By Canadian Press

‘We are declaring emergency now’: A transcript of final cockpit communications

Aug 30, 2018 | 10:45 AM

HALIFAX — The following is a transcript of the final conversations Sept. 2, 1998, involving the crew of ill-fated Swissair Flight 111, air traffic control centres in Moncton, N.B., and Halifax, as well as the crews of two British Airways Speedbird flights and a Virgin Airlines plane in the area at the time of the emergency situation (times in parentheses are p.m. ADT):

Swissair 111 (9:58:15.8): Moncton Centre, Swissair one-eleven heavy good, uh, evening level three-three-zero.

Moncton controller (9:58:20.4): Swissair one-eleven heavy, Moncton Centre, good evening. Reports of occasional light turbulence at all levels.

Swissair 111 (9:58:26.1): Moncton, Swissair.

(Extensive communications between Moncton Centre and other aircraft. Unintelligible squelch covered by United Flight 920.)

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Moncton controller (10:14:12.0): United nine-two-zero heavy, Moncton Centre. Good evening, occasional light turbulence reported at all levels. Other aircraft calling, say again.

Swissair 111 (10:14:18.0): Swissair one-eleven heavy is declaring Pan Pan Pan. We have, uh, smoke in the cockpit. Uh, request immediate return, uh, to a convenient place, I guess, uh, Boston.

Moncton controller (10:14:33.2): Swissair one-eleven, roger . . . turn right proceed . . . uh . . .you say to Boston you want to go.

Swissair 111 (10:14:33.2): I guess Boston . . . we need first the weather so, uh, we start a right turn here. Swissair one-one-one heavy.

Moncton controller (10:14:45.2): Swissair one-eleven, roger, and a descent to flight level three-one-zero. Is that OK?

Swissair 111 (10:14:50.3): Three-one-zero. (Unintelligible words obscured by a noise. Possibly the noise associated with donning oxygen masks.) Three-one-zero . . . one-one heavy.

Moncton controller (10:15:03.1): Swissair one-eleven, Centre.

Swissair 111 (10:15:06.6): Swissair one-eleven heavy, go ahead.

Moncton controller (10:15:08.6): Uh, would you prefer to go into Halifax?

Swissair 111 (10:15:11.6): Uh, standby.

Virgin 12 (10:15:15.9): Moncton, Virgin twelve will be standing by.

Moncton controller (10:15:17.3): Virgin twelve, roger, standby.

Swissair 111 (10:15:38.4): Affirmative for Swissair one-eleven heavy. We prefer Halifax from our position.

Moncton controller (10:15:43.8): Swissair one-eleven, roger. Proceed direct to Halifax. Descend now to flight level two-niner-zero.

Swissair 111 (10:15:48.7): Level two-niner-zero to Halifax, Swissair one-eleven heavy.

BAW Speedbird 214 (10:15:58.3): And, uh, Swissair one-eleven heavy, from Speedbird two-one-four, I can give you the Halifax weather if you like.

Swissair 111 (10:16:04.1): Swissair one-eleven heavy, we have the, uh, the oxygen mask on. Go ahead with the weather.

BAW Speedbird 214 (10:16:10.4): OK, it’s the three hundred zulu weather was one-zero-zero at niner knots, one-five miles, scattered at one-two-zero, broken at two-five-zero, plus seventeen, plus twelve, two-niner-eight-zero, over.

Swissair 111 (10:16:29.8): Roger, Swissair one-eleven heavy. We copy the, ah, altimeter is two-niner-eight-zero.

Moncton controller (10:16:38.6): Swissair one-eleven, you’re cleared to ten thousand feet and the Hal . . . altimeter is two-nine-eight-zero.

Swissair 111 (10:16:41.7): Two-niner-eight zero, ten thousand feet, Swissair one-eleven heavy.

Moncton controller (10:16:52.5): And Swissair one-eleven, uh, can you tell me what your fuel on board is and the number of passengers?

Swissair 111 (10:16:58.3): Uh, roger, standby for this.

BAW Speedbird 1506 (10:17:15.5): Speedbird one-five-zero six is at Tusky listening out.

Moncton controller (10:17:19.3): Speedbird one-five-zero-six, roger.

Moncton controller (10:18:19.3): Swissair one-eleven, you can contact Moncton Centre now one-one-niner-point-two.

Swissair 111 (10:18:24.4): One-one-niner-point-two for the Swissair one-one-one heavy.

Moncton controller (10:18:31.0):Roger.

Swissair 111 (10:18:34.3): Moncton Centre, good evening. Swissair one-eleven heavy, flight level two-five-four descending flight level two-five-zero on course Halifax. We are flying at the time on track zero-five-zero.

Halifax controller (10:18:46.8): Swissair one-eleven, good evening. Descend to three thousand the altimeter is two-nine-seven-nine.

Swissair 111 (10:18:51.8): Ah, we would prefer at the time around, uh, eight thousand feet, two-nine-eight-zero, until the cabin is ready for the landing.

Halifax controller (10:19:00:9): Swissair one-eleven, uh, you can descend to three, level off at an intermediate altitude if you wish. Just advise.

Swissair 111 (10:19:07.2): Roger. At the time we descend to eight thousand feet. We are anytime clear to three thousand. I keep you advised.

Halifax controller (10:19:14.5): OK, can I vector you, uh, to set up for runway zero-six at Halifax?

Swissair 111 (10:19:19.4): Ah, say again latest wind, please.

Halifax controller (10:19:22.1): OK, active runway Halifax zero-six. Should I start you on a vector for six?

Swissair 111 (10:19:26.3): Yes, uh, vector for six will be fine. Swissair one-eleven heavy.

Halifax controller (10:19:31.0): Swissair one-eleven, roger. Turn left heading of, ah, zero-three-zero.

Swissair 111 (10:19:35.1): Left, ah, heading zero-three-zero for the Swissair one-eleven.

Halifax controller (10:19:39.5): OK, it’s a back course approach for runway zero-six. The localizer frequency one-zero-niner-decimal-niner. You’ve got thirty miles to fly to the threshold.

Swissair 111 (10:19:53.3): Uh, we need more than thirty miles. Please, ah, say me again the frequency of the back beam.

Halifax controller (10:19:59.5): Swissair one-eleven, roger. You can turn left heading three-six-zero to lose some altitude, the frequency is one-zero-niner-decimal-niner for the localizer. It’s a back course approach.

Swissair 111 (10:20:09.5): One-zero-niner-point-niner, roger. And we are turning left to heading, ah, north. Swissair one-eleven heavy.

Halifax controller (10:21:23.1): Swissair one-eleven, when you have time could I have the number of souls on board and your fuel onboard please for emergency services.

Swissair 111 (10:21:30.1): Roger. At the time, uh, fuel on board is, uh, two-three-zero tonnes. We must, uh, dump some fuel. May we do that in this area during descent? (Note: Two three zero tonnes represents the current gross weight of the aircraft, not the amount of fuel on board.)

Halifax controller (10:21:40.9): Uh, OK, I am going to take you . . . Are you able to take a turn back to the south or do you want to stay closer to the airport?

Swissair 111 (10:21:47.0): Uh, standby short, standby short.

Swissair 111 (10:21:59.1): OK, we are able for a left or right turn towards the south to dump.

Halifax controller (10:22:04.2): Swissair one-eleven, uh roger, uh turn to the ah, left, heading of, ah, two-zero-zero degrees and advise time when you are ready to dump. It will be about ten miles before you are off the coast. You are still within about twenty-five miles of the airport.

Swissair 111 (10:22:20.3): Roger, we are turning left and, ah, in that case we’re descending at the time only to ten thousand feet to dump the fuel.

Halifax controller (10:22:29.6): OK, maintain one-zero-thousand. I’ll advise you when you are over the water and it will be very shortly.

Swissair 111 (10:22:34.4): Roger.

Swissair 111 (10:22:36.2): (Du bisch i dr) emergency checklist (fur) air conditioning smoke? (Translation: You are in the emergency checklist for air conditioning smoke?)

Halifax controller (10:22:42.9): Uh, Swissair one-eleven, say again please.

Swissair 111 (10:22:45.3): Ah, sorry, it was not for you. Swissair one-eleven was asking internally. It was my fault, sorry about.

Halifax controller (10:22:50.8): OK.

Halifax controller (10:23:33.1): Swissair one-eleven continue left heading one-eight-zero. You’ll be off the coast in about, ah, fifteen miles.

Swissair 111 (10:23:39.2): Roger, heading left one-eight-zero. Swissair one-eleven and maintaining at ten thousand feet.

Halifax controller (10:23:46.3): Roger.

Halifax controller (10:23:55.7): You will, ah, be staying within about, ah, thirty-five, forty miles of the airport if you have to get to the airport in a hurry.

Swissair 111 (10:24.03.9): OK, that’s fine for us. Please tell me when we can start, ah, to dump the fuel.

Halifax controller (10:24:08.8): OK.

Swissair 111 (10:24:28.1): (Background phone). Ah, Swissair one-eleven. At the time we must fly, ah, manually. Are we cleared to fly between, ah, ten thou . . . eleven thousand and niner thousand feet? (Sound of autopilot disconnect warbler).

Halifax controller (10:24:28.1): Swissair one-eleven, you can block between, ah, five thousand and twelve thousand if you wish.

Swissair 111 (10:24:45.1): Swissair one-eleven heavy is declaring emergency; (10:24:46.4 second voice overlap) Roger, we are between, uh, twelve and five thousand feet. We are declaring emergency now at, ah time, ah, zero-one-two-four. (Possible intercom sound toward end of transmission).

Halifax controller (10:24:56.0): Roger.

Swissair 111 (10:24:56.5): Eleven heavy, we starting dump now, we have to land immediate.

Halifax controller (10:25:00.7): Swissair one-eleven, just a couple of miles, I’ll be right with you.

Swissair 111 (10:25:04.1): Roger. (Sound – probable autopilot disconnect warbler).

Swissair 111 (10:25:05.4): And we are declaring emergency now, Swissair one-eleven.

Halifax controller (10:25:08.6): Copy that.

Halifax controller (10:25:19.2): Swissair one-eleven, you are cleared to, ah, commence your fuel dump on that track and advise me, ah, when the dump is complete.

Halifax controller (10:25:43.0): Swissair one-eleven, check you’re cleared to start the fuel dump.

Swissair 111 (10:25:49.3): (Unrecognizable noise, followed by silence)

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