Saturday Marks 25th Anniversary Of TWA Flight 800 Crash
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Saturday marked 25 years since the crash of TWA Flight 800.
Families of victims, along with members of the FBI and National Transportation Safety Board, gathered at the memorial in Smith Point Park in Shirley, Suffolk County.
The plane, bound for Paris, crashed in the waters off Long Island in 1996 shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport.
All 230 people on board were killed.
"She was just too young. She was like a flower, like a blossom that didn't open," said John Seaman, the uncle of a victim.
"Just listening to the stories, even 25 years later, it's still quite heartbreaking," said Frank Lombardi, chief operating officer of Independent Group Home Living Program, Inc.
Investigators believe a fuel tank exploded, likely ignited by an electrical failure.
Last week, it was announced the remains of the plane, which were reassembled during the investigation, will now be destroyed.