TWA Flight 800 — Flight that exploded and crashed in 1996 off the coast of New York
The crash killed all 230 aboard and prompted the most extensive air disaster investigation in U.S. history, leading to new aircraft fuel-tank safety requirements.
Key Facts
- Date of crash
- July 17, 1996
- Lives lost
- 230 people
- Aircraft type
- Boeing 747
- Time after takeoff
- 12 minutes
- Investigation duration
- 4 years
- U.S. aviation accident rank
- Third-deadliest in U.S. history
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The center fuel tank of the Boeing 747 contained flammable fuel vapors, and a malfunction in the fuel quantity indication system (FQIS) wiring—evidenced by arcing—likely caused a short circuit. The captain had noted erratic readings from the FQIS roughly two and a half minutes before the explosion, indicating the system had already been malfunctioning during the flight.
On July 17, 1996, approximately twelve minutes after departing John F. Kennedy International Airport, TWA Flight 800 exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, at around 8:31 p.m. EDT. All 230 people on board were killed. Initial speculation centered on a terrorist attack, prompting parallel investigations by the NTSB, FBI, and NYPD's Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The FBI's terrorism investigation was closed after sixteen months when no evidence of criminal activity was found. The NTSB concluded its four-year investigation in August 2000, determining that ignited fuel vapors in the center tank caused the explosion. The inquiry led to new federal regulations requiring design changes to prevent fuel-tank explosions on commercial aircraft.