcasm) ;)!

[GoreLoser]

Rita Cosby's new look falls into the "You can't make a silk purse..." category but maybe she can use it to entice Pataki into retracting his absurd fuel-dumping fairy tale.

[DreamWeaver]

The time of this " crash" on 11/12 was approx 9:17 A.M on ... ... 9/11 2 mos almost to the day, what was exact time of crash ?? does anyone recollect exact time ? Pretty close for comfort IMO.

[Lessismore]

If the front part of the wing above the engine were damaged, the outboard section of the wing would fold inward and upward until it ripped off. The Fox eyewitness said that part of the wing hit the vertical stabilizer.

[nicmarlo]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) -- Deafening cries sorrow echoed through the airport Monday as relatives awaiting the arrival of loved ones collapsed in grief

I thought of these people, earlier. How awful, to wake up in anticipation of greeting a loved one at the airport, only to learn they are dead. Tis very sad.

[ikka]

Do you think that a 50 cal round fired directly into a spinning jet turbine on take off would magically bounce off, or pass through making a dozen neat hole in one line and do no serious damage?

I think a 50 cal round would tend to do some damage. My understanding is that the 50 cal was used to disable SCUD-like missiles - a sniper would get close to the launch truck, and put a round through where the electronics were.

My other post should have had a "sarcasm" tag on the end of it - maybe you recall the threads here on FR where Nostrils Waxman claimed that 50 cal rounds could be used against tanks, etc.

[Smogger]

Spinning out of control....

They'll continue with this "accident" line of reporting. They don't want the airline industry biting the dust!

Exactly. My point is is what they outta be saying is:

"The investigation is ongoing but in light of recent events and the manner in which this plane crashed the we suspect that the crash may have been the result of a deliberate act."

This is most likely what they do suspect, but instead of coming out and saying it they are determined to avoid saying anything that could cause further economic damage to the State of NY, the country, or the airlines.

[TheRealLobo]

There are many methods that would be EASIER than a shot that doesn't cause the engine to fail until 4 minutes into the flight. Which part of the engine would you have to hit to make it do that? You completely blew off this part of my post.

BTW, and FWIW, barometric initiator is NOT required. A timer, a remote control, or a delay switch, a couple of batteries, a blasting cap and the shaped charges stolen from the locker in Houston is all that is needed.

YOU proposed that shooting it down would be EASY, show me what part of the engine you need to hit.

[Cachelot]

Name one. even building a bomb with a barometric initiator

Hmmm.. know what a limpet is? Think it might be possible to adapt something like that for a plane instead of a ship? Think it might be possible to reach it with a radio signal?

[ROCKLOBSTER]

according to previous posts, the Airbus 300-600 has no fuel dumping capacity

I heard the same thing from a pilot on WRKO AM, Boston.

[bootless]

Actually, eyewitness accounts are rarely accurate, and can vary wildly. Especially when your brain fills in details that you *expect* to see in a given circumstance.

[bootless]

Thanks for that info.

[concerned about politics]

This is most likely what they do suspect, but instead of coming out and saying it they are determined to avoid saying anything that could cause further economic damage to the State of NY, the country, or the airlines.

YEPER! It would devistate the country. Right now they're flopping around like fish out of water!

[Collier]

Someone on MSNBC, around 5:30 EST, said he doubts the pilot would have had time to dump the fuel. He said what more likely happened, was when the engine fell off it hit the fuel line.

[calvin sun]

People are saying mechanical failure this and mechanical failure that. Of course it was a mechanical failure. Even if a bomb goes off on the plane the result would be a mechanical failure. The question isn't whether or not the plane crash was the result of a mechanical failure. It obviously was. The question is was the mechanical failure the result of improper maintenance, an act of God, or deliberate sabotage.

Smogger, thank you. If I may paraphrase the line that Professor Kingsfield used in "The Paper Chase": your comment is the first intelligent comment on this subject I've seen today.

You're right: too many people are assuming that mechanical failure and terrorist activity are mutually exclusive. But, as you point out, they COULD coexist.

[Osinski]

Just like the anthrax story...the guy got it on a hiking excursion in NC...until more people turned up with anthrax. They certainly will not say the crash was terrorism, even if they know it is, given the huge Thanksgiving travel the airlines must have. I certainly will not be travelling by plane.

[nicmarlo]

Paul Czysz, an aviation specialist at Parks College of St. Louis University, said the circular hole in the side of an engine that fell from the doomed airliner is suspicious.

Interesting...and suspicious.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

A jet engine, at right, from American Airlines flight 587 lies amid houses that it crashed into several blocks from site where the rest of the plane crashed November 12, 2001 in the Rockaway section of Queens, New York. Normal flight operations at two of the three major New York-area airports resumed several hours after the crash. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters) - Nov 12 5:45 PM ET

FBI papers are strewn around the crash scene of American Airlines Flight 587 in the Rockaway Beach section of New York's Queens borough Monday, Nov. 12, 2001. There were no known survivors among the 255 people aboard, and six people were missing on the ground. (AP Photo/Victor Nicastro) - Nov 12 5:23 PM ET