Boeing 747-131 accident near East Moriches, NY

On July 18, 1996, a Boeing 747-131 (airplane) was involved in an accident near East Moriches, NY. 230 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

July 18, 1996

Place

East Moriches, NY

Aircraft

Boeing 747-131 · Airplane

Injuries

230 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

40.850°N, 72.789°W

NTSB ID

20001208X06204

Official records · DCA96MA070

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
• Investigation page: status, final report and safety recommendations

Air traffic control records

• ATC 3 - Exhibit No. 3A - Group Chairman Factual Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• ATC 3 - Exhibit No. 3B - Air Traffic Control Transcripts B-F: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• ATC 3 - Exhibit No. 3C - Air Traffic Control Transcripts (G -H): Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• ATC 3 - Exhibit No. 3D - Air Traffic Control Transcripts I-L1: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• ATC 3 - Exhibit No. 3E - Air Traffic Control Transcripts L2: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

On July 17, 1996, at 2031 EDT, a Boeing 747-131, N93119, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, about 8 miles south of East Moriches, New York, after taking off from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The airplane was being operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulation (CFR), Part 121, on a regularly scheduled flight to Charles De Gaulle International Airport (CDG), Paris, France, as Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 800. Witnesses saw an explosion and then debris descending to the ocean. The flightcrew did not report a problem to air traffic control. The airplane was manufactured in November 1971. It had accumulated about 93,303 flight hours and 16,869 cycles. On board the airplane were 212 passengers and 18 crewmembers. The airplane was destroyed by explosion, fire, and impact forces with the ocean. All 230 people aboard were killed. On August 23, 2000, the National Transportation Safety Board adopted a final report on this accident. The report is identified as NTSB report number AAR-00/03.

Probable cause

An explosion of the center wing fuel tank (CWT), resulting from ignition of the flammable fuel/air mixture in the tank. 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

From Wikipedia

TWA Flight 800 was a regularly scheduled Trans World Airlines international passenger flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, United States, to Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy, with a stopover at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France. On July 17, 1996, at approximately 8:31 p.m. EDT, or 20:31, twelve minutes after takeoff, the Boeing 747-100 performing this flight exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York.

All 230 people on board were killed in the crash; it is the third-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history. Accident investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) traveled to the scene, arriving the following morning amid speculation that a terrorist attack was the cause of the crash. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and New York Police Department Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) initiated a joint criminal investigation. Sixteen months later, the JTTF announced that no evidence of a criminal act had been found and closed its active investigation.

Text from Wikipedia, “TWA Flight 800”, CC BY-SA 4.0; shortened to the introduction. Authors.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.