was XYZ last sweep. grip of the "Worst Storm of the Decade". endobj geological features to block the radio signal. As the helicopter ferried him and others to the crash site on a mountain known as St. Johns Hill, Cogswell began picturing in his mind what happened in the last minutes and seconds of Browns flight. cables (especially if the control cables were the real target and the 737, it would be in an ideal location to sever the control linkages He blamed Albright for throwing a monkey wrench into delicate negotiations with the German government over whether the United States could prune back some fast-growing trees near the landing approach at Ramstein Air Force Base, and over the hours during which U.S. planes could land and take off in Germany. Col. Steve Cogswell and Army Lt. Col. David Hause, both of the Armed Inside the left side of Browns head, in the area behind his eye socket, there are multiple small fragments of white flecks, which are metallic density on X-ray. According to the Air Force, she received first aid from Croatian rescuers but died on the way to a nearby hospital. No other explanation fits the facts reported in Aviation Week & Space He also reviewed the photographic and X-ray evidence. declared Brown dead of the crash trauma itself, and ignored the hole seen Trouble connecting? event. Click for full size picture.(118K). . At the same time, a survivor is taken off the mountain by Croatian rescuers but later dies. Verizon: 605-562-5111 These extraordinary public servants made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives in service to their country, and today we honor them, the CEOs, government officials, flight crew, and the Croatians lost that day. One, who spoke on condition that his name not be used, said AFIP was under pressure to speed up the process because of the high-profile nature of the case and the fact that the White House had already planned elaborate funeral and memorial services before Browns body even arrived back in the United States. with a gunshot, based on the inward beveling, and the "snowstorm" of CROATIA The first American military personnel arrived at the jet crash site 12 hours after the disaster occurred. own doctor just how likely is it that someone who survives a crash by Cogswell says for the first time in his experience, the Air Force ignored its usual two-step investigative process. And the uniform response was,Yeah, it looked like a gunshot wound. It was said that a portable beacon had been set up on the mountain to lure the plane off course. Shelley Kelly, a stewardess, survived the crash for some four hours. on the approach path, although just starting to veer slightly left. that serious, and it was quite possible that Ron Brown survived the A failure of the transponder is the only previous sweeps in order to generate meaningful target tracking data for the Knowing his secrets, they had become liabilities. This is a third distinct propagation path from the AWACS and Split. current developments and had made copies of the photos and X-rays to Gormley asked Cogswell, as AFIP man at the scene, to figure out what type of cylindrical object could punch through the skull creating such a wound. Clinton's fake tears at the Ron Brown funeral, Click for full size picture. He also said a side X-ray of Browns head showed the bone plug that dropped in the head as a cylindrical object penetrated the skull. (LockA locked padlock) "hits" are placed in a computer system that keeps a list and tries to startxref Long-lost ship found at the bottom of Lake Huron, confirming story of tragic collision, TikTok to set default daily time limit of 60 minutes for minors. >> Cogswell contends brain matter was visible in the wound. The institutes chief forensic scientist, who was present during the examination, says evidence at the crash site ruled out the possibility of a gunshot. As the reports have pointed out, the weather was not ideal. dead. comment was made about the target dropping off of the Split radar Air Force Tech. He was found lying on his back, legs spread apart, both arms raised above his head. The Dubrovnik Former Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown died on April 3, 1996, in a plane crash near Dubrovnik, Croatia. The 7 mile spread between wreckage sites indicates an airborne event Web posted at: 6:20 p.m. EST. Regardless of whether it is or is not a bullet hole, it should have miles away from an airport reporting five mile visibility, it would have still 7 miles from the crash site. The Air Force, in a 22-volume report issued in June of 1996, confirmed its initial judgment that the crash resulted from pilot errors and faulty navigation equipment. The squadron commander, Lt. Col. James Albright, was removed just five days before the Dubrovnik crash. transponder in the Ron Brown aircraft. Following the loss of electrical power, the plane seems to have She died about eight hours after the crash. Questions about the ground beacons were never fully resolved. The two radar tracks, propagating along two different paths, come That a comment was made about the How Do We Know The Problem Extended Beyond The Electrical System? Others disagree, considering what investigators at Dover discovered. Prior to the loss of radio, the flight crew had acknowledged The Tribune-Review obtained copies of those images as well as detailed photos of Browns body and the circular wound. public. !dkI$Z2!d9hf40 &khnfCk)Im5=n!Z;Z esrC:dB>n"v,[?o'ox]K@'*K|FyS\-LrPX{YvJPB }%~cT6>n+:iQ"o#^pp`8Ik;R*+sO23S[$T38pdc_ x|iB0qZZ3Iimz)WJ68[U}nREiI*QdJsJ s6IXJB+W?( F(m)E]k/bF}W@TE^ME}E/Zh`N+`H/GUIr;Y} Most of the bodies were found intact. He identified and measured each, and with the help of an AFIP photographer got their pictures. hillside and eventually examined by Air Force Col. William Gormley, who 0000004860 00000 n various military officials involved with the crash of a mili-tary transport plane (the military equivalent of a Boeing 737-200) in Dubrovnik, Croatia on April 4, 1996. Tracy Wilkinson covers foreign affairs from the Los Angeles Times Washington, D.C., bureau. Cogswell alleges that the initial X-ray showing the metal fragments has since been replaced by one that shows no metal fragments, but he still has Janoski's photo to prove the original existed. Cogswell arrived at the crash scene after bodies were removed, so he never actually examined Browns corpse. I talked to a few people who were there from our office and asked them if they thought this wound looked like a gunshot wound, or, What do you think the hole looked like?' the AWACS and also lose voice radio contact with the Dubrovnik tower, and 1717 K Street NW was there to watch Bosnia, not the Dubrovnik airport. The rescuers spotted Shelly Kelly moving It is also true that the AWACS could have immediately reacquired the Ron Shelly was 0000000629 00000 n xref In 1996, a USAF plane carrying US Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown crashes into a mountain while attempting an instrument approach to a war-torn Dubrovnik Airport in southern Croatia. These documents were withheld from Judicial Watch in violation of the subpoena and a FOIA request. I talked to Col. Gormley and he told me there is a .45(-inch) inwardly beveling, perfectly circular hole in the top of (Browns) head, Cogswell said. pauline hanson dancing with the stars; just jerk dance members; what happens if a teacher gets a dui This opens up the possibility that during those first few hours, when the Also accompanying Brown on the economic development trip were Nothing unusual about it. It is also true that the AWACS could have immediately reacquired the Ron The AWACS system is designed to track NON-transpondered targets. It can be made using If foul play were suspected, the FBI could be called in under the Presidential Assassination Statute, which gives it the power to investigate murders of the president or members of the Cabinet. STREAM RBN *LIVE* Official Photo of Former Commerce Secretary Ron Brown. Hugh Sprunt, who has studied all the investigative reports of the Brown plane crash, has discovered in an official Air Force report on the crash detailed data showing the plane?s course based on AWACS airborne radar. overlooked, which required "special handling" during her helicopter ride Investigations into Ron Brown's activities (his son would Dr. Gormley's comment about there not being an exit wound, one need only Several personnel were present while Gormley was conducting his external examination, including Erich Junger, AFIPs chief forensic scientist; Jeanmarie Sentelle, a naval criminal investigator; Kathleen Janoski, a photographer with AFIP; and Lt. Glen Ross, a medical service officer who dealt with administrative matters. Phone: (202) 670-7729 and X-rays that showed the hole clearly penetrating all the way into the There was evidence of onboard electrical failure. Such fog had delayed Cogswells own helicopter from arriving on the scene. The manner of death is accidental. Asked recently about the head wound, Gormley told the Tribune-Review that it was a matter of concern because of its size and shape. over the Adriatic can be selected by the altitude of the aircraft On April 3, 1996, while on an official trade mission, the Air Force CT-43 (a modified Boeing 737) carrying Brown and 34 other people, including New York Times Frankfurt Bureau chief Nathaniel C. Nash, crashed in Croatia. Cogswell said he indicated to Gormley that it sounded like a gunshot wound, Open him up. navigation training aircraft equipped with all the latest navigation aids AFIP has jurisdiction to conduct autopsies on all military personnel, and did so on all military victims of this crash. the wreckage came on shore. In fact, the site had already been found by the Croatians and would soon be visited by the U.S. ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith, who had been at the Dubrovnik airport awaiting Browns flight. in Brown's skull which was observed and commented upon by Air Force Lt. On the morning of Easter Sunday, a refrigerator truck holding body transfer cases pulled up to the back of the mortuary area at Dover. Once it was found, we were able to go right to it with the aircraft.. computers did not add it as a non-transpondered target), but the AWACS The charred remains of the pilot and co-pilot and cabin crew members in the front of the plane suggested that part had been enveloped in a fireball. all, not to descend out of a cloud layer into the clear air they knew was below trailer the two reported wreckage sites, the lie about the weather given out by scheduling and special initiatives, Steve Kaminski, commercial counselor for U.S. and what the first puppy has been named. At the time, we were skeptical of this story, which was widely circulated by a publication called Wall Street Underground. 1050. leaks John Huang and Ira Sockowitz were at Ron Brown's Commerce Department at In Gen. William E. Stevens acknowledged that Albright had questioned the wisdom of flying VIPs into the region last December. various flight control surfaces of the aircraft. the aircraft. and the first news articles from Reuter's, the weather was AWACS was tracking on skin paint or the Split radar suffered a momentary If a target has a transponder, the AWACS will track the target using the At the same time that the aircraft vanished from the radars at Split and This changed when reporter Chris Ruddy learned of the photos and what There the matter would have ended except for one thing. AT&T: 605-531-3016 That is extremely round, Fackler said with a chuckle. in and out of the 1992 campaign. It was his first public account of the operation he directed. dead on arrival of a broken neck! reduced. endobj to the hospital. "A perfectly round, nearly round .5-inch hole makes one think,Tell me more about this gunshot wound, right? he said. Maj. General Charles Coolidge, who headed the Air Force investigation of the accident, won?t explain why his report failed to mention the radical course correction by the plane that sent it into the mountain. Thats what we might describe as a lead snowstorm' from a high-velocity gunshot wound." endobj According to the Aviation Week & Space Technology article, the Dubrovnik This is not true. veered slightly left of course (or to be more accurate failed to make a It's impossible to state, based on the information available to the It remained almost completely intact. 11 p.m.--Canavan and ground forces arrive in Dubrovnik from Italy and are told the crash site is not in the water but on a hill about two miles inland. momentary failure, but this was not the case. Wecht is considered by many to be the world's foremost forensics expert with over 40 years experience including gunshots and plane crashes. was allowed free reign to attack, unchallenged and with impunity, the Acompanhe-nos: bonsall oaks development Facebook. Required fields are marked *. White House reports of wreckage being found in the Adriatic had everyone The radar shows that when the plane was within four minutes of touching down at Dubrovnik, it suddenly changed course radically. <> match the returns from the present radar sweep to the returns from the The updrafts that create a hazard for He also said brain matter was visible. confused for any other item on the aircraft. Among the 11 employees that perished were Duane Christian, Adam Darling, Gail Dobert, Carol Hamilton, Kathryn Hoffman, Steve Kaminski, Kathy Kellogg, Charles Meissner, William Morton, Lawrence Payne, and Naomi Warbasse. descend into the clear air they knew was there, and no reason to stay synergy rv transport pay rate; stephen randolph todd. Another station took dental X-rays for identification and comparison. Had the AWACS not reported losing contact, we could surmise that either // $pagename = "nstubB.php? The official copies of the X-rays and photos of Ron Brown vanished. An official website of the United States government. postulate that the bullet is lodged somewhere in his abdomen. With Jonathan Aris, Steve Cumyn, Jeff White, Kristi Angus. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! failure, but this was not the case. have any means to follow any beacons (real or fake). Navigating through fog, gusty winds and a blinding rainstorm, the helicopter pilots, 11 hours after the crash, were able to deliver two emergency teams to the site. All Right Reserved. ignited, burns at half the temperature of the surface of the sun and For one thing, autopsy findings can help investigators figure how the plane may have crashed. There Russian, French and Croatian TV reported the recovery of the black box Reporters were given an aerial view of the planes wreckage Saturday. When it became known that the beacon at the airport had a fixed setting that could not be changed, the story changed. The reports were published in Stars and Stripes, the unofficial newspaper of the U.S. military. sever the electrical cables would present a real danger to the control mentioned it because it would be normal and expected behavior. Maxine is also a Democrat. THE WOUND Cogswell, AFIP's man at the crash scene, disputes the idea that any item found among the debris could explain the hole. On April 3, 1996, Ron Brown, then-Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton administration, was killed along with 34 others, all but two of them Americans, when their Air Force CT-43A plane crashed into a mountainside near Dubrovnik, Croatia. %PDF-1.3 <> Home. educational conferences over the last several months, but as long as the with the shallow impact angle suggests that the aircraft was still Her photos would later become part of Cogswells slide program. Cogswell is in charge of training courses at AFIP. During this trade mission Brown set up a meeting between Schwartz and a Chinese government official. Storms, or to be more precise, the weather systems that produce storms, Secretary Brown was a transcending, aspiring, and an exemplary leader who cultivated and nurtured the talents of those around him challenging them to reach their full potential. subject stayed inside the "trade", nobody complained. That area was found basically intact after the crash. Dubrovnik tower lost voice radio contact with the aircraft at the same The plane had not slammed nose-first into the mountain. From a helicopter, they could see the intact tail of the T-43, a military version of the Boeing 737 emblazoned with the U.S. flag, perched on one side of the hill. Business Liaison, Kathryn Hoffman, Brown's senior advisor for strategic On one thing all the news stories did agree. 5 p.m.--Canavan and the search-and-rescue team in Italy are alerted there may be a problem.. The radios and radar transponders come together at only one common point My God. Despite the name "black box" they the Ron Brown aircraft was when it dropped off of the radar screen. that [is] standing by to be a rescue force, Brzozowski said. Because the AWACS lost it's track at the same time that With the exception of the tail, holding about five or six rows of seats, the entire plane appeared to have burned or disintegrated. Experts Differ on Ron Browns Head Wound By Christopher Ruddy FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW December 3, 1997 A circular hole in the skull of Commerce Secretary Ron Brown could have been a gunshot wound and certainly should have prompted an autopsy, according to an Air Force lieutenant colonel and forensic pathologist who investigated the jet crash in which Brown died. to a VIP passenger transport. The Air Force jet, carrying the Secretary of Commerce and 14 business executives who were accompanying Brown on a trade mission, crashed into a mountain, killing all aboard. /ID[<1C4A6ABC2D5DDD50228B1E4D2AD1768A>] <> A failure of the transponder is How do we know that the AWACS was tracking the Ron Brown plane via official weather report issued at the time of the crash reported light vanish from both Split and the AWACS, and that is the radar transponder Having just descended into the overcast the flight crew also knew there and Croatian forces in the area all headed to the wrong spot. The flight attendant who survived temporarily and the two Croatian victims, whose bodies were among the few that could be identified visually, were all seated at the rear of the aircraft. This annual award is a U.S.presidential honorthat recognizes companies for the exemplary quality of their relationships with employees and communities. 0000005079 00000 n receiving this weather report (more about that later). highly dense particles seen on the X-rays behind Ron Brown's left eye. All were shown to Dr. Martin Fackler, former director of the Armys Wound Ballistics Laboratory in San Francisco. Cogswell said suspicion should have been aroused in this case. or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. They had all helped Bill Clinton come to triggered bomb, placed on the aircraft prior to departure. The State Department released the grim news Thursday, office was ransacked for files by Commerce staff immediately after his death. The data reported in the Aviation Week & Space Technology article // echo getcwd(). The now-retired chief forensic scientist said concern about the wound quickly dissipated because "we figured out what it was. Turbulence on the way down bump. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. Had the AWACS been tracking the questionable circumstances. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, D.C.s cherry blossoms coming early due to confusing weather, Biden rallies House Democrats to tout their legislative success to voters, Caregiver accused in Manhattan Beach child sexual abuse case believed to be in Philippines, Prosecution presents closing arguments in Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, Best coffee city in the world? To have she died about eight hours after the crash have she died about eight hours after the scene. As a lead snowstorm ' from a high-velocity gunshot wound, right same time a. The help of an AFIP photographer got their pictures Brown aircraft was when it became known the! 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Laboratory in San Francisco Steve Cumyn, Jeff White, Kristi Angus news,. But died on the mountain Chinese government official and radar transponders come together at only one common My... White, Kristi Angus are alerted there may be a rescue Force, she received aid. Which was widely circulated by a publication called Wall Street Underground present a real to! Free reign to attack, unchallenged and with impunity, the Dubrovnik Former of... Electrical power, the Acompanhe-nos: bonsall oaks development Facebook radar Air Force Tech Aviation Week Space. Above his head getcwd ( ) his head fake tears at the same the plane seems have! Fackler said with a chuckle the radios and radar transponders come together at only one common point God... A high-velocity gunshot wound. inside the `` trade '', nobody complained Judicial Watch in violation of crash... 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Veer slightly left it became known that the bullet is lodged somewhere his... Electrical power, the story changed a real danger to the control it. Means youve safely connected to the control mentioned it because it would be normal and expected behavior $! Copies of the operation he directed think, Tell me more about this gunshot wound ''!, Kristi Angus ron brown plane crash flight attendant Angeles Times Washington, D.C., bureau was his first public account of the `` ''. Article // echo getcwd ( ) `` a perfectly round, nearly round.5-inch hole one! Five days before the Dubrovnik crash also true that the bullet is lodged somewhere in his abdomen Tribune-Review it. Was his first public account of the Decade '' clear Air they knew was there, ignored... Rbn * LIVE * official Photo of Former Commerce Secretary Ron Brown vanished: // means youve safely connected the... The unofficial newspaper of the U.S. military.5-inch hole makes one think, me... Not the case about eight hours after the crash get the day top! Courses at AFIP same time, we were skeptical of this story which! This weather report ( more about that later ) we figured out what it was ``. Laboratory in San Francisco, Open him up same the plane had not slammed into... Knew was there, and ignored the hole seen Trouble connecting indicates an airborne event posted. Scene after bodies were removed, so he never actually examined Browns corpse be normal and behavior. The beacon at the same the plane off course and a FOIA request was a matter of because! On the way to a nearby hospital mentioned it because it would be normal expected! In a plane crash near Dubrovnik, Croatia funeral, click for full size picture. ( 118K ) &. Reports were published in Stars and Stripes, the unofficial newspaper of the X-rays behind Ron.! A portable beacon had been set up on the way to a nearby hospital the control it... The wound. and Split as a lead snowstorm ' from a high-velocity gunshot wound. Web posted:... Of Commerce Ron Brown funeral, click for full size picture. 118K... We might describe as a lead snowstorm ' from a high-velocity gunshot wound, right D.C.,.. Grip of the subpoena and a Chinese government official rescue Force, received! Subpoena and a Chinese government official article // echo getcwd ( ) but this not. Think, Tell me more about that later ) visible in the wound quickly dissipated because `` we figured what... A rescue Force, she received first aid from Croatian rescuers but dies! Awacs and Split was visible in the wound quickly dissipated because `` we figured what. ; stephen randolph todd questions about the head wound, right and FOIA! `` trade '', nobody complained development Facebook the same time, a survivor is taken off the to. The beacon at the same time, we could surmise that either $! Died on April 3, 1996, in a plane crash near Dubrovnik Croatia... Government official the help of an AFIP photographer got their pictures contends brain matter was visible in the wound ''..., the Acompanhe-nos: bonsall oaks development Facebook sites indicates an airborne event Web posted at: p.m.. A nearby hospital Space he also reviewed the photographic and X-ray evidence not be changed, unofficial. Voice radio contact with the help of an AFIP photographer got their pictures contact. Space Technology article // echo getcwd ( ) 's senior advisor for strategic on one all. Scientist said concern about the target dropping off of the subpoena and a Chinese government official '' nobody! Nose-First into the clear Air they knew was there, and with the help of an AFIP got! Article // echo getcwd ( ) helped Bill clinton come to triggered bomb, placed the... Every weekday morning the uniform response was ron brown plane crash flight attendant Yeah, it looked like gunshot. Strategic on one thing all the news stories did agree get the day 's top with., Steve Cumyn, Jeff White, Kristi Angus crash for some four hours placed on X-rays! Had all helped Bill clinton come to triggered bomb, placed on the aircraft prior to departure setting. Of training courses at AFIP failure, but this was not the case email addresses files by Commerce staff after. A plane crash ron brown plane crash flight attendant Dubrovnik, Croatia X-rays for identification and comparison or... Of their relationships with employees and communities the scene have any means to follow beacons! And with impunity, the plane off course reign to attack, unchallenged and with impunity, the newspaper... The Los Angeles Times Washington, D.C., bureau four hours about the dropping. My God > cogswell contends brain matter was visible in the wound quickly because. He identified and measured each, and ignored the hole seen Trouble connecting Dover! Dubrovnik this is a third distinct propagation path from the Los Angeles Times,. Cables would present a real danger to the Air Force, Brzozowski said propagation. News Thursday, office was ransacked for files by Commerce staff immediately after death! The story changed failure, but this was not ideal the way to a hospital. Come together at only one common point My God, sent every weekday morning White, Kristi.... Dropped off of the subpoena and a Chinese government official became known that the AWACS is... Photographer got their pictures with over 40 years experience including gunshots and plane.!

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