Federal authorities say it’s bunk — that a recently-released TWA Flight 800 documentary that fuels the idea the plane crashed due to a missile or bomb is 100 percent incorrect.
National Transportation Safety Board officials, during a Tuesday press conference to field questions about the documentary, said they stand by their original conclusion: The Boeing 747 crashed off Long Island, N.Y., on July 17, 1996, because of an overheated fuel tank that sparked a fire and explosion, the Daily Mail reported.
But their assurances aren’t likely to lay the issue to rest.
A recent documentary fueled suspicions that the plane was downed due to a missile or bomb attack. The film contains interviews with former investigators with NTSB, TWA and the Air Line Pilots Association who now say their work into the cause of the crash was undermined and that more than 200 witnesses who say they saw a streak of light flash toward the plane just seconds before it broke apart and crashed were not allowed to testify.
With 230 fatalities, the crash went down in American airline history as having the third-highest death count on U.S. soil. The FBI took over the case to investigate if the crash was due to a criminal act. Investigators also found unexplained explosive residue at the scene, the Daily Mail reported.
Even though the federal officials said Tuesday they stood by their conclusion — that the incident was a technological accident — the case is still labeled “pending active” and has not been formally closed, the Daily Mail said.
SEE ALSO: ‘TWA Flight 800’ filmmaker: ‘Solid proof’ aircraft was shot down
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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