I cannot help but wonder if those 229 souls would be alive and well today if the FAA had acted promptly on the new information it had received. Any wonder it is called the Tombstone Agency?
1998, October 8. The crew of a Delta Airlines MD-11, detected an electrical odor in the cockpit, while climbing to FL350 out of Manchester, England. There were two pilots, one jump seat rider, eleven F/As and 213 passengers on board at the time. The flight diverted uneventfully into Shannon, Ireland. 1998, November 27. A Swissair MD-11 experienced smoke in the cockpit upon climbout from Singapore. The Singapore government is conducting the investigation into that incident. 1999, January 31. An American Airlines MD-11 made an emergency landing at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport , after discovering smoke in the cabin. None of the 78 aboard was injured. The flight was enroute from Seattle to Narita, Japan and was airborne for about 1 hour and 10 minutes when a “buzz” was heard over the PA system. The pilots reset the PA circuit breaker. Shortly thereafter, smoke was observed in the first class cabin. An emergency was immediately declared and the flight returned to Seattle. The so
