mrshutter45

this is interesting...

Ok, what problem I see is the testing was suppose to have been done on 1/06/72. I just received 49 photo's surrounding the the testing of the stairs on that date. this implies it never took place? Do you know where in the 302's they discuss the testing?

What needs to be done is finding out if 305 had the emergency panel. it appears they did and was still in place. something somewhere needs to be found to verify...

I know what she said. she goes on to say it MAY have happened that way. who ever gave her the information might not have all the answers either. the placard appears to be on a file sheet for a binder that is 8 x 11. so how can the placard be the same size? sounds like a lot of misinformation. I stick to the logical answer of it being obvious right off the bat that the card came off during testing over the flight path instead of during the crime. no record of this flight has surfaced and the words may and could imply they are not sure. they might of found out later the testing was done over the ocean.

we haven't seen the location. we don't know if the card moved over the years. under the blanket of the tree's I don't see a lot of damage that could occur. was it cleaned up prior to being shown. just like anything else it has variables. it would of been painfully obvious if the plane was known to be in the same exact area with the stairs down allowing it to escape after the hijacking. putting two and two together would be rather simple.

Thought the above was wrong but it's not..

The claim appears to be that it became missing after the testing. that doesn't imply over the same area. they would of noted that. another claim has it missing two days later. no records of two separate tests. no reason to hide the fact either. it never happened. Report would say something like "the placard was noticed missing during testing over the same area the plane flew on the night of the hijacking" -`

The map is not scaled correctly. Heisson is east of the path. it shows the plane several miles even further. then it shows the path too far west around Kalama. appears to be a map made by the reporters..

The map is too far east just at a glance.

I seriously doubt the placard was lose and hung on for days before coming off. nobody noticed a decal hanging on the stairs while dusting for prints? the statement was made 7 years after the fact. many knew, if not all the agents that a test was done. if they didn't read the files they wouldn't know the test was done over the ocean. time passes and history changes with memory.

the map wasn't released until years after the placard find. someone would have to have knowledge of the path to pull off any kind prank like this..

I'm saying they had no reason to doubt the data they had in 71. they could of retraced the path with any plane that could fly with the same speed, altitude etc.

when you look at the photo I posted. you can see above the normal access door. a hole should be present of Cooper removed the panel.. The placard wouldn't be exposed to much sunlight but I agree it's odd that it remained visible for years. if those are pine tree's they should have pine needles all over the ground. we have lots of pine down here and it does just that..

they don't need the 727 to retrace the path...you read in the 302's where they were retracing the path looking for a chute. They had no reason to doubt the data in 1971 vs today. we would of surely seen 302's concerning the plane retracing the path. nothing of the sort is found. we have jump maps, and data on the testing over the ocean. nothing, except news reports from agents who were not there or fully involved in the case making statements.

I have been saying for years the steps were partially down soon after takeoff. that would be pulling the normal lever dropping the stairs in a free-fall. the wind would prevent the stairs from lowering until weight was applied. Olympia is about where he would of pulled the lever. that's a long distance from where it was found. the transcripts can not move the oscillation to the 8:05 position.

You really need to go by the 302's in some cases. why would they drop 300 lb test sleds over land? they had no chutes on them that's why they went over the ocean. this testimony is years after the fact. all they know is a test was done. no real reason to use the flight path checking for pressure bumps and oscillations.

A & B would be a huge break in the case if it was found not being evidence? the odds are extremely low but trying to validate things is part of investigating. several newspapers stated the placard came from a 727 but failed to mention 305. the test crew stated seeing the placard before but not after the testing. this justifies trying to validate whether or not 305 had the emergency panel on the plane. If the panel is exactly like the one Flyjack has shown recently. the panel can be seen in the photo I provided. that would mean Cooper failed to use the system correctly. the panel has to come off to access the handle. The next problem would be NWO failing to train crew members correctly. Tina explained how to use the stairs. Cooper had problems with them. this could be from failing to use the emergency access. the final problem could be that Tina was correct and showed Cooper the only way to release the stairs from the inside being one option. These are things you look over dealing with a cold case. finding problems overlooked. this is not just a question whether or not the placard came from 305. if it did. other factors are involved. If not mistaken. the question of Cooper hiding inside the stairwell came up in the 302's several days after the search. that means the panels /walls were looked over and that's when they could of noticed the placard missing. this would suggest once again that Tina nor Cooper were aware the panel was there. in frustration Cooper tore the placard off. when you open the normal release panel door. it swings to the right covering the panel. if they were not properly trained they would believe the first access door was the emergency release. this exact same problem occurred with Continental airlines Flyjack posted.

I think the photo I posted might still have something. take a look at the ceiling above the controls for the stairs. you will see a metal strip going all the way up to the point where the panel would be that would come off. the metal would make it harder to get the panel out. if this is the case. the panel was never taken off..

Yes, perhaps for that. I thought you were implying maintenance records. that far back. not sure.

Test crew of 305...

The only possibility would be the historical society for Northwest in Minnesota. boeing only sells the plane..

here you can see the stairs on 305. the box is open hiding the emergency cover...

Cowlitz county has no records concerning the placard. she said they don't have many records of anything that far back...dead end.

The only time I see them use rivets or screw. it's a metal plate for important features. serial numbers for one. anything dangerous to be around etc.