1 00:00:03,379 --> 00:00:08,310 A 737 is in trouble. The pilots blinded by rain. 2 00:00:09,448 --> 00:00:11,413 In the cabin, government officials 3 00:00:11,517 --> 00:00:13,068 and influential businessmen. 4 00:00:29,620 --> 00:00:33,793 The crash of IFO-21 shocks the world. 5 00:00:33,896 --> 00:00:36,586 Did a final act of war bring the plane down? 6 00:00:38,241 --> 00:00:40,000 The White House demands answers. 7 00:00:41,137 --> 00:00:43,310 This was no ordinary flight - 8 00:00:43,413 --> 00:00:46,310 but a military jet carrying American politicians. 9 00:00:47,758 --> 00:00:49,896 When the investigation is over - 10 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:52,689 the Air Force itself is held responsible. 11 00:01:28,724 --> 00:01:32,586 Wednesday April the 3rd, 1996. 12 00:01:32,689 --> 00:01:36,241 A raw spring day near the city of Dubrovnik, Croatia. 13 00:01:37,551 --> 00:01:40,172 Rain pelts the runway at the city's airport. 14 00:01:41,965 --> 00:01:44,724 A small group of diplomats hurry through the storm, 15 00:01:44,827 --> 00:01:46,000 trying to keep dry. 16 00:01:47,379 --> 00:01:50,827 They're part of a delegation that's just touched down. 17 00:01:50,931 --> 00:01:53,551 Among them-- the Croatian Prime minister-- 18 00:01:53,655 --> 00:01:57,137 and the American ambassador to the region, Peter Galbraith. 19 00:01:57,241 --> 00:02:02,103 The flight into Dubrovnik was a scary flight. 20 00:02:02,206 --> 00:02:04,068 We couldn't see anything at all. 21 00:02:05,827 --> 00:02:07,724 At that point I'd been ambassador to Croatia 22 00:02:07,827 --> 00:02:11,862 for nearly three years and I'd done a lot of shuttle 23 00:02:11,965 --> 00:02:15,965 diplomacy and it certainly was one of the most uncomfortable. 24 00:02:16,068 --> 00:02:19,034 The weather that made Galbraith's landing 25 00:02:19,137 --> 00:02:20,965 so bad isn't letting up. 26 00:02:23,655 --> 00:02:27,655 In fact, commercial flights into Dubrovnik have been canceled. 27 00:02:27,758 --> 00:02:29,103 But the ambassador and the others 28 00:02:29,206 --> 00:02:31,068 aren't waiting for a commercial flight. 29 00:02:35,758 --> 00:02:37,724 They're here to greet IFO-21, 30 00:02:38,793 --> 00:02:41,310 a US Air Force jet on a delicate mission. 31 00:02:42,862 --> 00:02:45,000 The plane is a specially designed 737. 32 00:02:46,379 --> 00:02:49,482 The Air Force has a small fleet of these jets to transport 33 00:02:49,586 --> 00:02:51,689 high-profile guests around the world. 34 00:02:53,068 --> 00:02:55,793 The cabin has everything needed to do business, 35 00:02:55,896 --> 00:02:59,793 and politics 10-thousand metres in the sky. 36 00:02:59,896 --> 00:03:03,758 Today the cabin is filled with what the military call DVs-- 37 00:03:03,862 --> 00:03:05,103 Distinguished Visitors. 38 00:03:06,275 --> 00:03:08,689 This group is led by United States Secretary 39 00:03:08,793 --> 00:03:10,413 of Commerce Ron Brown. 40 00:03:10,517 --> 00:03:18,275 Ron Brown was a very smooth capable individual. 41 00:03:18,379 --> 00:03:21,413 He was a Washington insider 42 00:03:21,517 --> 00:03:23,965 and he had all the skills that go with that. 43 00:03:24,068 --> 00:03:29,965 Brown is a star in the Democratic party. 44 00:03:32,379 --> 00:03:33,655 He played an important role 45 00:03:33,758 --> 00:03:35,758 in getting Bill Clinton elected president. 46 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:38,896 Under Clinton, Brown was appointed 47 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,448 the first African American Commerce secretary 48 00:03:41,551 --> 00:03:42,689 in the country's history. 49 00:03:44,896 --> 00:03:46,896 The United States companies that are here 50 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,103 today are eager to engage in dialogue with government 51 00:03:50,206 --> 00:03:53,724 businesses and more importantly to do business. 52 00:03:57,586 --> 00:03:59,137 Today, that job has taken 53 00:03:59,241 --> 00:04:02,000 Brown to one of the most troubled areas in the world. 54 00:04:08,620 --> 00:04:12,551 For four years, civil war ripped Bosnia and Croatia apart. 55 00:04:15,137 --> 00:04:18,241 But just a few months ago, an uneasy peace began. 56 00:04:21,448 --> 00:04:22,862 As Commerce secretary, 57 00:04:22,965 --> 00:04:25,448 Brown is helping to rebuild the local economy. 58 00:04:25,551 --> 00:04:34,379 The philosophy behind it was that the peace would 59 00:04:34,482 --> 00:04:37,931 not be durable unless there was economic progress 60 00:04:38,034 --> 00:04:40,931 in the region, that that was really critical to the peace. 61 00:04:41,034 --> 00:04:44,551 Brown's three-day tour started that 62 00:04:44,655 --> 00:04:48,103 morning in Tuzla, Bosnia where the group toured an electrical 63 00:04:48,206 --> 00:04:51,758 plant and ate hamburgers with American troops stationed there. 64 00:04:51,862 --> 00:04:54,620 Being a former army man myself, 65 00:04:54,724 --> 00:04:57,931 I know what being away from home is like so we thought 66 00:04:58,034 --> 00:04:59,793 we would bring a little bit of home to you. 67 00:04:59,896 --> 00:05:04,103 The final stop on today's tour is the ancient 68 00:05:04,206 --> 00:05:06,655 coastal city of Dubrovnik. 69 00:05:06,758 --> 00:05:08,758 Before the war, it was a vital part 70 00:05:08,862 --> 00:05:10,413 of the country's tourism industry. 71 00:05:12,620 --> 00:05:17,482 It was my idea that Ron Brown should go to Dubrovnik. 72 00:05:17,586 --> 00:05:20,586 The Croatians were very eager to get the word out that Dubrovnik 73 00:05:20,689 --> 00:05:23,655 was still standing and that it was still a tourist destination. 74 00:05:23,758 --> 00:05:26,275 So I thought it would be very useful to have Ron Brown 75 00:05:26,379 --> 00:05:27,586 and the delegation go there. 76 00:05:29,827 --> 00:05:33,793 But on this damp day Dubrovnik is not at its best 77 00:05:33,896 --> 00:05:35,551 or even visible. 78 00:05:35,655 --> 00:05:39,034 Fog presses down from the sky obscuring the city 79 00:05:39,137 --> 00:05:40,896 and the beautiful Adriatic coast. 80 00:05:43,689 --> 00:05:46,310 To the north of Dubrovnik flies IFO-21. 81 00:05:47,448 --> 00:05:50,448 Its pilot is captain Ashley J. Davis. 82 00:05:50,551 --> 00:05:52,137 His colleagues call him A.J. 83 00:05:57,689 --> 00:06:02,034 Departure IFO-21. IFO-21 go ahead. 84 00:06:02,137 --> 00:06:03,310 From the cockpit, 85 00:06:03,413 --> 00:06:05,931 Davis can see some clouds ahead that he wants to avoid. 86 00:06:06,034 --> 00:06:06,896 Yeah we're going to need to come left here just 87 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:08,344 a couple of miles for a buildup. 88 00:06:08,448 --> 00:06:11,724 IFO-21, this is approved as requested. 89 00:06:11,827 --> 00:06:14,620 Climb and maintain flight level one six zero. 90 00:06:14,724 --> 00:06:17,068 Up to one six zero now. IFO-21. 91 00:06:17,172 --> 00:06:21,137 It's two o'clock in the afternoon. 92 00:06:21,241 --> 00:06:25,275 AJ Davis and his crew have been on the go since dawn. 93 00:06:25,379 --> 00:06:28,103 While the cabin of this plane is built for comfort, 94 00:06:28,206 --> 00:06:30,034 the cockpit is virtually identical 95 00:06:30,137 --> 00:06:31,448 to a standard issue 737. 96 00:06:34,620 --> 00:06:37,827 AJ Davis grew up in Baton Rouge Louisiana 97 00:06:37,931 --> 00:06:40,310 and dreamed of being a pilot. 98 00:06:40,413 --> 00:06:42,517 He made it and has been on the front line 99 00:06:42,620 --> 00:06:44,000 of American military efforts. 100 00:06:50,137 --> 00:06:52,482 In the past, he flew midair refuelers 101 00:06:52,586 --> 00:06:54,103 high above the Persian Gulf. 102 00:06:57,862 --> 00:06:59,655 But now he pilots diplomats 103 00:06:59,758 --> 00:07:01,620 and other officials from around the world. 104 00:07:02,758 --> 00:07:04,620 It means a lot of traveling - 105 00:07:04,724 --> 00:07:06,551 and a lot of time away from his wife 106 00:07:06,655 --> 00:07:10,344 and two children at Ramstein, an American base in Germany. 107 00:07:13,965 --> 00:07:15,655 According to the Air Force ranks, 108 00:07:15,758 --> 00:07:18,586 Shelley Kelly is a technical sergeant. 109 00:07:18,689 --> 00:07:22,965 Today on IFO-21, her main job is to make sure the passengers 110 00:07:23,068 --> 00:07:24,241 have everything they need. 111 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:31,586 Mister secretary, something to eat? 112 00:07:31,689 --> 00:07:32,896 No, no thank you. 113 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:33,965 I was wondering how our time's looking. 114 00:07:34,068 --> 00:07:35,931 The diplomats are expecting to arrive 115 00:07:36,034 --> 00:07:38,344 in Dubrovnik by mid-afternoon. 116 00:07:38,448 --> 00:07:41,034 But they've been running late all day. 117 00:07:41,137 --> 00:07:42,068 I can check to find out for sure if you'd like. 118 00:07:42,172 --> 00:07:44,068 Yeah, thank you. Early would be good. 119 00:07:44,172 --> 00:07:50,068 As the plane nears Dubrovnik, AJ Davis calls 120 00:07:50,172 --> 00:07:52,931 the United States Air Force weather service for an update. 121 00:07:53,034 --> 00:07:56,172 Metro IFO-21 how copy? Over. 122 00:07:56,275 --> 00:07:59,206 IFO-21 copy loud and clear. 123 00:07:59,310 --> 00:08:01,379 Weather for Lima Delta Uniform as follows. 124 00:08:01,482 --> 00:08:05,862 Rain, sky conditions 5-hundred, broken. That would be ceiling. 125 00:08:05,965 --> 00:08:10,034 How well do you copy? Metro IFO-21 copies. 126 00:08:11,172 --> 00:08:14,137 Yeah we've been in it all day. 127 00:08:14,241 --> 00:08:16,206 Are you expecting any changes in the weather? 128 00:08:16,310 --> 00:08:18,620 Pretty much continued rain. Over. 129 00:08:18,724 --> 00:08:23,931 Copy. Rain. Thanks for your help. 130 00:08:25,482 --> 00:08:28,275 So let's see the sights of Dubrovnik. 131 00:08:28,379 --> 00:08:34,793 Only four months after a peace treaty was signed, 132 00:08:34,896 --> 00:08:36,931 the skies over this part of the world aren't 133 00:08:37,034 --> 00:08:39,344 guaranteed to be friendly. 134 00:08:39,448 --> 00:08:41,172 Planes are still required to fly 135 00:08:41,275 --> 00:08:44,206 in certain highly restricted lanes. 136 00:08:44,310 --> 00:08:46,827 While he is aware there are flight restrictions, 137 00:08:46,931 --> 00:08:50,379 Davis has never flown in this part of the world before. 138 00:08:50,482 --> 00:08:54,241 As he nears the Croatian border, he gets an unexpected warning. 139 00:08:54,344 --> 00:08:56,862 IFO-21 this is MAGIC 51. 140 00:08:56,965 --> 00:09:00,241 MAGIC is the call sign for the peacekeeping 141 00:09:00,344 --> 00:09:02,896 Airborne Early Warning aircraft that watches air 142 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:04,448 corridors like a traffic cop. 143 00:09:04,551 --> 00:09:09,758 Be advised you are leaving an approved corridor. 144 00:09:09,862 --> 00:09:11,137 Please re-route immediately. 145 00:09:11,241 --> 00:09:13,413 Davis isn't off course. 146 00:09:13,517 --> 00:09:16,172 He's flying the exact route he had planned-- 147 00:09:16,275 --> 00:09:17,482 but without knowing it, 148 00:09:17,586 --> 00:09:21,068 Davis and his plane are flying out of approved air space. 149 00:09:21,172 --> 00:09:23,586 They're flying into potentially dangerous territory. 150 00:09:23,689 --> 00:09:25,482 Repeat, you are leaving an approved corridor. Reroute. 151 00:09:25,586 --> 00:09:29,241 Roger MAGIC. Our error. 152 00:09:29,344 --> 00:09:32,206 Rerouting now to proper corridor. Over. 153 00:09:34,724 --> 00:09:35,620 Second time today. 154 00:09:35,724 --> 00:09:40,103 The approved corridors do change. 155 00:09:40,206 --> 00:09:43,379 And Davis and his crew should have been informed. 156 00:09:43,482 --> 00:09:45,034 To stay on an approved course, 157 00:09:45,137 --> 00:09:48,137 Davis will have to swing out to the west. 158 00:09:48,241 --> 00:09:50,068 It's an embarrassing situation-- 159 00:09:50,172 --> 00:09:51,655 that's going to cost them time. 160 00:09:51,758 --> 00:09:58,310 Shelly. AJ. We've been directed to reroute. 161 00:09:58,413 --> 00:10:02,655 We'll be arriving about fifteen minutes late at Dubrovnik. 162 00:10:02,758 --> 00:10:03,758 Apologies to all back there. 163 00:10:03,862 --> 00:10:13,724 Ladies and gentlemen, 164 00:10:13,827 --> 00:10:15,068 could I have your attention please? 165 00:10:16,793 --> 00:10:17,931 Unfortunately there will be a slight 166 00:10:18,034 --> 00:10:20,034 delay on our arrival into Dubrovnik. 167 00:10:27,068 --> 00:10:28,827 The DVs aren't gonna be happy at all. 168 00:10:28,931 --> 00:10:31,655 And that weather ahead will probably slow us down even more. 169 00:10:31,758 --> 00:10:35,103 Outside his plane, 170 00:10:35,206 --> 00:10:38,655 the heavy rain continues to crash down. 171 00:10:38,758 --> 00:10:41,827 Flying toward an unfamiliar airport with a cabin full of 172 00:10:41,931 --> 00:10:45,931 businessmen and diplomats, Davis has a difficult task ahead. 173 00:10:47,172 --> 00:10:50,000 What happens to this plane-- and its passengers-- 174 00:10:50,103 --> 00:10:51,689 over the next several hours 175 00:10:51,793 --> 00:10:54,068 will capture the attention of the world. 176 00:10:54,172 --> 00:11:03,413 A heavy rain soaks a small 177 00:11:03,517 --> 00:11:05,482 airport in Dubrovnik, Croatia. 178 00:11:06,931 --> 00:11:09,965 Headed towards it is a US Air Force 737 179 00:11:10,068 --> 00:11:13,586 carrying 35 people on a trade mission. 180 00:11:13,689 --> 00:11:17,482 Leading the delegation - US secretary of Commerce Ron Brown. 181 00:11:17,586 --> 00:11:27,793 Dubrovnik approach IFO 21, level one, zero, zero. 182 00:11:27,896 --> 00:11:30,344 Dubrovnik approach. Good afternoon. 183 00:11:30,448 --> 00:11:34,379 Maintain 10-thousand feet for beacon approach runway one two. 184 00:11:34,482 --> 00:11:37,827 Okay, descending to 10-thousand feet, IFO-21. 185 00:11:37,931 --> 00:11:41,965 The weather is so bad today 186 00:11:42,068 --> 00:11:43,896 that commercial flights have been cancelled. 187 00:11:46,482 --> 00:11:59,275 As they approach the airport, the rain isn't letting up. 188 00:11:59,379 --> 00:12:01,793 But the crew is dealing with more than just bad weather. 189 00:12:04,103 --> 00:12:06,413 The recent civil war has taken a heavy toll 190 00:12:06,517 --> 00:12:07,551 on Dubrovnik's airport. 191 00:12:12,517 --> 00:12:14,206 It had been closed for several years-- 192 00:12:14,310 --> 00:12:16,103 and is waiting for a new landing system. 193 00:12:16,206 --> 00:12:22,034 The airport was totally trashed by the Serbs who 194 00:12:22,137 --> 00:12:24,172 had taken over the airport during the '91 war. 195 00:12:25,965 --> 00:12:29,068 They really went out of their way for the destruction. 196 00:12:29,172 --> 00:12:31,551 They destroyed the instrument landing system. 197 00:12:31,655 --> 00:12:33,241 The new one was on order. 198 00:12:33,344 --> 00:12:41,344 Around the world, airports use sophisticated 199 00:12:41,448 --> 00:12:44,103 technology to help planes take-off and land. 200 00:12:46,068 --> 00:12:48,586 Doppler radar warns of incoming storms. 201 00:12:52,482 --> 00:12:55,551 Glide slopes help pilots stay on course to land. 202 00:13:02,517 --> 00:13:06,103 The devastated Dubrovnik airport has none of that. 203 00:13:06,206 --> 00:13:08,517 It doesn't even have radar to see the planes 204 00:13:08,620 --> 00:13:09,931 that are coming in for landing. 205 00:13:11,344 --> 00:13:14,379 Instead, the airport is using so-called non-directional 206 00:13:14,482 --> 00:13:17,793 beacons to guide planes toward the runway. 207 00:13:17,896 --> 00:13:20,620 In the aviation world, it's ancient technology. 208 00:13:20,724 --> 00:13:24,758 There are many non-directional beacons used in 209 00:13:24,862 --> 00:13:26,793 the United States and throughout the world but they're an 210 00:13:26,896 --> 00:13:30,896 older navigational aid, and in fact they were on the way out. 211 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:37,034 The system in Dubrovnik has two 212 00:13:37,137 --> 00:13:40,379 beacons on the ground, which send out signals to the plane. 213 00:13:42,931 --> 00:13:44,586 When the crew receives the signals, 214 00:13:44,689 --> 00:13:46,379 they consult their charts - 215 00:13:46,482 --> 00:13:48,793 and follow the course that will take them to the airport. 216 00:13:51,310 --> 00:13:54,689 The crew of IFO-21 is still waiting to hear the first 217 00:13:54,793 --> 00:13:57,448 signal when they get a call from the ground. 218 00:13:57,551 --> 00:13:59,689 9A-CRO to IFO-21. 219 00:13:59,793 --> 00:14:04,931 IFO-21. I read you 9A-CRO. Over. 220 00:14:05,034 --> 00:14:09,172 Another plane - 221 00:14:09,275 --> 00:14:11,172 this one carrying Ambassador Galbraith - 222 00:14:11,275 --> 00:14:12,793 had touched down earlier in Dubrovnik. 223 00:14:14,689 --> 00:14:17,275 The pilot of that plane is an experienced flyer, 224 00:14:17,379 --> 00:14:19,620 who is very familiar with the area. 225 00:14:19,724 --> 00:14:21,793 He wants to let the crew know what to expect. 226 00:14:21,896 --> 00:14:26,275 IFO-21, we landed about an hour ago. 227 00:14:27,896 --> 00:14:29,793 The weather was at minimums. 228 00:14:29,896 --> 00:14:31,448 Suggesting diverting to Split 229 00:14:31,551 --> 00:14:35,344 if you have to execute a missed approach. Over. 230 00:14:35,448 --> 00:14:38,862 Roger 9A-CRO. We read you. Out. 231 00:14:38,965 --> 00:14:44,172 Diverting wouldn't be welcome 232 00:14:44,275 --> 00:14:46,517 news for the members of the trade delegation. 233 00:14:46,620 --> 00:14:55,172 The pressures to get the passengers to scheduled news 234 00:14:55,275 --> 00:14:59,068 conferences and other activities were probably pretty high. 235 00:14:59,172 --> 00:15:05,000 As Davis closes in on the airport, 236 00:15:05,103 --> 00:15:07,000 the Dubrovnik Tower calls again. 237 00:15:07,103 --> 00:15:14,482 IFO-21. Report Level. IFO-21 five thousand. 238 00:15:14,586 --> 00:15:16,896 IFO-21 Roger. 239 00:15:18,379 --> 00:15:21,827 Descend to four thousand, report Kilo Lima Papa. 240 00:15:21,931 --> 00:15:24,931 Down to four thousand, IFO-21. 241 00:15:25,034 --> 00:15:34,758 You'll have to put that away. Seatbelt? Sir, thank you. 242 00:15:34,862 --> 00:15:36,413 Flying above the storm, 243 00:15:36,517 --> 00:15:39,827 the crew finally hears the radio signal from the first beacon. 244 00:15:39,931 --> 00:15:43,517 There it is. 245 00:15:43,620 --> 00:15:47,551 At kilo lima papa we're tracking outbound at 1-1-9 degrees. 246 00:15:47,655 --> 00:15:49,206 1-1-9 confirmed. 247 00:15:55,931 --> 00:15:59,965 Mister Secretary? We're landing. 248 00:16:00,068 --> 00:16:01,413 Okay. We'll take this up later Adam. 249 00:16:01,517 --> 00:16:07,620 It's not very broken up down there. 250 00:16:08,896 --> 00:16:11,068 I can't see through it. Tim? 251 00:16:11,172 --> 00:16:15,103 The clouds are thick - the crew can't see the ground. 252 00:16:15,206 --> 00:16:16,724 They have to trust their instruments 253 00:16:16,827 --> 00:16:18,241 as they descend through the storm. 254 00:16:18,344 --> 00:16:23,482 IFO-21. Sir we are inside the locator. Inbound. 255 00:16:23,586 --> 00:16:27,379 IFO-21. Roger. Cleared for beacon approach. 256 00:16:27,482 --> 00:16:28,689 Runway is wet. 257 00:16:28,793 --> 00:16:30,482 IFO-21. 258 00:16:45,758 --> 00:16:47,793 AJ Davis flies blind 259 00:16:47,896 --> 00:16:50,206 through heavy rain and cloud cover. 260 00:16:50,310 --> 00:16:52,551 He expects to see the airport any second. 261 00:17:18,344 --> 00:17:20,000 IFO-21. Do you read? 262 00:17:20,103 --> 00:17:23,137 Just before three o'clock in the afternoon, 263 00:17:23,241 --> 00:17:26,517 Dubrovnik Tower loses all contact with IFO-21. 264 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:36,655 Without approach radar to track the plane, 265 00:17:36,758 --> 00:17:39,000 controllers have no idea where it is. 266 00:17:43,689 --> 00:17:46,344 Perhaps the plane has diverted to another airport. 267 00:17:46,448 --> 00:17:48,551 IFO-21. Do you read? 268 00:17:48,655 --> 00:17:50,517 But as the minutes stretch on 269 00:17:50,620 --> 00:17:53,068 with no word from the American plane, 270 00:17:53,172 --> 00:17:55,275 local controllers are taking no chances. 271 00:17:55,379 --> 00:17:57,931 Initiate emergency procedures. 272 00:17:58,034 --> 00:18:03,482 Near the end of our shift 273 00:18:03,586 --> 00:18:06,241 we heard about the possibility of a missing plane. 274 00:18:06,344 --> 00:18:09,068 We didn't know who was on the plane. 275 00:18:10,965 --> 00:18:13,137 We had no details about the flight. 276 00:18:13,241 --> 00:18:17,620 For situations like this there is a certain procedure, 277 00:18:17,724 --> 00:18:19,586 and we just waited for more information. 278 00:18:19,689 --> 00:18:24,275 Peter Galbraith is waiting at the airport 279 00:18:24,379 --> 00:18:25,862 with Croatia's Prime Minister. 280 00:18:27,034 --> 00:18:35,379 It was clear from my own flight 281 00:18:35,482 --> 00:18:40,241 in that this was a very marginal landing. 282 00:18:40,344 --> 00:18:43,965 I did not expect them to attempt the landing in Dubrovnik. 283 00:18:45,724 --> 00:18:49,206 The Croatian prime minister came up to me and pulled me aside. 284 00:18:49,310 --> 00:18:53,793 He said we have lost radio contact with Ron Brown's plane. 285 00:18:56,275 --> 00:18:58,517 I got the state department operations 286 00:18:58,620 --> 00:19:02,551 center on the phone and asked to activate the US 287 00:19:02,655 --> 00:19:06,758 military to start search and rescue activities. 288 00:19:06,862 --> 00:19:09,517 Word goes out to the chain 289 00:19:09,620 --> 00:19:11,275 of Air Traffic Control centers-- 290 00:19:11,379 --> 00:19:18,931 But no one has had any contact with IFO-21. 291 00:19:22,689 --> 00:19:23,827 The search and rescue effort 292 00:19:23,931 --> 00:19:26,344 focuses on the approach to the airport. 293 00:19:26,448 --> 00:19:28,689 Perhaps the plane had ditched into the Adriatic. 294 00:19:28,793 --> 00:19:35,103 At the time I was about a hundred miles away. 295 00:19:35,206 --> 00:19:37,068 I was in Brindisi, Italy. 296 00:19:37,172 --> 00:19:41,137 We launched two of our MA 53 helicopters with special 297 00:19:41,241 --> 00:19:44,689 tactics air force personnel onboard headed to Dubrovnik. 298 00:19:44,793 --> 00:19:49,827 For hours, there is no sign of the missing aircraft. 299 00:19:49,931 --> 00:19:51,689 The weather conditions are getting worse. 300 00:19:51,793 --> 00:19:59,931 Fog was in, thunderstorms in the area. Low visibility. 301 00:20:00,034 --> 00:20:03,310 IFO-21 Dubrovnik Approach. Do you read? 302 00:20:03,413 --> 00:20:07,137 IFO-21 has a CPI 303 00:20:07,241 --> 00:20:09,206 or Crash Position Indicator on board. 304 00:20:09,310 --> 00:20:12,482 IFO-21. Do you read? 305 00:20:12,586 --> 00:20:14,482 If the plane went down, 306 00:20:14,586 --> 00:20:18,793 the CPI should be sending out an ultra-high frequency signal. 307 00:20:18,896 --> 00:20:22,896 But the Dubrovnik Airport, as well as lacking radar, 308 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,206 does not have the equipment to pick up the signal. 309 00:20:25,310 --> 00:20:31,551 IFO-21. Do you read? IFO-21. Do you read? 310 00:20:34,482 --> 00:20:39,137 As the hours pass, 311 00:20:39,241 --> 00:20:41,655 poor visibility frustrates the searchers. 312 00:20:41,758 --> 00:20:44,931 They arrived off the coast. 313 00:20:46,103 --> 00:20:48,241 They were over water looking for the crash. 314 00:20:48,344 --> 00:20:55,862 Hours after the plane disappears, 315 00:20:55,965 --> 00:20:58,379 police respond to a tip. 316 00:20:58,482 --> 00:21:00,137 A local villager has seen something 317 00:21:00,241 --> 00:21:02,344 on the hill above his house. 318 00:21:02,448 --> 00:21:03,827 It's a long way from the coast 319 00:21:03,931 --> 00:21:05,413 where the search is concentrated. 320 00:21:05,517 --> 00:21:14,241 We went up with two vehicles to check the mountains. 321 00:21:14,344 --> 00:21:16,344 The weather was extremely horrible, 322 00:21:16,448 --> 00:21:19,241 strong rain and thick fog. 323 00:21:19,344 --> 00:21:23,275 So we went on foot for about an hour up that mountain. 324 00:21:23,379 --> 00:21:24,724 Then we came close. 325 00:21:24,827 --> 00:21:28,862 It's almost 7:30 at night, 326 00:21:28,965 --> 00:21:30,896 four and a half hours after the crew 327 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:32,413 called for clearance to land. 328 00:21:33,586 --> 00:21:36,965 The crash of IFO-21 is finally confirmed. 329 00:21:45,862 --> 00:21:48,413 The news races from Dubrovnik to America. 330 00:21:48,517 --> 00:21:53,724 The crash site has been reached by Croatian police 331 00:21:53,827 --> 00:21:56,068 and I've just received word 332 00:21:56,172 --> 00:21:58,241 that there's also a Croatian doctor on the scene. 333 00:21:58,344 --> 00:22:04,000 The tail section is the only substantial 334 00:22:04,103 --> 00:22:07,310 piece of IFO-21 that's left. 335 00:22:07,413 --> 00:22:10,241 Debris and bodies are scattered across the mountain. 336 00:22:14,034 --> 00:22:17,448 These were hard moments, 337 00:22:17,551 --> 00:22:20,724 as we were walking over the boulders, not knowing 338 00:22:20,827 --> 00:22:23,862 if we're going to step on someone's body. 339 00:22:23,965 --> 00:22:27,034 These are the moments that you can't forget. 340 00:22:27,137 --> 00:22:30,827 Then, almost miraculously, 341 00:22:30,931 --> 00:22:33,655 police make a heartening discovery. 342 00:22:33,758 --> 00:22:37,137 Inside the tail section, they find a survivor. 343 00:22:37,241 --> 00:22:39,310 It's technical sergeant Shelley Kelly. 344 00:22:39,413 --> 00:22:47,896 As we arrived at the tail section one policeman went 345 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,827 inside and found the body of a stewardess and he tried to help. 346 00:22:53,689 --> 00:22:56,172 That was our hope. We wanted to help. 347 00:22:56,275 --> 00:23:00,068 We wanted to save every life and hers was our chance. 348 00:23:00,172 --> 00:23:01,551 We were counting on it. 349 00:23:01,655 --> 00:23:10,206 In the darkness, they realize that Kelly needs 350 00:23:10,310 --> 00:23:12,827 immediate medical attention if she's going to survive. 351 00:23:16,482 --> 00:23:20,137 When I realized that there was no one to help 352 00:23:20,241 --> 00:23:23,620 I radioed the police central station in Dubrovnik 353 00:23:23,724 --> 00:23:26,689 and got them the location of the crash site. 354 00:23:26,793 --> 00:23:29,758 By then, it was completely dark. 355 00:23:29,862 --> 00:23:37,551 St. John's hill is alive 356 00:23:37,655 --> 00:23:40,758 with close to 1-hundred Croatian policemen and military. 357 00:23:43,344 --> 00:23:45,965 American forces are also rushing to the scene. 358 00:23:47,724 --> 00:23:50,034 Enormous rocks and treacherous conditions 359 00:23:50,137 --> 00:23:52,931 make the wreck site difficult to reach. 360 00:23:53,034 --> 00:23:55,310 But there are also remnants of the recent war. 361 00:23:59,827 --> 00:24:04,344 Mike Canavan is in charge of the US crash recovery operation. 362 00:24:04,448 --> 00:24:06,793 I met a Croatian major. 363 00:24:06,896 --> 00:24:09,965 He told me that he was gonna be the guide that would take us 364 00:24:10,068 --> 00:24:12,241 up to the top of the mountain 365 00:24:12,344 --> 00:24:14,551 and at that time he happened to mention that there were 366 00:24:14,655 --> 00:24:17,965 several minefields between where we were and the crash site. 367 00:24:18,068 --> 00:24:23,103 It takes almost two hours for Canavan 368 00:24:23,206 --> 00:24:25,241 to finally make it up the rocky hill. 369 00:24:25,344 --> 00:24:28,655 We had been walking for some time 370 00:24:28,758 --> 00:24:32,379 and it was very dark and all of a sudden 371 00:24:32,482 --> 00:24:36,896 I saw something that was darker and I didn't know what it was, 372 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,172 and I reached out and it was an aircraft engine. 373 00:24:39,275 --> 00:24:45,000 On top of the hill, the weather is making it 374 00:24:45,103 --> 00:24:48,034 impossible for helicopters to land. 375 00:24:48,137 --> 00:24:51,068 Emergency workers can't wait for the weather to clear. 376 00:24:51,172 --> 00:24:53,137 They have to get Technical Sergeant Kelly 377 00:24:53,241 --> 00:24:54,551 off the mountain immediately. 378 00:24:58,206 --> 00:25:01,689 She has a broken spine and other severe injuries. 379 00:25:01,793 --> 00:25:03,655 But if she can be kept alive, 380 00:25:03,758 --> 00:25:07,000 rescuers hope she can shed some light on what went wrong. 381 00:25:16,517 --> 00:25:17,862 With Kelly off the mountain, 382 00:25:17,965 --> 00:25:20,000 the search for other survivors continues. 383 00:25:27,448 --> 00:25:30,310 Finally, in the darkness, rescue workers find 384 00:25:30,413 --> 00:25:33,586 the body of Ron Brown, the US Commerce Secretary. 385 00:25:37,827 --> 00:25:41,310 In fact, as rescuers continue to comb the hillside, 386 00:25:41,413 --> 00:25:42,862 all they find are bodies. 387 00:25:47,793 --> 00:25:50,206 A.J. Davis and the rest of the crew 388 00:25:50,310 --> 00:25:51,793 were probably killed instantly. 389 00:25:55,931 --> 00:25:57,931 All the other members of the trade delegation 390 00:25:58,034 --> 00:25:59,000 are also killed. 391 00:26:04,517 --> 00:26:08,206 As dozens of emergency workers continue their grim search, 392 00:26:08,310 --> 00:26:09,758 a call comes from Dubrovnik. 393 00:26:13,206 --> 00:26:16,103 Technical Sergeant Shelley Kelly is pronounced dead 394 00:26:16,206 --> 00:26:17,965 in the ambulance en route to hospital. 395 00:26:21,344 --> 00:26:24,379 No one has survived the crash of IFO 21. 396 00:26:24,482 --> 00:26:30,379 A grim spring rain 397 00:26:30,482 --> 00:26:32,758 hammers down on the mountains of Croatia. 398 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:39,206 Near the Dubrovnik Airport, a 737 has crashed. 399 00:26:39,310 --> 00:26:41,275 The jet was an American Air Forces plane 400 00:26:41,379 --> 00:26:42,896 on a trade mission through the region. 401 00:26:46,724 --> 00:26:48,965 Police and members of the military have searched 402 00:26:49,068 --> 00:26:53,206 for survivors but all 35 people who were on the flight are 403 00:26:53,310 --> 00:27:02,620 now dead including the American Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown. 404 00:27:05,379 --> 00:27:08,413 In the darkness, the rescuers begin a very different job. 405 00:27:11,448 --> 00:27:14,137 Mike Canavan is with the US Special Forces. 406 00:27:14,241 --> 00:27:16,965 Once we realized there were no survivors, 407 00:27:18,275 --> 00:27:19,413 the mission changes. 408 00:27:19,517 --> 00:27:21,000 It goes from there's no one to rescue. 409 00:27:22,137 --> 00:27:25,379 Now you have to recover remains. 410 00:27:25,482 --> 00:27:34,620 By dawn, the weather has improved. 411 00:27:34,724 --> 00:27:37,689 Peter Galbraith gets his first glimpse of the crash site. 412 00:27:37,793 --> 00:27:44,379 We walked up the mountain. 413 00:27:44,482 --> 00:27:46,241 The weather was somewhat better 414 00:27:48,689 --> 00:27:54,448 and near the top there was the fuselage of the plane or 415 00:27:54,551 --> 00:27:58,517 the rear part of it and debris all over the place 416 00:27:58,620 --> 00:28:01,724 and then on the other side of the ridge were the bodies. 417 00:28:03,965 --> 00:28:07,275 There's nothing in the world that compares to a plane crash. 418 00:28:07,379 --> 00:28:13,000 The one thing that my folks did on the mountain, 419 00:28:13,103 --> 00:28:15,620 and then down in Dubrovnik is they did this 420 00:28:15,724 --> 00:28:17,000 with dignity and respect. 421 00:28:17,103 --> 00:28:20,827 I thought it was done exceptionally well. 422 00:28:20,931 --> 00:28:30,965 Ladies and gentlemen, the vice president 423 00:28:31,068 --> 00:28:33,896 and first lady and the members of cabinet 424 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:39,379 and I wanted to come here to be with the employees 425 00:28:39,482 --> 00:28:42,137 of the Commerce Department at this very difficult hour. 426 00:28:44,068 --> 00:28:48,965 Hilary and I have just come from Ron Brown's home 427 00:28:49,068 --> 00:28:52,620 visiting with Alma and Michael and their family 428 00:28:52,724 --> 00:28:53,862 and friends who are there. 429 00:28:53,965 --> 00:28:59,000 As the truth sets in, the hard questions begin. 430 00:28:59,103 --> 00:29:03,551 How had a specially re-designed US Air Force 737 crashed 431 00:29:03,655 --> 00:29:06,000 on a hillside in Croatia? 432 00:29:06,103 --> 00:29:09,137 Was it simply bad weather or in a war-ravaged 433 00:29:09,241 --> 00:29:11,896 part of the world, was there another cause? 434 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:20,103 The purpose of the accident investigation team. 435 00:29:20,206 --> 00:29:22,379 I can guarantee you that they will be extremely 436 00:29:22,482 --> 00:29:25,206 thorough in their analysis in trying to determine 437 00:29:25,310 --> 00:29:26,310 the causes of this accident. 438 00:29:26,413 --> 00:29:31,827 Because of the high-profile nature 439 00:29:31,931 --> 00:29:35,275 of the passengers, rumours begin swirling immediately. 440 00:29:37,758 --> 00:29:41,206 Howard Swancy is one of dozens of experts assigned to the team. 441 00:29:41,310 --> 00:29:44,275 In every accident there's always 442 00:29:44,379 --> 00:29:46,620 a lot of speculation. 443 00:29:46,724 --> 00:29:49,034 In this particular case, you had a high-ranking US government 444 00:29:49,137 --> 00:29:52,724 official and so by the time we had even got to the crash 445 00:29:52,827 --> 00:29:58,931 site there was just quite a bit of media attention around it. 446 00:29:59,034 --> 00:30:00,655 There were fragments, 447 00:30:00,758 --> 00:30:02,758 pieces of aircraft miles away from the wreckage. 448 00:30:05,689 --> 00:30:08,586 So my idea was to get as much information or 449 00:30:08,689 --> 00:30:12,275 collect as much artifacts and physical evidence as I could. 450 00:30:12,379 --> 00:30:16,344 Right from the start, 451 00:30:16,448 --> 00:30:20,000 the investigation team is at a disadvantage. 452 00:30:20,103 --> 00:30:23,034 They discover that there is no cockpit voice recorder or 453 00:30:23,137 --> 00:30:25,724 flight data recorder on the plane. 454 00:30:25,827 --> 00:30:28,000 What is standard for passenger jets is not 455 00:30:28,103 --> 00:30:29,413 required in the Air Force. 456 00:30:29,517 --> 00:30:39,655 I had assumed that that the Air Force 457 00:30:39,758 --> 00:30:42,137 and these VIP flights had higher safety 458 00:30:42,241 --> 00:30:43,896 standards than commercial flights 459 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:46,793 and so I was really shocked to learn that the standards 460 00:30:46,896 --> 00:30:49,931 were generally lower than those for commercial aviation. 461 00:30:50,034 --> 00:30:56,482 Without the standard tools, 462 00:30:56,586 --> 00:30:59,275 investigators can't afford to overlook anything. 463 00:31:00,965 --> 00:31:04,551 The wreck is almost 3 kilometres from the airport. 464 00:31:04,655 --> 00:31:07,758 How did a trained crew get so far off course? 465 00:31:13,655 --> 00:31:15,586 As Swancy examines the wreckage, 466 00:31:17,551 --> 00:31:20,827 Nelson Spohnheimer is brought to look at other evidence. 467 00:31:23,724 --> 00:31:26,448 An expert in aerial navigation, 468 00:31:26,551 --> 00:31:29,965 he plots the plane's doomed final minutes. 469 00:31:30,068 --> 00:31:34,068 To trace the last moments of the flight he turns to the sky-- 470 00:31:34,172 --> 00:31:36,137 and the US Air Force radar plane 471 00:31:36,241 --> 00:31:37,965 which had been patrolling the region. 472 00:31:38,068 --> 00:31:40,034 IFO-21, this is MAGIC-51. 473 00:31:40,137 --> 00:31:45,689 Be advised you're leaving an approved corridor - 474 00:31:45,793 --> 00:31:46,862 please reroute immediately. 475 00:31:46,965 --> 00:31:50,655 Rerouting now to proper corridor. Over. 476 00:31:50,758 --> 00:31:57,379 Apart from heading out of approved airspace, 477 00:31:57,482 --> 00:31:59,517 Spohnheimer finds nothing unusual 478 00:31:59,620 --> 00:32:02,448 about the plane's flight-- until the end. 479 00:32:02,551 --> 00:32:07,103 The radar track that I was given 480 00:32:07,206 --> 00:32:10,896 was from an AWACS aircraft and showed that the en route 481 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:13,275 portions of the flight from about a hundred miles 482 00:32:13,379 --> 00:32:15,724 prior to the airport were entirely nominal. 483 00:32:15,827 --> 00:32:20,241 The last segment of the flight however - 484 00:32:20,344 --> 00:32:23,482 beginning twenty kilometres from the airport - is different. 485 00:32:25,310 --> 00:32:29,310 On their final approach, the plane begins to head off course. 486 00:32:29,413 --> 00:32:31,586 They start flying in a straight line - 487 00:32:31,689 --> 00:32:33,586 which heads right into the mountains. 488 00:32:33,689 --> 00:32:39,862 My initial look at the flight 489 00:32:39,965 --> 00:32:43,931 track of the aircraft showed a seven degree bearing 490 00:32:44,034 --> 00:32:45,482 error in the final segment of the approach. 491 00:32:45,586 --> 00:32:47,931 A small error-- 492 00:32:48,034 --> 00:32:50,586 when traveling at hundreds of kilometers an hour-- 493 00:32:50,689 --> 00:32:53,000 could quickly lead to an enormous problem. 494 00:32:54,551 --> 00:32:57,758 But why would the plane get off course at the end of the trip 495 00:32:57,862 --> 00:33:02,448 if the rest of the flight showed no major navigational problems? 496 00:33:02,551 --> 00:33:06,103 Even in bad weather, how had the crew become so lost? 497 00:33:06,206 --> 00:33:13,620 Sponheimer examines the out-dated navigational 498 00:33:13,724 --> 00:33:15,000 equipment at the airport. 499 00:33:16,344 --> 00:33:18,931 Badly damaged during the recent war, 500 00:33:19,034 --> 00:33:20,482 perhaps it had malfunctioned. 501 00:33:22,310 --> 00:33:24,655 Two separate navigational beacons are used 502 00:33:24,758 --> 00:33:26,965 for landing in Dubrovnik. 503 00:33:27,068 --> 00:33:30,724 One guides planes TO the runway, the other lets them know 504 00:33:30,827 --> 00:33:32,068 if they've gone too far. 505 00:33:33,482 --> 00:33:37,172 The first is located on near-by Kolocep Island. 506 00:33:37,275 --> 00:33:39,655 It transmits a specific Morse Code signal 507 00:33:39,758 --> 00:33:41,551 to make it easily identifiable. 508 00:33:43,068 --> 00:33:46,448 When they hear it, all Davis and his crew need to do is fly 509 00:33:46,551 --> 00:33:49,655 a heading specified on their landing charts. 510 00:33:49,758 --> 00:33:51,655 If they do-- they should eventually 511 00:33:51,758 --> 00:33:53,827 arrive at the airport. 512 00:33:53,931 --> 00:33:57,344 The second beacon is located at the airport itself. 513 00:33:57,448 --> 00:33:59,517 It's a fail-safe device. 514 00:33:59,620 --> 00:34:02,724 If the crew hears the beacon before they see the airport, 515 00:34:02,827 --> 00:34:04,551 they have to declare a missed approach, 516 00:34:04,655 --> 00:34:06,793 and circle around to try landing again. 517 00:34:11,241 --> 00:34:14,172 In fact, the plane that brought Peter Galbraith to Dubrovnik 518 00:34:14,275 --> 00:34:18,724 just minutes before IFO-21 only landed on its second attempt. 519 00:34:18,827 --> 00:34:25,068 IFO-21. I read you 9A-CRO. Over. 520 00:34:25,172 --> 00:34:25,965 Suggesting diverting to Split 521 00:34:26,068 --> 00:34:28,448 if you have to execute the missed approach. Over. 522 00:34:28,551 --> 00:34:32,896 Roger 9A-CRO. We read you. Out. 523 00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:37,103 But after studying the equipment, 524 00:34:37,206 --> 00:34:40,310 Spohnheimer doesn't believe it played a role in the crash. 525 00:34:40,413 --> 00:34:43,000 Both the non-directional beacons were found to be 526 00:34:43,103 --> 00:34:44,724 operating normally by flight tests 527 00:34:44,827 --> 00:34:46,241 within a few days after the accident. 528 00:34:46,344 --> 00:34:49,758 There are bizarre rumours 529 00:34:49,862 --> 00:34:52,586 of an even more sinister theory. 530 00:34:52,689 --> 00:34:55,655 Perhaps Davis was following a decoy beacon, 531 00:34:55,758 --> 00:34:58,275 put in the mountains on purpose. 532 00:34:58,379 --> 00:35:02,172 In a troubled region, was this an attack on the trade mission? 533 00:35:02,275 --> 00:35:11,172 To get a signal that is strong enough to be heard you 534 00:35:11,275 --> 00:35:14,413 have to have a very large ground system which is difficult to 535 00:35:14,517 --> 00:35:19,241 establish in rocky, sandy soil so it would be very expensive 536 00:35:19,344 --> 00:35:22,724 and very time consuming to set up an NDB in the mountains. 537 00:35:22,827 --> 00:35:25,172 Such an elaborate scheme 538 00:35:25,275 --> 00:35:28,172 would be nearly impossible to pull off. 539 00:35:28,275 --> 00:35:31,655 No evidence is ever found of a decoy beacon. 540 00:35:31,758 --> 00:35:33,586 The investigation continues. 541 00:35:40,931 --> 00:35:42,896 In the wreckage of the Air Force flight, 542 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:46,724 investigators discover an important piece of the puzzle. 543 00:35:46,827 --> 00:35:50,103 The plane's ADF-- or Automatic Direction Finder-- 544 00:35:50,206 --> 00:35:53,827 is recovered. It appears to be working-- 545 00:35:53,931 --> 00:35:57,586 but only one of the units had been installed on this jet. 546 00:35:57,689 --> 00:35:59,896 To perform a proper landing in Dubrovnik 547 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:02,206 a plane requires two ADFs. 548 00:36:09,137 --> 00:36:11,000 The device listens to the signals put 549 00:36:11,103 --> 00:36:13,448 out by the land-based beacons. 550 00:36:13,551 --> 00:36:16,275 But it can only listen to one at a time. 551 00:36:16,379 --> 00:36:18,793 We're still not past it. I'm tuning back to KLP. 552 00:36:18,896 --> 00:36:22,931 Flying with one ADF, the crew can listen to either 553 00:36:23,034 --> 00:36:26,034 the beacon, which is telling them how to get to the airport, 554 00:36:26,137 --> 00:36:29,379 or the beacon, which is telling them they've gone too far. 555 00:36:29,482 --> 00:36:31,275 They can't do both at the same time. 556 00:36:31,379 --> 00:36:35,103 That would have required 557 00:36:35,206 --> 00:36:38,275 two ADF receivers in the aircraft 558 00:36:38,379 --> 00:36:41,000 which the accident aircraft had only one, 559 00:36:42,448 --> 00:36:45,344 and only having one ADF restricted their ability 560 00:36:45,448 --> 00:36:46,862 to follow the approach accurately. 561 00:36:48,793 --> 00:36:50,827 I've got CV. We're still not past it though. 562 00:36:50,931 --> 00:36:52,827 I'm tuning back to KLP. 563 00:36:52,931 --> 00:36:55,379 69 By quickly tuning back and forth between the two 564 00:36:55,482 --> 00:37:00,241 beacons, the crew can use one ADF to listen to two signals. 565 00:37:00,344 --> 00:37:03,586 But it would have added stress to an already difficult landing. 566 00:37:04,827 --> 00:37:08,137 And it's another surprise-- the Air Force jet wasn't 567 00:37:08,241 --> 00:37:10,517 adequately equipped to land at this airport. 568 00:37:10,620 --> 00:37:17,379 You're talking in a very short time span 569 00:37:17,482 --> 00:37:19,448 of making the approach. 570 00:37:19,551 --> 00:37:22,793 It's gonna become rather difficult in trying to dial 571 00:37:22,896 --> 00:37:24,965 both to keep listening to the code 572 00:37:25,068 --> 00:37:27,413 if you're also trying to search for your course and headings. 573 00:37:27,517 --> 00:37:30,827 As he continues to study the path 574 00:37:30,931 --> 00:37:34,517 that IFO-21 took, Nelson Spohnheimer 575 00:37:34,620 --> 00:37:37,586 focuses on an S-shaped curve in the plane's flight. 576 00:37:39,689 --> 00:37:41,689 It's the sort of path a plane would take 577 00:37:41,793 --> 00:37:44,689 when looking for a signal from a non-directional beacon. 578 00:37:46,275 --> 00:37:47,344 But just when the crew 579 00:37:47,448 --> 00:37:49,344 should be looking for the beacon signal, 580 00:37:49,448 --> 00:37:50,965 the S-turns disappear. 581 00:37:51,068 --> 00:37:52,758 About two or three miles 582 00:37:52,862 --> 00:37:54,413 inside the final approach fix, 583 00:37:54,517 --> 00:37:56,896 for the next seven or eight, nine miles, 584 00:37:57,000 --> 00:37:58,620 the flight track is perfectly straight. 585 00:37:58,724 --> 00:38:04,241 Instead of trusting the navigational system 586 00:38:04,344 --> 00:38:07,413 that was in place, even though it was primitive, 587 00:38:07,517 --> 00:38:09,931 the crew suddenly seems to give up. 588 00:38:10,034 --> 00:38:12,137 And Spohnheimer thinks he knows why. 589 00:38:15,758 --> 00:38:20,206 Fighting heavy rain and hampered by a single direction finder, 590 00:38:20,310 --> 00:38:23,482 Spohnheimer believes the crew resorted to another even 591 00:38:23,586 --> 00:38:26,379 older piece of technology to find the runway, 592 00:38:26,482 --> 00:38:30,344 something called INS, or Inertial navigation system. 593 00:38:30,448 --> 00:38:35,448 An INS system uses gyroscopes to maintain 594 00:38:35,551 --> 00:38:38,137 an awareness of how much the airplane turns and banks. 595 00:38:38,241 --> 00:38:41,758 After entering a specific geographical 596 00:38:41,862 --> 00:38:44,689 position at the beginning of a flight, an inertial 597 00:38:44,793 --> 00:38:48,965 navigation system tracks all the turns a plane makes. 598 00:38:49,068 --> 00:38:52,275 It's a self-contained system on the aircraft. 599 00:38:52,379 --> 00:38:54,551 But there is a potentially enormous problem. 600 00:38:55,931 --> 00:38:58,931 If the gyroscopes don't perfectly calculate every 601 00:38:59,034 --> 00:39:02,862 single maneuver of the plane, a pilot can be off course. 602 00:39:09,068 --> 00:39:10,172 It's not very broken up down there. 603 00:39:11,517 --> 00:39:14,862 I can't see through it. Tim? 604 00:39:14,965 --> 00:39:16,241 The crew might have thought that 605 00:39:16,344 --> 00:39:19,793 switching to this system would help them find their way. 606 00:39:19,896 --> 00:39:20,931 But in this case, 607 00:39:21,034 --> 00:39:24,551 it might have put the plane dangerously off course. 608 00:39:24,655 --> 00:39:28,586 INS drift in this case was probably, in my view, 609 00:39:28,689 --> 00:39:31,000 the primary reason the aircraft ended up where it was. 610 00:39:41,517 --> 00:39:44,448 Investigator Howard Swancy examines the Jeppeson 611 00:39:44,551 --> 00:39:47,551 approach chart the crew was using as they attempted to land. 612 00:39:49,758 --> 00:39:52,965 Hampered by poor visibility and relying on the inertial 613 00:39:53,068 --> 00:39:56,551 navigation system, their charts would have been a key aid. 614 00:40:00,482 --> 00:40:02,206 But when he takes a closer look at it, 615 00:40:02,310 --> 00:40:03,827 he notices something peculiar. 616 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:07,965 A key figure - the minimum descent altitude - 617 00:40:08,068 --> 00:40:08,896 isn't accurate. 618 00:40:10,172 --> 00:40:12,758 The minimum descent altitude is the height where pilots 619 00:40:12,862 --> 00:40:15,344 must be able to see the airport. 620 00:40:15,448 --> 00:40:17,068 If you can't see it at that height-- 621 00:40:17,172 --> 00:40:18,551 you have to abort the landing. 622 00:40:18,655 --> 00:40:25,793 Each country has a responsibility of developing 623 00:40:25,896 --> 00:40:28,620 these procedures and then publishing the information 624 00:40:28,724 --> 00:40:32,586 so that other nationalities as well as their own aircrews 625 00:40:32,689 --> 00:40:33,862 can fly those approach procedures. 626 00:40:35,620 --> 00:40:38,448 Swancy discovers that the minimum descent altitude 627 00:40:38,551 --> 00:40:41,551 on the chart doesn't meet American aviation standards. 628 00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:44,758 Given the mountainous terrain it 629 00:40:44,862 --> 00:40:47,896 should have been more than 28-hundred feet. 630 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:49,758 But the chart the crew was using said it 631 00:40:49,862 --> 00:40:51,931 was just over 21-hundred feet. 632 00:40:53,896 --> 00:40:55,758 It means that the crew could have flown 633 00:40:55,862 --> 00:40:59,275 almost 7-hundred feet lower than experts in the US thought 634 00:40:59,379 --> 00:41:01,689 was safe without having to abort the landing. 635 00:41:03,413 --> 00:41:06,379 Combined with the other problems the crew was dealing with, 636 00:41:06,482 --> 00:41:09,655 the non-standard chart sealed their fate. 637 00:41:09,758 --> 00:41:11,655 Struggling to find the airport, 638 00:41:11,758 --> 00:41:14,275 they were straining to see through the clouds, 639 00:41:14,379 --> 00:41:16,931 assuming they were still safely above the mountains. 640 00:41:22,034 --> 00:41:25,103 Pull up! Pull up! Pull up! 641 00:41:36,275 --> 00:41:38,551 But why wasn't an Air Force jet properly 642 00:41:38,655 --> 00:41:40,241 equipped to land in Dubrovnik? 643 00:41:44,862 --> 00:41:47,655 And why didn't the crew have the right landing charts that 644 00:41:47,758 --> 00:41:49,965 would have made even a difficult flight safer? 645 00:41:56,379 --> 00:41:57,551 The answers are found 646 00:41:57,655 --> 00:42:00,206 at an American military base in Germany - 647 00:42:00,310 --> 00:42:03,275 with some of the most senior members of the Air Force. 648 00:42:03,379 --> 00:42:14,931 In the spring of 1996, a US Air Force jet crashed 649 00:42:15,034 --> 00:42:17,689 just outside the airport in Dubrovnik Croatia. 650 00:42:22,413 --> 00:42:26,000 Pull up! Pull up! Pull up! 651 00:42:36,724 --> 00:42:40,517 None of the 35 people on board IFO-21 survived. 652 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:45,275 The plane was a specially re-designed 737. 653 00:42:47,517 --> 00:42:49,448 But investigators have found that the crew 654 00:42:49,551 --> 00:42:52,379 didn't have the equipment it needed to safely land 655 00:42:52,482 --> 00:42:56,793 in the war-ravaged airport and that the charts 656 00:42:56,896 --> 00:42:59,931 they were using weren't up to American aviation standards. 657 00:43:02,965 --> 00:43:05,551 To discover why the crew were attempting to land 658 00:43:05,655 --> 00:43:07,931 in such difficult circumstances, 659 00:43:08,034 --> 00:43:10,827 the investigators question Colonel John Mazurowski. 660 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:13,862 He's the operations Group Commander 661 00:43:13,965 --> 00:43:16,034 for the airlift wing in charge of the flight. 662 00:43:17,172 --> 00:43:19,275 His job is to provide transportation 663 00:43:19,379 --> 00:43:22,655 for a growing number of distinguished visitors. 664 00:43:22,758 --> 00:43:25,310 But these are tight budget times. 665 00:43:25,413 --> 00:43:28,206 Mazurowski has been told to do more with less. 666 00:43:28,310 --> 00:43:30,758 What I'd like to talk about now 667 00:43:30,862 --> 00:43:32,793 is the Jeppeson approach subject. 668 00:43:32,896 --> 00:43:38,482 One of the major focuses of the investigators 669 00:43:38,586 --> 00:43:42,034 is the Jeppeson landing charts the crew were using. 670 00:43:42,137 --> 00:43:45,206 The charts-- drawn up for most major airports-- 671 00:43:45,310 --> 00:43:47,724 give crews a vast amount of information, 672 00:43:47,827 --> 00:43:50,482 including what to do in the case of a missed approach. 673 00:43:51,793 --> 00:43:54,103 But Investigator Howard Swancy has already 674 00:43:54,206 --> 00:43:57,275 found that these charts were not up to US standards. 675 00:43:57,379 --> 00:44:09,034 The Air Force had a directive that required all 676 00:44:09,137 --> 00:44:12,413 procedures in foreign countries to have gone through a US 677 00:44:12,517 --> 00:44:16,379 or their evaluation process prior to an air force crew 678 00:44:16,482 --> 00:44:17,862 being able to fly that approach. 679 00:44:17,965 --> 00:44:21,310 Landing at the Dubrovnik airport 680 00:44:21,413 --> 00:44:23,379 had not been approved. 681 00:44:23,482 --> 00:44:26,482 The Jeppesen landing charts that did exist for the airport 682 00:44:26,586 --> 00:44:28,448 had not been reviewed. 683 00:44:28,551 --> 00:44:30,379 It's the reason that Howard Swancy found 684 00:44:30,482 --> 00:44:33,103 a difference between what the charts said-- 685 00:44:33,206 --> 00:44:36,000 and what was considered safe by the defense department. 686 00:44:42,275 --> 00:44:45,000 Mazurowski believed that restricting his planes to 687 00:44:45,103 --> 00:44:49,448 approved airports would severely limit some of his missions. 688 00:44:49,551 --> 00:44:52,620 It takes time to check all the airports out. 689 00:44:52,724 --> 00:44:54,586 He had asked for the review to be waived 690 00:44:54,689 --> 00:44:56,827 for some airports including Dubrovnik. 691 00:44:56,931 --> 00:45:00,448 This Jeppesen approach waiver. 692 00:45:00,551 --> 00:45:02,241 What caused you to initiate this? 693 00:45:02,344 --> 00:45:04,827 It just seemed like we had been 694 00:45:04,931 --> 00:45:07,000 using these approaches for years. 695 00:45:07,103 --> 00:45:09,344 Safety didn't seem to be in question. 696 00:45:09,448 --> 00:45:12,758 But the Defense Department waiver 697 00:45:12,862 --> 00:45:14,758 was never granted. 698 00:45:14,862 --> 00:45:18,379 The approach for Dubrovnik was never approved. 699 00:45:18,482 --> 00:45:20,620 Yet even without the safety clearance, 700 00:45:20,724 --> 00:45:23,172 the Air Force continued to land there. 701 00:45:23,275 --> 00:45:25,206 Dubrovnik Approach. IFO-21 level one zero zero. 702 00:45:25,310 --> 00:45:27,344 Dubrovnik Approach. Good afternoon. 703 00:45:27,448 --> 00:45:29,310 The airport in Dubrovnik 704 00:45:29,413 --> 00:45:32,000 was far below modern standards. 705 00:45:32,103 --> 00:45:34,620 The charts used to land there hadn't been checked 706 00:45:34,724 --> 00:45:36,931 by the Department of Defense. 707 00:45:37,034 --> 00:45:41,000 Nevertheless, senior Air Force officials had decided to permit 708 00:45:41,103 --> 00:45:44,275 landing at Dubrovnik and other airports they were flying into. 709 00:45:44,379 --> 00:45:49,310 In fact none of them had been approved 710 00:45:49,413 --> 00:45:50,275 in this time frame. 711 00:45:50,379 --> 00:45:55,137 Not to my knowledge sir, no. 712 00:45:55,241 --> 00:46:05,758 In the end, a fatal combination of factors 713 00:46:05,862 --> 00:46:08,931 had come together to cause the crash of IFO-21. 714 00:46:09,034 --> 00:46:15,206 Dubrovnik Approach. IFO-21 level one zero zero. 715 00:46:15,310 --> 00:46:17,827 Dubrovnik Approach. Good afternoon. 716 00:46:17,931 --> 00:46:21,689 Maintain ten thousand feet for beacon approach runway one two. 717 00:46:21,793 --> 00:46:23,241 IFO-21. 718 00:46:23,344 --> 00:46:27,551 The crew were fighting bad weather. 719 00:46:27,655 --> 00:46:30,172 They were landing in an unfamiliar airport, 720 00:46:30,275 --> 00:46:33,068 which was hobbled by old technology. 721 00:46:33,172 --> 00:46:36,724 The unapproved charts made a bad situation much worse. 722 00:46:47,827 --> 00:46:49,517 After an investigation involving 723 00:46:49,620 --> 00:46:51,896 nearly 1-hundred and 50 interviews, 724 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:57,206 the final report on the crash of IFO 21 exceeds 7-thousand pages. 725 00:46:57,310 --> 00:47:05,862 How much of the weeping we have done 726 00:47:05,965 --> 00:47:08,206 this last week because there were 727 00:47:08,310 --> 00:47:12,965 so many brilliant young people on that plane with him 728 00:47:14,793 --> 00:47:18,068 from different backgrounds and different racial groups. 729 00:47:18,172 --> 00:47:21,344 Why? Because Ron Brown could see in them 730 00:47:21,448 --> 00:47:23,172 the promise of a new tomorrow. 731 00:47:23,275 --> 00:47:34,586 The results of the investigation fault 732 00:47:34,689 --> 00:47:38,137 several individuals and institutions. 733 00:47:38,241 --> 00:47:41,620 Dubrovnik Airport is singled out for an improperly designed 734 00:47:41,724 --> 00:47:43,137 instrument approach procedure. 735 00:47:47,896 --> 00:47:50,724 Today, Automatic Direction Finders are no longer 736 00:47:50,827 --> 00:47:52,344 needed to land at Dubrovnik. 737 00:47:53,413 --> 00:47:55,137 The airport has replaced its approach 738 00:47:55,241 --> 00:47:58,137 equipment with the Instrument Landing System which was 739 00:47:58,241 --> 00:48:00,275 being delivered at the time of the accident. 740 00:48:00,379 --> 00:48:02,689 I got CV. 741 00:48:02,793 --> 00:48:06,482 The final report says A.J. Davis 742 00:48:06,586 --> 00:48:10,758 and his cockpit crew are responsible for flight errors. 743 00:48:10,862 --> 00:48:15,275 And - like a bullet piercing the heart of Air Force operations 744 00:48:15,379 --> 00:48:18,620 leading military figures are blamed for a failure of command. 745 00:48:23,517 --> 00:48:26,206 In the aftermath of the report, two senior 746 00:48:26,310 --> 00:48:29,000 members of the Air Force are relieved of their posts. 747 00:48:30,931 --> 00:48:32,620 The Air Force severely reprimands 748 00:48:32,724 --> 00:48:36,517 Colonel John Mazurowski for dereliction of duty. 749 00:48:36,620 --> 00:48:39,862 He is demoted and eventually retires as a Major. 750 00:48:41,103 --> 00:48:43,413 Thirteen other officers are also singled 751 00:48:43,517 --> 00:48:45,931 out for their roles in connection with the crash. 752 00:48:48,137 --> 00:48:51,586 The Air Force also changed the way it did business. 753 00:48:51,689 --> 00:48:53,965 All military aircraft were ordered to carry 754 00:48:54,068 --> 00:48:57,655 Flight Data Recorders and Cockpit Voice Recorders. 755 00:48:57,758 --> 00:49:00,310 No aircraft is allowed to fly into an airport 756 00:49:00,413 --> 00:49:03,241 without approval from the Department of Defense, 757 00:49:03,344 --> 00:49:05,413 not even for high-ranking diplomats. 758 00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:14,586 IFO-21. Sir, we are in sight of the locator inbound. 759 00:49:14,689 --> 00:49:18,482 IFO-21, roger. Prepare for beacon approach. 760 00:49:18,586 --> 00:49:20,931 Runway two one. 761 00:49:21,034 --> 00:49:21,724 IFO-21. 762 00:49:21,827 --> 00:49:29,034 The Air Force Command 763 00:49:29,137 --> 00:49:31,827 was held accountable for the accident. 764 00:49:31,931 --> 00:49:33,275 But it is the pilots, 765 00:49:33,379 --> 00:49:37,965 the crew and the passengers of IFO-21 who paid the ultimate 766 00:49:38,068 --> 00:49:41,793 price for oversights made by the 86th Airlift command.