WASHINGTON - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said yesterday that evidence from the crash of TWA Flight 800 was "consistent" with a fuel tank explosion. In a written statement to the Federal Aviation Administration, the NTSB recommended modifications to aircraft design to prevent such fuel tank explosions. The FAA said it would urgently review the board's request.
The Paris-bound TWA flight exploded shortly after takeoff from New York's Kennedy Airport on July 17th and plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 230 people on board.
The NTSB said parts of the Boeing 747 recovered and identified so far showed no evidence of bomb or missile damage.
However, its statement stopped short of flatly declaring the crash a mechanical accident, saying: "The investigation into what might have provided the source of ignition of the fuel-air mixture (including a bomb or missile) in the centre wing tank is continuing."
