TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories

TWA Flight 800

Flight 800 wreckage recovered and reconstructed.
Accident summary
Date	20:31 EDT July 17, 1996 00:31 UTC July 18, 1996
Summary	In-flight explosion
Site	Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York
Passengers	212
Crew	18
Fatalities	230 (all)
Survivors	0
Aircraft type	Boeing 747-131
Operator	Trans World Airlines (TWA)
Registration	N93119
Flight origin	John F. Kennedy Int'l Airport
Stopover	Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport
Destination	Leonardo da Vinci Int'l Airport

TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories suggest that the crash of Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA 800) was due to causes other than those determined by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB found the probable cause of the crash of TWA Flight 800 was an explosion of flammable fuel/air vapors in a fuel tank, most likely from a short-circuit. Conspiracy theories say the crash was due to a U.S. Navy missile test gone awry, a terrorist missile strike or an on-board bomb. On June 19, 2013, a documentary alleging that the investigation into the crash was a cover-up made news headlines with statements from six members of the original investigation team, now retired, who also filed a petition to reopen the probe.

TWA 800, a Boeing 747-131, was a scheduled international passenger flight from New York City, New York to Rome, Italy, with a stopover in Paris, France. At about 20:31 EDT, on July 17, 1996, about 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), TWA 800 exploded and then crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York. Of the 230 passengers and crew on board, no survivors were found, making TWA 800 the second deadliest aircraft accident in the United States at that time.

While investigators from the NTSB arrived on scene the following day, many witnesses to the accident had seen a "streak of light" that was usually described as ascending, moving to a point where a large fireball appeared. There was intense public interest in these witness reports and much speculation that the reported streak of light was a missile that had struck TWA 800, causing the airplane to explode. Consequently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated a parallel criminal investigation alongside the NTSB's accident investigation.

Pieces of the airplane wreckage were discovered floating on and beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean about 8 miles south of East Moriches, New York. The main wreckage was found scattered on the ocean floor in an area about 4 miles long by 3 1/2 miles wide. In one of the largest diver-assisted salvage operations ever conducted, over 95% of the airplane wreckage was eventually recovered. Recovered wreckage was transported by boat to shore and then by truck to leased hangar space at the former Grumman Aircraft facility in Calverton, New York, for storage, examination, and reconstruction.