29 March 2003
Free in The Sunday Telegraph 
29mar03 TORONTO: A fire that doomed a jet over the
Atlantic in 1998, killing 229 people, was probably triggered by
sparks from damaged wires, Canadian investigators said
yesterday. "It started from an electrical arcing event (short-circuit) that
ignited thermal insulation blankets" of the in-flight entertainment
system, said lead investigator Vic Gerden.
Daniel Verreault, director of TSB air investigations, said at
least one of the wires involved was recovered, but investigators had
not determined how it had became damaged.
The short-circuit above the ceiling on the right-hand side of the
cockpit likely ignited wiring on an in-flight entertainment system,
allowing the fire to quickly travel through the MD-11's cabin.
Although pilots tried to make an emergency landing at Halifax,
Nova Scotia, after detecting smoke 53 minutes into the New
York-Geneva flight, the fire had already spread too far, dooming the
215 passengers and 14 crew.
"The crew had no idea what was happening. They did not have the
tools to know what was happening," the TSB statement said.
"The failures were so high (at the time of smoke detection) we
believe they would not have been able to land safely in Halifax."
Some 20 minutes after the smoke was detected, the plane plunged
3000m into 60m-deep ocean.
Divers recovered two million pieces of debris – some 98 per cent
of the total weight of the plane, which was then reconstructed.
Following the completion of the investigation – which cost some
$70 million – the TSB made nine recommendations, including
increasing testing for onboard material that could possibly be
flammable and improving in-flight data and voice recorders.
At the time of the accident, the plane had no smoke or fire
detection devices and none was required under aviation regulations.
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