Swissair 111 Cockpit Audio Release Sets Precedent

The recent Supreme Court of Canada decision that directed Transport Canada and the Information Commissioner to release the actual audio of R/T exchanges between the Swissair 111 pilots and ATC has produced another release. Kelner Flight 151 crashed near Clarenville in 1998. The commercial flight took off from St. John's Monday, May 18, 1998 on its way to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador. The single-engine Pilatus PC-12 crashed in a bog after an engine failure at 16, 000 feet. No one died, but all 10 people on board suffered serious injuries. The pilot noticed a low engine-oil pressure warning light about 23 minutes into the flight but failed to notify Gander ATC of the emergency and simply asked to return "as they'd forgotten something." 20 minutes later the engine started vibrating and the pilot, still in cloud, declared an emergency and ATC, reacting with little urgency for a single-engine engineless airplane, finally headed him for the airstrip at Clarenville. However the engine had failed and, after a 12 minute silent glide, the aircraft was force-landed just short of the field in the bog in 1.3 mls visibility. The TSB said the plane may have landed safely under power if pilot Bursey had turned back to St. John's when he first noticed the oil pressure light.
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