TWA Flight 800 - 10 Years ago

This photo is taken from another site, it shows the reconstruction efforts of NTSB and the investigation into this crash.

On July 17, 1996, 10 years ago today, at around 8:45pm TWA flight 800, a Boeing 747-100, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island shortly after takeoff from Kennedy International. The plane was on a flight to Paris. Initial reports indicate a witnesses saw an explosion, then debris falling into the ocean. No reports of problems were raised by the flight crew to air traffic control. The plane was built in November 1971. It had logged about 93,000 flight hours and almost 17,000 cycles. There were 212 passengers on board the airplane and 18 crew members. The plane was destroyed and there were no survivors.

The crash was rumored to have been caused by a surface to air missle, sabotage, tracking missles, enemy jets, planted bombs, US military jets to start war, and an variety of other causes. In the end the investigation revealed the explosion that brought this plane down was a malfunction and short in an electrical wire.

The clean-up efforts took weeks and the invvestigation saw interviews with over 150 credible and non-credible witnesses, including other pilots in the air at the time of the explosion. Most of these witnesses reported a bright flash of light and other reported hearing a 'boom' and seeing the debris falling into the ocean.

In the end the rumors and speculation of impending attacks proved false and fruitless. The result of the investigation showed that, as tragic as it is, this was simply an accident that resulted in 230 deaths.

This is a website that posts fact and fiction on major incidents, it is called 'Whatreallyhappened.com'. The site provides links to other sites that provide similar vantage points into major events. There are a number of sites that are posting varying information on this crash and the response to it.

I do not have a quality picture of the event itself or further pictures of the investigation into it. Please follow up on other sites and pay your respect to the victims and their families.