I was able to answer my own question. Any thoughts out there as to any possible impact on mtg?
Rondo
Thursday, August 12, 1999
Insulation blamed for spreading fire in Swissair jet
Crashed off nova scotia: U.S. airlines ordered to replace material
Ian Jack and Lori Culbert
National Post
Canadian investigators probing last year's fatal crash of Swissair Flight 111 say the insulation used in the cockpit to reduce noise and control temperature played a major role in helping a fire spread on board.
And five days after Canada sent a letter outlining these concerns to the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration ordered its airlines yesterday to replace this insulation material in about 700 U.S.-registered planes. The alterations are to be done within the next four years -- the airlines were strongly urged to do it as soon as possible -- to lessen the risk of in-flight fires.
There are 530 additional planes across the world that also use metalized mylar insulation blankets. While the FAA has no control over other countries, they often follow the U.S.'s lead on airplane safety, said Les Dorr, an FAA spokesman.
None of the aircraft with the faulty insulation is operated by a Canadian airline, said Vic Gerden, chief investigator for the Transportation Safety Board. However, a small amount of the material could have been installed in Canadian planes during repairs.
"We have no indication at this time that there is any significant amount of [the material] in aircraft registered in Canada," Mr. Gerden said.
Nonetheless, David Collenette, the Transport Minister, said Canadian investigators, who are probing the deadly Sept. 2 crash off Peggy's Cove, N.S., that killed 229 people, consulted with the FAA on ways to reduce this "unnecessary risk."
While the Transportation Safety Board still does not know what sparked the fire, it says in the advisory sent to the FAA on Friday that "it is likely that this material was a significant source of the combustible materials that propagated the fire."
Flight 111 had taken off from New York en route to Geneva when the crew noticed a smell in the cockpit. The pilot radioed for an emergency landing in Halifax, but the plane crashed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Transportation Safety Board also said yesterday that methods to test the flammability of the insulation should be improved. It gave this advice to the FAA, which, since the crash, has worked on requirements for new flammability tests that are expected to be made final this year, Mr. Dorr said.
This is the second series of recommendations made by the board since its probe began. In March, investigators said flight recorder boxes should have more recording capacity and a better power supply.
The investigation into the crash is now focused on wiring as the probable cause of the fire.
Mr. Gerden said it's possible investigators will never be able to pinpoint the cause. "I'm really not able to predict the outcome at this time."
The Transportation Safety Board estimated the total cost to the government of the crash and its aftermath -- everything from the investigation to the military units called in to help recover bodies and plane parts -- stands at $60-million.
This is not the first time insulation has been raised as a possible problem in this crash.
Last October, the FAA proposed changing the insulation in more than 12,000 aircraft, which was expected to cost airlines billions of dollars. The scaled-back plan announced yesterday will cost an estimated $255 million (US).
In an interview from Washington, Mr. Dorr said the scaled back plan will not compromise safety. He said the 700 U.S. aircraft failed the flammability tests badly, while the rest just failed marginally.
"The FAA believes that there is a sufficient margin of safety with the current materials that just barely failed the test," he said.
Aircraft affected by the FAA orders are McDonnell Douglas Corp's MD-80, MD-88, MD-90, MD-11 and DC-10. They are flown by airlines that include American, Delta, Continental, Alaska and US Airways.
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