Pan Am Flight 103 Air Crash Investigation Results
Investigators sort to establish what happened 38 minutes after takeoff that lead to the death of 270 people on board the Pan Am flight 103. This mystery guided the Pan Am flight 103 air crash investigation with the center of focus being Lockerbie in Scotland. Preliminary findings indicated that a bomb had been hidden at the cargo section in a way that was concealed from the crew in charge. Of the 270 who died, 259 were crew and passengers traveling to New York while 11 died at the site of the crash.
The plane was traveling 31,000 feet when the bomb exploded. Investigations revealed that Libyan terrorists were responsible. The conclusions followed the gathering of thousands of pieces and information about the plane. It had to be reassembled in a warehouse to establish major facts. This was billed to be the most dangerous attacks in history and attracted a lot of attention.
The conclusion that Libyans were involved resulted from years of evidence collection. After three years, two Libyans, Khalifa Al-Amin and Baset Abdel were implicated with the terrorist act. The judges ruled that Khalifa did not commit the crime and was therefore set free. Abdel was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. The government was to take responsibility by paying 2.7 billion dollars.
UK Air Accident Investigation Branch took over investigations as it was its responsibility and mandate considering that the crash happened in UK air space. 4 million pieces of debris were collected from an area covering 2000 square kilometers. The team had to use computer documentation to piece together the debris.
Investigations took a criminal angle when the bomb theory care to fore. There were traces of PETN and RDX, chemicals that cause Semtex explosions. The bomb was said to have been entered in Frankfurt. Investigators were drawn from the FBI, Scotland Yard and local police.
American was interested in the investigations because 189 of the 270 who died were Americans. This was the most deadly attack on her citizens and would only be overtaken by the 9/11 which took place years later. The trial saw 180,000 pieces presented as evidence which included 3,500 photos. There were testimonies of 15,000 people. The countries involved totaled 20 with a conclusion that saw sanctions on Libya to compel them to accept responsibility and pay.
The investigations and trial broke the record for the most expensive exercise. A total of 60 million dollars was spent with 230 people presenting their evidence in person. Court transcripts topped 10,000 pages with the entire trial taking a record 89 days. There was a claim that the trials took a political angle which dimmed any hopes of finding the truth. Libya was claimed to be a scapegoat while the real perpetrators were Iranians with the aid of Palestinians.
The conflict between Iran and America brought a dark cloud over the investigations with Libya being used as a scapegoat. This explains why it took a very long time and UN sanctions to accept responsibilities. Some people feel that the truth will never be known.
The plane was traveling 31,000 feet when the bomb exploded. Investigations revealed that Libyan terrorists were responsible. The conclusions followed the gathering of thousands of pieces and information about the plane. It had to be reassembled in a warehouse to establish major facts. This was billed to be the most dangerous attacks in history and attracted a lot of attention.
The conclusion that Libyans were involved resulted from years of evidence collection. After three years, two Libyans, Khalifa Al-Amin and Baset Abdel were implicated with the terrorist act. The judges ruled that Khalifa did not commit the crime and was therefore set free. Abdel was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. The government was to take responsibility by paying 2.7 billion dollars.
UK Air Accident Investigation Branch took over investigations as it was its responsibility and mandate considering that the crash happened in UK air space. 4 million pieces of debris were collected from an area covering 2000 square kilometers. The team had to use computer documentation to piece together the debris.
Investigations took a criminal angle when the bomb theory care to fore. There were traces of PETN and RDX, chemicals that cause Semtex explosions. The bomb was said to have been entered in Frankfurt. Investigators were drawn from the FBI, Scotland Yard and local police.
American was interested in the investigations because 189 of the 270 who died were Americans. This was the most deadly attack on her citizens and would only be overtaken by the 9/11 which took place years later. The trial saw 180,000 pieces presented as evidence which included 3,500 photos. There were testimonies of 15,000 people. The countries involved totaled 20 with a conclusion that saw sanctions on Libya to compel them to accept responsibility and pay.
The investigations and trial broke the record for the most expensive exercise. A total of 60 million dollars was spent with 230 people presenting their evidence in person. Court transcripts topped 10,000 pages with the entire trial taking a record 89 days. There was a claim that the trials took a political angle which dimmed any hopes of finding the truth. Libya was claimed to be a scapegoat while the real perpetrators were Iranians with the aid of Palestinians.
The conflict between Iran and America brought a dark cloud over the investigations with Libya being used as a scapegoat. This explains why it took a very long time and UN sanctions to accept responsibilities. Some people feel that the truth will never be known.
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