Page:Report of the Board of Inquiry into the Helderberg air disaster.djvu/73

Rh minute 21 seconds after the fire alarm bell was recorded.

At about 23:49 the pilot contacted Mauritius approach control and stated that the flight was in an emergency descent to FL 140 due to a smoke problem ln the aeroplane. Two minutes later, in response to Mauritius request for a position report, the pilot stated "Now we've lost a lot of electrics, we haven't got anything on the on the (sic) aircraft now". About nine minutes later, at 00:02:25 the pilot reported and confirmed "We are now sixty five miles". The flight was recleared to FL 50, which was acknowledged by the pilot. In the last series of communications with Mauritius, the pilot requested runway 14 and in the last contact with Mauritius acknowledged an instruction to report approaching FL 50. There was no mention of smoke or fire by the crew during these last series of transmissions.

1.14.2 Examination of the aeroplane wreckage disclosed heat and smoke damage that was most prominent in the main deck cargo compartment, consistent with the alarm recorded on the CVR. Some heat and smoke damage was,