December 1, 1998: TWA Flight 800 Investigation - Capt. William S. Donaldson
Two eyewitnesses join the program. Major Fred Myers, a decorated combat helicopter pilot flying a Black Hawk at 200 feet that evening, describes seeing a streak of light followed by what he identifies as a high-explosive ordnance detonation before the fuel fireball. Richard Goss, watching from the West Hampton Yacht Squadron, recounts a bright object rising from near the surface, leveling off, and making a sharp left turn before the explosion.
Donaldson lays out debris field analysis showing wreckage patterns inconsistent with a center tank failure, including a six-inch through-hole penetrating the fuselage and nose section fragments scattered thousands of feet from the flight path. He concludes the physical evidence points to a missile engagement, possibly involving an Iranian AIM-54A Phoenix missile.
Key Moments
Black Hawk pilot describes ordnance explosion: Major Fred Meyer, a decorated Black Hawk pilot, recounts seeing a red-orange streak in the sky followed seconds later by what he calls a high-velocity ordnance explosion at altitude - the detonation of a warhead, not a fuel tank.
FBI fuel-streak explanation called pure fabrication: Bell asks Major Meyer about the FBI/CIA claim that witnesses mistook leaking fuel for a streak of light. Meyer flatly answers 'pure fabrication' and describes other professional witnesses who saw a rocket-like object climbing from the horizon, not falling debris.
Inverted FBI interview process: Meyer describes seeking out the FBI himself - twice - and being interviewed only briefly with no follow-up questions. Donaldson interjects that the pattern was systemic: agents wanted to talk to people who saw nothing, and seemed uninterested in those with specific observations.
Two high-velocity explosions before the fireball: Meyer details the sequence he witnessed: an ordnance explosion, then a brilliant white flash a second later, then the orange petrochemical fireball - meaning two detonations preceded the fuel burning. Donaldson confirms the white flash is the signature of high-velocity fragments penetrating aluminum.