Passenger Update
The NWO manifest is in error. Not three MacPhersons on board Flight 305, only two. The third passenger was an employee of MacPherson Real Estate company, a fellow named Paul Weitzel, who must be the "Mr. Weitzl" listed in the manifest. So the passenger list is short one individual. Another math problem.
I just got this from Scott MacPherson, who is both the "son," "S.," and the "Scott" MacPherson listed on the manifest and in the Seattle Times. Scott was 24 at the time of the hijacking. He doesn't remember exactly where he was sitting, but stated that it was "up near the front."
Scott is a pleasant fellow, but not too talky. He was only able to discuss the hijacking in general terms, but he was quite clear and animated about seeing the "Seattle First" money bags come aboard.
"It was pretty obvious what was going on when we saw the Seattle First bags," he told me. He described them as canvas bags. "We knew then that was why we had been circling Seattle for hours."
Scott also said that a couple of men entered the plane when the forward door opened, and he remembers two money bags and at least two men bringing them into the plane. His memory of the incident is that there was an exchange on board Flight 305, and that Tina did not leave the aircraft and re-enter with the money.
Scott does not know who or what these men were, whether they were FBI, FAA, or something else, or some combination.
Scott did not get a good look at the hijacker, who was sitting "far in the back."
Scott was not interviewed by the FBI in the terminal, but his father, Bill MacPherson, encountered a TV news reporter that he knew and gave him an interview.
"He was a pretty out-going kind of guy," Scott said. "He was pretty, um, gregarious, and enjoyed the attention."
Bill MacPherson died in 1988, Scott told me. Weitzel is still alive, but Scott hasn't had any contact with him in at least 25 years.
Scott has not talked with any other passengers, either during the debriefing period or in the years following the hijacking. He has not spoken to Larry Finegold.
Scott also does not remember the passengers moving up in the plane or changing seats at any time. However, he does remember clearly that the flight attendants "had their hands full" dealing with a drunk passenger sitting a few rows behind Scott. "That's when they cut-off the alcohol service. They really had a hard time settling him down."
Scott does not remember if the drunk passenger was in uniform, or sitting next to a military figure, as reported by the Simmons in GG's book.
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