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Investigators were treating the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in Queens, N.Y., as an accident, based on an initial evaluation of the cockpit voice recorder. But they had not ruled out sabotage. The airliner crashed into a residential area minutes after takeoff en route to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Preliminary evidence pointed to a mechanical failure in the plane, whose CF6- 80C2 engine already had drawn close scrutiny on safety concerns. Federal officials had taken initial steps toward requiring tougher inspections last month. At least 260 people on board were killed, nine people were missing on the ground, and 11 houses were damaged or destroyed. (Story, …