On June 27, 1980, an Italian DC-9 airliner crashed mysteriously killing all aboard. Media reports at the time seemed to indicate that there were military aircraft involved. NATO took over the investigation and the truth of the matter was covered up for 20 years.

Last year, CBS News reported that new analysis of radar tapes recently discovered by the NTSB proved conclusively that a NATO jet fired a missile at a Libyan fighter that was attempting to hide in the electronic signature of the DC-9. The missile missed the fighter and hit the airliner.

If fatal Y2K problems in the embedded or flight controllers of aircraft are detected it could cause US airlines to go out of business. Do any of you doubt that TPTB would not try to suppress this information?

-- Devils advocate (@ .), February 12, 2000

Answers

And I thought that Hawks post were mostly gibberish until I read this one.....

-- (Huh@WTF.com), February 12, 2000.

Birds of a feather flock together!

-- Liberal Hater (liberty@bell.com), February 12, 2000.

Let's imagine a parallel universe which was identical in all respects to this one except that it diverged from ours on December 31th and Y2k problems caused numerous aircraft to crash. In this imaginary parallel universe, many aircraft incidents occurred shortly after the GMT rollover at 4PM PST and some of the aircraft crashed, killing several thousand people. In this parallel universe, the public rose up in arms and refused to fly. The NTSB was swamped but nevertheless investigated the accidents vigorously and determined the cause of the problem by mid-January. Emergency Airworthiness Directives were issued on a number of aircraft types. The Airbus aircraft, which are fly-by-wire, are expected to be grounded in the parallel universe until software changes removing the Y2k vulnerability can be removed. The MD-80/90 series aircraft in this parallel universe had Y2k problems in their Digital Flight Guidance Computers, but were allowed back into the air with the restriction that the aircraft had to be flown by hand until the problems were corrected.

Let's further imagine a second parallel universe in which aircraft did not crash on New Year's Eve but in which non-compliant chips caused Paula Gordon overflowing buffer problems. In that parallel universe, the first problem manifested itself in Alaska Air flight 261, an MD-83 which crashed off the coast of California. The buffer overflows were somehow accelerated by the changeover from Jan 2000 to Feb 2000. AS261 was only the first accident and within 6 hours, 25 more MD-80/90 series aircraft in this parallel universe also experienced overflowing buffers and crashed. This model type was immediately grounded and the NTSB tasked with finding the cause. A posting on an obscure Internet forum called Timebomb 2000 was credited with exposing the problem, and the poster who went by the handle "Hawk" was invited to the White House to shake Bill Clinton's hand.

Let's imagine a third parallel universe, just like the second one except that the powers that be tried to suppress the information and sent the CIA out to kill Hawk. After killing Hawk, TPTB begain pointing the finger of blame at a jackscrew. In that parallel universe, crashes of MD-80 aircraft continued as more embedded processor buffers overflowed, and by February 4rd, passenger cancellations effectively grounded the MD80 series aircraft, and in fact cancellations reduced passenger loads below 50% of normal on other aircraft not effected by Y2k bugs.

Back to the real universe, this one. I doubt TPTB would try to suppress this information.

I'd be interested in reading more about this CBS new report that you mention. I find it ironic that the NTSB is credited with exposing a missile firing in this incident, when Hawk and probably you also (is the NTSB part of or a front of TPTB?) claim that they are covering this up?

-- Mikey2k (mikey2k@he.wont.eat.it), February 12, 2000.

Hey Mikey,

What's your brief opinion on TWA Flight 800?

BTW...the CBS News story on the Italian crash (discussed in detail here last year) seems to have disappeared from the Net.

-- Devils advocate (@ .), February 12, 2000.

My take on TWA 800 is that it, like AS 261, was not brought down by a Y2k bug.

-- Mikey2k (mikey2k@he.wont.eat.it), February 12, 2000.

Center fuel tank mis-silehap, huh?

-- Devils advocate (@ .), February 12, 2000.

Whatever that is, it's not a Y2k bug.

-- Mikey2k (mikey2k@he.wont.eat.it), February 12, 2000.

"Last year, CBS News reported that new analysis of radar tapes recently discovered by the NTSB proved conclusively that [in 1980] a NATO jet fired a missile at a Libyan fighter that was attempting to hide in the electronic signature of the DC-9. The missile missed the fighter and hit the airliner."

I remember reading published reports at the time making just this claim.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), February 12, 2000.

Speaking of TWA Flight 800, if you haven't seen the information at http://www.twa800.com, take a surf and see what you think.

"Fascinating", in the words of Spock.

-- David (dwaldrip@aol.com), February 12, 2000.

If you go to your search engine at type in "Cmdr. Donaldson" you find an entire site on the congressional investigation and private investation...and much more!

Personally I believe like Commander Bill Donaldson, that 800 was shot down, for what reason I don't know...but it was shot down! BRyan

-- SB Ryan G III (sbrg3@juno.com), February 12, 2000.

Whatever. I don't know the answers, but I know VERY WELL that they lie.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), February 12, 2000.

Well said Mara, They do lie... It sure would be nice if we could just have one day a year that everyone had to tell the truth... it would probably be too strenous and uncomfortable to expose the truth since we don't know what is the truth any more... Good thing there is a spiritual side to life... else there would be no truth at all. BRyan

-- SB Ryan G III (sbrg3@juno.com), February 12, 2000.

Great Question Devils Advocate!!! What would happen to air travel if any such revelation took place?

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 13, 2000.

I find it far more likely that the two loud bangs heard have some connection with the weapons at Point Mugu. But perhaps those are dangerous waters to venture into.

Scroll down to Newshawk to see some of the research Newshawk (John Quinn) has done on this. Consider his statement he has just released: "Two of the longest-term and most trusted sources I have relayed a message to me yesterday.

It was pretty simple. I was informed that much of the material we've published on the Alaska Airlines Fl. 261 crash had gotten certain people or groups of people extremely pissed off--to the point where it could conceivably lead to some sort of activity being directed my which couldbe somewhat ... unpleasant, let's say. Maybe even more than unpleasant.

As I noted those who relayed this to me are my friends--they were advised to pass the message on to me, with the suggestion it might be good to find some other topic to chew on at this time.

I got the message.

We've done our part on the Fl. 261 crash. Anyone else who wants to work on it, be my guest. We're out.

NewsHawk. Inc.

Someone is playing hardball. Quinn is no babe in the woods ,and has tackled a lot of controversial subjects before without backing off.

-- Firemouse (firemouse@fcmail.com), February 13, 2000.