The ignition source was most likely the generator output cables arcing in the hole caused by the first explosion at the forward upper right corner of the center wing tank. As the plane flew on, descending from 13,200ft to 10,400 ft the air/fuel mixture in the tank is believed to have reached a combustable level and the second explosion blew the nose off the aircraft.
The only question is: "what caused the first explosion and put the hole in the plane at the wing root?" The first explosion did not originate in the center tank. I'm not talking from someone else's experience.
And before this gets crazy again let's not start the NTSB/FAA/FBI arguments all over again.
Fact: two explosions
Fact: aircraft descended after the first explosion and flew for approx 2 miles straight and level before the second explosion
Conjecture: 1. It was a missle
2. It was a bomb under the R2 F/A seat
3. It was a bomb above or on the halon bottles in the back of the front pit
4. It was overheating of the tank caused by the A/C pack
5. It was a power surge in the Fuel Quantity wiring caused by a short outside the tank
Fact: Nobody in the government teams had relavant experience to make the conclusions they made and please don't bring up the ex-IAM NTSB guy.
Fact: Nobody on any of the government teams wanted to hear from any of the TWA people on scene even though they had all had direct recent experience in an overhaul capacity with that very aircraft.
Are you getting the idea that I'm less than thrilled with any of the official conclusions?
Don't believe everything you read and exercise judicious doubt regarding most everything you think you do.
