[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 102 (Thursday, July 17, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7740-S7741]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   ONE YEAR AGO TODAY--TWA FLIGHT 800

 Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, one year ago today, I spent the 
morning in a hearing on aviation safety arguing with the head of the 
Federal Aviation Administration that we needed higher safety standards 
and better safety inspections. We finished with the hearing at about 
the same time 230 people began to prepare for a flight to Paris.
  As with most flights, I am sure that some people were a little 
nervous, while others were delighted to be on board and away from the 
heat and congestion in New York. Shortly after 8:30 p.m., the lives of 
the 230 people and their families changed forever.
  Terrorism was the first focus of the National Transportation Safety 
Board, FBI, and others. It was, and remains, incredible that a 
perfectly able aircraft, with an experienced crew, would just explode. 
Yet it happened.
  To the family of Matt Alexander, July 17 will always remain a tragic

[[Page S7741]]

memory. Matt was from Florence, South Carolina. He was a student at 
Wake Forest, going to spend a semester in France.
  I want to make sure that the families of the victims realize that 
their losses have not been, and will not be, forgotten. Aviation safety 
changes will occur that are the direct result of the crash. While new 
safety measures cannot bring back loved ones, they can help prevent 
future losses.
  We already have put in place new procedures to assist the families 
following aviation disasters. A Federal task force created as part of 
the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996 continues to examine 
ways to make sure that families get needed information, assistance, and 
privacy following a disaster. None of this will bring back people like 
Matt, but we can make the process a more humane one.

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