# TWA 800 coverup confirmed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 19, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324 "2013-06-19T02:54:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/41 "2013-06-19T20:50:03Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > when they can no longer examine it? They _can_, actually. The recovered pieces of the fuselage were reassembled on a frame in a building in Virginia, and are now used by the NTSB for training crash investigators. But the NTSB would have to grant them access, and certainly won’t, which means they’re covering something up … ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/42 "2013-06-19T20:58:03Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I will be _ **very** _ surprised if the former “investigators” they’re referring to have the necessary credentials to make such a claim and were active in the actual investigation. I told the MIB to wait. From the news article in the OP: > [@](#): > > A handful of aviation experts, including a number of investigators **who were part of the original probe of TWA Flight 800,** have come forward in a new documentary to say evidence points to a missile as the cause of the crash off the coast of Long Island 17 years ago. (bolding mine) ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/43 "2013-06-19T21:02:23Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > Leave it to Fox News to foment conspiracy theories — and not to know the difference between ordinance and ordnance. CNN, too. They currently have the headline “_Film: TWA 800 crash was no accident_”. I didn’t notice any typos, though. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/44 "2013-06-19T21:59:51Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Yes. > > Was talking with the metallurgist today who was active in the investigation. (As you can imagine, this news story has created a lot of buzz around the lab today. And \*lots \*of laughter.) He examined the fuel tank, and said it blew apart along the seams. (I think he said four seams, but not sure.) There was no hole in the center tank. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/45 "2013-06-19T22:19:12Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Come on, don’t leave us hanging. 😃 How about the one in which an orbiting satellite with a directed energy weapon was used to bring down the WTC by causing all of the metal supporting framework to turn to dust. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/46 "2013-06-20T00:21:11Z")
FYI, The David Johnson mentioned in [this](http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/05/nyregion/testing-a-theory-that-a-short-circuit-doomed-flight-800.html) article has an office right next to mine, and George Slenski is now retired, but he comes in all the time anyway. I think [this](http://www.udri.udayton.edu/News/2002/Pages/UDRIResearchersMakeaKeyFindinginFAAStudyof1996ExplosionofTWAFlight800.aspx) is the most significant finding: they used silver plated nuts on the electrical terminal blocks inside the fuel tank. Apparently, Silver + regular jet fuel = no problem. But they later switched to using low-sulfur jet fuel: Silver + low-sulfur jet fuel = bad. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/47 "2013-06-20T15:16:20Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > Leave it to Fox News to foment conspiracy theories — and not to know the difference between ordinance and ordnance. Maybe they meant that too many regulations (ordinances) brought down the plane. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/48 "2013-06-20T20:24:31Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > FYI, The David Johnson mentioned in [this](http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/05/nyregion/testing-a-theory-that-a-short-circuit-doomed-flight-800.html) article has an office right next to mine, and George Slenski is now retired, but he comes in all the time anyway. > > I think [this](http://www.udri.udayton.edu/News/2002/Pages/UDRIResearchersMakeaKeyFindinginFAAStudyof1996ExplosionofTWAFlight800.aspx) is the most significant finding: they used silver plated nuts on the electrical terminal blocks inside the fuel tank. > > Apparently, > > Silver + regular jet fuel = no problem. > > But they later switched to using low-sulfur jet fuel: > > Silver + low-sulfur jet fuel = bad. Why would they silver plate nuts on the inside of the fuel tank? It’s very conductive, but it’s known to oxidize and is a catalyst in a lot of reactions. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/49 "2013-06-20T20:31:31Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Obviously, TWA 800 had Obama’s Kenyan birth certificate onboard. And his Koran. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/50 "2013-06-20T20:47:11Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Why would they silver plate nuts on the inside of the fuel tank? It’s very conductive, but it’s known to oxidize and is a catalyst in a lot of reactions. It’s also a very effective anti-seize coating, although more useful at higher temperature locations where organic coatings break down. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/51 "2013-06-21T00:38:41Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > It’s also a very effective anti-seize coating, although more useful at higher temperature locations where organic coatings break down. No doubt their anti-seize properties came into play when the fuel tank exploded. Musta been kinda hot. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/52 "2013-06-23T12:44:58Z")
The establishment who has this kind of protection doesn’t have to worry about its misdeeds. Some of the entries are quite funny. I got another one for you: [Michael Hastings sent a cryptic email hours before his death](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/22/michael-hastings-email_n_3484118.html?utm_hp_ref=canada&ir=Canada) Can’t wait for the “funny” to rebuke this “conspiracy” that wrote itself. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/53 "2013-06-23T13:04:07Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > And it was covered up because…? More importantly, _how_? Firing a live missile and shooting down a plane would require several people on a Navy ship. Most of those people will be looking to cover their own asses and not be concerned with the asses of others. And everybody on that ship, every single person, would know for a fact that a missile had been launched, it’s unmistakeable. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/54 "2013-06-23T17:39:25Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > The establishment who has this kind of protection doesn’t have to worry about its misdeeds. This looks like a bunch of vague, doomy nonsense, but maybe that’s just what they want me to think. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/55 "2013-06-23T18:52:05Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > More importantly, _how_? > > Firing a live missile and shooting down a plane would require several people on a Navy ship. > Most of those people will be looking to cover their own asses and not be concerned with the asses of others. > And everybody on that ship, every single person, would know for a fact that a missile had been launched, it’s unmistakeable. Yup. Not to mention any ‘accidental firing’ would be noticed by more than a few people back at the docks: “Hey didn’t you have an even dozen missiles when you left?” “Uh…it fell overboard?!” Perhaps more to the point is that the fuselage of TWA800 is one display and used for training for accident analysis. In all that time nobody has gone ‘Hey, wait a minute’. Some folks should also read the ‘Beyond the Black Box’ chapter of ‘Stiff’ by Mary Roach. The bodies say fuel explosion. These 'whistleblowers remind me very much of the retired, decrepit ‘Structural Eningeers’ that the 911 crowd convinced to sign their petitions. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/56 "2013-06-23T18:59:29Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > These 'whistleblowers remind me very much of the retired, decrepit ‘Structural Eningeers’ that the 911 crowd convinced to sign their petitions. Fire has never melted popsicle sticks! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/57 "2013-06-23T19:17:02Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Fire has never melted popsicle sticks! How about cardboard tubes? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/58 "2013-06-23T19:54:35Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Fire has never melted popsicle sticks! Or metal ring washers! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/59 "2022-09-26T07:03:06Z")
> A[lawsuit](https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/Massachusetts_District_Court/1--22-cv-11032/Krick_et_al_v._Raytheon_Company_et_al/6/) filed in Massachusetts federal court on Monday has accused the United States Department of Defense, the United States Navy, and contractors Raytheon Technologies Corporation and Lockheed Martin Corporation of a cover-up of the 1996 aviation incident resulting in the death of all 230 passengers and crew members aboard Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 800. > > The wrongful death suit claims that Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) evidence has ” emerged proving that TWA 800’s explosion was not caused by any defect in the airplane, but instead by an errant United States missile fired at aerial target drones flying nearby. “ > **[Citing New Evidence, Surviving Family Members Sue Feds, Raytheon and Lockheed...](https://lawstreetmedia.com/news/citing-new-evidence-surviving-family-members-sue-feds-raytheon-and-lockheed-martin-over-1996-twa-crash/)** ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324/60 "2022-09-26T08:13:49Z")
Needs to check the evendence he claims, but already I noticed this item: > 1. Indeed, the FBI essentially froze the NTSB out of the investigation. The FBI removed all copies (original and duplicates) of Navy radar tapes from the Navy, placing them out of the NTSB’s reach, and refused to allow the NTSB to conduct eyewitness interviews or review the FBI’s records that indicated the true cause of the TWA 800 crash Uh, that is not what the FBI did, declaring that it froze the NTSB out needs a big fat cite. [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-106shrg65055/html/CHRG-106shrg65055.htm](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-106shrg65055/html/CHRG-106shrg65055.htm) [Senate Hearing 106-534] [From the U.S. Government Printing Office] S. Hrg. 106-534 ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT OF THE INVESTIGATION OF TWA FLIGHT 800 ( MAY 10, 1999) > Contrary to what is stated in your question, the FBI did allow the NTSB to take photographs in furtherance of their investigation. Procedures regarding wreckage photography by NTSB, including the wearing of red ``safety vests’’ were agreed to by NTSB managers at Calverton early in the investigation. At the time, both the FBI and the NTSB were concerned about unauthorized photographs being taken and being misused to the detriment of the investigation as well as such photographs being exploited in the media thereby increasing the > grief of the families of the victims. Seems to me that the same exaggeration is being pressed when they declare other evidence to had been off limits to the NTSB. Like that, I noticed a lot of already debunked items added in that lawsuit, besides the “small” issue of not finding missile fragments or impacts or pressure hits that would come from a missile. Will see if the “new” evidence shows something else, but after seeing what they added as supporting “evidence” I seriously doubt it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twa-800-coverup-confirmed/661324.md?page=2)