Your points about our collective ability to record almost anything is well taken. This is not only because today virtually everyone has a camera with them at all times, but we have security cameras on many of our buildings, and many of our automobiles are recording everything that's happening around them as well. I remember the events as they were dribbled out back in '96 (I lived on the south shore of LI at the time), and reports of the Navy having been conducting live fire exercise at the time were being bandied about. I was also friends with the photo lab manager of the Suffolk County Police who had to photograph the assembled wreckage. Most of us didn't believe the official "fuel tank" theory as the aircraft was on its way to Europe from JFK and wouldn't have had an empty tank.
A point of geographic correction, though. The Long Island Sound is on the north side of the island. TWA went down over the Atlantic Ocean, which is on the south side of the island.
Jim, interesting that you chose this event and framed it as a watershed of technological culture.
As a former Naval Aviator, TWA800 was of great interest and while we have never been (and likely never will be) privy to the truth, there is a large body of evidence that counters the official version of the event. As you note, the investigation was heavily politicized and much of the investigation seemed to deliberately ignore evidence and testimony that pointed toward a contrary finding. At thirty years on, many of the key witnesses and investigators have gone to their rewards, yet traces remain.
One of the most determined was the late CDR (USN Ret) Bob Donaldson. His work is documented at https://www.twa800.com. Note that Donaldson was trained as an aircraft accident investigator. Relatively unknown in the civilian community, a USN accident investigation has two parallel but isolated components: the Safety Investigation (what happened and how do we prevent future occurrences; designed to avoid "political" shenanigans) and the legal investigation (who's at fault or liable). I won't say it's a fool-proof system, but it is mighty effective. CDR Donaldson was on the Safety Investigation side. The fact that the site is still up and accessible twenty-five years after his passing is testimony to the supporters that truly believe that the truth has not been told. It's worth a bit of time perusing. The scope and depth of CDR Donaldson's investigation and evidence is remarkable.
Two items of physical evidence that I've always found noteworthy were: 1) the bulkhead of the fuel tank that supposedly exploded from internal causes was buckled inward, contrary to the advertised direction of force; and 2) the residuals of explosives consistent with missile warheads found in interior fabric recovered from the wreckage.
Then, there is the reality of many hundreds of unaccounted for Stinger missiles supplied to Afghan Mujahideen by the CIA during the Soviet-Afghan war, despite the efforts of Operation MIAS (roundly viewed as an abject failure).
So color me a non-believer of the official version. I don't know what happened, but I don't think the government's tale is accurate.
I have been to that TWA 800 site, and it is quite compelling. One of our readers encouraged me to look into the story, which is what prompted me to write the essay.
Whole books have been written challenging the official findings. Adding one more brick to that wall of skepticism didn’t seem like the most productive direction for me.
Instead, I decided to frame the story differently. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that TWA Flight 800 simply could not have been handled today the way it was in 1996.
What would AI conclude if it were given all the facts, witness accounts, videos, and evidence that have accumulated over the past thirty years? It wouldn’t surprise me if it reached a different conclusion.
Then there’s another unanswered question: Were the classified documents that Sandy Berger removed from the National Archives and later destroyed related in any way to TWA 800? We will probably never know.
But I stand by the central point of my essay: whatever happened that night, the aftermath of the tragedy would have unfolded very differently in today’s world.
Jim, your observation is well taken and accurate. I was startled to see the TWA800 story used to illustrate the turning point. Well done. Someday we may know. Doubtful, but maybe.
If I do not surprise my readers I am just like all the other writers. I owe you more than that. Something special, original, meaningful. That is my goal. TWA800 was a profound tragedy and some of my readers knew people who lost their lives on that day. Many think it was preventable and that the investigation failed to tell the whole story.
Yes, "We will need a a dose of common sense" but equally important is the need for wisdom and discernment. Deception has many allies and outlets. We can't afford to be ignorant of them.
How ironic is it that soon after passing into an age where video recording devices have become so ubiquitous that virtually no event goes unrecorded, we introduce a technology that can convincingly falsify video!
At least we can still determine fakes. That will change as well. AT some point it gets down to 1. Is this plausibe? 2. Who is the source? 3. What are the motivations of the fake video authors? 4. Why is the video happening right now? 5. Which totally biased news channels are carrying the possible fake video? We will need a a dose of common sense to work through all of this. Perhaps AI can help us evaluate the likelihood of a fake. This is a new frontier.
Your points about our collective ability to record almost anything is well taken. This is not only because today virtually everyone has a camera with them at all times, but we have security cameras on many of our buildings, and many of our automobiles are recording everything that's happening around them as well. I remember the events as they were dribbled out back in '96 (I lived on the south shore of LI at the time), and reports of the Navy having been conducting live fire exercise at the time were being bandied about. I was also friends with the photo lab manager of the Suffolk County Police who had to photograph the assembled wreckage. Most of us didn't believe the official "fuel tank" theory as the aircraft was on its way to Europe from JFK and wouldn't have had an empty tank.
A point of geographic correction, though. The Long Island Sound is on the north side of the island. TWA went down over the Atlantic Ocean, which is on the south side of the island.
The asymmetry of the blast appears to be a giveaway. Gruesome stuff.
Jim, interesting that you chose this event and framed it as a watershed of technological culture.
As a former Naval Aviator, TWA800 was of great interest and while we have never been (and likely never will be) privy to the truth, there is a large body of evidence that counters the official version of the event. As you note, the investigation was heavily politicized and much of the investigation seemed to deliberately ignore evidence and testimony that pointed toward a contrary finding. At thirty years on, many of the key witnesses and investigators have gone to their rewards, yet traces remain.
One of the most determined was the late CDR (USN Ret) Bob Donaldson. His work is documented at https://www.twa800.com. Note that Donaldson was trained as an aircraft accident investigator. Relatively unknown in the civilian community, a USN accident investigation has two parallel but isolated components: the Safety Investigation (what happened and how do we prevent future occurrences; designed to avoid "political" shenanigans) and the legal investigation (who's at fault or liable). I won't say it's a fool-proof system, but it is mighty effective. CDR Donaldson was on the Safety Investigation side. The fact that the site is still up and accessible twenty-five years after his passing is testimony to the supporters that truly believe that the truth has not been told. It's worth a bit of time perusing. The scope and depth of CDR Donaldson's investigation and evidence is remarkable.
Two items of physical evidence that I've always found noteworthy were: 1) the bulkhead of the fuel tank that supposedly exploded from internal causes was buckled inward, contrary to the advertised direction of force; and 2) the residuals of explosives consistent with missile warheads found in interior fabric recovered from the wreckage.
Then, there is the reality of many hundreds of unaccounted for Stinger missiles supplied to Afghan Mujahideen by the CIA during the Soviet-Afghan war, despite the efforts of Operation MIAS (roundly viewed as an abject failure).
So color me a non-believer of the official version. I don't know what happened, but I don't think the government's tale is accurate.
JC
John,
I have been to that TWA 800 site, and it is quite compelling. One of our readers encouraged me to look into the story, which is what prompted me to write the essay.
Whole books have been written challenging the official findings. Adding one more brick to that wall of skepticism didn’t seem like the most productive direction for me.
Instead, I decided to frame the story differently. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that TWA Flight 800 simply could not have been handled today the way it was in 1996.
What would AI conclude if it were given all the facts, witness accounts, videos, and evidence that have accumulated over the past thirty years? It wouldn’t surprise me if it reached a different conclusion.
Then there’s another unanswered question: Were the classified documents that Sandy Berger removed from the National Archives and later destroyed related in any way to TWA 800? We will probably never know.
But I stand by the central point of my essay: whatever happened that night, the aftermath of the tragedy would have unfolded very differently in today’s world.
Jim, your observation is well taken and accurate. I was startled to see the TWA800 story used to illustrate the turning point. Well done. Someday we may know. Doubtful, but maybe.
If I do not surprise my readers I am just like all the other writers. I owe you more than that. Something special, original, meaningful. That is my goal. TWA800 was a profound tragedy and some of my readers knew people who lost their lives on that day. Many think it was preventable and that the investigation failed to tell the whole story.
Yes, "We will need a a dose of common sense" but equally important is the need for wisdom and discernment. Deception has many allies and outlets. We can't afford to be ignorant of them.
How ironic is it that soon after passing into an age where video recording devices have become so ubiquitous that virtually no event goes unrecorded, we introduce a technology that can convincingly falsify video!
At least we can still determine fakes. That will change as well. AT some point it gets down to 1. Is this plausibe? 2. Who is the source? 3. What are the motivations of the fake video authors? 4. Why is the video happening right now? 5. Which totally biased news channels are carrying the possible fake video? We will need a a dose of common sense to work through all of this. Perhaps AI can help us evaluate the likelihood of a fake. This is a new frontier.