Unanswered Questions

By Drew Scott

Covering the TWA Flight 800 disaster today found me interviewing Fred "Fritz" Meyer, a retired Air National Guard pilot and Vietnam veteran. He happened to be flying on the night of July 17, 1996 and witnessed what he described as a plume or rocket trail ascending and then disappearing, then a massive explosion.

Meyer explained his story to dozens of NTSB and FBI officials, but never was allowed to tell his story in full to the Flight 800 investigation. That's what's puzzling to many Long Islanders who witnessed the terrible explosion 12 years ago tonight. They ask why the government seemingly didn't want to get to the bottom of the cause of the blast aboard the 747 Jumbo jet by hearing what they saw?

Strangely, says Meyer, every other NTSB investigation included eyewitness testimony in the final hearings, but not in the TWA hearings. Every other NTSB investigation allowed free media access to all documents involved in the probe. Some people are still fighting in court to gain release of critical investigative evidence.

And finally, after 12 long years, Meyer says the FAA finally comes up with a fix for fuel tank safety, which could eventually cost the financially struggling airline industry an additional 1-Billion dollars.