July 17, 1996
Off East Moriches, New York
Trans World Airlines, Flight 800
Boeing B-747-131
N93119
Air Traffic Control Transcript
BOS = Boston Center
E507 = Eastwing Flight 507
AZA609 = Alitalia Flight 609
VIR009 = Virgin Atlantic Flight 009
UAL002 = United Air Lines Flight 2
8:31:50 | E507 | We just saw an explosion out here; stinger bee five oh seven. |
8:31:57 | BOS | Stinger bee five oh seven, I'm sorry I missed it, ah, you're out of eighteen did you say something else? |
8:32:01 | E507 | Ah, we just saw an explosion up ahead of us here, about sixteen thousand feet or something like that; it just went down -- in the water. |
8:32:10 | AZA609 | Alitalia six oh nine confirms just ahead of us. |
8:32:25 | VIR009 | Boston, Virgin zero zero nine, I can confirm that out of my nine o'clock position, we just had an ... it looked like an explosion out there about five miles away, six miles away. |
8:32:49 | BOS | An explosion six miles out at your nine o'clock position. Thank you very much sir. Contact New York approach one two five point seven. |
8:32:56 | BOS | TWA eight hundred center |
8:33:01 | ? | Investigate that explosion if you get a lat/long |
8:33:04 | BOS | TWA eight hundred center |
8:33:09 | BOS | TWA eight hundred, if you hear center, ident. |
8:33:17 | BOS | Stinger bee five oh seven, you reported an explosion is that correct sir? |
8:33:21 | E507 | Yes sir, about five miles at my eleven o'clock here. |
8:33:31 | BOS | Alitalia six oh nine, contact Boston now on one two four point five two. |
8:33:36 | AZA609 | One two four point five two and just for your information sir, we are just overhead the explosion; right overhead at this time, now a hundred and three miles from JFK. |
8:33:48 | E507 | We are directly over the site were that airplane or whatever it was just exploded and went down into the water. |
8:34:01 | BOS | Roger that, thank you very much sir. We're investigating that right now. TWA eight zero zero if you hear center, ident. |
8:35:43 | ? | I think that was him. |
8:35:45 | BOS | I think so. |
8:35:48 | ? | God bless him. |
8:37:05 | E507 | Thirty three oh five, so long, stinger five oh seven. Anything we can do for ya before we go? |
8:37:11 | BOS | Well, I just wanna confirm that you saw the splash in the water approximately twenty southwest of Hampton, is that right? |
8:37:20 | E507 | Ah, yes sir. it just blew up in the air and then we saw two fireballs go down into the water and there was a big small, ah, smoke, ah, coming up from that also, ah, there seemed to be a light. I thought it was a landing light and it was coming right at us at about, I don't know, about fifteen thousand feet or something like that and I pushed on my landing lights, ah, you know, so I saw him and then it blew. |
8:37:40 | BOS | Roger that sir, that was a seven forty seven out there; you had a visual on that; anything else in the area when it happened? |
8:37:47 | E507 | I didn't see anything. he seemed to be alone. I thought it had a landing light on, maybe it was a fire, i don't know. |
8:37:51 | BOS | Stinger bee five oh seven, roger that and anything else comes to your mind, you can use your other radio; come back to this frequency and tell me about it. |
8:37:58 | E507 | That's all I can think of at this time. |
8:38:06 | BOS | United two, Boston on one two four point five two. |
8:38:08 | UAL002 | One tow four five two, and is that airplane right in front of us now? |
8:38:12 | BOS | He should be right underneath you, they reported the splashdown right underneath you about, ah, twelve and four miles. |
8:38:18 | UAL002 | It's still burning down there. |
8:38:20 | BOS | In the water? |
8:38:21 | UAL002 | Well there's bright red and there's smoke coming up ... there's fire with smoke. |
8:38:30 | BOS | Fire with smoke coming out of the water? |
8:38:32 | UAL002 | Right at our position right now; I can give you a lat/long if you want. |
8:38:35 | BOS | Absolutely, thank you. |
8:38:44 | UAL002 | It's ah, forty thirty nine point one west zero seven two three eight point zero. |
8:38:51 | BOS | Allright, we got forty thirty nine point one west zero seven two three eight point zero. |