All language subtitles for Mayday.Air.Disaster.S25E09.Collision.Catastrophe.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-BLOOM_track3_[eng]

A horrific
collision in the skies

above southern Germany...

...is witnessed by people
on the ground.

- 71 people are dead.

We as accident
investigators did not

have an idea of what
exactly happened.

- It doesn't make sense.

- The radar data only
deepens the mystery.

- Neither one is trying
to get out of the way.

- I just gotta use
the facilities.

- Descend? Really?
We're going to descend?

Expedite decent.

To solve
the mystery,

investigators will need
to disentangle a web

of critical radio transmissions.

The controller
is guiding us down.

A lot of things
had to fall into place

just the wrong way
for this to occur.

It really woke
a lot of people up.

- Mayday, Mayday.

Pull up!

It's 11 p.m.
in Switzerland,

and airports across the region
are closing down for the night.

- You're off?

See you in a few hours.

- In the Skyguide
Control Center in Zurich...

- Thai Inter 9-3-3,
proceed to ALGOI.

Copy, proceed
to ALGOI, Thai Inter 9-3-3.

...Air Traffic
Controller Peter Nielsen

is working the night shift.

- Bavarian 3-0-5,
descend flight level 2-2-0.

- He's been on the clock
for just over three hours,

and has six more to go.

Tom Laursen is a former
Skyguide controller

who worked with Peter Nielsen.

The night shift
in Zurich at the time

had quite a lot of traffic,

but around 11:30-12 o'clock,

it reduced to five to seven
aircrafts an hour,

and it was possible
to do it alone.

- Topswiss 9-3-5,
proceed direct to TORPA.

Direct to TORPA,
Topswiss 9-3-5, thank you.

Nielsen manages
the safe transit

of all aircraft in his airspace.

- For further instruction,
contact Padua 1-2-0

decimal 7-2, bye-bye.

- Air traffic control
is one of the most stressful

jobs in the world.
And a lot of it does hinge

on decisions made by one person.

Ah,
Swiss Radar, good evening,

DILMUN 6-1-1.

Nielsen hears from
another plane in his airspace.

- Just leveling
at flight level 2-6-0.

- DILMUN 6-1-1 is the call sign

for a Boeing cargo jet
owned by the courier, DHL.

It departed from Bergamo,
Italy,

and is flying through
Swiss then German airspace,

on its way to Brussels, Belgium.

- DILMUN 6-1-1, squawk 7-5-2-4.

- 7-5-2-4,

6-1-1.

- DILMUN 6-1-1,

climb flight level 3-2-0.

Nielsen clears
the flight to climb

to a higher altitude.

- Roger, climb flight level
3-2-0,

and requesting 3-6-0,
thanks, if it's available.

Pilots ask
for the most efficient

flight level
that they can fly at,

and in this case 36,000 feet
is much more fuel efficient.

- DILMUN 6-1-1,
climb flight level 3-6-0.

- Climb flight level 3-6-0,
DILMUN 6-1-1.

- Nielsen clears Flight 6-1-1
to 36,000 feet

and tracks the change.

You use flight strips
to plan the traffic ahead.

With the strips
and flight screen,

we have a good picture
of what is going to happen.

- But at 11:30, Nielsen's night
shift takes a turn.

Zurich, good evening,
Bravo Tango Charlie--

Zurich,
hello, Aero Lloyd 1-1-3-5.

Two transmissions
come in together,

one at the workstation
beside him.

There's an Airbus on approach
to Friedrichshafen,

and another plane flying
at a higher altitude,

in the "upper sector".

Aero Lloyd 1-1-3-5,

descending flight level 8-0.

- Nielson briefly responds
to the Airbus now on approach.

- Aero Lloyd 1-1-3-5,
roger, ah, call you back.

- He needs to identify
the aircraft

now entering the upper sector.

- Station calling,
say again, please.

Ah, Zurich,
good evening.

- The aircraft is a Bashkirian
Airlines Tupolev 1-54.

The Russian plane
is slightly ahead of schedule,

crossing from Moscow
to Barcelona.

- Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9-3-7,

level 3-6-0.

- 40-year-old Oleg Grigoriev

is Bashkirian Airlines'
Chief Pilot.

Tonight, he's evaluating
the 52-year-old captain,

Alexander Gross,

who has more than 10 years
flying experience,

but has flown to Barcelona
only once before.

- Smooth enough for you?

- So far.

- It's a bit bumpy back here.

- First Officer, Murat Itkulov,

41, is the captain's second
pair of eyes.

- Then you better
tighten your belt, huh?

- The flight is carrying
a group of students

and some of their parents
on a school trip to Spain.

As Nielsen gives the Tupolev
crew their transponder code...

- Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9-3-7,
squawk, ah--

7-5-2-0.

...inbound,
the final approach fix

for I-L-S--
...the Airbus crew

on approach tries to confirm
their landing instructions.

- Yes, I expect so,
call you back shortly.

Aero Lloyd
1-1-3-5, request lower.

- Aero Lloyd 1-1-3-5,
descend flight level 7-0.

- Descending flight level 7-0,
Aero Lloyd 1-1-3-5.

- As the Airbus gets closer
to Friedrichshafen,

Nielsen calls
the Tower Controller

to hand off the aircraft.

The desired
connection is not possible.

- But he can't get through.

- Find me the number
for Friedrichshafen Tower.

He tries again.

The desired
connection is not possible.

Please check the number.
- This isn't working either.

Aero Lloyd 1-1-3-5?

Aero Lloyd
1-1-3-5, go ahead, sir.

- I lost my phone connection
to Friedrichshafen.

Can you please call them
on 1-2-4 decimal 3-5

and tell them you're coming
I-L-S 2-4 with 20 miles now?

Okay, will do.

- Thank you.

With the approaching
Airbus handed off,

Nielsen returns
to his other aircraft,

the Tupolev passenger jet
that's westbound to Barcelona...

...and the Boeing cargo jet,
northbound to Luxembourg.

Nielsen notices that
both planes are moving

toward each other
at 36,000 feet.

- Controllers will react.

They will do something
to separate aircraft.

- Nielsen realises the Tupolev
is soon scheduled to descend

to 35,000 feet.

- Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9-3-7,

descend flight level, 3-5-0,
expedite,

I have crossing traffic.

- Descending an aircraft
is an automatic response

for air traffic controllers,

because descending
is a lot easier than climbing.

It's the easiest way
to solve a conflict.

- Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9-3-7,

descend level 3-5-0,
expedite descent.

Expedite descent
to level 3-5-0...

...Lloyd,

- 1-1-3-5.
- ...2-9-3-7.

- Yes. We have traffic
in your position now at 3-6-0.

Zurich?
From the Aero Lloyd 1-1-3-5.

- Yes, go ahead.

- We've made contact with
Friedrichshafen airport.

But then...

...as the Aero Lloyd
flight signs off...

- Affirm, bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

- The Boeing has disappeared
from the controller's screen.

And the Tupolev's radar signal
is lost.

- Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9-3-7?

Air traffic
controller Peter Nielsen

has lost contact with two planes
flying over southern Germany.

- Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9-3-7?

He called
the aircrafts

and got no response.

He must have understood
that it was a collision.

Near the town
of Uberlingen,

people watch as fireballs
fall out of the sky.

Huge sections of both planes
have crashed to the ground.

There is no shortage
of witnesses.

- First responders are on site
within minutes.

And by dawn,
crash investigators

from Germany's Federal Bureau

of Aircraft
Accident Investigation,

the BFU, are there too.

- At the accident site,
you just document

what the wreckage tells you.

- The wreckage of the Tupolev

is spread over
four distinct areas.

- There would be maybe
a hundred meters

between some parts.

So it clearly indicates
that there must have been

an in-flight break-up
of the Tupolev.

- Most of the Boeing is found
in a forest

outside the village
of Taisersdorf,

but one section is missing.

The only part
of the Boeing that was missing

was the vertical tail,

and this later has been
found together

with parts from the Tupolev,

indicating that the collision

took place between
the two aircraft.

- Seventy-one people are dead.

Forty-five of them
are Russian students

from the city of Ufa.

Investigators soon recover
much of the wreckage,

including the black boxes
from both planes.

- Hey. Over here.

- But before they get readouts
from the black boxes,

investigators start
to reconstruct the collision.

- So, this piece is interesting.

- We as accident investigators

did not have an idea

about the details
of what exactly happened.

- This red paint could have come
from the Boeing.

- Mm-hmm.

- And then over here...

The main issue
is to understand

which aircraft part collide
with the other one,

and which came from
the impact to the ground.

- Okay. So, I've marked
all the areas

where the red paint
from the Boeing

transferred onto the Tupolev.

And we even found
part of the Boeing's rudder

imbedded in the Tupolev
right here.

- The only way
this could have happened

is if the Tupolev

flew straight into the Boeing,

like... this.

- The question is,
how can it happen

that two planes
are at the same place

at the same time?

- Thank you.

Okay. So, we've compiled
all of the radar data

from air traffic control.

- Okay, let's see what happened.

- Both planes are cruising
at 36,000 feet.

They both start descending.

- At exactly the same time.

- Neither one is trying
to get out of the way.

- Ninety degrees
at the same altitude

is about as simple as it comes.

A turn, a descent of one,
a climb of one.

So, how did we get
to this point?

- It doesn't make sense.

Why would both planes descend?

- We all were of the opinion

that the air traffic
control system in Europe

would be very, very safe.

So it was really hard
to understand

that an accident like this
could occur.

- Let's explore this.

- I'll get the weather data.

The basic
way for pilots

to avoid collisions is called
"see and avoid."

The pilots look out the window,

see the other aircraft,
and don't collide.

- It was a clear night.

No moon at the time
of the collision.

The sky
was pitch-black .

- Even with anti-collision
lights,

judging altitude and distance
would have been impossible.

For jets operating
at high altitudes,

moving at seven miles a minute,

finding some little dot
even in a clear sky

is nearly impossible.

- So, we can eliminate that.

What about ATC separation?

Can we interview
the controller yet?

- We're making arrangements
to speak with him

about the accident.

- Where are we at with
the T-CAS recovery?

- I'll check.

The T-CAS,

or Traffic Collision
Avoidance System,

uses transponders
on the aircraft

to transmit a plane's location
to others.

If two aircraft appear
to be on a collision course...

Traffic. Traffic.

- ...an alarm sounds,

warning pilots to change course.

- T-CAS is intended for
when we need a last-ditch effort

to just keep them
from hitting.

- Yeah. Thank you.

We got the Tupolev's T-CAS,

but no luck on the Boeing.
It's too damaged.

- The major question for us:

Did the T-CAS computer
work as per design?

The T-CAS computer of the Boeing
was destroyed completely.

And that was a problem.

- If T-CAS is at fault,

it could threaten the safety

of air travel
throughout the world.

Investigators
looking into the Uberlingen

mid-air collision
examine the T-CAS data

from the Tupolev plane

to determine
if it was working properly.

- Wait a sec...

The Tupolev's T-CAS
recorded data for both planes.

- There's an identical
set of files for both flights.

- That was a big moment in
the course of the investigation,

and we were very
happy about that.

- Investigators compare
the T-CAS altitude data

with the radar data
from both planes.

- The altitudes
match perfectly.

- What instruction did T-CAS
give each plane?

Start with the Boeing.

- Did T-CAS provide
each aircraft

with the proper instructions
to avoid each other?

- It told them to descend.

- Which the Boeing did.

Now the Tupolev.

- Investigators discover
that T-CAS correctly

advised the Tupolev
pilots to climb.

- But they descended,

just like the Boeing.

So why didn't they follow
the T-CAS instruction?

T-CAS did
what T-CAS should have done.

If pilots were to follow
the T-CAS instruction,

T-CAS would have prevented
the accident.

- Investigators turn
to the Tupolev's

cockpit voice recording,
or CVR,

to determine why
the Russian crew

disobeyed the T-CAS instruction.

Look here,

on the VSI,

there's a plane
approaching on our left.

- They first became aware
of the Boeing

two-and-a-half minutes
before the collision.

- They're still more
than 25 miles apart.

It's ample time
to avoid the Boeing.

- So why didn't they?

- We have the same altitude.

It's coming towards us.

No,
he has a parallel heading.

- For the next
minute-and-a-half,

the crew discusses
the Boeing's position.

Here, visually...

...this is showing us zero.

- Zero on the T-CAS means
there is no difference

in altitude between them
and the approaching Boeing.

- They seem unsure if the Boeing
is actually a threat.

- Agreed. But T-CAS
should warn them

if the Boeing
is getting too close.

Traffic. Traffic.

- There it is.
Traffic. Traffic!

Traffic!

Traffic. Traffic.

Fifty seconds
before impact,

the T-CAS issues the first
aural warning

when the oncoming plane
is less than 10 miles away

and closing fast.

Traffic. Traffic.

- Moments later, the crew
receives an instruction

from air traffic control.

Bravo Tango Charlie
2-9-3-7,

descend flight level,
3-5-0, expedite.

I have crossing traffic.

- Descend.

Followed by
a different instruction

from T-CAS.

Climb. Climb.

Climb. Climb.

- The crew got
conflicting instructions.

- T-CAS told the crew to climb,

the controller
told them to descend.

- Climb. Climb.
- It says climb.

- The controller
is guiding us down.

- Descend? Really?
We're going to descend?

- The captain follows
the Chief Pilot's command

and puts the plane
into a steep descent.

Bravo Tango Charlie
2-9-3-7,

descend level 3-5-0,

expedite descent.

- Descend level 3-5-0,

Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9-3-7.

Yes, we have traffic
in your position now at 3-6-0.

Moments from disaster,

T-CAS issues a final command.

Increase climb.

Increase climb. Increase climb.

- But it comes too late.

- Well, there we have it.

The Chief Pilot followed
the controller's instruction

to descend,

instead of the T-CAS's
instruction to climb.

Each one of these guys
got T-CAS training.

They should have known that
T-CAS is the final authority.

- So why did the Chief Pilot
listen to the controller

instead of T-CAS?

Investigators
of the Uberlingen disaster

examine the T-CAS training
of the Russian crew

to determine why they followed
the ATC instruction

instead of T-CAS.

- Hey. I think
I found something.

"T-CAS 2000
is intended as a back-up

to visual collision avoidance,

application
of right-of-way rules

and ATC separation services."

- A back-up?

Look at this.

"For the avoidance
of in-flight collisions,

instructions issued by ATC
is the most important tool.

T-CAS is an additional
instrument."

- So, if it comes down
to T-CAS versus ATC,

the Russian pilots go
with the ATC's instructions.

- It seems that way.

- We asked Russian
flight crews and pilots told us,

yes, it's a back-up for ATC,

and so they explained
that the flight crew

of the Tupolev did
what they should have done.

- But the Boeing crew
followed the T-CAS instruction.

Descend. Descend.

- I wonder if they
informed the controller

they were descending.

The final approach fix

for I-L-S runway 2-4.

Did the controller
know the Boeing

was also descending?

- Call you back shortly.

- Let's have a listen
to the cockpit voice recording.

For the flight crews,
there is a clear

operating procedure.

As soon as possible,
they have to report it to ATC.

That was the reason
why we had to listen

to the Boeing cockpit
voice recorder.

Ah, Swiss radar. Good evening.

DILMUN 6-1-1.

DILMUN 6-1-1,
climb flight level 3-6-0.

- Climb flight level 3-6-0,
DILMUN 6-1-1.

- The flight is uneventful,

right up until a minute
before the collision.

First Officer, Brant Campioni,

sees an opportunity
to take a quick break.

- I just gotta use
the facilities.

Handing over.

- Okay, taking over.

- Captain Paul Phillips
takes control of the flight.

- Anything I can get you?

Nah, I'm good.

Traffic. Traffic.

Traffic.

- That's the T-CAS's
first conflict alert.

Descend. Descend.

Descend. Descend.

- Traffic. Right there.
- Yeah.

- Fifty seconds
before the collision,

T-CAS warns the Boeing crew
of the Tupolev's approach.

Increase descent.
Increase descent.

- Increase?
- Increase descent.

Increase descent.

- DILMUN 600...

T-CAS descend.

- No doubt about it.

They informed the ATC
that they were descending.

Let's hear the rest.

Increase descent.

Increase descent.
Increase descent.

- Descend.

Increase descent.

Descend hard!

Increase descent.

- Okay. So the Boeing crew
did nothing wrong.

They followed T-CAS
and informed the controller.

- But the controller instructs
the Tupolev to descend twice,

warns them about
the crossing traffic,

and then immediately,

the Boeing reports
it's descending.

- He's still got two planes
on a collision course.

- He's already been talking
to the Tupolev crew,

so why didn't he just tell them
to change course and climb?

If the controller
knew the Boeing was descending,

why did he let the Tupolev
also descend?

- A major part
of the investigation

was to identify
what the controller did

and how he did perform his job.

- Did Peter Neilson's actions

play a role in the Uberlingen
mid-air collision?

- Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9-3-7,
expedite descent.

to Peter Nielsen'sa: Inn

radio transmissions
to determine how two planes

on his watch could have collided
over Uberlingen, Germany.

- Let's start 30 seconds
before the collision

when the Boeing pilots informed
the controller of their descent.

Descending flight, level 7-0.

Aero Lloyd 1-1-3-5.

- It sounds like the controller
was talking to a third aircraft.

- Just as the Boeing aircraft

advised the controller
of their T-CAS descent...

- DILMUN 600. T-CAS descent--
- From the Aero Lloyd 1-1-3-5.

- Yes, go ahead.

- ...the controller received
a simultaneous message

from another aircraft.

We made contact

with Friedrichshafen airport.

- So the call from
the Boeing crew came in

at exactly the same time
as the controller

was dealing with
the Aero Lloyd flight.

When the Boeing
pilots mentioned T-CAS descent,

he probably didn't even
hear it, or it just

was something that
he didn't process as an issue,

thinking that everything
over on that airspace

was already taken care of.

- But juggling three planes
isn't unusual.

There's got to be
more to this.

- Investigators listen
to earlier parts

of the ATC recording.

Zurich,
good evening,

Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9--

Zurich, hello,

Aero Lloyd 1-1-3-5.

They hear
the Tupolev

and Aero Lloyd Flights competing
for Nielsen's attention.

Aero Lloyd 1-1-3-5,
roger, ah--

...good evening.
Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9--

- I'll call you back.

Station calling,
say again, please.

Ah, Zurich,
good evening.

Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9-3-7,

level 3-6-0.

Aero Lloyd
1-1-3-5, requesting lower.

- Aero Lloyd 1-1-3-5,
descend flight level 7-0.

- During the last five minutes
before the collision,

the workload
increased very much.

Investigators
hear Nielsen having difficulty

contacting the airport
where the Aero Lloyd flight

was due to land.

The desired
connection is not possible.

- Find me the number
for Friedrichshafen Tower.

- How many times does he try
calling Friedrichshafen?

- Seven.
- He spent a lot of time

on something that should have
taken seconds.

The desired
connection is not possible.

Please check the number.
- This isn't working either.

- So, how did he end up

in this situation
in the first place?

Normally,
an inbound call is just

a few seconds.

But dealing with
the communication system

took a lot of time
that then allowed

the two collision aircraft
to get ever closer

at this very high rate of speed.

- Thanks for coming in.

- Investigators interview
Peter Nielsen

to assess his workload
on the night of the accident.

- So, at the time
of the accident,

you seemed to be working
two different workstations. Why?

- There are two controllers
on the night shift,

but one controller always
takes a rest

as traffic decreases
for the night.

- You're off?

See you in a few hours.

They come back
in the morning

when traffic picks up.

- And is that
standard procedure?

- It's not written down
anywhere in company policies,

but... management lets us do it.

- Okay.

So, 13 seconds
before the collision,

the Boeing radioed that they
were doing a T-CAS descent.

Did you hear that transmission?

- No, I didn't.

I guess I was dealing
with the Aero Lloyd flight

approaching Friedrichshafen.

I couldn't get through
to the airport.

The phone was down
for some reason.

- Is there anything else you can
think of that might help us?

- Yeah.

Normally, the computer system
issues an alert

well before two planes
get too close together.

But I never got that alert.

The air traffic
control radar system

has what's called,
"conflict alert system."

It's looking at the airplanes

and, based on their
current speed,

and altitude, and heading,

is projecting out to see
if airplanes

are coming into conflict
with each other.

The controller
was under very high pressure

during the last minutes.

Expedite descent
to level 3-5--

Zurich, from the Aero Lloyd--

Bravo Tango Charlie
2-9-3-7.

- It was, at the end for him,

a really difficult situation.

- Was Peter Neilson
fully equipped

to prevent the collision
that cost the lives

of 71 people?

Investigators
interview officials

from Skyguide to find out
why Peter Neilson

never received a warning
of the impending collision

above Uberlingen, Germany.

- Why were the control system's
conflict alerts

and telephones both down?

What's this?

- A work order

for a computer upgrade.

A new software
was to be implemented

on the main screen,
which meant that the controller

had to work
on the back-up system.

The software in the telephone
system also had to be updated.

- So, is this why
there was no

phone or visual conflict alert?

- Yes.

- But it doesn't say
that anywhere.

Was Nielsen warned about this
before his shift?

- Not that I'm aware.

- One other thing.

Why does management allow
one of the controllers

working nights to be on break
most of the shift?

- It started when there were
three controllers at night.

- But there are only two now.

- We didn't change the practice.

- Thank you.

That was the way
they did it,

one controller on screen
and the other was on break.

And this was accepted
by the management.

- Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9-3-7,
descend flight level 3-5-0.

- Climb.
- It says climb.

- The controller
is guiding us down.

- Climb.
- Descend? Really?

We're going to descend?

- Investigators
now understand...

- Bravo Tango Charlie 2-9-3-7,

descend level 3-5-0,
expedite descent.

Expedite descent
to level 3-5--

Zurich? From the Aero Lloyd--

- Bravo Tango Charlie
2-9-3-7.

...why two flights...

- Increase descent.
- Descend!

- Increase descent.
- Descend hard!

...ended in disaster.

While completing
their final report...

- BFU, hello.

What?

- ...the story of the Uberlingen
mid-air collision

takes another tragic turn.

On February 24, 2004,

almost two years
after the Uberlingen disaster,

Peter Nielsen is murdered
in his front garden.

His wife and three children
are witnesses to the crime.

- We couldn't believe it.

We couldn't believe it,
because it was, for us,

like a TV story,
and it was not real life.

But yes, it was real life.

- Did they catch the killer?

- Yeah.

Apparently his family
was on the Tupolev.

- A Russian man, Vitaly Kaloyev,

is arrested
for Peter Nielsen's murder.

Kaloyev's wife and two children

were killed
in the Uberlingen collision.

He tells police he went
to Nielsen's house

seeking an apology.

But Nielsen isn't found at fault

for the collision
in the BFU's final report.

Zurich?
Hello, Aero Lloyd...

Instead,
it concludes he was unable

to safely carry out
the tasks required of him.

The BFU points to the fact
that Nielson was working alone

as a cause for the accident.

Bravo Tango Charlie
2-9-3-7,

descend flight level, 3-5-0.
Expedite.

I have crossing traffic.
- Descend.

- But the report
also highlights deficiencies

in aviation regulations

that allowed for
the Russian pilots' confusion

- over the use of T-CAS.
- Climb.

- It says climb.
- Climb.

- The controller
is guiding us down.

- Descend?
We're going to descend?

Climb. Climb. Climb.

- The BFU's most prominent
recommendation is simple.

- Pilots have to follow
the T-CAS instruction,

not to follow
the ATC instruction,

because T-CAS is a safety net.

- Eventually, four Skyguide
middle managers,

who weren't even working
the night

of the Uberlingen disaster,

are convicted
of negligent homicide.

This accident,
it was really a watershed event.

A lot of things had to fall
into place

just the wrong ways
for this to occur.

And it changed a lot of things.

A lot of the way people
looked at ATC,

collision avoidance, and it
really woke a lot of people up.

In 2005,

Vitaly Kaloyev is convicted

of the premeditated
homicide of Peter Nielsen.

Two years later,
he's released from prison.

Today, nine steel "pearls"

representing a torn necklace,

mark the locations where
victims' bodies were found.

And a memorial inside Skyguide

marks both the date
of the collision

and that of
Peter Nielsen's murder.

Subtitling: difuze