Originally posted by Oakum_Boy
I would surmise the costal defence radar ballons were not being used due to the weather.
I'm not aware that bad weather keeps them from using the TARS (Tethered Aerostat Radar System) It wasn't particularly windy, or stormy, just low clouds.
Originally posted by Jedi_Cheese
Plus C-208's are not exactly a wooden biplane in construction. To hit that hard, it should have done a hell of alot of damage to the other aircraft. The spread is 200 yards at a fall from 3k ft so the other aircraft would be somewhat nearby. Plus whatever part (or parts) hit his aircraft should be near the wreckage someplace, the other aircraft might have gone ballistic but not the parts
Yeah, that's what I was thinking, surely there'd be parts from the other plane scattered around, even if the bulk of it stayed together and sank.
Originally posted by starchkr
Could the DC-10 have been on some sort of military training mission...I don't know, maybe escorted by smaller a/c or maybe towing targets????
That seems unlikely, the DC-10 was identified as a Fed Ex plane which was approaching to land as Mobile downtown. The investigators examined the plane and found no damage.
Originally posted by starchkr
The red paint could have been caused by cargo he was carrying being thrown around the a/c after hitting that turbulence.
Good thought, but the investigators seem to have ruled that out. they did paint analysis on all the red items they found and compared with the paint transfer, they didn't come up with any matches, suggesting that the source of the paint was not the cargo. Plus, most of the red paint was on the *outside* of the airplane
Originally posted by Oakum_Boy
Does anyone think its plausible that this guy had an altimeter problem, in other words, he hit something a lot lower than 3000'? Maybe an antenna or a bridge or something.
I wouldn't think that was likely. The wreckage was found about 8 nm from the airport on a magnetic bearing of 031, that would put it right on V454, which was the airway he was told to join by departure. If you look at the approach plate for Mobile downtown the highest obstruction in that direction is 517 ft MSL which would mean that he would have to be 2500 ft low but appear to ATC radar to be right on altitude. Not impossible, but unlikely, plus 8 nm would put him well beyond the 517 ft obstruction. There is a 2000 ft obstruction, but it appears to me that it would be well to the east fo the crash site. I would imagine that any towers in the area would be examined for damage.
Originally posted by freightdoggie
There was some talk, or speculation, I cannot validate where I heard it, but they talked of some Navy boys being the first ones at the crash sight... Any thought of a UVA out there flying around and being in the wrong place at the wrong time?.
Interesting thought, very interesting. The accident report mentions that one of the red items that was tested for a paint match was a piece from an unmanned aerial vehicle .... ummmm UAV? What UAV? the report doesn't say where the UAV piece came from, nor *why* they were testing it..........Hmmmmm, it would be interesting to know what *really* went on in the investigation.
