Searchers Discover Piece Of Cockpit From Flight 800
The seas calmed Friday, the fog lifted, and investigators searching the watery crash site of Trans World Airlines Flight 800 discovered a tantalizing piece of wreckage - a section of the cockpit that they hope will lead them to other significant debris, as well as to an explanation for why the jumbo jet exploded in mid-air last month.
The piece of the cockpit, described as the forward-window section, was found by a camera-equipped robot nosing about the Boeing 747 wreckage strewn across the Atlantic Ocean floor some 12 miles off the eastern Long Island coast. Although the piece had not been brought to the surface by late Friday night, investigators clearly were eager to see it, because it comes from the front third of the aircraft where the explosion is believed to have occurred and might help them finally explain what caused it.
James K. Kallstrom, supervisor of the FBI’s New York office, said the FBI still believed there were three possible explanations for why Flight 800 broke in two less than 15 minutes after leaving Kennedy International Airport for Paris on July 17: mechanical failure, a missile or a bomb.
But in an interview with National Public Radio Friday, Defense Secretary William Perry appeared to disagree.
“It seems to me that on the basis of the evidence I’ve seen so far, that one would conclude, I would conclude that a mechanical failure was very unlikely,” Perry said. “I would conclude that a missile attack was unlikely.”
Perry then explained that the capabilities of shoulder-fired missiles and the circumstances of the crash “argue strongly against a missile. I would not rule it out until we see the final reports of the investigation. But on the basis of the data I’ve seen so far, I’d say it’s unlikely.
“I’m basing it on incomplete reports of the investigation,” he continued, “but the reports we’ve gotten so far, it does not look like it was an engine hit. It looks like an explosion happening in the front of the airplane. That would be a quite unlikely result from a heat-seeking missile.”
Robert T. Francis, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, did not comment on Perry’s remarks and may not even have known of them when he spoke at a news briefing this afternoon. He spoke at length about the cockpit section that was discovered and said that the other wreckage that may be found around it would be as intriguing as the cockpit window itself.
“It’s where, obviously, one controls the aircraft,” Francis said. “Not only the cockpit itself, but the area under the cockpit where you have the electronics of the airplane. It’s sort of the nerve center of the aircraft, so it’s a place we are interested in.”
Kallstrom shared Francis’ enthusiasm that some answers may be within a diver’s reach. “We hope that it will come from somewhere within that first-class section, which also would include the nose and the cockpit,” he said. Although Kallstrom demurred when asked to be more specific, he added, “If we can get all of those pieces up and get a chance to look at them, we’re hopeful that we’ll see what happened.”
The day’s developments seemed to bring a rejuvenating air to the investigation, judging by the demeanor of Kallstrom and Francis at Friday’s press briefing.
Their quest for answers has been stymied in recent days by stormy weather that has produced 6-foot waves, making salvage operations too dangerous.