JAMAICA, Queens -- Twenty-eight years ago, TWA Flight 800 exploded just minutes after takeoff from Kennedy Airport.
Some 230 lives were lost over the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island on July 17, 1996, and for the families of the victims, the Ramada Plaza JFK Hotel became the focus of their pain, grief and despair as they awaited word on their loved ones.
It became widely known as the Heartbreak Hotel.
In 2021, WABC-TV Channel 7 Eyewitness News reporter Josh Einiger visits the haunting, abandoned time capsule of sorrow with relatives, including a Texas man, Joe Lychner, who publicly lived a personal hell, losing his wife and two daughters, before finding his strength and starting to fight.
Josh also returned to the hotel ruin with Heidi Snow Cinader, who lost her fiancé onboard Flight 800. She converted her tragedy into a calling to help others survive grief.
The gripping documentary from WABC-TV, "Heartbreak Hotel: Flight 800, 25 Years Later," can be seen in three parts in the video player above. For an even better viewing experience, be sure to download this station's app on Roku/Apple TV/Amazon Fire TV/Android TV to watch this film on your television set.