# What happens after a crash? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 26, 2000, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-after-a-crash/26978 "2000-07-26T23:48:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-after-a-crash/26978/1 "2000-07-26T23:48:18Z")
Is the flight number “retired”? Will there ever be another Air France #4590 or another TWA #800? ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-after-a-crash/26978/2 "2000-07-26T23:49:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by adam yax \* > \*\*Is the flight number “retired”? Will there ever be another Air France #4590 or another TWA #800? \*\* I don’t know if there is a formal policy as such, but I do remember that TWA did retire 800 as a flight number after the crash. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![bizerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-after-a-crash/26978/3 "2000-07-27T01:37:28Z")
I believe that TWA did retire 800, but Egypt Air ran the same flight number the next night. I assume it’s a business decision. ---
**Author:** ![billyt123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@billyt123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billyt123)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-after-a-crash/26978/4 "2000-07-27T02:24:50Z")
I recall from a while back hearing that Airlines usually give the number time to fall from the headlines before returning it to service. It would seem to fit then that the more memorable (800, 403 etc) would take the longest to come back ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-after-a-crash/26978/5 "2000-07-27T02:45:52Z")
More importantly, would you fly on a TWA flight 800? I would, simply because nobody I know was even remotely connected to that crash (nobody I know is even remotely connected to any air crash), and I don’t believe in ‘cursed’ numbers. Short answer, TWA could well redesignate 800 to another flight. But respect for the victims would dictate that they waited a while. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-after-a-crash/26978/6 "2000-07-27T02:51:15Z")
I ususally just reboot. Oh, wait. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-after-a-crash/26978/7 "2000-07-27T07:29:06Z")
> [@](#): > > More importantly, would you fly on a TWA flight 800? I sure would. What are the chances of two TWA 800s crashing? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-after-a-crash/26978/8 "2000-07-27T07:43:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scr4 \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > More importantly, would you fly on a TWA flight 800? > > I sure would. What are the chances of two TWA 800s crashing? 😃 \*\* I dunno…what are the chances of another bomb being placed on a TWA flight that is numbered 800? Pretty slim, I’d say. But I take no chances. I call the psychic hotline and get my PERSONAL psychic to tell me what flight to get on. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-after-a-crash/26978/9 "2000-07-27T17:35:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tcburnett \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by scr4 \* > > \*\* > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > More importantly, would you fly on a TWA flight 800? > > > > I sure would. What are the chances of two TWA 800s crashing? 😃 \*\* > > I dunno…what are the chances of another bomb being placed on a TWA flight that is numbered 800? Pretty slim, I’d say. But I take no chances. I call the psychic hotline and get my PERSONAL psychic to tell me what flight to get on. > > \*\* Are you saying that TWA 800 was brought down by foul play? ---
**Author:** ![jmullaney](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@jmullaney](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmullaney)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-after-a-crash/26978/10 "2000-07-27T18:00:30Z")
Hmm… there were only the equivalent of two greyhound bus loads of people who say they saw a missile shoot it down. But, just like Waco, I’m sure the government re-enactment cleared up everything. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-after-a-crash/26978/11 "2000-07-27T21:02:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jmullaney \* > \*\*Hmm… there were only the equivalent of two greyhound bus loads of people who say they saw a missile shoot it down. But, just like Waco, I’m sure the government re-enactment cleared up everything. \*\* Yeah and more people than that have seen bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster, doesn’t mean they exist. Sight is probably the easiest sense to fool.