HD>Well Barry, having read your letter to President Bill Clinton, has given me an understanding why he succumbed to the charms of Monica Lewinski. I have asked the FBI to interview me for six years. They have intereviewed over 6000 people with weird missile stories but refuse to even acknowledge a person with a non terrorist explanation.
JBS>I doubt he ever read it, heard of it, or was briefed on it. It is impossible to get through to high officials or high corporate officers, especially with bad news. That’s why the polite email from Kay Yong was so encouraging.
MM>As i have said before, the midspan latches cannot turn unless the lower eight are driven open by the actuator first, as the actuator drives the lower eight latches torque tube and then the midspan. All latches have to operate for the midspan to turn. Basic mechanics; if a torque tube cannot turn then it cannot transmit its drive. - fact not fiction.
JBS>Wishful thinking that because something is not supposed to happen it did not happen. The torque tubes were not recovered to be examined...as usual.. as most of the door hardware is missing, but they were able to find pieces of bone. The midspan latches were blown away leaving petal shaped rupture holes where where used to be. One explanation is the lower eight were inadvertently driven open...but stopped by the locking sectors, but the two midspan were also inadvertently driven open...but stopped from fully opening by the torque tube...but not stopped from turning just enough past dead center for the enormous inside pressure to burst open the two weak areas.
Regardless, an explanation is needed for the two rupture holes at the midspans of the forward cargo door of Trans World Airlines Flight 800. An honest person would say the center fuel tank explosion blew it open. But they never do. Except one guy, Neil Schalekamp of FAA who quickly recanted and stated the NTSB point of view:
Manager in the Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service, dated 30 January 98. Neil Schalekamp:
"While no one scenario has been categorically proven to the the cause, it is believed, based upon available data, that the center tank (CWT) explosion preceded any separation of the forward cargo door. The paint markings and structural deformation that you cite, do indicate an outward explosion, generally accepted to be caused by the explosion of the CWT. Furthermore, you mentioned that the forward cargo door was recovered a considerable distance from the rest of the structure. This could be due to its aerodynamic characteristics and prevailing winds at the time of the accident, rather than attributing this as the primary cause of the accident."
JBS>Shortly thereafter, nine days later, he changed his tune after I emailed his response to NTSB: Note his suddenly changed attitude.
NS>"It appears that you are determined to impose your theory about the events that led to this unfortunate accident upon the official investigators."
"Please take note that this office will no longer be responding to your further inquires about these same concerns, including your February 6 and February 9 letters that I just received."
"The evidence from the reconstructed 747 airplane reveals that the forward cargo door was attached to the forward section of the airplane and was latched in the closed position when this section of the airplane impacted the ocean."
JBS>Well, an honest man even if only for a few days.
MM>Also on TWA the Nose section 41 separated at its production joint at Body Station 520.
JBS>Who says? The NTSB never did specifically say where it separated. If you are right, that negates a center tank explosion as the cause of the nose coming off. There is a sharp skin line of no soot and sooted which is just aft of the forward cargo door. I think that’s where it was cut.
MM>the forward edge of the cargo door frame is at Body station 560, 40 inches behind the production joint. Your photo of the TWA door shows that 40 inches of metal still there, if your door had come open causing the nose to rip off, then that metal would not have been present.
JBS>I don’t follow that logic. The sequence at this time is huge hole appears, nose bends to right, nose comes off, hits number three, three falls away on fire and fodded, seconds later the disintegrating fuel tanks create vapor ignited by falling on fire number three.
The actual sequence of when and why cargo door ruptures at midspans is best described in AAR 92/02 for United Airlines Flight 811. Their mystery is how power got to the unlatch motor. They assume the door opened on the ground but popped later at 22000 feet. That makes little sense.
So, how did the motor get power and how did the latches turn are two mysteries that need evidence and since the investigators concentrated on bomb or center tank explosion, they did not look for frayed wiring or bent tubes. They chose to believe that shattered door was all locked, all latched, and all intact until water impact. Ha! I can see with my own eyes that is incorrect. I feel like saying to Loeb, “Liar, Liar, Pants on fire!” I shouldn’t joke, 230 people died a horrible death when that hull ruptured...and left the dozens of clues that match other inflight breakups, including China Airlines Flight 611 and United Airlines Flight 811.
Barry
SV>I have read the NTSB report on UA 811 and find no reference to power being cut to the FDR. Perhaps you could cite the section where that fact appears in the report.
JBS>Okey dokey, From AAR 92/02 for United Airlines Flight 811:
1.11 Flight Recorders
The airplane was equipped with a Sundstrand model 573 digital type Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and a Sundstrand model AV557-B Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR).
Examination of the data plotted from the DFDR indicated that the flight was normal from liftoff to the accident. The recorder operated normally during the period. However, the decompression event caused a data loss of approximately 2 1/2 seconds. When the data resumed being recorded, all values appeared valid with the exception of the pitch and roll parameters. Lateral acceleration showed a sharp increase immediately following the decompression. Vertical acceleration showed a sharp, rapid change just after the decompression and a slight increase as the airplane began its descent.
The CVR revealed normal communication before the decompression. At 0209:09:2 HST, a loud bang could be heard on the CVR. The loud bang was about 1.5 seconds after a "thump" was heard on the CVR for which one of the flightcrew made a comment. The electrical power to the CVR was lost for approximately 21.4 seconds following the loud bang. The CVR returned to normal operation at 0209:29 HST, and cockpit conversation continued to be recorded in a normal manner.
SV>And on your correspondence to the President, his staff, heads of Cabinet departments and agencies, etc.: did none of these individuals reply to you?
JBS>Never, except Senator John McCain who agreed that my concerns were worth checking out and recommended to Chairman Jim Hall that NTSB meet with me. Hall flatly refused to have an NTSB representative listen to me. They never have to this day but do take pot shots in the press and to members of the press who ask too pointed questions. They have told me I’m wrong, but never say why. They have said they refuse to correspond or respond to further inquiries from me.
SV>I saw no evidence of such on your website. Perhaps you might have gotten more attention if you had written to the Director of the U.S. Secret Service
JBS>Did that. No response.
SV> and the Commander of the Air Force's 89th Airlift Wing
JBS>Did that. No response.
SV>. Indeed, I'm quite sure if you had persevered in your correspondence to the Director of the Secret Service, an agent would have visited you.
JBS>Well you did hit upon an interesting episode. I emailed John McCain about the hazard of cargo doors on 747s and therefore Air Force One. I said if a cargo door blew out, it would be perceived as a bomb and that would be wrong. The very next day I had two Secret Service agents, armed, at my front door for an interview. I have it all on video tape. They said they came from a referral from “McCain’s Office.” The interview went fine as they quickly realized they had a retired military officer writing about airplane crashes. They came to check out the messenger and did not care about the message. They wanted to leave in fifteen minutes but I was able to keep them for an hour. They left.
I emailed McCain asking him to now check out the message now that the messenger was checked out. He replied by letter that he nor anyone on his staff had ever initiated any investigation of me or any member of my family. I believe him. I believe that the Echelon system of monitoring communications alerted to an email that the President, bomb, and Air Force One were in the same paragraph.
The hour interview with the SS man and woman was interesting in many ways. I was an intelligence officer in the Navy and know about interrogation techniques. I got more info from them than they thought. Plus I had the internet. As she was talking to me I had my web site up and showing pictures etc and said, well let’s check you out and put her name in the search engine. It popped up with her phone number, her address, and a map showing where in San Jose she lived. The first thing she said after she rocketed up off her chair, “I’m going to sue somebody!” Ha! Is this America or what?
There are many more facets of that interview that bear repeating, some other time, some other place. Welcome to America, write your Senator about a safety issue, get armed agents in your home...within 24 hours, armed and lying.
It turns out through other sources that Air Force One has the cargo doors sealed for security reasons (not rupture problems but ease of access).
I guess the lesson learned here is if you want to confront authority about their incorrect appraisal of a situation, be prepared to be hassled, checked out, and insulted.
Their efforts to suppress contrary thought are similar to the persons in this forum, insult and harangue using one’s own words against them.
The insidious effect is to stifle others who see what’s happening and don’t want the grief because they are not as motivated as I am, so they remain silent. It’s a successful technique to suppress dissent. It does not work with me because I had my life saved in an airplane crash and aviation safety has the highest priority with me and I can take all this crap. Once past the emotional ego of insults, it’s easy. Getting past the insults for others without that motivation is hard, I understand. Insults, investigations, and harassment are very very intimidating and will even deter contributors to this forum to walk away, not wanting to get involved. That is the goal of the harassers and it works. Most people could not withstand the scrutiny of a full scale investigation. Fortunately for me, my life has been recorded every three months by school officials Navy officials, and Army officials in evaluation reports. My life is an open book, but for others not so. And if you think that an anonymous nickname protects identity, you are wrong. Assume everything is recorded, I do.
There are always the quiet thinkers like Whauet who do the research and come up with the telling questions. It is a pleasure to reply to them.
By the way, Engine number 3 was never retrieved for Air India Flight 182 so there was no serial number to check. No engines were retrieved. It’s amazing they got any wreckage from 6700 feet down.
I also believe there is no picture of the bottom part of the aft cargo door of China Airlines Flight 611, that was an error on the part of the reporter or he was misled. I’ve emailed both reporters but have no response...as usual.
Another aspect is the attitude of authorities. Generally speaking they believe it is ‘us’ against ‘them’ and we are the ‘them’. This is peacetime with a civilian aircraft. I have the credentials and the research to assist but am rejected and barely acknowledged and even then disparaged. I am not the enemy. But when someone, anyone offers facts, data, and evidence which conflicts with their already determined reason for a crash, that person becomes the enemy. So sad. There is a breakdown of trust and respect between government and citizen and it’s probably because of lawsuits. Officials are scared and act scared. Except Kay Yong and that may change if he offers the shorted wiring/aft cargo door rupture/rapid decompression/inflight breakup explanation for China Airlines Flight 611.
We’ll see. Silence from ASC is ominous.
Cheers,
Barry