What went wrong to Swissair flight 111 Research Paper

What went wrong to Swissair flight 111 - Research Paper Example This paper delves into one of the biggest aviation accidents in history; the crash of Swissair Flight 111. This accident brought to fore one of the most common causes of aviation accidents- structural and design problems. The insulating material used to cover fiberglass insulation had propagated a fire that was started above the cockpit ceiling by an arcing event. Although aircraft insulation blankets help in protecting passengers and crew against noise and frigid temperatures at high altitudes, the materials used should meet the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) flammability test requirements. Swissair Flight 111 was en route from New York, United States of America to Geneva, Switzerland on 2 September 1998. There were 229 souls on board (National Geographic, 2014). However, approximately 53 minutes into the flight, while the plane was flying 33000 feet, the crew members began to smell something unusual in the cockpit. The smell came from an area right above them. Almost at the same time, the pilots noticed a small amount of smoke filing the cockpit. The pilots started to investigate exactly where the smoke came from (Carley, 1998). After a while, they noticed that what was initially seen as the source could no longer be seen, and they stopped the investigation. Based on their experience and perception, they concluded that the smell and smoke was as a result of the air conditioning system in the pane. Although the smoke had disappeared, the pilots decided that it was necessary to land and have the plane checked before continuing with the flight. At first, they wanted to t urn to Boston, but the air traffic controller advised them to land at Halifax, Canada (National Geographic, 2014). The crew also requested the air traffic controller at Halifax that they needed to dump fuel, and the plane was diverted to St. Margaret’s Bay where the fuel could be dumped. The crew started to prepare for an emergency landing, and this involved undertaking the

Bellingham City budget cut Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bellingham City budget cut - Research Paper Example the services and duties carried out in the Bellingham City Police department and then determine which of these services and staff should be let go in order for the department to operate within its budgetary allocation without collapsing. I will also look at some of the duties that can be merged or reassigned so as to reduce financial constraints in the department. Law enforcement in cases of robbery, burglary and murder is one of the normal operations of a police department. Police duties also include maintaining order. Order maintenance is normally done during police patrols in different areas of jurisdiction. Police services are also part of the standard police operations in the US. These services range from giving first aid to creating safety awareness among people. All these operations are supposed to contribute to the security and other needs of the community (Dempsey and Forst, 2009). Different officers carry out different tasks in the police departments depending on their level of competence. These officers are normally trained in police training academies, most of which are run by police departments. Different areas have different security and police service needs. Therefore, one police department cannot be completely similar to another in terms of operations. For instance, burglary prevention may be a priority in one police department and drug trafficking may be a priority in another department. The staffing and budgetary allocation needed for these departments will therefore differ, depending on the security needs of a particular area (Talaga and Tucci, 2008). There are some services that are redundant and can be removed in order to streamline the police department’s budget. These are the services that do not contribute much to the major interests of a particular police department (McKenna and Evans, 1994). Some of these services have been discussed below, outlining their pros and cons, as well as why the cons outweigh the pros. Police departments