Over the years, he has received mementos and pictures from families touched by his efforts to recover anything he could from the Swissair Flight 111 tragedy. The pictures are a mix of photos of Conrad’s two daughters, along with various images of the 229 people who perished on the fateful night when the plane plunged into St. Margaret’s Bay.
Conrad is reminded daily of the unexpected joy and forged friendships that can outgrow such sorrow and the aftermath of disaster in the air.
In his living room overlooking the glistening bay of N.S. Point, he said, “It’s a wonderful thing that we were able to grow those relationships and maintain connections, and it’s still significant at this time. It’s like something that you know, just like that event.”
We have made wonderful friendships out of a little bit of tragedy that happens on that bright side. They are treasures to us.
On September 2, 1998, near the southern coast of Nova Scotia, approximately 10 kilometers away from Peggy’s Cove, the MD-11 airplane plummeted from a dark night sky, breaking into countless fragments upon impact with the seabed. The establishment of those associations ensued shortly after.
Conrad, now 71, began hearing reports of a possible plane crash far from his hilltop home soon after he started dozing on the couch in front of the TV after a long day of tuna fishing across the water towards the shore, when he heard a thunderous boom race across the sky.
He quickly informed his wife, Peggy, that if he could see what help he could be in the situation, he would make an effort to rescue the boat and head out.
Conrad, the only person left in the boat, heard his colleagues on the radio who had already drifted into a horrifying array of human remains and wreckage from the plane. It was a miserable, rain-soaked night as Conrad motored towards the glow of orange flares illuminating the crash site, casting off from the nearby wharf.
He soon found himself in the middle of a field, surrounded by pulverized pieces of debris, knowing that he could have been the one who survived.
Conrad attempted to bring aboard his boat the first items, but he made a gaffe by using his jacket to haul out the case that was sticking. However, he let it go and pulled up a waterlogged suitcase that was too heavy.
During the accident, Monte, their 19-year-old son, had misplaced Janet and David Wilkins, who went to his residence with Nancy White when he encountered her and didn’t think much of it until he handed her over to the authorities.
Soon, Conrad learned that his teenage daughter, White, had packed her suede jacket before boarding Flight 111 to Switzerland to study pastry making.
Conrad’s photograph of the young woman, Rowenna Lee, playing the piano is of great significance to those individuals who are coping with a similar type of loss. It is crucial for people to recognize the various forms of connections, and she acknowledged that it holds a special meaning to her as her daughter.
They can possibly know all the details about the event, whatever it may be.
The Maillet Martin Robert family, to which the brown-eyed toddler who was 14 months old when he perished with his parents, Maillet Denis and Maillet Karen Domingue, also extended relations.
Conrad, while moving through the debris with his light trained on it, initially mistook a child’s doll for what he later realized was the baby’s body.
I later visited my grandparents, whose little photo of Robert caught my attention. The soft-spoken fisherman said, “I just took care of his body, wrapped in a blanket.” So, I realized that I was also named Robert and later brought him aboard.
“What held significant meaning for them was simply to grasp the hands that had previously embraced their grandson.”
The feelings also echoed in the communities that scatter the rugged shoreline.
At the time, dozens of fishermen took to their boats in a futile attempt to find survivors, while residents spent their days combing the picturesque shoreline for any signs of debris.
Scott Hubley had just received news reports that a plane had gone down somewhere close to Peggy’s Cove, so he quickly pulled on his boots and headed to his father’s house to begin searching for survivors. He didn’t put on his socks, but instead put on his lobster and halibut fishing boots, as he knew he would be venturing into the waters where mackerel could be found.
He stated, “It was a dark ancient evening.” “Anything on an aircraft — and afterward it became more vivid,” he stated. “We began collecting baggage, garments, meal trays.” “However, you were aware of what it was,” he mentioned. “Things you have never witnessed previously.”
Especially regarding his elderly father, recollections of that evening stay vivid and resurface “occasionally,” but Hubley, 49, rarely dwells on the accident.
All 229 individuals perished immediately
Reminders of the inevitable accidents are prevalent in the area where the sky above serves as an aviation superhighway, hugging the coast of Nova Scotia before veering across the Atlantic to Europe.
Stephan Loew, the pilot, and his co-pilot, Urs Zimmerman, caught a whiff of smoke in the cockpit and began tracking the source. The flight, 111 Flight, took off from Geneva for New York, and it was approximately 52 minutes into the flight when they noticed the smoke.
Trying a last approach, Zimmerman reversed the plane’s direction over the sea to release fuel only 31 kilometers away from Halifax International Airport. The aviators faced difficulties in landing the aircraft as an electrical blaze in the roof above the cockpit expanded, and the duo initiated a descent.
Immediately, the 14 crew members and 215 passengers lost their lives when the aircraft crashed into the water with its nose leading at 10:31 p.M. Local time, traveling at a speed of 560 kilometers per hour, due to a disastrous malfunction in the system.
Investigators determined in 2003 that the fire was initiated by an arcing wire, which is when the coating of a wire is corroded and can cause sparking, thereby igniting the flammable insulation covering in the ceiling.
On this upcoming Sunday, as individuals come together to commemorate the 20th year since the accident, memories of that evening and the thorough inquiry that ensued will probably resurface for numerous people.
Assistance available on Sundays in Bayswater
A memorial service will be held at a site just up the road from Conrad’s house in Bayswater, where many parts of the recovered bodies, totaling 15,000, were buried after the crash. They have been joined by the sea and the sky: the memorial granite is engraved with the names of the deceased, serving as an epitaph. It is set against a breathtaking view of the ocean vista.
After the collision, law enforcement, the Transportation Safety Board, and military personnel assembled in the popular tourist destination of Peggy’s Cove, where an additional commemoration at Whalesback provides a vantage point to view the accident location and the renowned lighthouse.
Following the collision, John Campbell, a resident of Peggy’s Cove and the owner of the Sou’Wester restaurant, witnessed his community being occupied by authorities, mourning relatives, and the press. The extensive process of recovery and inquiry was coordinated by officials from his eatery, which remained shut down for over five days and transformed into a makeshift headquarters.
The government pier outside his window turned into an improvised mortuary for crews bringing in remains and debris.
The crash’s immediate consequences didn’t cease once the television crews and investigators departed. However, for Campbell, something that he still finds uncomfortable to talk about, he personally witnessed the catastrophic aftermath of the accident while spending hours at sea gathering wreckage. Campbell experienced it as well.
Following a unforgettable meeting with a lady who tragically lost her future husband on Flight 111, he ultimately decided to sell his boat and put an end to the excursions. This decision gradually had a negative impact on the friendly businessman. Over the course of several years, he would transport family members to the crash site in order to scatter the cremated remains of their dearly departed.
Standing in the shade of the immaculate white and red lighthouse, he uttered, “This memory will forever be etched in my mind as I was filled with fear, suspecting that her intentions extended beyond a simple visit to the location.” In response, she expressed doubts, saying, “I’m uncertain if it’s worth proceeding.”
I decided to get out of the business boat, taking the families with me, after five years. I thought, “I am not prepared to deal with this.”
Reminder that life is ‘valuable and significant’
However, some individuals like Conrad appreciate the “vibrant” heritage of the Swissair tragedy and the long-lasting connections it created.
This week, the Wilkins family from California were scheduled to arrive at his home to commemorate the anniversary during one of their occasional visits.
Conrad beamed as he described their coming reunion and the bond forged from a tragedy he says has taught him valuable lessons.
“It has enhanced my comprehension of what is truly significant,” he states.