The crash of TWA Flight 800 remains a painful tragedy even after 20 years, one of the worst aviation disasters in US history. A private memorial service for the families and relatives of victims of the 1996 TWA Flight 800 explosion is being held on Saturday to mark 25 years after the disaster.
The Boeing 747 took off from Kennedy Airport on July 17, 1996, bound for Paris with 230 people on board but 12 minutes later there was a mid-air explosion and the plane’s wreckage fell into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the shores of Long Island. All the passengers and crew died in the explosion, making the crash the third-deadliest aviation accident in US history.
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The victims were from 14 different countries and included 16 students from Pennsylvania high school and their chaperones. Initially, the official feared that the airline had been attacked by terrorists but after a four-year investigation, the team concluded that the cause of the explosion was an electrical failure that exploded the fuel tank.
A quarter-century later, the relatives of victims are expected to gather in Smith Point County Park, where the TWA Flight 800 International Memorial stands. The memorial regularly draws somber visitors, who often leave flowers or release balloons and light candles.
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Meanwhile, the wreckage of the plane has remained in custody in Northern Virginia, where the National Transportation Safety Board conducted its investigation.
According to the Washington Post, first responders and safety investigators have used the recovered remains for training purposes since 2003. An agreement between the agency and families of the victims specified that the wreckage only is used for training purposes.
However, the end of the lease of the hangar has pushed the NTSB to decommission the content this month, as it plans to destroy the reconstructed wreckage by either melting or shredding the nearly 1600 pieces.
