A vintage conspiracy theory for you today – the continuing saga of Aer Lingus Flight 712 and the long-circulated rumours that the 61 deaths on March 24th, 1968 were the result of the Irish civilian flight being shot down by a British surface-to-air missile.
The story is back in the news due to the recent comments of Moss Egan, a retired Naval engineer who, according to breakingnews.ie, says that he saw the remains of a target drone during his investigation into the crash.
Moss Egan was on board the L.E. Cliona and spent several weeks at sea, working alongside the British Navy trying to recover the wreckage of the aircraft.
He said he recalled one discovery in particular, of something which many believe was part of a target drone, a piece of equipment used to test the accuracy of missiles.
Mr Egan said that it was taken away by the British navy and never seen again.
Back in January 2002, Blather.net’s Daev Walsh wrote a detailed piece on Flight 712 for Disinformation.com:
The most popular theory concerns a missile launched from the Royal Aircraft Establishment’s testing range in Aberporth, Wales. The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) states that what was then Britain’s top missile development center was closed on Sundays. Recently, Radio Telifis Eireann (Ireland’s state broadcaster) found inconsistencies in log books, suggesting that the center was open for business. Another theory is that a radar transponder on board the Viscount failed; a British warship, HMS Penelope thought it was a pilotless drone. The MoD claims that none of its ships were close enough, but the log books of two of the five ships in the area are missing: the other three were never requested by the Irish government. Yet another theory tells of a pilotless drone hitting Flight 712: some witnesses reported seeing an aircraft with red wings close to the Viscount’s last position.
Retired naval engineer reveals Tuskar Rock mystery
The story of Aer Lingus Flight 712
