Last month marked 30 years since one of the deadliest aviation disasters in US history. Relatives gathered in New York on July 17 to remember the 230 killed when the TWA Flight 800 exploded in mid-air after taking off from JFK Airport.
The Paris-bound jet crashed just 12 minutes after take-off, sparking a slew of conspiracy theories which are still widely shared to this day. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded there was no crime involved. But even some investigators admit we don't know the full story.
The Fireball Horror
The fireball horror left witnesses stunned when the plane's fuselage exploded and crashed down off the coast of Long Island, New York. The flight was due to depart at 7pm but was delayed by over an hour. At around 8.19pm, it speeds down the runway and takes off. The clocktower instructs the Boeing 747 to climb to 15,000ft. But as it does, something goes wrong.
At 8.31pm, a loud sound is picked up by the microphone in the cockpit and the flight disappears from the radar screen. Then 38 seconds later, a captain of another plane radios air traffic control to say he has seen an explosion.
Eyewitness Account
Captain David McLain said he had noticed a small light on the flight's underbelly and thought they had forgotten to turn off their landing lights. But a part of him worried an engine was on fire so he kept an eye on the plane. He said: "It blew up in the air and then we saw two fireballs go down to the water. TWA Flight 800 exploded right in front of me." At the same time, more than 700 witnesses see the crash.
The NTSB found that the probable cause of the crash was an explosion of flammable fuel or air vapors in a fuel tank, most likely from a short circuit. But conspiracy theories continue to reject the official conclusion.
Conspiracy Theories and Official Response
Wild theories include it was a US Navy missile test gone awry, a terrorist missile strike or an on-board bomb. An early criticism of the official investigation came from President Kennedy's White House Press Secretary and former Senator for California, Pierre Salinger.
On November 7, 1996, he held a press conference in Cannes, France, and claimed to have proof both that TWA 800 was shot down by friendly fire and that the government was covering this up. He claimed to have seen information "in a document given to him six weeks ago by someone in French Intelligence with close contacts to U.S. officials." It was later found that his "evidence" was a debunked e-mail that had been circulating online for months.
NTSB's 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." But theories persisted, fueled by the fact the black box recording did not pilots did send out a distress call.
Unanswered Questions and Legal Action
Most experts accept the NTSB's report. Investigators ultimately concluded that a spark in the 747's main fuel tank brought it down. But they admit, they have never been able to pinpoint what ignited that explosion. They think a wire may have short-circuited outside of the tank, which sparked the explosion. But that explanation isn't good enough for some doubters.
Many witnesses claimed to have seen a "streak of light" ascending to the point where the fireball appeared. This fueled speculation the plane was brought down by a missile. No Terror group had ever come forward to claim responsibility. Other theorists claim it was shot down by a US Navy vessel missile strike, and that the US government has covered it up. In 1998, only about half of Americans accepted the NTSB's conclusion that the crash was the result of a mechanical malfunction.
In September 2022, the families of 15 victims filed a lawsuit alleging the cause of the flight's explosion was the testing of the Aegis Combat System (Aegis). It claims the Aegis fired RIM-66 Standard type SM-2 missiles at aerial targets in close proximity to commercial flight paths, causing a friendly fire incident which the Department of Defense and the FBI covered up. The case remains in litigation.
