Swissair installs new insulation in MD-11 fleet

(AP) -- Swissair said Tuesday it is replacing Mylar insulation in its MD-11 jets with a "particularly fire-resistant" new material.

(AP) — Swissair said Tuesday it is replacing Mylar insulation in its MD-11 jets with a “particularly fire-resistant” new material.

The first plane refitted with Tedlar insulation in the cockpit and cabin sections will go into service in mid-November, the airline said in a statement.

“This task is undertaken at Swissair’s initiative and is based on information gathered in the ongoing investigation into the cause of the SR111 accident,” it added.

The Geneva-bound flight from New York, an MD-11, crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia on September 2 last year, killing all 229 people aboard.

Though the cause of Flight 111’s fire remains unknown, investigators have learned enough to prompt several safety measures.

U.S. officials recommended all MD-11s be inspected for wiring problems, and they recently proposed an order for airlines to replace Mylar insulation in nearly 700 airplanes, including MD-11s, over the next four years because it failed a new anti-flame test.

Swissair and Boeing, which now owns MD-11 manufacturer McDonnell Douglas, are sharing the costs of refitting the first MD-11, Swissair said, adding that it plans to re-equip its entire fleet of the planes “irrespective of an eventual mandate” from the Federal Aviation Authority.

Boeing “intends to use the knowledge gained from the process to create recommendations and documentation that will simplify future aircraft maintenance and overhaul procedures,” Swissair said.

The airline said its other aircraft contain insulation blankets made of other materials and are unaffected.