Reconstruction of TWA wreckage complete

(CNN) -- Ten months after the crash of TWA Flight 800, the reconstruction of the 747 wreckage -- intended to help investigators visualize possible causes -- is as remarkable for what it does not show.

The curled, fragmented aluminum skin of the aircraft, some of it covered in soot, shows no sign that a missile penetrated the plane. The large cavern that was the plane's center fuel tank does not have telltale marks a bomb ignited the explosion.

"Many people believed and still believe that a missile played a role in this crash, but I think with time, there will be very few doubters left," said aviation lawyer Michel Baumeister.

It was the FBI's idea to reconstruct the plane, a project that took two months, cost a half-million dollars and required 10,000 staff hours.

Having completed it, the agency will likely pull out of the investigation, concluding the crash was not a crime but the result of a catastrophic mechanical malfunction.

The National Transportation Safety Board embraced the theory of a mechanical malfunction in December, when it urged the Federal Aviation Administration to reconsider the common practice of operating aircraft with nearly empty fuel tanks.

"These people were sitting on a potentially explosive situation, and in this situation it did explode," said Bill Kauffman of the University of Michigan.

The FAA has invited public comment on the NTSB recommendations, and will take no action before August.

With the reconstruction complete, the wreckage is a symbol of the tremendous efforts that have already gone into the investigation and a monument to the mystery that remains.

Special Coverage:

• CNN's TWA Flight 800 site

Related stories:

• Mock explosion could uncover clues in TWA crash - May 10, 1997
• TWA not convinced of mechanical failure theory - May 8, 1997
• FBI director: Flight 800 crash probably due to 'mechanical failure' - May 4, 1997

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