New info on TWA 800 disaster
Since
the publication of my book, TWA 800: The Crash, The Cover-Up, The
Conspiracy, three weeks ago I have been receiving insights from people
with new information on a daily basis. Those who wish to contact me can
do though my website cashill.com. What follows, however, is a review
from Amazon. It explains why TWA 800 displaced other planes in line,
including an El Al flight, and why, fatally, it was flying so low.
the publication of my book, TWA 800: The Crash, The Cover-Up, The
Conspiracy, three weeks ago I have been receiving insights from people
with new information on a daily basis. Those who wish to contact me can
do though my website cashill.com. What follows, however, is a review
from Amazon. It explains why TWA 800 displaced other planes in line,
including an El Al flight, and why, fatally, it was flying so low.
Cashill
has done an excellent job making an overwhelming circumstantial case
that TWA 800 was brought down by missile. I know quite a bit about this
topic as I was personally about as close as you can get to this tragic
event.
On 07/17/96, exactly 20 years ago today I was working as First Officer
on TWA 900 which was operating JFK to Lisbon. We left the gate on time
and got into a 15 or so plane takeoff line for runway 22R. As we got to
the number 2 position for takeoff we were told to hold and allow TWA 800
to take our place in the takeoff line. 800 was operating as a
"Lifeguard" flight that night meaning they were carrying time critical
medical material. (Organs for transplant, etc) This "Lifeguard" status
gave a flight priority handling by ATC. (It was common to place that
cargo, usually a small cooler, in the cockpit for expeditious handling
at destination. I later learned that 800 was carrying corneas for
transplant but do not know how they were handled) TWA 800 took off and 2
minutes later we followed them southwest then east towards Nantucket.
We were able to get clearance to 19000' while 800 was stuck at 13000'
due to other aircraft traffic. They finally got clearance to climb and
shortly after that other aircraft began to report an explosion in the
air, falling debris and fire on the water, etc. I immediately thought of
800 (bomb in a cooler!?) and look to find them but did not see
anything. I later saw the radar plot and I looked in the right relative
location but had already passed over the scene.
I mention all of this because I am familiar with or knew the TWA pilots
mentioned in the book. They are all of superb character and were
dedicated aviation professionals and as far from reactionary in
temperament as you can get.One of them I talked extensively with one of
these gentlemen about all of what had taken place on the hangar floor at
Calverton as TWA 800's shattered pieces were bought in. Cashill's
narrative is exactly how it was told to me ca. 1999 or so.
While I disagree with the conclusion Cashill draws that the US Navy was
the culprit I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the
vast degree to which this investigation was manipulated from the
earliest stages - but not immediately. When we arrived in Lisbon the
morning of the 18th the Captain I was flying with got a call in his
hotel room as soon as we arrived (9am local) from the FBI station chief
in Madrid. He asked "What did you guys see?" They already knew what to
look for.
