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TWA Flight 800 Crash's 17th Anniversary To Be Marked At Memorial, Then With Documentary (PHOTOS)

PHOTOS: 17th Anniversary Of TWA Flight 800 Crash
Newsday
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ASHBURN, VA - MAY 4: Members of the press examine a 93-foot section of the TWA Flight 800 fuselage that sits inside a state-of-the-art training facility of the new NTSB Academy May 4, 2004 in Ashburn, Virginia. The reconstructed fuselage of TWA Flight 800 which exploded over the Atlantic will be used as a teaching tool for air crash investigators. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Family and friends of those killed onboard TWA Flight 800 will gather Wednesday night at the memorial in Smith Point County Park on the 17th anniversary of the explosion and crash -- at the same time that a documentary, questioning investigators' findings, will be broadcast.

The Boeing 747-100 -- going from New York to Rome, with a stop in Paris -- plummeted into the waters off East Moriches at 8:31 p.m. on July 17, 1996, shortly after takeoff from Kennedy Airport, killing all 230 passengers and crew. A four-year investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the cause was an accidental fuel tank explosion.

At 8 p.m. the Epix cable TV channel will broadcast "TWA Flight 800," a 90-minute documentary. In it, six former members of the official crash probe rebut the official cause and claim the investigation was systematically undermined.

The NTSB ruled out a bomb or a missile as the cause. At a briefing this month, current and former federal officials who had lead roles in the investigation stood by their conclusion.

John Seaman, longtime leader of the Families of Flight 800 Association, called the timing of the documentary's broadcast insensitive. He has been meeting with Suffolk County officials in recent days to press for a commitment to maintain the TWA Flight 800 memorial.

The black granite and garden memorial, located in Shirley at the closest shore point to the crash, has been maintained by the families and by clients of the Independent Group Home Living Program (IGHL) for the developmentally disabled, said Frank Lombardi, assistant to the CEO of the Moriches-based program and a board member of the families association. Other support has come from Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent DeMarco.

Seaman is hopeful the county will play a bigger role in caring for the site.

"We expect the county executive will take a strong partnership role to preserve the memorial for this year, next year and for many years to come, both for Families of Flight 800 to remember and grieve, but also the community," said Seaman, of Clifton Park. His niece, Michelle Becker, 19, was killed.

Suffolk County Legis. Robert Colarco (D-Patchogue), whose jurisdiction includes the memorial site, said he has been meeting with IGHL and the families.

The county "needs to find a way to make a long-term commitment so the memorial is properly maintained," Colarco said Tuesday. "It is a jewel."

The documentary also will be screened Saturday at the Stony Brook Film Festival.

"It is a really well-made documentary ... and a well-made film and an important film," said Alan Inkles, the festival's founder and director.

Helen Siebert, 71, of Fort Myers Beach, Fla., lost two daughters, Chrisha, 28, and Brenna, 25, on the flight. She has not seen the documentary but said she "feels at peace" with the NTSB's findings.

"Knowing for sure without a shadow of a doubt what happened, I don't know if that will ever occur," she said.

Nora Ryan, Epix chief of staff, said the intention is to honor the anniversary. "We understand and appreciate the feelings of the families, and while for some this may be difficult, for others it may be helpful," she said. ___

(c)2013 Newsday

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Before You Go

TWA Flight 800
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Names of those whose lives were lost are etched in marble at the TWA Flight 800 International Memorial at Smith Point County Park on Fire Island, N.Y., Friday, July 5, 2013. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, flying from New York to Paris and Rome, crashed into the ocean 14 miles from the park, killing all 230 passengers and crew. Current and former U.S. officials who played key roles in the investigation said they stand by their conclusion that the crash was caused by an accidental fuel tank explosion and not a bomb or missile. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (credit:AP)
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Flags from fourteen nations fly at the TWA Flight 800 International Memorial at Smith Point County Park on Fire Island, N.Y., Friday, July 5, 2013. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, flying from New York to Paris and Rome, crashed into the ocean 14 miles from the park, killing all 230 passengers and crew. Current and former U.S. officials who played key roles in the investigation said they stand by their conclusion that the crash was caused by an accidental fuel tank explosion and not a bomb or missile. The flags are, from left, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Ireland, Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Algeria, Norway, Italy, France and the United States. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (credit:AP)
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A field of daisies leads to the TWA Flight 800 International Memorial at Smith Point County Park on Fire Island, N.Y., Friday, July 5, 2013. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, flying from New York to Paris and Rome, crashed into the ocean 14 miles from the park, killing all 230 passengers and crew. Current and former U.S. officials who played key roles in the investigation said they stand by their conclusion that the crash was caused by an accidental fuel tank explosion and not a bomb or missile. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (credit:AP)
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An inscription etched in marble is shown at the TWA Flight 800 International Memorial at Smith Point County Park on Fire Island, N.Y., Friday, July 5, 2013. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, flying from New York to Paris and Rome, crashed into the ocean 14 miles from the park, killing all 230 passengers and crew. Current and former U.S. officials who played key roles in the investigation said they stand by their conclusion that the crash was caused by an accidental fuel tank explosion and not a bomb or missile. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (credit:AP)
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Names of some of the victims of the crash of TWA Flight 800 are etched in marble at the TWA Flight 800 International Memorial at Smith Point County Park on Fire Island, N.Y., Friday, July 5, 2013. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, flying from New York to Paris and Rome, crashed into the ocean 14 miles from the park, killing all 230 passengers and crew. Current and former U.S. officials who played key roles in the investigation said they stand by their conclusion that the crash was caused by an accidental fuel tank explosion and not a bomb or missile. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (credit:AP)
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The entrance to the TWA Flight 800 International Memorial at Smith Point County Park on Fire Island, N.Y., is shown Friday, July 5, 2013. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, flying from New York to Paris and Rome, crashed into the ocean 14 miles from the park, killing all 230 passengers and crew. Current and former U.S. officials who played key roles in the investigation said they stand by their conclusion that the crash was caused by an accidental fuel tank explosion and not a bomb or missile. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (credit:AP)
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An etched marble surface shows waves, surf and birds on the TWA Flight 800 International Memorial at Smith Point County Park on Fire Island, N.Y., Friday, July 5, 2013. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, flying from New York to Paris and Rome, crashed into the ocean 14 miles from the park, killing all 230 passengers and crew. Current and former U.S. officials who played key roles in the investigation said they stand by their conclusion that the crash was caused by an accidental fuel tank explosion and not a bomb or missile. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (credit:AP)
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The TWA Flight 800 International Memorial is shown at Smith Point County Park on Fire Island, N.Y., Friday, July 5, 2013. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, flying from New York to Paris and Rome, crashed into the ocean 14 miles from the park, killing all 230 passengers and crew. Current and former U.S. officials who played key roles in the investigation of the crash said they stand by their conclusion that it was caused by an accidental fuel tank explosion and not a bomb or missile. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (credit:AP)
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Surfers walk past the TWA Flight 800 International Memorial at Smith Point County Park on Fire Island, N.Y., Friday, July 5, 2013. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, flying from New York to Paris and Rome, crashed into the ocean 14 miles from the park, killing all 230 passengers and crew. Current and former U.S. officials who played key roles in the investigation of one of the nation's worst aviation disasters said they stand by their conclusion that the crash was caused by an accidental fuel tank explosion and not a bomb or missile. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (credit:AP)
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The TWA Flight 800 International Memorial is shown at Smith Point County Park on Fire Island, N.Y., Friday, July 5, 2013. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, flying from New York to Paris and Rome, crashed into the ocean 14 miles from the park, killing all 230 passengers and crew. Current and former U.S. officials who played key roles in the investigation of one of the nation's worst aviation disasters said they stand by their conclusion that the 1996 crash of TWA flight 800 near New York City was caused by an accidental fuel tank explosion and not a bomb or missile. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (credit:AP)
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FILE - This July 16, 2001 file photo shows the seats, foreground, and the wreckage of TWA Flight 800 in a hangar in Calverton, N.Y. Current and former federal officials who played key roles in the investigation of one of the nation's worst aviation disasters said Tuesday, July 2, 2013 they stand by their conclusion that the crash of flight 800 was caused by an accidental fuel tank explosion, and not a bomb or missile. (AP Photo/ Ed Betz, file) (credit:AP)
TWA Flight 800(12 of34)
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FILE - This file graphic image, provided by the Central Intelligence Agency, Dec. 9, 1997, shows an animation of the disintegration of Paris-bound TWA Flight 800 as it explodes off the coast of Long Island on July 17, 1996. The video was used to explain eyewitness accounts of the explosion, which killed all 230 people aboard. Former investigators on Wednesday, June 19, 2013 called on the National Transportation Safety Board to re-examine the cause, saying new evidence points to the often-discounted theory that a missile strike may have downed the jumbo jet. (AP Photo/Central Intelligence Agency, File) (credit:AP)
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FILE - In this Nov. 19, 1997 file photo, FBI agents and New York state police guard the reconstruction of TWA Flight 800 in Calverton, N.Y. Flight 800 exploded and crashed July 17, 1996 while flying from New York to Paris, killing all 230 people aboard. Former investigators on Wednesday, June 19, 2013 called on the National Transportation Safety Board to re-examine the cause, saying new evidence points to the often-discounted theory that a missile strike may have downed the jumbo jet. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) (credit:AP)
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FILE - In this Aug. 7, 1996 file photo, the cockpit of TWA Flight 800 is lowered at the U.S. Coast Guard station at Shinnecock Inlet in Hampton Bays, N.Y. Former investigators on Wednesday, June 19, 2013 called on the National Transportation Safety Board to re-examine the cause, saying new evidence points to the often-discounted theory that a missile strike may have downed the jumbo jet. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File) (credit:AP)
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FILE - This photo released by the National Transportation Safety Board in this March 12, 1997 file photo, taken March 6, 1997, shows reconstruction work continuing in Calverton, N.Y., on TWA Flight 800 which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off New York's Long Island. Former NTSB investigators of the TWA Flight 800 crash off Long Island are calling on the National Transportation Safety Board to re-examine the case. The retired investigators claim that findings were "falsified." (AP Photo/NTSB, File) (credit:AP)
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Tom Stalcup, physicist and co-producer of the documentary 'TWA Flight 800,' speaks with reporters regarding TWA Flight 800 outside the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Training Center on July 2, 2013 in Ashburn, Virginia. US aviation investigators stood by their verdict that a fuel tank explosion brought down TWA Flight 800 in 1996, ahead of a documentary that revives speculation of a missile hit. Some 230 passengers and crew died when the Boeing 747, en route to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, exploded in the night sky off Long Island, shortly after it took off from New York's John F. Kennedy airport. AFP PHOTO/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Jim Hurd (R), who lost his 29-year-old son Jamie in the crash of TWA Flight 800, speaks with reporters regarding TWA Flight 800 outside the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Training Center on July 2, 2013 in Ashburn, Virginia. US aviation investigators stood by their verdict that a fuel tank explosion brought down TWA Flight 800 in 1996, ahead of a documentary that revives speculation of a missile hit. Some 230 passengers and crew died when the Boeing 747, en route to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, exploded in the night sky off Long Island, shortly after it took off from New York's John F. Kennedy airport. AFP PHOTO/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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FILE - This photo released by the National Transportation Safety Board in this March 12, 1997 file photo, taken March 6, 1997, shows reconstruction work continuing in Calverton, N.Y., on TWA Flight 800 which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off New York's Long Island. Former NTSB investigators of the TWA Flight 800 crash off Long Island are calling on the National Transportation Safety Board to re-examine the case. The retired investigators claim that findings were "falsified." (AP Photo/NTSB, File) (credit:AP)
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Relatives and friends touch and etch names on the memorial of TWA Flight 800 at Smith Point Park 17 July 2006 in Shirley, New York. The incident was the subject of one of the most exhaustive investigations in US aviation history, amid initial suggestions that the Boeing 747 had been hit by a surface-to-air missile. AFP PHOTO/DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Jane Michele Becker, 8, from Chicago, Il(20 of34)
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Jane Michele Becker, 8, from Chicago, Illinois, rubs her hand along the memorial of TWA Flight 800 at Smith Point Park 17 July 2006 in Shirley, New York on the 10th anniversary of the disaster that killed 230 people when the New York to Paris flight blew up shortly after take off in 1996. The incident was the subject of one of the most exhaustive investigations in US aviation history, amid initial suggestions that the Boeing 747 had been hit by a surface-to-air missile. AFP PHOTO/DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
National Transportation Safety Board Academy Opens New Training Facility(21 of34)
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ASHBURN, VA - MAY 4: Members of the press examine a 93-foot section of the TWA Flight 800 fuselage that sits inside a state-of-the-art training facility of the new NTSB Academy May 4, 2004 in Ashburn, Virginia. The reconstructed fuselage of TWA Flight 800 which exploded over the Atlantic will be used as a teaching tool for air crash investigators. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
National Transportation Safety Board Academy Opens New Training Facility(22 of34)
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ASHBURN, VA - MAY 4: A 93-foot section of the TWA Flight 800 fuselage sits inside a state-of-the-art training facility of the new a state-of-the-art training facility of the new NTSB Academy May 4, 2004 in Ashburn, Virginia. The reconstructed fuselage of TWA Flight 800 which exploded over the Atlantic will be used as a teaching tool for air crash investigators. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
National Transportation Safety Board Academy Opens New Training Facility(23 of34)
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ASHBURN, VA - MAY 4: Jim Wildey of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) gives the press a tour of the 93-foot section of the TWA Flight 800 fuselage that sits inside a state-of-the-art training facility of the new NTSB Academy May 4, 2004 in Ashburn, Virginia. The reconstructed fuselage of TWA Flight 800 which exploded over the Atlantic will be used as a teaching tool for air crash investigators. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
National Transportation Safety Board Academy Opens New Training Facility(24 of34)
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ASHBURN, VA - MAY 4: A 93-foot section of the TWA Flight 800 fuselage sits inside a state-of-the-art training facility of the new a state-of-the-art training facility of the new NTSB Academy May 4, 2004 in Ashburn, Virginia. The reconstructed fuselage of TWA Flight 800 which exploded over the Atlantic will be used as a teaching tool for air crash investigators. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
National Transportation Safety Board Academy Opens New Training Facility(25 of34)
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ASHBURN, VA - MAY 4: Members of the press examine a 93-foot section of the TWA Flight 800 fuselage that sits inside a state-of-the-art training facility of the new National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Academy May 4, 2004 in Ashburn, Virginia. The reconstructed fuselage of TWA Flight 800 which exploded over the Atlantic will be used as a teaching tool for air crash investigators. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
National Transportation Safety Board Academy Opens New Training Facility(26 of34)
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ASHBURN, VA - MAY 4: A chared door is seen on the 93-foot section of the TWA Flight 800 fuselage that sits inside a state-of-the-art training facility of the new National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Academy May 4, 2004 in Ashburn, Virginia. The reconstructed fuselage of TWA Flight 800 which exploded over the Atlantic will be used as a teaching tool for air crash investigators. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
National Transportation Safety Board Academy Opens New Training Facility(27 of34)
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ASHBURN, VA - MAY 4: Jim Wildey of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) gives the press a tour of the 93-foot section of the TWA Flight 800 fuselage that sits inside a state-of-the-art training facility of the new NTSB Academy May 4, 2004 in Ashburn, Virginia. The reconstructed fuselage of TWA Flight 800 which exploded over the Atlantic will be used as a teaching tool for air crash investigators. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Amanda Woleslagle (L) and Adam Steinbacher (R) com(28 of34)
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MONTOURSVILLE, UNITED STATES: Amanda Woleslagle (L) and Adam Steinbacher (R) comfort each other 17 July at the grave of their classmate Julia Danielle Grimm, one of the victims of last year's TWA Flight 800 disaster. Grimm was one of the 21 residents of Montoursville PA, killed17 July, 1996 in the crash. A memorial service for residents of this small central Pennsylvania town will be held later 17 July in the high school gymnasium. AFP PHOTO/ TOM MIHALEK (Photo credit should read TOM MIHALEK/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (L) prays during a(29 of34)
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NEW YORK, UNITED STATES: New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (L) prays during a memorial service at St. Patrick's Cathedral 17 July during a church service to mark the one year anniversary of the TWA Flight 800 disaster over Long Island in which 230 people died in the explosion. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Lori Mild, the aunt and god mother of Larissa Mich(30 of34)
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MONTOURSVILLE, UNITED STATES: Lori Mild, the aunt and god mother of Larissa Michele Uzupis, one of the vitims of the TWA Flight 800 crash, sits by the grave of her niece, who was one of the 21 residents of Montoursville PA, killed in the 17 July 1996 accident. Mild's relection can be seen in another grave stone. A memorial service for residents of this small central Pennsylvania town is scheduled to be be held later 17 July in the high school gymnasium. AFP PHOTO/TOM MIHALEK (Photo credit should read TOM MIHALEK/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Amanda Woleslagle of Montoursville, PA prays 17 Ju(31 of34)
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MONTOURSVILLE, UNITED STATES: Amanda Woleslagle of Montoursville, PA prays 17 July at the grave of one of her classmates who were among the 21 local victims of the TWA Flight 800 disaster on 17 July, 1996. A memorial service for residents of this small central Pennsylvania town will be held later 17 July in the high school gymnasium. AFP PHOTO/TOM MIHALEK (Photo credit should read TOM MIHALEK/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Mourners fill the church during a memorial service(32 of34)
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NEW YORK, UNITED STATES: Mourners fill the church during a memorial service at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral 17 July to mark the one-year anniversary of the TWA Flight 800 disaster over Long Island. Two hundred and fifty died in the mid-air explosion. AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Nellie Chauffeur of France, a relative of four vic(33 of34)
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NEW YORK, UNITED STATES: Nellie Chauffeur of France, a relative of four victims of the TWA Flight 800 crash, arrives at John F. Kennedy airport in New York 16 July. Chauffeur is planning to attend memorial services for victims of the ill-fated flight and told reporters she was disappointed that TWA would not pay for her daughter to accompany her. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) (Photo credit should read JON LEVY/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Cynthia Cox, (R), who lost her daughter Monice in(34 of34)
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WASHINGTON, : Cynthia Cox, (R), who lost her daughter Monice in the crash of TWA Flight 800 nearly one year ago, reads a statement to members of a US House Aviation subcommittee 10 July as William Rogers, (L), who lost his daughter Kimberly, looks on during hearings on Capitol Hill in Washington. Officials from the FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board testified earlier that efforts to determine the cause of the crash failed to prove that it was the result of a criminal act or friendly fire. AFP PHOTO Luke FRAZZA (Photo credit should read LUKE FRAZZA/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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