What happened
On September 2, 1998, Swissair flight 111, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 registered as HB-IWF, departed New York for Geneva with 215 passengers and 14 crew members. Approximately 53 minutes into the flight, while cruising at 33,000 feet, the flight crew detected an unusual odor in the cockpit. The crew initially identified the source as the air conditioning system and observed smoke in the area.
In response to the smoke, the crew diverted the aircraft. While they initially considered heading toward Boston, they ultimately decided to divert to Halifax International Airport following suggestions from air traffic control. During the descent and approach to Halifax, a fire spread through the overhead area in the forward section of the aircraft. Roughly 13 minutes after the initial detection of the odor, the aircraft's flight data recorder began capturing a rapid succession of onboard system failures. The crew declared an emergency and requested an immediate landing. Shortly thereafter, all radio communications and secondary radar contact were lost. Approximately five and a half minutes after the loss of communication, the aircraft impacted the ocean approximately five nautical miles southwest of Peggy’s Cove, Canada. There were no survivors.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, focused on the sequence of events leading to the loss of the aircraft. Investigators examined the aircraft's wreckage, recovered electrical components, and analyzed the flight data and cockpit voice recorder. The inquiry specifically looked into the ventilation system, the spread of the fire above the ceiling, and the rapid failure of various onboard systems, including the electronic flight instrument system, the electrical system, and the flight management system.