2006-06-17 21:35:51 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
It crashed because it couldn't stay above the ground. But what caused is generally considered to be faulty wiring in the in-flight entertainment system. About an hour after departure, the flight crew could smell something funny in the cockpit. About 15 min after the odor was discovered, smoke was visible and flight systems were starting to fail. The pilots requested to divert and were told to proceed to Halifax. The crew declared and emergency while circling the airport to lose altitude and dump fuel. Within a few min, radar contact was lost. The problem was determined to be faulty wiring that arced and did not trip the circuit breaker. Instead, it ignited the flammable insulation and other flammable materials on the right side of the cockpit. None of the instruments warned the pilots that a fire had started, nor did the know that their flight systems were malfunctioning. The crew didn't have any indication of where they were, and were basically flying blindly. Because of this, they started back out to sea, and lost all control of the aircraft and it plunged into the ocean.
2006-06-17 22:08:20 · answer #1 · answered by mntennis_stud 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Due to the mishap here, the FAA has requested some changes in systems installed. The wires that are now installed must be seperated from "critical" systems to reduce the chances of one system causing problems with out systems.
Also the situation of "aging wiring in aircraft" has resurfaced due to this crash. And the industry is trying to to figure out how to solve this issue... as there are thousands of wires in the aircraft bundles... and how do you check the wires in the middle of a bundle that has a 6 inch diameter.
So from this one incident a lot is trying to change in the indusrty... but there is a lot more to do.
2006-06-18 10:40:16 · answer #2 · answered by Dport 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In addition to the answers already listed about electrical
I believe the material insulation Kapton was used.
Kapton has been the subject of controversy as it becomes
flammable with age.
2006-06-18 08:36:16 · answer #3 · answered by rjm96 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
dont u wish u werre 222 111
2006-06-18 04:38:50 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The primary cause was determined to be the inadecuate certification standards for certain insulating materials, as they were prone to ignite and propagate a fire.
you can read a condesed report here:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19980902-0&lang=en
2006-06-18 15:44:48 · answer #5 · answered by frankclau 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋