Could someone refresh me on the details of how TIGHAR thinks the landing gear got into the nessie position? If the tire is deflated, it didn't float with the gear part hanging below it. If the tire deflated and some part of the gear caught on the reef, would it stay fast in the "tire showing" position? If the tire is torn, it isn't floating, but if the tire is OK it could be floating when the pic was taken? Did the entire assembly get dragged across the reef and then get stuck in a crevice in an upright position? Understanding the story should explain, or at least not contradict, the theoretical position of the remains. thanks to all.
Leon
It’s my understanding the object is on the edge of the reef in very shallow water, in a few inches or less. It’s right next to where the reef starts to slope down and it gets deeper. There is also a hole in the area as seen in the video Tighar has on YouTube. I don’t know if an exact tide analysis was done for the window of time the lighting works. That window is around 1pm, give or take about ½ hour. There are several sharp edges that could get stuck in a groove or hole. Some broken struts could still be attached to the mounting bracket which may have broken off with the worm gear / oleo strut assembly. These parts would be hidden by the tire or under water.
A few possibilities for why it’s there:
1. It’s not stuck and has been moving from somewhere else, maybe even kicked back up from a storm.
2. It’s stuck in a groove, crack or hole. Maybe the same hole that might have contributed to the gear failing.
3. The crew, in attempt to save the plane, somehow found a way to secure it, via the landing gear, to the reef. Contributing to it's failure.
4. My favorite: It’s tangled up with something heavier that could survive the dynamic conditions there. For example a length of one of the several control cables which ran to the engine located just above the landing gear. The other end of the cable still tied to the engine in the deeper water next to it. The engine being easily identifiable as an airplane part by Emily’s father and rusty as she remembered. Possibly it's the same aircraft cable John Mims saw a fisherman using as a fishing leader. This line may have held the gear there a while, flopping around a bit, sometimes lower in the water, until the fisherman cut it lose and it eventually tumbled down to the debris field ledge.