TWA Flight 800: Remembering the tragedy
On the evening of July 17,1996, a TWA jet bound for Paris exploded shortly after taking off from Kennedy Airport, killing all 230 aboard and raining debris over the Atlantic Ocean south of the Moriches Inlet. In the ensuing days and months, Newsday covered the disaster and recovery efforts. Here, we look back at Newsday’s Pulitzer-winning coverage and catch up with some of the victims’ families and first responders forever changed by this event.
Our story
Darkness, then a wall of fire
Newsday reporter and photographer recall sadness and horror of late-night boat ride through the wreckage.
Then and now: Families and first responders
Heidi Snow Cinader
Crash changed life, career path
'The most important thing ended up being…ensuring that other people don’t have to go through their loss alone.'
Courtesy of Heidi Snow Cinader
Peter Turner
Among first to crash site
'It feels like it's an unresolved story'
Courtesy of Peter Turner
Greg Miglino
Mobilized first responders
'When you hear that there may only be a few survivors.. emotionally it takes a toll on you.'
Courtesy of Greg Miglino
Thomas DeMaria
Psychologist helps grieving families
'I’m always impressed that people pull together and stay together.'
Courtesy of Thomas DeMaria
Wendy Sander
A niece misses her uncle
'He was very good at making people feel better about themselves.'
Courtesy of Wendy Sander
Mark Griffith
Sister overcame struggles before crash
'At some point, you’ve just got to let go.'
Courtesy of Mark Griffith
The legacy
LIers still haunted by Flight 800
'It shook our town up.'
AP / Bebeto Matthews
Newsday's original story from 1996
The crash of TWA Flight 800
Trans World Airlines Flight 800 had climbed to approximately 13,800 feet when federal aviation officials lost radar contact on July 17, 1996.
Newsday / John Paraskevas
The missile theory lingers
Some LIers still think Flight 800 was shot down
'I think the government has to do some explaining.'
AFP/ JON LEVY
Montoursville
'More than its share of sadness'
Pennsylvania town that lost 21 residents still hurts 20 years later.
Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Flight 800 lives on
Learning from tragedy
Wreckage from TWA Flight 800 is used to teach investigators how to solve accidents and prevent future ones.
Archive: Newsday special section
Coverage of the TWA Flight 800 crash from July 19, 1996.
More coverage
Archive: Newsday coverage from 1996
Flying with fear
AP / Wally Santana
Archive: Newsday coverage from 1996
FBI appeals to witnesses after crash
Newsday / Bill Davis
Archive: Newsday coverage from 1996
In the morgue, somber tasks
AP / Cliff Schiappa
Archive: Newsday coverage from 1996
Boaters brave the dark sea looking for survivors
Newsday / John Paraskevas
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