LTS
I have some serious doubts that a MANPAD could shoot down TWA 800 for the following reasons:
1. The maximum altitude for the best American and Russian MANPAD's is around 10,000 feet. TWA 800 exploded at 13,700 feet, above the maximum altitude of American and Russian MANPAD's.
2. There is no evidence of a fragmentation blast pattern on any part of the plane from the known warhead fragmentation patterns of the Stinger, SA-7, SA-14, SA-16 and SA-18 missiles.
3. Given that MANPAD's use infrared seekers to guide the missile in flight, the most likely place a MANPAD missile will hit are the engine nacelles, especially with the hot exhaust during a climbout. Yet there is no evidence of a warhead fragmentation pattern on any of the engine nacelles from TWA 800.
Now, an accidental shootdown from a US Navy SM-2 missile launched from destroyer might make more sense, given that the SM-2 is radar-guided and would likely impact right in the middle of the target. However, there's no evidence of the warhead fragmentation pattern from an SM-2 missile anyone on the plane.
Besides, how would you cover up the shootdown when you have thousands of people from the NTSB, FBI, FAA, and Boeing involved in the investigation.
I wouldn't expect commercial aircraft to be their first target -- I'd be most worried about Air Force One.
This is the most curious and I post rather than link from TWA 800 page because of the depth at which is was buried. It comes from an Aviaiton Sub committee meeting May 14, 1999.
"There have been 26 aircraft worldwide shot down by MANPADs--Man Portable Defense Systems; Flight 800 may have been the 27th. To prove that foreign MANPADs have been previously smuggled into the country, Donaldson recalled the curious case of the French-made Mistral, a Stinger-type missile that was found along a country road in Westminster, Maryland in October, 1994. The owner of a nearby convenience store had noticed it alongside the road; the Mistral was leaning on its side. "Somebody brought it here," said Donaldson. "Normally a Mistral would not be in this country except for some type of joint military test. Westminister, Maryland is an area that is constantly overflown by airlines from the major airports on the east coast. It's a great place to try to shoot down a plane. But it's strange the way the missile was just left at the edge of a road--in plain sight. As if someone wanted it to be found. This is just my speculation, but it's as if someone was giving our government a warning that they could take down a plane of ours at any time."
Of course the real question is, when did Bush OOPS! XLINTOON!! know and what did he do about it?
OCTOBER 1994!!!
In other words, they want us conditioned.
Remember folks, after 9/11, the CIA/FBI said they foiled dozens/100s of attacks against the US and against Americans in the preview year or so. They could supposedly, and I do use the term loosely, stop all of these terrorist attacks, but now they are helpless and have no clue what's going on. Yeah, okay, sure, you betcha.
gray market? whats this? the new improved politically correct black market?