Relatives of the victims put white carnations in the sand Sunday after the 8:31 p.m. moment that the plane's center fuel tank exploded.
Those who attended the annual service included investigators from the FBI, Navy and local law enforcement, fire rescue personnel and residents who went into the fiery sea that night in a search for survivors.
Smithpoint was one of the closest points on land to the disaster. The FBI investigated for 16 months to rule out a bomb or missile. Aviation investigators blamed an electrical spark setting off vapors in an empty fuel tank.