Original subtitles

A first encounter with a dead body

provokes different reactions in each of us:

fear, nausea, fascination.

With experience you learn detachment,

you may even become hardened.

But to be a good pathologist, you have to go beyond that,

because when all the measurements are made

and the samples have been taken,

and the test results are in,

one simple truth holds the key:

that this was once a human being

who lived and breathed and loved, like you and I.

Okay, gents, the wait is over.

Any time now. I gotta go.

McCallan, Daytripper 15, requesting to take off.

Erica Platform, endurance two hours ten minutes.

16 SOB.

Daytripper 15, McCallan.

Clear for takeoff.

Hello, Sam Ryan.

Professor Ryan.

My name is Peterson, Leslie Peterson.

I used to be a DI at the Suffolk Force, Murder Squad.

Sorry, I...

You acted for the defense in a case of mine last year.

You took our expert to the cleaner's.

I've just been appointed crime officer

for the Lincolnshire district,

and I have started at the deep end.

Unfortunate expression.

But two hours ago a helicopter on its way to a gas rink

ditched in the North Sea.

14 passengers, two crew.

Air-sea Rescue are looking out for survivors,

but it doesn't look good.

And I've instigated the local contingency plan,

which means I need a good pathologist.

There's a air taxi standing by Northholt.

Right.

Well, I'll be right there.

Thank you, professor.

Mr. Peterson?

Tony Newsome, Air Accidents Investigation branch.

The colleague, Malcolm Kittrick.

Thank you for making it so quickly.

Any developments?

Rescue chopper is on its second sweep now.

Nothing so far regards to passengers or wreckage.

You have had an aircraft accident?

Their last contact was a May-Day at 16:07.

And since then nothing.

Any chance we can hear the Air Traffic Control tapes?

Yes, they've been secured.

Good.

We'll need an office. We'll be keep keeping statements.

It's in hand.

It's a pathologist.

Coming up.

Professor Ryan from London University.

He'll be a lot of use with no bodies.

I think you'll find he's a she.

Excellent.

Mine's milk with two sugars.

For God's sake, Kevin!

Sorry, Mr. Thorn.

This is the operation room, gentlemen.

Sorry, Mr. Tilson,

operations are suspended until further notice.

Is this a direct line?

Yes. No, dial nine.

Excuse me, if you wouldn't mind?

Sorry, it's just so awful.

Yes, thank you.

We'll be taking statements from everyone later.

Margaret...

Go put the kettle on, right?

Uh, if you, gentlemen, need me, I'll be in my office.

Eh, just a moment.

- Chris! - Thank God!

What the hell is going on?

We heard nothing yet.

They're throwing everything they got tight.

I bloody hope so.

How many on board?

- 16. - Oh, God!

And you are?

Jim Thorn, president of Thorn Air.

These gentlemen are from the AAIB.

We'll be grateful if you and Mr. Tilson will stick around.

Of course.

We shall need to speak to you and all the personnel

that were on duty today, including engineering.

If you will let us have a list?

We'll go to get it right away. Come on, Chris.

Right.

Come on.

Now, will you?

Who was flying?

Matt Davies and Alan Monroe.

Matt?

Does Liz know?

Mm-hm.

I'll call her.

You go to the rest.

Margaret, you give him a hand.

I'm sorry, I can't.

I just can't!

Margaret, they'll be all right.

They've got life floaters, dry suits...

They'll be fine.

No, they won't.

You know it!

Tell the canteen they'd better stay open.

Right.

Should I offer them overtime?

God almighty, Chris!

Here you go.

Oh, coffee!

Oh, right.

Thanks.

Here you are, Liz.

Oh, someone is in trouble.

Oh, yes.

Joanne?

Mrs. Davies.

They're going to the airfield?

You've got your car?

Come on!

I won't be long, okay?

All right?

Do you think Martin is on board?

- Mike. - Sorry, Mike.

Well, he was starting his shift.

Was it Mr. Davies' flight?

He was on standby.

Mr. Peterson?

Professor Ryan.

I'm glad you made it.

So am I.

Any news?

Not yet.

In these conditions, no news is bad news, I'm afraid.

This way.

Mr. Tilson, the general manager.

- Hello. - Hi.

Mr. Thorn, the chief executive.

Who are you?

Sam Ryan.

Professor Ryan, our pathologist.

I'm sorry, but aren't you a bit premature?

I hope so, with any luck I won't be needed at all.

Jim, what's happening?

Liz, we were trying to reach you.

Where is Matt?

Come into my office.

Rescue Center picked up a brief signal, putting their position in this area

about 17 miles off the coast.

Deep water?

150 feet.

But the sea floor in that area is all shifting sand.

The chances are it swallowed the wreckage.

And everyone on board.

Unless they've got out alive.

And haven't drowned or frozen to death.

So far all we have to go on is this.

Daytripper 15. Pan-pa. Pan-pan..

Daytripper 15 McCallan,

What is your position?

Position, 0-5 - 8 - 9 - 5 - 8 - 2...

Daytripper 15 McCallan, repeat...

May-day, May-day.

Two different voices.

The pilot gave Pan-pan, the co-pilot gave May-day.

Why?

Well, presumably the pilot was busy.

Things can get hectic when your aircraft is going down.

There was 20 seconds between the Pan-pan and the May-day.

Rate of acceleration due to gravity is 32 feet per second per second.

Say they were flying at 1,500 feet,

that's about 10 seconds for a vertical drop.

Now, the Pan-pan call wouldn't apply to a vertical drop,

but the May-day would.

My guess is some kind of mechanical failure

which didn't immediately disable the helicopter.

They managed to descend to 500 feet under some measure of control

and then lost it.

That's a lot of presuming.

Unless you have a better theory.

I try not to speculate without evidence.

My problem is that I have 75 commercial helicopters

grounded in the North Sea alone.

I need answers as quickly as possible.

I'd like to submit a draft report within 24 hours,

but without an airframe,

the victims' bodies are the only evidence we're likely to find,

which means it's all down to you.

Except I don't have any bodies.

You will.

Who's going to be looking after the families?

The local police.

I asked them to try and get the details,

including photographs of the missing ones.

I think we should partition off a separate area

- for the next of kin. - Um hmm.

And they can use that door.

Dissection tables and equipment.

We requested the emergency kits stored at the M6.

They should be here in three hours.

Health teams?

I started dragging people out of bed.

Old habits die hard.

We need to find a cold store for the bodies.

In this weather.

Can you stack those against the firewall, please?

Your boss said they'll be fine here.

No, people will trip over them there, against the firewall.

And so, you know, lads, in here...

She's the boss.

All right?

Weather at the time of takeoff.

Synoptic forecast: TAF, and the actual from the current field at 1,800 local.

Wind: 045, 30 knots,

eight to 500, continuous heavy rain, plus eight, plus six,

985, 984.

Yes, the weather was pretty hairy,

but it wouldn't have been a problem for our crew.

They made flights in worse.

I'm not saying they were flying illegally, Mr. Tilson.

I just wanna be able to rule out the weather as a factor.

So the captain was happy to take off?

He raised no objections.

If Matt had a problem, he wouldn't have flown.

He's the captain, it's his decision.

They left 40 minutes behind schedule.

Captain Davies was late arriving at the airfield.

I don't know why.

He suffered a lot of delays recently.

Was another late takeoff gonna jeopardize the contract?

We have excellent relations with the rigs.

They understand the constraints we operate on.

So the contract was safe?

Unless some cowboy operation would have come along and undercut us.

Matt Davies, good pilot was he?

19,000 hours in his logbook.

I couldn't tell him what to do if I tried.

We all trust each other's professional judgment.

That's how we work.

Yes, but I just want to see his log.

And a full maintenance and service history of this helicopter,

plus all the parts verification documents.

And I shall be taking statements from you,

Mr. Tilson here and your engineer, Mr...

- Connel? - Yeah.

If you think it will be useful.

And I should start on it now, if I were you, while you're still fresh,

in case it's needed in the court.

I'll go and find Keith Connel.

- Your fire extinguisher is out to date. - What?

They're coming to talk to you.

Just be careful what you say. You'll need this.

You wanted this all in paperwork.

There it is.

- It is a bit bloody late though, isn't it? - Just put it in the files.

The AAIB closed the sogging files!

Keith, sorry, I've just heard about the crash.

Oh, I've got some work to do.

I can't talk now.

What about Jonathan?

Was he on board?

Come on.

Mr. Tilson?

I understand there's an office I can use.

Yes, of course.

It's not just business with Jim, it's personal.

Without him, this place would have fallen long ago,

taking the town with it.

Have you worked here long?

He gave me my first job when I left school.

Everything! And if I could take his place out there, I would.

You know I would.

Yeah, right, easy to say now.

- Liz, love... - Look, don't you Liz love me!

He was your oldest friend, Jim.

Christmas, New year, he used to say,

"You don't mind, love, having Jim over?"

And holidays was you and me and him.

Wasn't just me and him.

Every hour that God sent he flew for you!

- Liz! - No!

Something had to give, didn't it?

He tried to tell you time and again but you wouldn't listen.

And now it's too late.

You've lost him.

You've lost all those men.

And everybody is gonna know who's responsible!

They found a body.

A fishing boat picked it up 20 minutes ago.

They're on their way to the harbor.

I ought to get down there then.

Well, should I take you?

No, you have enough to do here.

- Mr. Thorn? - Yes, I'll give you a lift.

A fishing boat has found a body.

Do they know who?

They're bringing him in now.

They found a body.

Who is it?

They don't know yet.

But if it is him...

If Jonathan is dead...

What about us?

He's your husband...

You're married to him.

What about us?

They all had dry suits.

Dry suits, life jackets, splash hood,

personal locator beacon, flashlight, whistle,

curly bloody toy.

That's not gonna be enough, though, is it?

He's been out there for five hours.

He was gonna give up the rigs as well.

I mean, I know it's dangerous,

and he's gone for weeks on end, but it's good money.

Then I fell pregnant again and so we said we'll wait til I was due,

to be a proper family again.

We never had kids.

What if we don't get the chance?

It's Alan, the co-pilot.

Hey, you, lads,

got the harnesses down there?

Did you see any sign of anything?

Did you see anyone else out there?

Quiet, please!

I found a pulse. JIM: What?

Get an ambulance, quick, it's very faint!

Get some blankets to keep him warm!

Mrs. Monroe?

He's alive!

He's still alive.

For God's sake, get out of the way!

Move it!

Get out of the way!

Naughty journalists!

Everything we've achieved,

and as soon as something goes wrong, it's like a plague of rats.

Death and destruction sell newspapers, I suppose.

How do you put up with it?

The morbid curiosity?

No, the whole thing.

You mean what's a nice girl like me doing in a job like this?

I wasn't trying to chat you up.

I'm away for something to eat.

Professor Ryan. Sam.

The photographs of the passengers and the crew.

Oh, thanks.

Oh, and the hospital rang about the co-pilot.

How is he?

He's okay, but he's in a comma.

At least he's still alive.

Fancy some company?

No, not really.

Oh, come on.

Trust the man, not the machine.

That's what they say, isn't it?

Those fly boys.

So who's fault is we're all here?

Shut up, Anne-Marie.

I don't need the sudden lady of the manor

sitting there telling us that everything is gonna be okay.

She's not.

Her husband is out there as well.

Why the hell did he have to take mine with him?

Sorry about that.

She's a cow.

No, she's not.

It's only what you're all thinking.

My husband is the pilot.

Must be his fault!

It's not, really, it isn't.

How many?

Just one.

Dead or alive?

Okay.

Everyone's here.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

Thank you all for coming on such short notice.

You all know we may be here for several days.

What you may not appreciate is the sheer size of the task we face.

Loss of life on this scale can shake,

even the most experienced.

Many people are counting on us.

Not just the official inquiry,

but relatives and loved ones waiting for news.

So, for their sake, we have to be absolutely methodical,

absolutely certain of our findings.

I don't want any speculation,

any theories passing these four walls.

Ultimately, all we can offer these men and their families is the truth.

Okay, let's be ready.

I wanna see him.

Listen, it won't help!

No, no, no, no, no.

Leave it, Jim.

She's all right.

Mr. Connel?

We're still waiting for you statement.

Yeah, I know.

Well, are you free now?

I'm just gonna see if my mate's body is on that chopper.

If that's all right with you.

Right through, gentlemen. Thanks.

Come on! Come on!

Come on, one, two and three!

Paul, can you get me the report sheet, please?

The chart Paul, come on.

Body 01.

Oh, I'll need a paper link.

I'll need photographs, front and back, please.

- One of the air crew, yeah? - Yeah, it looks like it.

We'll have to check his clothing and jewelry.

Body 01 is male.

In his forties, well nourished.

Get the suit off him.

Check his pockets, then...

Jewelry is a plain gold wedding ring and wristwatch.

Can you bag this, please?

Yeah.

Okay.

Watch is stopped at 16:07.

And bears the inscription of "3rd August 92.

"To my darling Matt.

"Love, Liz."

Can you angle the light, please, Paul?

The right side of the body is fragmented.

There's extensive damage

to the right side of the head.

Pieces of plastic,

possibly from interior trim of the cockpit instrument panel.

Are embedded

in the right side of the forehead.

Damage to the skull.

There are small dry flakey patches of skin

inside the left armpit.

Indicate he suffered from eczema.

It's difficult to determine the condition of the skin on the right

due to trauma on that side.

The light, please, Paul.

What is it?

I don't know, take a look.

An injection?

Or a blood test of some sort?

Can we find his medical records, please? - Yeah, I'll get them.

I'd like a photograph of this.

What sort of restraint was he meant to use?

A full harness.

You mean he wasn't?

After a major impact like that you'd expect to find

severe bruising where the harness meets the body.

I saw it on Monroe, but there's none here.

Why would he have taken his harness off before he hit the water?

Was he trying to bail out?

Let's wait and see.

Mr. Connel?

Hello?

You look a shambles, Chris.

Here, clean yourself up a little bit.

Jim, I'm sorry.

The body...

They think it's Matt.

Your engineer, Mr. Connel, is he around?

Have you tried the maintenance hangar?

It's not my job to play hide-and-seek with your employees.

Cooperation isn't optional, Mr. Thorn.

Keith Connel's best friend was in that helicopter.

Yes, and he was so distraught

that he wiped the maintenance schedule from the board.

Fine.

Well I'm going through the documentation by myself.

I've seen Malcolm rebuild a 747 from wreckage spread over two square miles.

If there is an irregularity, he'll find it.

Why did he wipe the board?

I don't know.

Negligible fluid in the lungs

indicating he was unconscious on entering the water.

Can we have a photograph this, please?

Light, please, Paul.

This man died of a heart attack.

Heart attack?

It obviously occurred before impact.

It explains why he took off his harness.

Took it off?

When someone has a coronary,

they feel a crushing pain in their chest.

Removing the harness would have been an instinctive reaction.

These are fragments of plastic

we found on the right side of his face.

It looks like... interior trim.

His head struck the cockpit so fiercely, it shattered his skull.

I found a small subdural hemorrhage but...

Excuse me...

Nothing like what you'd expect if his heart had still be beating.

So, by the time they hit the water he was already dead.

Nice work, professor, thank you.

I don't think the heart attack was the cause of the crash.

What?

We already know he sent the first distress call,

so they were already in trouble before the co-pilot called the May-day.

But it can't be ruled out

the fact is, this pilot had a heart attack.

- Yes, but... - Tell the CAA.

Take the pressure off them for the moment.

Why did he have a heart attack?

He was only 45.

Had regular medical checkups.

That heart's in a poor condition in an otherwise a healthy man.

Could have been an inherited condition or could just be stress.

If someone is under constant pressure,

working late nights, mixed shifts,

he might well end up with a heart like that.

I've seen the pilot's rosters.

He schedule wasn't unreasonable.

That's if they stuck to them.

So they saved Alan's life?

Will he be all right?

I hope so.

He hasn't regained consciousness.

Don't the police usually do this?

It was very quick.

He died of a heart attack.

Heart attack?

Now they're gonna say it was his fault!

You can't be to blame for a heart attack.

He had his check-up last week.

His heart was fine.

A1 condition.

I've lived with this for 23 years,

knowing that he'd leave for work one day and that'd be the last time we'd speak.

I should never have let him go last night.

Why?

Because he was too tired to fly.

He knew he shouldn't be flying when he was exhausted,

but he had to for Jim.

Anything for Jim!

Would it show up in the logbooks?

Depends who writes the log.

I want to see him. Can I see him?

I'm so sorry.

His body is in the next room.

He's under a sheet.

You can stay with him for as long as you like.

His face is partly covered where it's been injured.

I'm sorry we hadn't had time to repair it.

Would you like me to come in with you?

Professor Ryan.

Davies postponed his last medical.

And in three weeks

he would have been grounded automatically.

Now, if he had told her otherwise, then he was lying.

If he knew something was wrong, it's his

fault, which makes it very neat to Thorn Air.

Very neat for everyone.

Except for Liz Davies.

I keep thinking I'll see him

striding across the apron with that stupid grin on his face.

Did he ever complained of overwork?

You couldn't keep him on the ground if you nailed his feet on the floor.

I said he should slow down before he burned himself out.

He wouldn't have it.

It's not the way Liz sees it.

Don't get me wrong.

I love Liz, but she's a bit highly strung.

Just living with her is bloody hard work.

Matt wouldn't be the first man to use his job as an excuse to get away.

Was there something wrong with him?

Why do you ask?

He told me he postponed his medical for a fortnight.

Made some excuse.

If he knew something was up, why didn't he tell me?

I don't know.

You shouldn't be in here.

I couldn't stand it over there.

They were all staring at me,

they're judging me.

How can they judge you?

They don't know anything, do they?

You know what this place is like.

What have you been saying?

Nothing!

Keith?

- Do you still... - Anne-Marie.

- I can't stop... - Please!

I don't wanna lose you as well.

We don't know that he's dead.

Just tell me you didn't do anything.

Do?

What do you mean do anything?

To the helicopter, you didn't do anything?

Do anything?

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

You always said you'd do anything for us.

I would.

You know I would.

I would.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, I just wanted to take a look at Daytripper 7.

- Be my guest. - Thank you.