TWA Flight 800 (1964)

For the 1996 crash of the same airline and flight number that killed everyone on board, see TWA Flight 800.

TWA Flight 800

A TWA Boeing 707-331 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident
Occurrence
Date	23 November 1964
Summary	Engine failure
Site	Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Rome, Italy 41°48′10″N 12°14′15″E
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 707-331
Operator	Trans World Airlines
Registration	N769TW
Flight origin	Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Rome, Italy
Destination	Ellinikon International Airport, Athens, Greece
Passengers	62
Crew	11
Fatalities	50
Injuries	23
Survivors	23

TWA Flight 800 was a Boeing 707 that crashed during take off on runway 25 at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Rome at 13:09 GMT on a flight to Athens International Airport, Greece on 23 November 1964. As the Boeing 707 was at 80 knots, the instruments for No. 4 engine indicated zero thrust and the thrust reverser deployment light for No. 2 engine illuminated. The crew aborted the takeoff at a speed below V1 at 800-900m down the runway. The aircraft did not slow down as quickly as the crew expected and veered to the right, whereupon No. 4 engine struck a pavement roller. The aircraft caught fire and traveled another 260m before coming to rest. The accident killed 50 passengers and crew on board, with 23 passengers and crew surviving.

A prominent passenger was the Most Reverend Edward Celestin Daly, OP, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa, in the United States; he was killed in this crash. He had just participated in Vatican Council II.

Cause

The crash site

The cause of the accident was an inoperative No. 2 engine reverse thrust system, even though indications in the cockpit were that the reverser had deployed. This was caused by the disconnection of a duct with resulting lack of pressure in the pneumatic clamshell door actuating mechanism. This malfunction allowed the development of considerable forward thrust by No. 2 engine even though the thrust levers for all four engines were in the "reverse" position.

More information about this accident can be found in a book published in 1967, called "Airline Safety is a Myth". It was written by the captain of this aircraft, Vernon William Lowell. He survived the accident and went on to become a passionate advocate for improved safety in airline travel.