Original research From Steve Wingate, 1/31/00. A possible weather anomaly near Alaska Air crash site, with possible trace to Vandenberg AFB. Comments? Alfred ===== Message-Id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: "Steve Wingate" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 21:58:06 -0800 Subject: IUFO: Weather Anomaly At Alaska Airlines Crash Site? -> IUFO Mailing List This is a GOES-10 satellite image animation I made from images around the time of the crash, at 00:30 UT when the accident occurred. You may notice a weather anomaly coming from the west, south of Vandenberg AFB. The crash occurred just east of the three islands, west of Point Mugu. http://www.anomalous-images.com/weather/goes10_cca_013100.gif Note the triangle formation that seems to form at the time of the accident just North of the larger island. I doubled the display time of the image at 00:00 UT because *the image immediately preceeding the crash, at 00:15 UT was missing, the only image in the series that was missing*. I guess that was just a coincidence... Was this a weather modification experiment based at Vandenberg AFB? I have seen other weather anomalies in the past off this point and did not realize Vandenberg AFB is just north of this location. Are these weather anomalies natural, artificially-produced, or a combination of both? Regards, Steve Alaska Airlines jet crashes off California coast; 88 aboard Copyright © 2000 Nando Media Copyright © 2000 APonline By JEFF WILSON OXNARD, Calif. (February 1, 2000 12:03 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - An Alaska Airlines jet with 88 people aboard plummeted into the Pacific Ocean on Monday after its pilot reported mechanical problems and was diverted to Los Angeles for an emergency landing. Several bodies were recovered from the chilly water, but there was no sign of survivors hours after the crash. Flight 261, heading from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to San Francisco and later to Seattle, went down at 4:36 p.m. PST, the airline said. A large field of debris rolled in big swells about eight miles offshore as aircraft and small boats converged on the site just before sunset. Hours later, the high-power lights of commercial squid boats illuminated the darkness as a cutter and small boats continued the search. Several bodies were found, Coast Guard Lt. Chuck Diorio said, but he could not give a specific number. "Every resource is out there to find people," said Coast Guard Capt. George Wright. "We're actively searching for survivors. ... In 58-degree water temperature, people can survive. We're not going to quit until we're positive there's absolutely no chance." Alaska Airlines spokesman Jack Evans said the plane was carrying 83 passengers and five crew members. The plane was an MD-83, part of the MD-80 series aircraft built by McDonnell Douglas, now part of Boeing, said John Thom, a spokesman for Boeing's Douglas aircraft unit. The plane that crashed had been delivered to Alaska Airlines in 1992, Thom said. The airline said the pilot reported having problems with the "stabilizer trim" and asked to be diverted shortly before the plane crashed. "Radar indicates it fell from 17,000 feet and then was lost from radar," San Francisco airport spokesman Ron Wilson told KRON-TV. On the MD-80 series airplanes, the horizontal stabilizer looks like a small wing mounted on top of the tail. The stabilizer, which includes panels that pitch the nose up and down, is brought into balance, or "trimmed," from the cockpit. If a plane lost its horizontal stabilizer, it would have no means to keep the nose pointed at the proper angle up or down, and the plane would begin an uncontrollable dive. A source with close knowledge of the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the flight was normal and stable until the crew reported control problems. Radar showed the plane plunging toward the ocean shortly afterward. Evans said the plane had no previous stabilizer problems, and FAA spokesman John Clabes said it had never been in an accident. Evans also said the plane was serviced on Sunday, went through a low- level maintenance check on Jan. 11 and had a more thorough routine check last January. It was unclear what Sunday's service entailed. Alaska Airlines, which has a distinctive image of an Eskimo painted on the tails of its planes, has an excellent safety record. It serves more than 40 cities in Alaska, Canada, Mexico and five Western states. The National Transportation Safety Board was assembling a team of investigators in Washington, D.C., and planned to send them to the crash site, spokesman Pat Cariseo said. Gov. Gray Davis said he had ordered the California National Guard to offer whatever help is needed. The weather was clear at the crash site, where the water is between 300 and 750 feet deep, said Coast Guard Cmdr. Jim McPherson. On Sunday, a Kenya Airways flight crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after take off from Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The Airbus 310 carried 10 crew members and 169 passengers. At least 10 people survived. Last Oct. 31, EgyptAir Flight 990 plummeted into the ocean 60 miles south of the Massachusetts island of Nantucket. All 217 people aboard the Boeing 767 were killed. The most recent fatal crash in the United States involving an MD-80 series jet was last summer's American Airlines accident in Little Rock, Ark. Eleven people were killed and 110 injured when an MD-82 landed in high wind and heavy rain, ran off the runway, broke apart and caught fire. The MD-80 is a twin-jet version of the more widely known DC-9, with a single aisle and an engine on each side of the tail. It went into service in 1980 and has had at least five variations that offer different ranges and seating capacities. Alaska Airlines, based in Seattle, operates several flights from Puerto Vallarta, a resort on Mexico's Pacific coast, to the U.S. The airline had two fatal accidents in the 1970s, both in Alaska, according to Airsafe.com, a Web site that tracks plane crashes. In 1971, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 727-100 approaching Juneau crashed into a mountain slope after the crew had received misleading navigational information. All 104 passengers and seven crew members and were killed. In 1976, one passenger was killed when a 727 overran the runway after landing in Ketchikan. San Francisco airport officials offered to help friends and families of the victims Monday night, Wilson said. "Whatever they want us to do," he said. "We'll put them up for the night. We'll feed them. We'll console them. We'll bring to them whatever they desire." Associated Press Writer Glen Johnson contributed to this report. ------- End of forwarded message ------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Steve Wingate >>
Original research From Steve Wingate, 1/31/00. A possible weather anomaly near Alaska Air crash site, with possible trace to Vandenberg AFB. Comments? Alfred ===== Message-Id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: "Steve Wingate" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 21:58:06 -0800 Subject: IUFO: Weather Anomaly At Alaska Airlines Crash Site? -> IUFO Mailing List This is a GOES-10 satellite image animation I made from images around the time of the crash, at 00:30 UT when the accident occurred. You may notice a weather anomaly coming from the west, south of Vandenberg AFB. The crash occurred just east of the three islands, west of Point Mugu. http://www.anomalous-images.com/weather/goes10_cca_013100.gif Note the triangle formation that seems to form at the time of the accident just North of the larger island. I doubled the display time of the image at 00:00 UT because *the image immediately preceeding the crash, at 00:15 UT was missing, the only image in the series that was missing*. I guess that was just a coincidence... Was this a weather modification experiment based at Vandenberg AFB? I have seen other weather anomalies in the past off this point and did not realize Vandenberg AFB is just north of this location. Are these weather anomalies natural, artificially-produced, or a combination of both? Regards, Steve Alaska Airlines jet crashes off California coast; 88 aboard Copyright © 2000 Nando Media Copyright © 2000 APonline By JEFF WILSON OXNARD, Calif. (February 1, 2000 12:03 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - An Alaska Airlines jet with 88 people aboard plummeted into the Pacific Ocean on Monday after its pilot reported mechanical problems and was diverted to Los Angeles for an emergency landing. Several bodies were recovered from the chilly water, but there was no sign of survivors hours after the crash. Flight 261, heading from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to San Francisco and later to Seattle, went down at 4:36 p.m. PST, the airline said. A large field of debris rolled in big swells about eight miles offshore as aircraft and small boats converged on the site just before sunset. Hours later, the high-power lights of commercial squid boats illuminated the darkness as a cutter and small boats continued the search. Several bodies were found, Coast Guard Lt. Chuck Diorio said, but he could not give a specific number. "Every resource is out there to find people," said Coast Guard Capt. George Wright. "We're actively searching for survivors. ... In 58-degree water temperature, people can survive. We're not going to quit until we're positive there's absolutely no chance." Alaska Airlines spokesman Jack Evans said the plane was carrying 83 passengers and five crew members. The plane was an MD-83, part of the MD-80 series aircraft built by McDonnell Douglas, now part of Boeing, said John Thom, a spokesman for Boeing's Douglas aircraft unit. The plane that crashed had been delivered to Alaska Airlines in 1992, Thom said. The airline said the pilot reported having problems with the "stabilizer trim" and asked to be diverted shortly before the plane crashed. "Radar indicates it fell from 17,000 feet and then was lost from radar," San Francisco airport spokesman Ron Wilson told KRON-TV. On the MD-80 series airplanes, the horizontal stabilizer looks like a small wing mounted on top of the tail. The stabilizer, which includes panels that pitch the nose up and down, is brought into balance, or "trimmed," from the cockpit. If a plane lost its horizontal stabilizer, it would have no means to keep the nose pointed at the proper angle up or down, and the plane would begin an uncontrollable dive. A source with close knowledge of the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the flight was normal and stable until the crew reported control problems. Radar showed the plane plunging toward the ocean shortly afterward. Evans said the plane had no previous stabilizer problems, and FAA spokesman John Clabes said it had never been in an accident. Evans also said the plane was serviced on Sunday, went through a low- level maintenance check on Jan. 11 and had a more thorough routine check last January. It was unclear what Sunday's service entailed. Alaska Airlines, which has a distinctive image of an Eskimo painted on the tails of its planes, has an excellent safety record. It serves more than 40 cities in Alaska, Canada, Mexico and five Western states. The National Transportation Safety Board was assembling a team of investigators in Washington, D.C., and planned to send them to the crash site, spokesman Pat Cariseo said. Gov. Gray Davis said he had ordered the California National Guard to offer whatever help is needed. The weather was clear at the crash site, where the water is between 300 and 750 feet deep, said Coast Guard Cmdr. Jim McPherson. On Sunday, a Kenya Airways flight crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after take off from Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The Airbus 310 carried 10 crew members and 169 passengers. At least 10 people survived. Last Oct. 31, EgyptAir Flight 990 plummeted into the ocean 60 miles south of the Massachusetts island of Nantucket. All 217 people aboard the Boeing 767 were killed. The most recent fatal crash in the United States involving an MD-80 series jet was last summer's American Airlines accident in Little Rock, Ark. Eleven people were killed and 110 injured when an MD-82 landed in high wind and heavy rain, ran off the runway, broke apart and caught fire. The MD-80 is a twin-jet version of the more widely known DC-9, with a single aisle and an engine on each side of the tail. It went into service in 1980 and has had at least five variations that offer different ranges and seating capacities. Alaska Airlines, based in Seattle, operates several flights from Puerto Vallarta, a resort on Mexico's Pacific coast, to the U.S. The airline had two fatal accidents in the 1970s, both in Alaska, according to Airsafe.com, a Web site that tracks plane crashes. In 1971, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 727-100 approaching Juneau crashed into a mountain slope after the crew had received misleading navigational information. All 104 passengers and seven crew members and were killed. In 1976, one passenger was killed when a 727 overran the runway after landing in Ketchikan. San Francisco airport officials offered to help friends and families of the victims Monday night, Wilson said. "Whatever they want us to do," he said. "We'll put them up for the night. We'll feed them. We'll console them. We'll bring to them whatever they desire." Associated Press Writer Glen Johnson contributed to this report. ------- End of forwarded message ------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Steve Wingate
