The Spark That Killed 230 People!: The Scary Details of the NTSB's Final Report of the Crash of TWA Flight 800: How Safe is Flying? [Paperback]

Djanicelle Barreveld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2002

The sudden disappearance of TWA flight 800 on the night of July 17, 1996 caused an avalanche of rumors and theories about what might have happened. A Boeing 747 does not just disappear in a split second. The NTSB's investigation of the crash became the most thorough, most expensive and largest accident investigation in the Safety Board's history. No stone was left unturned. The Safety Board concluded that the probable cause of the accident was an explosion of the center wing fuel tank (CWT), resulting from ignition of the flammable fuel/air mixture in the tank. The source of the ignition was most likely an electrical short circuit.The Safety Board, in the course of its investigation, inspected numerous airplanes to check on electrical wiring. What became clear is that wiring is a huge problem in aviation. Ed Block, a Defense whstleblower tried in the 1980s to draw attention to the problem but was fired instead of awarded. The military changed its wire specifications after massive problems, on commercial airplanes nothing changed. Almost six years after the accident, he FAA has not done much. How many more people have to die by wire before serious measures are taken?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Drs. Dirk Jan Barreveld was born in the Netherlands in 1941. After a career in the Dutch international transport world, he was, among others, General Manager of Schiphol International Airport, one of Europe's largest international airports, he transferred in 1987 to the Philippines. Drs. Barreveld holds a doctoral degree from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (February 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595217257
• ISBN-13: 978-0595217250
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,253,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An Explosive Book, January 4, 2007

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S. Sawin "Sgrosvenor" (Mukilteo, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Spark That Killed 230 People!: The Scary Details of the NTSB's Final Report of the Crash of TWA Flight 800: How Safe is Flying? (Paperback)

As a Aeronautical Science Major, this book gives factual insight into the downing of TWA800 and the ramifications of being complacent when addressing the issue of aging aircraft, esp. wiring. When the 747 was built (this aircraft was one of the first ten off of the assembly line in 1969-70), nobody thought it would still be flying in 1996 at the time of the accident. It was the beginning of the Jet Age in the true sense of the word and it never dawned on anyone that wiring, which was ultimately the root cause of this accident, would be an issue. If you are a aviation techie, read this book - you won't be disappointed!