The NTSB Final Report gives Oliver Krick's age as being 24. As a result of the investigation, new requirements were developed for aircraft to prevent future fuel tank explosions. Of the accidents that have occurred, spontaneous explosions in mid-air have always been responsible for a very small percentage of the total.. "[1]:265 Regarding these differing accounts, the NTSB noted that based on their experience in previous investigations "witness reports are often inconsistent with the known facts or with other witnesses' reports of the same events. [1]:258 Of the 5% of the fuselage that was not recovered, none of the missing areas was large enough to have covered all the damage that would have been caused by the detonation of a bomb or missile. [5] Sixteen months later, the JTTF announced that no evidence of a criminal act had been found and closed its active investigation. 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. [1]:262, Thirty-eight witnesses described a streak of light that ascended vertically, or nearly so, and these accounts "seem[ed] to be inconsistent with the accident airplane's flightpath. Head, thoracic, and abdominal injuries were multiple and severe, contributing to the mortality of the occupants. July 22, 1996 12 AM PT. [40]:2[41]:7[39]:12, Much anger and political pressure was also directed at Suffolk County Medical Examiner Dr. Charles V. Wetli, as recovered bodies backlogged at the morgue. [54]:6. Captain/Check Airman Snyder was seated in the first officer's (right) seat monitoring Kevorkian's progress. [51]:5 In all cases, the witnesses could not be describing a missile approaching an intact aircraft, as the plane had already exploded before their observations began. "It's never very pleasant when you're in this field and you have to autopsy someone you know," said Suffolk County Medical Examiner Charles Wetli. Below is a list of those on board, according to family, friends or officials . To me, it is impossible for secrets like this to be kept secret very long.. It's not Hollywood and it does not happen overnight.". He acknowledged that families of the victims are extremely impatient for their loved ones to be identified; 16 have been tentatively identified and the dentist colleague has been positively identified along with his wife traveling with him on Flight 800. To honor this agreement made with the families of the victims of TWA Flight 800, the NTSB will work closely with a federal government contractor to dismantle the reconstruction and destroy the wreckage. [1]:274, The NTSB also investigated whether the fuel-air mixture in the CWT could have been ignited by lightning strike, meteor strike, auto ignition or hot surface ignition, a fire migrating to the CWT from another fuel tank via the vent system, an uncontained engine failure, a turbine burst in the air conditioning packs beneath the CWT, a malfunctioning CWT jettison/override pump, a malfunctioning CWT scavenger pump, or static electricity. [specify] The agencies lacked a detailed protocol describing which agency should take the lead when whether an event was an accident or a criminal act was initially unclear. "You would see ripping, shredding and tearing of bodies" from a bomb in the cabin, he said. 27, p. 92, Trace amounts of explosive residue were detected on three samples of material from three separate locations of the recovered airplane wreckage (described by the FBI as a piece of canvas-like material and two pieces of a floor panel). [9], The accident airplane, registration N93119 (a Boeing 747-131), was manufactured by Boeing in July 1971; it had been ordered by Eastern Air Lines, but after Eastern cancelled its 747 orders, the plane was purchased new by Trans World Airlines. [1]:xvi Problems with the aircraft's wiring were found, including evidence of arcing in the fuel quantity indication system (FQIS) wiring that enters the tank. "[1]:265 In addition, 18 witnesses reported seeing a streak of light that originated at the surface, or the horizon, which did not "appear to be consistent with the airplane's calculated flightpath and other known aspects of the accident sequence. In July 2006, an abstract black granite statue of a 10-foot-high (3.0m) lighthouse was added above a tomb holding many of the victims' personal belongings. ATC recording (courtesy Allec Joshua Ibay), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, surge tank fire that destroyed a 747 near Madrid in 1976, AirCraft Casualty Emotional Support Services, "In-flight Breakup Over the Atlantic Ocean Trans World Airlines Flight 800 Boeing 747-131, N93119 Near East Moriches, New York July 17, 1996", "Investigators Focus Closely on Terrorism As Cause of Explosion: Chemicals Found on Jet Victims, U.S. Reports", "Terror on Flight 800: Who wishes us ill? EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, on a scheduled international passenger flight to Rome, with a stopover in Paris. [44]:12[52], The NTSB's review of the released witness documents determined that they contained 736 witness accounts, of which 258 were characterized as "streak of light" witnesses ("an object moving in the sky variously described [as] a point of light, fireworks, a flare, a shooting star, or something similar. 25, p. 90, Three sequences of primary returns near TWA 800 that were only recorded by the Islip radar[1]:fig. [1]:256 This, together with the distribution of wreckage and witness reports, all indicated a sudden catastrophic in-flight breakup of TWA 800. ''They are very cold, chilling documents,'' he said. Medical Examiner Wetli said only half of the 100 bodies retrieved from the ocean so far had been processed, meaning photographed, fingerprinted, weighed, X-rayed, and autopsied. [51]:6, As the investigation progressed, the NTSB decided to form a witness group to more fully address the accounts of witnesses. [73][74] Destruction of the wreckage was scheduled for completion before the end of 2021.[72]. A safety board investigator later reviewed FBI interview notes and briefed other board investigators on their contents. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. ``I don't think anybody was conscious as they fell from 13,000 feet to the water. Notable passengers included:[20], In addition, 16 students and five adult chaperones from the French Club of the Montoursville Area High School in Pennsylvania were on board. First autopsy report released from TWA 800 crash - January 3, 1997. [1]:1 All 230 people on board died in the crash; it is the third-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history. First, the time it took to isolate the circumstances that caused a very rare eventthe center fuel tank explosion, which, he adds, had never occurred with a 747. When the rare fatal air accident occurs it usually involves a causality chain, including a number of seemingly unconnected small anomalies that, together, create a sort of perfect storm which causes a crash, he says. [1]:279, Because a combustible fuel-air mixture will always exist in fuel tanks, Boeing designers had attempted to eliminate all possible sources of ignition in the 747's tanks. Accordingly, the NTSB decommissioned the wreckage in July 2021. 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. At the time of the crash, 49 CFR 831.5 specified that the NTSB's aviation accident investigations have priority over all other federal investigations. Any parts of the plane that cannot be recycled will be disposed of in landfills. [1]:3 [1]:290 Finally, the CWT fuel quantity gauge was recovered and indicated 640pounds instead of the 300pounds that had been loaded into that tank. Medical investigators were holding up remarkably well as they went about their gruesome work -- opening body bags, removing corpses, examining them in painstaking detail -- when a forensic dentist looked up from one of the bodies and told his colleagues: "I know this person.". The aircraft had completed 16,869 flights with 93,303 hours of operation and was powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7AH turbofan engines. But Wetli added: "We see Quincy' on TV, and he identifies people very quickly. I spent a fair amount of time examining the wreckage, looking for signs of missile/projectile entry. Although it could not be determined with certainty, the likely ignition source was a short circuit. [44]:7 No verbatim records of the witness interviews were produced; instead, the agents who conducted the interviews wrote summaries that they then submitted. First autopsy report released from TWA 800 crash - January 3, 1997. The aircraft was refueled, and a crew change was made; the new flight crew consisted of 58-year-old Captain Ralph G. Kevorkian (who had flown for TWA for 31 years and the U.S. Air Force for 9 years), 57-year-old Captain/Check Airman Steven E. Snyder (who had flown for TWA for 32 years), and 63-year-old Flight Engineer/Check Airman Richard G. Campbell Jr. (who had flown for TWA for 30 years and the U.S. Air Force for 12 years), as well as 25-year-old flight engineer trainee Oliver Krick (who previously served as a business pilot for 4 years), who had flown for TWA for 26 days and was starting the sixth leg of his initial operating experience training. "As physicians, part of our training is being able to separate -- to empathize without sympathizing," said Wetli, who was deputy medical examiner in Dade County, Fla., during Hurricane Andrew. CAPTION: A flower shop sign on Highway 25 outside East Moriches carries sentiments felt by many along the south shore of Long Island, closest land to crash site. [1]:137, To better determine whether a fuel-air vapor explosion in the CWT would generate sufficient pressure to break apart the fuel tank and lead to the destruction of the airplane, tests were conducted in July and August 1997, using a retired Air France 747 at Bruntingthorpe Airfield, England. [1]:229, Examination of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder data showed a normal takeoff and climb,[15]:4 with the aircraft in normal flight[46]:2 before both abruptly stopped at 8:31:12pm. He said the bodies will be identified through medical records and interview materials. [62], On July 18, 2008, the U.S secretary of transportation visited the facility and announced a final rule designed to prevent accidents caused by fuel-tank explosions. Following the NTSB's ruling, the plane was used in training plane crash investigators and families of the victims were allowed to visit it, although it was never opened to the public. Air travel safety, in general, has steadily improved since the beginning of the widespread use of jet aircraft in 1958, he says. In this case, the victim was a Long Island. "[1]:257, A review of recorded data from long-range and airport surveillance radars revealed multiple contacts of airplanes or objects in TWA800's vicinity at the time of the accident. A plastic bomb would not leave such traces, he emphasized. But one customer said the motives are far more complicated. [1]:94, Radar data showing vehicle and/or object tracks within 10 nautical miles (19km; 12mi) of TWA flight 800 just before the accident[1]:fig. The website of The New York Times had its traffic increase to 1.5 million views per day, 50% higher than its previous rate. [36][37][38], Grief turned to anger at TWA's delay in confirming the passenger list,[33] conflicting information from agencies and officials,[39]:1 and mistrust of the recovery operation's priorities. EAST MORICHES, N.Y. (AP) _ The coroner said today he doubts that TWA Flight 800 passengers experienced the horror of a free fall and thinks most suffered an almost instantaneous death. The FBI may still conduct a criminal investigation, but the NTSB investigation has priority. [15]:4[16][17] The last recorded radar transponder return from the airplane was recorded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar site at Trevose, Pennsylvania, at 8:31:12pm. "You don't want anybody to onion.". [31]:3[41]:4 The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, an invited party to the NTSB investigation, criticized the undocumented removal by FBI agents of wreckage from the hangar where it was stored. [42], Although considerable discrepancies existed between different accounts, most witnesses to the accident had seen a "streak of light" that was described by 38 of 258 witnesses as ascending,[1]:232 moving to a point where a large fireball appeared, with several witnesses reporting that the fireball split in two as it descended toward the water. [1]:230 Despite the two and a half years that had elapsed since the accident, the witness group did interview the captain of Eastwind Airlines Flight 507, who was the first to report the explosion of TWA 800, because of his vantage point and experience as an airline pilot. 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. "[1]:270. The coroner who oversaw the autopsies on most of the victims of T.W.A. The FBI conducted an investigation. [1]:31. A List of the Passengers and Crew Aboard Ill-Fated TWA Flight 800 L.A. Times Archives July 20, 1996 12 AM PT Here is a complete list of the 230 people, including four cockpit crew members and. With todays very sophisticated weather radar and stringent rules for avoiding potentially dangerous weather this virtually never occurs, Oakley says. [59], The wreckage was moved to an NTSB facility in Ashburn, Virginia, that was custom-built for the purpose. To do so, all devices are protected from vapor intrusion, and voltages and currents used by the fuel quantity indication system (FQIS) are kept very low. [1]:109,263 Shortly after, the left wing separated from what remained of the main fuselage, which resulted in further development of the fuel-fed fireballs as the pieces of wreckage fell to the ocean. [18] Many witnesses in the vicinity of the crash stated that they saw or heard explosions, accompanied by a large fireball or fireballs over the ocean, and observed debris, some of which was burning while falling into the water. Six months into the investigation, the NTSB's chairman, Jim Hall, was quoted as saying, "All three theoriesa bomb, a missile, or mechanical failureremain. In April 1998, the FBI provided the NTSB with the identities of the witnesses, but due to the time elapsed, a decision was made to rely on the original FBI documents rather than reinterview witnesses. [1]:261 There were 50USgal (190L) of fuel in the CWT of TWA 800;[50] tests recreating the conditions of the flight showed the combination of liquid fuel and fuel-air vapor to be flammable. [44]:5 Included in some of the witness summaries were drawings or diagrams of what the witness observed. [1]:93 All the reviewed radar data showed no radar returns consistent with a missile or other projectile traveling toward TWA 800. [44]:5, Around 80 FBI agents conducted interviews with potential witnesses daily. could have biased interviewees' responses in some cases. [1]:279, Although the NTSB had already reached the conclusion that a missile strike did not cause the structural failure of the airplane, the possibility that a missile could have exploded close enough to TWA800 for a missile fragment to have entered the CWT and ignited the fuel/air vapor, yet far enough away not to have left any damage characteristic of a missile strike, was considered. [1]:100 The Sequencing Group concluded that the first event in the breakup sequence was a fracture in the wing center section of the aircraft, caused by an "overpressure event" in the center wing fuel tank (CWT). 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