THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 19, 1996 TAG: 9607190446
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 77 lines
More questions than answers remain this morning in the wake of the fiery destruction of TWA Flight 800 on Wednesday night.
If the cause is not a bomb, what is it?
A catastrophic mechanical failure might have sparked a fire that quickly reached and ignited the airplane's 250,000 pounds of fuel.
It's also possible, although there is no such evidence, that the aircraft might have been struck by some object.
Witnesses have reported that they saw something, like a flare, approach the aircraft. And there are some unexplained radar images from the time of the explosion. It is possible that a missile might have been fired from land at the aircaft, although there is no evidence of that yet.
What effect is the crash having on the Olympics?
Security arrangements for the Olympics were already extraordinarily tight. Still, Olympic officials said Thursday they would probably try to ratchet up security another notch.
At the offices and hotel used by Olympic officials, soldiers in combat fatigues search every car that pulls into the garage, even using mirrors on poles to scan the underbodies.
At highly secure areas, such as the Olympic Village, an elaborate clearance system relies on ``biometric'' scanners to determine entrants' identities through an optical scan of their hands.
Is security heightened at Hampton Roads airports? Security measures at Norfolk International Airport and Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport - already stepped up for the Olympics - are not expected to change, airport officials said.
That doesn't mean you can just park at curbside and dash to your flight with bags in hand. Curbside parking is prohibited except in designated areas.
Plan on at least one hour to get on a flight. Have a picture identification ready at all times - you will be asked for it when you check in. You will be quizzed about all checked and carry-on items and will have everything X-rayed or searched. Never leave any baggage or packages untended.How long will it be before we know what happened?
Finding the cause could take time. It took seven days for investigators to determine conclusively that a bomb blew Pan Am Flight 103 out of the air over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988.
The investigation into the crash of a ValuJet DC-9 in May in the Florida Everglades is continuing, although its focus has narrowed considerably.
Isn't all the evidence gone?
No. If an explosion - whether from a bomb or another source - caused the crash, it would leave telltale traces on wreckage from the area of the aircraft where the blast occurred. Ocean water and fire would not remove all traces.
Also, technicians can use various methods, from reassembling wreckage to analyzing metal, to distinguish between fire and impact damage, and blast damage.
Autopsies of the victims also may yield clues as to whether there was an explosion in the aircraft.
And, most important, recovery of the flight-data and voice recorders may yield valuable information. Although the crew did not radio word of problems, recorded data from aircraft instruments may reveal what happened. And the voice recorder may pick up sounds in the cockpit and the crew's comments.
Officials are confident that they will find the boxes. The electronic ``pinging'' of a device on one box, which serves as a beacon to searchers, has already been identified.
Is anyone from here involved in the investigation?
A Coast Guard cutter from Portsmouth and two C-130 Hercules planes from Elizabeth City have joined the search-and-recovery effort. In addition, local Navy and Army dive units are ready to move out if needed. (Related story on Page A4)
Is this the worst crash ever in the U.S.?
The crash of TWA Flight 800 is the nation's second-deadliest.
The worst air disaster in U.S. history was in 1979, when a DC-10 crashed on takeoff at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, killing 273.
The TWA crash Wednesday night is the second major airline disaster in slightly more than two months. On May 11, a ValuJet DC-9 crashed in the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people aboard.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT PLANE FATALITIES TWA
FLIGHT 800 by CNB