On 2 September 1998 a Swissair Boeing MD-11 crashed into the sea off Halifax, Canada, with a serious fire in the cockpit which had made the aircraft impossible to fly. The intensity of the impact caused the wreckage to break into tiny pieces, making their recovery difficult and the investigation one of the most demanding ever faced - hence the fact that it still continues three years later.
It has become clear, however, that the fire started in electrical systems, probably in the cockpit ceiling, and spread rapidly, disabling aircraft instruments. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSBC) issued extensive recommendations in December 2000, saying that not only MD-11s, but all commercial transport aircraft, have thoroughly inadequate cockpit and cabin fire detection and suppression systems, and stating that this issue must be addressed.
Source: Flight International
