The Flight 800 Memorial In Montoursville

Between the  High School & Broad Street in Montoursville stands an area with 21 trees, and a circular brick walkway.  In the center stands a statue of an angel, facing west.

 Around the base of the statue are inscriptions, including bible verses in English, and in French.

On the evening of July 17 1996, 16 members of the French Club at Montoursville High School, along with 5 chaperones, boarded a plane at Kennedy airport, for the French Club trip to Paris. The plane left at 8:02pm, but just twelve miles off the coast of Long Island, it exploded in midair, killing all of those on board. Including the 21 residents of Montoursville.

“Flight 800 had just received clearance to initiate a climb to cruise altitude when it exploded without warning. Because the plane was loaded with fuel for the long transatlantic journey, it vaporized within moments, creating a fireball seen almost all along the coastline of Long Island." -history.com

To this day, theories persist that it was a bomb, or an accidental missile fire that destroyed the plane. The  NTSB officially ruled that the cause of the explosion was likely a mechanical failure - a short circuit that ignited fuel vapors as the pilots were shifting fuel to better balance the airplane.

"The probable cause of the accident was the explosion of flammable fuel vapors in the center fuel tank. The likely ignition source was a short circuit. Problems with the aircraft's wiring were found, including evidence of arcing in the fuel quantity indication system (FQIS) wiring that enters the tank. The FQIS on Flight 800 is known to have been malfunctioning; the captain remarked about "crazy" readings from the system about two minutes and 30 seconds before the aircraft exploded. As a result of the investigation, new requirements were developed for aircraft to prevent future fuel-tank explosions"

The TWA Flight 800 International Memorial is located at Smith Point County Park in Shirley, Long Island, New York. It opened on July 17, 2002. The memorial, which also includes gardens, has flags from the 13 countries of the victims, a curved black granite memorial with the names of the victims engraved on one side and a wave releasing 230 seagulls on the other

Photo by Mark Tilson

"On July 21st, 1996, witnesses say a cloud formed over the high school, that looked like an angel, below the angel’s feet were 21 smaller clouds. Since then, an angel has been the symbol for the community associated with those on flight 800."

The angel was sculpted by James Barnhill, of North Carolina.

The Memorial in Montoursville was built and dedicated in 1999.

In 2011 a room in the General John Burrows Historical Society was also dedicated to the memory of those who perished on TWA flight 800.

"This site chosen as a memorial is rich in history. John Rockafellow donated the land as a cemetery, with the first burial occurring as early as 1811. In 1816, an octagonal stone school stood on the back, central portion of the plot. The building not only served as a school, but also as a church building and a hospital during a smallpox outbreak. In 1838, the German Lutherans and Presbyterians joined forces to build the Union Church, located east of the cemetery plot. The church and adjoining cemetery grounds became the center of community life and the final resting place for many of the town's Civil War casualties.

Eventually, the octagonal building fell into disrepair. A new Lutheran church was built elsewhere, and with the widening of Broad Street, the graves were moved to Edgewood Cemetery. During the 1950 Montoursville Centennial, a millstone was placed on the property. Otstonwakin, carved on the millstone, was the Indian name for our town. The millstone has served as a bridge to our roots."

The Design for the memorial was drawn up by Architect Randy Hudson, of Hayes Large in State College Pa.  

But a larger memorial is in the tradition of Twenty One Random Acts Of Kindness, performed each year on the anniversary of the crash. Citizens over the years have taken 21 flowers to distribute at a local hospital or nursing home,  delivered

 bakery treats.  One woman passes out money each year, another, candy.  

 More than 20 years have passed since the crash, but in the town of Montoursville, population 5,500, there's no need to explain why you are passing out 21 sunflowers on July 17th. It's a loss that will be felt greatly for still many years to come.

Steve Bagwell's Photos Of the Flight 800 Memorial In Montoursville can be seen here:

https://www.facebook.com/steve.bagwell.10/media_set?set=a.117433108332175&type=3

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Nelson Demille's Book Night Fall  (fiction, book 3 in his John Corey series)

is based on the Flight 800 Crash

There were quite a few books written about the crash, and the theory of a cover up .

https://amzn.to/2W1VQvx

In 2013 a Documentary about the  "Flight 800 Cover Up" 

An independent scientist and members of the official investigative team, explain why they do not believe mechanical failure caused this crash.  

https://amzn.to/2Oa7VKD

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Celebrating the lives of:

Jessica L. Aikey • Daniel E. Baszczewski • Michelle E. Bohlin • Jordan M. Bower • Monica E. Cox • Deborah Lorson Dickey • Douglas C. Dickey • Carol A. Fry • Claire A. Gallagher • Julia D. Grimm • Rance M. Hettler • Amanda M. Karschner • Jody L. Loudenslager • Cheryl L. Nibert • Kimberly M. Rogers • Judith K. Rupert • Larissa M. Uzupis • Jacquelin A. Watson • Monica M. Weaver • Eleanor M. Wolfson • Wendy Y. Wolfson