7.17.20 – Remembering TWA Flight 800 on This 24th Anniversary

Friday, July 17, 2020

Remembering TWA Flight 800 on This 24th Anniversary

On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747-100, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Long Island shortly after takeoff from New York’s JFK Airport. The airplane was en route to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. All 230 souls on board died in the air disaster. Initial reports centered on possible sabotage or a missile strike. However, after a lengthy investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the cause of the crash was an explosion of a combustible mixture of fuel and air in one of the fuel tanks. The investigators concluded the blast was caused by an electrical short circuit that affected the tank’s fuel gauge wiring.

On July 14, 2002, the TWA Flight 800 International Memorial seen above, was dedicated near the Atlantic Ocean in Smith Point County Park. Two hundred thirty of our family members, friends, and colleagues lost their lives on that somber day. On this 24th anniversary, we honor and reflect on those who are now gone but never forgotten.

TWA Flight 800 Crew
Operating Flight Deck Crew
Captain Steven E. Snyder
Captain Ralph G. Kevorkia
Flight Engineer Richard G. Campbell
Flight Engineer Oliver Krick

Operating Flight Attendants
Jacque Charbonnier
Dan Callas
Constance Charbonnier
Janet Christopher
Debra DiLuccio
Arlene Johnsen
Ray Lang
Maureen Lockhart
Sandra Meade
Grace Melotin
Marit Rhoads
Mike Schuldt
Melinda Torche
Jill Ziemkiewiicz

Deadheading Flight Deck Crew
Captain Gideon Miller
First Officer Rick L. Verhaeghe
Flight Engineer Douglas A. Eshleman

Deadheading Flight Attendants
Sandra Aikens-Bellamy
Rosie Braman
Warren Dodge
Daryl Edwards
Joanne Griffith
Eric Harkness
James Hull
Lonnie Ingenhuett
Barbara Kwan
Elaine Loffredo
Eli Luevano
Pamela McPherson
Olivia Simmons
Lani Warre

14 flags at the memorial site representing the countries of origin for the 230 victims of TWA Flight 800