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Flight 103, a Boeing 747 jumbo jet delivered to Pan American in February 1970, left Heathrow Airport in London at 6:25 P.M. local time.  On board the aircraft were 259 passengers and crew; among them was Brent Carlsson, the United Nations' council on behalf of [[Namibia]], who was on his way to New York to help formalize the independence of that nation; and 36 people from Syracuse University.   

Flight 103, a Boeing 747 jumbo jet delivered to Pan American in February 1970, left Heathrow Airport in London at 6:25 P.M. local time.  On board the aircraft were 259 passengers and crew; among them was Brent Carlsson, the United Nations' council on behalf of [[Namibia]], who was on his way to New York to help formalize the independence of that nation; and 36 people from Syracuse University.   

At about the time of the plane's disappearence from radar some 52 minutes after taking off, fire brigades and disaster personnel responded to a series of explosions in the town of Lockerbie as the remains of the aircraft hit two rows of houses and vehicles on a highway, which were still burning well into the night and following morning.  Searchers would pull out the remains of eleven town residents in addition to the plane's passengers, which were part of a debris field which stretched over 80 miles from the main impact site.

At about the time of the plane's disappearance from radar some 52 minutes after taking off, fire brigades and disaster personnel responded to a series of explosions in the town of Lockerbie as the remains of the aircraft hit two rows of houses and vehicles on a highway, which were still burning well into the night and following morning.  Searchers would pull out the remains of eleven town residents in addition to the plane's passengers, which were part of a debris field which stretched over 80 miles from the main impact site.

The next day claims were made by several Islamic groups taking responsibility for downing Flight 103; in one, [[Iran]]ian Prime Minister Hussein Musavi denied any connection his country had with the disaster after a pro-Iran group claimed responsibility.  This was given credence when British Transport Minister Paul Channon was to tell Parliament that the radar controller at Prestwick had observed the aircraft's signature "split" into several targets at 31,000 feet just prior to completely disappearing, indicating a mid-air explosion.

The next day claims were made by several Islamic groups taking responsibility for downing Flight 103; in one, [[Iran]]ian Prime Minister Hussein Musavi denied any connection his country had with the disaster after a pro-Iran group claimed responsibility.  This was given credence when British Transport Minister Paul Channon was to tell Parliament that the radar controller at Prestwick had observed the aircraft's signature "split" into several targets at 31,000 feet just prior to completely disappearing, indicating a mid-air explosion.