[altayann]

I wouldn't say that that's the likeliest reason for a missing three minutes on the tape.

The likeliest reason that the tape ended three minutes before the plane hit the ground is that the plane itself came to a end three minutes before hitting the ground.

I don't like to invoke conspiracy theories, but something just isn't right here.

First of all, the pattern of debris is not consistent with the plane hitting the ground in one piece. Parts of the plane were recovered miles from the point of impact, which would have been almost impossible if the plane came down in one piece.

Secondly, the missing three minutes of the voice recorder. If the passengers did in fact make it into the cockpit, there should have been at least some sign of it on the tape. It's hard to believe that the passengers and hijackers fought for control of the plane in relative silence.

And finally, if there's more to the tape than has been indicated, where's the transcript? Even if the last three minutes is very emotional, that's not a good enough reason to leave it out of an official transcript. There some be at least some indication as to what happened in the final few minutes of the flight, even if it is heavily edited for the sakes of the victim's families.

[jraven]

Certainly sounds as if there's a chance it was shot down.

[Gunrunner2]

There was another FR thread that spoke to the theories about the mishap. I, along with many others, went into detail on the dynamics of aircraft mishaps and such.

I suppose some more expert in FR stuff can do a search and find it. Save you a lot of conjecture.

The clocks not being aligned is another excellent reason. On-board clocks are NOT linked to the US Naval Observatory Master Clock.

[al_c]

The likeliest reason that the tape ended three minutes before the plane hit the ground is that the plane itself came to a end three minutes before hitting the ground.

If it was hit by a missle, there wouldn't be enough left of the plane to hit the ground with such force. If it was crippled by being shot at and then crashed, odds are the recorder would still be working as the plane fell to the ground.