Mock explosion could uncover clues in TWA crash

May 10, 1997
Web posted at: 11:13 a.m. EDT (1513 GMT)

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Investigators of TWA Flight 800 hope a British plan to blow up a Boeing 747 will shed light on what caused Flight 800 to explode last summer.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday the British Civil Aviation Authority plans to put explosive devices on a jet to test new bomb-resistant cargo holds. The mock explosion is to take place in Leicester, England, this summer.

The NTSB said it has asked the British agency to place microphones on the fuel tank to see how it compares with the sounds recorded aboard Flight 800 when it exploded last July, killing all 230 aboard.

Investigators have said a brief loud noise was picked up by Flight 800's voice cockpit recorder at the end of the tape -- a noise unlike anything investigators have encountered in previous investigations.

Special Coverage:

• CNN's TWA Flight 800 site

Related stories:

• TWA not convinced of mechanical failure theory - May 8, 1997
• FBI director: Flight 800 crash probably due to 'mechanical failure' - May 4, 1997

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