All language subtitles for Mayday.Air.Disaster.S25E05.Powerless.Plunge.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-BLOOM_track3_[eng]

(Dynamic music)

♪

(Text on screen)

(whirring slows)

- What did you do?

(Dixon): Nothing.

- Did you hear those noises?
- I did.

- The audio playback of
the cockpit voice recorder

gave the investigators
the first real clue

as to the cause
of the accident.

(broadcast): Loganair 6-7-0-A
loses two engines

and crashes into
the North Sea.

Both pilots are dead.

- Why would that trigger
a dual-engine failure?

- It's never happened
in the past.

- Serious aircraft accidents
rarely have one causal factor.

It's a combination
of circumstances.

- Here's something.

The crew called an engineer
before departing.

- All done.

(man): Why did the crew need

to investigate a problem?

- Brace, brace.
Brace.

(crash)

- Mayday, mayday

(engine whirring)

(indistinct radio chatter)

(narrator): It's mid-afternoon
on a chilly winter day

at Edinburgh Airport
in Scotland.

Several aircraft are preparing
for departure,

including Loganair
Flight 6-7-0-A.

At the time, Loganair,
a Scottish carrier,

was a franchisee
of British Airways.

- It operates about 40 different
aircrafts,

and it does that in a variety
of modes

whether it's passenger or cargo,

to support a dispersed
population.

- Anti-collision beacon.

- Anti-collision beacon,
on.

(narrator): Running through
pre-departure checks

is 58-year-old Captain
Carl Mason

and 29-year-old First Officer
Russell Dixon.

- Start master armed.

- Engine start sequence.

- Starting right engine.

- The captain is
hugely experienced.

He had Royal Air Force
training

before he became a
civilian pilot.

- One, two, three.

- First Officer Dixon passed
his training

with no failures
or scrapes.

- Ignition.

Fuel lever forward.

We have ignition
500, 600, 700.

(narrator): The pilots are
at the controls

of a Shorts 360,
known as 'the Shed'

and 'the Flying Shoebox'
for its unusual boxy shape.

- The Shorts 360 is a short-haul
commuter airplane

which carries a total
of 36 passengers and crew,

or approximately 8300 kilos
of freight.

It's a lovely airplane to fly.

(narrator): Moments after
starting the right engine...

its generator stops.

- Let's try that again.

(Harris): You carry out
a set procedure

to try and get the generator
back online.

(click)

Nine times out of that will
solve the problem.

- Starting sequence
finished, stabilizing at 73%.

Ahh, not again.

Call maintenance. The Shed does
this from time to time.

- The Shorts 360 is powered
by two Pratt & Whitney

PT 65 engines.

They're a very reliable,
robust engine.

However, you could have a fault
with the generator

where it will not be connected
to the aircraft

AC electrical systems.

- All done.

- Terrific, thank you.

(narrator): The engineer gives
Loganair 6-7-0-A

the green light.

(engines whirring)

- Loganair 6-7-0-alpha,

cleared for Talla five Delta
Standard Instrument Departure.

- Logan 6-7-0-alpha,
Talla five Delta, Roger.

(narrator): As the pilots taxi
towards the runway...

- Auto-feather test.

(narrator): ...they complete
final pre-departure checks.

- Feathering off.

(narrator): Today, the plane is
carrying more than, 2000 pounds

of letters and boxes
destined for Belfast,

in Northern Ireland on
a scheduled one-hour flight

for Britain's Royal Mail.

- Prop levers, maximum?

- Fuel levers flight.

(narrator): Loganair 6-7-0-A
prepares for take off.

- 80 knots.

- Roger.

- V1.
Rotate.

(narrator): At 5:28PM,
the crew lifts off

from Edinburgh Airport.

- Cycle landing gear.

(Harris): It is prudent to cycle
the undercarriage

after take off in these
conditions.

The slush can collect
in the covers

that the undercarriage
retracts into.

As you climb this can refreeze
as the temperature drops.

(narrator): Loganair 6-7-0-A

climbs as it approaches
the North Sea.

- Altitude?

- 1150 feet.

- Lots of white caps
out there.

- The wind is quite something,
isn't it?

- The crew would have seen
that the sea was rough.

They knew that the wind was
blowing very, very strongly,

because the aircraft was being
buffeted about.

- Altitude?

- 2200 feet.

(narrator): Not two minutes
after take off,

the crew takes preventative
measures...

- Let's put the anti-icing on.

(narrator): So, precipitation
doesn't form into ice

in the engines
and on the wings.

- Anti-ice,
both on.

(plane humming)

- What did you do?

- Nothing.

The Captain realizes
they're losing power

in both of the engines.

(weak whirring)

- We have a double
engine failure.

- Torque is zero
on both engines.

Uh, dual-engine failure...

- Fuel?

- At 3000, we have plenty.

(narrator): Without
engine power,

and only 1600 feet
above the sea,

the crew has little time to
troubleshoot.

(Harris): If you lose
two engines

you are not going to
be able to maintain altitude,

so it is a very serious
situation.

(narrator): The Captain
initiates a right turn

towards the coast,

looking for a safe place
to land.

- Mayday, mayday, mayday
this is Logan 6-7-0-alpha,

we've had a double
engine failure.

Repeat, double engine failure.

-
Roger, Loganair 6-7-0-alpha,
roger your mayday,

turn left, heading
two-five-zero.

The airfield is three miles
to the northeast.

- Airspeed?

- 150 knots.

- We can't relight the engines.

(Harris): An engine inflight
relight checklist would take

three to four minutes for
an experienced crew at minimum.

These pilots did not have
time to do this.

- 1300 feet.
110 knots.

(narrator): Without power,
they're rapidly losing altitude.

- Altitude?

- 1200 hundred.

(narrator): With the airport
still three miles away

and no suitable place
to land on the coast,

Captain Mason has
only one risky option.

- Prepare to ditch.

(Dunne): If I was going to be on
a flight where everything

was going to go wrong, something
like a dual-engine failure,

Captain Mason is the guy
I'd like to have in charge.

He has enormous experience
in flying over the very hostile,

freezing cold North Sea.

- Airspeed is 110 knots.

- I'll get us as close
to shore as possible.

(dramatic music)

- All they could do was to make
the ditching as smooth

and as slow as
they possibly could

without losing control
of the airplane.

They had that task
to perform.

If they performed it well,
they hoped they would survive.

- Airspeed is 100 knots.

Captain Mason prepares
the aircraft as best he can.

(Harris): The captain increases
the pitch to reduce the speed.

This will hopefully prevent
the nose entering the water

first and hence the aircraft
flipping over.

- Loganair 6-7-0-alpha,
we are ditching.

Send recovery,
send recovery, over.

(narrator): The radio call
doesn't get through.

- Loganair 6-7-0-alpha
do you read me?

Loganair 6-7-0-alpha,
over?

(alarm sounds)

(GPSW): Pull up.

- Airspeed?
(GPSW): Pull up.

- Airspeed is 88.

- 87, 86...

- Brace, brace, brace.

(beeping)

(crash)

(narrator): Loganair 6-7-0-A
crashes into icy waters

only 65 meters from shore.

Neither pilot is able to escape
from the submerged plane.

It isn't until daybreak
that the tide retreats

and investigators are able

to get a close look
at the wreckage.

- The flight deck
was badly crushed.

The bulk of the rearmost
fuselage and the tail unit

had broken away.

(seagulls cawing)

The aircraft was in a nose down
attitude

with the engines really
stuck into the sand.

(narrator): What could have
caused both engines to fail

just minutes after take off,

resulting in the deaths
of two experienced pilots?

The UK's Air Accidents
Investigation Branch or AAIB,

immediately begins its
investigation into the crash

of Loganair 6-7-0-A.

- Uh, please send those to HQ.

(narrator): Salvage teams
are able to recover

most of the wreckage.

- We'll start with the engine?

- Mmhm.

- The first message I got
was that the aircraft

had sent out a distress call

stating that they'd had
a double engine failure.

Our interest was very much
focused on the engines.

(narrator): While the recovered
flight data

and cockpit voice recorders
are prepared for download,

investigators look for damage
to the engines

to explain why
the plane crashed.

- Not a single
blade appears bent.

There was no power on impact.

(narrator): Neither engine
was working

when the plane
hit the water.

(Coombs): If an aircraft
struck the water

with the engines running
the result would be

bending of the compressor blades

in the direction opposite
to that of the...

of the airflow.

We found no evidence
of such bending.

- Dual-engine
failure is unusual.

- Maybe it's something
mechanical,

a problem or defect
we can't see here?

- We'll get the engines
to the manufacturer.

(Coombs): We removed the engines
from the airframe

and shipped them to
the manufacturer in Montreal,

with a view to finding out
whether there was any evidence

of mechanical failure within
the engines.

(sombre music)

- Take off speed is normal.

(narrator): With the data from
the flight recorder downloaded,

the team scrutinizes the engine
parameters for leads.

- The climb is fine.

Two minutes in.

- Hmm.
Look at that.

- It looks like both engines
flamed out

at about
the same time.

(whirring slows)

- We have a double
engine failure.

- Torque is zero
on both engines.

(narrator): A dual-engine
failure is often due

to pilot confusion,
not a mechanical issue.

(Coombs): It's a result usually
of an engine failing

for some reason or other
followed sometime later

by a second engine, um,
shutting down as,

as a result of actions taken but
applied to the wrong engine.

(narrator): In 1989, the pilots
of British Midland Airways

flight 92 shut down the wrong
engine after a fan blade broke

13 minutes after departing
Heathrow Airport in London.

The plane stalled
and 47 people were killed.

(crash)

- There's no way the pilots
accidentally shut down

a second engine
that quickly.

(Coombs): In this instance,
the shutdown of the two engines

occurred certainly within
seconds of one another,

which really didn't fit in
with the scenario.

(♪♪)

- Could you start 80 seconds
into the flight,

just before the engines
flame out?

(narrator): The team now turns
to the cockpit voice recorder

for insight into
the engine failure.

(Mason): Altitude?

- 2200 feet.

- Let's put the anti-icing on.

(clicking)

- Anti-ice, both on.

(plane humming)

- What did you do?

- Nothing.

(Mason): We have
a double engine failure.

(clicking)

- Did you hear those noises?
- I did.

I wonder what they could be?

- I'll play it again.

(tapes winding)

(Mason): Let's put
the anti-icing on.

(Dixon): Anti-ice,
both on.

(humming)

(whirring)

(Captain) What did you do?

- As soon as the first officer
turns the anti-icing

switches on, there's humming
noises and four seconds later,

both engines flame out.

(Dunne): The audio playback
of the cockpit voice recorder

gave the investigators
the first real clue

as to the cause of
the accident.

(plane humming)

- What did you do?
- Nothing.

(Dunne): It was definitely
linked to the two switch

selections followed very shortly
afterwards

by the engines
running down.

- We have a double-engine
failure.

- The torque is zero
on both engines.

(♪♪)

- Why would activating
the anti-icing systems

somehow shut down
both engines?

- It doesn't make any sense.

(narrator): AAIB investigators
examine the anti-icing system

of the Shorts 360 to determine
if it played a role

in the dual-engine failure of
Loganair Flight 6-7-0-A.

- You know maybe
the actuators failed.

(♪♪)

(beep)

(whirring)

(narrator): Electrical actuators
operate mechanical vanes

that redirect ice
and snow out of the back,

preventing ice from blocking
airflow to the engine.

When the vanes are in operation,

they reduce air intake
by 50%.

Was the anti-icing system
working?

Investigators test
another actuator

to see if it matches the humming
sound heard on the CVR

before both engines
flamed out.

(click)

(humming)

(humming stops)

- Well, that sounds familiar.

(Coombs): Tests on the actuator

produced a tone which was
similar to that detectable

on the cockpit voice recorder
of the aircraft.

- Shall we compare
it to the CVR?

- Mmhm.

(narrator): Investigators listen
to the humming sound on the CVR

to confirm it's the anti-icing
actuator operating.

(humming)

(humming stops)

- It's the same.

(narrator): The matching sounds
indicate the anti-icing

actuators on Flight 6-7-0-A
were fully operational.

- As there is no other similar
equipment in the aircraft

that operated at that frequency,

the sounds must have been
the result of operation

of the anti-ice system.

- Why would activating
the anti-icing system

trigger a dual-engine
failure?

- It's never happened
in the past.

Besides, aircraft use anti-icing
systems all the time.

- Aircraft anti-icing
systems remove ice

from control surfaces,
from the wing,

or from the engine air intakes,

and that just allows
for the normal operation

of the aircraft in pretty poor
conditions.

(♪♪)

- If they were using
the anti-icing systems,

maybe the weather played
a part in the failure

of the two engines?

(narrator): Investigators review

the weather chart
for answers.

- February 27th, the crew
lifted off at 5:28PM.

No precipitation,
clouds at 4500 feet.

Winds 16 knots.

Ground temperature
is 2 degrees.

- That doesn't sound like
icing conditions at take off.

- No, and the plane
wasn't airborne long enough

to accumulate ice during
the flight.

- Hang on.

What about the storm overnight?

Maybe that had something to do
with the engine failure?

- It was quite a storm.

Lots of snow.

A cold wind.

- The weather was appalling.

It was gusting about 35,
45 miles an hour.

It was snowing
most of the time.

- Where was the plane
during the storm?

- Well, the plane landed
in Edinburgh

just after midnight
on February 27th.

(narrator): The crash happens
later that day.

- That's right around
the time the storm began.

- And it took off at 5:28PM.

- 17 hours.

Is it possible the aircraft
was parked outside

in the snow the entire
time?

- Let's talk to the pilot who
landed the plane in Edinburgh.

(Dunne): Was there anything
specifically

that the previous crew did,
saw, noticed or understood

which may help them to actually
understand what was

the causal elements
of this accident?

- How can I help?

- What happened when
you arrived in Edinburgh?

(narrator): The AAIB turns to
the captain

of the inbound flight
for answers.

- The weather wasn't great
when we landed.

(tires skidding)

It was snowing and we could see

the weather was going to
get worse.

- We taxied in and parked
the plane at Stand 31,

with the other aircraft.

- Did anything seem
abnormal with the aircraft?

- Nothing unusual at all.

- Once you parked
the plane, what next?

- We supervised
the refuelling.

The plane was scheduled
for de-icing.

(whirring)

But as you can imagine,
there was a backlog.

(narrator): The plane was
scheduled to be de-iced

before the next departure.

- Attention all crews
and passengers...

(narrator): But then the airport
was closed.

(Dunne): From midnight the snow
started to become worse.

It was interrupting
the snow clearing

and de-icing operations,
and by two o'clock

the airport authority elected
to shut the airport down,

which was the correct and safe
decision at that time.

- How long did you stick around
the airport after it was closed?

- A few hours.

Then at 6AM, we learned
the airport

wouldn't be reopening
for a while.

So, we secured the plane
and clocked out.

- Secured it how, exactly?

- It was shortly before dawn.

By then, it was really
blowing hard.

It was icy, and there
was snow everywhere.

(narrator): The Captain explains
how the propellors were secured.

(Harris): There are sock-type
straps

attached to two
of the propellors.

They are then attached to
the side of the fuselage

which stops the propellors
rotating in the wind.

- After securing the plane,
we went off duty.

And that was it.

- What about the engine intakes,
did you cover them with bungs?

(Dunne): The aircraft bungs
are a blank

which covers off
the engine intake.

It protects the engine from
the ingress of dust,

dirt, particles, insects, snow,
and as such it protects

the engine while the aircraft
is parked.

- Well, normally we would,
but there were no bungs.

(♪♪)

- Bungs were available at
the main bases of Loganair,

but not at Edinburgh.

So, the flight crew had no means
of protecting the air intakes.

(wind gusting)

- Right.

I think that's everything.

- Let me know if you have
any other questions.

- Thanks.
Will do.

- The aircraft should be fitted
with bungs

if the machine was going to be
left unattended

for a lengthy period.

But Edinburgh was regarded
as a mere transit stop.

Therefore, no bungs were kept
there,

and the aircraft didn't
carry any bungs.

- We know the plane parks here,
at Stand 31

shortly after midnight when
it was already snowing.

The airport closes two hours
later due to bad weather.

(narrator): Investigators
construct a timeline

of the aircraft during
the snowstorm.

- According to the Captain,
at 6AM, the crew secures

the plane because the storm
is still raging.

Secured partially,
without bungs,

leaving the engines
exposed.

- And then the crew leaves?
- Mmhm.

- The plane takes off
11 and a half hours after

the first crew secured it.

What time did the storm end?

- The snow stopped at 9:52AM.

The cold, knot gusts continued
for a few hours,

and the temperature hovered
just slightly above freezing

by early afternoon.

- That's ten hours of exposure
to snow, ice, and wind.

(narrator): Would that be enough
time for a significant amount

of snow to enter the engine...

(plane humming)

- What did you do?

- Nothing.

(narrator): ...and somehow cause
both engines to fail?

(whirring slows)

(suspenseful music)

Could exposure to a snowstorm
for ten hours

have contributed to
the dual-engine flame out

on Flight 6-7-0-A?

- Temperature? Wind?

(narrator): Investigators
consider the impact

of the wind conditions.

- Hovering around zero

with winds from the northeast
gusting up to 43 knots.

- 43 knots,
that's a strong wind.

- Which way was
the plane parked?

- Umm...

The plane was parked...

Uh...

Straight into the wind.

(narrator): The team discovers
the wind was blowing snow

and ice directly into
the plane's engines

for ten hours.

- The aircraft had
been parked

in extremely nasty weather
conditions,

with driving snow
and ice pellets,

and the wind was consistently
down the centreline

of the aircraft,

which exposed the intakes to
have snow and ice pellets

being blown into them.

- 10 hours.
That's a lot of snow.

- True.

But once the engines are
turned on, it should melt.

So, what's different here?

- Maybe it had something to do

with the amount of snow
accumulated?

(narrator): Could enough snow
have accumulated in the engines

to clog the air intakes

and cause the crash of
Flight 6-7-0-A?

- Mayday, mayday, mayday

this is Logan 6-7-0-alpha,

we've had a double
engine failure.

Repeat, double engine failure.

- One of the things which makes
this accident

a particular challenge
for the investigators

is that they're dealing with ice
and slush and snow

within the engine intake.

That disappeared into
the sea during the crash.

- Brace, brace, brace.
(GPSW): Terrain, terrain.

Pull up.

(crash)

Without knowing how much snow
collected in the engines,

investigators keep
the possibility

of an unrelated engine
malfunction on the table.

- Pratt and Whitney's detailed
examination

of the engines came in.

- Did they find anything?

- There are no faults or defects
with the engines.

- As a result of
the examination,

we were satisfied there
was no evidence

of any form of mechanical
failure within the engines.

(plane whirring)

(♪♪)

- What about a compressor surge?

- Now that's an idea.

It could happen if the airflow
is restricted enough.

(chirp)

(narrator): When airflow
to the combustion chambers

that power the engine's turbines
is severely interrupted

or restricted, it can cause
a compressor surge

and can completely shut down
the engines.

(pen squeaking)

- How restricted would the
airflow have to be

for the engine's compressor
to surge?

-I'll check.

- Aircraft engines require

pretty much undisturbed
airflow

to work efficiently
and effectively.

(narrator): Could both engines
have been starved

of enough oxygen to result in
a dual-engine flameout?

- Here we go. For a compressor
to stall and flame out,

the airflow into the engine
must fall below 22%.

- Mmhm.

So that means...

snow and ice

would have to block 78%.

- That's a significant
percentage.

(narrator): A 78% reduction
in airflow

would explain why the engines
failed on Flight 6-7-0-A.

- Could that much snow have
accumulated within the engines'

intakes to block 78%
of the airflow?

- Let's find out.

(Coombs): The preliminary
assumption that was made

was that snow had built up

within the intake system.

We needed some sort of assurance
that this was a possibility.

(♪♪)

- I'll handle the snow.
You work the fan?

(narrator): AAIB Investigators
test how snow

might accumulate and restrict
the engine's air intake.

- So, we produced this mock-up

of the engine intake system.

- Ready?

(Coombs): And we utilized
an extractor fan

to create the airflow
through the engine.

(whirring)

(squeak)

(squeak)

- I'll check to see where
it all went.

- You're not gonna believe this.

With the plane facing straight
into the storm,

snow not only entered
the engines' air intakes

but made a degree turn into
the upper chamber.

(whirring)

(Coombs): These imitation
snowflakes all consistently

rose up to the top chamber.

And we satisfied ourselves
that the airstream

carrying the snow would have
been capable of depositing it

all in the upper chamber.

- The chamber is full of
tubes and pipes.

The snow would likely stick
to all that cold metal.

(Dunne): There are ducts, pipes,
cables, wiring

and all of these provide ample
opportunity for snow

to adhere to, to gather,
and given that the aircraft

was exposed to these conditions
for over ten hours,

That was how we believe that
the snow actually gathered

undetected within that area.

- But how would snow up here

restrict 78% of airflow
down here?

- Good point.

Something else had to happen
for intakes to be blocked 78%.

(♪♪)

- Serious aircraft accidents

rarely have one single,

um, causal factor.

There's usually a primary
causal factor,

but, in the end,

it's a combination
of circumstances.

- What happened between the end
of the storm

and the plane's departure?

(pensive music)

- Here's something.

(narrator): Did something
else happen

to the snow-filled engines
after the storm?

- The crew called an engineer
before departing.

(Dunne): One question
for investigators

was why did the crew call
for the assistance

of maintenance engineers
to investigate a problem?

- Hmm.
I'll talk to maintenance.

(♪♪)

- You helped the crew
with a concern before take off?

(narrator): Investigators
question the engineer

about the maintenance call
to Loganair 6-7-0-A

the day of the accident.

- They called, and I went
over to have a look.

The AAIB learns the Captain was
having trouble

starting the right engine.

- Let's try that again.

- The right engine generator
would not come online.

(whirring)

- Starting sequence finished,
stabilizing at 73%.

Oh, not again.

(Dunne): What this essentially
meant was that the aircraft

had half of its electrical
power only,

and so the crew quite correctly
shut down the engine

and then called for maintenance
assistance

to determine what the problem
actually was.

- So, what did you do?

- I transposed connections
on the generator unit,

and it restarted.

(clicking)

- All done.

- Terrific.
Thank you.

- Try running the engines
for 30 minutes.

(Robinson): The crew carried on
running the engines

after it was apparently
fixed.

- I left, and that was
the last I heard from them.

- The fact that the aircraft had
been sitting around

in inclement conditions
overnight...

- Prop levers maximum.

- Fuel levers flight.

(Robinson): ...they may be
seeking the confidence

that the generator was going
to stay online.

(♪♪)

- At 3:12PM,

the pilots report the engine
issue to the engineer.

He came at around 4PM and got
the right generator online.

Then at 4:30PM,

the crew runs the engines
for 30 minutes.

- 30 minutes?

(narrator): Investigators
consider the impact

of starting up engines filled
with snow and ice.

- The heat from starting
those engines

would most likely have
melted all the ice and snow

in the upper chamber.

- And then gravity takes over,

and it all slides down,

landing here right in the path
of the air intake.

- Which means all that water
and slush

would have frozen
into ice.

(♪♪)

(narrator): After the engines
were turned on,

snow and ice inside
the upper chamber

likely melted and slid down
to the air intake.

When the engines then idled
for 30 minutes,

cold air entered the intakes,

refreezing the water
and slush into ice.

- But is it enough?

(narrator): Was there enough ice
inside the air intake

to obstruct the airflow
by 78%?

- What else happened
before the engines failed?

- The last thing they do before
the engine failure

is turn on the anti-icing
system.

- Altitude?

- 2200 feet.

- Let's put the anti-icing on.

- Anti-ice, both on.

(plane humming)

- And when the anti-icing
is turned on

to clear the air intakes,

these vanes would deploy,
obstructing the airflow.

(♪♪)

- When the anti-icing vane
operates,

airflow is reduced
by 50%.

(narrator): If accumulated
ice reduced the airflow

by another 28%,

it would explain why
the engines failed.

- The total blockage
of the airflow is sufficient

to cause the compressor to surge

and the engine flaming out
and a complete loss of power.

- We had two very well-qualified
crew on the day,

and it was an alignment
of circumstances

that they could not
see or foresee.

(narrator): Captain Mason and
First Officer Dixon

arrived at Edinburgh airport
long after

the snowstorm had ended.

- Anti-collision beacon.

- Anti-collision beacon, on.

- They had no idea that their
engines were filled with snow.

- The snow had melted
from the fuselage.

(wind gusting)

- Start master armed.

- Engine start sequence.

(♪♪)

- They took all the right
steps at take off.

They did nothing wrong.

- But what about after
the engines failed?

(dramatic music)
(narrator): Could the pilots

have found a way to save
their plane?

- Airspeed?

- 115 knots.

- We can't relight
the engines.

Prepare to ditch.

(whirring)

(sombre music)

- This is the final
minute of the flight.

(narrator): Investigators return
to the flight data

to determine if the crew
followed proper procedures

after losing engine power.

- Once the engines failed,
the pilots needed to relight

the engines to make it
to land.

- Right, run a dual-engine
failure checklist.

(whirring slows)

- We have a double
engine failure.

- Torque's at zero
on both engines.

Dual-engine failure.

(narrator): But the only
checklist available

was for a single
engine failure.

- Dropping fast from
1600 feet,

Captain Mason probably knew that
he didn't have time

to relight the engines.

(Mason): Airspeed?

(Dixon): 110 knots.

- We can't relight the engines.

- 1300 feet.

110 knots.

- They had no choice
but to ditch.

(whirring)

- Altitude.

- 1200 hundred.

- Prepare to ditch.

(narrator): Did the pilots do
everything they could

to ensure a successful
ditching?

- Uh ditching,
ditching.

There's no ditching procedure
for a dual-engine failure.

- Ditching with power then.

We don't have flaps.

So, aiming for lowest
possible speed.

- Without any engine power,
the hydraulic systems

would not be operating.

The hydraulics drive the flaps
which means he had to touch down

at a higher speed than he would
like to do so.

- As we get closer,

I'll increase the pitch
to nine degrees.

Anything I'm missing?
- No, sir.

- Without flaps, the only way
you can reduce speed

is to increase the angle pitch
of the aircraft

prior to touch down.

His actions were correct.

- The Captain tried to reduce
the impact

with the few resources
he had at hand.

- Hmm.

- You hope it kisses the surface
of the sea

rather than thumping
into it.

- Airspeed is 110 knots.

- I'll get us as close
to shore as possible.

(Learmount): The slower you
can go,

the safer the ditching
is likely to be.

- A successful ditching also
requires level wings on impact.

They nearly pulled that off.

(beeping)

- Airspeed?

- Airspeed is 88.

- When the aircraft touched
the water surface,

one wing was three degrees lower
than the other.

That's a very,
very small amount.

- From the time he identified
the problem

to the moment the plane
hit the water,

the Captain nailed every single
action correctly.

(♪♪)

- They were very professional,

and they showed excellent
prioritization.

The captain especially,
his experience clearly showed.

- Brace, brace, brace.
(GPWS): Pull up, pull up.

(crash)

- I have immense admiration
for this crew,

because they found problem
after problem,

which they couldn't have
foreseen.

They handled the situation
absolutely as well

as any crew could possibly
have handled it.

(water flowing)

(narrator): This investigation
reveals that checklists

for double engine failure
and ditching without power

were missing from the Loganair
Operation Manual.

(Robinson): The results
of this accident

was the tragic loss
of two crew

who had been doing their best
to follow procedures.

(narrator): The airline also
didn't adequately reflect

the manufacturer's advice
for protecting the engines'

intakes during severe weather
conditions.

- If the airline had, um,
followed the recommendations

of the manufacturer and carried
onboard air intake bungs

for the crew to use when
the weather conditions demanded,

then this accident would never
have happened.

The AAIB recommends that flight
crews are educated

about the potential of ice
and snow buildup inside engines.

- I think the most important
recommendation

was that crews must be alerted
to the fact

that there's a possibility
that snow would have built up

in parts which are not
visible to them

by simply looking through
the air intakes of the aircraft.

- This was a very
regrettable accident.

(Dunne): Their fate
had been sealed

by an alignment of circumstances

that whilst difficult to
recognize were avoidable.

(plane whirring)

(♪♪)

Subtitling: difuze