17 July 1996 - TWA 800

On July 17, 1996, at about 20:31 EDT, Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA 800), a Boeing 747-131, exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, about 12 minutes after takeoff, killing all 230 on board. TWA 800 was a scheduled international passenger flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City, NY to Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO) in Rome, Italy, via Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) in Paris, France.

While investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) traveled to the scene, arriving the following day, much initial speculation centered on the crash being a terrorist attack. Consequently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated a parallel investigation into the crash. On November 18, 1997, the FBI announced that no evidence had been found of a criminal act and closed its active investigation.

The four-year NTSB investigation ended with the adoption of its final report on August 23, 2000. In it they concluded that the probable cause of the accident was an explosion of fuel vapors in the center wing fuel tank, most likely as a result of a short circuit. As a result of the crash, new requirements were developed for aircraft to prevent future occurrences of fuel tank explosions.

Many TWA Flight 800 alternative theories exist, the most prevalent being that an external missile strike from a terrorist or U.S. Navy vessel caused the crash, and is the subject of a government coverup.

On the day of the accident the airplane departed Athens, Greece, as TWA Flight 881, and arrived at the gate at JFK about 16:38. Upon arrival at JFK there was a crew change, and the aircraft was refueled. This was to be the first leg of a scheduled three-day trip sequence for the four flight crew members: Captain Ralph G. Kevorkian, Captain/Check Airman Steven E. Snyder and Flight Engineer/Check Airman Richard G. Campbell (all with more than 30 years employment at TWA), and Flight Engineer Trainee Oliver Krick, who was starting the sixth leg of his intial operating experience training.

TWA 800 was scheduled to depart JFK for France around 19:00, but the flight was delayed for just over an hour due to a disabled piece of ground equipment and a passenger/baggage mismatch. After it was confirmed the owner of the baggage in question was on board, the flight crew prepared for departure, and the aircraft pushed back from gate 27 in Terminal 5 at JFK about 20:02, and took off from JFK's runway 22R at 20:19.

TWA 800 then received a series of generally increasing altitude assignments and heading changes as it climbed to its intended cruising altitude. Weather in the area was light winds with scattered clouds, and there was dusk lighting conditions.

At 20.29:15, the captain stated, "Look at that crazy fuel flow indicator there on number four .. see that?" One minute later Boston ARTCC advised them to climb and maintain FL150. The crew then selected climb thrust. After a every loud sound for a fraction of a second, the CVR stopped recording at 20.31:12. The aircraft broke up and debris fell into the sea, 8 miles south off East Moriches.

At 20:31:50 the captain of an Eastwind Airlines Boeing 737 first reported to Boston ARTCC that he "just saw an explosion out here", adding "[...]about sixteen thousand feet [4,900 m] or something like that, it just went down into the water." Subsequently, many Air Traffic Control (ATC) facilities in the New York/Long Island area received reports of an explosion from other pilots operating in the area. Many witnesses in the vicinity of the crash when it occurred stated that they saw and/or heard explosions, accompanied by a large fireball or fireballs over the ocean, and observed debris, some of which was burning, falling into the water.

Although individuals in various civilian, military, and police vessels reached the crash site and initiated a search for survivors within minutes of the initial water impact, no survivors were found, making TWA 800 the second worst aircraft accident in United States of America at the time.

Wikipedia link

Download the full NTSB report

Transcript of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)

Legenda
RDO - Radio transmission from accident aircraft
CAM - Cockpit Area Microphone sound or source
INT - Aircraft flight/ground intercom sound or source
-1 - Voice identified as Captain (left seat)
-2 - Voice identified as First Officer (right seat)
-3 - Voice identified as Second Officer
-4 - Voice identified as Instructor Flight Engineer
-5 - Voice identified as gate agent personnel
-6 - Voice identified as male aircraft ground personnel
-? - Voice unidentified
TWR - JFK Local Controller (tower)
GND - JFK Ground Controller
DEP - New York Radar Departure Controller
CTR - Boston ARTCC Controller (center)
FIC - TWA Flight Information Controller
GH - Kennedy Gate Hold Controller
LOAD- TWA passenger/freight load Controller
ATIS- Kennedy automated terminal information service
UNK - Unknown source
* - Unintelligible word
@ - Non-pertinent word
# - Expletive deleted
% - Break in continuity
() - Questionable text
(( ))- Editorial insertion
- - Pause

Note: All times are expressed in Eastern Daylight Savings time. Only radio transmissions to and from the accident aircraft were transcribed.