Swissair Flight 111 crash - Fact quest

Aim

Youth will learn about the 1998 Swissair Flight 111 crash off the coast of Nova Scotia. They will gain an appreciation of the lasting repercussions this tragedy had on many people. It affected the family and friends of the victims, the first responders and military personnel.

Objectives

Youth will:

• gain knowledge about the Swissair Flight 111 crash off the coast of Nova Scotia on 2 September 1998
• learn about the search and recovery efforts
• reflect on the impact this tragedy had on so many people, including Canadian Armed Forces members

Target Audience

This activity is suitable for grades 7-12.

Sequence of events and anticipated time frame [50 minutes]

• Introductory discussion (10 minutes)
• Swissair Flight 111 fact quest (30 minutes)
• Conclusion (10 minutes)
• Possible extension activities

Materials

• Computers with access to the internet
• Canadian Encyclopedia article “Swissair Flight 111”
• Question sheet: Swissair Flight 111 fact quest
• Answer sheet: Swissair Flight 111 fact quest

Introduction [10 minutes]

You may show a brief overview video of the tragic flight: Sept. 2, 1998: Swissair Flight 111 crash kills 229 people (2:19 seconds), found on YouTube.

Tell your students the crash of Swissair Flight 111 on 2 September 1998 affected many people. The families, relatives and friends of the 229 people on board are the first that come to mind.

The crash happened only a few kilometers off the coast of Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia. Peggy's Cove lighthouse is a world-famous tourist attraction on Canada’s East Coast.  

Shortly after the plane went down in the waters of St. Margaret’s Bay, privately-owned vessels rushed to the scene of the tragedy. In maritime tradition, it is natural to help when there is an emergency at sea. The Canadian Armed Forces and Canadian Coast Guard also quickly arrived. Everyone involved during the early search efforts hoped to find survivors. Unfortunately, the violence of the high-speed crash meant no survivors would be found. Many of the people who reached the area where the plane crashed were shocked by the human remains they found. Their memories would haunt them for days, weeks and months afterwards.

The authorities launched a large search and recovery mission called Operation Persistence. Whether at sea, underwater, in the air or on the shore, the Canadian army, navy and air force all played an important role. This difficult mission lasted several weeks. It was physically and emotionally difficult for those who took part.

Fact quest [30 minutes]

Distribute the question sheet Swissair Flight 111 fact quest to the class. The students can complete it by reading the Canadian Encyclopedia article “Swissair Flight 111” as a resource.

Review the answers with the students. Ask your students if they want to share their thoughts about this tragic event. You may want to encourage your students’ creativity by using different mediums, such as making a poster, a multimedia presentation or writing a poem.

Conclusion [10 minutes]

Wrap up the activity by showing images of two special memorials on the shores of St. Margaret’s Bay in Nova Scotia, unveiled one year after the crash, in September 1999.

• Swissair Memorial Site – Bayswater
• Swissair Memorial Site – Peggy's Cove

Ask your students to reflect on the lives lost and lives changed by the crash of the Swissair Flight 111.

These monuments honour the 229 people who died that tragic night. Have your students comment on the sentence etched in stone on the Swissair memorials in both Peggy’s Cove and Bayswater:

“In grateful recognition of all those who worked tirelessly to provide assistance in the recovery operations and comfort to the families and their friends during a time of distress”.

Ask the class why it is important that we, as Canadians, also remember the people who helped in the Swissair Flight 111 search and recovery efforts? This includes local residents, first responders, emergency personnel, Canadian military, RCMP, investigators and forensics teams.

What can be done today to continue to recognize their efforts, and the hardships they went through?

Possible extension activities

There are many online resources about the Swissair Flight 111 crash. You can search for relevant resources to expand this lesson plan. For example:

• two articles, originally published in Maclean’s magazine, are on the Canadian encyclopedia website: Swissair 111 Tragedy and Swissair 111 Aftermath.
• a video of an overview of the events and accident reconstruction, based on conversations between pilots and air traffic control: The Mystery of The Swissair Flight 111 Plane Crash on “Mayday” (season 1, episode 3 – 52 minutes).
• the 1-minute video “25th Anniversary of Swissair Flight 111 Tragedy”.
• Operation Persistence section on the Veterans Affairs Canada website.
• major Canadian news networks mark this tragedy on the anniversary of the crash date in early September. Check their websites, especially around key milestones (1998, 1999, 2003) and subsequent five-year marks since the crash happened. Media in Nova Scotia have focused much attention on this tragedy.