TWA Flight 800

TWA Flight 800 (TW800, TWA800) was a passenger flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York) to Charles De Gaulle International Airport (Paris).

Related Topics:
TWA - John F. Kennedy International Airport - New York - Charles De Gaulle International Airport - Paris

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On July 17, 1996, the plane, a Boeing 747-131 registered as N93119 and designated by TWA as ship number 17119, exploded off Long Island in mid-air and crashed into the ocean, killing all 230 people on board, including French guitarist Marcel Dadi and composer David Hogan. The exact cause of the explosion is still unknown. The aircraft was flying more than eight miles off the coast of East Moriches, New York (on Long Island) when the fuel tank exploded. The aircraft banked and the front part of the aircraft broke off. The wind pushed the aircraft into a climb. Then, the aircraft went into a dive, causing the wings to break off the aircraft. TWA 800 splashed down to the Atlantic Ocean and some debris was aflame. One eyewitness, Eileen Daley, described the crash: "Our son was out on the beach and said 'Look' and we heard an explosion and there was a white flash and then we saw an orange fireball and then became two fireballs and we saw a rectangular fireball that stretched from the air down to the ocean".

Related Topics:
July 17 - 1996 - Boeing 747-131 - Long Island - French - Marcel Dadi - David Hogan

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The flight number was retired and replaced with flight 924 after the crash, although TWA continued to operate flights between New York and Paris. In Spring 2001, TWA merged with American Airlines.

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