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TWA Flight 841 (1974): what Wikipedia removed

A 1974 bombing of a flight from Tel Aviv to New York that killed everyone aboard when a bomb hidden in the cargo hold detonated. The 2010 opening said “suspicion has fallen on Abu Nidal and his terror organization.” Today the opening names no suspect or organization at all, saying only that the plane “had been destroyed by a bomb hidden in the cargo hold,” though terror survives eight times in the body. A reader arriving now learns a bomb caused the crash and not who Wikipedia itself once named as the suspected bomber.

The word “terror” appeared 2 times in this article’s opening at its peak, in 2010. Today the opening carries none; the body carries 8. Checked against the full current article on 2026-08-01.

The tracked words, snapshot by snapshot

Section titled “The tracked words, snapshot by snapshot”
word2010201520206 October 20232025
terror20000

Counts are of the opening paragraph only, the part most readers, search engines and AI training sets ever quote.

What was taken out

Section titled “What was taken out”
  • The flight’s scheduled stops in Athens and Rome, dropped from the opening.
  • The detail of the 68-minute stopover in Athens before departure, dropped from the opening.
  • The statement that suspicion for the bombing fell on Abu Nidal’s organization, dropped from the opening.

How it opened then, and now

Section titled “How it opened then, and now”

2010 (revision 363140657):

On September 8, 1974, a Boeing 707-331B ( tail number N8734) operating as TWA Flight 841 took off from Ben Gurion International Airport , Tel Aviv en route to JFK International Airport , New York City . It was scheduled to land in Athens , followed by Rome , and then proceed to New York . After stopping for 68 minutes in Athens, it departed for Rome. About 30 minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed into the Ionian Sea . The out of control aircraft was observed by crew on the flight deck of Pan Am 110. They watched the aircraft execute a steep climb, the separation of an engine from the wing, and the death spiral. All 79 passengers and nine crew members were killed. The airline’s Tel Aviv of…

2025 (revision 1289776718):

1974 airliner bombing For the 1979 accident with the same flight number, see TWA Flight 841 (1979) . On September 8, 1974, a Boeing 707-331B ( registered N8734 ) operating as TWA Flight 841 from Tel Aviv to New York City via Athens and Rome crashed into the Ionian Sea , killing all aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the plane had been destroyed by a bomb hidden in the cargo hold. The detonation of the bomb destroyed the systems responsible for operating the plane’s control surfaces, causing the plane to pitch up until it stalled and dove into the sea. ^ “FAA Registry (N8734)” . Federal Aviation Administration. ^ “Aircraft Accident Report – Explosion in-flight, T…

Section titled “Related”

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