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Photo: Kambui / CC BY 2.0
2 September 1998

Swissair Flight 111

An in-flight fire off Nova Scotia

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Swissair Flight 111, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 flying from New York to Geneva on 2 September 1998, developed a fire hidden above the cockpit ceiling that spread through flammable insulation while the crew diverted towards Halifax. About 20 minutes after the pilots first noticed an unusual smell, the aircraft struck the Atlantic Ocean off Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, and all 229 people on board were killed.
1 video perspective
- Swissair Flight 111: How a Hidden Fire Brought Down an MD-11
  
  A wiring arc above the cockpit of Swissair Flight 111 set fire to flammable insulation as the MD-11 crossed Nova Scotia on its way from New York to Geneva in September 1998.
  
  Published 17 Jan 2026
Photo: Andrew Thomas from Shrewsbury, UK / CC BY-SA 2.0
23 July 1983

Air Canada Flight 143

The Gimli emergency landing

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On 23 July 1983 an almost new Air Canada Boeing 767 ran out of fuel at 41,000 feet over northern Ontario, after its fuel load was worked out in pounds instead of kilograms. Captain Robert Pearson glided it to a landing on the disused air force runway at Gimli, Manitoba, and all 69 people on board survived.
3 video perspectives
- Air Canada Flight 143: Pearson’s Sideslip Landing at Gimli
  
  This Mayday episode reconstructs the flight of Air Canada 143 on 23 July 1983, from the first fuel pump warning to the evacuation at Gimli.
  
  Published 3 May 2021
- Air Canada Flight 143: Gimli Glider Landing and the Inquiry
  
  This full Mayday episode follows Air Canada Flight 143 from the first fuel pump warning to the landing at Gimli, Manitoba, on 23 July 1983, and then into the investigation.
  
  Published 5 May 2022
- Air Canada Flight 143: The Pounds-for-Kilograms Fuel Error
  
  On 23 July 1983 an almost new Air Canada Boeing 767 ran out of fuel over northern Ontario after its fuel was calculated with the wrong conversion factor.
  
  Published 30 Oct 2026

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Swissair Flight 111

Swissair Flight 111: How a Hidden Fire Brought Down an MD-11

Air Canada Flight 143

Air Canada Flight 143: Pearson’s Sideslip Landing at Gimli

Air Canada Flight 143: Gimli Glider Landing and the Inquiry

Air Canada Flight 143: The Pounds-for-Kilograms Fuel Error