You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Russia
Russians still probing cause of plane booms
2004-08-26
Russian emergency workers searched heaps of twisted metal and tall grass Wednesday for clues about what caused two airliners to plunge to earth within minutes of each other, killing all 89 people aboard. Officials said one jet sent a hijack distress signal. Flight recorders from both planes were found and taken to Moscow for investigation, ITAR-TASS, a Russian news agency, reported, indicating the question of what caused the twin disasters soon could be answered. Russian security authorities said explosives specialists were still working at the scene of the crashes. They reported that terrorism remained a possible cause, although there was no evidence so far that terrorists were behind the tragedies.
Except that they lost two aircraft virtually simultaneously. How many aircraft did they lose in the previous hour?
Federal Security Service spokesman Sergei Ignatchenko said investigators were still questioning airport officials and airline and security employees at Domodedovo Airport, from where both flights left 45 minutes apart. Former National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman Bob Francis said coincidence was always possible but seemed highly unlikely.
Yeah. Maybe they were struck by meteorites...
"There are obviously things that can lead to accidents. ... The likelihood that you can have things lead to two accidents ... at the same time ... that's a pretty heavy coincidence," said Francis, who was involved in investigating the 1996 crash of TWA flight 800 off the Long Island coast. The former director of security of the Israeli Airport Authority said the time of the crashes suggested terrorism. "The timing indicates that this is probably a coordinated attack," Rafi Ron told The Associated Press. "There was probably something on board that led the pilots to push the distress signal or submit a verbal signal. In my assumption, that must have been the result of a terrorist being on board." Neither Francis nor Ron had independent information about the crashes.
With two going at the same time, I think you start from the assumption that it was terrorism and then if that's disproved move on to other explanations, like flocks of very high-flying geese, ground crew incompetence, or the hairy eyeball...
Posted by:Dan Darling

#6  A mathematician calculated that the chances for a "simultaneous" accident were... 1:1 billion!

Perfectly agreed, except for one small matter.... these are the children of AeroFlot.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-08-26 6:01:21 PM  

#5  Putin is about to commit a big mistake. It's ridiculous to believe that these were two "accidents".
The Russian media are already poking fun at him. Moskowski Komsomolez commented that "despite the gigantic efforts of our state run television we haven't become idiots yet". Iswestija called the crashes the "Russian 9/11". A mathematician calculated that the chances for a "simultaneous" accident were... 1:1 billion!
In the critical paper Kommersant there is speculation that Putin wants to delay the finds until the elections in Chechnya have taken place.
Putin still is up to his old KGB tricks. Those might backfire this time.
Posted by: True German Ally   2004-08-26 3:48:55 PM  

#4  :: golf clap ::
Posted by: Seafarious   2004-08-26 12:39:22 PM  

#3  Bravo!
Posted by: Shipman   2004-08-26 11:49:59 AM  

#2  Won't suprise me to hear these planes were dropped on purpose.

This is the song I hum in my head to the tune of Strangers in the Night when I fly now.

Strangers on my flight,
turbans they're packin'.
Wonderin' if they might,
plan a hijacking.
They could pull a stunt,
before this flight is through.

Something's on their minds.
I saw them mutter.
What that in their hands?
Looks like box cutters,
I'm gonna kick some ass,
if they make a move.

Strangers on my flight.
Two smelly people,
and they're not talking right;
and in a moment,
I will grab base ball bat;
and that will be that.
Swing like Joe DiMaggio,
and rip them both a new a-hole.

And if they pick a fight,
and try to screw us,
I'll punch out their lights,
just like Joe Louis.
It would feel so right,
for strangers on my flight.

Ratta Tat Tat Tat,
Budda Bing Bang Boom,
Zooma Zooma Zoom.

Send those bastards to the moon....

BTW, the voice I hear when I sing it out loud is the Chairmans' not Harry Connick Jrs'.
Posted by: JerseyMike   2004-08-26 10:14:17 AM  

#1  said Francis, who was involved in investigating the 1996 crash of TWA flight 800 off the Long Island coast.

heh, heh...looks like this development is going to shed a new light on the quality of your work, Franci- boy.
Posted by: B   2004-08-26 9:29:50 AM  

00:00