Crash report points to wiring
By Gary Stoller, USA TODAY

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia � An electrical wiring problem was the most likely cause of a fire that caused Swissair Flight 111 to crash into the Atlantic Ocean near here in 1998, Canadian investigators said in a report Thursday.

The 349-page report stopped short of declaring the jet's in-flight entertainment system responsible for the accident, but it said that one or more wires connected to the system short-circuited in the area where the fire started.

The entertainment system was made by a U.S. company, Interactive Flight Technologies. After the crash, Swissair disconnected the system from its planes and the Federal Aviation Administration, citing problems with its design, banned it from airliners.

The Canadian Transportation Safety Board's report faulted contractors authorized to act on the FAA's behalf who certified that the system met U.S. safety standards. The report also criticized the FAA's oversight of those contractors.

The fire ignited insulation above the ceiling in the rear of the cockpit, then spread to other flammable materials, the TSB said.

All 229 people on the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 jet were killed.

Flight 111 was one of only a handful of jets worldwide that had the IFT entertainment system, which allowed passengers to watch movies, play games and, on some flights, gamble.

USA TODAY reported Feb. 17 that the faulty systems were improperly installed and certified by contractors without adequate FAA oversight.

The TSB said mistakes were made by contractors Hollingsead International and Santa Barbara Aerospace.

Hollingsead employees did an electrical analysis for the entertainment system, even though they had no experience with MD-11 jets, the TSB said.

Neither Santa Barbara, which certified the system met FAA safety standards, nor Hollingsead had staff members familiar enough with the MD-11's electrical design to judge whether the system was compatible, the TSB said.

Relatives of some crash victims criticized the report.

The TSB's analysis of the fire was "very impressive," said Mark Fetherolf, whose 16-year-old daughter, Tara, was killed. But it appeared the board "didn't want the media to report the headline: 'Entertainment system causes crash.' "

U.S. airlines are under FAA orders to remove the type of insulation that was on the Swissair jet from their planes by May 2005.

The TSB has made 23 safety recommendations as a result of the Swissair investigation. It called for:

More fire detection and suppression equipment on planes.
Flammability testing requirements for airplane wiring.
Review of aircraft alterations certified by contractors.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/biztravel/2003-03-27-swissair-crah_x.htm