Now that nearly 41/2 years of work to complete the report into the
crash of Swissair Flight 111 is over, the lead investigator believes more
work still lies ahead.
Vic Gerden oversaw one of the most complex and comprehensive air-crash
investigations yet. At the cost of $57 million, the Transportation Safety
Board pioneered new techniques for the recovery of crash debris and using
computer-models to figure how and why a catastrophic fire spread through
the ceiling of the MD-11 jet, crippling the plane during its flight from
New York to Geneva.
Now, the board intends to make sure 23 safety recommendations made
during the long investigation are followed by airlines, aircraft
manufacturers and agencies regulating the aviation industry.
?We?re not all done. We continue to monitor the progress of the work
we?ve done. So we will follow our recommendations as they are introduced,?
Gerden said in an interview with The Daily News.
Flight 111 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Peggy?s Cove on Sept.
2, 1998, killing all 229 people on board.
On Thursday, the board released its 337-page report into the crash,
finding that a spark from a wire ignited flammable insulation material in
a hidden area of the plane?s ceiling. The fire spread rapidly, and
interfered with the plane?s flight systems before the pilots could
determine where smoke in the cockpit was coming from.
Sweeping improvements
Investigators recommended sweeping improvements to air safety,
including better flammability standards for material used in aircraft,
improved fire detection and suppression techniques, firefighting plans for
aircrews and improved procedures for dealing with an inflight fire.
No Canadian-registered jets have the same type of flammable insulation
blankets found on Flight 111, and steps are being taken to remove the
metallized polyethylene terephthalate (CORR) coated insulation material
from planes around the world.
Gerden said that is a good indication the aviation industry is taking
the Swissair findings seriously.
?The issues we?ve highlighted in the report affect all of the large
aircraft in this world, and there are 12,000 of them. So the changes have
to be done in a harmonized way,? said Gerden.
Airlines and manufacturers have to know what the standards are, how to
meet them and be given time to comply, he said.
?Progress had been made, and will continue to be made over time. These
changes won?t take place overnight,? he said.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the largest aviation
regulator in the world, has issued numerous safety actions regarding
wiring and aircraft insulation material as a result of the Swissair
investigation.
FAA spokesman Les Dorr said Flight 111 is still being studied by the
agency.
rdooley@hfxnews.ca