Later this year it will be 25 years since a Scottish village was thrust into the world's spotlight due to terrorism. That village is Lockerbie, and the act of terrorism caused the loss of 270 lives. Only 38 minutes into a journey between London and New York, the Jumbo Jet exploded in midair killing all of those onboard. This is a shortened account of the Pan Am flight 103 air crash investigation.
As the explosion took place at 31,000 feet the wreckage and debris was spread over a wide area. The area was so vast that not only were surveys conducted by helicopter, but also satellite imagery was used. In one way it was fortunate that the aircraft's departure had been delayed, as that meant that the wreckage was recoverable. Had it been on time then the debris would have fallen over the ocean and the ensuing analysis would have been severely hampered.
After finger tip searches more than ten thousand bits of debris were collected. Each one was listed and entered into a computer. Several major pieces came down on or near to this Scottish village. Two local boys found the black box voice recorder the next day near to some woods.
The analysis was a major operation which involved over 1000 people, scouring a lot of southern Scotland over several months. The military were called in to bolster the efforts, with manpower and equipment. The recovered debris was initially taken to a local school's gymnasium. Each piece was x-rayed and passed through a gas chromatograph.
In the early stages there were no clues about what had caused the incident. From material collected over the next couple of days it became clear that an explosion had occurred. Traces of a Semtex like substance were being detected. It is also claimed that pieces of an electronic timing device were located amongst the wreckage.
The UK's AAIB slowly, and with great care, began the process of reconstructing the plane's fuselage section. As a result they were able to determine the location of the explosion, as an area of 20 square inches had severe blast damage. This was located alongside the forward hold area.
The baggage containers were mainly consistent with damage that would be expected from a fall of great height. However two of them showed unusual damage patterns. Their exact positions were found from the loading records. Tests were carried out in America to determine the exact quantity and location of explosives to cause the same damage.
Piece by piece it was possible for the investigators to state which piece of luggage held the explosive device. Also what it contained. From clothing labels they were able to narrow the point of origin to Malta. They were even able to interview the merchant who sold the clothes. In his statements he described, and later identified, the person who had bought the clothes.
The Pan Am flight 103 air crash investigation took more than 3 years to complete. Agencies from various countries assisted throughout, but it was mainly overseen by those from the UK and America. Thanks to their diligence the suspects were sent for trial, which was held in Holland.
As the explosion took place at 31,000 feet the wreckage and debris was spread over a wide area. The area was so vast that not only were surveys conducted by helicopter, but also satellite imagery was used. In one way it was fortunate that the aircraft's departure had been delayed, as that meant that the wreckage was recoverable. Had it been on time then the debris would have fallen over the ocean and the ensuing analysis would have been severely hampered.
After finger tip searches more than ten thousand bits of debris were collected. Each one was listed and entered into a computer. Several major pieces came down on or near to this Scottish village. Two local boys found the black box voice recorder the next day near to some woods.
The analysis was a major operation which involved over 1000 people, scouring a lot of southern Scotland over several months. The military were called in to bolster the efforts, with manpower and equipment. The recovered debris was initially taken to a local school's gymnasium. Each piece was x-rayed and passed through a gas chromatograph.
In the early stages there were no clues about what had caused the incident. From material collected over the next couple of days it became clear that an explosion had occurred. Traces of a Semtex like substance were being detected. It is also claimed that pieces of an electronic timing device were located amongst the wreckage.
The UK's AAIB slowly, and with great care, began the process of reconstructing the plane's fuselage section. As a result they were able to determine the location of the explosion, as an area of 20 square inches had severe blast damage. This was located alongside the forward hold area.
The baggage containers were mainly consistent with damage that would be expected from a fall of great height. However two of them showed unusual damage patterns. Their exact positions were found from the loading records. Tests were carried out in America to determine the exact quantity and location of explosives to cause the same damage.
Piece by piece it was possible for the investigators to state which piece of luggage held the explosive device. Also what it contained. From clothing labels they were able to narrow the point of origin to Malta. They were even able to interview the merchant who sold the clothes. In his statements he described, and later identified, the person who had bought the clothes.
The Pan Am flight 103 air crash investigation took more than 3 years to complete. Agencies from various countries assisted throughout, but it was mainly overseen by those from the UK and America. Thanks to their diligence the suspects were sent for trial, which was held in Holland.
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