On 2 September 1998 at 2118 ADT, Swissair Flight 111 (SWR 111), a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft, HB-IWF, departed John F. Kennedy airport, New York, en route to Geneva, Switzerland. On board were 215 passengers and 14 crew members. Approximately 53 minutes after take-off, as the aircraft was cruising at Flight Level 330, the crew noticed an unusual smell in the cockpit. Within about three and a half minutes the flight crew noted visible smoke and declared the international urgency signal "Pan Pan Pan" to Moncton Area Control Centre, advising the Air Traffic Services (ATS) controller of smoke in the cockpit. SWR 111 was cleared to proceed direct to the Halifax International airport from its position 58 nautical miles southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia. While the aircraft was manoeuvring in preparation for landing, the crew advised ATS that they had to land immediately and that they were declaring an emergency. At approximately 2231 ADT, the aircraft struck the water near Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, fatally injuring all 229 occupants.

Both the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) stopped recording while the aircraft was at approximately 10,000 feet, about six minutes before the aircraft struck the water.

Source: TSB Canada http://www.tsb.gc.ca/ENG/