After the center fuel tank exploded (I called that one as armchair FAA investigator back when it happened) at 13,000’, the front of the fuselage broke of and nosedived into the ocean. [1]:109 After about 34 seconds (based on information from witness documents), the outer portions of both the right and left wings failed. [1]:259, Although it was unable to determine the exact source of the trace amounts of explosive residue found on the wreckage, the lack of any other corroborating evidence associated with a high-energy explosion led the NTSB to conclude that "the in-flight breakup of TWA flight 800 was not initiated by a bomb or missile strike. [64] After the TWA flight 800 investigation, the NTSB recognized the need for better clarity. [30]:2, With lines of authority unclear, differences in agendas and culture between the FBI and NTSB resulted in discord. It is sort of the Straight Dope of things airline related. "[53] Speculation was fueled in part by early descriptions, visuals and eyewitness accounts of the disaster that indicated a sudden explosion and trails of fire moving in an upward direction. Jon Levy/AFP/Getty Images Wreckage from TWA flight 800 floats in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean as a coast guard cutter continues the search in … To continue the pressure fueling, a TWA mechanic overrode the automatic VSO by pulling the volumetric fuse and an overflow circuit breaker. In 1996, few U.S. government websites were updated daily, but the United States Navy's crash website was constantly updated and had detailed information about the salvage of the crash site. There’s got to be some kind of figure and I have no idea how to search on something like that. ; rather, their thoughts were probably along the lines of “AAAAA? One-hundred-eighty-three individuals received a trauma severity score of severe; I had a similar experience as Lissa’s. In the case of the 747-100 series, the only wiring located inside the CWT is that which is associated with the FQIS. "[1]:237 The interviews conducted by the FBI focused on the possibility of a missile attack; suggested interview questions given to FBI agents such as "Where was the sun in relation to the aircraft and the missile launch point?" [1]:258, The NTSB considered the possibility that the explosive residue was due to contamination from the aircraft's use in 1991 transporting troops during the Gulf War or its use in a dog-training explosive detection exercise about one month before the accident. [1]:263, Only the FAA radar facility in North Truro, Massachusetts, using specialized processing software from the United States Air Force 84th Radar Evaluation Squadron, was capable of estimating the altitude of TWA 800 after it lost power due to the CWT explosion. The source of ignition energy for the explosion could not be determined with certainty, but, of the sources evaluated by the investigation, the most likely was a short circuit outside of the CWT that allowed excessive voltage to enter it through electrical wiring associated with the fuel quantity indication system. The pilots are human beings, after all. In addition, 16 students and 5 adult chaperones from the French Club of the Montoursville Area High School in Pennsylvania were on board. My company picks up the insurance, and has yet to complain. [1]:1 All 230 people on board died in the crash; it is the third-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history. [30]:2, Relatives of TWA 800 passengers and crew, as well as the media, gathered at the Ramada Plaza JFK Hotel. [1](fig.22a, p.66), Wreckage found in each zone corresponded to specific areas of the aircraft. Since that incident, air travel has absolutely terrifed me, and I usually spend the entire flight weeping quietly, and jumping at every bump and jolt of turbulence. **I was actually supposed to be * on * TWA Flight 800, but fortunately I changed my mind and took an earlier flight. [1]:230 Despite the two and a half years that had elapsed since the accident, the witness group did interview the captain of Eastwind Airlines Flight 507, who was the first to report the explosion of TWA 800, because of his vantage point and experience as an airline pilot. [1]:1 After the owner of the baggage in question was confirmed to be on board, the flight crew prepared for departure and the aircraft pushed back from Gate 27 at the TWA Flight Center. Silverman 44- Shorter, Anna Maria, Los Angeles, wife of saxophone player Wayne Shorter 45- Lucien, Dalila, niece (body found) ----- Families and Couples, 17 01- Benjamin, Arthur, high school computer science teacher, Philadelphia. The show described in detail the behavior of each plane covered as it crashed. I actually hadn’t heard about the disaster, since I had been in India, and when I made the connexion in Frankfurt I just realised that there was a lot of congestion, but didn’t know why. [6], 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. [1]:309–312 Among the recommendations was that significant consideration should be given to the development of modifications such as nitrogen-inerting systems for new airplane designs and, where feasible, for existing airplanes.[52]:6. [1]:94 Further, review of the Islip radar data for other similar summer days and nights in 1999 indicated that the 30-knot track was consistent with normal commercial fishing, recreational, and cargo vessel traffic. "[1]:259, In order to evaluate the sequence of structural breakup of the airplane, the NTSB formed the Sequencing Group,[1]:100 which examined individual pieces of the recovered structure, two-dimensional reconstructions or layouts of sections of the airplane, and various-sized three-dimensional reconstructions of portions of the airplane. The wreck site is on the Continental Shelf. "[1]:257, A review of recorded data from long-range and airport surveillance radars revealed multiple contacts of airplanes or objects in TWA 800's vicinity at the time of the accident. The NTSB said a spark in a fuel tank led to the explosion. The lighthouse statue was designed by Harry Edward Seaman, whose cousin died in the crash, and dedicated by George Pataki. [1]:257 It was also suggested that the breakup could have been initiated by an in-flight separation of the forward cargo door like the disasters on board Turkish Airlines Flight 981 or United Airlines Flight 811, but all evidence indicated that the door was closed and locked at impact. [1]:229, Examination of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder data showed a normal takeoff and climb,[15]:4 with the aircraft in normal flight[44]:2 before both abruptly stopped at 8:31:12 pm. Thanks, manhattan. The MOU states that: “[t]his procedure is intended…to ensure that neither NTSB nor FBI investigative activity unnecessarily complicates or compromises the other agency’s investigation. Minimal: fatal injuries present, but not considered instantaneously fatal. [1]:100 In addition, the locations of pieces of wreckage at the time of recovery and differences in fire effects on pieces that are normally adjacent to each other were evaluated. it’s just the idea of having a few minutes to THINK about my imminent demise that’s so horrifying. I even leave a final note to my friends and loved ones on the kitchen counter before I leave. The NTSB did not wish to renew the lease on the hangar it was using to store the re-assembled accident debris, and decided it should be disposed of. [1]:6[10][11] I hope you are not pulling our collective legs, because this is one of the scariest things I have ever read here. During this time, quenching was identified as an issue, where the explosion would extinguish itself as it passed through the complex structure of the CWT. After the tragedy, the website of The New York Times saw its traffic increase to 1.5 million hits per day, 50% higher than its previous rate. I’ll bet I can tell you the first thing that the English speakers aboard said: I suppose we’ve all heard the rumor that the above phrase is the most common last statement on recovered flight recorders. IMHO, the people towards the back (aft of the wing) were as aware as one can be of what was going on. Remind me to stay the hell away from you on the highway. Behind drawn shades in the autopsy rooms of the Suffolk County medical examiner's office, Dr. Charles Wetli and his team of 10 pathologists … That was supposed to read “a good **half-**dozen.” They were pretty good ones, though. [1]:93 Military records examined by the NTSB showed no military surface vessels within 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) of TWA 800 at the time of the accident. A postcard of the Statue of Liberty had become an interrupted souvenir, an image of the monument born in France that never … The design and certification concept that fuel tank explosions could be prevented solely by precluding all ignition sources. He had 17,000 flight hours, with more than 4,700 of them on the Boeing 747. victims to determine correlation between trauma severity and bodies recovered from the He said the bodies will be identified through medical records and interview materials. [1]:87 Instead, the NTSB conducted a series of computer simulations to examine the flightpath of the main portion of the fuselage. *Originally posted by Lissa * [1]:63 In one of the largest diver-assisted salvage operations ever conducted, often working in very difficult and dangerous conditions, over 95% of the airplane wreckage was eventually recovered. [29]:3[39]:5[37]:1–2 Under constant and considerable pressure to identify victims with minimal delay,[30]:3 pathologists worked non-stop. The close-up view of the accident aircraft's front fuselage, showing the seven plugged windows on the upper deck. The NTSB's conclusions about the cause of the TWA 800 disaster took four years and one month to be published. As of 2005[update], NTSB and FBI personnel conduct joint exercises. [38]:2[39]:7[37]:1–2, Much anger and political pressure was also directed at Suffolk County Medical Examiner Dr. Charles V. Wetli as recovered bodies backlogged at the morgue. [38]:2 Although NTSB vice chairman Robert Francis stated that all bodies were being retrieved as soon as they were spotted, and that wreckage was being recovered only if divers believed that victims were hidden underneath,[38]:2 many families were suspicious that investigators were not being truthful, or withholding information. Having been in a good dozen violent automobile accidents, I can attest to the fact that I said it, or at least thought it, every single time. I figured it would be a good idea to watch this since I had flown out to Georgia and would be flying back home soon. Prior to a couple of mergers, that had been the headquarters for Southern Airways. Flight engineer trainee Krick was seated in the flight engineer's seat (being monitored by Flight Engineer/Check Airman Campbell) and was the least experienced of the crew; having logged 2,520 flight hours, but with only 30 of them on the Boeing 747. My thoroughly uneducated, WAG is that the passengers would have been knocked unconscious by the blast. [45][46] In addition, the backs of several damaged passenger seats were observed to have an unknown red/brown-shaded substance on them. The TWA press release gives 25. If the Attorney General, in consultation with the Chairman of the [NTSB], determines and notifies the [NTSB] that circumstances reasonably indicate that the accident may have been caused by an intentional criminal act, the [NTSB] shall relinquish investigative priority to the [FBI]. TWA 800 was behind the target, and with the likely forward-looking perspective of the target's occupant(s), the occupants would not have been in a position to observe the aircraft's breakup or subsequent explosions or fireball(s). [18] Many witnesses in the vicinity of the crash stated that they saw or heard explosions, accompanied by a large fireball or fireballs over the ocean, and observed debris, some of which was burning while falling into the water. [42]:7–8, In February 1998, the FBI, having closed its active investigation, agreed to fully release the witness summaries to the NTSB. [42]:7 From November 1996 through April 1997 this group reviewed summaries of witness accounts on loan from the FBI (with personal information redacted), and conducted interviews with crewmembers from a New York Air National Guard HH-60 helicopter and C-130 airplane, as well as a U.S. Navy P-3 airplane that was flying in the vicinity of TWA 800 at the time of the accident. [1]:293–294 This was not considered proof of a source of ignition. [1]:261 A major reason for the flammability of the fuel/air vapor in the CWT of the 747 was the large amount of heat generated and transferred to the CWT by air conditioning packs located directly below the tank;[1]:298 with the CWT temperature raised to a sufficient level, a single ignition source could cause an explosion. As a result of the investigation, new requirements were developed for aircraft to prevent future fuel tank explosions. Engine #3 was started ten minutes later at 8:14 pm. In April 1998, the FBI provided the NTSB with the identities of the witnesses but due to the time elapsed a decision was made to rely on the original FBI documents rather than reinterview witnesses. [42]:5 Included in some of the witness summaries were drawings or diagrams of what the witness observed. [5] Sixteen months later, the JTTF announced that no evidence of a criminal act had been found and closed its active investigation. ")[1]:230 The NTSB Witness Group concluded that the streak of light reported by witnesses might have been the actual airplane during some stage of its flight before the fireball developed, noting that most of the 258 streak of light accounts were generally consistent with the calculated flightpath of the accident airplane after the CWT explosion. TWA flight 800, flight of a Trans World Airlines (TWA) jumbo jet airliner that broke up over the Atlantic Ocean and went down about 8 miles (13 km) off the coast of Long Island, near East Moriches, New York, on the evening of July 17, 1996.All 230 people on board died in the crash. surface of the ocean. Additionally, severed cables for the engine #3 thrust reverser were replaced. The Attorney General is empowered to declare an investigation to be linked to a criminal act, and require the NTSB to relinquish control of the investigation to the FBI. [1]:3, Various civilian, military, and police vessels reached the crash site and searched for survivors within minutes of the initial water impact, but found none,[1]:86 making TWA 800 the second-deadliest aircraft accident in United States history at that time.[19]. Accident investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) traveled to the scene, arriving the following morning[1]:313 amid speculation that a terrorist attack was the cause of the crash. As the NTSB had agreements with the victims' families that the wreckage cannot be used in any kind of public memorial, it plans to 3D laser scan each piece of debris, with the data being permanently archived, after which the wreckage will be destroyed.[69].