TWA Flight 800 conspiracy theories are other ideas about why Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA 800) crashed in 1996. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the most likely reason for the crash was an explosion of flammable fuel and air vapors inside a fuel tank, probably caused by a short circuit. These conspiracy theories suggest the crash happened because of a U.S. Navy missile test that went wrong, a terrorist missile attack, or an explosion from a bomb on the plane. In 2013, a documentary claimed the investigation into the crash hid the truth. The documentary included statements from six retired members of the original investigation team, who also asked to look into the crash again.
Background
TWA 800 was a Boeing 747-131 flight that was planned to carry passengers internationally from New York City to Rome, with a stop in Paris. On July 17, 1996, at about 20:31 EDT, approximately 12 minutes after taking off 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. This made TWA 800 the second-deadliest aircraft accident in the United States at that time.
NTSB investigators arrived at the crash site the next day. Many people who saw the accident reported seeing a "streak of light," which was often described as moving upward to a point where a large fireball appeared. These witness reports generated significant public interest, and many people guessed that the light came from a missile that had struck the airplane, causing it to explode. As a result, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began a separate criminal investigation alongside the NTSB's accident investigation.
Search and recovery
Pieces of the airplane wreckage were found floating on and under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean about eight miles south of East Moriches, New York. The main wreckage was spread out on the ocean floor in an area that was about 4 miles long and 3 and a half miles wide. In one of the largest salvage operations involving divers, more than 95 percent of the wreckage was recovered. The recovered pieces were taken by boat to the shore and then transported by truck to rented hangar space at the former Grumman Aircraft facility in Calverton, New York, for storage, examination, and reconstruction.
Aspects of conspiracy theories
As wreckage was recovered, early tests found explosive residue on three samples from different parts of the airplane wreckage (described by the FBI as a piece of canvas-like material and two pieces of a floor panel). These samples were sent to the FBI's laboratory in Washington, D.C., where tests showed one sample had traces of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX), another had nitroglycerin, and the third had a mix of RDX and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). These results received much attention from the media. FBI investigators saw these findings as strong signs of a criminal act, but the NTSB was more careful, noting that no explosion patterns were visible on the wreckage.
The NTSB could not determine the source of the explosive residues found on the wreckage. Possible explanations included contamination from the plane's use in 1991 during the Gulf War or its use in a dog-training explosive detection exercise about a month before the accident. However, the lack of other evidence linked to a high-energy explosion led the NTSB to conclude that "the in-flight breakup of TWA flight 800 was not initiated by a bomb or missile strike."
Meanwhile, TWA chief 747 pilot Robert Terrell Stacey, who worked on the investigation as a TWA representative, noticed a reddish-brown substance on the backs of recovered passenger seats and suspected it might be explosive residue or rocket fuel. With journalist James Sanders and Sanders' wife Elizabeth, a TWA flight attendant, he removed seat fabric samples and investigation documents from the wreckage reconstruction site. In 1997, Sanders published a book titled The Downing of TWA Flight 800, in which he claimed the plane was shot down by a missile and that a government cover-up occurred. Later, with Sanders' information, the Riverside Press-Enterprise published articles suggesting the substance matched unburned rocket fuel from a missile.
The NTSB found the substance on seatbacks matched adhesive used in seat construction. Additional testing by NASA confirmed this, but Sanders disputed these results.
On December 5, 1997, federal prosecutors charged Sanders, his wife Elizabeth, and Stacey with stealing government property. Sanders' lawyer called the charges "extremely vindictive" and argued the couple had a First Amendment right to take samples and documents to expose a cover-up. In April 1999, Sanders and his wife were convicted of stealing evidence from aircraft wreckage and received probation (Stacey had previously pleaded guilty to a lesser charge). In 1999, Sanders wrote a second book, Altered Evidence.
One of the first major criticisms of the official investigation came from Pierre Salinger, a former White House Press Secretary and ex-senator. In 1996, he held a press conference in France, claiming he had proof TWA 800 was shot down by friendly fire and that the government was covering it up. Salinger said he based his claims on a document given to him by someone in French Intelligence with U.S. contacts, but he did not name his source. CNN found the document was an email from Richard Russell, a retired airline pilot.
Salinger's past roles as White House Press Secretary and ABC News correspondent initially made his claims seem credible, but media scrutiny later led to criticism of his allegations. NTSB Vice Chairman Bob Francis called Salinger's claims "irresponsible." Supporters included former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Thomas Moorer, who called for a new Congressional hearing.
Another critic of the official investigation was H. Ray Lahr, a retired United Airlines pilot and recipient of an air safety award. In 2003, Lahr filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the NTSB and CIA, seeking documents related to the "zoom climb" theory used in the CIA's animation of the crash. Lahr argued the zoom climb theory was incorrect and that eyewitnesses likely saw a missile.
In 2006, a court ruled Lahr had provided enough evidence to proceed with his lawsuit and ordered the NTSB and CIA to provide some, but not all, of the documents he requested. The court noted its ruling was based on evidence favorable to Lahr but did not confirm his claims. The agencies involved later claimed the documents were "lost" and could not be found.
In 1997, amateur geologist Michael Davis proposed that a bolide—a large meteoroid—exploded near the plane. He suggested the streak seen before the explosion was the meteoroid's path, and that a piece of the meteoroid could have pierced the plane's central wing tank, causing structural damage. Davis argued that the damage pattern on the tank was more consistent with a high-speed object than an explosion. He also noted that the multiple sonic booms heard by witnesses and the 200 holes in the fuselage (as reported by the FBI) could support the meteoroid theory.
Other scientists dismissed this idea, citing the low probability of such an event.
Dissenting views from the investigation
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) participated in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation of Flight 800. The IAMAW submitted a report to the public docket, where it disagreed with the NTSB’s study on the order of events during the crash. The IAMAW suggested that the airplane began to break apart starting on the lower left side, when a high-pressure event caused the fuselage to split open. The IAMAW stated that "a major event may have occurred on the left side of the aircraft. It could have contributed to or been the cause of the destruction of Flight 800." They also wrote that the center wing tank (CWT) exploded, but this happened as a result of the airplane’s breakup, not as the initial event.
The IAMAW questioned the accuracy of the "Tag database," which was used to track recovered wreckage, and the reliability of witness statements. They criticized the FBI’s actions during the investigation, including the removal of wreckage from storage without proper documentation. However, they praised the NTSB staff, management, and board members for their cooperation. They noted that despite pressure from the media and other groups, the NTSB remained focused on the investigation. The IAMAW concluded that the direct causes and circumstances leading to the crash were unknown.
William S. Donaldson, a retired Navy officer, formed the Associated Retired Aviation Professionals (ARAP) to investigate the TWA 800 crash. He wrote the "Interim Report on the Crash of TWA Flight 800 and the Actions of the NTSB and the FBI" (the "Donaldson Report"), which was published on July 17, 1998, two years before the NTSB’s Final Report. In the report, Donaldson claimed that TWA 800 was hit by two missiles fired from the water, likely as part of a terrorist attack. He argued that the FBI and NTSB worked together to hide this fact due to political pressure.
Donaldson disagreed with the theory that the CWT fuel-air vapor explosion caused the crash, stating that no Boeing airliner had ever experienced an in-flight explosion of Jet-A fuel vapor caused by mechanical failure. He cited eyewitness accounts, the debris field, metallurgical analysis, and victim injuries as evidence supporting the missile attack theory. He acknowledged James Sanders’ theory that the crash could have been an accidental shoot-down and did not rule out U.S. Navy involvement. However, he believed the evidence pointing to a terrorist attack was stronger.
Much of the report focused on Donaldson’s claims that the FBI and NTSB, along with the Justice Department, conspired to cover up the true cause of the crash. He believed the Clinton Administration wanted to hide the actual cause for political reasons, particularly ahead of the presidential elections. Donaldson requested that Congress hold hearings on the crash or that the Justice Department appoint an independent investigator (neither of which occurred).
Donaldson received support and funding from the advocacy group Accuracy in Media, which promoted his views. He died in 2001 from a brain tumor. The ARAP website remains active.
Public acceptance of conspiracy theories
As of 1998, about half of Americans did not agree with the NTSB's finding that the crash was caused by a mechanical malfunction. Shane Miller, an expert on communication, said that people often believe conspiracy theories because there was not enough clear evidence to show what caused the fire in the center fuel tank. The FBI heavily edited interviews with people who witnessed the event, which made some people question the official explanation.
Documentary
On July 17, 2013, the 17th anniversary of the tragedy, the Epix premium TV channel aired a documentary titled TWA Flight 800, directed by Kristina Borjesson. The film claims that the crash investigation was a cover-up. It includes many interviews with people who saw the event, and some of them said they did not agree with how their accounts were described publicly. The documentary also includes interviews with investigators who worked on the original investigation. Six of these investigators asked to look into the case again. Their request was based on eyewitness accounts, radar data suggesting a missile might have been involved, and claims that evidence was changed or hidden. They called this effort "The TWA 800 Project." A former NTSB investigator, Henry Hughes, said he thinks a bomb or a missile caused the crash.
Litigation
On September 19, 2022, the families of 15 people who died filed a lawsuit called Krick et al v. Raytheon Corporation (case number 1:22-cv-11032ck, U.S. District Court of Massachusetts). The lawsuit said the explosion that caused the flight crash happened because the Aegis Combat System was being tested. It claimed the defense system fired RIM-66 Standard SM-2 missiles at targets near flight paths, which led to an accidental shooting. The lawsuit also said the Department of Defense and the FBI hid the incident.
On October 12, 2023, Judge Angel Kelley Boston said the defendants could not have the case dismissed.