Video: 'TWA 800's Mid Air Explosion | Mayday Air Disaster'

(Wednesday, July 17, 1996, 8:31:12 p.m. EDT) — TWA Flight 800, a Europe-bound Boeing 747, exploded and crashed tonight off Long Island, New York, shortly after departing John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 230 people on board.

Video: 'Best Evidence: TWA Flight 800'

A four-year NTSB investigation concluded the probable cause of the accident was an explosion of flammable fuel/air vapors in a fuel tank, and, although it could not be determined with certainty, the most likely cause of the explosion was a short circuit.

Video: 'TWA Flight 800 Remastered Re-creation'

As a result of the investigation, new requirements were developed for aircraft to prevent future fuel tank explosions.