Missile theory resurfaces in plane crash that killed 230
AP Photo: NTSB. Investigators reconstruct TWA Flight 800 aircraft that crashed in Long Island Sound in 1996, in this May 1997 file photo.
The Boeing 747 plane crashed off the coast of Long Island, N.Y., in 1996, killing 230 people.
NEW YORK — Former investigators are pushing to reopen the probe into the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 off the coast of New York, saying new evidence points to the often-discounted theory that a missile strike may have downed the jumbo jet.
The New York-to-Paris flight crashed July 17, 1996, just minutes after the jetliner took off from John F. Kennedy Airport, killing all 230 people aboard.
The effort to reopen the probe is being made in tandem with the release next month of a documentary that features the testimony of former investigators who raise doubts about the National Transportation Safety Board's conclusion that the crash was caused by a center fuel tank explosion, probably caused by a spark from a short-circuit in the wiring.
"We don't know who fired the missile," said Jim Speer, an accident investigator for the Air Line Pilots Association, one of those seeking a new review of the probe. "But we have a lot more confidence that it was a missile."
In a petition filed Wednesday seeking to reopen the probe, they say they have "reviewed the FAA radar evidence along with new evidence not available to the NTSB during the official investigation and contend that the NTSB's probable cause determination is erroneous and should be reconsidered and modified accordingly."
Those calling for a review of the investigation include former NTSB accident investigator Hank Hughes and Bob Young, a former senior accident investigator for the now-defunct TWA. Tom Stalcup, a physicist and co-founder of a group called Flight 800 Independent Researchers Organization, also questions the NTSB's original findings and is featured prominently in the documentary, which is slated to air on the 17th anniversary of the crash next month.
The NTSB issued a statement Wednesday morning saying it is aware of the upcoming documentary.
"All petitions for reconsideration are thoroughly reviewed, and a determination is usually made within about 60 days," spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said. "While the NTSB rarely re-investigates issues that have already been examined, our investigations are never closed and we can review any new information not previously considered by the board."
She noted the TWA Flight 800 investigation lasted four years.
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TWA Flight 800 Crash: Documentary Will Prompt New Probe Into Deadly Plane Explosion
THE FOLLOWING WAS...Published on Dec 3, 2012
This is video footage of President Clinton delivering a statement on the crash of TWA Flight 800. This footage is official public record produced by the White House Television (WHTV) crew, provided by the Clinton Presidential Library.
Date: July 25, 1996
Location: John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY
Date: July 25, 1996
Location: John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY
Filmmaker asserts new evidence on crash of TWA Flight 800
updated 1:37 PM EDT, Wed June 19, 2013
(CNN) -- A documentary on the 1996 explosion that brought down TWA Flight 800 offers "solid proof that there was an external detonation," its co-producer said Wednesday.
"Of course, everyone knows about the eyewitness statements, but we also have corroborating information from the radar data, and the radar data shows a(n) asymmetric explosion coming out of that plane -- something that didn't happen in the official theory," Tom Stalcup told CNN's "New Day."
A number of people have come forward, "all saying the same thing: that there was an external force -- not from the center wing tank, there's no evidence of that -- but there is evidence of an external explosion that brought down that plane," Stalcup said.
He cited "corroborating information from the radar data" and complained that "not one single eyewitness was allowed to testify -- that's unheard of."
"The family members need to know what happened to their loved ones," he said.
Asked why such information might have been suppressed, Stalcup said, "That's a question that should be answered when this investigation gets reopened."
The National Transportation Safety Board acknowledged receipt of the filmmakers' petition -- signed by a number of former investigators -- requesting that the investigation be reopened.
"As required by NTSB regulation, a petition for reconsideration of Board findings or a probable cause determination must be based on the discovery of NEW evidence or on a showing that the Board's findings are erroneous," said board spokeswoman Kelly Nantel.
"We assign petition responses to the relevant modal office for drafting. The NTSB's Office of Aviation Safety will assign staff, to the maximum extent practicable, who did not work on the original investigation to carefully prepare a response. The response will be presented to the full Board for their consideration and vote."
The board's investigation of TWA 800 lasted four years and "remains one of the NTSB's most extensive investigations," Nantel said.
Investigators "spent an enormous amount of time reviewing, documenting and analyzing facts and data, and held a five-day public hearing to gather additional facts before determining the probable cause of the accident," she said.
But her statement leaves open the possibility the case will be reopened.
"While the NTSB rarely re-investigates issues that have already been examined, our investigations are never closed, and we can review any new information not previously considered by board," it said.
Former Department of Transportation Inspector General Mary Schiavo expressed skepticism about the film's assertion.
"If this really troubled them at the time and they had this conclusive evidence -- they said they kept quiet to keep their jobs -- well, there's a duty beyond that and there's ways to report this," she told CNN. "I was the inspector general. They could have reported it to the Office of the Inspector General, to say the least. We protect whistleblowers. So, I'm very critical of them not coming forward before now if what they have is really new."
Schiavo added, "I think that the NTSB got it right."
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THE FOLLOWING VIDEO WAS Published on May 3, 2013
Schiavo added, "I think that the NTSB got it right."
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THE FOLLOWING VIDEO WAS Published on May 3, 2013
While on a flight from New York to Paris, France, the aircraft exploded at FL 130, broke up and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island, N.Y. The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the accident was an explosion of the center wing fuel tank resulting from ignition of the flammable fuel/air mixture in the tank. The source of ignition energy for the explosion could not be determined with certainty but, of the sources evaluated by the investigation, the most likely was a short circuit outside of the center wing tank that allowed excessive voltage to enter it through electrical wiring associated with the fuel quantity indication system. All 230 aboard were killed.
THE FOLLOWING WAS Published on Jun 19, 2013
After the NTSB ruled that an electrical short caused TWA Flight 800 to crash in Long Island in 1996, killing all its passengers, six members of the investigative teams are coming forward in a new documentary to say there was evidence that explosions outside the aircraft took it down. .
New film alleges Flight 800 crash was not accidental watched by Mrtodayvideos3.
New film alleges Flight 800 crash was not accidental watched by Mrtodayvideos3.
THE FOLLOWING VIDEO WAS Uploaded on Aug 10, 2011
Watch the full video at http://watch-documentaries-now.blogsp...
History Channel Conspiracy TWA Flight 800
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History Channel Conspiracy TWA Flight 800
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