CIA Report-What Really Happened to TWA Flight 800 (44) 14min 2017 ALL On July 17th, 1996, The U.S had one of its most deadly aviation accidents in history when Trans World Airlines Flight 800 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. All rights reserved. See the latest issue of Bostonia, now available! Would you like email updates of new search results? It ended upa topic of discussion at a Sept. 16 NTSB news briefing on Long Island after media outlets began to investigate. The aim, according to Francis, is to raise two of the four engines by the end of the week. To me, it is impossible for secrets like this to be kept secret very long.. plane. However, I think the most compelling reason to say it was not shot down is that no one has ever claimed responsibility for any act against the plane. -- were killed instantly, the NTSB says. The reconstructed wreckage of TWA Flight 800, painstakingly reassembled as part of the investigation into what happened to the Boeing 747, is set to be destroyed following the 25th anniversary of . . During the NTSB's four-year investigation, federal officialsobtained signed certifications from U.S. military chains of command running crash area assets, training exercises and armaments capable of reaching the aircraft. Pilot interviews should have been standard procedure for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Citizens who practice genuine democracy will not suffer the insult of being slandered as conspiracy theorists. This wrong will be righted. The explosion that occurred on TWA 800 was in the center wing fuel tank and was not from anything external, he says. So much information was generated by the hundreds of "It's like a car smashing into a brick wall at 400 m.p.h.," said Suffolk County Medical Examiner Charles Wetli. Despite the safety boards official findings, over the last two decades, conspiracy theorists, bolstered by eyewitness accounts reporting a missile strike, continue to charge that a terrorist attack, bombing or even friendly fire took down Flight 800. Lesley Kennedy is a features writer and editor living in Denver. In the early days it seemed very likely that a terrorist bomb was responsible. Other potential causes introduced in late 1990persistalong with the friendly-fire claim more than two decades later. An official website of the United States government. EVEN AFTER THE MYSTERY OF what happened to TWA Flight 800 is eventually solved, images of the 230 passengers who died . But there was no mention by the pilots of any missile smoke trail coming up and only two going down. The event remains one of the deadliest plane crashes in U.S. history. Another photo that appeared to show an object near the airplaneshowed debris on the film surface,FBI officials said. and four passengers definitely weren't killed by the the plane landed in the Atlantic Ocean. Corroborating evidence is nice but not necessary. CNN On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800 took off from JFK Airport headed for Paris. Once John F. Kennedys press secretary, Salinger misrepresented the post as a document he obtained by someone in French intelligence that originated from a Secret Service agent with U.S. Navy contacts, before a CNN reporter pointed out the similarities. The forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts clearly show that there was ordnance external to the airplane involved in this crash. And he said, No, Air France is better. And it really tore my guts out, because I was so happy at CBS. One such missile, it is contended, struck TWA Flight 800, causing it to break apart and crash into the Atlantic Ocean, killing everyone aboard. Someone says, 'I wonder if X happened,' "Goertzel said. I said, Kristina, we have to do this ourselves. It turned out their timing was right. NTSB officials had to publicly respond to requests to reconsider its findings in the investigation, WCBS interviews Mike Kelly about the 25th anniversary of TWA Flight 800, A final, up-close look at the wreckage of TWA Flight 800, 70 years ago, an NJ WWII veteran killed 13 of his neighbors, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. It is further contended by plaintiffs that the. They often gainacceptance and spread fromthosewho score low in measures of interpersonal trust and general agreeableness,he added. Initially, I was sure the NTSB investigators interviewed these pilots and came to the same conclusion. David Zimmer is a local reporter forNorthJersey.com. After most of the aircraft was recovered, the NTSB reported the CWT had exploded. It was really the first conspiracy of the internet age, Miller said. But some, including Borjesson, questioned the explanation. Fragments of a third engine have also been sighted, but the divers and sophisticated sonar equipment have yet to detect the jet's fourth engine. In 2000, following what the NTSB described as the most extensive and complex probe in its history, the safety board determined that TWA Flight 800 was brought down by an explosion of the center wing fuel tank. How the FBI played a role in the capture of Princess Latifa of Dubai, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Just after the crash, FBI investigators quickly focused their attention on the plane's forward area, which contains a cargo hold where luggage and other materials are stored. He called the NTSB and the media, but says he was unable to generate any interest in his findings. 2023 www.northjersey.com. Also in the plane's forward section was its center fuel tank, which was nearly empty, according to James Kallstrom, the assistant director of the FBI. Many nearby pilots also radioed they saw the event, with no mention by any pilot of seeing anything other than the 747, its explosion, then two smoke trails and a crash site. FBI officials have said that the bodies of passengers seated in the front of the plane suffered more damage than those people riding in the rear of the aircraft. Baltimore. In June 2013, they were joined by some of the family members of crash victims in filing a petition asking the NTSB to reopen the case. The personal investment involved in accepting or progressing conspiracy theories can make them tough to dismiss,Barkun said. NTSB created a special Web site to disseminate the data. The findings will be detailed through a series of questions In 2000, following what the NTSB described as the most extensive and complex probe in its history, the safety board de- termined that TWA Flight 800 was brought down by an explosion of the center wing fuel tank. 230 people perished when TWA Flight 800 exploded. Please sign and share! The NTSB conducted simulations trying to recreate the An NTSB review determined that the claim cast insufficient doubt about the initial investigation. Now anyone with an idea, no matter how bizarre, has a way of potentially getting it in front of fairly large audiences,he said. Many remain open. The documentary features several members of the original investigation team, along with eyewitnesses to the crash. The same rogue shadow government group that murdered the Kennedy brothers also flagrantly denied true democracy to its citizens in its criminal violation of the investigation into Flight 800s crash. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! posed to panels of investigators by both NTSB technical It was like hot oil was poured on my brain. an instant loss of consciousness.". Soon EPIX was on board, agreeing to fund and broadcast the documentary. The FBI checked out hundreds of boats, yet wasnt able to identify those four? The documentary is available for streaming on Netflix. On July 17,1996, a Boeing 747 exploded in midair off the coast of Long Island. Victim fragmentation patterns and seat location supplements crash data: American Airlines flight 587. The nation was still processing the1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 1995 Oklahoma City explosion and the trial of Ramzi Yousef for conspiracy to destroy American-bound airliners. Several people then claimed these witness reports were evidence of Friendly Fire by a missile from a Navy vessel or a terrorist attack. Critical analysis of injuries sustained in the TWA flight 800 midair disaster. 25 years later, the wounds are 'still raw.'. Check out the debate. That has eroded what was once a firm boundary between the fringe and the mainstream., 'It still takes my breath away':A final, up-close look at the wreckage of TWA Flight 800. Conspiracy theoriestook shape. All of a sudden the phone rang, she says, and I heard my neighbors voice say, Was that your sons plane that just went down? A Paris-bound Boeing 747 had exploded off the coast of Long Island, N.Y., just after 8:30 p.m., killing all 230 on board. Below is a list of those on board, according to family, friends or officials . Although the cause could not be established, it said, it was most likely the result of a short circuit in the electrical wiring outside the tank. A new documentary featuring former investigators from several organizations is calling for the National Transportation Safety Board to reopen the investigation into why TWA Flight 800 exploded . Meanwhile, the NTSB'sassessment overlooked evidence of a missile strike, such as radar data, witness statements and holes in the fuselage, according to Hughes. In this case, Russellsaid a longtime friend said he had radar footage that showed a missile traveling toward the plane just before the crash. taken to prevent an accident like this from recurring in the Borjesson says that the man who had received the foam from a member of the official investigation and sent it to her for testing had every right to do so, but the FBI came calling and claimed it was stolen. Once John F. Kennedys press secretary, Salinger misrepresented the post as a document he obtained by someone in French intelligence that originated from a Secret Service agent with U.S. Navy contacts before a CNN reporter pointed out the similarities. I reported on the crash and investigation for the Fairfield County Weekly and then for the Village Voice. Both camps agreed on a government coverup. Investigators, meanwhile, said they would begin reconstructing the front section of the Boeing 747 in an effort to learn more about the cause of the crash. A missile strike, friendly fire and a meteor were blamed for the TWA Flight 800 explosion. A comparison was performed against injury data from takeoff and landing incidents. Petitioners from a high-profile group called The TWA 800 Project claimed a detonation or high-velocity explosion caused the crash. I believe it was shot down by terrorist or the navy and it was covered up to prevent panic. NTSB's determination of a center fuel tank explosion caused by faulty electrical wiring sparking fuel vapor ignition is supported by thousands of hours of engineering analysis, and similar type accidents on other aircraft. Ten days after the crash, a bombing rocked the Atlanta Olympics. As long as there is ambiguity surrounding the crash, conspiracy theories will remain, Barkun said. In contrast to injuries incurred during crashes at takeoff and landing, these midflight injuries were too extreme to warrant a reappraisal of current passenger protective safety measures or standards. Conclusion: "The plane was going at 400 m.p.h., it suddenly changes direction, the fuselage is open so all this air and pressure is going into the cabin, and there's a sudden decompression.". High-profile supporters can help build a case for a conspiracy theory, even if their reputations werebuilt in other areas of expertise, Miller said. Ultimately,NTSB officials determinedthe alleged evidencewas a ghost signal produced by another jet airplane. One animation will simulate how the plane came apart. Purported evidence of a missile strike dried up. The documents, videotapes and other evidence will help While the NTSB Final Report suggested defective wiring insulation inside the CWT to be the most likely origin of the fuel vapor ignition and explosion, no clear cause was ever determined by the NTSB. 8600 Rockville Pike Ultimately, NTSB officials proved that an electrical short could have sparked flammable vapor trapped in a nearly empty fuel tank and concluded that it was the likely cause of Flight 800's. She ran into trouble after receiving a piece of seat foam from the wreckage, which shed planned to have tested for traces of solid rocket missile fuel. Theories that Flight 800 may have been destroyed by a bomb, missile or meteor have nonetheless lingered. Previous reports of commercial airline disasters have reviewed incidents occurring at takeoff and landing. The reconstructed wreckage of Trans World Airlines Flight 800, which exploded minutes after taking off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on July 17, 1996, will be. The four-year investigation into what caused the crash of Trans World Airlines Flight 800 was the longest, and at $40 million, the priciest in the history of the National Transportation Safety Board. They also spurred the aircraft producer, Boeing, to replace the brittle old wiring on other 747s and redesign their air conditioning packs. listen and learn about the most expensive and extensive air That added some time to the investigation.. NEW YORK (CNN) -- Officials repeatedly warned Thursday against speculating on the cause of the crash of TWA Flight 800 -- but people asked the question, anyway. Stalcup says he is trying to get more information from the US Department of Defenses Missile Defense Agency. Borjesson says her documentary is the first film to focus entirely on the forensics of the plane crash, and it disputes the NTSBs conclusions. I made two visits to the mockup the NTSB assembled from the wreckage in a hangar on Long Island at the time, he says. The three objects may seem strange to the layperson, he says, but those familiar with missiles will tell you that that number of objects in the sky at the same time is not in the least bit strange., The NTSB discounted the possibility of a missile strike in its 2000 determination. Sunday on CD-ROM. As quickly as the wreckage plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, questions arose. Still, speculation stemming from eyewitness accounts spread through chat rooms on the burgeoning World Wide Web. In-depth: How the FBI played a role in the capture of Princess Latifa of Dubai. High-profile supporters can help build a case for a conspiracy theory, even if their reputation was built in another area of expertise, Miller said. Had the NTSB promptly revealed pilot interviews, the public might have been spared the hundreds of hours and thousands of pages of testimony created by witnesses. These were people, 11 or more miles away, who said they saw a missile rise upward from the sea and explode against the 747; some in great detail. Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. Her husband was at JFK International Airport, putting their 11-year-old son on a plane to visit relatives in France, and an exhausted Borjesson climbed into bed for a nap. On July 7, 2021, 25 years following the crash, the NTSB will decommission the wreckage, which will be destroyed by the end of 2022. The airliner was powered by Jet A kerosene fuel. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. The four-year investigation into what caused the crash of Trans World Airlines Flight 800 was the longest, and at $40 million, the priciest in the history of the National Transportation Safety . During the NTSB's four-year investigation, federal officialsobtained signed certifications from U.S. military chains of command running crash area assets, training exercises and armaments capable of reaching the aircraft. Four unidentified surface vessels were picked up on aircraft radar, suggesting the vessels were large. Oakley notes that from the distant perspective of witnesses on the ground, the sequence of the explosion, a sudden shift of gravity and continuing forward momentum that caused a sharp temporary climb, and the planes vertical dive and fiery descent, the crash could have looked like the result of some sort of attack. TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories are discredited alternative explanations of the crash of Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA 800) in 1996. An NTSB review determined the claim cast insufficient doubt of a flawed initial investigation. ", He added, "Given that we're going to bring up the great majority of the aircraft, I think we're going to find out what happened.". gathered by the National Transportation Safety Board in its Early in the investigation there were reports that traces of chemical explosives were detected in the cabin. Why are TWA Flight 800 conspiracies still around 25 years later? Shortly after that, two men visited me one night and told me to cease my unqualified efforts as it might prove harmful. I did till now. time after the explosion. They all vanished. Still, doubt lingered. The NTSB was never able to pin-point the precise cause, but it was clear that it was from within the tank.. Theflight from New York City to Rome with a stop inParis broke apart and fell into the ocean below. Kallstrom said that three cargo bays have been located about 12 miles from the Long Island shore. and transmitted securely. In the NTSBs and FAAs archives of civilian aircraft fuel tank explosions or fires since the 1950s, the agencies blame only one crash on an electrical spark in a fuel tank TWA Flight 800. Chrysou K, Halat G, Hoksch B, Schmid RA, Kocher GJ. Flight 800 is a seminal moment in aviation safety history, the safety boards managing director said in a 2021 statement. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747-131 with 230 passengers and crew on board, exploded mid-air shortly after takeoff. From that investigation we issued safety recommendations that fundamentally changed the way aircraft are designed.. Still, speculation stemming from eyewitness accounts spread through chat rooms on the burgeoning World Wide Web. A private memorial service for the families of the victims of the 1996 TWA Flight 800 explosion is being held on Saturday, 25 years after the disaster that killed 230 people and just before. They also have an aversion to the idea that the world is random even if thatmeans there is some evil force creating the order, he added. Conspiracy theories never die, Barkun said. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. It was the first to be picked up and widely circulated online.. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the The fuselage of the Boeing 747, painstakingly. The conspiracy theory then becomes a closed system, he said. Ultimately, NTSB officials proved that an electrical short could have sparked flammable vapor trapped in a nearly empty fuel tank and concluded that was the likely cause of Flight 800's demise.. Conspiracy theoriestook shape. At the time, fears of domestic terrorism were high. Henry Hughes, a senior accident investigator with the NTSB,was among the group that in 2013 unsuccessfully petitioned the NTSB to re-investigate the crash. The tragedy would remain part of Borjessons life for the next 17 years, the subject of her own on-again, off-again investigation. I wrote to the FAA and NTSB, sure that people with more experience and qualifications would know the cause was a classic uncontained engine failure. Copyright Williamsport Sun-Gazette | https://www.sungazette.com | 252 W. Fourth Street, Williamsport, PA 17703 | 570-326-1551, Only recently, thanks to the work of physicist, Dr. Thomas Stalcup, through his Freedom of Information Act litigation in Massachusetts federal court, has evidence emerged proving that the TWA 800 explosion was not caused by any defect in the airplane, but instead by an errant United States missile fired at aerial target drones flying nearby., engaged in a top-down cover-up to prevent the public from learning the truth about TWA 800.. The bottom line, he says: No one has yet challenged anything factual in our documentary. The two maintain their own media fact-checking page on their website, www.flight800doc.com. 1996 crash off of New York's Long Island: The NTSB concluded that 15 people may not have died instantly Russellfollowed up his claimwith a radar tapehe said amounted to proof of a rocket strike. WHO can ever forget that July day, 10 years ago, when we all woke up to the news that Flight 800, a TWA 747 bound to Paris, had crashed within minutes . Linda Stasi. They also essentially pieced 95% of the plane back together over a 30-month span. conditions that existed inside the plane before the crash. Im looking for a retired navy crewman on a missile destroyer to admit they often practiced in that area due to the availability of so many targets.After our radar would search and lock on a target we would track its speed distance altitude etc. One early version posted online allegedthe crash resulted from an attack designed to kill former U.S. Secretary of StateHenry Kissinger, who was, in fact, not on board. Speculation bloomed that the crash had been touched off by aproximity-triggered rocket, missile or flare. Combined with concurrent reporting about real government experiments and other real conspiracies, atone had been set, he added. "That center part of the aircraft is of interest," said Francis. Conspiracy theories never die, Barkun said. Having been a researcher of one cause of uncontained aircraft engine failures for the Air Force, I immediately suspected that parts from an uncontained engine failure had ignited the volatile vapors in a fuel tank; like so many other aircraft crashes before this one, including other 747s. TWA Flight 800 was en route from New York to Paris. J Trauma. experiments conducted to test explosion theories that the Investigators say the plane broke up at 13,700 feet, then burst into flames at 9,000 feet, falling into the Atlantic just east of Long Island. With the internet I followed Commander Donaldsons ARAP website up until he died of fast-acting brain cancer right before 9-11. By the fall of 1996, in looking at all of the physical evidence and not seeing any evidence of any bomb or missile damage, it became unreasonable to continue to push that theory, Marx said during a May 1999 congressional hearing. "@EricRWeinstein What about all the witnesses that swore they saw a missile hit TWA flight 800? Background: killed instantly by the explosion that felled the plane. Almost immediately there was speculation that the plane had been the target of a terrorist attack, with many claiming theyd spotted what appeared to be a missile heading toward the plane just before it exploded. On July 17,1996, a Boeing 747 exploded in midair off the coast of Long Island. Those who challenge government actions for the right reasons could be forever barred from political office unjustly by this law. National Library of Medicine They allowunconventionalideas toquickly become mainstream. It was later progressed by Pierre Salinger. One allegedthe plane may have been struck by fragments of a meteor that broke up as it entered the Earths atmosphere. The National Transportation Safety Board said it will destroy the remaining wreckage of TWA Flight 800 after nearly 20 years as a training tool. longer considered potential criminal evidence. All 230 people onboard died as a result. TWA Flight 800 exploded over the Atlantic Ocean off the Long Island borough of New York in 1996, killing all 230 people aboard. Just 12 minutes later, it exploded over the shores of Long Island, New York. Photo by Beth Perkins, When Borjesson returned to work at CBS the day after Flight 800 went down, she was assigned to look into the crash. As recently as July 2014, NTSB officials had to publicly respond to requests to reconsider its findings in the investigation of the 1996 crash. In the cases of another 28 victims, the NTSB was Haar: Lamont deflects demands to spend CT surplus on education, Why a New York business wants to move its headquarters to CT, The CT legislature has 500 bills. Once subjected to microscopic and chemical examination, federal investigators found the red flaky residue was from contact adhesive used to stick the upholstery to its foam base, not rocket fuel. That was by design. J Trauma. Michael Barkun, professor emeritus of political science at Syracuse University's Maxwell School, saidinternet forums and social media platforms have served asmass media outlets withoutgatekeepers. Uncontained engine part entry holes riddled the right side of the 747, with one part embedded in the tail section. I followed the ever-changing story and knew something was wrong. May 1st National College Baseball Rankings, LSU Report, LSU Centerfielder Dylan Crews Named SEC Player Of The Week, Video: Introducing 2023 SI Swimsuit Model Olivia Dunne, No. Bostonia is published in print three times a year and updated weekly on the web. It was later progressed by Pierre Salinger. The purpose of the present study, which represents the first analysis of aviation injuries incurred during a midflight incident, was to examine the injuries sustained by the victims of the TWA Flight 800 disaster and to determine any correlation of injuries with structural damage and seat location. The electrical resistance inside the tank would likely have stopped any stray voltage in its tracks. People have an innate desire to explain evil and misfortune, Barkunsaid. into next year. Minutes after its take off from New Yorks Kennedy International Airport, a Boeing 747 headed for Paris exploded midair over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Long Island on July 17, 1996, leaving all 230 people aboard dead. Acommon rhetorical device of conspiracy theorists is to advance speculations and then criticize the authorities for not definitively refuting them,Goertzelsaid. Michael Marx, a former metallurgist with the NTSB, saidFBI personnel unreasonably pushed thesabotage theories, even after a January 1997 report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms pegged the cause as a mechanical failure. PMC On Wednesday, July 17, 1996, at 8:19 p.m., TWA Flight 800 took off from JFK airport and headed out over Long Island toward Paris. That, he says, is much faster than if there had been a fuel tank explosion. Officials believe the crash was caused by an explosive, a missile or mechanical failure. Background: Previous reports of commercial airline disasters have reviewed incidents occurring at takeoff and landing.
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