TWA Flight 800 was a scheduled international flight from New York City to Paris that tragically exploded in mid-air on July 17, 1996. The Boeing 747 aircraft was carrying 230 passengers and crew when it went down shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport. The incident led to one of the largest investigations in aviation history, conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). After extensive analysis, the NTSB concluded that the explosion was caused by a spark in the center fuel tank, igniting vapors and resulting in the catastrophic failure of the aircraft.