Generation Why Podcast

TWA Flight 800. July 17, 1996. JFK International Airport. Trans World Airlines Flight 800 was to take off for Paris, France at around 7 pm EST. Various issues kept it from taking off until 8:19 pm. Just 12 minutes into the flight, at 8:31 pm, the plane exploded. Efforts were made to rescue anyone alive in the Atlantic Ocean from the destroyed Boeing 747, but none of the 230 passengers and crew had survived. Terrorism was suspected early on as the United States was facing threats at home and abroad. As the investigation continued, though, the evidence began to point to an issue with the plane itself. Or did it?

Past Episodes