TWA 800 was a 25-year-old Boeing 747-131 (registration number N93119) owned and operated by Trans World Airlines.
On July 17, 1996, TWA 800 left JFK Airport on its way to Paris, France. Approxima...
TWA 800 was a 25-year-old Boeing 747-131 (registration number N93119) owned and operated by Trans World Airlines.
On July 17, 1996, TWA 800 left JFK Airport on its way to Paris, France. Approximately 13 minutes after take off, Flight 800 exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. All 230 passengers and crew were killed.
Following the crash of TWA 800, several theories arose as to what brought down the jumbo jet. At the time, the public and investigators believed that a terrorist bomb had brought down the plane, but as the investigation progressed, a new theory developed. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) interviewed over 500 witnesses who claim they saw an object in the sky streaking up towards the plane. Many believed that perhaps a terrorist missile brought down the plane. As the investigation continued, rumors spread that the object the witnesses saw was actually a U.S. Navy missile. The TWA 800 conspiracy was born.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had a different theory, however. After examining much of the plane and conducting several experiments, the NTSB published its report, blaming the disaster on a spark that ignited jet fuel vapors in the center wing tank, causing a catastrophic explosion that ultimately destroyed the plane.
Prior to its departure, TWA 800 was delayed while waiting for ground personnel to locate a "missing" passenger. While the plane sat on the hot tarmac, the air conditioning units kept the passengers cool, but at the same time they generated tremendous heat. Because the A/C units on the 747 are located directly beneath the center wing tank, the heat they generated heated the fuel in the center tank. As a liquid, JET A-1 fuel is extremely difficult to ignite, but as a vapor it is highly explosive. Eventually the ground personnel found the "missing" passenger (was already onboard) and TWA 800 left JFK over an hour late. The delay had allowed the fuel in the center wing tank to be heat up to its flash point. As the 747 climbed past 13,000 feet, a short circuit in the plane's tangled and corroded wiring sent high voltage electricity through the fuel probe wires and into the center wing tank. Here the high voltage electricity jumped from a wire on the fuel probe to another metal surface, creating an electrical arc which ignited the fuel vapor. The resulting explosion blew out the front of the tank, forcing its way into the front cargo hold. There it blew a hole on the bottom of the plane. Unable to cope with the structural damage, the plane's nose broke off. As the nose fell towards the ocean, the rest of the plane (unbalanced by the shift in the center of gravity) pitched up and climbed several thousand feet before stalling and falling back down to earth.
Despite the NTSB publishing its report, many still believed that a missile was involved. To this day, the debate as to what brought down TWA Flight 800 rages on.
Video from National Geographic's Seconds From Disaster TV series
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OMG ppl please do some research. Look into the facts; there were several warnings sent to news agencies reporting that stinger missiles had been smuggled into the U.S. and the supposed target was an airliner. There were hundreds of witnesses that reported seeing two lights originating from the shore, that struck the plane. A ret. naval Col. J. Marcel started the ARAP to investigate, found the gov's explanation to be BS, but died b4 bringing his findings b4 Congress. I had a friend on that flight
IF the government was shooting missles into the air, don't you think that they would've notified any planes that were to be flying in that path to MOVE? And, I don't think the government would test explosives near a resedential area.
they do. at the time of accident, a government missile testing area was only 130 km( i think) from long island, the distance was about 3/4 of long island.
yeah thats why i never fly, if its my time to go id rather it now be on a broken in half plane, with hundreds of people screaming in terror around you while the flames, and the lound sound of the engines roaring in your ears brings your mind to an absolote horrifiing last few moments of complete fear unknown to anyone, very scary, very real. They say planes are safer than cars, ture. BUT im not going to be on that one plane that dose not make that statistic.
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at the time of accident, a government missile testing area was only 130 km( i think) from long island, the distance was about 3/4 of long island.