SR111 Operations Center
1901 Research Road
Ottawa Ontario
K1A1K8

23 September 2002

Salutation

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) would like to take
this opportunity to provide you with some additional information
regarding the confidential draft review process.

As you may know, the Board has completed its review of the initial
draft report, and the confidential draft report review process is now
under way. As part of that process, and in accordance with Canadian
legislation, the Board has sent the draft report. in confidence to
designated reviewers. Designated reviewers are individuals or
organizations whose performance, behaviour or products may be
commented on in the draft report as well as those who may contribute
to the completeness and overall accuracy of the report. Designated
reviewers play an important role in clarifying technical and factual
information and ensuring accuracy. The Board will assess the
representations from designated reviewers and determine whether any
changes to the draft report are necessary to ensure accuracy, only
then will the final draft report be approved by the Board for release
to the public.

As mentioned, the review process is to be completed in confidence.
Therefore, the contents of the confidential draft report cannot be
released to anyone who is not a designated reviewer, and designated
reviewers have agreed to protect the confidentiality of the draft
report.

Recently, there has been some speculation circulating about the
content of the draft report. Given the provision for confidentiality
of the draft report at this stage at the process, it would be
inappropriate for the TSB to comment on this speculation. Because of
the complexity of this accident, the investigation has taken more
time than might have been anticipated and the TSB understands your
desire to be kept informed. However we solicit your patience in
waiting until the final report is released to receive thorough and
accurate information about the accident. We hope you share our
conviction that the safety deficiencies identified during this
investigation must be well supported in the final public report and
that, by ensuring factual accuracy; we will have helped to advance
air safety worldwide.

Before the final report is released as expected in the first quarter
of 2003, we will again contact you to provide you with information
about the public release, and to ascertain if you wish to receive a
copy of the final report and by what means. We also plan to provide
you with an opportunity to attend a briefing session immediately
preceding the public release of the final report.
Again I appreciate your patience as the TSB finalizes its
investigation report into this tragic accident. If you have any
questions, please write to us at the above address or e-mail us at
Communications@...

Yours truly,

Vic Gerden
TSB Investigator in-charge