The Waco FLIR Flashes

Flash Location 6

(c) 06/07/00 Ian Williams Goddard

On the April 19, 1993 Waco FLIR video there's a large flash in the courtyard of Mt Carmel at 11:34 am. Twelve minutes later another large flash occurs in the very same spot, Location 6. The first of the two flashes is shown on the documentary Waco A New Revelation, which states that the flash is a "detonation" that "has a thermal signature that is consistent with a handgrenade exploding." However, as we shall observe, it's more likely that the two flashes separated by twelve minutes are a solar reflection from one object than two grenades exploding in the same location. These images from two FLIR frames show the two flashes that occur at Location 6.


Two flashes occurring twelve minutes apart happen in same the spot seen from similar angle. The first flash seen here, and the second seen here.

The nature of each flash is the same, with slow durations of a quarter second (listed in the Vector Data report as events 18 and 31). Observe that the location of the first flash is the same as the location of the second flash that occurred twelve minutes later. The main difference between the two frames is the camera's rotation. By rotating the second-flash frame and placing it on top of the first, we can see that both flashes are in fact in the same location and the camera is also in almost the same location each time.


The second frame is rotated and placed atop
first, proving flashes are in same location.

Major problems for the detonation theory: the chance that some unseen person could throw one grenade that explodes in one spot and then twelve minutes later throw a second grenade that lands and explodes in the exact same spot is extremely remote. On the other hand, it is highly probable that one reflective object in one location would produce two reflective flashes in that same location during two separate rotations of Mt Carmel by the aircraft, flashing only when the aircraft comes into the same area of sky (as would be the case with a reflection).

It therefore follows directly that it's more likely that the flashes at Location 6 are (a) two solar reflections twelve minutes apart reflecting off one object than (b) two detonations twelve minutes apart from two grenades that land in one location. This probability ordering becomes even more obvious. Let's look at the flashes again.

The first frame of this animated series shows wall panels from the gym that were knocked out into the courtyard a few seconds before by a tank that penetrated inside the gym. The panels fade into the color of the ground as the sun heats them up, but remain visible enough to outline.

Now observe the following photograph from the Justice Department report that was taken from a different angle days before the images above. A red circle is placed around the wall that is seen fallen to the ground in the pervious images.

Notice that there is a window high-up on that wall. If we assume that the window panel was attached to the wall panel as it fell -- a reasonable assumption -- we could draw a series of possible trajectories for that window to various landing spots that would include Location 6. We can therefore see how it's possible that glass, which can reflect solar infrared radiation, could get to Location 6. So we can identify a "reflective-glass launcher" that was fired toward the flash point, but we cannot identify any such grenade launchers. It should also be noted that no flashes occur in the courtyard prior to gym walls with windows falling onto the courtyard.

Because the two flashes at Location 6 (a) occur in the same location over twelve minutes, (b) occur only when the aircraft is in virtually the same position (the slight difference in position being what would be expected due to the changing position of the sun over twelve minutes), (c) occur in a location in which a window was likely deposited, (d) occur only after a wall with window fell, and (e) disappear without leaving any residual thermal signature as an explosion on the ground might do, the likelihood that location-6 flashes are two grenades detonating in the same location at two separate times is at best far below the likelihood that the flashes are solar reflections, and at worst, and I believe most accurately, is not even a reasonable theory. It's obvious to me that the two flashes at Location 6 are reflections of infrared solar energy off an object that is probably glass from a fallen window.


 

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