[30] The IAMAW strongly criticized the FBI's conduct during the investigation, including the undocumented removal by FBI agents of wreckage from the hangar where it was stored. [31], Donaldson disputed the CWT fuel-air vapor explosion scenario, stating that "In the history of aviation, there has never been an in-flight explosion in any Boeing airliner of a Jet-A kerosene fuel vapor/air mixture in any tank, caused by mechanical failure. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In it, Donaldson stated that TWA 800 was struck by two missiles, fired from the water, most likely as a terrorist attack, and subsequently the FBI and NTSB conspired to cover up this fact due to political pressure. Flight TWA 800 . [3]:65 Recovered wreckage was transported by boat to shore and then by truck to leased hangar space at the former Grumman Aircraft facility in Calverton, New York, for storage, examination, and reconstruction.[3]:63. But the magnitude of the disaster 17 years ago Wednesday night … They dubbed it "The TWA 800 Project". As wreckage was recovered, preliminary testing indicated the presence of explosive residue on three samples of material from three separate locations of the recovered airplane wreckage (described by the FBI as a piece of canvas-like material and two pieces of a floor panel). Their petition was based on eyewitness accounts, radar evidence indicating a possible missile and claims of evidence tampering. [9] In 1997 Sanders' published the book The Downing of TWA Flight 800, in which he proposed that TWA 800 had been downed by a missile, and that a government cover-up had taken place so as to not panic the public. Former NTSB investigator Henry Hughes has been quoted that he believes a bomb or a missile caused the crash. [1] The NTSB found that the probable cause of the crash of TWA Flight 800 was an explosion of flammable fuel/air vapors in a fuel tank, most likely from a short circuit. "[31] Eyewitness, debris field, metallurgical, and victim injury evidence were all cited by Donaldson as proof of the missile-attack scenario. "[30], The IAMAW criticized the accuracy of the "Tag database" used to document the recovered wreckage and the reliability of the witness statements. Corrections? TWA Flight 800 was a Boeing 747 bound for Paris with 230 people aboard. The Possibility of Electromagnetic Interference", was published. He died in 2001; the ARAP Web site is still active. [22], A theory was posited in 1997 by Michael Davis, an American amateur geologist, that a bolide exploded near the airplane. The vapor in the fuel tank could have ignited due to the searing heat produced by the bolide's high velocity. [1] The heavy redaction of FBI interviews with witnesses also contributed to public doubt of official explanation. [3]:4 The main wreckage was found scattered on the ocean floor in an area about 4 miles long by 3 1/2 miles wide. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Stay informed of what’s happening in your area with the help of WTOP’s news team. [2], TWA 800, a Boeing 747-131, was a scheduled international passenger flight from New York City, New York to Rome, Italy, with a stopover in Paris, France. There is a memorial on Long Island, New York, dedicated to the victims of the plane crash; it includes flags from all 13 of the victims' home countries. Traces of explosives were found in the cabin, but it was suggested that they were residue from an explosive detection training exercise that had recently been staged on the airplane. [3]:3 There was intense public interest in these witness reports and much speculation that the reported streak of light was from a missile that had struck TWA 800, causing the airplane to explode. Mr. Richard G. Campbell (1933-1996), from Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA, American TWA Engineer flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. More than 95 percent of the aircraft was recovered as well. [3]:118 These samples were submitted to the FBI's laboratory in Washington, D.C., which determined that one sample contained traces of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX), another nitroglycerin, and the third a combination of RDX and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN);[3]:118 these findings received much media attention at the time. [11] The Sanders' defense attorney Bruce Maffeo described the prosecution as "extremely vindictive" and insisted that the couple had a First Amendment right to take the sample and crash-related documents to expose a cover-up. A bolide is a large meteoroid, explosively torn apart as it hits the atmosphere. CNN quickly found Salinger's document to be "a widely accessible e-mail letter that has been circulating for at least six weeks on the Internet's World Wide Web. Le 17 juillet 1996, le Boeing 747 effectuant le vol TWA 800 explose en plein vol au large de Long Island 12 min après son décollage de New York JFK.L'avion de la Trans World Airlines, à destination de Rome Fiumicino, via Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, transportait 230 personnes (2 pilotes, 2 mécaniciens navigants, 14 hôtesses et stewards et 212 passagers) dont aucune ne survécut à l'accident. [20] In a further ruling on October 4, 2006, the court finalized the list of documents that the NTSB and CIA must provide to Lahr (again granting some, but not all, of his FOIA requests). [27] Scarry focused on a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion close to TWA 800 as being a possible source of electromagnetic interference and cause of the CWT explosion on TWA 800. TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories are alternative explanations of the cause of the crash Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA 800) in 1996. Flight TWA 800 . By Claire Colbert, CNN (CNN) -- The reconstructed wreckage of Trans World Airlines Flight 800, which exploded minutes after taking off from … [12] In 1999, James Sanders authored a second book, Altered Evidence. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The cockpit voice recorder ceased to function 12 minutes later, just before the aircraft explosion occurred at an altitude of about 13,700 feet (4,200 metres). The plane took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport at 8:19 pm. [31], Much of the report dealt with Donaldson's assertions of a conspired cover-up by the FBI and NTSB, in co-operation with the Justice Department. [1] According to the rhetorician Shane Miller, the widespread acceptance of conspiracy theories is a result of a lack solid evidence of the direct cause of the source of ignition for the center fuel tank explosion. [31], As of 1998, only about half of Americans accepted the NTSB's conclusion that the crash was the result of a mechanical malfunction. "[13] Salinger's evidence was actually an e-mail from Richard Russell, a retired airline pilot. The centre portion of the Boeing 747 fuselage from the reconstructed wreckage of TWA flight 800, in a hangar in Calverton, New York, 1997. [14], Salinger's previous position as White House Press Secretary, as well as longtime correspondent for ABC News, initially gave credence to his statements, transforming them from "internet conspiracies" into the mainstream. [15][16] NTSB Vice chairman Bob Francis was quoted as saying "He was an idiot, he didn't know what he was talking about, and he was totally irresponsible. TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories are alternative explanations of the cause of the crash Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA 800) in 1996. [31] Donaldson acknowledged James Sanders' theory of an accidental shoot-down, and did not rule out U.S. Navy involvement; however, he viewed circumstantial evidence of a terrorist attack "more compelling". [6], Pieces of the airplane wreckage were discovered floating on and beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean about eight miles south of East Moriches, New York. “The investigation of the crash of T.W.A. 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. TWA Flight 800 left John F. Kennedy International Airport on July 17, 1996, exploding and going down minutes after take off. Mr. Otis Lamar Allen (d. 1996), from Mariette, Georgia, USA, American passenger flying aboard flight TWA 800 with his son Ashton Allen from J.F.K. [27] Scarry criticized what she felt was a bias in the investigation to the "meticulous" detailing of events inside the airplane, while not fully exploring the electromagnetic environment outside the airplane. Flight 800, "Classified or Coverup? Updates? Lahr, recipient of the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award by the Flight Safety Foundation in 1994,[17] filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit in U.S. District Court, Central District of California, Western Division, on November 6, 2003, against the NTSB and CIA. [24] Later that year, The New York Review of Books published a series of letters between Scarry and NTSB Chairman James Hall discussing the possibility of HIRF being causal to the accident, and what steps the NTSB was taking in its investigation to determine if it was a factor. The centre section of the airplane fell first, then the forward fuselage, and finally the wings and the remainder of the fuselage. Conspiracy theories claim that the crash was due to a U.S. Navy missile test gone awry, a terrorist missile strike, or an on-board bomb. [3]:262 Consequently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated a parallel criminal investigation alongside the NTSB's accident investigation. Other data appear to fit the hypothesis; the sequence of multiple sonic booms heard by witnesses onshore could be explained by the explosion and subsequent scattering of the heavier bolide remnants; the estimated 200 holes in the fuselage (cited in FBI report) could be indicative of metal cut by objects traveling at extremely high speed. [30] The IAMAW wrote that "a major event may have occurred on the left side of the aircraft. It crashed on July 17, 1996, minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport. It could have contributed to or been the cause of the destruction of Flight 800. Davis proposed that the mysterious streak observed just before the explosion was the meteoroid's entry path, moments before it blew apart. Investigators pieced the centre portion of the fuselage back together in a hangar in Calverton, New York. A U.S. government inquiry determined that a mixture of fuel and air had ignited accidentally within a fuel tank, but some independent investigators maintained that the flight had fallen victim to a missile. Working with journalist James Sanders, and Sanders' wife Elizabeth, a TWA flight attendant, he removed items from the wreckage reconstruction site, specifically the samples of seat fabric as well as documents related to the investigation. The TWA Flight 800 International Memorial and Gardens is in Shirley, New York. Pierre Salinger claimed that the U.S. Navy shot down TWA flight 800, thereby popularizing one of the conspiracy theories regarding the flight. [33][34][35][36][37], International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (September 1983) alternative theories, "Conspiracy Theories: Public Arguments as Coded Social Critiques: a Rhetorical Analysis of the Twa Flight 800 Conspiracy Theories", "TWA Flight 800 documentary hints at crash cover-up", "Aircraft Accident Report: In-flight Breakup Over the Atlantic Ocean Trans World Airlines Flight 800", "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-131 N93119 East Moriches, NY", "Aircraft Accident Report: In-flight Breakup Over the Atlantic Ocean Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (Appendices)", "NTSB Board Meeting on TWA 800 August 22, 2000, Morning Session", "Source: Traces of 2nd explosive found in TWA debris", Flight Safety Foundation: The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award, "TWA Flight 800: The Impossible Zoom Climb", International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers: Analysis and Recommendations Regarding T.W.A. aviation disaster, off the coast of Long Island, New York, United States [1996]. "[21] [3]:259, Meanwhile, TWA chief 747 pilot Robert Terrell Stacey, who was participating in the official investigation as a TWA representative, became convinced that a reddish-brown substance observed on the backs of recovered passenger seats was suspicious, and possibly indicative of explosive residue or rocket fuel. The National Transportation Safety Board inquiry determined that the cause of the crash was an explosion of a combustible mixture of fuel and air in the centre wing fuel tank. Flight 800 is a seminal moment in aviation safety history,” the safety board’s managing director, Sharon W. Bryson, said in a statement. According to investigators, these witnesses actually saw a stream of burning fuel leaking from the crippled craft. The investigators believed that the explosion was caused by an electrical short circuit that affected fuel gauge wiring within the tank. "[19], On August 31, 2006, the District Court issued an initial ruling that the evidence submitted by Lahr as justification for his FOIA lawsuit was "sufficient for the plaintiff to proceed based on his claim that the government acted improperly,"[20] and that Lahr should be granted access to some, but not all, of the documents he was seeking, based on the FOIA statutes and case law. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. [citation needed], Although raising an interesting possibility, other scientists dismissed this theory due to the extremely low probability of a bolide's intersecting the aircraft's flight path at precisely the required moment. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Often the passage of time heals old wounds. Many initially suspected that terrorism was to blame for the disaster. "[14], Another proponent of the U.S. Navy shootdown theory and prominent critic of the zoom climb scenario was H. Ray Lahr, a retired United Airlines pilot. [10], The NTSB determined the locations and appearance of the substance found on the seatbacks was consistent with adhesive used in the construction of the seats, and additional laboratory testing by NASA identified the substance as being consistent with those adhesives (results which Sanders disputed).[3]:118. "[30], William S. Donaldson, a retired Naval officer, formed the Associated Retired Aviation Professionals (ARAP) to investigate the TWA 800 crash. [13] Salinger said "he was basing the claims on information he saw in a document given to him six weeks ago by someone in French Intelligence with close contacts to U.S. officials",[13] but refused to name his source. Upon being handed this verdict by the court, the agencies involved claimed the documents had been "lost" and could not be located, according to the plaintiff. Among the FBI’s witnesses were 258 people who claimed to have seen a streak of light approaching the airplane just before the crash. [3]:62 In one of the largest diver-assisted salvage operations ever conducted,[6] over 95 percent of the airplane wreckage was eventually recovered. The Effect of Redactions on Conspiracy Theory Beliefs", "U.S. investigators will not reopen TWA Flight 800 crash probe", "Salinger's Accusations About TWA Flight 800 Resurface in New Documentary", "New Documentary Fails To Prove That TWA Flight 800 Was Hit By A Missile", "NTSB Denies Petition on 1996 Crash of TWA Flight 800", "Skeptoid #99: Reassembling TWA Flight 800", Mass murder of German POWs after World War II (1940s), Allegations of CIA assistance to Osama bin Laden, Free energy suppression conspiracy theory, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=TWA_Flight_800_conspiracy_theories&oldid=1009562175, Conspiracy theories involving aviation incidents, Aviation accident investigations with disputed causes, Articles with dead external links from July 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from December 2020, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from May 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2016, Articles that may contain original research from September 2007, All articles that may contain original research, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 1 March 2021, at 05:50.