If the bomber had been successfull...

[Enrique]

would we know that it was a bombing?

Has any plane crash ever been officially ruled a bombing?

[virgogal]

1. PanAm 103

[RealityInSeattle]

2. And if pigs had wings..

He wasn't successful.

So it doesn't matter.

He didnt because despite the mass hysteria that is pushed on us every day, the level of competency and the actual threat we face IS EXTREMELY LOW.

[marshall]

4. He didn't succeed because of his own ineptitude

He had everything with him that he needed to bring that plane down--everything except the sense to know how to set it off.

[stray cat]

9. The only people who would have died are the people in the plane - who cares

as long as its no one you know. A low percentage doesn't mean much when you are on the wrong side of the line.

[slackmaster]

3. Yes, the plane would have gone down on land

There would probably be dozens or hundreds of eye witnesses. The feds would have put the pieces back together and determined that an explosive device in a particular seat had detonated and caused whatever damage led to the plane crashing.

They would have been able to detect explosive residue. From passenger records they would have quickly determined who the bomber was and what type of device was used.

Has any plane crash ever been officially ruled a bombing?

Yes, many times. For example, Pan Am 103, in which I lost a family member.

[timeforpeace]

5. One thing for sure, there would have been immediate denials that it wasn't terrorism and how DARE

you blame those poor Muslim terrorists again. Am I right?

[ret5hd]

8. You disgust me more with every post.

[goldcanyonaz]

6. We knew that 9/11 planes were terrorist bombings by calls from passengers.

[Libertas1776]

7. They ruled the crash of United Airlines NC13304

a bombing all the way back in 1933.
http://www.answers.com/topic/united-airlines-chesterton-crash

I'm pretty sure they would have figured it out.