which ended in a warble at 29 minutes 52 seconds after commencement of the recording. These sounds indicate that the audio input and test signal wiring were being affected by the fire. It is assumed that the recorded cockpit conversation had commenced very shortly after the HF communication with Mauritius FIC at 23:14:00 and ended shortly before the VHF communication with Mauritius Approach Control at 23:48:51, reporting trouble.
According to the Plaisance tower tape recording (a full rendering of which is given in paragraph 1.9 p 32 below) the pilot called Mauritius Approach Control at 23:48:51 on 119.1 MHz. At 23:49:07 he said that they had a smoke problem and were doing an emergency descent to FL 140. The approach controller gave clearance for the descent and the pilot asked that the fire services be alerted. The controller asked if full emergency services were required to which the pilot replied in the affirmative. At 23:51:02 the approach controller asked the pilot for his actual position. The pilot replied: "Now we have lost a lot of electrics, we haven't got anything on the … aircraft now". At 23:52:33 the approach controller asked for an ETA at Plaisance and was given the time of 00:30. At 23:52:50 the pilot made an inadvertent transmission when he said to the senior flight engineer: "Hey Joe, shut down the oxygen left". From this time until 00:01:34 there was a period of silence lasting 8 minutes and 44 seconds. From 00:01:34 until 00:02:14 the
