TWA Flight 800 facts for kids

Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA 800) was a scheduled flight from John F. Kennedy Int'l Airport to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport on July 17, 1996. The aircraft was a Boeing 747-100. The plane exploded just 12 minutes after takeoff. It crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York. The cause was determined to be a spark that ignited the center wing fuel tank. None of the 230 people onboard survived. It remains the third-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history.

Passengers and Crew

Nationality	Passengers	Crew	Total
United States	125	17	142
France	42	0	42
Argentina	10	0	10
Algeria	9	0	9
Italy	8	1	9
United Kingdom	7	0	7
Mexico	7	0	7
Denmark	6	0	6
Belgium	4	0	4
Ireland	4	0	4
Netherlands	3	0	3
Germany	2	0	2
Norway	2	0	2
Australia	2	0	2
Canada	1	0	1
Israel	1	0	1
Japan	1	0	1
Spain	1	0	1
Sweden	1	0	1
Ivory Coast	1	0	1
Total	212	18	230

Most of the 230 occupants on-board were from the United States, but 42 more came from France, 10 from Argentina, and 60 more from sixteen other countries.

The pilots on board TWA Flight 800 were Captain Ralph G. Kevorkian, Co-pilot Steven E. Snyder and Flight Engineer Richard G. Campbell. All had more than 30 years employment with Trans World Airlines. There was also a Flight Engineer Trainee on board Oliver Krick, who was starting the sixth leg of his initial operating experience training.

Images for kids

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  Slide from NTSB presentation of TWA 800 breakup sequence, illustrating structure and size of CWT.

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  Frame from the CIA's animated depiction of how TWA Flight 800 broke apart. When the bottom of the aircraft blew out from the exploding fuel tank, cracks spread around the fuselage and severed the entire front section of the plane.

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  A frame from the NTSB's animation depicting how the noseless plane climbed erratically before descending into the ocean

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  TWA Memorial