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).

Official explanation

After what has been billed as the longest and most expensive accident investigation in American aviation history, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found that the flammable fuel/air mixture of the center wing fuel tank probably ignited due to electrical failure in the center fuel tank, causing the plane to explode in flight. The FBI agreed that there had been no criminal act after examining all the plane's wreckage that had been recovered.

Related Topics:
National Transportation Safety Board - NTSB - FBI

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The NTSB subsequently made several recommendations to the FAA with an eye toward reducing the potential for future fuel/air vapor explosions in fuel tanks. In February 2004, the FAA indicated that it would start the (rather long) process of ordering airlines to install a fuel tank inerting system in most of their aircraft. It was stated that the order would probably actually be issued within two years, and then the airlines would be required to install the devices over the subsequent seven years. The FAA stated that, including the TWA Flight 800 crash, there had been three fuel tank explosions in airliners over the previous 14 years (the two others having occurred on the ground), and that based on this statistic, fuel tank inerting devices could eliminate about 4 accidents over the next 25 years.

Related Topics:
FAA - Inerting system

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Paradoxically, the less fuel in the tank, the more dangerous it is, since fuel has a higher specific heat capacity, and is slower to heat up than an air mixture.

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Investigators also concluded that the ruptured airframe fuel tanks had caused avgas to drop from the aircraft. While initially falling clear, it subsequently ignited and burned, from the end of the stream upward, its way back to the aircraft, causing another explosion. This would account for eyewitness testimony suggestive of a missile launch.

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Boeing has stated that it will install its inerting system in all aircraft starting in 2005.

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