History of the Flight
Swissair Flight 111, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 operating a scheduled flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Geneva, Switzerland, departed at 2018 eastern daylight savings time on 2 September 1998. The aircraft carried 215 passengers and 14 crew members. At 0058 UTC, the flight contacted Moncton Area Control Centre, reporting at flight level 330.
At 0110:38 UTC, the pilots detected an unusual odor in the cockpit. They investigated and determined that smoke was present in the cockpit but not in the passenger cabin, and believed the odor and smoke were related to the air conditioning system. At 0114:15, the crew made a Pan Pan call to Moncton ACC, reporting smoke and requesting an immediate return to a convenient place. Initially, they chose Boston, but upon the controller's suggestion, they decided to divert to Halifax, Nova Scotia, which was closer.
The pilots donned oxygen masks and began descending. At 0115:36, they changed destination to Halifax. The controller provided headings to align with Runway 06 at Halifax International Airport. At 0120:48, the crew decided to dump fuel based on the aircraft's weight and condition. At 0121:38, they turned south to dump fuel over the ocean. At 0124:42, both pilots declared an emergency, and at 0124:53, they stated they needed to land immediately and began fuel dumping. At 0125:16, the controller cleared them to dump fuel, but no further communications were received from the flight.
At approximately 0131 UTC, observers near St. Margaret's Bay saw a large aircraft at low altitude and heard a loud clap. A seismic event recorded at 0131:18 coincided with the aircraft impacting the water about five nautical miles southwest of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia. The aircraft was destroyed, and there were no survivors.
Injuries to Persons
All 14 crew members and 215 passengers sustained fatal injuries. There were no survivors.
Damage to Aircraft
The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces. Most debris sank to the ocean floor; some floated initially and later washed ashore. The debris field was located at a depth of about 55 meters.
Other Damage
Jet fuel evaporated from the water surface shortly after impact. The area was closed to marine traffic during salvage operations lasting approximately 13 months. No environmental damage from debris was apparent.