ParaNet BBS/chinaufo

ParaNet BBS/chinaufo

File Name:	chinaufo.txt
Author:	Unknown
Date:	Unknown
Posting BBS:	Unknown
BBS Main Page:	ParaNet Main Page
Key Words:	ParaNet, UFO, Ufology

(13008) Mon 30 Nov 92  5:36p
By: David Stager
To: All
Re: China Ufo?
St:
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11/28/92 0711
Speculation over cause as relatives mourn at crash site
        By NICK DRIVER
        BEIJING -- Aviation experts investigated China's worst air crash amid
speculative reports the accident may have been caused by falling engine parts,
thunderstorm fireballs or even UFOs, official reports said Saturday.
        Investigators continued to sift through tons of evidence from the
wreckage of the Boeing 737 which crashed into a mountain near the south China
city of Guilin Tuesday. They attempted to decode the black box flight recorders
for clues to the disaster that killed 128 Chinese and 13 foreigners.
        But as more than 1,000 relatives gathered Saturday to mourn the victims
at the site of the crash, investigators had not yet explained what caused the
Boeing 737 to change course and hit a mountain.
        "Whatever caused the plane to drop to 600 meters (2,000 feet) above sea
level in a short two minutes is still an enigma," the China News Service quoted
an Guilin airport official as saying.
        "Aviation experts use the word 'bizarre' to describe the tragedy," the
official China News Service said.
        The pilot, who had years of flying experience, had radioed the control
tower five minutes before its scheduled landing time to say he would make a
normal landing. That was the last message the control tower heard from the
pilot.
        Villagers reported seeing a large chunk of the jetliner fall off just
before it hit the mountain, but three days of extensive searching by 1, 200
soldiers and rescue officials failed to produce any evidence.
        "Another odd phenomenon is that the plane exploded into tiny pieces...
there is no sign of the tail of the plane, usually found after most crashes,"
the news report said.
        News reports quoted villagers and officials saying the crash was caused
by UFOs seen by locals three weeks before the accident.
        "A score of people had sighted a light from a UFO in the sky at the
site of the crash," the China News Service quoted a local Guilin newspaper as
saying.
        "The light, which was orange and had a broom-like profile, spun around
counter-clockwise in the sky, then disappeared after 7-8 minutes, " the reports
said.
        Other reports quoted experts saying a more likely cause was thunder
clouds.  "The experts think the (UFOs) might be fireballs resulting from the
striking of thunder clouds in the night sky," one report said. "Some aviation
experts inferred the plane might have met with strong thunder and could not be
controlled."
        A team of Boeing and engine-manufacturer General Electric officials
arrived in China Friday to help decode the black box flight recorders and to
sift through evidence collected from the wreckage.
        Meanwhile, more than 1,000 relatives of Flight CZ 3943's victims held
Buddhist ceremonies and grieved at the site of the crash outside the scenic
south China city of Guilin, setting off firecrackers and burning paper money,
the official China News Service said.
        "The people arrived at the foot of the mountain with pictures and other
offerings including flowers, candles, incense and fruit," the official Xinhua
news agency reported.


--- Maximus 2.01wb
 * Origin: Sonoma Online (1:125/7)