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Malaysia crash shares anniversary with TWA Flight 800

Oddly, today's crash of a Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shares a date with another major airline disaster, the crash of TWA Flight 800.

A New York State trooper stands guard 19 November in front of the reconstructed wreckage of the Boeing 747 aircraft that was TWA flight 800, in Calverton, Long Island, NY. At center is a strut that would normally support the right wing as well as the location of the central fuel tank widely believed to be the cause of the initial explosion. The FBI announced, 18 November, that it is closing its criminal investigation into the 17 July 1996 crash which killed all 230 people aboard after failing to find evidence to support theories that a bomb or missile brought the ill-fated flight down. AFP PHOTO Jon LEVY (Photo credit should read JON LEVY/AFP/Getty Images)

Oddly, today's crash of a Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shares a date with another major airline disaster, the crash of TWA Flight 800 over Long Island on July 17, 1996.

The plane was flying from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Paris when it exploded near Long Island, killing all 230 people aboard. Terrorism was initially suspected, and a number of witnesses on shore came forward with accounts of seeing a flare, rocket or "streak of light" headed toward the plane before the explosion.

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After a four-year investigation, however, the NTSB determined that a fuel tank explosion — sparked by a short circuit in the wiring — caused the crash. The safety board found that witnesses were vague or imprecise in their recollections.

The FBI also conducted an investigation, and it did not find evidence of a crime.