TWA Flight 800
Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA800) was a Boeing 747-100 that exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York on July 17, 1996 at approximately 8:31 p.m. EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, on a scheduled international passenger flight to Rome with a stopover in Paris.: 1 All 230 people on board died in the crash; it is the third-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history. Accident investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) traveled to the scene, arriving the following morning: 313 amid speculation that a terrorist attack was the cause of the crash.
The reconstructed wreckage of TWA 800, stored by the NTSB at Calverton Executive Airpark | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 17, 1996 |
| Summary | In-flight breakup due to fuel tank explosion caused by short circuit |
| Site | Atlantic Ocean, near East Moriches, New York, United States 40°39′N 72°38′W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 747-131 |
| Operator | Trans World Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | TW800 |
| ICAO flight No. | TWA800 |
| Call sign | TWA 800 |
| Registration | N93119 |
| Flight origin | John F. Kennedy Int'l Airport, New York City, United States |
| Stopover | Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France |
| Destination | Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome, Italy |
| Occupants | 230 |
| Passengers | 212 |
| Crew | 18 |
| Fatalities | 230 |
| Survivors | 0 |
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and New York Police Department Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) initiated a parallel criminal investigation. Sixteen months later, the JTTF announced that no evidence of a criminal act had been found and closed its active investigation.
The four-year NTSB investigation concluded with the approval of the Aircraft Accident Report on August 23, 2000, ending the most extensive, complex, and costly air disaster investigation in U.S. history at that time. The report's conclusion was that the probable cause of the accident was the explosion of flammable fuel vapors in the center fuel tank. Although it could not be determined with certainty, the likely ignition source was a short circuit.: xvi Problems with the aircraft's wiring were found, including evidence of arcing in the fuel quantity indication system (FQIS) wiring that enters the tank. The FQIS on Flight 800 is known to have been malfunctioning; the captain remarked about "crazy" readings from the system about two minutes and 30 seconds before the aircraft exploded. As a result of the investigation, new requirements were developed for aircraft to prevent future fuel-tank explosions.