Peggy's Cove, NS (off shore) Swissair Flight SR111 Jetliner Crash, Sep 1998

FLOTILLA COMBS WATERS OF BAY; 18 BODIES RECOVERED SO FAR.

WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN SAYS THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF TERRORISM.

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia -- (AP) -- A Swissair pilot reported smoke in the cockpit, dumped tons of fuel and attempted an emergency landing before his jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard, including 136 Americans.
Flight SR111 from New York to Geneva plunged into the ocean late Wednesday night after leaving Kennedy International Airport at 8:17 p.m. It carried 215 passengers -- including two infants -- and 14 crew.
The plane disappeared from radar screens 30 miles south of Halifax International Airport.
Philippe Bruggisser, chief executive officer of Swissair's parent group, said today that the 136 Americans were the largest single group aboard the plane. Some 30 French and 28 Swiss citizens were on board, he said.
The pilot had asked for permission to land in Boston, then decided to go on to Halifax, said Walter Vollenweider, a Swissair official in New York. Vollenweider said he had no indication why the pilot made that choice.
Those on the ground reported hearing sputtering noises from an aircraft passing overhead and then a thundering crash.
"The motors were still going, but it was the worst-sounding deep groan that I've ever heard," said witness Claudia Zinck-Gilroy.
Dozens of fishing boats and coast guard ships immediately headed out in driving rain to the crash site, about six miles off the coast of Peggy's Cove, a picturesque fishing village popular with tourists.
By this morning, 18 bodies had been recovered.
"We knew it was an explosion, there was a silence for two seconds after the explosion, then my ears popped," said Darrell Fralick, 26, a resident of Peggy's Cove. "At that split second, I looked at my watch it was 10:35, I don't know why I looked at my watch, I just did."
Bill Berry, speaking for Delta in Atlanta, said the "best information available" was that 53 Delta passengers were on the flight, which the two airlines shared in a partnership.
President Clinton was told about the plane's disappearance before leaving Moscow, where he had attended a summit with Russian President Boris Yeltsin. He was updated again during a flight to Northern Ireland.
DR. JONATHAN MANN, a former professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and a pioneer in the fight against AIDS, was among the dead, along with his wife, according to Dr. Peter Piot of the U.N.
The United Nations said about 10 U.N. workers returning to headquarters in Geneva also were believed to be on board.
Swissair said the passenger list will not be released until family members are notified.
An oil slick, life preservers and other debris from the downed aircraft spread out over six miles, said Roy Bears, an aviation safety investigator. Divers were using sonar to map the debris field and try to locate the black box in 150 feet of water, he added.
Ships and helicopters could be seen from shore through the light must, about six miles offshore. Dozens of police, rescue workers and residents stood on the rocky granite coast watching the rescue effort.
Debris from the aircraft was found off Clam Island and other islets between Peggy's Cove and Blandford, 20 miles southwest of Halifax.
Lt. Cmdr. Mike Considine of the Search and Rescue Center in Halifax said rescue crews were searching for the aircraft seven miles off Peggy's Cove. Local fishermen were called to the area because they are familiar with the waters.
There were four rescue planes, four helicopters and a Canadian navy ship, said Tracy Simoneau, speaking for the Canadian navy.
"They are reporting that they have located debris, but they are unsure if it's from the aircraft. They also report an oil slick and a strong smell of oil. They have not found the fuselage," Simoneau said.
She said civilian rescuers were at the scene within minutes of the crash.
"(The debris) is spread out over a very large area," said John Campbell, a charter boat captain, calling from his boat.
Soon all of the available ships from this small fishing community, accustomed to making rescues in the often violent North Atlantic, converged on the crash site. Coast Guard helicopters hovered overhead and a navy refueling ship, the HMCS Preserver, steamed into the bay.
"It's real ugly," said Craig Sanford, operator of a whale-watching boat that was one of the first vessels on the scene. "You see styrofoam floating, chunks of wood, panels, the odd body here and there. It's not a nice scene."
On shore, firefighters paced the beach near the crash sight, behind them more than a dozen ambulances lined up to treat survivors and take them to hospitals. They waited in vain.
"We are continuing to consider this a rescue effort," said Grant Lingley, speaking for the regional emergency health services, about five hours after the crash. But he admitted that hospital officials had sent their extra staff home.
At the airports in New York and Geneva, grief counselors were on hand for relatives of the crash victims. A special lounge was set up in the Delta Air Lines terminal at Kennedy Airport.
A piece of paper attached to the Geneva airport's arrivals board, which at first said the flight was "delayed," directed all those concerned with the flight to the information desk.
Matt Furman, speaking for the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, said the U.S. Agency sent a team of 10 people to Canada this morning.
Furman said the investigators are going as support to their Canadian counterparts. They were invited to participate under an international treaty because this is an American made plane.
He said they will first concentrate on recovering the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder.
U.S. authorities have been concerned about possible retaliation after missile strikes on terrorist installations in Afghanistan and Sudan.
"We have no indication that terrorism was involved in the Swissair crash", said P. J. Crowley speaking for the White House.
Nonetheless, New York Mayor Rudolph Giulani said the FBI was also investigating, "as they should."
It was the first crash of a Swissair plane since Oct. 7, 1979, when one of its DC-8s overshot the runway in Athens, Greece, while attempting to land and burst into flames. Fourteen people were killed.
Speaking to reporters at the Geneva airport, Georges Schorderet the chief financial officer of parent company SAirGroup, said the plane was put into service in August 1991 and was overhauled in August and September last year. It had been checked as all are before takeoff, he added.
"This airplane was in perfect working order," Schorderet said.

Syracuse Herald Journal New York 1998-09-03

Names of the Victims of the Swissair Crash:
Passengers:
GEORGE ABADY, dual citizen of Morocco and Canada.
KEITH ABERY, Britain.
SLEIMAN ABOUTAAM, Bloomfield Township, Mich.
SUADA ABOUTAAM, Bloomfield Township, Mich.
INGRID ACEVEDO, 32, New York City.
PIERRE-ANDRE AELLEN, Le Landeron, Switzerland.
ELSE ALBERTSEN, 74, Tenafly, N.J.
TORKILD ALBERTSEN, 76, Tenafly, N.J.
BRUNO ALLEAUME, France.
BANDAR AL SAUD, 45, Saudi Arabia.
MATHIEU AMPOSTA, Switzerland.
PIERRE BABOLAT, 52, Lyons, France.
PASCAL BACONNIER, France.
LUDWIG BAEUMER, 61, Geneva.
EUDYCE BALL, United States.
MARTIN BALL, United States.
PATRICK W. BELL, 34, New York City.
JESSE JAMES BENJAMIN, France.
STACEY BENJAMIN, France.
WAHKYN BENJAMIN, France.
WHITNEY GINGER BENJAMIN, France.
JOACHIM BILGER, 49, Geneva.
SUZANNE BITTENBINDER, 33, West Palm Beach, Fla.
ANDREW BOLSTERLI, dual citizen of Switzerland and the United States.
GEOFFROY BOUCHOUT, France.
FAYE BOURE, France.
ROSLINE BOURE, France.
JANE BOVE, United States.
ERICH BURCKHARD, Germany.
SUSAN BURGHARDT, United States.
DOMINIQUE BURRUS, 42, Corsy-sur-Lutry, Switzerland.
THIERRY BURRUS, 15, Corsy-sur-Lutry, Switzerland.
CATHERINE CALVET-MAZY, 37, France.
GABRIELLA CARIPIDES, 60, New York City.
PETER CARIPIDES, 27, New York City.
WILLIAM CARIPIDES, 71, New York City.
NATASA CEGAR, Yugoslavia.
CAULEY H. CHAPMAN, Olney, Md.
MARK J. CHAPMAN, Olney, Md.
ODETTE CHATELAIN, Switzerland.
RAOUL CHATELAIN, Switzerland.
NATHALIE CHEVEY, Vevey, Switzerland.
NICOLAS CHEVEY, 35, Vevey, Switzerland.
MARY LOU CLEMENTS-MANN, 51, Columbia, Md.
RICHARD COBURN, United States.
THIERRY COLINBARRAND, Switzerland.
BARRY COLMERY, Canfield, Ohio.
JULIE COLMERY, Canfield, Ohio.
MAXINE COPPOLA, New York City.
ALBERT DANON, France.
MAARTEN DEGRAEF, dual citizen of Switzerland and the Netherlands.
JANA DeMEIRE, 40, Los Angeles.
CAROLINE DePLEDGE, Concord, Mass.
JANE DePLEDGE, Concord, Mass.
MICHAEL DePLEDGE, Concord, Mass.
NORMAN DePLEDGE, Concord, Mass.
YVES DeROUSSAN, 41, Canada.
MAHMOOD DIBA, dual citizen of Iran and the United States.
LENORA DITCHKUS, 34, Teaneck, N.J.
MICHAEL DITCHKUS, 41, Teaneck, N.J.
RHONDA DONALSON, 35, Atlanta.
CHRISTIAN DUMITRU, Switzerland.
PATRICIA EZELL, 38, Irvington, Ala.
TARA FETHEROLF, 16, Haverford, Pa.
DOUGLAS FINE, 36, Fremont, Calif.
MARYVONNE FREVIER, France.
ZHORA FROGHI, Afghanistan.
WILLIAM FUHRMANN, 40, New York.
DEBORAH GAMBONE, 37, Watertown, Conn.
MICHAEL GAMBONE, 38, Watertown, Conn.
AMANDA GARBOUDES, France.
CHRISTINE GARBOUDES, France.
HERVE GARBOUDES, France.
TRISTAN GARBOUDES, France.
PIERCE J. GERETY, JR., 56, New York City.
JOAN HAMMOND, 65, Edmonds, Wash.
PAUL HAMMOND, 75, Edmonds, Wash.
CHERIE HASTIE, 59, Marietta, Ga.
THOMAS HAUSMAN, 33, New York.
YOLANDA HERNANDEZ deNAVARRO, 53, Cuernavaca, Mexico.
ROBERTE HEWSOM, United States.
GABRIEL HOCHE, 62, Richmond, Va.
ANDREW HODTSEV, 39, New York.
ANNE SOPHIE HOEL, France.
FRANCOIS HOEL, France.
MARIE-FRANCOISE HOEL, France.
OLIVIA HOEL, France.
PAUL EDOUARD HOEL, France.
LAWRENCE HOPCRAFT, 55, Gates Mills, Ohio.
PAULINE HOPCRAFT, 49, Gates Mills, Ohio.
C. H. ICONOMOPOULOU, dual citizen of Switzerland and Greece.
OLIVIER JACKMAN, dual citizen of France and Britian.
JAY JASAN, 40, Basking Ridge, N.J.
EVELYN JEGGE, Canada.
ISABELLE, JEGGE, 16, Canada.
SOMESH JHURANI, India.
MARYLINE JUNOD, 42, New York.
MARINA KAISER, Switzerland.
SERGE KARAMANOUKIAN, United States.
JAMES T. KASSEL, 34, Medford Lakes, N.J.
NIKOS KEFALIDIS, 55, New York.
KEVIN KIEF, United States.
KLAUS KINDER-GEIGER, 36, Long Island, N.Y.
ERIC KITSINGER, France.
STANLEY KLEIN, 64, New York.
KAREN KLEINMAN, Shelton, Conn.
LEONARD KLEINMAN, Shelton, Conn.
STEPHANE KOHLER, Switzerland.
JEAN KOKORUDA, Trumbull, Conn.
ROBERT KOKORUDA, Trumbull, Conn.
THOMAS KREIS, United States.
HEIDI KRETSCHMER, Switzerland.
JOSEPH LaMOTTA, 49, New York.
DARIO LAMPIETTI, Switzerland.
DON LATTIMER, New York.
NANCY LATTIMER, New York.
ANNE-LAURE LEMAITRE, France.
JEAN-LUC LESAICHOT, France.
RONNY M. LEVY, dual citizen of Switzerland and Israel.
JEFFREY M. LIBRETT, 47, Wantagh, N.Y.
ANNA B. LUCAS, 74, Las Vegas.
JAMES N. LUCAS, 72, Las Vegas.
DENIS MAILLET, 37, Baton Rouge, La.
KAREN DOMINGUE MAILLET, 37, Baton Rouge, La.
ROBERT MAILLET, 14 months, Baton Rouge, La.
MANUEL MAKAREVITCH, France.
GILDA MALLIN, 62, Boca Raton, Fla.
RALPH MALLIN, United States.
DR. JONATHAN MANN, 51, Columbia, Md.
LOUKIA MANTHIOU, Bothell, Wash.
JOSEPH MARTIN, dual citizen of France and the United States.
ELAHAH MEHRARABANSAMIT, Iran.
CARLOS MENDO, Spain.
ALMA MILNE, 66, Fairview Park, Ohio.
ROBERT MILNE, 67, Fairview Park, Ohio.
ASTRID MIRALAI, France.
CHANTAL MIRALAI, France.
HOUCHANG MIRALAI, France.
FRANCOISE MOLINIER, France.
JEAN-PHILIPPE MOLINIER, France.
NATASHA MONAY, Switzerland.
JEAN-PHILIPPE MORERO, Switzerland.
MARIE-ANTOINE MORERO, Switzerland.
HILDA B. MORTIMER, 69, Stamford, Conn.
JOHN H. MORTIMER, 75, Stamford, Conn.
JULIE MOSER, United States.
JEAN-MAX MOZES, 51, Haworth, N.J.
JAQUES MUNARI, Switzerland.
PHYLLIS NAPOLI, New York.
TARA NELSON, 35, Mystic, Conn.
ADRIENNE NEUWEILER, United States.
JOHN NEUWEILER, United States.
BETTY NOCETO, France.
CLAUDE NOCETO, France.
WILLIAM OGARA, 35, Huntington Beach, Calif.
AHAMAT OMRAN, United States.
CLELIA PEREAU, France.
JEAN-LOUIS PEREAU, France.
JOELLE PEREAU, France.
SYLVIE PEREAU, France.
YVES PEREAU, France.
ERIC PERROUD, Switzerland.
SKER PINOESCH, Switzerland.
CHARLOTTE PLUMLEIGH, 56, Lakewood, Colo.
GLEN PLUMLEIGH, 56, Lakewood, Colo.
MARIE-CECILE RAPPAZ, 53, Lausanne, Switzerland.
MICHEL RAPPAZ, 52, Lausanne, Switzerland.
JOYCE RATNAVALE, dual citizen of Switzerland and Britain.
VICTOR RATNAVALE, dual citizen of Switzerland and Britain.
KARINE RICHARD, 30, Switzerland.
ANTONIO RIZZA, 14, Italy.
VICTOR RIZZA, 58, Italy.
RAYMOND ROMANO, United States.
MAURIZIO ROSSI, 38, Brianza, Italy.
ELVIRA SALAKHOUTDINOVA, 23, Russia.
MAGDA SALAMA, Egypt.
NINO SANNA, Switzerland.
CRYSTEL SAUGY, Switzerland.
ALAN SCARBORO, United States.
MATTHEW SCOTT, 33, New York.
NORMAN SCOULAR, 45, England.
SILVIE SEQUI, 21, Switzerland.
STEPHANIE SHAW, Great Britain.
DIANE SHEER, Norfolk, Mass.
DONALD SHEER, 49, Norfolk, Mass.
STEPHANIE SHUSTER, 32, Summitt, N.J.
CAROLINE SMITH, Augusta, Ga.
PER SPANNE, 53, Grenoble, France, and Shoreham, N.Y.
EUGENIA SPANOPOULOU, 37, New York.
HODTSEV PLATO SPANOPOULOU, 18 months old, New York City.
JULIE SPERBER, 33, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
THOMAS SPERBER, 39, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
H. LLOYD SPRINGER, Boca Raton, Fla.
JUDITH SPRINGER, Boca Raton, Fla.
PETER STAUFFER, Switzerland.
DR. ROBERT STAUTER, 45, Warren, Ohio.
ALBERT TAHMOUSH, 77, United States.
ODETTE TAHMOUSH, United States.
ALEXANDRE THIOUDELLET, France.
EMMANUEL THIOUDELLET, France.
ERNEST THOMPSON, 70, Los Angeles.
SEBASTIEN THORENS, Switzerland.
NENAD TOMOV, Switzerland.
NANCY TOPFGIBSON, United States.
CHRISTOS TSOLLIS, Bothell, Wash.
MARIA TZAMARIOUDAKI, 31, East Setauket, N.Y.
VINCENT VILLET, France.
ROWENNA LEE WHITE, United States.
ALEX WILCOX, dual citizen of the United States and Britain.
PETRA WILCOX, dual citizen of the United States and Britain.
MONTE WILKINS, 19, Yucaipa, Calif.
DR. ROGER WILLIAMS, 54, Salt Lake City.
JONATHAN WILSON, 22, Brandon, Fla.
MARINO ZENIOS, 33, Jersey City, N.J.
LI ZHU, China.
Crew:
IRENE BETRISEY, Switzerland.
RAPHAEL BIRKLE, 28, Switzerland.
ANNE E. CASTIONI, Switzerland.
PATRICIA EBERHART, 51, United States.
COLETTE FURTER, Switzerland.
STEPHAN LOEW, co-pilot, 36, Switzerland.
RENE OBERHANSLI, Switzerland.
SERAINA PAZELLER, Switzerland.
JEANNINE POMPILI, 42, Switzerland.
REGULA REUTEMANN, 24, Switzerland.
PETER SCHWAB, Switzerland.
BRIGIT WIPRACHTIGER, Switzerland.
URS ZIMMERMANN, pilot, 50, Zurich, Switzerland.
FLORENCE ZUBER, Switzerland.
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!