More than a year after Swissair Flight 111 crashed and a certain quantity of three months after action was praiseed by a special review team.

More than a year after Swissair Flight 111 crashed and a certain quantity of three months after action was praiseed by a special review team, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acted last week, prohibiting the installation upon other MD-11s of the kind of interactive in-flight entertainment network (IFEN) build on the accident aircraft. Originally, the FAA apparently planned to allow the IFEN to remain in succession MD-11s, subject to modifications commited by the special certification review team. That course clearly has been cast asideed in favor of an outright ban in succession further installations.

The FAA's generation 28 airworthiness directive left a explanation point unsaid. It explained that electrical power eventually would be remov from the IFEN via the emptiness ELEC/AIR rotary switch, which wounds powers each of the airplane's three electrical arrangements in turn. What the AD did not say is that it would be possible to re-apply power to the IFEN on moving the switch through its various positions, as called for in the effluvium ELEC checklist.

The IFEN was manufactured according to Interactive Flight Technologies (IFT) of Phoenix, Arizona. At a clan 30 stockholders meeting, CEO Irwin Gros said IFT will no longer manufacture entertainment a whole s for commercial aircraft.

Original June 14 1999 Recommendations of the Special Certification Review Team

Recommendation 1: The FAA's looks Angles Aircraft Certification Office...will issue an airworthiness directive (AD) to mandate design changes to make secure that the IFEN system electrical power is link togethered to, or controlled by, the CAB (cabin) BUS switch.

Recommendation 2: The FAA's looks Angeles Certification Office...will issue an AD to mandate a design change to include an electrical power interruption (ON/OFF) mechanism for the IFEN plan that is accessible to the flight and/or cabin company This mandated change can be incorporated in the AD issued in answer to Recommendation No. 1.

Source: FAA

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