Former Board Member Says New Evidence Not Compelling Enough For New Examination

A former member of the NTSB says that it is unlikely that the board will reopen its investigation of TWA Flight 800 despite a call from documentary producers for it to do so.

John Goglia, who served two terms on the board from 1995-2004, told The Street that since the request went through official channels, the board will do some preliminary work, likely focusing on the radar tracks from the accident. But, he said, "I don't think, from what I've seen, that they've made the threshold."

In a statement last week, the NTSB said "As required by NTSB regulation, a petition for reconsideration of Board findings or a probable cause determination must be based on the discovery of new evidence or on a showing that the Board’s findings are erroneous. The NTSB will review the details of the petition to determine if it meets the requirements set forth in the regulation.

"The TWA Flight 800 investigation lasted four years and remains one of the NTSB’s most detailed investigations. Investigators took great care reviewing, documenting and analyzing facts and data and the NTSB held a five-day hearing to gather additional facts before determining the probable cause of the accident during a two-day Board meeting."

The NTSB’s docket, which has been available to the public since the late-1990s contains more than 17,000 pages of supporting material. 

The documentary producers say that they have new evidence and eyewitnesses that say the Boeing 747 was possibly brought down accidently by a missile, and that the information has been covered up.

But Peter Goetz, who was the board's managing director from 1995-2001, said people regularly disagree with the board's findings. "There has to be new evidence, and there is no new evidence," he said.

(NTSB Photo)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov