On July 17, 1996, 212 passengers and 18 crew members boarded TWA Flight 800, unaware of the tragic, unimaginable fate they would meet just moments later.
At 8:19 p.m. the Boeing 747 took off for Paris from Kennedy International Airport. Just 12 minutes into the flight, the plane exploded mid-air, killing every single person aboard, before plummeting into the Atlantic Ocean.
TWA Flight 800 shocked the nation and left people confused as to how something so destructive could happen. Family and friends of those who were killed onboard searched for answers as they mourned their sudden loss.
Some speculated it was caused by a terrorist attack, as witnesses swore they saw a flare or missile flying toward the plane just before it exploded. So, the National Transportation Safety Board launched a years-long investigation to gather the debris from the ocean floor and reconstruct the plane piece by piece.
After investigators determined the flight was brought down by an electrical failure, the board moved the reconstruction to a warehouse in Virginia, where it would remain for the next two decades.
Accident investigators used the re-assembled structure for training, while families of those lost in the crash were allowed to visit the space where their loved ones spent their final minutes.
As a promise to these mourning families, the NTSB never publicly displayed the wreckage. Now, 25 years later, TWA Flight 800 is being destroyed for good.
The lease on the warehouse is ending this year, and the safety board says the reconstruction is no longer needed in its training program, given recent technological developments.
The NTSB says that TWA flight 800 gave information that changed design and safety protocols.
“From that investigation we issued safety recommendations that fundamentally changed the way aircraft are designed. The investigation also led to a memorandum of understanding between the FBI and the NTSB regarding investigations of accidents resulting from intentional acts as well as evidence collection and preservation," NTSB Managing Director Sharon Bryson said in a statement.
The safety board also wants to respect the families of those lost in the tragedy throughout the dismantling process.
“Our Transportation Disaster Assistance division and I have connected with representatives of TWA Flight 800 family groups to help ensure families of those who perished on TWA Flight 800 learned of our decision directly from the NTSB before our public announcement,” Bryson said.
The NTSB plans to officially stop using the reconstructed plane on July 7, before spending the next several months deconstructing and destroying it.
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