There are theories that the plane drifted underwater downstream but there are dams every few miles so the plane would stop when it hits the dam and I think I once heard that the area above the dam was part of the search. I also heard a theory that the water has undercut the hillsides (the area is somewhat mountainous) and the plane slid under a hill somewhere.

All of that being said think about this: There have been many ships and submarines found at the bottom of the ocean. Most notably the Titanic. It went down in the middle of the night in the middle of the ocean in thousands of feet of water and was found.

Just some more thoughts.

Drowning victims will float to the surface on their own after a few days, as the bacteria in them generate gas, and turn them into balloons. It’s not a pretty sight.

After this rash of off topic and obviously trolling posts, perhaps it is time for DI to start removing such messages that don’t contribute to the discussion on the fine articles themselves?

Arcangel said: “Would that be because Bush isn’t smart enough to come up with a conspiracy theory of his own.”

debbiebf said: “What do you mean Bush isn’t smart enough to come up with a conspiracy theory? Didn’t you know he and his cronies came up with the entire 9-11 fiasco, and it is all a conspiracy? Plus he has conpiracies going with Iran, Iraq, Korea, Tony Blair, Valerie Plame, and his girlfriend, Condoleeza Rice (who is tearing up his marriage). Just to name a few. He talked over 300 people who worked at the Pentagon to fake their own deaths and go into hiding, even from their families, for the rest of our lives so that we could get our hands on the oil in Iraq and punish Saddam for what he did to Bush the Elder. Now THAT is a conspiracy!”

Sen.McCarthy said: “You’re also forgetting that Bush blew up the levies in New Orleans because he hates black people so much.”

Vivendi said: “Well the levies were blown up by the government… through inaction.”

just_dave said: “Yeah, the Feds should’ve been there before the hurricane even hit. Shoulda known that the hick governor and mayor wouldn’t be able to keep things going. That silly Posse Comitatus thing is just a nuisance anyway. Bring in the troops!”

Arcangel said: “Damn it Daniel, I highjacked your articles comment section with that idiot Bush and conspiracy theories. Sorry about that. Now what was the original topic again?”

Misfit7707 said: “Yeah I thought the article was fascinating, too.

Y’know, it seems like red was the perfect choice of color for quotes… really to be honest, I never thought so much comment space could be devoted to something that’s not only not related to the topic, but comes from a debate that is senselessly drilled into our heads day in and day out by a lot of ignorant people saying: “oh, so-and-so sucks,” or “whatshisface blows,” or EVEN “whatshisface doesn’t suck as much as so-and-so blows!!”

Hey, I’m all for the random funny comment that may or may not have anything to do with the article.. But please… all this amounts to are insults that don’t go anywhere! It’s pointless, unnecessary, a waste of space, and simply fuel for more arguing.

Am I the only one who’s tired of this? Fortunately there are some people out there who are able to stay on track after this all got started, namely ballaerina, Spookie1, mensadave, Furnace, and Bobt250.

As for how I felt on the article, I thought it was fascinating. What are the odds the plane would land in a hole the right size, depth, and location, not to mention the right time? It sounds like what you’d see in a cartoon or something. Besides the plane, what other cargo is salvageable? Anybody remember how much work it took to salvage the fighter jets under the ice? HA maybe they should call the same guys to rescue this one.

Also, the article said there were two passengers aboard that plane… it also said that two of the people involved in the crash died on their swim to shore. Were those the passengers or what?

Great article, Daniel Lew!”

Bobt250 said: “I’m from the area mentioned in this article. While it’s the most plausible theory for where the plane is I find it hard to believe. I boat the three rivers around Pittsburgh and I rarely find spots deeper than 25 feet and on accasion in areas of gravel mining I once saw a depth of 45 feet. Bodies of drowning vivtims are routinely recovered from the waters of the three rivers around Pittsburgh. If they can find a body why couldn’t they find a bomber? The government couldn’t find it in the first two weeks which would be long before it would have time to accumulate 15 feet of silt on top of it.

There have been other theories including underground caves but I suppose the gravel pit story remains the most plausible but until they prove it the theory remains far from certain.”

Bobt250 said: “Well, weve been debating this at work and the prevailing theory is that during the supposed two week “search” they were actually sneaking it out of the water in pieces at night. Another suggestion as to the secretive nature of such an operation was that at the time the cold war was at it’s worst (maybe) and also nuclear testing was at it height (I think). Perhaps the plane had nuclear stuff aboard. The residents of the Pittsburgh area…most of whom derive their drinking water from the rivers probably wouldn’t be too happy about plutonium in the river. Besides, there was the obvious military cold war era secrecy. Anyway, if that’s the case couldn’t someone find out through declassified documents or with the freedom of information act?

Maybe that’s where the searchers should look.”

Vanya said: “When they find that plane, they will probably find the rest of DB Cooper’s money in it.”

rhea_sun said: “so why repeat so much of it?”

sierra_club_sux said: “That’s Damn Interesting. The weight of the plane probably sunk it in the silt pretty quick. I never realized how deep that stuff could get.”

Bobt250 said: “I don’t believe it would sink quickly into the mud simply because of the weight to surface area ratio. There is a lot of weight but it’s spread out over a a large area resulting in low downward pressure per square foot. Essentially what I mean is that it should sort of float on the mud. I also don’t think the mud is that deep since they easily pull up gravel when they dredge for it…..although I can’t be sure as I’m no expert on that.”

Please, everyone follow misfit’s lead and quote every post before you in your comments…then you have to follow it up with whining about being off-topic, which in itself is off-topic. But that’s ok because you quoted everything else before you, so it makes perfect sense…