1 00:00:01,298 --> 00:00:04,426 (narrator): A botched takeoff in Buenos Aires... 2 00:00:05,886 --> 00:00:07,596 ...stuns investigators. 3 00:00:07,596 --> 00:00:11,976 - To me, that was unprecedented. - Get out of it! Get out of it! 4 00:00:11,976 --> 00:00:13,894 (narrator): A shocking error... 5 00:00:13,936 --> 00:00:15,437 - We're stuck in it! 6 00:00:15,479 --> 00:00:20,860 (narrator): ...lies behind the deadly free-fall of American Airlines Flight 587. 7 00:00:20,860 --> 00:00:22,695 (people screaming) 8 00:00:22,695 --> 00:00:26,448 And when Continental Connection 3407 stalls, 9 00:00:26,448 --> 00:00:29,618 the flight crew's reaction is baffling. 10 00:00:29,618 --> 00:00:33,122 - Not only did they not respond correctly, 11 00:00:33,122 --> 00:00:36,125 they responded in the exactly opposite way. 12 00:00:36,667 --> 00:00:41,589 (narrator): Commercial pilots undergo hundreds of hours of training and testing. 13 00:00:41,630 --> 00:00:46,302 Still, experienced pilots make rookie mistakes. (screaming) 14 00:00:46,302 --> 00:00:50,598 - Rookie errors don't necessarily occur to just rookie pilots. 15 00:00:50,639 --> 00:00:54,185 It can happen to the most experienced pilot. 16 00:00:55,394 --> 00:00:57,354 - Mayday, mayday. 17 00:00:59,523 --> 00:01:01,442 - It's going up! 18 00:01:02,359 --> 00:01:04,904 (indistinct radio chatter) 19 00:01:18,709 --> 00:01:24,548 (narrator): It's 8:30 p.m. at Jorge Newbery Airfield in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 20 00:01:25,758 --> 00:01:27,718 (ATC): Wind: 020 at 5. 21 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:30,387 Altimeter: 30.10. 22 00:01:30,930 --> 00:01:35,476 (narrator): A Boeing 737 flight crew prepares for takeoff. 23 00:01:37,311 --> 00:01:41,523 Their plane is operated by the Argentinean airline LAPA. 24 00:01:41,732 --> 00:01:44,318 - D'you make it? - No. 25 00:01:45,027 --> 00:01:46,612 - Hey, Captain. - Hey. 26 00:01:46,987 --> 00:01:51,492 (narrator): The captain of LAPA Flight 3142 is Gustavo Weigel. 27 00:01:51,992 --> 00:01:56,747 He's an experienced pilot who's been flying for more than 20 years. 28 00:01:56,956 --> 00:01:58,707 - Everything okay? 29 00:01:58,707 --> 00:02:00,793 - Fine. Everything's fine. 30 00:02:01,377 --> 00:02:03,712 - We're just waiting on our fuel. 31 00:02:04,171 --> 00:02:06,465 (narrator): First Officer Luis Etcheverry 32 00:02:06,465 --> 00:02:09,677 has logged more than 500 hours in the 737. 33 00:02:09,718 --> 00:02:14,890 - Total fuel required: 8,500 kilograms to be transferred to the wings. 34 00:02:15,599 --> 00:02:18,978 (narrator): Tonight's flight is a little over an hour. 35 00:02:18,978 --> 00:02:21,855 Its destination: the city of Cordoba, 36 00:02:21,855 --> 00:02:24,900 400 miles west of Buenos Aires. 37 00:02:30,656 --> 00:02:36,620 Along with the pilots, three flight attendants and 95 passengers are on board. 38 00:02:37,454 --> 00:02:39,832 - Before-start checklist. - Before-start checklist. 39 00:02:39,832 --> 00:02:43,919 (narrator): The crew is making last-minute preparations for takeoff. 40 00:02:45,045 --> 00:02:48,090 - Cockpit preparations? - Completed. 41 00:02:48,632 --> 00:02:49,800 (in Spanish): 42 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:53,345 The relationship between the crew seemed to be very close. 43 00:02:53,387 --> 00:02:56,223 It appeared that they were friends. 44 00:02:57,266 --> 00:02:59,977 - You guys should come for dinner in Córdoba. 45 00:03:00,477 --> 00:03:02,187 - That sounds good. What should we bring? 46 00:03:02,187 --> 00:03:04,815 - You can bring the ice cream. - You know, we're seconds away. 47 00:03:04,857 --> 00:03:07,109 You should probably get back there and strap in. 48 00:03:07,109 --> 00:03:11,155 - Alright, guys, it's been a pleasure. See you soon. 49 00:03:14,450 --> 00:03:16,535 - Cleared for takeoff, LAPA 3142. 50 00:03:16,535 --> 00:03:19,413 (engines revving) - Taking off. 51 00:03:20,247 --> 00:03:23,876 (narrator): Flight 3142 speeds down the runway. 52 00:03:28,672 --> 00:03:34,053 As the aircraft lifts off, it's immediately apparent that something is wrong. 53 00:03:34,053 --> 00:03:35,471 (in Spanish): 54 00:03:35,471 --> 00:03:42,019 The plane begins to take off, but instantly it starts shaking, like it was going to fall apart. 55 00:03:43,103 --> 00:03:46,440 We all knew something was going wrong. 56 00:03:48,442 --> 00:03:50,110 - What the hell? 57 00:03:50,486 --> 00:03:54,531 (narrator): Hurtling forward at 160 knots... 58 00:03:57,159 --> 00:04:02,164 ...the 737 slams violently back to the ground. 59 00:04:02,998 --> 00:04:08,879 They're now headed straight for a busy highway and an industrial gas plant. 60 00:04:11,090 --> 00:04:13,133 - Stop, stop, stop, stop. 61 00:04:14,802 --> 00:04:17,096 (in Spanish): It was very quick. 62 00:04:17,096 --> 00:04:20,474 I just looked at my friends and I braced my head. 63 00:04:21,683 --> 00:04:27,439 - No, no, no, no, no! - The airplane crossed a busy highway without warning. 64 00:04:28,148 --> 00:04:32,528 It killed people who were commuting at that time in their cars. 65 00:04:32,528 --> 00:04:34,154 - Stop! Stop! 66 00:04:42,413 --> 00:04:46,208 (narrator): Flight 3142 slams into the gas plant. 67 00:04:46,708 --> 00:04:49,962 (Spanish): I could feel extreme heat all around me. 68 00:04:49,962 --> 00:04:51,713 I was suffocating. 69 00:04:52,214 --> 00:04:57,219 And I needed to get out, but I couldn't release my seatbelt. 70 00:05:01,181 --> 00:05:04,226 (narrator): Rescuers race to the site of the crash, 71 00:05:04,268 --> 00:05:07,062 but survivors on board don't have much time. 72 00:05:07,438 --> 00:05:11,316 Fire threatens to consume the entire plane. 73 00:05:13,735 --> 00:05:17,156 (Spanish): I felt like I was dying. 74 00:05:17,197 --> 00:05:20,993 (coughing) And someone said to me, "Get out!" 75 00:05:21,702 --> 00:05:23,370 (narrator): Though badly injured, 76 00:05:23,370 --> 00:05:26,039 Marisa Beiro is lucky to survive. 77 00:05:26,707 --> 00:05:28,584 The crash has killed 60 passengers, 78 00:05:28,584 --> 00:05:31,962 three crew members, including both pilots, 79 00:05:32,004 --> 00:05:33,714 and two motorists. 80 00:05:33,714 --> 00:05:39,219 It's a disaster unlike anything Buenos Aires has ever seen before. 81 00:05:39,428 --> 00:05:41,221 - It was a major calamity. 82 00:05:41,221 --> 00:05:46,560 It involved automobiles, it involved a natural-gas regulating plant. 83 00:05:47,728 --> 00:05:51,106 - It's a lot of smoke. Hard to see anything. 84 00:05:51,648 --> 00:05:54,568 (narrator): Horacio Larrosa is a senior investigator 85 00:05:54,568 --> 00:05:57,821 for Argentina's Accident Investigation Unit. 86 00:05:59,823 --> 00:06:03,952 (in Spanish): You try to focus on the job, 87 00:06:03,994 --> 00:06:08,373 and look for details that later on could be harder to find, 88 00:06:08,373 --> 00:06:11,502 once the rescue teams have finished their work. 89 00:06:13,337 --> 00:06:16,715 - Neither pilot survived. - Okay. 90 00:06:17,716 --> 00:06:22,596 (narrator): Any hope of finding out what went wrong lies in the wreckage. 91 00:06:25,641 --> 00:06:28,393 Because the 737 is American-made, 92 00:06:28,393 --> 00:06:33,148 the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board joins the investigation. 93 00:06:33,190 --> 00:06:35,567 - Whatever you need, we're here to help. 94 00:06:35,567 --> 00:06:38,695 - There was just a tremendous amount of public concern, 95 00:06:38,695 --> 00:06:44,868 and a great deal of encouragement to try to solve this definitively and quickly. 96 00:06:45,244 --> 00:06:46,703 - One of the big questions was: 97 00:06:46,703 --> 00:06:51,542 How did this aircraft go off the end of the runway, especially on takeoff? 98 00:06:56,296 --> 00:06:57,548 - Look here. 99 00:06:58,298 --> 00:07:04,179 (narrator): The wings of the downed plane reveal the first clue for investigators. 100 00:07:04,972 --> 00:07:08,267 (in Spanish): I was able to observe, with some of my colleagues, 101 00:07:08,267 --> 00:07:13,647 that the aircraft's flaps were apparently not extended. 102 00:07:15,857 --> 00:07:17,901 - Let's get this wing piece outta here. 103 00:07:18,235 --> 00:07:23,782 (narrator): For takeoff, 737 pilots must always extend the plane's wing flaps. 104 00:07:24,157 --> 00:07:28,579 The flaps increase the area of the wing and give it extra lift. 105 00:07:28,954 --> 00:07:33,500 Without them, a fully loaded 737 cannot get off the ground. 106 00:07:34,876 --> 00:07:37,879 Did the flaps retract during the crash, 107 00:07:37,921 --> 00:07:41,091 or were they never deployed in the first place? 108 00:07:41,508 --> 00:07:44,094 - When you see something that's out of place, 109 00:07:44,094 --> 00:07:47,014 you begin to wonder: What has happened? 110 00:07:47,014 --> 00:07:48,390 Has someone raised the flaps, 111 00:07:48,390 --> 00:07:54,813 or has some electronic or hydraulic intervention made the flaps come up? 112 00:07:55,188 --> 00:07:57,733 - We need to study the entire system. 113 00:07:59,401 --> 00:08:01,528 (narrator): In the meantime... 114 00:08:01,528 --> 00:08:02,779 - Oh, oh. Yep. 115 00:08:02,779 --> 00:08:06,867 (narrator): ...the team on site retrieves the plane's black boxes. 116 00:08:07,826 --> 00:08:10,996 - The importance of flight recorders in accident investigation 117 00:08:11,038 --> 00:08:12,748 cannot be overemphasized. 118 00:08:12,748 --> 00:08:14,541 (narrator): But they're badly damaged, 119 00:08:14,541 --> 00:08:17,336 and immediately sent to Washington for repair. 120 00:08:17,836 --> 00:08:20,797 - There was a good deal of pressure to get back the cockpit voice recorder 121 00:08:20,839 --> 00:08:25,135 and the flight-recorder information in a timely way. 122 00:08:28,513 --> 00:08:29,973 (narrator): In a nearby hangar, 123 00:08:29,973 --> 00:08:36,104 investigators carefully examine every wire, gear and screw of the wing flaps. 124 00:08:37,272 --> 00:08:38,690 - Actuators seem fine. 125 00:08:38,732 --> 00:08:43,028 (narrator): They focus on a part that controls the flaps' movement: 126 00:08:43,028 --> 00:08:47,741 the jackscrew, which acts much like a jack used to lift a car. 127 00:08:48,241 --> 00:08:54,122 As it turns, it moves a nut that extends or retracts the flaps. 128 00:08:55,457 --> 00:08:58,543 - That nut travels along the shaft. 129 00:08:58,585 --> 00:09:05,926 It stops at various places to indicate various degrees of flap extension. 130 00:09:06,802 --> 00:09:12,015 We had discovered the nuts on the screw were in the retracted position. 131 00:09:12,474 --> 00:09:16,228 (narrator): The flap lever from the cockpit confirms the finding. 132 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:21,692 - The lever's pretty banged up, but it sure looks like it's in the flaps-up position. 133 00:09:23,568 --> 00:09:25,696 (in Spanish): 134 00:09:25,696 --> 00:09:29,324 It had left a mark with the flap lever in the up position. 135 00:09:29,324 --> 00:09:33,912 So there was no chance that it had moved during the accident. 136 00:09:35,539 --> 00:09:40,794 (narrator): The astonishing discovery reveals the flaps were never extended. 137 00:09:42,129 --> 00:09:47,050 Flight 3142's configuration for takeoff was all wrong. 138 00:09:48,051 --> 00:09:51,805 Baffled investigators wrestle with a difficult question. 139 00:09:52,097 --> 00:09:57,436 - How could an attempted takeoff be made with the flaps in this position? 140 00:10:00,272 --> 00:10:03,567 (passengers screaming) 141 00:10:06,278 --> 00:10:11,575 (narrator): Investigators want to know how the experienced crew on board Flight 3142 142 00:10:11,616 --> 00:10:14,786 took off without their flaps extended. 143 00:10:15,871 --> 00:10:17,914 - No, no, no, no, no, no! 144 00:10:18,999 --> 00:10:21,752 (in Spanish): You find yourself wondering: 145 00:10:21,752 --> 00:10:25,213 Why did this action not take place 146 00:10:25,213 --> 00:10:27,883 when it is indispensable for flight? 147 00:10:33,096 --> 00:10:35,223 - Can we get the FDR data on the screen? 148 00:10:35,265 --> 00:10:40,061 (narrator): The crucial black-box data finally arrives from Washington. 149 00:10:40,729 --> 00:10:44,983 Investigators hope this will help explain what happened. 150 00:10:45,859 --> 00:10:47,068 (sighing) - Great. 151 00:10:47,068 --> 00:10:50,197 Let's go to the flap positions and engine performance. 152 00:10:50,906 --> 00:10:54,284 (narrator): The flight data recorder confirms suspicions. 153 00:10:54,284 --> 00:10:57,120 - With no flaps... they stall. 154 00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:59,581 They get the plane back down here... 155 00:10:59,873 --> 00:11:01,875 ...50 metres from the end of the runway. 156 00:11:01,917 --> 00:11:03,794 There's no way they could stop in time. 157 00:11:03,835 --> 00:11:09,257 (narrator): It verifies the flaps were not extended, but not why. 158 00:11:09,925 --> 00:11:14,346 Investigators turn to the cockpit voice recorder for clues. 159 00:11:15,055 --> 00:11:19,017 (Spanish): The only possibility was in the voice recorder. 160 00:11:19,434 --> 00:11:22,646 - Everything okay? - Fine. Everything's fine. 161 00:11:23,188 --> 00:11:28,151 (narrator): Investigators begin by listening to what was happening just before takeoff. 162 00:11:28,527 --> 00:11:31,613 - Waiting on our fuel? - So besides him, 163 00:11:31,655 --> 00:11:33,740 any other guys you're interested in? 164 00:11:33,740 --> 00:11:35,325 - Yes, but you don't know him. 165 00:11:35,367 --> 00:11:36,868 I haven't seen him in a while. 166 00:11:36,868 --> 00:11:40,080 (narrator): What they hear from the crew is astounding. 167 00:11:40,121 --> 00:11:42,958 (flight attendant): The whole thing's getting complicated. 168 00:11:43,166 --> 00:11:44,459 - You're breaking my heart. 169 00:11:44,501 --> 00:11:48,755 (narrator): Not only unexpected, but entirely unprofessional. 170 00:11:49,464 --> 00:11:52,425 - They should be running checklists. What's going on? 171 00:11:52,759 --> 00:11:55,262 - They're required to have a sterile cockpit. 172 00:11:55,512 --> 00:11:58,849 Once you start the engines up to 10,000 feet, 173 00:11:58,890 --> 00:12:02,060 you talk only about operational procedures. 174 00:12:02,477 --> 00:12:04,187 And this is to prevent distraction. 175 00:12:04,229 --> 00:12:06,857 - You guys should come for dinner in Córdoba. 176 00:12:06,898 --> 00:12:11,945 - That sounds good. What should we bring? - You can bring the ice cream. 177 00:12:11,945 --> 00:12:13,947 - Okay. (scoffing) 178 00:12:13,989 --> 00:12:15,907 - Before-start checklist. 179 00:12:16,157 --> 00:12:17,826 - Before-start checklist. 180 00:12:17,868 --> 00:12:20,203 - They're talking about planning a meal together, 181 00:12:20,245 --> 00:12:22,873 they're talking about their romantic lives. 182 00:12:22,873 --> 00:12:25,417 And this is interspersed with the checklist. 183 00:12:25,458 --> 00:12:28,753 - Hey, you know I'm with you in the good times and the bad, moron. 184 00:12:28,753 --> 00:12:30,797 It's a good thing I'm nothing like you. 185 00:12:30,839 --> 00:12:35,010 - You're full of it. You're only with me for the good times. 186 00:12:36,177 --> 00:12:39,180 - Cockpit preparations? - Completed. 187 00:12:39,222 --> 00:12:42,100 - The checklists were interrupted and were performed incorrectly. 188 00:12:42,100 --> 00:12:46,980 - Flaps are part of the before-takeoff checklist. Do they even do that? 189 00:12:46,980 --> 00:12:48,940 - Anti-ice? - Off. 190 00:12:48,982 --> 00:12:51,151 - Start levers? 191 00:12:51,776 --> 00:12:53,778 - Idle stop. 192 00:12:54,154 --> 00:12:56,072 - Ready to taxi, 3142. 193 00:12:56,448 --> 00:13:00,243 (ATC): 3142, ready to taxi, Charlie-5 to runway 1-3. 194 00:13:01,912 --> 00:13:06,791 - Charlie-5 to 1-3. - Don't smoke all of it. Give me a puff at least. 195 00:13:07,417 --> 00:13:10,795 - Even a puff can make you old and grey. 196 00:13:13,924 --> 00:13:17,594 - Thanks. - They're actually smoking in the cockpit. 197 00:13:17,636 --> 00:13:20,722 - The three were passing a cigarette, which is prohibited by the company. 198 00:13:20,764 --> 00:13:23,600 They're not supposed to be smoking in the cockpit at all. 199 00:13:24,142 --> 00:13:26,061 - No mention of flaps. 200 00:13:26,102 --> 00:13:27,771 They're starting to taxi. 201 00:13:27,771 --> 00:13:30,899 - You should probably head back there and strap in. - Alright, guys. 202 00:13:31,232 --> 00:13:35,362 (narrator): The reason the crew failed to extend the flaps is now clear. 203 00:13:35,403 --> 00:13:36,696 - Hurry, hurry. 204 00:13:36,696 --> 00:13:41,284 (narrator): They were simply too distracted by their own careless behaviour. 205 00:13:41,284 --> 00:13:43,328 (ATC): Cleared for takeoff, LAPA 3142. 206 00:13:43,370 --> 00:13:47,707 (narrator): But what investigators hear next is even more shocking. 207 00:13:47,707 --> 00:13:50,460 (alarm sounding) - There it is. 208 00:13:50,460 --> 00:13:54,714 (narrator): It's an alarm warning the crew of their mistake. 209 00:13:55,632 --> 00:13:59,386 (in Spanish): The sound of the alarm was loud. 210 00:13:59,386 --> 00:14:03,515 It could be heard perfectly in the voice recorder many times. 211 00:14:04,933 --> 00:14:06,393 (alarm sounding) 212 00:14:06,393 --> 00:14:10,355 - I don't know what the alarm is, my friend. Everything seems fine. 213 00:14:10,355 --> 00:14:14,275 - Okay, pause. How can they ignore that? 214 00:14:14,651 --> 00:14:17,404 (narrator): How could a crew forget to perform 215 00:14:17,404 --> 00:14:19,823 one of the most basic takeoff procedures, 216 00:14:19,823 --> 00:14:23,493 and then go on to ignore the loud, persistent warning 217 00:14:23,535 --> 00:14:27,330 designed to alert them to their serious mistake? 218 00:14:28,206 --> 00:14:29,249 (in Spanish): 219 00:14:29,290 --> 00:14:34,045 I believe they didn't understand the importance of this alarm, 220 00:14:34,045 --> 00:14:37,841 which was absolutely critical for takeoff. 221 00:14:38,341 --> 00:14:41,219 (narrator): Sixty-five people lost their lives 222 00:14:41,261 --> 00:14:44,723 because the crew wasn't paying attention to what they were doing. 223 00:14:44,723 --> 00:14:47,308 (alarm sounding) 224 00:14:49,352 --> 00:14:53,690 - If the alarm went off and it warned that the flaps weren't configured, 225 00:14:53,690 --> 00:14:56,568 why didn't they do something? 226 00:14:58,361 --> 00:15:00,113 (narrator): In their final report, 227 00:15:00,113 --> 00:15:05,785 investigators stress the need for pilots to always comply with the sterile cockpit rule. 228 00:15:06,244 --> 00:15:12,584 It restricts crew conversation and helps minimize distractions during key parts of the flight. 229 00:15:12,584 --> 00:15:16,046 - By not maintaining a sterile cockpit and following every checklist 230 00:15:16,046 --> 00:15:21,634 and doing exactly what you're supposed to do... people die. 231 00:15:23,803 --> 00:15:25,221 (narrator): But sometimes, 232 00:15:25,221 --> 00:15:29,851 following strict operational discipline can still lead to catastrophe. 233 00:15:29,851 --> 00:15:34,105 - Even when pilots are following the procedures correctly, 234 00:15:34,105 --> 00:15:35,982 you can still have a rookie error. 235 00:15:36,024 --> 00:15:38,985 - Get out of it! Get out of it! 236 00:15:46,826 --> 00:15:50,038 (narrator): Just nine weeks after the 9/11 attacks, 237 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:53,750 New York's John F. Kennedy Airport is busy again. 238 00:15:54,501 --> 00:16:02,008 American Airlines Flight 587 is carrying 251 passengers enroute to the Caribbean. 239 00:16:02,008 --> 00:16:03,968 (groaning) 240 00:16:04,427 --> 00:16:06,721 - Your leg. You check the rudders. 241 00:16:06,930 --> 00:16:09,682 (narrator): The crew is preparing the plane for takeoff. 242 00:16:09,724 --> 00:16:13,853 - Rudders, check. Taxi checklist is complete. 243 00:16:13,895 --> 00:16:15,605 - Okay. 244 00:16:16,481 --> 00:16:19,484 (narrator): Captain Ed States is a former military pilot 245 00:16:19,484 --> 00:16:22,862 who joined American Airlines 16 years ago. 246 00:16:23,988 --> 00:16:29,285 First Officer Sten Molin has racked up more than 4,000 hours of flying time 247 00:16:29,327 --> 00:16:32,288 and is the pilot flying today. 248 00:16:32,288 --> 00:16:34,082 - Winds checked. 249 00:16:38,795 --> 00:16:43,842 - American 587, follow Japan Air Boeing 747 ahead. 250 00:16:43,842 --> 00:16:46,052 - Follow Japan Air, American 587. 251 00:16:46,386 --> 00:16:52,183 (narrator): Flight 587's flight plan takes it out over New York's Jamaica Bay 252 00:16:52,183 --> 00:16:55,645 before heading south to the Dominican Republic. 253 00:16:56,020 --> 00:16:57,564 - You have the airplane. 254 00:16:57,856 --> 00:17:03,444 - The captain indicated the first officer would be the flying pilot on this leg. 255 00:17:03,945 --> 00:17:06,156 The captain designated him to fly the flight. 256 00:17:06,156 --> 00:17:09,450 That's routine. Uh, it's the captain's choice. 257 00:17:09,492 --> 00:17:12,328 - American 587, Kennedy Tower. Caution: 258 00:17:12,328 --> 00:17:17,876 Wake turbulence, runway 3-1 left. Taxi into position and hold. 259 00:17:18,751 --> 00:17:20,795 - You happy with that distance? 260 00:17:20,795 --> 00:17:22,505 - Ah, we'll be alright once we get rolling. 261 00:17:22,547 --> 00:17:26,801 He's supposed to be five miles by the time we're airborne. That's the idea. 262 00:17:26,801 --> 00:17:28,428 - So you're happy. 263 00:17:29,721 --> 00:17:31,598 I'm on the roll. 264 00:17:32,807 --> 00:17:34,601 Thank you, sir. 265 00:17:35,226 --> 00:17:38,104 - V1. Rotate. 266 00:17:39,314 --> 00:17:43,860 (narrator): Flight 587 lifts off at 9:14 a.m. 267 00:17:47,322 --> 00:17:49,949 (banging) - American 587, heavy. 268 00:17:49,949 --> 00:17:53,119 Climb and maintain 1-3,000. 269 00:17:53,828 --> 00:17:55,205 (rumbling) 270 00:17:55,246 --> 00:18:01,169 (narrator): Residents of Queens, New York, hear the familiar sound of jets overhead. 271 00:18:02,795 --> 00:18:04,631 - Planes, you know, take off and land. 272 00:18:04,672 --> 00:18:08,343 They fly right over the peninsula every 45 seconds. 273 00:18:08,718 --> 00:18:10,136 It was just a normal thing. 274 00:18:10,303 --> 00:18:15,350 (narrator): High above, a patch of turbulence rocks Flight 587. 275 00:18:15,391 --> 00:18:18,228 - Ooh, boy. (indistinct chatter) 276 00:18:18,269 --> 00:18:19,729 - Max power. 277 00:18:19,771 --> 00:18:22,148 (alarm sounding) - You alright? 278 00:18:22,148 --> 00:18:26,444 - Yeah. I'm fine. - Hang onto it. Hang onto it. 279 00:18:28,529 --> 00:18:30,198 - Let's go for power, please! 280 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,661 (narrator): 2,300 feet above the ground, disaster strikes. 281 00:18:36,829 --> 00:18:39,374 - Holy crap! (passengers screaming) 282 00:18:39,374 --> 00:18:44,045 (narrator): The plane is losing altitude and falling out of the sky. 283 00:18:44,087 --> 00:18:46,673 - What the hell are we into? 284 00:18:47,298 --> 00:18:52,303 (narrator): There are more than 68,000 pounds of flammable jet fuel on board. 285 00:18:53,179 --> 00:18:55,306 (screaming) - Oh, my god! 286 00:18:55,348 --> 00:19:00,979 (alarm sounding) (narrator): Flight 587 plummets towards Queens, New York. 287 00:19:01,271 --> 00:19:05,900 - We're stuck in it! - Get out of it! Get out of it! Get out of it! 288 00:19:06,693 --> 00:19:12,740 - The house started vibrating very heavily. You know, this all happened really quick. 289 00:19:18,913 --> 00:19:21,541 (sirens wailing) (people shouting) 290 00:19:21,582 --> 00:19:26,087 (narrator): At impact, the fuel ignites a massive fireball, 291 00:19:26,129 --> 00:19:27,797 engulfing several homes. 292 00:19:28,047 --> 00:19:32,552 - The plane crashed pretty much in the backyard, in the street, uh, exploded. 293 00:19:32,552 --> 00:19:34,470 (sirens wailing) 294 00:19:34,887 --> 00:19:38,683 - God, it's a plane! - It looks like a war zone. 295 00:19:40,852 --> 00:19:44,230 (narrator): All 260 people on board are dead, 296 00:19:44,272 --> 00:19:47,108 as well as five people on the ground. 297 00:19:47,108 --> 00:19:50,236 Many wonder: Was this an accident? 298 00:19:51,279 --> 00:19:53,072 (sirens wailing) 299 00:19:53,573 --> 00:19:57,327 - We were still heavily involved in the investigation of 9/11. 300 00:19:57,952 --> 00:20:00,955 I immediately got concerned as to: 301 00:20:00,955 --> 00:20:03,374 Was this another terrorist attack? 302 00:20:04,167 --> 00:20:07,086 (narrator): That means the FBI and the NTSB 303 00:20:07,128 --> 00:20:10,173 will be investigating this air crash together. 304 00:20:10,673 --> 00:20:15,470 - This accident occurred so close to the tragedy of 9/11 305 00:20:15,470 --> 00:20:18,222 that we naturally jumped to conclusions, 306 00:20:18,264 --> 00:20:20,808 and we had to force ourselves to back up 307 00:20:20,808 --> 00:20:22,727 and carefully study the evidence. 308 00:20:22,727 --> 00:20:27,231 They came in fast and steep. Let's hope it's not what we think. 309 00:20:27,607 --> 00:20:31,861 (narrator): Their mission is to answer a vital question: 310 00:20:33,196 --> 00:20:36,199 Was this terrorism, or an accident? 311 00:20:37,492 --> 00:20:40,328 Any evidence of a bomb would be in the debris. 312 00:20:40,328 --> 00:20:42,705 - Everything else stays here for now. 313 00:20:43,456 --> 00:20:48,586 - Experts would be physically examining all of the parts of the plane 314 00:20:48,628 --> 00:20:51,631 to see if there was any indentations... 315 00:20:51,631 --> 00:20:57,720 indicating that the explosion was inside and pushed everything out. 316 00:21:00,181 --> 00:21:03,810 (narrator): But the crash site and tests for explosive residue 317 00:21:03,810 --> 00:21:07,814 reveal no evidence that a bomb took down the plane. 318 00:21:08,940 --> 00:21:11,609 - We learned very quickly that, in fact, 319 00:21:11,609 --> 00:21:14,153 it was not a terrorist event. 320 00:21:15,446 --> 00:21:19,367 (narrator): Then a discovery, three quarters of a mile from the crash, 321 00:21:19,367 --> 00:21:22,578 provides investigators with a massive clue. 322 00:21:23,162 --> 00:21:26,541 - We found the vertical stabilizer miles and miles away. 323 00:21:26,999 --> 00:21:30,378 (narrator): The vertical stabilizer is found in Jamaica Bay, 324 00:21:30,420 --> 00:21:33,256 between the airport and the crash site. 325 00:21:34,173 --> 00:21:39,679 The location tells investigators it broke off while the plane was still in the air. 326 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:41,556 (beeping) 327 00:21:42,432 --> 00:21:44,267 - That was a good first... first step for us. 328 00:21:44,308 --> 00:21:48,646 (narrator): The vertical stabilizer is part of the tail. 329 00:21:48,646 --> 00:21:51,315 Along with the horizontal stabilizer, 330 00:21:51,315 --> 00:21:53,609 it's critical for stable flight. 331 00:21:53,985 --> 00:21:56,904 - You can't fly without a tail. I mean, you can't. 332 00:21:56,946 --> 00:22:00,283 The airplane's gonna go down. There's nothing you can do about it. 333 00:22:00,867 --> 00:22:07,206 (narrator): NTSB investigators are under pressure to find out what happened to the A300, 334 00:22:07,248 --> 00:22:10,543 one of the world's most popular aircraft. 335 00:22:13,212 --> 00:22:15,673 - How does a vertical stabilizer just fall off? 336 00:22:15,673 --> 00:22:20,011 - I'd been Investigator-in-Charge of the NTSB for, at that time, 337 00:22:20,052 --> 00:22:22,263 oh, gosh, 20 years or so, 338 00:22:22,305 --> 00:22:26,392 and I had never seen anything quite like this. 339 00:22:27,101 --> 00:22:30,605 (narrator): Investigators turn to the plane's cockpit voice recorder, 340 00:22:30,605 --> 00:22:34,775 hoping to discover what went wrong with the stabilizer. 341 00:22:37,695 --> 00:22:40,573 - American 587, Kennedy Tower. Caution: 342 00:22:40,615 --> 00:22:43,326 Wake turbulence, runway 3-1 left. 343 00:22:43,326 --> 00:22:44,785 Taxi into position and hold. 344 00:22:44,785 --> 00:22:49,123 (narrator): After the controller issues a warning about wake turbulence, 345 00:22:49,165 --> 00:22:51,959 the first officer sounds concerned. 346 00:22:52,126 --> 00:22:54,378 - You happy with that distance? 347 00:22:54,879 --> 00:22:56,672 - Ah, we'll be okay once we get rolling. 348 00:22:56,672 --> 00:22:59,884 He's supposed to be five miles by the time we're airborne. 349 00:23:00,510 --> 00:23:05,973 (narrator): Wake turbulence is caused by the movement of air over and under the wing. 350 00:23:06,390 --> 00:23:08,976 When the two streams of air meet at the wing tips, 351 00:23:09,018 --> 00:23:14,607 they combine to create a powerful vortex that trails behind the plane. 352 00:23:18,402 --> 00:23:20,988 - Max power! (alarm sounding) 353 00:23:21,239 --> 00:23:22,823 - You alright? - Holy crap! 354 00:23:23,282 --> 00:23:26,536 (narrator): Did the pilots get too close to the plane in front of them? 355 00:23:26,577 --> 00:23:30,206 - Holy crap! (narrator): Investigators listen as First Officer Molin 356 00:23:30,206 --> 00:23:34,418 wants more speed to help them fly through the turbulence. 357 00:23:34,418 --> 00:23:36,420 - Hang onto it. Hang onto it. 358 00:23:36,420 --> 00:23:40,508 (narrator): Moments later, catastrophe strikes. (crash) 359 00:23:41,759 --> 00:23:44,512 - 15:58. That's the tail coming off. 360 00:23:45,054 --> 00:23:49,600 (narrator): Was the aircraft upset by the wake of a plane taking off ahead of it? 361 00:23:50,059 --> 00:23:54,397 - We knew, of course, from listening to the, uh, Air Traffic Control tapes, 362 00:23:54,438 --> 00:24:01,279 that the accident aircraft took off a 1.5 minutes or two minutes after a JAL, 363 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:04,282 Japanese Airline Boeing 747. 364 00:24:04,907 --> 00:24:10,997 (narrator): Radar data shows that Flight 587 was flying at a safe distance. 365 00:24:11,497 --> 00:24:13,791 The wake was too weak to be dangerous. 366 00:24:13,791 --> 00:24:17,795 - Not even close to what it would take to rip the tail off an Airbus. 367 00:24:21,299 --> 00:24:25,094 (narrator): But another piece of data provides a vital clue: 368 00:24:25,136 --> 00:24:27,555 frantic rudder movements. 369 00:24:27,597 --> 00:24:30,766 (alarm sounding) (beep) 370 00:24:31,642 --> 00:24:33,644 - Eleven degrees left. 371 00:24:35,479 --> 00:24:36,814 Eleven degrees right. 372 00:24:36,856 --> 00:24:40,526 We saw the rudder go back and forth to its maximum... 373 00:24:40,526 --> 00:24:44,572 deflection several times very, very rapidly. 374 00:24:48,034 --> 00:24:51,203 Could he have ripped the tail off his own plane? 375 00:25:00,212 --> 00:25:05,676 (narrator): NTSB investigators wonder if extreme rudder movements on Flight 587 376 00:25:05,676 --> 00:25:11,807 created an aerodynamic force strong enough to rip the vertical stabilizer off. 377 00:25:12,808 --> 00:25:16,979 - We needed to determine whether that particular motion, 378 00:25:17,021 --> 00:25:22,401 uh, would be violent enough to snap the vertical stabilizer off. 379 00:25:23,069 --> 00:25:25,237 (narrator): Normally, pilots only move the rudder 380 00:25:25,237 --> 00:25:29,492 a couple of degrees in either direction to steer the plane. 381 00:25:30,117 --> 00:25:36,540 But First Officer Sten Molin was moving his plane's rudder much more than that. 382 00:25:38,584 --> 00:25:39,877 - You ready? 383 00:25:40,503 --> 00:25:44,965 (narrator): To learn more, they create a computer simulation of an A300, 384 00:25:45,007 --> 00:25:47,635 and fly it the same way as First Officer Molin, 385 00:25:47,677 --> 00:25:52,973 moving the rudder 11 degrees back and forth three times. 386 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:56,852 - With each rudder deflection, 387 00:25:56,894 --> 00:26:00,731 the aerodynamic loads on the tail increase. 388 00:26:00,731 --> 00:26:02,942 (alarm sounding) 389 00:26:03,859 --> 00:26:05,903 (alarm ringing) - There. 390 00:26:05,903 --> 00:26:08,364 (alarm ringing) That would've done it. 391 00:26:08,781 --> 00:26:13,285 - And it was those increasing loads that caused this. 392 00:26:16,747 --> 00:26:18,708 (beeping) 393 00:26:19,583 --> 00:26:21,752 - Well, he's doing it to himself! 394 00:26:22,545 --> 00:26:25,840 (narrator): The discovery finally explains what happened 395 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:29,343 to American Airlines Flight 587. 396 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:32,012 But it doesn't explain why. 397 00:26:32,012 --> 00:26:34,473 - So now we've eliminated several items, 398 00:26:34,473 --> 00:26:38,602 and we're starting to look at the actions of the flight crew very carefully. 399 00:26:39,145 --> 00:26:43,983 (narrator): Why would an experienced pilot move his rudder so violently 400 00:26:44,024 --> 00:26:46,360 to fly out of the wake? 401 00:26:47,778 --> 00:26:50,281 When they talk to pilots who flew with Molin, 402 00:26:50,322 --> 00:26:53,451 investigators make a surprising discovery. 403 00:26:54,368 --> 00:26:56,162 - Take a seat. 404 00:26:56,829 --> 00:27:00,791 We began to suspect that the... first officer overreacted. 405 00:27:00,791 --> 00:27:02,460 Tell me what happened. 406 00:27:02,501 --> 00:27:04,795 - He had a history of responding... 407 00:27:04,837 --> 00:27:08,174 very aggressively to wake turbulence. 408 00:27:09,592 --> 00:27:11,927 - He did the same thing seven years ago. 409 00:27:11,969 --> 00:27:15,890 - He moved the rudder pedal quickly back and forth. 410 00:27:15,890 --> 00:27:18,017 The captain said he was shocked by this. 411 00:27:18,058 --> 00:27:19,560 - He was overworking the rudders. 412 00:27:19,602 --> 00:27:22,980 - He said, "Why did you do that? Why did you respond like that?" 413 00:27:23,022 --> 00:27:25,316 And according to the statement, the first officer said, 414 00:27:25,357 --> 00:27:28,903 "They taught us to respond like that in the, uh, training." 415 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:33,699 (narrator): When investigators turn their attention to American Airlines training, 416 00:27:33,699 --> 00:27:36,243 they're shocked by what they learn. 417 00:27:36,827 --> 00:27:42,374 Pilots are taught that minor wake turbulence can induce a sudden steep roll. 418 00:27:42,541 --> 00:27:45,002 - We determined that they were actually providing... 419 00:27:45,044 --> 00:27:48,756 inadvertently providing some negative training to their pilots. 420 00:27:48,756 --> 00:27:53,010 That led us to the conclusion that he overreacted. 421 00:27:53,427 --> 00:27:55,846 (narrator): First Officer Molin was trained to believe 422 00:27:55,888 --> 00:28:00,601 that severe wake turbulence could cause a catastrophic upset. 423 00:28:02,061 --> 00:28:04,772 - Max power! - You alright? 424 00:28:04,814 --> 00:28:08,734 (alarm sounding) - The captain asks him: "Are you alright?" 425 00:28:08,734 --> 00:28:12,154 And it's noteworthy that the captain does not add max power. 426 00:28:12,154 --> 00:28:17,159 In the captain's opinion, max power is not appropriate in this situation. 427 00:28:17,576 --> 00:28:20,871 The First Officer began responding with... 428 00:28:20,913 --> 00:28:26,043 wheel back-and-forth and accompanied by back-and-forth rudder. 429 00:28:26,544 --> 00:28:28,921 - Hang on. Hang onto it. 430 00:28:29,797 --> 00:28:33,342 (alarm sounding) - The first officer overreacted on the rudders. 431 00:28:33,384 --> 00:28:37,513 He didn't let the aircraft stabilize in one position or the other, 432 00:28:37,555 --> 00:28:41,267 so it... it hits a stop and then whips itself back. 433 00:28:42,685 --> 00:28:44,687 Back and forth, back and forth, 434 00:28:44,687 --> 00:28:48,858 and this creates huge loads on the vertical part of the fin. 435 00:28:49,775 --> 00:28:54,363 (narrator): The first officer's actions stress the vertical stabilizer 436 00:28:54,405 --> 00:28:56,949 until it breaks under the strain. 437 00:28:58,242 --> 00:29:02,162 - What the hell are we into?! (alarm sounding) 438 00:29:02,496 --> 00:29:05,791 - Get out of it! Get out of it! Get out of it! 439 00:29:06,125 --> 00:29:09,086 (all screaming) 440 00:29:10,087 --> 00:29:13,465 (alarm sounding) (automation): Stall. Stall. 441 00:29:17,678 --> 00:29:20,806 (sirens wailing) (people shouting) 442 00:29:22,182 --> 00:29:27,396 (narrator): After the accident, American Airlines changes its training procedures 443 00:29:27,396 --> 00:29:29,356 for wake turbulence. 444 00:29:30,149 --> 00:29:35,029 - Once it became clear that some negative training was going on, 445 00:29:35,070 --> 00:29:37,323 American Airlines, to their credit, uh... 446 00:29:37,323 --> 00:29:42,077 revamped the program to prevent this type of activity. 447 00:29:42,912 --> 00:29:48,167 (narrator): American Airlines modifies their training simulator to be more realistic. 448 00:29:48,208 --> 00:29:52,796 Pilots are now taught not to use the rudder at high speed. 449 00:29:53,172 --> 00:29:56,133 A new warning light is also installed in the cockpit 450 00:29:56,133 --> 00:30:00,554 to help prevent pilots from deflecting the rudder too far. 451 00:30:03,223 --> 00:30:08,103 - I think 587 brought an awareness to the aviation industry. 452 00:30:08,729 --> 00:30:11,357 Pilots, they push that rudder in full deflection, 453 00:30:11,357 --> 00:30:14,526 it could have disastrous effects. 454 00:30:17,446 --> 00:30:20,199 (narrator): But despite the lessons learned from the crash 455 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:22,201 of American Airlines 587, 456 00:30:22,201 --> 00:30:27,164 a rookie mistake causes disaster seven years later. 457 00:30:27,164 --> 00:30:31,710 - Gear down. LOC's alive. - Gear's down. 458 00:30:33,420 --> 00:30:36,006 Ah! Ah! (alarm sounding) 459 00:30:36,048 --> 00:30:37,591 - Jesus Christ! 460 00:30:38,968 --> 00:30:40,469 (screaming) 461 00:30:42,137 --> 00:30:46,809 - It was one of the grisliest, nastiest scenes that I think I've seen. 462 00:30:46,809 --> 00:30:49,019 (sirens wailing) 463 00:30:51,355 --> 00:30:55,067 (narrator): Continental Connection Flight 3407, 464 00:30:55,109 --> 00:30:56,694 operated by Colgan Air, 465 00:30:56,694 --> 00:31:01,031 is enroute from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo, New York. 466 00:31:03,325 --> 00:31:06,870 It's been a busy flight for Captain Marvin Renslow. 467 00:31:06,912 --> 00:31:10,541 He's providing guidance to a new first officer. 468 00:31:10,582 --> 00:31:12,292 - Ah... 469 00:31:12,292 --> 00:31:13,669 (sneezing) Ah! 470 00:31:13,711 --> 00:31:15,587 (narrator): Twenty-four-year-old Rebecca Shaw 471 00:31:15,629 --> 00:31:17,715 has been with the airline for just over a year. 472 00:31:17,756 --> 00:31:21,760 She must decide now if she wants to become a captain. 473 00:31:22,386 --> 00:31:24,596 - I don't know what I wanna do with the upgrade. 474 00:31:24,638 --> 00:31:28,350 - If you stayed on the Q, obviously you're not making the captain rate. 475 00:31:28,350 --> 00:31:30,894 - Right. - But you may have a better quality of life 476 00:31:30,936 --> 00:31:33,981 with regards to buying a house and having a schedule. 477 00:31:33,981 --> 00:31:37,317 (narrator): Shaw trained on the plane they're flying now, 478 00:31:37,317 --> 00:31:40,571 a Canadian-made Bombardier Q400. 479 00:31:43,532 --> 00:31:46,452 There are 45 passengers on board. 480 00:31:47,619 --> 00:31:52,499 Flight 3407 is heading northwest over Upstate New York. 481 00:31:52,499 --> 00:31:55,169 The trip is only 53 minutes. 482 00:31:59,256 --> 00:32:00,883 Visibility is poor, 483 00:32:00,924 --> 00:32:05,429 and there's a forecast of snow and moderate winds in Buffalo. 484 00:32:06,346 --> 00:32:08,849 - Folks, from the flight deck, your first officer speaking. 485 00:32:08,849 --> 00:32:12,102 At this time, we're about 15 minutes outside of Buffalo. 486 00:32:12,144 --> 00:32:14,063 Weather in Buffalo is pretty foggy. 487 00:32:14,063 --> 00:32:15,814 Snowing a bit there. I'd like to make sure 488 00:32:15,856 --> 00:32:20,319 everyone remains in their seat so the flight attendants can prepare the cabin for arrival. 489 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:23,113 (narrator): As the flight makes its approach, 490 00:32:23,155 --> 00:32:25,574 the pilots prepare the aircraft for landing. 491 00:32:25,574 --> 00:32:30,662 - Gear down. LOC's alive. - Gear's down. 492 00:32:31,455 --> 00:32:33,123 - Alright. Flaps, 15. 493 00:32:33,165 --> 00:32:35,501 (narrator): Extending the flaps provides more lift, 494 00:32:35,501 --> 00:32:39,088 allowing the plane to slow to its final-approach speed. 495 00:32:39,088 --> 00:32:41,799 (alarm sounding) - Uh... 496 00:32:42,925 --> 00:32:45,219 Oh! Ah! 497 00:32:45,344 --> 00:32:46,595 (alarm sounding) 498 00:32:46,637 --> 00:32:50,349 (narrator): Suddenly, the Q400 slips out of control. 499 00:32:50,390 --> 00:32:54,812 Captain Renslow struggles to contain his aircraft. 500 00:32:56,313 --> 00:32:58,148 (alarm sounding) - Ah! 501 00:32:58,565 --> 00:33:02,319 (Renslow groaning) - Mother... (exclamations) 502 00:33:02,361 --> 00:33:03,487 (panting) 503 00:33:03,487 --> 00:33:06,907 (narrator): But it seems to have a mind of its own. 504 00:33:08,617 --> 00:33:10,953 (all screaming) 505 00:33:12,955 --> 00:33:15,249 - Mother bear! 506 00:33:16,375 --> 00:33:20,337 - Should the gear be up?! - Gear... up! (narrator): It's too late. 507 00:33:20,337 --> 00:33:24,633 The plane is now in a stall, and Renslow can't recover. 508 00:33:25,217 --> 00:33:27,052 - Ah, we're down. 509 00:33:27,094 --> 00:33:28,595 (screaming) 510 00:33:28,637 --> 00:33:30,347 (all screaming) 511 00:33:41,066 --> 00:33:45,237 (narrator): The plane crashes into a suburban home in Clarence Center, 512 00:33:45,237 --> 00:33:48,907 a town five miles short of Buffalo Airport. 513 00:33:49,575 --> 00:33:54,121 All 49 passengers and crew are killed on impact. 514 00:33:54,955 --> 00:33:57,916 One person on the ground also dies. 515 00:33:59,376 --> 00:34:03,797 The devastated house and downed plane are a blazing inferno. 516 00:34:03,797 --> 00:34:05,966 (sirens wailing) 517 00:34:06,008 --> 00:34:08,802 - The height of it was just unbelievable. (siren wailing) 518 00:34:09,178 --> 00:34:13,182 Obviously because of the fuel that was probably added to it, and, uh, 519 00:34:13,223 --> 00:34:16,685 and the debris area was very large. 520 00:34:16,977 --> 00:34:18,979 It was a horrific sight. 521 00:34:20,606 --> 00:34:24,443 (narrator): Firefighters work tirelessly through the night. 522 00:34:26,737 --> 00:34:31,241 The scene in the morning is one of utter devastation. 523 00:34:32,284 --> 00:34:35,954 - Clint Crookshanks from the NTSB. Can I start poking around? 524 00:34:35,954 --> 00:34:40,292 (narrator): Clint Crookshanks is one of the first investigators on the case. 525 00:34:40,542 --> 00:34:43,253 - When we arrived on scene, there was a fire still burning. 526 00:34:43,295 --> 00:34:47,049 Turns out it was from a gas line that had been broken in the house. 527 00:34:47,090 --> 00:34:51,261 The firemen would put the fire out and it would reignite every couple of minutes. 528 00:34:52,304 --> 00:34:57,392 (narrator): Investigators hope the flight's black boxes will provide answers. 529 00:34:58,602 --> 00:35:02,356 - We were able to cut a hole in the side of the fuselage. 530 00:35:03,607 --> 00:35:05,692 Once we took the recorders out of the airplane, 531 00:35:05,692 --> 00:35:09,279 we put them on the jet and they were flown back to Washington, DC, 532 00:35:09,321 --> 00:35:10,989 to our headquarters. 533 00:35:10,989 --> 00:35:13,492 (narrator): At the NTSB labs in Washington, 534 00:35:13,492 --> 00:35:17,120 Systems Investigator Scott Warren analyzes 535 00:35:17,162 --> 00:35:20,207 the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder, or CVR, 536 00:35:20,249 --> 00:35:24,836 to determine if there are any indications of a problem in the cockpit. 537 00:35:26,546 --> 00:35:28,173 - Is that ice on the windshield? 538 00:35:28,173 --> 00:35:32,094 (narrator): He discovers that six minutes before the crash, 539 00:35:32,094 --> 00:35:37,641 the crew of Flight 3407 notices a build-up of ice on the aircraft. 540 00:35:38,433 --> 00:35:40,102 (Renslow): I got it on my side. 541 00:35:40,102 --> 00:35:42,104 You don't have yours? 542 00:35:42,437 --> 00:35:46,066 - Oh, yeah. Oh, it's lots of ice. 543 00:35:46,566 --> 00:35:50,070 (narrator): Ice can be a deadly threat to any airplane. 544 00:35:50,445 --> 00:35:53,198 - If an aircraft has ice on it, it will have more drag on it, 545 00:35:53,240 --> 00:35:56,827 so it will require more power to maintain a given airspeed. 546 00:35:56,827 --> 00:36:01,206 - When ice accretes on a wing, it adds weight to the airplane, 547 00:36:01,206 --> 00:36:03,917 but most importantly, it changes the shape of the wing. 548 00:36:03,959 --> 00:36:07,963 And it's the curved shape of the wing that actually creates the lift. 549 00:36:07,963 --> 00:36:11,842 So by changing the lift characteristics of the airplane, 550 00:36:11,842 --> 00:36:14,136 it makes it less able to fly. 551 00:36:14,136 --> 00:36:15,762 - Flaps, 15 before... 552 00:36:16,013 --> 00:36:20,434 (narrator): The CVR reveals that only minutes after the crew detects ice, 553 00:36:20,434 --> 00:36:22,769 a device called the stick shaker goes off. 554 00:36:22,769 --> 00:36:25,647 (Shaw): Ah! (beeping) 555 00:36:25,647 --> 00:36:29,401 (narrator): It's a warning to pilots that the plane is losing airspeed. 556 00:36:29,401 --> 00:36:34,281 If they don't go faster, the plane will stall and fall out of the sky. 557 00:36:34,740 --> 00:36:36,116 (Shaw screaming) 558 00:36:36,742 --> 00:36:42,289 Scott Warren knows the Q400 has a sophisticated de-icing system. 559 00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:48,211 To prevent ice accumulating, the plane has rubber bladders along the front of the wings 560 00:36:48,253 --> 00:36:50,464 called de-icing boots. 561 00:36:51,048 --> 00:36:53,675 A series of valves uses air from the engines 562 00:36:53,717 --> 00:36:57,679 to inflate the boots and crack the ice off the wing. 563 00:36:59,348 --> 00:37:02,476 Studying the flight data recorder, or FDR, 564 00:37:02,476 --> 00:37:06,438 will reveal whether the de-icing system was switched on. 565 00:37:06,980 --> 00:37:10,025 (Warren): We know from the FDR data that the de-icing system 566 00:37:10,067 --> 00:37:12,069 had been selected on by the crew, 567 00:37:12,110 --> 00:37:15,989 and it was on during the majority of the flight. 568 00:37:16,573 --> 00:37:20,744 (narrator): The pilots had switched the de-icing mechanisms on. 569 00:37:21,161 --> 00:37:24,706 But were they working properly? To answer that question, 570 00:37:24,748 --> 00:37:28,502 investigators sift through piles of charred wreckage 571 00:37:28,502 --> 00:37:31,463 until they find the de-icing valves. 572 00:37:32,047 --> 00:37:34,591 - We took those valves and, as far as we could tell, 573 00:37:34,633 --> 00:37:37,177 all those valves were working properly. 574 00:37:39,429 --> 00:37:43,600 (narrator): If ice didn't bring down Flight 3407... 575 00:37:43,975 --> 00:37:46,686 ...what else caused the plane to stall, 576 00:37:46,728 --> 00:37:50,023 crash, and kill 50 people? 577 00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:57,072 (narrator): Investigators know icing conditions were not bad enough 578 00:37:57,114 --> 00:38:01,076 to take down Continental Connection Flight 3407. 579 00:38:01,535 --> 00:38:06,164 Something else must've caused it to suddenly lose airspeed. 580 00:38:10,544 --> 00:38:17,050 NTSB investigator Scott Warren knows the plane was flying at 131 knots 581 00:38:17,050 --> 00:38:19,052 when the stick shaker went off, 582 00:38:19,094 --> 00:38:22,347 more than enough speed to stay airborne. 583 00:38:23,056 --> 00:38:25,058 - Alright. Flaps, 15. 584 00:38:27,394 --> 00:38:30,188 - When the stick shaker went off... - Uh... 585 00:38:30,188 --> 00:38:32,524 Oh! (alarm sounding) 586 00:38:33,483 --> 00:38:37,487 - ...they were not necessarily at the edge of a stall. 587 00:38:37,821 --> 00:38:41,074 They were still 20 knots or so away from the stall. 588 00:38:41,450 --> 00:38:46,746 (narrator): This new revelation deepens the mystery of Flight 3407. 589 00:38:47,289 --> 00:38:53,378 The stall warning was triggered when the plane was in no danger of slowing to a stall speed. 590 00:38:54,004 --> 00:38:59,676 Investigators work with the plane's manufacturer to learn more about the aircraft. 591 00:39:00,844 --> 00:39:05,932 They discover the Bombardier Q400 has a unique safety feature 592 00:39:05,932 --> 00:39:09,019 known as a Reference Speed Switch. 593 00:39:10,353 --> 00:39:15,775 The switch changes the airspeed at which the plane's stall warning is activated. 594 00:39:16,818 --> 00:39:19,362 - - Some kind of variable Ref Speed? 595 00:39:19,779 --> 00:39:22,532 (narrator): Captain Renslow should have activated the switch 596 00:39:22,574 --> 00:39:25,410 before flying through the icy weather. 597 00:39:26,536 --> 00:39:28,747 - When you are in icing conditions, 598 00:39:28,747 --> 00:39:31,082 and ice does accrue on the wing, 599 00:39:31,124 --> 00:39:34,294 it can cause the stall speed to go up, 600 00:39:34,294 --> 00:39:37,047 and so this Ref Speed Switch correspondingly causes 601 00:39:37,088 --> 00:39:41,510 the warning to come on sooner or at a higher speed. 602 00:39:42,344 --> 00:39:44,971 - What that switch does, is it basically, uh, 603 00:39:44,971 --> 00:39:48,183 changes the trigger settings for the stick shaker. 604 00:39:48,767 --> 00:39:50,435 (narrator): If ice was slowing the plane, 605 00:39:50,435 --> 00:39:54,689 Captain Renslow would be alerted sooner than usual to pick up speed 606 00:39:54,689 --> 00:39:57,567 and avoid a stall situation. 607 00:40:02,239 --> 00:40:06,117 Investigators eventually find the Reference Speed Switch panel 608 00:40:06,159 --> 00:40:08,828 buried in layers of crash debris. 609 00:40:09,579 --> 00:40:10,747 - Bingo. 610 00:40:10,789 --> 00:40:13,708 (narrator): And it's in the activated position. 611 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:19,422 - And we'll probably be picking up some ice. 612 00:40:20,173 --> 00:40:23,843 (narrator): If Renslow and Shaw remembered to configure the plane properly 613 00:40:23,885 --> 00:40:26,263 by turning on the Reference Speed Switch, 614 00:40:26,263 --> 00:40:31,726 why didn't they notice their airspeed was too slow for the icy conditions? 615 00:40:32,435 --> 00:40:35,772 - Obviously you're not making the captain rate. - Right. 616 00:40:35,772 --> 00:40:38,858 (narrator): The CVR reveals a chilling answer. 617 00:40:39,734 --> 00:40:43,488 The flight crew had been talking throughout the flight, 618 00:40:43,530 --> 00:40:46,324 continuing into the landing approach, 619 00:40:46,324 --> 00:40:48,910 a violation of the "sterile cockpit rule." 620 00:40:48,952 --> 00:40:50,370 (Shaw): Yeah, and that's another thing. 621 00:40:50,370 --> 00:40:53,456 And he said, "Yeah, you're gonna be upgraded in six months." 622 00:40:53,498 --> 00:40:56,710 Blah, blah, blah. (Renslow laughing) 623 00:40:56,751 --> 00:40:59,254 (narrator): When the stick shaker goes off, 624 00:40:59,254 --> 00:41:02,465 the distracted crew is caught off-guard. (exclamations) 625 00:41:03,091 --> 00:41:06,511 - Once the stick shaker activated, they could have, uh, 626 00:41:06,553 --> 00:41:12,100 turned the switch off, or put the nose down and increased their airspeed. 627 00:41:12,517 --> 00:41:15,270 (narrator): Using data from the flight recorders, 628 00:41:15,270 --> 00:41:17,397 investigators create a computer simulation 629 00:41:17,397 --> 00:41:20,609 to give them a better understanding of the crash. 630 00:41:21,276 --> 00:41:24,321 - Watch what happens just after the stick shaker goes off. 631 00:41:24,321 --> 00:41:29,159 (narrator): It illustrates that just after the stick shaker was triggered, 632 00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:31,494 the plane suddenly pulled up. 633 00:41:31,494 --> 00:41:34,706 This action dramatically slowed the aircraft. 634 00:41:34,706 --> 00:41:37,167 And at this point, it did stall. 635 00:41:37,167 --> 00:41:41,463 - Essentially, the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall from which it did not recover. 636 00:41:41,504 --> 00:41:43,006 It pitched over and hit the ground. 637 00:41:43,006 --> 00:41:45,842 (narrator): Investigators are dumbfounded. 638 00:41:46,468 --> 00:41:49,095 Both pilots should have known how to respond 639 00:41:49,137 --> 00:41:52,015 to one of flight's most basic tasks. 640 00:41:52,974 --> 00:41:58,521 The crew's every action during the critical seconds after the stall warning sounded 641 00:41:58,521 --> 00:42:00,899 now demand careful scrutiny. 642 00:42:01,650 --> 00:42:07,113 - We wanted to see if the way they flew the airplane was the way they were trained. 643 00:42:08,406 --> 00:42:11,576 (narrator): Investigators dig deeper into the FDR data 644 00:42:11,576 --> 00:42:17,082 to examine how the pilot manoeuvred the plane after the stick shaker was triggered. 645 00:42:18,375 --> 00:42:20,960 They focus in on the control column. 646 00:42:20,960 --> 00:42:23,546 What Scott Warren finds is stunning. 647 00:42:23,963 --> 00:42:29,219 In response to the stick shaker, Captain Renslow should have pushed the column forward 648 00:42:29,260 --> 00:42:32,639 to bring the nose down and gain speed. 649 00:42:33,264 --> 00:42:36,810 But the distracted captain did the exact opposite. 650 00:42:37,227 --> 00:42:40,689 - Ah! - We found that the crew, instead of pushing forward, 651 00:42:40,689 --> 00:42:44,275 which is the normal response to a stick shaker triggering, 652 00:42:44,275 --> 00:42:47,946 the crew was actually pulling back on the control. 653 00:42:48,697 --> 00:42:51,783 (narrator): This had the effect of pulling the nose up, 654 00:42:51,783 --> 00:42:57,163 causing the airspeed to drop and tipping the aircraft into an actual stall. 655 00:42:59,457 --> 00:43:01,960 Captain Renslow apparently mishandled 656 00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:04,462 one of the most elemental piloting manoeuvres: 657 00:43:04,462 --> 00:43:07,757 How to recover from a stall. (Shaw exclaiming) 658 00:43:08,007 --> 00:43:12,178 - Had the first officer simply called out, "You're stalled, advance the power, 659 00:43:12,220 --> 00:43:16,349 push the nose over," the airplane would've been able to recover. 660 00:43:16,391 --> 00:43:20,895 - From a human point of view, it's sad to recognize that those sorts of things happened, 661 00:43:20,937 --> 00:43:23,648 and the tragedy that came from that. 662 00:43:24,482 --> 00:43:28,653 (narrator): It's concluded that Captain Renslow's failure to properly respond 663 00:43:28,653 --> 00:43:35,076 to the stall warning is the primary cause of the crash of Flight 3407. 664 00:43:35,577 --> 00:43:38,329 He reacted in the worst possible way 665 00:43:38,329 --> 00:43:40,457 and sealed the fate of the plane. 666 00:43:40,749 --> 00:43:43,960 - You get a stall warning and you have to take corrective action, 667 00:43:44,002 --> 00:43:46,045 and you know the altitude is very low, 668 00:43:46,045 --> 00:43:48,173 you don't have a lot of options; 669 00:43:48,173 --> 00:43:50,300 you just have to be able to react. 670 00:43:50,341 --> 00:43:53,553 (screaming) - No, no, no, no, no! Ah! 671 00:43:53,553 --> 00:43:56,556 (narrator): At the heart of some of the worst airline accidents 672 00:43:56,556 --> 00:43:59,934 lie mistakes of staggering simplicity. 673 00:43:59,934 --> 00:44:02,437 - What the hell are we into?! 674 00:44:03,229 --> 00:44:07,066 - Rookie errors don't necessarily occur to just rookie pilots. 675 00:44:07,108 --> 00:44:10,445 It can happen to the most experienced pilot. 676 00:44:10,445 --> 00:44:12,614 (sirens wailing) 677 00:44:35,428 --> 00:44:37,639 Subtitling: difuze