'Nova' looks into crash of Flight 111

[ADG]

'Nova' looks into crash of Flight 111

BY OLIN CHISM Feb 17,2004

Dallas Morning News


On Sept. 2, 1998, the pilot of a Swissair MD-11 radioed that he smelled smoke in the cockpit. Thirteen minutes later, the jetliner's electrical systems began to fail. Several minutes after that, it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people on board.

An interesting -- and troubling --"Nova" program, "Crash of Flight 111," tells the story of that crash and the investigation that determined its probable cause. The program will air at 7 p.m. today, repeating Friday at 2 p.m.

"Nova's" crews had an unusual opportunity to follow investigators from Canada's Transportation Safety Board. Viewers should come away with a new respect for crash investigators and the methodical way they work.

They may not be quite so impressed with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's certification system, which approved elements in the doomed airliner that apparently failed. "If the cabin of a modern jetliner was a restaurant, it would not get an occupancy permit," one commentator says.

Evidence indicates that the problems began with electrical arcing from frayed wires in the enclosed space above the cabin. This ignited insulation material. For a time the plane's air-purification system would have kept crew and passengers from knowing anything was wrong.

When the trouble became apparent, problems quickly cascaded. The cockpit filled with smoke, the crew went on oxygen, instruments failed. It's possible that the first officer became disoriented and flew the plane into the water.

Among the sad might-have-beens: The plane was only minutes from the airport at Halifax, Nova Scotia, when it went down. With an adequate warning system -- the Canadians recommended a video camera in the enclosed space -- the plane might have made it.

Thirteen minutes could have made a world of difference

 

[TWA Dude]

Thirteen minutes could have made a world of difference

I'm sure the show will point out that if the plane had landed immediately instead of dumping fuel to get to MLW it likely would've survived.

Dude

 

[mar]

Exactly!

I'm no researcher but I've studied several accidents that resulted from in-flight fires.

The thing they *all* have in common is how fast things turn critical. From the first indication of a fire (bell or smoke) until impact the times all ranged from about six minutes to 15 minutes. That leaves absolutely no time for anything else except an emergency descent and an overweight landing.

I think highly of the Nova documentaries and look forward to watching this one but I have to take issue with one comment in the article above. It stated: <<They may not be quite so impressed with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's certification system, which approved elements in the doomed airliner that apparently failed. "If the cabin of a modern jetliner was a restaurant, it would not get an occupancy permit," one commentator says.>>

That's apples and oranges right?

I mean Flt 111 was doomed no matter if even *one* passenger was on board. He would've died too.

And certainly evacuating a restaurant or an airplane are two different things.

 

[ms6073]

Although I have heard variations on the theme, I seem to recall from my days as a volunteer firefighter some simple fire math: whether this happens in a home, car, or confined space somewhere in an airliner, a fire with a readily available source of combustible material will grow/double in size and intensity every 30-60 seconds! That means that a fire in a forward cargo hold (or equipment bay) would easily consume such a small space in a matter of minutes!


Michael

 

[Timebuilder]

I guess they will ignore the fact that a restaurant is not able to fly, and that is why the standards for certification are different.

 

[U-I pilot]

thought the show was informative in pointing out the FAA's faults more than anything else....
i enjoyed it....any other comments?

 

[FoxHunter]

I'm not sure I agree with the speculation that the crew lost all their DUs(Flight Instruments) and had only the standby to fly on and that is the reason they lost control.

The "SMOKE/FUMES OF ELECTRIAL, AIR CONDITIONING, OR UNKNOWN ORIGIN" calls for the SMOKE ELECT/AIR switch be placed in the 3/1 as one of the first steps in the procedure. The report mentions that the Flight Recorder contained no information, and you could hear the auto pilot disconnect aural warning on the ATC tapes. My understanding is that the F/O was flying the leg. Normal procedure is the No.2 A/P is used when the F/O flys. It is also my understanding that both pilots worked in the training department.

Never mentioned is the fact that when the Smoke Elect/Air switch is placed in 3/1 you lose the Flight Recorder, Voice Recorder, No.2 Auto Pilot, No.2 Transponder, and DUs 4,5, and 6, which are all on the right side of the cockpit.

I was in the Sim about two weeks after the accident and we started through this checklist. It was an eye opener. It gets very dark on the F/O side, flying from the right is very difficult without any real smoke. Add the fact that with many airlines with the new jets expect you to put the auto pilot on at 500', and want it all used to just before landing, or landing scans and general flying skills decline. You add in the fact that they were trying to dump fuel and I have some doubt about the ability of the auto systems keeping the fuel in balance. I recall we did try dumping in the Sim with the 3/1 sw off and the results were not good.

 

[mar]

Loss of orientation or incapacitation

FoxHunter--I missed the documentary but I'm under the impression that the crew was simply overcome with smoke and became incapacitated, and thus, the loss of control.

Timebuilder--I wonder if they're thinking of those restaurants made from old fuselages and cabooses?

Nutty.

 

[TonyC]

Normal procedure is the No.2 A/P is used when the F/O flys.

Are you thinking of the DC-10, or do you know that this was "normal" for Swissair?

 

[FoxHunter]

Tony,

Use of the No.2 A/P when the F/O flys the leg is the norm at FedEx. Not mandated, not really taught, but I have seen it done this way 99% of the time. Have no knowlege of how SR did it, but I suspect that they were no different.

Since you are working in training why don't you try running through the procedure in the Sim, plus try to dump fuel at the same time. Curious as to what you think after doing it. I recall it to be a real handful without a real fire. Lots of Alerts, Loss of the No. 2 A/P, loss of the F/O DUs, could actually cause the crew to think the fire was causing the problem, not the 3/1 position, unless they were familiar with the check list, and results. Probably a good time for the F/O to become the NF pilot. When we tried it in the Sim I don't ever recall actually doing it in training previously. One of those long winded checklists that if you don't actually accomplish in the Sim you may be suprised with the results.

George

 

[TonyC]

Use of the No.2 A/P when the F/O flys the leg is the norm at FedEx. Not mandated, not really taught, but I have seen it done this way 99% of the time. Have no knowlege of how SR did it, but I suspect that they were no different.

My observation - - for the two cents it's worth - - is that this phenomenon occurs as a carryover from the DC-10. Guys that come from the Boeing or the Bus usually don't notice, or don't care. I only asked because I thought perhaps you had heard that it was the standard procedure at Swissair.

Since you are working in training why don't you try running through the procedure in the Sim, plus try to dump fuel at the same time. Curious as to what you think after doing it. I recall it to be a real handful without a real fire. Lots of Alerts, Loss of the No. 2 A/P, loss of the F/O DUs, could actually cause the crew to think the fire was causing the problem, not the 3/1 position, unless they were familiar with the check list, and results. Probably a good time for the F/O to become the NF pilot. When we tried it in the Sim I don't ever recall actually doing it in training previously. One of those long winded checklists that if you don't actually accomplish in the Sim you may be suprised with the results.

I agree. It can be extremely disorienting. IF the FO was indeed flying, and IF AP2 had been in use, moving the SMOKE ELEC/AIR switch to the 3/1 OFF position would definitely have posed significant challenges. It's hard to imagine, though, a couple of bright pilots not figuring out that this would have been an excellent time (Aural "AUTOLPILOT! AUTOPILOT!" and dark DU's) to transfer aircraft control and press the AUTOFLIGHT tile again.

I guess we'll NEVER know exactly what happened, or exactly what we would do if ever faced with the same circumstances. Hopefully, though, we CAN learn from others mistakes, even those that we speculate they might have made. The biggest lesson I think we could all take away from this one is LAND! Without delay, for anything. We'll take a heavyweight landing any day over a swim in the North Atlantic.

(I think the largest impediment to operation may have been the smoke goggles... but that's another worthless opinion.)