Pan Am Flight 103

Essay # 16354

International Relations > U.S.
Political Science > Terrorism

Pan Am Flight 103

A look at America's reaction to the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988.

1,850 words () | 19 sources | MLA | 2001 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper examines whether the United States was fore-warned about a possible terrorist attack on its Pan Am flight number 103 which exploded over the town of Lockerbie in Scotland in 1988, killing over 250 passengers and Scotsmen. The paper looks at several theories surrounding the attack as well as America's reaction to the tragedy, including investigations and bringing those responsible to trial.

From the Paper:

"On December 21, 1988, a Pan Am 747 left London's Heathrow airport bound for New York. The flight was delayed twenty-five minutes which was not unusual during the Christmas rush at one of the world's busiest airports. The passengers, some coming from Frankfurt, Germany on the first leg of flight 103, were starting to prepare for dinner. The plane reached its cruising altitude of 31,000 feet and crossed into the Scottish flying zone. Once in Scotland, Alan Topp at Scotland's Prestwick airport began to monitor the 747's progress. Alan Topp was waiting to be relieved for his break when the radar screen showed the plane in four separate dots all moving away from each other until they disappeared. The plane began falling and the cockpit separated leaving the pilots without a hope of landing their damaged aircraft. The fuel-laden wings hit the ground first in the small town of Lockerbie, Scotland near the English border. The impact, and resulting explosion, killed eleven people in the town of Lockerbie as well as all 259 people aboard the plane. Police immediately began searching for survivors but found no one. Later it was reported that at least two people were alive after impact and one might have lived had he been found. After the attack, America took action by leading the world in the terrorist investigation, changing aviation policies, and bringing the criminals to justice."