All language subtitles for JAG - 09x15 - Crash.DVDRIP.English.updated.Addic7ed.com

Bennington Approach,
this is Firefighter 214.

Reporting astern.

Coupling up.

CONTROLLER: Roger, 214.

You're in the box.

No sweat, Approach.

My policy's paid up.

214, you're at a mile
and three quarters.

Report Paddles.

Roger. This is 214 Hornet.

Three quarters of a mile, ball.

214, this is Paddles.

Roger, ball. Deck is coming up.

214, Roger.

You're below the
glide slope, 214.

Go manual!

Already done.

Bring it up!

You're too low!

Add power! Bring her up!

Power! Power! Eject!

Three nights ago,

a Lieutenant James Ross

crashed his F-18
Hornet into the ramp

of the USS Bennington.

He was killed instantly.

AIRLANT JAG's are
overextended, so you two

are heading out there to
investigate this afternoon.

S... Sir, uh, could this
not wait until tomorrow?

Well, you're the one that's
always begging me to go to sea.

Yeah, um...

No, well, I'm sure
it-it'll be fine, sir.

What were the
preliminary findings, sir?

Unknown.

Petty Officer Coates has
your orders. Dismissed.

Ma'am, sir, you'll be leaving

at 1600 from Andrews,

then you pick up
a COD in Naples.

Guess I'd better call Webb
and tell him dinner's off.

It's kind of nice to be the
one canceling for a change.

Jennifer, would you...?

It's about Mattie, right?

It always is when
you call me Jennifer.

Could you...?

I'd be glad to
look after her, sir,

as long as you leave
me your credit card.

There's, uh, one
other thing, though.

Uh, I'm supposed to meet
with Mattie's English teacher

tomorrow morning. Dragon lady?

Yeah. She's threatening
to flunk Mattie

if she doesn't finish
all the assignments

from the first semester.

But she wasn't even
here first semester.

We need to drill
that into her head.

By "we," do you mean me, sir?

Thank you.

Hey, uh... I'm sick about
not being able to be there.

It's under control, sir.

Don't worry about a thing.

Thanks.

Skipper said you did a great job

on that Seahawk
investigation, Commander.

I'll assist you in
any way I can.

We appreciate that, CAG.

Lieutenant, what do you
think happened that night?

Ma'am, Lieutenant Ross
intercepted the glide slope low.

Tried to get him to correct.

Did he correct? Not soon enough.

Was there a pitching deck?

Yes, sir. He was landing
on automatic command.

Maybe there were
problems with that.

By the time he switched to
manual and tried to correct up,

it was too late. Well, maybe
the problem didn't start

until he switched to manual.

I suppose that's possible, sir.

MacKENZIE: Why would
the pilot switch to manual

if the plane was handling
well on automatic?

Well, some of the
pilots get a little squirrelly

just sitting on their hands.

I never liked flying
automatic in a 14.

Does the F-18 have a black box?

No, but it does have
maintenance tape

which should tell us everything
that happened on the flight.

It was a hell of a blast, sir.

I'm afraid the maintenance
tape burned up.

You're kidding.
But we did recover

the front part of the
plane, more or less.

Half the empennage just
sheared off into the sea.

MacKENZIE: Well, what are the
pieces telling you, Senior Chief?

Stabilization and flight control
systems look good, ma'am.

Nothing's really
jumping out at us.

Keep us updated, huh?

Of course, sir.

What can you tell us
about Lieutenant Ross?

Well, he never really
gave us a hard time,

but I really didn't know
him that well, ma'am.

You might want to talk to
his squadron commander.

Why don't I do that,
and, uh, you can interview

the Air Department
personnel, huh?

Sure. You talk to the brass

while I, uh, talk to the
guys who do the real work.

Thank you, Senior Chief.

I'll show you the way, ma'am.

Nice to meet you, ma'am.

And you are? Jennifer
Coates. I'm Mattie's, um...

Stepmother?

No, she just lives with me.

And your stepfather?

Actually, he's
not her stepfather.

He's her guardian.

But, no, we're not a couple.

But the three of
you do live together.

We live down the hall from Harm.

From Harm?

Yeah, t-that's his
name; my guardian.

This is all rather confusing.

Point is, ma'am,

Harm, her guardian, asked
that I stand in for him today.

Oh. Well, I'm disappointed
that he couldn't be here.

He got called away suddenly.

How long have you been

in his care?

Four weeks.

Well, I hope this
doesn't become a pattern.

I've found that when
parents don't take

an interest in their
child's education...

He's very interested, ma'am,

which is why he sent me.

Most of the problems I run into

are directly related to
lack of parental supervision.

Mrs. Drabowski, can we
get back to the subject here?

What do I need to do
to pass your course?

Your guardian
needs to understand

how important it is
that he be truly involved.

He's doing the best he can.

Well, he needs to
be more responsible.

Would you stop insulting
him, for God sakes?

He's a good father.

Young lady, you need

to calm down. Like hell I do.

Mattie... No, I'm not
going to just stand there

and listen to her
trash-talk Harm.

Lieutenant Ross's death

is a terrible loss.

He was married
with a little boy.

How long was he
with the squadron?

Nine months.

He was scheduled for six,
then extended indefinitely.

It's a tough break, Commander.

We had a period of minimal
flight ops, so I gave him

and some of the other pilots
two weeks leave to go back home.

When was that?

They came back
on board last week.

What kind of a pilot
was he? Was he good?

He won the Golden
Tailhook twice.

Did he give you
trouble of any kind?

Commander, whatever
happened with that plane,

I sincerely doubt it was
Lieutenant Ross's fault.

But you know how that goes.

Crashed a few yourself.

Yeah, well, sometimes,
it's nobody's fault.

But that doesn't keep
us from looking, does it?

Seemed like a
routine flight, ma'am.

Lieutenant Ross
coupled up to the ACLS,

everything looked good
for a hands-off landing.

And nothing on
the scope indicated

the 18 was coming in low?

Not till the very end, ma'am.

As far as I could tell,
the plane was following

the precise approach path
programmed into the computer.

Well, we'll want to examine
that programming data.

Ma'am, the explosion
knocked the computers off-line.

Data was lost.

Who does the programming?

First Class Dakey,

this is Colonel
MacKenzie from JAG.

Ma'am.

At ease. Thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

Aren't you kind of young to
be a Petty Officer First Class?

Ma'am, when the
Navy finds out you enjoy

spending 15 hours a day
fiddling with computers,

they tend to promote
you pretty fast.

Yeah. I didn't realize
that carrier landings

had become so computerized.

Oh, it's incredible, ma'am.

Three years ago
was the first time

an F-18 did a fully
automated GPS landing at sea.

Now a lot of CAGs
prefer automatic landings.

Why is that?

Less pilot error, ma'am.

And what about computer error?

Ma'am, with all the innovations

in the Flight Management System,

computer error is negligible.

Soon, we'll see unmanned
planes landing on carriers.

The pilots will love that.

It's a new world, ma'am.

So, four nights ago, was
there any computer error?

I saw no indications
of it, ma'am.

I was sitting here at my
screen when it happened.

You have no thoughts
on what caused the crash?

Maybe the pilot caused problems
when he switched to manual.

Well, we haven't found
reason to suspect that.

Petty Officer, if you
have nagging concerns

about anything...

Ma'am, you have to understand,

a computer system's only as good

as the data that's
put into it. Meaning?

Nine times out of ten, when
we've had minor problems,

it's because of the
angle-of-attack vane.

The what? The
angle-of-attack vane.

It's a $30 piece of
equipment on the fuselage.

If it's miscalibrated, it
sends false information

to the computer, which
can cause the plane

to approach at
an incorrect angle.

Well, how does it
get miscalibrated?

Sometimes, when it's windy,

the vane knocks around
and bangs against the stops.

It was real windy the
night of the crash, ma'am.

Ma'am, there was nothing wrong

with the angle-of-attack vane.

Senior Chief, a
miscalibrated vane

would explain what
happened that night.

Because it was windy,
I told the plane captain

to be sure the vane was
secure before the 18 took off.

I saw the MAF, Commander.

The CDI signed off on it.

We'll check with him.

Sir, there's no way that
my maintenance department

should have to
take the rap for this.

Unless they screwed up.

Which they didn't!
I'm sure of it.

You're awfully
defensive, Senior Chief.

What is it you're
not telling us?

I didn't want to speak
ill of the dead, sir.

What is it, Senior Chief?

When Lieutenant Ross
returned from leave,

he was acting kind of
off kilter... depressed.

Said his wife was
having an affair.

He didn't care what
happened to him.

Sir, ma'am...

I don't believe that
crash was an accident.

Bennington Approach,

this is Firefighter 214.

Reporting astern.

Coupling up.

He's connecting the autopilot

with the ship's
automatic landing system.

Roger, 214.

You're in the box.

No sweat, Approach.

My policy's paid up.

He means his life
insurance policy.

Yeah, he's making a
joke about being killed.

Joke or a prediction?

No sweat, Approach.
My policy's paid up.

214, you're at...

I can't tell if that's
suicidal or not.

I mean, he sounds cocky.

It could be the
adrenaline talking.

The deck is coming up...!

Why wouldn't he just
crash into the ocean,

so as not to endanger the crew?

They probably weren't
the top thing on his mind.

Bring her up!

Power! Eject!

If it was suicide,
maybe he left a note.

He was studying Spanish.

Among other things.

That's nice.

Where would you
hide a suicide note

if you were on a carrier?

You'd hide it somewhere
where your rack mates wouldn't

find it until later.

Under a mattress?

Oh, my God.

What?

Well, how does someone
with a little baby kill himself?

I don't care if his wife
was having an affair.

Wonder if he wrote her a letter.

Or an e-mail.

A lot of pilots take
out extra insurance

on top of their CGLI.

How much insurance do you have?

Well, I'm going to have
to take out a little more

now that I got Mattie.

Yeah.

Oh.

Well, speak of the devil.

Go ahead. I'll get started.

All right. Hey, Mattie.

No, it's Jennifer.

Or Petty Officer
Coates, whoever I am.

Oh, hey, Jennifer.

We had our meeting with

the Dragon Lady today.

Mattie got mad and stormed off.

You're kidding.

I think she could use
some parental guidance.

Put her on, would you?

Mattie, want to talk to Harm?

You didn't tell him
what happened, did you?

We can't be hiding
stuff from him, Mattie.

Gee, what a great
big sister you are.

Hey, Harm.

Hey, yourself.

What's this I hear about

you walking out
on Mrs. Drabowski?

She was acting like a... witch.

I don't care, Mattie.

She's still your teacher.

She kept talking all
this garbage, Harm.

She was saying that
you're an irresponsible father

who didn't care
about my education.

So you were standing up for me.

Somebody had to.

Look, I can stand
up for myself, Mattie.

Well, you can do that
a week from Friday.

Jennifer talked her
into rescheduling.

Good.

Are you going to be there?

Of course I'm going to be there.

Nothing would keep
me away from that.

Ma'am, you can click
this icon right here

to access the satellite.

Thanks for walking me
through this, Petty Officer.

You ever have
trouble with viruses?

I built a pretty tight
firewall, ma'am.

Don't want any terrorists

implanting false
navigation data.

Lieutenant Ross

didn't send his wife any e-mails
after he came back onboard.

That's strange.

Most guys e-mail their
wives once or twice a day.

Well, here's one he-he wrote her

but he never sent.

Anything interesting, ma'am?

"Arlene, how could
you do this to me?

"Give me one good reason
why I shouldn't just fly

"into the back of
the ship some night.

"I told Stanich

"I don't give a
damn if I live or die.

"He said he didn't
give a damn, either,

"and I should just suck it up

and keep flying."

I didn't take his comments
seriously, Colonel.

You didn't take a
suicide threat seriously?

Carrier pilots and sailors
have mood swings all the time.

Especially now, with
longer deployments.

If I worried about

every single questionable
remark or joke,

none of my planes would
ever get off the deck.

But Lieutenant Ross
did make the statement.

Commander, you know
how it is on a carrier.

Yeah, well, we're
trying to find out

how it is on this
carrier, Commander.

When you were flying,

would you have wanted
your squadron commander

to ground you every time
you were feeling a little down?

Lieutenant Ross wasn't
"feeling a little down."

I know he was
having a tough time.

But as a carrier pilot,
you have to learn

to fight through that.

Your life depends
on your ability

to forget everything else

and focus on that heaving
little speck of steel deck

you have to land on.

Otherwise, you die.

Why didn't you tell us

Lieutenant Ross
was having problems?

Because Ross was a good man.

And I don't have any evidence

that his problems had
anything to do with that crash.

Or were you maybe covering
up your own role in that crash?

I didn't have any role, Colonel.

I was training Lieutenant Ross

like I do all my pilots.

Now, that's what I'm
concerned about, Commander.

Colonel, I was selected
to command this squadron

to go out and fight wars.

I don't expect to spend my time
on sorority house foolishness.

That's what chaplains
and flight surgeons are for.

Lieutenant Ross didn't
go to them, Commander.

He came to you.

Tech rep agrees

with the senior chief.

Wreckage analysis
shows no evidence

of mechanical problems.

Or computer problems.

Given Ross's e-mail,
his statements to Stanich,

his own words on the radio...

Yeah, and the aircraft's
attitude during approach.

It sure as hell
looks like suicide.

It would definitely
appear that way.

And squadron commander error.

We have to deal with that, Harm.

Mac, you're not thinking

what I think you're thinking.

Commander Stanich
never should have sent Ross

in that plane, given that
he was obviously suicidal.

MacKENZIE: I recommend that
Commander Stanich be charged

with dereliction of duty
under Article 92 of the UCMJ.

That's a serious step, Colonel.

And an unwarranted one, sir.

Commander Stanich could
have shown better judgment,

but his actions certainly don't
merit criminal proceedings.

Lieutenant Ross was
severely emotionally disturbed.

He had no business
flying in that plane.

He took his own life, Mac.

Shifting blame
would be a travesty.

Come on, Harm. He expressed

clear suicidal intent.

Guys say all kinds of things

when they've been
at sea for months.

With all due respect
to the colonel, sir,

she, uh, doesn't
quite grasp that.

MacKENZIE: Commander
Stanich subscribed to an outdated

macho code that has no
place in today's military.

He refused to save a man
who was begging for help.

He was trying to turn
that man into a fighter pilot

who could fly safely
in crisis situations.

You can't start
court-martialing officers

for trying to do their job.

Well, if he'd done
his job properly,

Ross would still be alive.

And you two work together?

Must be a real picnic.

Does Commander
Stanich acknowledge

having this discussion
with Lieutenant Ross?

He does, sir. However...

Commander, I've always trusted

Stanich's judgment.

But his primary responsibility
is to take care of his people.

And it sounds as though
he's failed to do that.

Captain, we're holding

Commander Stanich to
an impossible standard.

A man's life was lost,

thousands of lives
were endangered,

a $40 million aircraft
was destroyed.

No. I agree with the colonel

that Stanich's
actions, or inactions,

merit an Article
32 investigation,

at the very least.

Bring me the flight schedule
as soon as it's ready.

Roger that, sir.

Commander Stanich.

Sir. Colonel.

Could you join us
in my stateroom?

We need to talk.

Sir, can I just take
a couple of minutes

to change into my flight gear?

We should do it now, Commander.

What is it, sir?

Commander, I have ordered

an Article 32 on
your performance

as Lieutenant Ross's
commanding officer.

Now, pending the
outcome of this investigation,

you are relieved of your
command, effective immediately.

♪ Is this a quiet place
where you should be alone? ♪

Howdy, stranger.

Howdy.

I thought you
were still off at sea.

Yeah, well, I thought you'd
be at volleyball practice.

I went to the school
looking for you.

Well, I'm a little sick.

Oh, yeah?

How was practice on Tuesday?

It was okay, I guess.

No one ever sets
me to spike the ball.

Well, they will
when they find out

how awesome you are.

Yeah. There's all
these stupid cliques.

I don't even care.

Is that why you didn't go today?

Mattie, you know, when
things don't go your way,

you can't just give up.

I said, I'm sick, okay?

I didn't want to puke
all over the court.

Hey.

Mattie...

you've been through hell
these last couple of months.

I-I want you to
promise me something.

If you're ever
feeling overwhelmed,

you'll come to me.

Oh, I'll definitely do
that, if you're around.

I mean, I'm just
trying to figure out

who my guardian
is, you or Jennifer.

I am.

I don't like being a
teenager and going to school.

I liked running my own
business and being in charge.

You know, Mattie...

I never felt like I
got to be a teenager,

and I've always regretted it.

You have plenty
of time to grow up.

Enjoy the freedom.

Before I met you, I could
pretty much do what I wanted.

Well, so could I
before I met you.

I don't care what
my husband wrote

in that e-mail.

He did not kill himself.

Mrs. Ross...

A lot of Navy families
have problems

when the guy comes home.

We were no different.

Well, apparently,

your husband was
disturbed by your affair.

I wasn't having an affair.

But your husband
thought you were.

Why are you doing this to me?

Mrs. Ross, I want
justice for him.

Justice?

Commander Stanich had a
duty to refer anyone exhibiting

the warning signs of suicide
to a chaplain or physician.

He never should have
ordered your husband to fly.

I believe he was guilty
of negligent dereliction.

I need you to
testify against him.

And say what?

Well, talk about
your husband's mood

when he was with you on leave.

I know this is a hard thing
that I'm asking you to do.

You have no idea.

I'm a single mom with half
a college degree and no job.

If Jim's death is
called a suicide,

me and my baby are out $500,000

in insurance money.

I want to get to the bottom

of what happened
to your husband.

All I care about is taking
care of this little boy.

I understand your
feelings, Mrs. Ross.

Unfortunately, I may
have to subpoena you.

The colonel's case
pretty much boils down

to Person A kills himself,

and we charge Person
B for not stopping him.

Sir, B was A's
commanding officer.

So, uh, God forbid,
something happens to you,

I would be held responsible?

Admiral, if I tell you I'm
feeling self-destructive,

and you order me to suck
it up and climb to the top

of a tall building with no
railing and look down, then yes,

you would be
partially responsible.

Commander Stanich

simply ordered Lieutenant
Ross to do his job.

Sir, we have to
face up to the fact

that military men can
commit suicide, too.

Prosecuting Commander
Stanich is a roundabout way

of having anyone
face up to anything.

I agree, Commander.

Well, Stanich's
commanding officer

disagrees, sir.

Which brings us
to the Article 32.

I've already assigned
Lieutenant Roberts

to second chair the defense.

Colonel, you will,
uh... you'll defend

Commander Stanich.

Uh, Commander, you'll prosecute.

S-Sir...

Just kidding.

Dismissed.

Aye, aye, sir.

Mac's discovery package.

We need to start
shooting holes in it.

Already begun my research, sir.

Research on what?

Well, in a general
sense... This is

the suicide prevention
software used by the Army.

Helps to teach you
how to deal with people

who may be suicidal.

Like this guy here.

He's a virtual
soldier from Kentucky

by the name of Billy Parker.

Billy, you can't
do this to yourself.

I just want all this to end.

I hate to be selfish, but
I feel like I can't go on.

I-I hate to think about
hurting my family,

but I really can't
stand this anymore.

Okay, so if a soldier
told you that, sir,

what would be your response?

Don't be a fool.

Sorry, sir. The
program scores you zero

for that response.

Program says that you
should establish trust

and suspend moral judgment.

I can't believe
we're wasting money

on this kind of nonsense.

Well, sir, if it saves
just one life, it's worth it.

Did you know that one
of the leading causes

of death in the
military is suicide?

Well, people are mixed
up everywhere, Bud.

It's not just
mixed-up people, sir.

You know...

when I lost my leg, there
was a really rough stretch.

I felt like my life was over.

I just thank God that I didn't
have a gun nearby, because...

Now... I'm the happiest
that I've ever been.

I, uh...

No, sir, nobody knew.

Except for Harriet.

Oh, uh, another great feature,

sir, is that it helps
to identify people

that are at high
risk for suicide.

So what would, uh,
what would you tell

Soldier Billy?

Oh, they give you a
couple of good options.

One of them is to, uh,
express your concern

or to offer help.

I could mention to him
how it might affect his family.

Maybe I'm gonna suggest to him
that he has a hot fudge sundae.

Always cheers me up.

My husband was a
loyal and caring person.

How did he act when
he came home on leave?

Why should I have
to answer that?

Mrs. Ross, you are
required to respond

to trial counsel's questions.

When Jim came home,
we had a hard time.

In what way?

He wasn't himself.

He got used to being
this cocky carrier pilot.

He ordered me
and the baby around

like we were enlisted personnel.

How does that make you feel?

How would you feel?

The baby would cry.

I'd yell at Jim, and
then he'd yell back,

and... then...

Please...

And then what, Mrs. Ross?

He... got this crazy idea

that I must be going
out with someone else...

An old boyfriend of mine,

which is nuts, because I
didn't even like him anymore.

I still loved my husband.

Must have been extremely
difficult for your husband.

Did he ever talk
about hurting himself?

Objection.

Spousal privilege.

Given our need for

the evidence, and the fact

that the spouse is
deceased, I will overrule.

You must answer, Mrs. Ross.

Your Honor... this
is too personal.

Arlene, with your help,

we can get the
Navy to take action

so what happened to your family

doesn't happen
to any other family.

Objection. Jim's death

doesn't have to be in vain.

Your Honor, this is a criminal
proceeding, not a crusade.

Colonel, stop editorializing.

Mrs. Ross, please
answer the question.

Did your husband talk
about hurting himself?

Jim called from Naples...

right before he
went back aboard.

He was talking crazy about
how we were going to get divorced

and he was never going
to see his son again.

He said he didn't know if
life was still worth living.

What did you tell him?

I begged him to see a
chaplain... or somebody.

So Jim promised me

that if he really felt
bad and needed help,

he would tell his C.O.,

and that's exactly what he did.

He told Stanich, and the bastard

sent him up in
that plane to die.

Objection.

Sustained.

MacKENZIE: That'll
be all, Your Honor.

Thank you for your
courage, Mrs. Ross.

Mrs. Ross,

you didn't know
that your husband

was going to kill
himself, did you?

No.

And you were certainly

more intimate with him than
Commander Stanich was,

so... how could he
have known if you didn't?

He should've known
enough not to send him up

in that plane to die.

And you can object all you want.

It's the truth.

In retrospect, I wish

I hadn't given my
men two weeks leave.

Why is that, Commander?

When they came back on board,

they had a hard time
readjusting to carrier operations.

Well, how did these
difficulties manifest themselves?

Morale problems, bickering,

lack of focus.

So Lieutenant Ross was
not the only pilot affected.

That's correct, Commander.

And a lot of the guys
would let off steam

by saying things
that were a little

off the wall. What
kind of things?

One of my men
joked about slugging

the captain so he
could get off the ship.

Another pilot made remarks
about jumping in the ocean

and swimming back to Naples.

You have to understand...

Carrier pilots risk
their lives daily.

A little gallows
humor keeps us sane.

And that's how you understood
Lieutenant Ross's remarks.

I looked right in his eyes.

I thought he was fooling
around like the rest of us.

Commander, if I had any idea

Jim Ross was going to
fly that plane into the ramp,

I would have grounded
him in a heartbeat.

Thank you, Commander.

Your witness.

Commander Stanich, what exactly
did Lieutenant Ross say to you

when you looked
right in his eyes?

Ma'am, I don't recall
his precise words.

Government exhibit three:
Lieutenant Ross's unsent e-mail.

Would you please read

the first highlighted sentence?

"I told Stanich I don't
give a damn if I live or die."

MacKENZIE: Is that an accurate rendering
of what the lieutenant said to you?

I thought he was
blustering, Colonel.

It's a little hard to explain

out of context.

It's hard to explain
in any context.

Objection.

Badgering the witness.

Sustained.

Read the next sentence, please.

"He said he didn't
give a damn, either,

"and I should just suck it up

and keep flying."

Is that what you told him?

Colonel, carrier
pilots need to be

mentally tough.

I train my men

to ignore distractions
so they can complete

their missions.

"He said he didn't give a damn,

and I should just suck it up."

I didn't tell him to
crash into the ship.

But it is ultimately

your responsibility to make
sure your pilots are ready to fly.

Isn't that so, Commander?

My squadron's performance
during Operation Iraqi Freedom

was outstanding, Colonel.

But you failed this time,
didn't you, Commander?

Mike?

Mike, are you there?

Mike, I know you're
there. Pick up.

For God sakes, how long is
this act going to go on, Mikey?

Uh, no, I'll, uh...

I'll talk to you later. Bye-bye.

What is your opinion
of Commander Stanich?

He's a good man,
a little old-school.

He didn't get where
he is by being negligent

or by being a bad
judge of character,

did he?

What are you getting at, sir?

What if he was right about Ross?

You mean...

Let's get moving, Bud.

Nice of you to make it.

Sorry we're late, Your Honor.

I was conducting a
last-minute review of evidence.

May we approach the bench, sir?

Granted.

Colonel?

Sir, I would like to request
a continuance at this time

to reopen the
investigation into the crash.

It's a little late for that,
Counselor. I am not

completely convinced it
was suicide, Your Honor.

Is there new evidence
that trial counsel

was not aware of?
Some new, some old.

I believe we may
have been a little hasty

in our assumption.

If there is additional
evidence, I...

I just received it.
I had subpoenaed

Lieutenant Ross's
financial records.

Two days before his death,

he ordered a
brand-new motorcycle

on the Internet...
Certainly not the kind

of behavior you would expect

from someone
about to take their life.

Your Honor, I'm sure Lieutenant
Ross had mood swings.

Your Honor, if Ross
committed suicide

out of anger toward his wife,
why wouldn't he leave a note

or forward the e-mail
blaming his wife,

causing her even more guilt?

Maybe Ross didn't leave a
note because he wanted his son

to get insurance money.
There's another problem, sir.

Why did he crash into the
ramp, endangering the crew?

He had no beef against them.

Why wouldn't he just fly directly
into the ocean? Commander,

we've already discussed this.

You can't expect
suicides to be rational.

Are you totally positive
it was suicide, Colonel?

You do raise some
interesting questions,

Counselor, however belatedly.

Your Honor, I think we
owe it to Commander Stanich

to answer those questions.

And we certainly owe it

to Arlene Ross.

How much time do you need?

A week. I'll give you two days.

Sir, it'll take two days

just to get out to
the carrier and back.

Make it four. This hearing
is in recess until my call.

You're leaving again?

I'm sorry, Mattie.

I didn't have time to
come home to tell you.

Where you going this time?

I'm going back to
the Mediterranean,

but only for four days.

Will you be back
on Friday by 4:00?

I told you. Why?

That's when you have the
meeting with the Dragon Lady.

I'm going to try to make it.

That means no.

Mattie, I'm sorry,
I have to do this.

A man's life is at stake.

He's looking at prison time.

Yeah, go ahead,
knock yourself out.

Sir, Lieutenant Roberts and I

were hoping to recreate
the circumstances

surrounding the incident.

So I'm requesting permission

to do an automatic
landing in an F-18.

Aren't you a 14 driver?

Well, I'm qualified for
18's... when I was with

another agency
of the government.

Another, uh, agency.

I can get you official
unofficial confirmation, sir.

I see.

Well, in that case, um, I
think we can schedule you.

Thank you, CAG.

Sir, has the, uh, tech rep
submitted his final report?

Yeah. Still no evidence of
any mechanical problems.

What about the
computer system, sir?

Our computer tech

evaluated the entire
J-PALS system.

No bugs, no glitches.

But with the aircraft
maintenance tape burned up,

we have no way to know
exactly how that system

was programmed for that flight.

We'll need to talk

to your computer tech, too, sir.

We ran exhaustive tests

on every element of
the shipboard system.

We also recovered key
components of the 18's

Flight Management System.

Everything checked
out perfectly, sir.

If there was a
programming glitch,

would these radar
scopes have indicated that?

Yes, sir.

You sure?

I examined everything, sir.

So did the other two petty
officers who assist me.

Does your system record any
alterations in programming?

We're still working
on that feature, sir.

Well, fortunately,

we can confirm all that because

we were able to
recover the, uh, data

from the aircraft's
maintenance tape.

I thought it burned, sir.

Uh, only partially.

Uh, we took it to the
Naval Research Lab,

and they were
able to reconstitute

the fragments of the tape

of the final 84
seconds of the flight.

Well, that's great news, sir.

Yeah, because
I'll be flying an F-18

tonight at the exact
automatic settings

you programmed
for Lieutenant Ross.

So that will prove

that your settings
are accurate, correct?

Yes, sir.

And they had better be
accurate or I'm a dead man.

Sir, you give me the data,

I'll take care of programming
the system myself.

Well, that wouldn't be
proper investigative protocol.

You could hang around

and watch me trap
though, if you'd like.

Thank you, sir.

Is there anything else, sir?

No, that'll be all,
First Class. Yes, sir.

84 seconds?

Hey, just trying
to back you up, sir.

You playing a hunch?

Yeah, we had better let the ATC

and the CAG know
what we have in mind.

What do we have in mind, sir?

We're putting your

computer expertise
to work, Lieutenant.

Go!

Roll, baby, roll.

Commander Rabb's a
real cowboy, isn't he?

He has a very
active inner child, sir.

ACLS contact confirmed.

Sir, may I use the radio?

Mm-hmm.

Go ahead, sir.

Commander, we're ready for you.

You got it, Lieutenant.

Bennington,

this is 210 Hornet.

Commencing approach,
three point nine.

Roger, 210. Radar contact.

Approach, I have
the carrier in sight.

Requesting a Mode One landing.

Mode One approved, 210.

You're in the box.

Okay, I'm coupling up.

Three quarter mile, ball.

Roger. Ball.

These numbers don't look right.

I think you guys
programmed it wrong.

Don't worry,

we programmed
it just like you did.

No, send him around.
I'll double-check.

No, not necessary.

Radar shows him
on the glide slope.

210, looking good.
Continue inbound.

You don't understand.

What don't we
understand, Petty Officer?

210, go manual.

System looks good.

I'm staying coupled up.

You'll crash!

Radar says he's fine.

Radar's wrong! That's
why Ross crashed!

Don't sweat it, Petty Officer.

I've been on manual
the whole time.

Looking good, 210.

Bring it in!

This was a trick.

You rigged it.

You left us no
choice, Petty Officer.

We had a couple
four-wires that night.

Planes were landing long.

So I tweaked the system.

But you overcorrected.

That's why Ross came in too low.

I wanted to say
something, but...

Instead you let
his widow believe

that her husband
had killed himself.

I know.

And you were willing

to let Commander
Stanich face prison.

I never thought it
would really happen, sir.

I can deal with accidents,
but you lied and covered up.

And for that, you're
going to the brig.

How much time will I get, sir?

If I have my way,

years... Let's go.

Sir, let me handle this.

Dakey, stop!

Dakey, wait!

You don't want to go up there!

There's nothing up there!

Lieutenant, be careful!

I got it!

Dakey...

Don't come any
closer, I'll jump!

Stay, calm, okay? Hey.

It's freezing down there.

Good, I'll die quick.

No, you won't. It'll take hours.

And the whole time,
you'll be thinking,

"What an awful mistake."

I'm not going to let
you trick me again.

No tricks.

Okay? No tricks.

Just take it easy.

I can't go to prison.

Hey, I'd be scared too, Joe,
but you can get through this.

I just want it to be over!

You can't do this
to yourself, Joe.

Watch me.

Dakey, don't be a fool!

You'll-you'll never
see another sunrise,

or-or see your family again!

It's not worth it.

You stay back.

Just listen to me, okay?

Let me help you.

Take my hand.

Come on, Joe.

I got you.

I accept the revised findings

that Lieutenant Ross
did not commit suicide.

However, that does not
absolve Commander Stanich

of his responsibilities
as a leader.

Lieutenant Ross gave clear,

incontrovertible evidence
of suicidal ideation.

The commander
needed to respond to that.

The Navy breeds physical
and mental toughness,

a quality that has
helped to protect

our country from foreign
enemies for over 200 years.

But the Navy must also
acknowledge that military men,

however tough, are
not magically immune

from depression, emotional
crises and mental instability.

The fact that the sailor
responsible for the crash

almost killed himself
is proof of that.

When a man comes to
his commanding officer

and asks for help,
help should be provided.

Commander Stanich,
your behavior was

indeed regrettable.

However, you acted

out of an honest belief
that you were making

the right decisions
for your men.

Your safety record

prior to this incident
was exemplary.

I have no doubt
that you have learned

from this tragedy, and would
handle a similar situation

differently in the future.

Therefore, I see no
reason to recommend

this Article 32
to court-martial.

This hearing is adjourned.

Congratulations, sir.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

Commander, thank you.

Congratulations.

Nice job, Mac.

You, too, Harm.

Although, you know your client

is still responsible for
Lieutenant Ross' death.

You never give up, do you?

Lieutenant Ross' death
was caused by a computer

that was incorrectly programmed.

And because he was depressed,

I am sure that slowed
his reaction time

when the plane
started having problems.

See, you always want
to make life simple, Harm,

but it's not.

Mattie! Hey.

I hold my students
to high standards,

Mr. Rabb.

I have no problem with that.

Well, Mattie has completed
none of the required

first-semester
writing assignments.

Ma'am...

I cannot give her
a passing grade

unless she makes up that work.

In the past four months,

Mattie has written

a business plan for a
crop dusting company,

letters to suppliers and
credit agencies, the IRS,

not to mention a
20-page letter to the judge

at her juvenile court hearing.

You're welcome to
review all of them.

Well, I suppose this will do.

Thank you.