Chalmers H. Goodlin
Chairman & President
The Burnelli Company, Inc.
2506 Ponce de Leon Boulevard
Coral Gables, Florida 33134

Dear Mr Goodlin:

Thank you for your letter of May 16, 1997, enclosing a copy of your previous correspondence, and inquiring about the possibility of a "tire fire" causing the explosion of TWA flight 800 on July 17, 1996.

The Safety Board's investigation continues and has revealed that the explosion of the center wing tank of the Boeing 747-100 resulted in the failure of the aircraft's structure. The most likely cause of the explosion was the ignition of the fuel-air mixture in the center wing tank. The ignition source has not yet been determined the ongoing investigation

Your information has been forwarded to the Safety Board's Office of Aviation Safety for consideration during the ongoing investigation Thank you for forwarding this information for our review.

Sincerely,

[signed]

Denise A. Daniels
Special Counsel to the Vice Chairman