Predictably, John Robb gives a little pushback whining that some web sites are putting a damper on all of the speculation over Flight 585 being downed by terrorists. Robb writes,
I have noticed a pattern on some Weblogs. Some people want to squash all speculation on this crash being a terrorist-driven event entirely. Their reasons are complex but the most common thread I can spot is an attempt by these folks to talk the nation (and themselves) back into normalcy. … Don’t get scared and shut down your brain: think!
Give me a break. Okay, lets back up and look again at what Robb wrote on November 13:
NTSB Investigators claim crash was an accident. Voice recorder indicates no hijackers on board… Who said anything about hijackers??? This is inane. There is also evidence that BOTH engines fell off the plane creating a unusual crash pattern. WTFO?? And they still want to rule out sabotage?? I don’t get it.
Again, if you spend a few seconds search Google you can find a ton of information about airplane crashes and specifically airplane engines which explains in detail why and how engines can fall off during airplane crashes. In fact, you can even find information about previous crashes in which two engines separated from an airplane shortly after takeoff. You might even learn that in most large aircraft the engines are designed to separate from the wings if they experience intense stress. Plus you would have missed the unusual airplane crashes page which is mindboggling, even though it doesn’t include a couple of bizarre instances where engines fell off a plane during flight due to leaky toilets (I’m not making that up. In 1985 a Northwest flight lost an engine after water and disinfectant from a leaking toilet froze, the ice broke away from the plane which hit an engine and caused it to separate from the plane).
Come on — what’s the point of living in the information age if we’re going to just ignore the incredible resources that are at our fingertips and run with our speculations and uninformed opinions about airplane crashes (hmmm…a lot like the traditional news media!)