TWA Flight 800 (1964)
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[1] 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 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 |
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 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.
References
- Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 707-331 N769TW Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2019-06-10.