Swissair Flight 111
 | |
| Date | 2 September 1998 |
|---|---|
| Location | Atlantic Ocean, near Peggy’s Cove, Canada |
| Deaths | 229 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Swissair Flight 111 was a scheduled international passenger flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, United States, to Cointrin International Airport in Geneva, Switzerland. On 2 September 1998, it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Halifax Stanfield International Airport at the entrance to St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada. All 229 passengers and crew on board the aircraft were killed.
Cargo and Passengers
Swissair Flight 111 was known as the "UN shuttle" because of its popularity with United Nations officials traveling between the organization's two biggest centers. The flight also carried business executives, scientists, and researchers.
Notable passengers included a Saudi prince, a relative of the former Shah of Persia, a senior UN official, Jonathan Mann, former head of the World Health Organization's AIDS program, and his wife, AIDS researcher Mary Lou Clements-Mann.
The cargo included half a billion dollars worth of diamonds,that were never found.
Official Story
The investigation carried out by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) concluded that flammable material used in the aircraft's structure allowed a fire to spread beyond the control of the crew, resulting in the crash of the aircraft.
Documentary Film
The Canadian broadcaster CBC made a documentary about the crash.
