cylindrical, 6-8 inches diameter by the size of the hole in the section of fuselage, rocket exhaust when going up to the plane. Have no idea who touched it off, or why, probably would be dead if I did.
That all reads well reasoned and accurate, except for the missle, seen going up to the flight,then exploded, seen by hundreds, and shown the first night on cnn before disappearing, then the section dredged out of the ocean, with the hole punched through it, wired and cables hanging off it the part just under the wing, about 7 X 10, suspended on the dredging cables attached to it by divers.now missing from the reconstructed bird. The tape is no longer available either. I saw it, with my own two eyes, on live coverage, on my big tv screen, with my next door neighber, both watching. So, say what you will, but the pics did not lie.