David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @Kathryn98967631 and 48 others
Methinks there is far more to this story for the folks in Gander and many Yankees than what first meets the eye N'esy Pas?
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2019/05/suspected-laser-strike-on-gander-plane.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/gander-laser-strike-cessna-1.5148127
Suspected laser strike on Gander plane a first for the airport
Local RCMP are investigating a strange light reported in a cockpit, say a laser attack is assumed
A first for Gander
Laser strikes can cause serious problems when they hit the cockpit. For example, this week a WestJet pilot flying from Newfoundland to Orlando, Florida sustained eye damage when a green laser beam struck his face.
Due to the risk to pilot safety, Transport Canada bans the use of any laser stronger than 0.1 milliwatts within 10 kilometres of an airport or helidrome.
If caught hitting a plane with a laser, the consequences could include up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $100 thousand.
Gander International Airport registered its first suspected laser strike this month. (Gander International Airport Authority )
The Gander RCMP investigation is ongoing, said Hicks, who expects the police will have a hard time finding the culprit unless someone comes forward with information.
Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
1 Comment
David Amos
Methinks there is far more to this story for the folks in Gander and many Yankees than what first meets the eye N'esy Pas?
http://www.c-and-e-museum.org/Pinetreeline/other/other18/other18an.html
Gander, NF
1985 – Aircraft Crash at Gander – Charles M Byers
airforce.dnd.ca Honorable Portor Goss February, 14 , 1998
Chairman
House Intelligence Oversight Committee
US House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.
Subject: My knowledge of CIA involvement in the crash of the Gander Arrow Air DC-8 and PAN AM 103
Dear Chairman Goss,
My specialized knowledge of ordinance, explosives and pyrotechnics may provide the missing insights needed to solve several major terrorist crimes. For 15 years my company ACCURACY SYSTEMS ORDINANCE CORPORATION, provided specialized explosive devices to law enforcement, the military, Special Forces and the Central Intelligence Agency.
As you read this letter Accuracy Systems' former munitions manufacturing facilities in New River, Arizona are under occupation of the BATF who moved onto the property Sept. 20, 1997 and have been occupying the facilities there at considerable expense to the tax payers ever since. Their intent from the start has been to "blow up" the explosives magazines and burn our former research and development workshop and its contents --- and in the process --- destroy certain evidence that can link U S aircraft bombings to the CIA, a former client of Accuracy Systems.
Specifically, I wish to bring your attention to a device that Sgt. Arleigh McCree, the renowned head of the Los Angeles Police Bomb Squad Unit, felt certain was the device responsible for blowing up the US Army chartered ARROW AIR DC-8 passenger transport that crashed in Gander, Newfoundland December 12, 1985. All of the 248 servicemen and the 8 person flight crew died when the bomb exploded immediately after take-off. The plane then traveled a short distance in the air before it crashed and burned. Our firm designed and manufactured the responsible device exclusively for, and sold it only to, the Central Intelligence Agency.
This crash, which was the worst military air disaster in United States history, involved more strange occurrences than any other crash on record. While the wreckage still burned on the ground, White House Spokesperson Larry Speaks announced that the plane had crashed "probably as a result of icing on the wings." This was the official cause that the US government forced on the Canadians, who have subsequently repudiated it.
There are compelling reasons to believe that this air crash involved a nuclear accident. Within hours of the "crash", U S Army General John Crosby arrived with a Broken Arrow Nuclear Disaster Team, and, without conducting any normal investigation, ordered the area bulldozed over with 6 feet of soil. There was a glowing white-hot object the size of a large grapefruit that had burned through the plane and through the body of a stewardess.
This object continued to glow "white-hot" for 16 hours even after fire hoses were trained on it. This is NOT chemical behavior. It is what can only be expected of a sub-critical core of a nuclear bomb whose explosive shell had burned but did not detonate. The presence of this white-hot glowing object is the key to the motive for the bombing.
Most of the military victims had been part of the 101st Airborne who were returning from Cairo, Egypt, where they were part of the U. N. peacekeeping mission enforcing the Camp David Accords. However, in addition to these troops, there was also a small group of Special Operations personnel who boarded the plane at the last minute. Sources found to be reliable told me that these personnel smuggled a nuclear backpack bomb aboard in Cairo because they had discovered the true nature of their recently cancelled hostage rescue mission.
Their mission included surreptitiously transporting and detonating a small, man-portable nuclear backpack bomb at an Iraqi nuclear weapons development facility to make it seem like an Iraqi nuclear accident. This mission seems to have been under the direction of Lt. Col. Oliver North who frequently utilized Arrow Air to smuggle arms and other contraband in conjunction with the Iran-Contra operation. The soldiers were not told that they would not have the chance to outrun the blast that would destroy them. Thank God it is the duty of every soldier to disobey an unlawful order or the world would have seen its third intentional tactical nuclear detonation and the mass destruction of innocent civilians by a nuclear bomb.
Orders were given by U S Government personnel that this plane be destroyed before it reached the United States of America. A bomb was planted during a stop at Gander and remotely detonated shortly after the landing gear retracted upon takeoff. Enclosed color photos of the downed Gander plane show internal damage from an explosive. The blast holes are clearly from the inside to the outside.
I have since been informed that there was a completely new water system installed in Gander--- courtesy of the US taxpayers. Was this because of nuclear contamination from the crash?
Three weeks after this disaster, Arleigh McCree, head of the LAPD bomb squad and a professional friend of mine, was visiting with me in Phoenix and examining items in our museum. This was where we kept samples of all of the different "Special Ordnance Devices" that we had produced over the previous twenty-something years. When Sgt. McCree saw one these items, he excitedly proclaimed that it was the device that blew up a plane. He said he would need to get federal clearance to discuss this in more detail with me. He did not reveal the exact plane at the time. Just four weeks later Arleigh McCree and his partner were killed disarming a pipe bomb that was booby-trapped. You will see from the enclosed article on this tragedy that these two deaths were also very unusual. In fact these are the only two members of the LAPD bomb squad to ever die this way.
Sometime later when I began asking questions in professional circles I started to develop serious difficulties with certain agencies of the federal government. I was framed and convicted for a crime I did not commit. An attempt was made to implicate me in a plot to assassinate Corizon Aquino. On the same day that a sophisticated assassination weapon arrived in Australia for this purpose a bomb arrived in the mail addressed to me. It killed my plant manager instead. Certainly I would like to investigate the wrongs by these federal agencies. However, the real reason I am sending you the reports of federal efforts to silence me is to emphasize the value of the specialized knowledge that I possess. As a second example, I present photos of the detonator that initiated the bomb on PAN AM 103. I know where this circuit board was manufactured in Florida, not Europe, and that it was sold exclusively to the CIA--- not to the Libyans!
As you can see from the letters of support attached to this letter there are persons in key positions willing to stick their necks out to proclaim my innocence. But there are far greater issues here than the fate of Chuck Byers. I am ready to provide all that I know whenever and wherever you think best.
Literally hundreds of American citizens and soldiers have been blown out of the sky. These mass murders need to be investigated and the guilty persons brought to justice!
I am sending this letter to every member of Congress in the hope that each of you will support my efforts to find answers to the haunting questions raised by the facts presented in this letter.
All of my current efforts to have local and federal law enforcement agencies (including their parent agencies in DC) investigate these matters have been unsuccessful. In fact, our US Attorney has actually defended the perpetrators and local US District Court judges have refused to act on my requests, or, in most cases, simply Dismissed them or ruled in favor of the U S Attorney. In spite of overwhelming evidence that not only am I telling the truth, but the Federal Agents are lying, filing False Affidavits or otherwise knowingly misleading the Court.
Since this matter represents a situation of extreme national importance, I am requesting you to immediately initiate hearings before the HOUSE INTELLIGENCE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE to thoroughly investigate these charges and to bring the guilty perpetrators to justice.
Respectfully,
Charles M Byers
President
CC: All Members of the House Intelligence Oversight Committee
Honorable Neil Abercrombie UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1233 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 205105
February 23, 1998
Subject: My knowledge of CIA involvement in the crash of the Gander Arrow Air DC-8 and PAM AM 103
Dear Congressman Abercrombie,
I explained in my letter of 2-14-98 to Porter Goss and Bob Kerrey, the chairmen of the Intelligence Committees in the House and Senate, how my specialized knowledge of ordinance, explosives and pyrotechnics provides the missing insights needed to solve several major terrorist crimes. For 15 years my company ACCURACY SYSTEMS ORDNANCE CORPORATION, provided specialized explosive devices to law enforcement, the military, Special Forces and the Central Intelligence Agency. In my letters to Congressman Goss and Senator Kerrey I requested full hearings before their committees.
As you read this letter Accuracy Systems' former munitions manufacturing facilities in New River, Arizona are under occupation of the BATF who moved onto the property Sept. 20, 1997 and have been occupying the facilities there at considerable expense to the taxpayers ever since. Their intent from the start has been to "blow up" the explosives magazines and burn our former research and development workshop and its contents and in the process --- destroy certain evidence that can link U S aircraft bombings to the CIA, a former client of Accuracy Systems.
Since this matter represents a situation of extreme national importance, I am requesting that you examine the attached compelling exhibits and then examine your conscience --- and then exert your influence to initiate proper hearings. I will send the full 62 pages of exhibits that I sent to the above mentioned chairmen on your request.
Respectfully,
Charles M Byers
President
CC: All members of Congress
Clear Evidence of a Bomb in the Gander Crash
There was a Dissenting Opinion written by four members (Norm Bobbitt, Les Filotas, Dave Mussallem and Ross Stevenson) of the Canadian Aviation Safety Board (CASB) in 1988. These four members found enough evidence against the "wing icing" theory (supported by the other 5 members) to produce this document which details their theory of an on-board explosion. Their web site, GANDER THE UNTOLD STORY is linked to the official web site of the 101st Airborne Division.
My company, ACCURACY SYSTEMS ORDNANCE, Inc., (unknowingly) designed and manufactured the device which caused this damage and sold it exclusively to the CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY. Charles Byers 602-705-9769
The Daily News Van Nuys, California
Bomb Squad Pair Respected for Skills at Jobs: McCree had worldwide renown By Tony Knight Daily News Staff Writer Sunday, February 9th, 1986
Arleigh McCree and Ronald Ball, the bomb-squad officers killed Sunday were two of the most experienced and highly respected explosive technicians in the LAPD. McCree, 46, the bomb-squad chief, was in charge of the multi-agency bomb detail assembled for the 1984 Olympics. He had helped investigate the 1983 bomb blast at the Marine Barracks in Beirut and had testified on terrorism before Congress. His international reputation was such that Libyan leader Moammar Khaddafy once offered him a job training terrorists. It was one job he turned down.
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Ball, 43, a 17-year-police veteran, also was considered an expert on explosives and terrorism and had lectured nationally on the subjects. McCree, a 21-year- police veteran and Ball were killed Saturday after the bomb they tried to diffuse in a N. Hollywood garage exploded in their hands. The deaths shocked a police force, it had never had a bomb-squad officer killed before, and nearly brought Chief F. Daryl Gates to tears. "Arleighs been a friend of mine for years," said Gates, his voice trembling. "I can't ever remember having two of our bomb technicians killed before. There haven't been any in my 36 years at the department."
McCree had a reputation of being extremely cool and scientific under pressure. Fellow officers said he was the last man they expected to be killed in an explosion. "I used to call him "Mother McCree". It always left us awestruck just how cool he seemed to be. He always knew what he was doing, and he never let his guard down.
McCree had a human side and wasn't afraid to show it. "I remember one time someone asked him, "How can you be so cool in that situation?" and he said "I'm not cool My hands shake just like any one else's" Cook said he always knew what he was doing." "Arleigh McCree is one of the best bomb technicians anywhere in the world," Gates said. "He's a veteran. He's been doing this for the better part of twenty years"
McCree had written a text on explosive devices, and in 1982 he testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on security and Terrorism. He said government manuals on how to make bombs were too easy for terrorists to get. In 1981, LAPD officials confirmed reports that Khadafy had offered McCree $140,000 to train terrorists. "They wanted me to be the team leader and recruit the rest of the guys." McCree was quoted as saying.
Ball was remembered by fellow officers as a cheerful man who liked to laugh. "We all worked together. We trained together," Deputy Ronald Ablott of the LA County Sheriff's bomb squad said. He was a real outgoing fellow. He always had a smile on his face." "Ron Ball was probably in his own right a very good bomb technician and an excellent officer. He was very knowledgeable in his field." Ablott said.
Editor's note: Recently discovered evidence indicates that there is more to Sgt. McCree's untimely death than was first supposed. In Mid January 1986, Sgt. McCree met with Charles M. Byers, the President of Accuracy Systems in Phoenix, AZ. During the course of this meeting, Sgt. McCree noticed one of Accuracy's Special Ordinance Devices in their Product Museum. Apparently this device was what Sgt. McCree had just determined was used to blow up the Arrow Air DC 8 at Gander, Newfoundland on Dec. 12, 1985, with the resulting deaths of 256 American citizens and soldiers. Upon returning home, Sgt. McCree made a report of his findings and sent it home to Washington. Unfortunately, the wrong persons became aware of this report, and to protect themselves, set up Sgt. McCree and his partner, to be killed with a booby-trapped pipe-bomb. In a resulting trial, evidence was suppressed to insure the onviction of homeowner where the bomb was found, in order to protect the perpetrators.
The PAN AM 103 Electronic Timer
These 3 photographs are of an identical model of the electronic timer
used to detonate the bomb that blew up PAN AM 103 over Lockerbie,
Scotland on Dec. 21, 1988. A one inch square partial section of this
timer was found in the PAN AM 103 wreckage. It is adjustable from 0 to
99 minutes or 0 to 99 hours with the flip of a switch. It is a high
quality, professionally assembled timer whose design includes both circuit (hook-up/connection) and output (function/activation) test lights. I know where it was manufactured in Florida --- again exclusively for the CIA!! Charles Byers 602-705-9769
http://www.sandford.org/gandercrash/investigations/gander_paper/html/_1.shtml
Gander: The Untold Story
Events in Gander -- An Overview
In the wee hours of December 12, 1985, a military
chartered Arrow Air DC-8 crashed into the cold, damp landscape at the
end of runway 22 at Gander International Airport in Gander,
Newfoundland. Two-hundred and forty-eight military personnel and eight
crew members lost their lives in the accident. As members of the 101st
Airborne division stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the servicemen
were assigned to rotation as a peacekeeping force in Egypt's Sinai
Peninsula, enforcing the Camp David Accords of 1978. (4:50) The accepted
theory at the time of the crash was that the plane had crashed due to
ice accumulation on the leading surfaces of the wings.
However, recent discoveries and
investigations have shown that this crash may not have been caused by
ice, but rather by some type of incendiary device placed on the plane.
Although the United States and Canadian governments have stood firmly
behind their icing theories, many of the unusual events during the
preparation for flight, governmental investigations, and toxicology
reports point toward a deeper, more hidden, cause behind this tragic
accident.
Prelude: Soldiers in the Sinai
Annex I to the Treaty of Peace between Egypt and
Israel of 1979 provided for U.N. forces to occupy a portion of Egypt's
Sinai Peninsula, as observers, between Egypt and Israel. (7:345) The
101st Airborne division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky was one of four
divisions that constituted the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO).
The sole purpose of the MFO was to "operate checkpoints, reconnaissance
patrols and observation posts along the international boundary."
(7:345)
Although the MFO was designated solely as a
peacekeeping force, many times they were targets of hostile acts by the
Islamic Jihad, or Islamic "Holy War," a religious fundamentalist group
responsible for various terrorist acts against the United States, such
as the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, and the hijacking
of TWA flight 847 in June of 1985. In February of 1984, the MFO's
director, Leamon "Ray" Hunt was gunned down in his car in the streets of
Rome, Italy. Officials investigating Hunt's murder pointed the finger
of guilt at Lebanese terrorists. (2:12-20)
As a result of the Marine barracks bombing,
the U.S. began withdrawing its troops from Lebanon, leaving the largest
collection of United States troops in the Middle East, concentrated in
the Sinai. (2:20) The rotation of these troops every six months involved
a massive, cooperative effort between the Egyptians and the U.S. The
movement of these troops around the region would require that the utmost
of security precautions be taken, or would it?
Troop Movement and Security
From the moment the troops were destined to leave
for home from the Sinai, an unusual sequence of events occurred that
have been dismissed as irrelevant. Before this particular movement of
troops, all troops serving in the Sinai had departed from the Ras
Nasrani airport in the southern part of the Sinai, relatively close to
the South Camp set up for the MFO. Yet on this flight, Army officials
were notified that this airport would not be available for use by large
planes due to construction on the main runway. This meant that the
soldiers would be flown by Egypt Air Boeing 737s to the Cairo
International Airport, where they would then depart on the larger Arrow
Air DC-8. (2:133) Although this may have seemed but an inconvenience to
the troops and to the Army, it required that all baggage be transported
by way of truck to the airport in Cairo. Customs officials from Egypt
and the U.S. participated in searching all unit and stores equipment,
which included only baggage stored in a cargo compartment and not
carry-on gear. The trucks were loaded and an Egyptian Customs Seal was
placed on the sealed trailers. The trucks arrived in Cairo on December
10, a whole day before the troops even began to leave the South Camp in
the Sinai. (5:1)
Upon arrival at the airport in Cairo, the
trucks were parked in the streets outside the airport before being moved
to a guarded area of the airport. Two U.S. soldiers guarded the baggage
round the clock until around 4:00 p.m. On December 11, the truck
drivers took over the guard themselves and allowed the guards to prepare
for departure. At approximately 8 p.m., the seal on the baggage trucks
was broken by an Army official, and the loading began 30 minutes later
by an Egyptian-contracted loading firm. (7:404-405)
The unusual events begin to unfold further
here, when the pilot of the plane noticed that the Egyptian guard
stationed on the ground outside the aircraft would "disappear from his
post several times, sometimes for as long as an hour." Captain Arthur
Schoppaul also noted that the baggage workers got into a fist fight
outside the aircraft, which struck him strangely since Arabs rarely
touch one another due to religious beliefs. (7:418) There was a time
when there was no light around the aircraft due to a power cord that had
been pulled out on the tarmac. (2:145) During the loading, there were
no U.S. personnel in the cargo holds supervising the contracted Egyptian
workers, none of whom had been screened by the U.S. officials. (7:182)
When the cargo bays of the DC-8 were full,
an interesting situation arose; there were still 41 of the soldiers'
duffel bags that could not be loaded. Many of the bags were bumped off
the plane due to several "large, wooden crates" that were loaded onto
the plane first. (7:182) An Arrow Air manager recalled that Lieut.
Colonel Marvin Jeffcoat, the battalion commander, insisted that the
boxes be loaded first, and if necessary, that duffel bags be removed to
accommodate the boxes, as they contained "very important, military
material." (2:146) This struck many of the crew members oddly since it
is "unusual to separate a soldier from his equipment." One of the 10 to
20 of these crates had not been transported on the baggage truck with
the other baggage and boxes, but had been flown in the belly of one of
the 737s to Cairo. (2:147) Where was this box kept while the other
baggage in the trucks was being guarded? Despite attempts to identify
the contents of these boxes through Army records, no official records of
the boxes, or their contents, have been found.
Post - Crash Investigation
The Arrow Air DC-8 departed from the terminal at
6:40 a.m. Gander local time, crashing six minutes later less than a
half-mile from the end of runway 22. (1:5) Army Major Gen. John Crosby
arrived in Gander at 3:00 p.m. local time, along with Army personnel to
assist the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in their investigative
efforts. However, the Army's only role was to assist, and not
investigate, at the scene of the accident; this would be done solely by
the RCMP. Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) and the FBI were also dispatched to the site within hours of the
crash.
The disturbing part about the investigation
lies in the cooperative efforts between the Canadian and U.S.
governments. Many of the officials sent to the crash site were told
that they had no jurisdiction there, as the crash did not take place on
U.S. territory. In most accidents that involve U.S. citizens, officials
probe further to uncover details. In this case, however, many of the
officials accepted whatever theories were laid before them by the
Canadian officials. The FBI officials were put up in a hotel room for
several days, at which time they were informed about the RCMP's findings
and told to go home. Information in hand, they departed, leaving a
possible crime scene with only the information they were provided --
unprecedented for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (6:34)
Two separate eyewitnesses remember General
Crosby ordering the "immediate bulldozing of the crash site." Although
General Crosby denies mentioning the bulldozing operation in December,
records show that less than 10 days following the accident, Crosby was
in touch with officials in Gander and Ottawa regarding the site cleanup,
which was to be performed with "a representative of the Army present at
all times." (2:83-85) The immediate bulldozing of a crash site removes
all traces of wrongdoing, and seems especially intriguing in light of
the Pan Am 103 investigation which took place after that flight was
brought down by an explosion over Lockerbie, Scotland. Investigators in
the Pan Am case reconstructed the aircraft piece by piece until the
source of the explosion was found: a detonator small enough to fit in
the lock of a suitcase was found among the 747's wreckage. (2:431) No
meticulous investigation such as this was made in the Gander accident.
The bodies of the deceased were the only hard evidence examined for an
in-flight explosion, and even they were hurriedly examined.
The Toxicology Reports: Burned Alive
The crash of the Gander flight posed a particular
problem for recovery and examination of the bodies of the deceased.
Colonel Robert McMeekin, director of the Armed Forces Institute of
Pathology (AFIP) received notification of the accident at 6:30 a.m. on
the morning of December 12. He arrived in Gander at 3:30 p.m. that day.
The role of the AFIP was solely identification of U.S. personnel.
Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Canadian and U.S.
officials, the RCMP agreed to release the bodies of the victims to the
United States for identification and pathological examination. Any
toxicology samples would be taken and shipped to Canada for testing; no
testing was to be done in the U.S. Thus, the bodies were moved to Dover
Air Force Base in Delaware for examination. (7:355) The examination and
x-rays revealed that none of the bodies showed any signs of a
pre-impact explosion. All deaths were listed as "instantaneous" and due
to "plane crash." According to many pathologists, an accident cannot be
listed as a cause of death, but only as a contributor to death. Actual
death can only be by decapitation, etc. Listing the deaths as
"instantaneous" would appease many of the families -- that is, until the
Elcombe report was released.
Dr. David Elcombe, director of the Canadian
Aviation Safety Board (CASB), released the Canadians' toxicological
findings on March 5, 1986, although they were not presented at any
public hearings. These results presented problems for the
"instantaneous" death theory posed by Dr. McMeekin. The consensus
between the two governments was that there was no pre-impact explosion.
Therefore the story went something like this: everyone was alive, then
several seconds later, all aboard perished immediately when the plane
contacted the ground as a result of wing icing, and erupted in a ball of
fire. This is where Dr. Elcombe's findings pose a problem. Many of the
bodies contained high levels of carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide,
both products of combustion. (1:37-38) An accepted guideline used by
pathologists is that these products cannot enter the tissue of the body
by any means other than respiration. So according to Dr. Elcombe, 256
people who died "instantaneously" have high levels of combustion
products which they would have had to have inhaled. To make this
important piece of evidence fit into the accepted "no explosion" theory,
the survival time after the crash was increased from zero seconds to
almost five minutes. The families were being asked to deal with the
nightmarish possibility that their loved ones sat living, within a fiery
inferno of jet fuel for almost five minutes. Interestingly, many of the
bodies that had high levels of combustion products in their lungs were
also decapitated, yet according to the official report, they somehow
kept breathing five minutes after being dismembered. This could be
exactly why Dr. Elcombe sent a memo to Dr. McMeekin dated June 20, 1986
stating: "Some of the carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide values are
striking ... and I look forward to meeting with you ... to consider
their significance." (2:167)
Arms to Iran: Enter One Oliver North
Many people have questioned the true mission of
the 3rd battalion of the 101st Airborne deployed to the Sinai. There
are some theories surrounding the contents of the mysterious "wooden
boxes" loaded into the DC-8 in Cairo, and their relation to the
Iran-Contra affair involving Oliver North. Others will point out that
almost 20 members of the 101st were members of an elite Special Forces
group known as Task Force 160. The significance of this fact is great,
considering that the role of the Multinational Force and Observers is
peacekeeping. In contrast, Task Force 160's main objectives are covert
missions and rescues, as demonstrated by their suggested involvement in
the Italian cruise liner, Achille Lauro, hostage situation. The forces were poised and ready to pounce, although the hijackers surrendered first. (6:34)
The only possible logic surrounding the
entrance of such highly specialized personnel in a peacekeeping force,
is that the MFO itself was used as a base for other, more covert,
activity in the region. One must look at the events that were taking
place at the time in the Middle East, although the public was unaware at
the time. Colonel Oliver North had been negotiating with Iran for some
time for the release of American hostages being held in that country.
As an exchange for the release of the hostages, North was selling the
Iranians TOW anti-tank missiles for use in its ongoing war with Iraq. In
late November, 1985, the Iranians paid over $24 million for the
purchase of 18 HAWK anti-aircraft missiles. However, upon delivery and
testing of one of the HAWKs, the Iranians realized that they had
received an older, less technologically advanced version of the HAWK
which had a much lesser range that the new ones. The Iranians, already
carrying a great distrust of the U.S., felt double-crossed. Oliver
North was told by one of his advisors that there was a "good chance of
condemning some or all of the hostages to death in a renewed wave of
Islamic Jihad." Oliver North responded saying that the deaths of the
hostages would be our "minimum losses." (8:182-196)
Realizing his position, the possibility
exists that Oliver North planned a covert hostage rescue attempt. North
knew the position of the hostages to the exact room of the barracks
they were being held in. (6:34) If this attempt failed and there were
casualties in the Special Operations group, this might explain the
contents of the "coffin sized" boxes being loaded into the plane in
Cairo. Also, if a rescue mission had failed several days earlier,
retaliation by an angered Iran could have been focused on U.S. military
maneuvers taking place in the region, most notably the transport of
military personnel back to the U.S. An aircraft explosion over the North
American continent would prove effective in showing the U.S. that the
arm of terrorism can reach to any area of the globe.
The Governments' Lines
Although there have not been any governmental
investigations which have sufficiently satisfied the family members and
others who would like to know what actually happened in Gander, the
government of the United States has conducted inquiries that examine the
U.S. government's involvement in the investigation. In December of
1990, the House of Representatives conducted a two-day hearing on the
accident. Many top governmental officials presented their testimony
concerning their agencies' roles in the post-crash investigation. Gen.
Crosby and Col. McMeekin were present, and answered most questioning
with military precision. However, on several occasions when congressmen
drilled for answers, Crosby would interrupt and speak on behalf of
McMeekin, when McMeekin seemed to be verbally cornered. The subcommittee
adjourned on December 5, concluding nothing of great proportions. The
hearings had been the result of growing pressure from families and a
select few congressmen, the final verdict stating that the "Subcommittee
is dismayed and troubled by the failure of the U.S. Government to
pursue an active role in the investigation of the Gander accident."
(7:902)
On October 28, 1988, the Canadian Aviation
Safety Board concluded its internal investigation into the accident,
although it resulted in no single conclusion. A group of nine board
members split 5 to 4 on the ruling of the cause of the accident. The
majority concluded that the crash was due to ice accumulation on the
wings, which may have caused the aircraft to stall. The minority
concluded differently, stating that the crash could have been caused by
an "on-board fire, possibly due to a detonation in the cargo
compartment." (3:107) Later, in 1989, Canadian Judge WIlliam Estey, a
former Justice of the Canadian Supreme Court, was asked to review the
findings of both the majority and minority, in hope that he might order a
reopening of the investigation. Judge Estey, however, determined that
both sides had plausible support for their respective arguments, but
added that "further investigation is not ... warranted." (7:763)
Conclusion
Over ten years have passed since the crash of the
homeward-bound DC-8 in 1985. Still, may questions remain unanswered.
Although many details of the accident have remained a mystery, many more
have been uncovered which may provide insight into the true cause of
the disaster. However speculative, it is important that the postulation
continue, and that all possible causes be explored. The icing
proponents continue to produce credible statistics concerning the
effects of ice on aircraft lift and drag. But as these facts are
produced, they are challenged by stronger facts discounting them.
Theories abound in a case such as
this, and I would like to offer my own theories behind this crash.
- The mysterious wooden boxes were the bodies of Special Forces soldiers killed in a hostage rescue attempt.
- A bomb, or some other incendiary device, was placed into the "B" cargo hold of the plane at one of its two stops before heading back to the U.S. The lax security would allow such an act to take place.
- The explosion onboard the aircraft did not cause it to explode in mid-air, but rather rendered it uncontrollable and caused a massive system failure before crashing.
- The Special Forces units on the aircraft were sent to rescue the hostages held in the Middle East. Oliver North realized that the hostages would probably be killed in retaliation for the bad shipment of HAWK missiles sent to Iran. He knew that he could face serious consequences for his actions if the hostages were harmed. The peace keeping agenda in the Sinai would provide an innocent platform from which to launch such an operation.
It is important that the public know about
governmental wrongdoings. Although it may seem that there was no
intentional or blatant cover-up, further investigation proves that the
inadequate and incomplete investigation of this incident means
substantially more than coincidence. A complete investigation is needed
that will examine all aspects of the crash, including the pre-crash
events, the post-crash investigation, toxicological findings, as well as
the "arms for hostages" connections. Unlike the Kennedy assassination,
another famous potential governmental conspiracy, the players in this
game are still alive and within the population and should be probed for
answers. Our servicemen and women are not expendable, for along with
the 248 servicemen and women, 248 sons and daughters died as well.
List of Sources
- Canadian Aviation Safety Board. 1988. Aviation Occurrence Report: Douglas DC-8-63 N50JW, Gander International Airport, Newfoundland, 12 December 1985. In Subcommittee on Crime of the Committee on the Judiciary. 1991. Fatal Plane Crash in Gander, Newfoundland, December 12, 1985. Washington D.C: U.S. Government Printing Office. 766-882.
This portion of the Subcommittee report provides the CASB's majority opinion that ice accumulation on the wings caused the crash. This document supports an opinion different from the minority opinion and provides an alternative theory. - Filotas, Les. 1991. Improbable Cause. Toronto:McClelland-Bantam, Inc.
This book provides a detailed account of the CASB's investigation and the cover-up involved from the point of view of a member of the CASB. - Fotos, Christopher, P. 1988. "Minority Faction Faults Arrow Air Crash Analysis". Aviation Week and Technology. December 19: 107.
This gives insight into the turmoil that this investigation caused within the Canadian government. - McDonald, Marci. 1990. "Elusive Truths". McClean's. December 12: 50.
Another investigative report from a Canadian magazine. - Richardson, Joseph L. MFO Internal Memo Regarding U.S. Batallion Rotation. U.S. Army. 17 December 1985. 1-2.
This is a memo written in regard to the movement of troops within the Sinai region. - Rowan, Roy. 1992. "Gander: Different crash, same questions". Time 139 (April 27): 33-34.
This article details specific solider classification and raises the issue about the involvement of special task forces in relation to an "arms for hostages" deal. - Subcommittee on Crime of the Committee on the Judiciary. 1991. Fatal Plane Crash in Gander, Newfoundland, December 12, 1985. Washington D.C: U.S. Government Printing Office.
This is a report conducted over a two day period in Washington D.C. to specifically determine the U.S. government's extent of negligence in the investigation. - Tower, John; Muskie, Edmund, and Scrowcroft, Brent. 1987. Tower Commission Report, The. New York: Bantam Books. 182-196.
This is the account of many of the dealings of Oliver North and his involvement with the Iranians.
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