TWA Crash Settlement Said Reached

MONTOURSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - The families of 19 people who died when TWA Flight 800 exploded five years ago will each receive $2.5 million from Boeing and TWA under a settlement, The Patriot-News of Harrisburg reported Friday.

The father of victim Monica Weaver said the money ``means absolutely nothing.''

``They took my daughter. I want my daughter back,'' Robert Weaver said.

The Boeing 747 exploded minutes into a flight from New York to Paris, falling in pieces to the Atlantic Ocean on July 17, 1996. All 230 people aboard were killed, including 16 students and five adults with Montoursville High School's French Club.

Still pending in federal court is a lawsuit filed on behalf of Deborah A. Dickey, a French teacher who organized the trip, and her husband, Douglas, who was serving as a chaperone.

Across the country, other families who lost relatives in the crash have settled their lawsuits in the past two months.

The National Transportation Safety Board (news - web sites) blamed the crash on an explosion in the center wing fuel tank. The source of the ignition was not determined.

Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of the crash.

In Montoursville, the high school cross-country team will sponsor a 5K walk and run Saturday in memory of two members who died. On Long Island, an annual observance is scheduled near the crash site.