The flight data recorder (FDR) from the Swissair Boeing MD-11 which crashed off Nova Scotia last week carries only illegible information below 10,000ft (3,000m), specialists from the Canadian Transportation Safety Board have revealed.
Experts had hoped that the FDR, which was recovered on Sunday, would give some clue why Swissair flight SR111 plunged into the North Atlantic with the loss of 229 lives.
But with the recorder apparently failing to provide information on the crucial last six minutes of the flight, efforts are now being stepped up to find the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder (CVR). Swissair says that the FDR "-is in the initial stages of evaluation."
Chief crash investigator Vic Gerden has said that the FDR seems to have stopped recording below 10,000ft, so there is no data for the last six minutes before the crash. He speculates that the aircraft may have lost electrical power at this stage.
The FDR is nevertheless understood to be in relatively good condition, and should still provide information on 100 parameters, including altitude, airspeed and whether the aircraft's smoke warning lights were on.
Swissair says that the search for the CVR continues near the point where the flight data recorder was found, in waters off Peggy's Cove.
Flight SR111 was en route between New York JFK airport and Geneva when its crew reported smoke in the cockpit and attempted to divert to Halifax. The aircraft disappeared off radar screens 16 minutes later.
Source: Flight Daily News
