Book Description

My purpose, since the Spring of 2012, has been to attempt to shed light on an event that no one else has been able to explain. The cause of the crash of United Airlines Flight 823 on July 9, 1964, two and a half miles northeast of Parrottsville, Tennessee has never been determined. Thirty-nine people lost their lives. The cause of the on-board fire has remained a mystery.The crash was the first known incident involving a total loss of a "black box" flight recorder and its data. This crucial apparatus-that had the potential to unlock many secrets-was destroyed by "shear load" and the ground fire that rendered the aluminum recording tape useless.All manner of tests by various Government agencies were conducted during the months that followed. Precious little of the aircraft survived the impact and the ensuing ground fire that lent further damage to much of what did survive the impact. A man jumped or fell from the aircraft approximately one mile before the crash of Flight 823. Laboratory tests on the man's clothing were attempts to identify what appeared to be soot from a liquid aliphatic hydrocarbon. Forensic tests were performed on the body of this man who became known as the "free-fall victim".In addition to the loss of the flight recorder, a great deal of the aircraft's electrical components were destroyed or unable to be found. Photographs of the crash scene provide a visual testimony as to how difficult any investigation would have been to conduct.Very little wreckage remained on which anyone could base a definitive conclusion. As a result, there can be no discounting the great effort made by all involved in the recovery and the analysis of what little intact wreckage was available.Quite by chance, my investigations turned up evidence of the extraordinary background of the pilot and what his intention may have been on that tragic day.