Gander : The Untold Story - Union of Canadian Transport Employees Report

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Evidence pointing to a cover-up^*

Lax security in Cairo and Cologne

Islamic Jihad claims responsibility

High level communications between Gander and Washington

Early official dismissals of sabotage, and explosion or a fire on board

Eyewitness accounts

U.S. military calls for investigation of ground personnel in Cologne

Major General John S. Crosby of the U.S. Army calls for the bulldozing of sites the day after the crash

Arrow Air denied access

Contradiction between the CASB spokesman and the CASB's chief investigator on the "Contents" of the black box tapes

Weapons, ammunition, flares, practice grenades on board?

FBI's Criminal Division involved in the investigation

Autopsy reports

The ice build-up theory: statements by ground crew at Gander / FBI report

Cockpit microphone turned off

Why did the pilot activate a fire extinguisher before impact?

The master fire warning light was turned on.

The Pinkel report

What caused sudden loss of speed?

The board of directors of the CASB divided.

The Sopinka report.

Statement by CASB member Les Filotas.

Benoit Bouchard's letter to CASB board members.

Other points of interest.

List of Exhibits

^*(added to the Table of Contents by the author for clarity purposes)

Union of Canadian Transport Employees Report

What caused sudden loss of speed?

The Flight Recorder Group's report contains a graph produced from a flight data recorder mechanism recovered from the crash. This graph shows that moments before the impact, the aircraft lost a tremendous amount of speed. At 1 minute and 35 seconds after the beginning of takeoff, the DC-8 was travelling at 140 knots. Two seconds later, at 1:37 airspeed registered 30 knots. (see Exhibit 18, graph 1).

What happened at that precise moment to.cause such a radical decrease in speed? According to flight records, the aircraft did not begin to impact with trees until 1:45. What can cause such abrupt deceleration? Did the pilot activate the thrust reversers? Or was it an explosion? The CASB's preliminary report offers no appropriate or conclusive answers.