Deadly Departure: Why The Experts Failed To Prevent The TWA Flight 800 Disaster And How It Could Happen Again

by Christine Negroni

The in-flight explosion of TWA Flight 800 on July 17, 1996, was one of the deadliest disasters in American history, spurring the most expensive airline investigation ever undertaken by the U.S. government. To this day the crash remains clouded in doubt and shadowed by suspicion of a government conspiracy. If there was any conspiracy to hide the truth about what really happened to Flight 800, it began long before the crash. Past crashes tell the What happened on Flight 800 has happened before and will again, unless drastic changes are made. Now veteran journalist Christine Negroni reveals what the commercial aviation industry has known for more than thirty-five years that during flight confined vapors in the fuel tanks can create a bomb like environment. It takes only a small energy source to ignite it. TWA Flight 800 was the fourteenth fuel tank explosion on a commercial airliner in thirty-five years. Yet each and every time, the airline industry persuaded regulators to deal with the symptoms of the problem and ignore the cause. When investigators could not immediately determine what happened, they were finally forced to look at the bigger picture. And, for the first time, this book exposes the hubris of aircraft manufacturers who knew all along, but dismissed as acceptable, the risk of fuel tank explosions. Deadly Departure shines a spotlight on the chaos behind the most massive crash investigation ever conducted, how the White House had to intervene between feuding investigators, and the surprising stories behind the missile theory conspiracies. It also tells the stories of the passengers and their families, the people of TWA and Boeing, the rescue and crisis workers, and the investigators and scientists involved illustrating the devastating effects on human lives. An impeccably researched, eye-opening examination of one of the great disasters of our time, Deadly Departure is a stunning exposé of how industry pressure continues to undermine regulatory policy, placing air travelers' lives at risk.

Genres: Aviation, Nonfiction, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 16, 2000

About the author

I write about all kinds of aviation and specialize in airline safety. I follow the relationship between humans and machines. I also travel frequently and write about the places I go and the ways I move on the journey. My Flying Lessons (aviation) blog and on my travel blog (GoHowKnowHow) can be found on my website christinenegroni dot com.

Reviews

[Isabella Fray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a lot of disaster books (as anyone who follows my shelves might notice) and part of the draw is not just the subject of the book but also how each one, depending on when it was written, acts a little case study about the evolution of crisis preparedness and management. The TWA Flight 800 crash happened in 1996, and this book was written in 2000. The changes in attitude about flight safety post-9/11 are striking given that it took 30 years for the FAA to decide to even do a study on the flammability of 747 fuel tanks. It seemed that most people involved were trying to isolate external sources of ignition and, despite persistent warnings from wiring experts, never considered or took seriously the threat of a spark inside the fuel tank, especially when it was emptied for shorter flights.

While looking up photos of the reconstructed plane, I came across a new book recently out claiming to focus exclusively on the conspiracy of a government cover-up, claiming that it was actually a missile that shot down the plane. While I already committed to the conclusion of this book (some sort of spark from one of the NINE previous maintenance tickets in the previous two weeks or similar), I'm sort of curious about exactly what the conspiracy theorists have to say from a psychological point of view. This book mentioned the ease with which people can form false memories, especially when they are led to certain scenarios. In fact, even if the conspiracy theorists actually turned out to be right and it was a missile from a nearby military test that got covered up, that's a lot less scary than the alternative--30 years went by of cost benefit analysis (including dozens of similar fuel tank explosions and planes falling out the sky) to determine how many people it was acceptable to lose per year to avoid a large upfront cost to airlines. If the government were covering up a missile, that's almost something I'd expect given how literally everyone wants to hide their mistakes. Why would the US government admit a careless and deadly mistake like that?

Anyway, in summary, I learned a lot about fuel inerting, how fuel tanks work(ed) on planes (in 1996) and in general, some history of safety standards in the history of modern aviation. I also learned that people like to come to their own conclusions and then seek out evidence supporting those conclusions, even experts.

[James Yong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and in-depth analysis of TWA800 with faithful recreations of the what the passengers and crew of the flight might have gone through in harrowing detail. This book places the reader in the cockpit, the cabin and the shoes of the investigators.

An episode of Air Crash Investigations in book form.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tired-head

Too much FAA, NTSB and government alphabet agency interaction detail. It all gets rather tedious and at times boring. That said, I am glad I read the book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched account of the investigation that led to the official conclusion of the cause of the crash...namely the explosion of fuel vapors in the center fuel tank. All of the agencies involved take a bit of a beating from the author, although TWA (for its disorganization in the hours following the crash) and Boeing (for its emphasis on the cost/benefit analysis of safety measures) are clearly the corporate bad guys in the book. While I found the technical discussions and the painstaking investigatory process to be both fascinating and credible, it was disappointing that Negroni did not go further to put to rest the lingering belief that there was a cover-up of some sort. There was scant treatment of the upwards of 200 "eyewitness" accounts of the event and no mention of the CIA animation.

The book is as much about the turf wars, jurisdictional issues and overall dysfunction of the government agencies involved as it is about the technical explanation for the tragedy. And almost no one comes out looking good, though there are several individuals whose compassion for the victims and their families,tenacious search for the truth and desire to improve the safety of an aging fleet of aircraft leave the reader with a sense of admiration.

Overall a thorough,engrossing treatment of a tragic event that seeks to leave behind the murky cloud of conspiracy and shed light on the more plausible,but just as frightening, mechanical and bureaucratic "perfect storm".

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

When TWA Flight 800 exploded minutes after takeoff from JFK airport with no survivors, the nation was shocked. As answers were slow to come, many conspiracy and terrorism theories were floated about. This book explores the investigation and the politics involved.

This book was really focused on the investigation and turf wars between departments, which is not really my thing. I found parts of it interesting enough to keep reading, and I found certain explanations chilling, especially as airlines consider the cost of human life to be negligible.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent explanation of the convoluted story behind the investigation of the crash of TWA fight 800. The author does an excellent job of sorting out and clarufyling the conflicting egos, fighting government agencies, and other complicating factors that made determining the cause of the crash such a lengthy process.

[Robbie Newell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an enjoyable read, detailing the process of before the explosion, with a thoroughly detailed account of the investigation and the politics behind it, combined with detailing the personal experiences of various individuals involved (including relatives of the victims, investigators and other individuals)

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent look at the TWA 800 disaster.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

While comprehensive, it has a tendency to stray into the side stories randomly, rather than keeping a consistent thread.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely detailed account of the investigation into the crash of TWA Flight 800.