UA Flight 811 Black Box FOIA Request

Thomas F. Stalcup
President, NTSB Watch
332 Hatchville Rd., E. Falmouth, MA 02536
774-392-0856

National Transportation Safety Board
Re: UNITED AIRLINES Flight #811, HONOLULU, HI, February 24, 1989 DCA89MA027

SUBJECT: FOIA Request for information related to the CVR recording from the crash of UNITED AIRLINES Flight #811.

DATE: October 26, 2004

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am interested in studying any possible similarities between UA Flight 811 and the November 12, 2001 crash of AA Flight 587. It is widely accepted that UA Flight 811's fuselage was breached in flight, but it is less widely accepted that AA Flight 587's fuselage was.

I have studied the NTSB's Sound Spectrum Study of Flight 587's CVR and am surprised that the analysis seems incomplete. Right when there is an obvious change in the noise pattern, the airframe vibration analysis stops.

With today's science, I believe it would be fairly straightforward to determine when, and/or whether or not Flight 587's fuselage was breached. In this regard, I hope to compare Flight 587's CVR recording with that of UA Flight 811. Such an analysis could confirm or refute claims by several eyewitnesses to the Flight 587 crash who reported large pieces of wreckage exiting Flight 587's airframe before its tail separated.

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, I hereby request the following information, related to the NTSB investigation into the UA Flight 811 incident:

1) A complete, unedited, original quality recording of the Cockpit Voice Recorder. Time span: from take off from Honolulu to landing back in Honolulu.

2) If privacy concerns do not permit such a release, I will be more than happy to accept an original quality recording with the segments of time when voices can be discerned deleted. Time span: from take off from Honolulu to landing back in Honolulu.

I am not interested in hearing or having the recordings of anyone's voice in the cockpit. My interest is strictly scientific--to determine whether or not, and perhaps when Flight 587's fuselage was breached by comparison with data from UA Flight 811.

I am requesting these records for non-commercial use and as an active member of an informal public interest group independently researching the cause of the accident. We will make all such material available through our website as a free public service.

I request a waiver of fees because my interest in the records is not primarily commercial and disclosure of the information will contribute significantly to public understanding of the events leading up to present status of the federal investigation into the crash of Flight 587.

I am President of a non-profit group investigating the crash, and we make the results of our research freely available to the public. See our website for more information: http://NTSBWATCH.com

If documents or media are denied in whole or in part, despite the public interest, please specify which exemption(s) is (are) claimed for each passage, document, or media denied. Give the number of pages in each document and the total number of pages pertaining to this request and the dates of documents withheld. In the case of recorded media, give a complete description of any denied media or media segment. In regard to documents, I request that excised material be "blacked out" rather than "whited out" and that the remaining non-exempt portions of documents be released as provided under the Freedom of Information Act.

Please advise me of any past, present and/or future destruction of records that could be considered related in any way to this request, including the date of and authority for such destruction. As I expect to appeal any denials, please specify the office and address to which an appeal should be directed.

If my request for a waiver of fees is denied, please inform me if the fees will exceed two hundred dollars. This amount is what I am willing and able to pay, although I believe that my waiver request should be granted.

I will expect a response within 10 working days as provided by law. If my request is denied in whole or in part, I expect a detailed justification for withholding the records. I also request that any segregable portions that are not exempt to be disclosed.

If you have any questions about handling this request, don't hesitate to call me at (774) 392-0856.

Thank you,