| Factual Information Released by
the Transportation Safety Board of Canada Concerning the Swissair Flight 111 Investigation 28-01-1999 |
 |
| Factual Information Released by
the Transportation Safety Board of Canada Concerning the Swissair Flight 111 Investigation 28-01-1999 |
|
- Work in Hangar A at Shearwater, Nova Scotia, on the identification, examination, heat
damage
analysis, documentation, and matching of aircraft nose section pieces is continuing. As
well, the
examination, identification, heat damage analysis, documentation, and matching of wire
from the
aircraft is still in progress.
- Preliminary examination indicates that the Air-Driven Generator
(ADG) was not deployed. The
ADG can be deployed to provide electrical power if the other electrical generator buses
are lost.
- Various electrically driven systems, such as the fuel pumps, will be examined to
understand more
fully which electrical systems were or were not functioning at the time of impact.
- Preliminary examination of the two fuel dump valves has revealed physical signatures
consistent
with the fuel dump valves being closed at impact. There is no
indication on the flight data recorder
that fuel dumping had commenced prior to the recorders stopping.
- With the exception of the autopilot disconnecting, there is no indication on the flight
data recorder
that the crew encountered other flight-control problems with the aircraft prior to the
recorders
stopping.
- The Canadian Coast Guard Vessel "PARIZEAU", with investigators from the TSB
and the RCMP
on board, is utilizing the ROV, the Campod, and the Videograb to continue the survey and
plotting of
remaining wreckage in the debris field. While the emphasis is on the debris field survey,
some
aircraft pieces have been recovered using the Videograb equipment supplied by the Bedford
Institute
of Oceanography of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Those pieces will be examined
and
identified once they are brought ashore. The work on the "PARIZEAU" is
continuing 24 hours a day,
and will continue, weather permitting, until a larger ROV is deployed on the HMCS
"GOOSE BAY"
early next week.
| January 24, 1999 - Work continues on the identification, examination, heat analysis, documentation, and matching of nose section pieces. Once this process is completed, the pieces are attached to the nose section reconstruction jig. - Work continues on the examination, identification, heat analysis, documentation, and matching of wire from the aircraft. - Work continues on the examination of flight control actuators in order to determine the position of the flight controls at the time of impact. - Work continues on the examination of air conditioning packs and air conditioning ducts looking for areas of heat damage or sooting. - To date, about 86% of the aircraft structure has been recovered, which is approximately 246,000 lbs or 111,800 kg. - Work continues on flight and voice recorder analysis at the TSB Engineering Facility in Ottawa. - Operations and Human Factors groups are continuing their analysis at TSB Head Office. - A TSB investigator has been examining the Auxiliary Power Unit and its associated circuitry at the manufacturer's facilities in the United States. The tests and examination are being conducted under the supervision and control of the TSB investigator. - A TSB investigator has been examining the fuel pumps, at the manufacturer's facilities in the United States, to assess whether they were operating at impact and thereby potentially obtain information about the electrical systems that provide power to these pumps. The tests and examination are being conducted under the supervision and control of the TSB investigator. - Aircraft maintenance records are being reviewed to seek trends or patterns that might assist in the investigation. - Work continues on the identification and examination of galley components, looking for any anomalies. - The scallop dragger "ANNE S. PIERCE" is undergoing maintenance and will resume dragging recovery operations around 15 February 1999. - Over the last week, the CCGV "PARIZEAU" has been examining the debris field with a 'Campod' and a 'Videograb'. The Campod has two TV cameras, one that views horizontally and the other that views vertically down; it is used to locate and plot pieces of wreckage on the seabed. The Videograb has a TV camera, as well as a small mechanical grab, and is being used to locate and retrieve small pieces of wreckage; the manoeuvrability and lifting capacities are limited. Some wreckage has been located and plotted, and the Videograb has recovered some wreckage. That material came ashore Saturday (23-01-1999) and is now being examined and identified. - On Saturday (23-01-1999), a Canadian Forces remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was loaded onto the CCGV "PARIZEAU". The ROV has camera and navigational positioning equipment, but only limited lifting capacity. The equipment will be mainly used to identify remaining materials in the debris field for recovery by a larger ROV, although attempts may be made to use the limited capacity of the smaller ROV to recover some of the pieces in the debris field. - A larger ROV with more powerful robotic arms will be used on the HMCS "GOOSE BAY". This aspect of the recovery operations will begin in the first week in February. This larger ROV will be able to locate and more effectively recover larger material than was the case with the Videograb and the smaller ROV. |
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