Originally Posted by DozyWannabe
If I recall correctly, I think it did become something of a moot point because at the rate the fire propagated, even if they'd gone for a straight-in at Halifax when the smoke first appeared, they would not have had enough time to make it to the runway.
A few years ago, there was a guest article in AeroSafetyWorld by a smoke/fire/fumes expert who tried several diversion scenarios in an MD-11 simulator. He more or less consistently achieved a safe landing at Halifax about 5 minutes before the time when the real aircraft struck the water. Or in other words, about the same time when their various systems started failing. Draw your own conclusions.
http://www.flightsafety.org/asw/oct0...16-17.pdf?dl=1
http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-re...ghtprofile.jpg
I hate fire.