“Incandescent combustion in the duffel,” Jackson narrated. “A first ignition sequence.”
Pale blue specks began to seep from the bag.
“Smoke.”
The particles formed a fine, transparent mist.
“The baggage compartment is pressurized the same as the passenger cabin, meaning it is supplied with air containing an adequate proportion of oxygen. The significance is that there is a lot of warm air moving around down there.”
The mist slowly dispersed. Red colored the ends of the Lindenbaum suitcase.
“Though it was contained at first, the smoke eventually spread from the duffel. The heat eventually pierced, and then there was a development to laminar flaming combustion outside the duffel, igniting the suitcases on each side and giving off dense smoke.”
Tiny black dots appeared at a fuel line running along the inner wall of the baggage compartment. I stared, mesmerized, as the dots multiplied and slowly descended, or were entrained in the ambient air movement.
“Then began the second ignition sequence. When fuel began to dissipate out of the pressurized line, the quantity was so minute it vaporized and mixed with the air. As the fuel expanded in a vapor state it sank, since fuel fumes are heavier than ambient air. At that point an odor would have been present and easily detected.”
Traces of blue appeared in the passenger cabin.
“Smoke seeped into the cabin through the ventilation, heating, and air-conditioning system, and eventually to the exterior via the pressurization outflow valve.”
I thought of Jean Bertrand. Had he noticed the odor? Seen the smoke?
There was a flash, red spread outward from the Lindenbaum suitcase, and a jagged hole appeared in the rear of the baggage compartment.
“Twenty minutes and twenty-one seconds into the flight, vaporized fuel crossed a wire bundle, which apparently contained some arcing wires, and ignited in a deafening detonation. This explosion can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder.”
I remembered Ryan's account of the pilot's last words, felt the same helplessness he had described.
“The circuit failed.”
I thought of the passengers. Had they felt the shock? Heard the explosion? Did they realize they were going to die?
“The initial explosion blew from the pressurized baggage compartment into the unpressurized fuselage behind, and air loads began tearing parts from the plane. At that point, more fuel escaped from the line and flaming fire ensued in the hold.”
Jackson identified items as they separated and fell to the ground.
“Skin from the aft fuselage. Speed brakes.”
The room was deathly quiet.
“Air loads then blew up through the vertical tail and dislodged the horizontal stabilizer and elevators.”
The plane in the animation pitched nose down and plunged toward the ground, the passenger cabin still intact. Jackson hit a key and the screen went blank.
No one seemed to breathe or move. Seconds passed. I heard a sob, or perhaps only a deep breath. A cough. Then the room exploded.
“Mr. Jackson—”
“Why weren't smoke detect—”
“Mr. Jack—”
“How long—”
“I'll take questions one at a time.”
Jackson pointed to a woman with Buddy Holly frames.
“How long would it have taken to raise the temperature in the duffel to the point of fire?”
“Let me clarify one thing. We're talking about incandescence, a glowing type of combustion generated when the little oxygen available comes in direct contact with a solid, like coals or embers. This is not flaming combustion. In a small volume like the bag's interior, incandescence could be quickly established and maintained at around five hundred to six hundred degrees Fahrenheit.”
His finger found another journalist.
“How could the rum bottle survive the fire in the bag?”
“Easy. On the other end of the temperature spectrum, incandescence can reach eleven hundred to twelve hundred degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of a lit pipe or cigarette. That's hardly enough to alter a glass bottle containing liquid.”
“And the smoke deposits would remain on the bottle?”
“Yes. Unless it was subjected to a very intense and sustained fire, which was not the case, as it occurred inside the suitcase.”
The finger moved.
“The metal fatigue marks survived as well?”
“To melt steel you need temperatures of twenty-five hundred degrees Fahrenheit or more. Beach marks, your typical evidence of fatigue, generally survive fires of the intensity I'm describing.”
He pointed to a reporter from the Charlotte Observer.
“Did the passengers know what was happening?”
“Those seated close to the flash point would have felt the shock. Everyone would have heard the explosion.”
“What about smoke?”
“Smoke would have seeped into the passenger cabin via the heating and air-conditioning system.”
“Were the passengers conscious the whole time?”
“The type of combustion I've described can give off noxious gases which may affect people very quickly.”
“How quickly?”
“The old, the young, perhaps as fast as ninety seconds.”
“Could these gases have gotten into the passenger compartment?”
“Yes.”
“Have traces of smoke or noxious gases been found in the victims?”
“Yes. Dr. Tyrell is going to make a statement shortly.”
“With so much smoke, how can you be sure about the source of the deposits on the rum bottle?” The questioner looked about sixteen.
“Fragments of the Lindenbaum pipe were recovered, and reference studies were conducted using unburned strands of tobacco adhering to the inside of the bowl. The deposits on the bottle were the by-products of the combustion of that tobacco.”
“How could there have been a fuel leak?” Shouted from the back.
“When fire broke out in the hold, flame impingement affected only a segment of the fuel line. This pulled the wall of the line, or induced a stress that opened very slightly the seed failure.”
Jackson called on a reporter who looked and sounded like Dick Cavett.
“Are you telling us that the initial fire did not directly cause the explosion?”
“Yes.”
“What caused the explosion?” he persisted.
“An electrical failure. That's the second ignition sequence.”
“How sure can you be?”
“Reasonably certain. When electricity sparks an explosion, the electrical energy is not lost, it must ground. Damage due to electrical grounding has been identified on the same segment of fuel line. Such damage is normally seen on copper items and rather seldom on steel parts.”
“I can't believe that the fire in the suitcase didn't cause the explosion.” Cavett made little attempt to hide his skepticism. “Wouldn't that be more normal?”
“Your question makes sense. It's really what we thought at first, but you see, the fumes are not yet mixed enough with air at such short distance from the source of emission. The fumes must mix before ignition can occur, but when it does, the blast is deafening.”
Another hand.
“Was the analysis done by certified fire and explosion specialists?”
“Yes. Outside experts were brought in.”
Another questioner stood.
Eighty-eight people were dead because one man was preoccupied about losing his seat. The whole thing was a tragic mistake.
I looked at my watch. Crowe would be waiting.
Feeling numb, I slipped from the room. I had victims waiting whose deaths were not due to simple carelessness.
The reefer trucks were gone from the grounds of the Alarka Fire Department. The lot held only the company's displaced engines and the vehicles of those assisting me. A single deputy guarded the entrance.
Crowe was there when I arrived. Seeing me, she climbed from her cruiser, collected a small leather case, and waited. The sky was pewter, and a cold wind was tearing through the gorge. Gusts teased her hat brim, subtly reshaping it around her face.