On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800 took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport at 8:19 p.m., hugging the South Shore of Long Island en route to Paris.

Twelve minutes after takeoff, the 747 exploded south of Moriches Inlet. At an altitude of 13,700 feet, the aircraft broke apart and plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean.

All 230 people on board were killed – two pilots, two flight engineers, 14 flight attendants and 212 passengers.

To mark 25 years since the incident, News 12 spoke with first responders who shared their harrowing experience on the water that day. Doug Geed also traveled to Ashburn, Virginia where the wreckage of the Boeing 747 jet has remained since 2003. There, he spoke with National Transportation and Safety Board officials about what happened during that flight and the changes that have been made in aviation safety since.

Follow the link to News 12’s special look at TWA Flight 800: 25 years later.