automatic fire extinguishers. smoke in the cockpit was the problem on swiss air flight 111 after it took off from new york s jfk airport in 1998. swissair 111. reporter: it crashed off nova scotia killing all 129 people on board. after investigators traced the fire back to the entertainment system and the flammable insulation, had all mylar replaced. brought down four planes after fighting their way into the cockpit using box cutters. america 11 are you trying to call? everything will be okay. if you try to make any moves, you will injure yourself and the
york s jfk airport in 1998. swissair 111. reporter: it crashed off nova scioscia killing all 229 people on board. after investigators traced the fire back to the entertainment system and the flammable insulation, had all mylar replaced. and on american flight on 9/11
system in this cargo compartment, the crew would have afforded more time to get the airplane back on the ground. reporter: the faa took those words to heart, revising standards for cargo, requiring smoke detectors and automatic fire extinguishers in cargo holds. may day. going down. reporter: fire was a problem in 1983 when air canada flight 797 made an emergency landing at cincinnati s airport. it had a fire in the bathroom. we had a fire in the back washroom and it s filling up with smoke right now. reporter: incredibly, the plane landed safely, but half the passengers and crew died because they couldn t exit the plane fast enough. that gave rise to new fire safety standards, including bathroom smoke detectors and automatic fire extinguishers. smoke in the cockpit was the problem on swiss air flight 111 after it took off from new
among wreckage. they have the capability they ve done this before. reporter: retired navy captain chip mccord has been involved in at least 50 ocean salvage operations including twa 800 and swiss air flight 111 which crashed in 1998 off the coast of nova scotia. under water vehicles are equipped with lights and cameras. they re also outfitted with with sonar to scout for debris. they are zeered by two operators on board a ship above who use instant feedback from the salvage cameras to direct the robotic arms. they can hover, they can move left right, forward and aft and go to where they need very carefully however over a piece and pick it up if they need to. reporter: remember air france flight 447 which crashed in the atlantic ocean in 2009. two years later an unmanned
reporter: fire was also a problem in 1983 when care canada flight 797 made an emergency landing at cincinnati s airport on the way from dallas to the toronto. it had a fire in the bathroom. we have a fire in the back washroom. we re filling up with smoke right now. reporter: incredibly the plane landed safely but half of the passengers and crew died because they couldn t exit the plane fast enough. that gave rise to new fire safety standards, including bathroom smoke detectors and automatic fire extinguishers. today planes are much more fire resistant. carpets and seat cushions are made of a material that burns slower. passengers can get out faster, thanks to new, improved exit doors and those floor lights that the flight attendants point to every time before takeoff, those were added to save your life, too. smoke in the cockpit was the problem on swissair flight 111