Flight587

From 911Encyclopedia:

On November 11th, 2001 Flight 587, an American Airlines jetliner on its way to the Dominican Republic crashed moments after takeoff in a residential neighborhood of Long Island/New York five miles from Kennedy Airport, authorities said. On the same day the final data from the media consortium's recount of the state of FL presidential results had been released: the NORC results (National Opinion Research Center) (->election, rigged). Bill Schumann of the Federal Aviation Administration said there was no immediate indication of what caused the crash, which came two months after the attack on the Twin Towers. Witnesses on the ground saw an explosion in one of the engines then the plane nose dived. The White House claimed, that it was no terrorist attack. Others speculated on a sabotage and fake accident. Initial reports said the plane was an American Airlines Boeing 767, however, the FAA later confirmed the plane was an Airbus A300. The FAA has already warned in August 2000, that the CF6-8 Engine by GeneralElectric, used in that plane, has to be fixed, after it blew apart during a maintenance check in Philadelphia. The crash, the first in the United States of an Airbus, is unusual because big jets seldom break up in the air. Before the plane was delivered in 1988, the composite material in one of the six fittings holding the tail in place was found to be delaminating, meaning its layers were coming apart. It was fixed by adding layers and inserting rivets, and the manufacturer decided that no extra inspections were required afterward. On November 17th, 2001 Newsmax reported on a video, which "showed a puff of smoke in the sky seconds after it crashed outside New York's JFK Airport", lending credence to eyewitnesses who say the jetliner exploded before slamming into the Queens, N.Y., neighborhood. Another "unnamed aviation expert", quoted in New York's Newsday, said one likely explanation for Flight 587's breakup was a bomb exploding on board. More relatives demanded an investigation: Tom Lynch, 59, a retired firefighter, said he had spoken to 18 other people who saw the Airbus A300 flying on fire before it crashed into houses in Belle Harbor, Queens The witnesses said they were surprised NTSB Chairwoman Marion Blakey was able to say, only hours after the crash, that all indications pointed to an accident, rather than a terrorist attack. Another witness not involved with Lynch's group, Michael Benjamin, said he saw a huge orange fire engulfing the front third of the plane's right side while he was driving along Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn with his wife and two children. In February 2002 investigators claimed, the crash of Flight 587 may be linked to an illegal trade in sub-standard jet parts. Source: http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,3696231%5E401,00.html

On February 20th, 2002, CNN reported on the released tapes of Flight 587: "American 587 heavy, I'm not receiving your transponder," one controller said. Source: http://www.newsmax.com/showinside.shtml?a=2001/11/17/103936

On June 5th, 2002 the NY Post reported, that "more than half of the witnesses to November's Flight 587 crash in the Rockaways told National Transportation Safety Board probers they saw a fire while the plane was in the air". The board released a summary of the 349 eyewitness accounts it has received during its investigation of the American Airlines crash. Another group of pilots has submitted a petition with 230 signatures to American, asking for regular inspections of the composite tail "to guarantee the continued structural integrity of the A300-600 fleet." And the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations, which includes the American pilots union, has asked FAA Administrator Jane Garvey to order detailed inspections of the Airbus tails, including ultrasound. Source: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/49617.htm

On October 30th 2002, the official version changed again. Now it was "the co-pilot's aggressive handling of the rudder", who may have contributed to the crash. Source: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/61027.htm