Originally Posted by
EasternATC
I don't believe the airplane was shot down, but I do believe it was destroyed by foul play. It is odd that in the millions of hours flown by the Classic fleet up until that time--in identical fuel configuration--that no hint of such trouble had been seen before.
The KC-135 flew from 1956 to 1971 before they had problems with the fuel pumps, wiring, and vapors blowing up airplanes in mid-flight. Probably one of the things that helped the TWA investigation. An expensive trajectory analysis was done as well, that will also help to tell you if it was hit by a missile or came apart internally.
In the end though, like you said, it comes down to what people want to believe and feel, not necessarily what the facts and evidence point to. Sometimes we really don't want to believe or deal with what the facts point to...