TWA Flight 800 (July 17, 1996)

Date: July 17, 1996
Passengers: 212
Crew: 18
Fatalities: 230
Cause: "...an explosion of the center wing fuel tank (CWT), resulting from ignition of the flammable fuel/air mixture in the tank. The source of ignition energy for the explosion could not be determined with certainty, but, of the sources evaluated by the investigation, the most likely was a short circuit outside of the CWT that allowed excessive voltage to enter it through electrical wiring associated with the fuel quantity indication system."


Legend:
CAM     Cockpit area microphone or sound source
RDO     Radio transmission from accident aircraft
CTR		Boston Center
FIC		Flight Information Center
-1      Voice identified as captain
-2      Voice identified as first officer
-3      Voice identified as second officer
-4		Voice identified as flight engineer
-?      Voice unidentified or unknown
*       Unintelligible word
@       Non-pertinent word
#       Expletive
( )     Questionable insertion
(( ))   Editorial insertion
...     Pause
Times are expressed in EDT. Transcript reproduced from aviation-safety.net.


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2025:34.5	RDO-2	TWA's eight hundred heavy ah about two thousand feet a minute here until accelerating out of ten thousand

2025:41		CTR		Roger sir climb and maintain flight level one niner zero and expedite through fifteen

2025:47.1	RDO-2	TWA's eight hundred heavy climb and maintain one niner zero and expedite through one five thousand

2025:53		CAM-1	Climb to one nine zero expedite through one five thousand

2025:57		CAM-3	Pressurization checks

2025:59		CAM-3	(Takeoff) thrust go on cross feed?

2026:02		CAM-?	Ah

2026:04		CAM-1	Yeah

2026:07		CAM-3	I'll leave that on for just a little bit

2026:12		CAM-3	Is that right?

2026:13		CAM-4	Yes

2026:24		CTR		TWA eight hundred amend the altitude maintain ah one three thousand thirteen thousand only for now

2026:29		CAM-1	Thirteen thousand

2026:30.3	RDO-2	TWA's eight hundred heavy okay stop climb at one three thousand

2026:35		CAM-1	Stop climb at one three thousand

2026:51		CAM-1	*

2026:59		CAM-2	Twelve for thirteen

2027:35		CAM		((sound of click))

2027:47		CAM		((sound of altitude alert tone))

2028:13		CTR		TWA eight hundred you have traffic at one o'clock and ah seven miles south bound a thousand foot about you he's ah Beech nineteen hundred

2028:20.6	RDO-2	TWA's ah eight hundred heavy ah no contact

2028:22.5	RDO-3	TWA eight hundred ((to FIC))

2028:25		FIC		TWA eight hundred

2028:25		RDO-3	Eight hundred with an off report ah plane number one seven one one nine we're out at zero zero zero two, and we're off at zero zero one nine, fuel one seven nine decimal zero, estimating Charles De' Gaul at zero six two eight

2028:42		FIC		TWA eight eight hundred got it all

2028:44.8	RDO-3	Thank you

2029:15		CAM-1	Look at that crazy fuel flow indicator there on number four

2029:23		CAM-1	See that

2029:35		CAM-1	Some where in here I better trim this thing (in/up)

2029:39		CAM-2	Huh?
			CAM-1	Some place in here I better find out where this thing's trimmed

2030:15		CTR		TWA eight hundred climb and maintain one five thousand

2030:18		CAM-1	Climb thrust

2030:19.2	RDO-2	TWA's eight hundred heavy climb and maintain one five thousand leaving one three thousand

2030:24		CAM-1	Ollie
			CAM-3	Huh

2030:25		CAM-1	Climb thrust

2030:28		CAM-1	Climb to one five thousand

2030:35		CAM-3	Power's set

2030:42		CAM		((sound similar to mechanical movement in cockpit))

2031:03		CAM-?	*

2031:05		CAM		((sounds similar to recording tape damage noise, likely water damage))

2031:11-12	CAM		((very loud sound, likely explosion noise, recorded for last 0.117s))

2031:12				((end of recording))


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDHvGD-7xjU --- ATC recording, includes last communications of TWA Flight 800 with ATC, and nearby flights who saw the explosion.