Many aviation experts are comparing the Swissair 111 crash to another fire on a similar aircraft three years earlier. When fire broke out on Fedex flight 1406 near Newburgh New York, the pilot did not radio the lower level "Pan Pan Pan" alert, he immediately declared a full emergency.

The co-pilot wanted to slow down gradually and perform the smoke checklist routine but the pilot over-ruled him and insisted on a fast steep descent. He ignored the checklist and told air traffic control "We need to get it on the ground."

It was a good thing he did. The Fedex cargo plane burned up shortly after landing, but all three crew members survived. Many are comparing what they call the American "Cowboy" approach to the methodical, by the book, full checklist Swiss approach of Captain Zimmerman.

"Part of it is a cultural thing I think," Adams says. "It has to deal with everything from how you are brought up from a kid in your country's background. You got to remember we got kind of like that cowboy attitude in our country and I think sometimes it does affect us the way we act sometimes. You just attack problems differently. If it works out okay if I disregard all the checklists and get the airplane on the ground safely then I will probably be a hero, but if I disregard all the checklist and I don't get the plane on the ground then I am the goat.

http://cbc.ca/national/magazine/swissair/index.html

Now take a look at another swissair event that was reported in a book called, ''Frequent Flyer,
One Plane, and the Spectacular Feat of Commercial
Flight', by Bob Reiss.

This book opens up with the author, Bob Reiss and his wife on a swissair 747 flying over the ocean from
JFK. Soon into the flight, a crashing noise is heard
and the captain informs the passengers that one of
the engines is not working.Flames were seen coming
out of the engine. He informs the passengers that
they may keep going towards Switzerland but he isn't
sure yet. The jet keeps losing altitude. Finally 20
minutes later he decides to turn around back towards New
York. "For the next 2 hours the plane limped toward the
mainland, still losing altitude. We dropped to 18,000 ft.
17,500 ft., 16,000 ft. The speed dropped to 250 miles an
hour." When they finally landed in New York, there were
fire trucks lining the runway. This was the impetus
for the author to write this book and start asking
questions about for one thing who is flying these
commercial jets.