vendredi 30 mai 2014

Pan Am Flight 103 Air Crash Investigation Report

By Lila Bryant


The Pan Am flight 103 came down at Lockerbie in Scotland on it way from Frankfurt to Detroit via London. Investigations into the disaster took detectives and aviation experts across twenty countries. The death toll according to Pan Am Flight 103 air crash investigation report totaled 270. Of this number, 259 were on-board while 11 died on the ground. Preliminary findings and eventual conclusion pointed at a bomb attack.

The analysis revealed that the plan was traveling at 31,000 feet in the sky when it exploded. It was termed as a terrorist attack and the blame was laid on Libya. Investigations involved piecing together the debris in a warehouse in order to establish the cause and circumstances surrounding the crash. This became the worst plane disaster that involved terrorism and attracted world media to the small town.

Evidence presented by prosecutors implicated Libyans in the terror attack. Two of her citizens went on trial for acts of terrorism. They were Abdel Baset and Khalifa Al-Amin. The evidence presented was used to set Khalifa free but Abdel was sentenced to life in prison. It was claimed that the plane was brought down under instructions from the Libyan authorities. Libya was slapped with a 2.7 billion dollar compensation bill for aiding the terrorists.

The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch spearheaded the investigations because the accident happened within their air space. The debris that was gathered in this disaster area totaled around 4 million pieces. The area covered by investigations stretched to 2000 square kilometers. Documentation and simulation had to be done using computers in order to piece the debris together.

The crash took a criminal turn when it emerged that terrorism was the cause. Investigators found PETN and RDX chemical compounds at the scene. This was blamed for the Semtex explosion that caused the crush. A combined team of FBI, Scotland Yard and local police carried out the investigations. The bomb is suspected to have been boarded at Frankfurt.

Americans were interested in these investigations because of the fatalities they suffered. Of the 270 who died, 189 were American citizen. This was a big blow and a record in the aviation history. The number of casualties was only surpassed by the deaths during the 9/11 attack on Twin Towers. Investigations and prosecution process witnessed the presentation of 180,000 pieces of evidence. Testimonies of 15,000 people were collected to aid in the investigations. 3,500 photos were taken and presented during inquiry. A new record was set in terms of expenditure during an investigation.

The total expenditure for the process crocked 60 million dollars. Those invited to testify were 230 with the court transcripts adding up to 10,000 pages. The trail period lasted 89 days, a new record in the industry. Libyan authorities claimed that though they agreed to pay the cost of damage, they had been used as scapegoats and were not the culprits. The other theory implicated Palestinians with Libya reading political malice in the conclusion.

The entry of Iran into the debate was linked to a conflict with America where 290 Iranians died in a crush attack by Americans along the Persian Gulf. Libya only accepted to make payments after sanctions were imposed at the UN level. This turn of events has killed the morale and made many to believe that the truth will never be known.




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