Explosive bomb? Is it one that can bring down a plane?

[chelsea0011]

I kept hearing all day about this being a bomb that can be made from items purchased at your local stores. But I can't find any info on anything that can be considered more than a liquid device that could cause harm to people in the general area. Is there an actual explosive bomb that this plot is concerned with that could bring down a plane or is it a incendiary device in nature?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. as compared to the Hush-a-bomb

On edit -

Now, watch me pull a rabbi out of my hat.
AGAIN?!?!

[Bluebear]

3. 'watch me pull a rabbi out of my hat.'

Again with that trick, meshugge!

[MrCoffee]

4. oy vey

[ChairmanAgnostic]

11. Mr. Peabody's "Oy Vey back Machine"

[elehhhhna]

8. like the Whack-a-bomb

[northzax]

2. well, an incendiary device could bring down a plane

if placed in the right place. you would need a decent size bang to really take down a 747 or 777 though.

[chelsea0011]

10. And I understand that. But the media all day has made this seem

like blowing planes out of the sky. Youseff's plan in 1995, accoring to Wikipedia, was to smuggle on nitroglycerine, a true explosive (and he was stopped and is in jail. Hmm. Now who was President). Today I'm hearing hydrogen peroxide. Huh? So if they were to start fires on the planes, why not say that?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

13. the germans in WWII used pure peroxide as a rocket fuel

used properly, (and simply) it packs a hell of a punch. Heck, even the USAF used it as a booster to help its early monster prop/jet combo bombers up into the sky. (several models before the B-47)

[northzax]

16. remember that Youseff was caught

because they made a mistake and blew up an apartment in Manila where they were making and testing bombs. Without that, it probably would have worked.

[WilliamPitt]

5. A bomb placed near the inner wall of a plane

could easily blow a hole in the wall and cause catastrophic decompression. At a minimum, the plane will descend savagely and scare the crap out of all aboard. Worse scenario has people being sucked out of the hole. Even worse has the damage severely cripple the plane, which being over the ocean is too far from a safe landing. Worst case is the bomb either takes off a wing (if it is placed against the inner wall near one) or ignites the fuel within the wing.

Rule of thumb: anything blowing up inside a machine with a million moving parts flying at 35,000 feet over water = bad and dangerous.

One of these killed a Japanese man aboard a plane to Japan several years ago. It was a dry run for Ramsi Yousef for Bojinka, which is basically the same plot that was revealed today.

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. The "bomb" was really nothing more than...

A bottle of Coke and a roll of Mentos (see the newest episode of "Mythbusters" for details.)

[warrens]

7. Blow a hole through the side at 40,000 feet and watch what happens

Not to mention the fire idea. I doubt it would blow up a whole plane, but it could do enough damage to bring one down easily.

[Avalux]

9. They were to use binary explosives.

Been around for a long time, nothing new. What little bit I know, it would seem a fairly large quantity would be required to explode a plane into smithereens. However strategically placed, could blow a hole in a plane and ultimately bring it down.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

12. a bottle of glycerine and nitric acid

your most simple bomb.

[Dr.Phool]

14. Nitro is a lot more complicated to make than that.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

15. yeah, I know.

It helps to use pure glycerin. It also helps to use sulphuric acid to clean out some of the crap. and it helps to gently wash and rinse the mix in cold water to remove the remnants that can make your mix become unstable and less potent. And I know enough to chill the whole mix in ice, check temps, lest it blow up in my face, use glass and frictionless mixing devices, and to pour in the acids G E N T L Y .
But I have made nitro in my garage, using the readily available instructions from the net. It was a blast. In fact, I used it on a stubborn stump. (wooden, not epidermal)

[Zynx]

17. Any explosion or fire on a pressurized airplane = catastrophic.

Especially with nowhere for the plane to land for several hours.

[lectrobyte]

19. potentially catastrophic might be a better assessment.

This one made it back to the airport



as did this one

[lectrobyte]

18. I think their intent was to bring down the planes. I've often wondered

if the shoe bomber had been sitting over the fuel tank section it would have been a TWA 800 if that went off. It's probably a matter of luck -- there was a 737 that landed safely after losing a section of the fuselage roof several years ago, and a 747 that lost a cargo door and a chunk of fuselage. On the other hand, cut some hydraulic lines in the wrong place, or get a fire started, and the outcome is tragic.

[Liberal In Texas]

22. This one...

[The Magistrate]

20. To Say, Sir, The Explosive Can Be Made From On The Shelf Items

Is a bit of a stretch. The ingredients are in off the shelf items, but considerable work, and some practice if not actual professional skill, is required to get them in sufficient concentration to be apt for the purpose.

[dkofos]

21. Acetone and hydrogen peroxide

Not the 3% solution you buy at the drug store.
The 100% pure rocket fuel stuff.