TWO WEEKS AFTER the crash of Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 800, there was still no firm evidence to support the prevailing theory that the Boeing 747-100 was brought down by a bomb. By 1 August, 184 of the 230 victims, but less than 5% of the wreckage, had been recovered from the sea off Long Island.

Based on radar data and the pattern of wreckage about 35m (115ft) down in water, investigators believe that the nose of the 747 separated from the rest of the aircraft, which remained mostly intact for 10-11s, until it was engulfed by a fireball. This has led to speculation that a bomb exploded in the forward section, possibly in the cargo hold.

Radar tracked the 747 for 41s after the recorders stopped. The forward fuselage is believed to have separated at 13,700ft, while the rest of the aircraft descended to 8,500ft before bursting into flames.

Recovery efforts have focused on two major debris fields 2km (1nm) apart. The nose landing-gear and some first- and business-class seats were recovered in one field, likely to be the wreckage of the forward fuselage. A 15m-long piece of wreckage, believed to be a section of centre/aft fuselage, has been located in the second debris field.

Two intact engines and the compressor section of a third have been located and visually inspected in situ, but show evidence only of impact damage, says the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). By 2 August, no physical or chemical evidence of an explosion had been found on any recovered wreckage, including a cargo door and container.

Analysis of the brief, loud noise at the end of the otherwise normal cockpit-voice recording (CVR) has yet to provide any clues, while the flight-data recorder (FDR) data-stream ends abruptly, having shown no anomalies, says the NTSB. This has added to the circumstantial argument for the bomb theory, as recordings from the CVR/FDR of the Pan American Boeing 747 blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 ended just as abruptly.

Source: Flight International