Transportation Safety Board of Canada
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Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Fact Sheet on Nose Section Reconstruction Jig for Swissair Flight 111, MD-11

Designed by Boeing Structural Engineering, Douglas Products Division.

Constructed by the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Public Works, Mechanical Branch, located at Miller Lake, Nova Scotia.

The reconstruction jig overall dimensions:

Width - Varies from 6.8 feet at the front to 19.3 feet at the rear.
Length - 27 feet
Height - 13 feet

The jig comprises the nose section of the Swissair, Flight 111, MD-11, from the nose to just in front of the first row of 'first class' seats and from floor level to the crown of the fuselage.

The frame is covered in 1/8th inch diameter 2 inch square steel screen to facilitate attachment of recovered pieces of wreckage. Wreckage will be attached using tie wraps.

The floor is made of expanded metal grating.

There was 5,000 lbs of steel used in its construction.

The entire reconstruction jig will be painted flat black to reduce glare for TSB investigation photographic purposes.

Additional fuselage sections can be added if investigators find it necessary.

This 3D reconstruction is a very detailed and time consuming process and the jig will allow TSB investigators to do a systematic reconstruction of the nose section of this aircraft. Some two dimensional reconstruction has already been undertaken on material from this portion of the aircraft. This material will be incorporated on the jig as required for investigative purposes.

Considerable portions of the aircraft's nose section have not yet been recovered and it is expected that the renewed recovery operation, that will begin near the end of this week, will be able to bring more of this material to the surface.