TWA Flight 800 remembered 30 years after tragic explosion
230 people were killed, including 14 from Long Island.
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Friday marks 30 years since the TWA Flight 800 explosion.
The Paris-bound flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport exploded off the coast of Moriches Inlet on July 17, 1996.
Officials say 230 people were killed, including 14 from Long Island.
Investigators later said the explosion was caused by faulty wiring.
A service was held at Smith Point County Park to remember those who lost their lives.
Ken Maxwell was one of the lead investigators with the FBI at the time of the crash and attended the ceremony.
“It was the largest reconstruction of an aircraft disaster in aviation history…” Maxwell said. “It’s always a very emotional day for me to remember not only the loss, [but the] efforts everybody put into this attempt to find out what happened.”
He says they got a lot of answers after the crash, but not enough. Now, he tries to show up every year to show his support for the victim’s families.
He also worked with Hank Hughes, the senior accident aviation investigator.
“A lot of families have been disrupted,” Hughes said. “We just tried to bring comfort and understanding and the truth to them. That was our mission.”
Nancy Devito is a former TWA flight attendant who worked with some of the crew.
“We all have the same feeling in our hearts which is scarred,” DeVito said. “It’s helpful to be here. Soothing in a way.”
Speakers during the ceremony said they will always continue to keep this memorial alive. The ceremony ended with a wreath of flowers being sent into the ocean.
Families who lost loved ones in the crash also visited the memorial ahead of the service.
"My sister and my brother-in-law came out to see me in California 30 years ago and they were tragically there on the flight that went down," said Ian Bailey, who traveled from California. "It feels comforting to actually know that we've got something that everybody can remember, it's not just forgotten about."
Bailey traveled from Sacramento, California, while the rest of his family arrived from England. He said he hasn't visited the memorial at Smith Point County Park in decades.
“The year later, I came for that one, but not since - 29 years, now was the first time," Bailey said.
"The memorial for me is very comforting and healing and it is for most of the families," said TWA Flight 800 Family Association Chairman John Seaman. "Being here brings it all back and I can see things that happened 30 years ago, and it's just as vivid as if it was yesterday."
