Communiqués

Investigation Update A98H0003

(Halifax, Nova Scotia, 20-11-98) - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigation into the accident involving Swissair Flight 111 MD-11 is continuing.

Recovery operations are still under way. The "ANNE S. PIERCE", a scallop dragger fishing vessel from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, has been very effective in recovering material from the seabed. A smaller steel mesh scallop net now being used to recover more of the remaining wreckage has successfully raised smaller debris including pieces of aircraft structure, wires, electrical components, and personal effects.

Approximately 80 per cent of the aircraft by weight has now been recovered. The material continues to be tagged, sorted, and examined; much of it is being stored in about 480 containers located in "J" Hangar, a temporary structure erected expressly for this purpose by the TSB at CFB Shearwater.

Laser-line-scan and side-scan sonar of the aircraft debris field are being carried out to establish the outer limits of the field and to locate additional debris. Recovery operations using a scallop dragger will resume following analysis of the sonar data.

The forward fuselage reconstruction jig has been built and delivered to the Shearwater investigation operations hangar by the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Public Works. Investigators now have approximately 40 per cent of the material constituting the aircraft's forward fuselage and are beginning the partial reconstruction process.

The recovery operation continues to raise aircraft material that shows varying amounts of heat distress. The heat-damaged material includes a few small pieces of melted aluminium, from the ceiling area just aft of the cockpit door. Other signs of heat damage include some electrical wires with melted copper, arcing damage, and charred or missing wire insulation. The sheepskin fabric on the observer seat, located in the cockpit behind the pilots' seats, has a few drops of imbedded melted plastic. A few small pieces of metalized Mylar show discolouration from exposure to heat. The heat-damaged material found to date is located in the forward upper area just forward and aft of the cockpit bulkhead. The damage is consistent with a localized high heat source or a localized fire in this section of the aircraft. To date, there are no signs of fire in any other section of the aircraft.

The Flight Recorder Group is continuing its analysis of the recorder data, and is correlating and integrating recorder data with other information such as data from the engine Full Authority Digital Electronic Controllers (FADECs) and pieces of wreckage.

The Operations Group continues to analyze all areas concerning the operation of the aircraft. As more information is derived from the technical investigation being carried out at the operations hangar in Shearwater and from the recorder data analysis in Ottawa, it will be integrated into the operations analysis.

Work is under way on the engines and engine accessories are being examined along with the engines to determine the operating condition of the engines at the time of impact. Information obtained to date indicates that the Number 2 engine was not producing power at water impact; damage to the Number 1 and Number 3 engines is consistent with power being produced at the time of impact.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will continue to provide investigation updates as additional factual information becomes available.

-(30)-