twa's worst accident occurred on july 17, 1996, when flight 800, a boeing 747 en route to paris, exploded over the atlantic ocean near long island, killing all 230 people on board. the national transportation safety board concluded that the most likely cause of the disaster was a center-fuel-tank explosion sparked by exposed wiring. in their subsequent coverage, the media focused heavily on the fact that twa's airline fleet was among the oldest in service (the 747 used for flight 800 was manufactured in 1971, making it 25 years old at the time of the incident). the flight was under the command of captain steven snyder, a veteran twa pilot.