On July 17th, 1996, the Trans World Atlantic Flight 800 exploded in mid-air. This tragedy was one of the deadliest aviation accidents on record, taking the lives of all 230 passengers on board. Although the National Transportation Board first suspected foul play, these suspicions were never confirmed, even after six months of investigations.

While it is true that the odds of a plane crashing are 0.000001%, TWA Flight 800 crashed in the Atlantic Ocean just a few minutes after takeoff, shocking the nation. Here are a few additional facts about the tragic TWA Flight.

• Trans World Airlines Flight 800 took off from the John F. Kennedy International Airport on July 7, 1996, with Rome as its final destination. The plane was expected to land at the Leonardo da Vinci Airport.
• Trans World Airlines Flight 800 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. The plane was a Boeing 747-100 model.
• TWA Flight 800 crashed at approximately 8:31 pm EDT. The flight crashed near East Moriches in New York barely 12 minutes after takeoff.
• At the time of the crash, the passenger plane had 230 souls on board, and there were no survivors.
• Amongst the 230 people on board, 212 were passengers, while 18 were crew members.
• The flight has one scheduled layover at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France.
• The Boeing 747-131 was manufactured in July of 1971, and by July 17, 1996, it had completed 16,869 flights. The plane was powered by four powerful Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7AH turban engines.
• The result of a four-year investigation concluded that the explosion was probably caused by the explosion of flammable fuel vapors that leaked in the center fuel tank.