The timeline and location of the major events of the disaster was approximately as follows:
8:31:11 Intact and climbing 747 approaches 13,800 feet.
8:31:12 Initiating Event at 13,800 feet followed immediately by the commencement of the decapitation process.
8:31:43-8:31:47 Streak of light appears.
8:31:47 Explosion of Massive Fireball at 5500-7500 feet.
8:31:55-8:31:57 Splashdown of the Massive Fireball flames.
Source.
FormerLurker says: "The point at which ONE of the wings came off (notably the left wing) was at around 21:31:34:97" - which translates for comparison purposes to appropximately 8:31:35 - approximately 23 seconds after the IE.
FormerLurker also says: "As the massive fireball apparently occured at ~20:31:35 as that is where the left wing came off the plane, the altitude at that point should be around 3500 feet" - which translates for comparison purposes to approximately 8:31:35 - still approximately 23 seconds after the IE.
The MF "apparently occurred" at 8:31:35 at 3500 feet? It doesn't appear to have been "apparent" to the airborne witnesses.
It seems reasonable to assume the thousands of gallons of jet fuel in the left wing tanks began gushing out into the sky when that wing tore away from the fuselage and it's obvious that huge amount of jet fuel was the source of the Massive Fireball explosion.
But FormerLurker appears to be alleging that the Massive Fireball explosion was simultaneous - 8:31:35 - and at the same altitude - 3500 feet - as the detachment of the left wing from the fuselage.
Did witness McClaine see the Massive Fireball explosion at 8:31:35 - 23 seconds after the IE? His radio report of the MF to Air Traffic Control was timestamped at 8:31:50 - approximately 38 seconds after the IE. His reaction time to get on the radio was reportedly approximately 3 seconds which would put the time of the Massive Fireball explosion at approximately 8:31:47 - approximately 35 seconds after the IE.
Yet, FormerLurker appears to be alleging that McClaine's reaction time to get on the radio was 15 seconds. And, since McClaine's radio report of the MF was the first radio report of it, that all the rest of the airborne witnesses of the Massive Fireball explosion took even longer than 15 seconds to get on their radios.
And in view of the fact that McClaine's radio report of the MF was also the first radio report of ANYTHING unusual in the sky, where will the appearance of the streak of light be inserted in FormerLurker's own sequential timeline of events and what supporting evidence for that will he include for the readers?
And how will FormerLurker explain the contentions of ten metallurgists - four from the NTSB, three from Boeing, two from the FBI and one scientist consultant - that they found no evidence in the wreckage that TWA 800 was the victim of a missile or bomb?
Source.