TWA Flight 800
Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA 800) was a scheduled flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport on July 17, 1996.[1] The aircraft was a Boeing 747-100 carrying 212 passengers and 18 crew members.[2] The plane exploded just 12 minutes after takeoff, tore apart and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York.[1] There were no survivors.[3] The cause was determined to be a spark that ignited the center wing fuel tank. It remains the third-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history.[4] It is one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Boeing 747 in history.
| 260px The reconstructed wreckage of TWA 800, stored at Calverton Executive Airpark by the NTSB | |
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 17, 1996 |
| Summary | In-flight breakup due to fuel tank explosion caused by short circuit |
| Place | New York Bight near East Moriches, New York 40°39′N 72°38′W / 40.650°N 72.633°WCoordinates: 40°39′N 72°38′W / 40.650°N 72.633°W |
| Passengers | 212 |
| Crew | 18 |
| Fatalities | 230 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 747-131 |
| Airline/user | Trans World Airlines |
| Registration | N93119 |
| Flew from | John F. Kennedy Int'l Airport New York City |
| Stopover | Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport Paris |
| Flying to | Leonardo da Vinci Airport Rome |
Passengers and Crew
| Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22x20px United States | 125 | 17 | 142 |
| 22x20px France | 42 | 0 | 42 |
| 22x20px Argentina | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| 22x20px Algeria | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 22x20px Italy | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| 22x20px United Kingdom | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 22x20px Mexico | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 22x20px Denmark | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 22x20px Belgium | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 22x20px Ireland | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 22x20px Netherlands | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 22x20px Germany | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 22x20px Norway | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 22x20px Australia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
 Canada |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| File:Flag of Israel.svg | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 22x20px Japan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 22x20px Spain | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 22x20px Sweden | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Ivory Coast |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 212 | 18 | 230 |
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Most of the 230 occupants on-board were from the United States, but 42 more came from France, 10 from Argentina, and 60 more from sixteen other countries.
The pilots on board TWA Flight 800 were Captain Ralph G. Kevorkian, Co-pilot Steven E. Snyder and Flight Engineer Richard G. Campbell. All had more than 30 years employment with Trans World Airlines. There was also a Flight Engineer Trainee on board Oliver Krick, who was starting the sixth leg of his initial operating experience training.
TWA Flight 800 Media
- Boeing 747-131, Trans World Airlines (TWA) JP7174508.jpg
The close-up view of N93119's front fuselage, in 1972, showing the seven plugged windows on the upper deck. These plugs were blown out following the explosion of Flight 800.
- Burning Wreckage of TWA flight 800.jpg
Burning wreckage of Flight 800 on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean
- Wreckage recovery twa800.PNG
Wreckage recovered with tangled and damaged wires attached: Script error: The function "hyphen2dash" does not exist., [80], fig.24 
- Twa 800 witness 319.PNG
An FBI witness statement summary (with personal information redacted): Script error: The function "hyphen2dash" does not exist., [41] 
- Center Wing Fuel Tank.png
The wing center section of a Boeing 747-100, including the CWT: Script error: The function "hyphen2dash" does not exist., [13], fig. 4a 
- Ntsb cwt scale test.PNG
Scale-model test of a CWT fuel/air vapor explosion
- Slide0045 image013.PNG
Slide from NTSB presentation of TWA 800 breakup sequence, illustrating structure and size of CWT
- Twa 800 in-flight breakup.jpg
Frame from the CIA's animated depiction of how TWA Flight 800 broke apart: When the bottom of the aircraft blew out from the exploding fuel tank, cracks spread around the fuselage and severed the entire front section of the plane.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Board Meeting : TWA flight 800, Atlantic Ocean Near East Moriches, New York, July 17, 1996". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ↑ James Sanders, The Downing of TWA Flight 800 (New York: EPinnacle, 2013), p. 15
- ↑ Chuck Hadad (July 15, 2014). 5 things you didn't know about the crash of TWA Flight 800. CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/14/us/twa-flight-800-five-things/. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ↑ Ana Borruto (July 17, 2016). "TWA Flight 800 Remembered on 20th Anniversary". Long Island Press. Morey Publishing, LLC. Retrieved December 8, 2016.