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==The Mystery of the Missing Minutes Solved==

==The Mystery of the Missing Minutes Solved==

'''At the Altitude  of 35,000 feet at which KAL 007 was attacked, it should have taken 2 to 2 1/2 minutes to reach the surface of the sea. This figure is arrived at by both simulator replication and actual occurrences of planes that have fallen to their destruction. Yet, it had taken 12 minutes for KAL 007 to have gotten from 35,000 feet to 1,000 feet at which it could no longer be tracked due to the curvature of the earth.'''

 

At the Altitude  of 35,000 feet at which KAL 007 was attacked, it should have taken 2 to 2 1/2 minutes to reach the surface of the sea. This figure is arrived at by both simulator replication and actual occurrences of planes that have fallen to their destruction. Yet, it had taken 12 minutes for KAL 007 to have gotten from 35,000 feet to 1,000 feet at which it could no longer be tracked due to the curvature of the earth.

For comparison, a China Airlines jumbo jet fell 32,000 feet in less than two minutes after all four of its engines failed but the pilot restarted them and flew 500 miles with a damaged tail before making an emergency landing in San Francisco. The Boeing 747 fell from a cruising altitude of 41,000 feet to 9,000 feet. The plane fell 32,000 feet in something less than two minutes. The rate of descent would have been 267 feet per second. Had KAL 007 "plummeted" toward the sea at that rate, its fall would have taken about two minutes and 11 seconds - not 12 minutes.

For comparison, a China Airlines jumbo jet fell 32,000 feet in less than two minutes after all four of its engines failed but the pilot restarted them and flew 500 miles with a damaged tail before making an emergency landing in San Francisco. The Boeing 747 fell from a cruising altitude of 41,000 feet to 9,000 feet. The plane fell 32,000 feet in something less than two minutes. The rate of descent would have been 267 feet per second. Had KAL 007 "plummeted" toward the sea at that rate, its fall would have taken about two minutes and 11 seconds - not 12 minutes.

On September 1, Secretary of State George Shultz  had stated: "At 1826 hours the Soviet pilot reported that he fired a missile and the target was destroyed. At 1830 hours [or 4 minutes later] the Korean aircraft was reported by radar 5,000 meters [16,424 feet]. At 1838 hours [12 minutes after being hit] the Korean plane disappeared from the radar screen." Most people, including researchers and media personnel, assumed that "disappeared from the radar screen" meant that KAL 007 had exploded and disintegrated. But the true explanation would become available from 1992 onwards.  

On September 1, Secretary of State George Shultz  had stated: "At 1826 hours the Soviet pilot reported that he fired a missile and the target was destroyed. At 1830 hours [or 4 minutes later] the Korean aircraft was reported by radar 5,000 meters [16,424 feet]. At 1838 hours [12 minutes after being hit] the Korean plane disappeared from the radar screen." Most people, including researchers and media personnel, assumed that "disappeared from the radar screen" meant that KAL 007 had exploded and disintegrated. But the true explanation would become available from 1992 onwards.  

'''The mystery of the disparity in time was solved by the handover by the Russian Federation of the Black Box and the real time Russian military communications of the shootdown. KAL 007 had not "plunged" down after the attack. It had gradually descended for 4 minutes after the attack and then leveled off at 16,424 feet (18;30-31 GMT), and at this altitude continued its post-attack flight for almost 5 minutes (18:35 GMT), ''and only then'' continue a descent in spirals until being tracked at 1,000 feet above sea level and 2.6 miles from Moneron Island.'''

The mystery of the disparity in time was solved by the handover by the Russian Federation of the Black Box and the real time Russian military communications of the shootdown. KAL 007 had not "plunged" down after the attack. It had gradually descended for 4 minutes after the attack and then leveled off at 16,424 feet (18;30-31 GMT), and at this altitude continued its post-attack flight for almost 5 minutes (18:35 GMT), ''and only then'' continue a descent in spirals until being tracked at 1,000 feet above sea level and 2.6 miles from Moneron Island.

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===See [[The Soviet/ U.S naval confrontation]] for real-time photos and a full understanding of the Soviet Harassment of US Search and Rescue Efforts===

===See [[The Soviet/ U.S naval confrontation]] for real-time photos and a full understanding of the Soviet Harassment of US Search and Rescue Efforts===

==Initial Safe landing Report==

==Initial Safe landing Report==