TWA Flight 800 Explodes in Mid-Air

A total of 230 people were killed on July 17, 1996, when TWA Flight 800 mysteriously exploded 12 minutes after takeoff from JFK airport in New York. The third-deadliest airplane accident on American soil, the explosion was thought by some to be a terrorist attack, but the NTSB determined it was an accident caused when a spark from faulty wiring ignited fuel that was overheated by prolonged use of air-conditioning units before takeoff.