TWA Flight 800

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/twa-flight-800

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the aircraft manufacturer?Boeing
2. What is the date of incident?July 17, 1996
3. What happened to TWA Flight 800?The airplane exploded about 12 minutes after takeoff and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 230 people on board.
4. Why did the plane explode?The investigation found that flammable fuel vapors in the center wing fuel tank blew up, probably because a short circuit in the fuel quantity system wiring sparked it.

In-flight Explosion: An explosion that occurs while an aircraft is flying, often leading to structural failure.
Probable Cause: The primary reason or combination of factors determined by investigators to have caused an accident.
Fuel Tank Inerting: A safety system that reduces the flammability of fuel vapors in aircraft tanks by displacing oxygen.