Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
LOOKING AT OTHER PLANE DISASTERS
SHROUDED IN MYSTERY.
>> Reporter: EVEN IN OUR WORLD
OF SATELLITES AND CELL PHONE,
GIANT AIRLINERS CAN DISAPPEAR.
AT LEAST FOR A WHILE.
THE LAST WAS AIR FRANCE FLIGHT
447 IN 2009.
THE AIR BUS 330 WITH 228 PEOPLE
ABOARD VANISHED BEYOND RADAR ON
A FLIGHT FROM RIO de JANEIRO
FROM PARIS.
>> Translator: PEOPLE WHO GO ON
THE PLANES WANT TO KNOW WHAT
HAPPENED.
>> Reporter: IT TOOK SEARCH
CREWS FIVE DAYS TO FIND ANY
DEBRIS AND TWO YEARS TO LOCATE
THE PLANE AND ITS FLIGHT
RECORDERS ON THE OCEAN FLOOR.
EVENTUALLY THEY DETERMINED
MECHANICAL FAILURE AND PILOT
ERROR WERE TO PLANE.
THEN THERE WAS EGYPT AIR FLIGHT
990 THAT WENT DOWN MYSTERIOUSLY
ON A FLIGHT FROM NEW YORK TO
CAIRO KILLING 217 PEOPLE.
LIKE THE MALAYSIA AIRLINER IT
WAS LESS THAN AN HOUR INTO ITS
FLIGHT.
CRUISING AT ALTITUDE WHEN IT
SUDDENLY NOSE DIVED INTO THE
ATLANTIC WITH NO DISTRESS CALL.
EVENTUALLY U.S. AND EGYPTIAN
INVESTIGATORS CAME TO TWO
DIFFERENT CONCLUSIONS.
THE NTSB SAID A CO-PILOT
INTENTIONALLY CRASHED THE PLANE.
THE EGYPTIANS CITED MECHANICAL
FAILURE.
EVEN WHEN THERE ARE WITNESSES TO
A PLANE CRASH, THERE CAN BE
MYSTERY AND CONTROVERSY.
AND TWA 800 IS PROOF OF THAT.
UPWARDS OF 1500 PEOPLE SAY THEY
SAW SOME KIND OF FIRE TRAIL IN
THE SKY JULY 17th, 1996 LEADING
TO SPECULATION IT WAS A MISSILE
AND TERRORISM THAT BROUGHT DOWN
THE 747, KILLING 237 PEOPLE.
FORMER ABC CORRESPONDENT PIERRE
SALINGER FED THE FLAMES OF
CONSPIRACY IN CORRECTLY CLAIMING
IT WAS A U.S. NAVY SHIP THAT
SHOT THE PLANE DOWN.
IT WAS PAIN STAKING WORK BY
INVESTIGATORS WHO CONCLUDED AN
EXPLOSION TO THE PLANE'S CENTER
FUEL TANK WAS THE REAL CULPRIT.
IN SOME AIRLINE MYSTERIES, IT'S
NOT HOW THE PLANE WENT DOWN THAT
GRIPS THE PUBLIC BUT HOW
PASSENGERS SURVIVE.
SUCH WAS THE CASE OF FLIGHT 571.
IN 1972 IT CRASHED IN THE ANDES
MOUNTAINS.
OF THE 45 PASSENGERS ON BOARD,
ONLY 16 WOULD LIVE TO TELL ABOUT
IT.