After the Canadian Aviation Safety Board ruled out terrorism as a probable cause of the accident, a decision was made to return the bodies of victims to the Armed Forces Institute of Forensic Pathology at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware. This decision to rule out terrorism was taken on December 14, 1985 only two short days after the crash. (see Exhibit 20)

Identifications and autopsies were complicated by the fact that one entire section of the aircraft containing approximately 100 victims had burned for some 20 hours before the fire was extinguished. (see Exhibit 31) Moreover, it was determined that 76 of the victim's bodies had only torsos remaining. Finally, all military records of the victims were on board the plane and were all destroyed in the crash. (see Exhibit 32)

By December 20, all bodies had been flown to Dover. It took two months to complete analysis for the presence of hydrogen cyanide. By February 20, 1986 these were completed and sent to the CASB. (see Exhibit 33)

This autopsy report contains key evidence that a fire would have raged on board the aircraft before impact. The findings included in the autopsy revealed lethal doses of hydrogen cyanide in the blood of several of the 248 servicemen killed in the crash. (see Exhibit 34) Hydrogen cyanide, according to most medical experts, can only be absorbed in the blood through inhalation. That means that the victims who's blood contained the lethal doses had to breath in the hydrogen cyanide before dying. Crash analysts claim that all victims died on impact or seconds later from being engulfed in flames.

Hydrogen cyanide is a product of combustion of most kinds at plastics. The interior of an aircraft like the DC-8 is composed of several plastic materials including the linings of the compartment. A raging fire would produce sweeping fumes containing hydrogen cyanide where lethal doses could be inhaled in a short period of time.

According to Exhibit 34, "the highest levels appear to have been confined to passengers in one section of the passenger cabin. . . while the pilot and flight engineer were unaffected". This would suggest that the flames were restricted to one area. It goes on to say that "the cyanide was also found in bodies which were dismembered or decapitated on impact". Most medical opinions claim that it is impossible to absorb hydrogen cyanide in your blood unless it is inhaled. Based on that opinion, there had to have been a fire on board the ill fated DC-8 before impact. Such would only confirm the statements of 4 eyewitnesses who all claim to have seen the aircraft on fire before the crash.