All language subtitles for Air.Disasters.S09E09.Edge.Of.Disaster.1080p.PMTP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-maldini_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR: A commuter
plane in Norway

is heading for disaster.

Stop!

Just stop!

Then you're starting
to run out of options.

It's going over!

Why couldn't it stop,
and why didn't it stop?

NARRATOR: The horrific scene
is caught on home video.

Watch your step, guys.

We could find bits
and pieces of steel,

but all the rest
of it was gone.

NARRATOR: Could a mysterious
substance point to the cause?

I think we found
our smoking gun.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT:
Ladies and gentlemen,

we are starting our approach.

PILOT: We lost both engines.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Put
the mask over your nose.

Emergency descent.
PILOT: Mayday!

Mayday!

FLIGHT ATTENDANT:
Brace for impact!

MAN: He's gonna crash.

NARRATOR: It's 7:20 AM.

High above the jagged coast of
Norway, the crew of Atlantic

Airways 670 reaches
the peak altitude

for a short 15-minute flight.

There's 10,000.

OK.

We're all the way up.

It must be time to get
ready to go down again.

ROLF LILAND: Norway has
a lot of steep mountains

and deep fjords.

And if you are to travel
by road or by sea,

your journey might
take hours or days,

while a short hop with an
aircraft of 15 to 20 minutes

will cover big parts
of the country.

NARRATOR: This
morning, an oil company

has chartered the plane to
shuttle a group of employees

to work.

The first workers boarded
at Stavanger Sola Airport.

Next up is a quick stop
on the island of Stord

to pick up a few
more, before flying

on to their final
destination at Molde

on the mainland coast.

For Tor Arne Johannesen, it's
just another morning commute.

TOR ARNE JOHANNESEN:

INTERPRETER: I was going
to be on a 5-2 rotation.

That means I was going
to work for five days,

and go home for weekends.

For me, it was a
totally normal day.

NARRATOR: The crew is flying a
British Aerospace 146, a four

engine commuter plane
ideal for flying

between remote
Norwegian airfields.

The 146 is a very nice
airplane, an easy airplane

to fly actually.

NARRATOR: Sven-Erik
Strandberg flew

the 146 for Atlantic Airways.

It was actually meant for
landing on short runways

and even gravel runways.

The runway is going
to be in sight soon.

Why don't you see what
the weather's doing.

NARRATOR: For this first leg,
34-year-old Captain Niklas

Djurhuus is at the controls.

He's been a commercial pilot
for more than a decade.

Control, Atlantic
670, can you

advise on current conditions?

NARRATOR: The first officer,
38-year-old Jakob Evald,

joined Atlantic Airways
just a few months ago.

Wind is 110 at 6 knots.

Visibility is over 10 o'clock.

Wind 110 at 6, Atlantic 670.

Weather is good.

ROLF LILAND: This was an
early October morning.

Just about clear skies
and almost calm winds.

So a very good day for flying.

TOR ARNE JOHANNESEN:

INTERPRETER: The
plane was normal,

nothing that would predict
something was wrong.

It was cold.

That was the only thing.

It was early in the
morning, and that's

why I kept my jacket on.

NARRATOR: Stord
Airport is perched

on the edge of a rugged
island with rocky cliffs

bordering the runway
on three sides.

SVEN-ERIK STRANDBERG:
It's located

on top of a small
mountain, you could say.

So it's pretty steep
terrain around.

NARRATOR: There's very
little margin for error.

Overshoot the runway, and you
could end up in the sea below.

We are still
planning on runway 15.

Winds 110 at 6 knots?

Yep.

So it's just a
small tailwind.

Let's take runway 33, that
way we can do it straight in.

You've got it.

NARRATOR: Shortly before
touchdown, the crew

makes a last minute change.

They want to approach
Stord single runway

from the Southern end,
known as runway 33,

rather than circling around to
land from the North end, known

as runway 15.

Control, Atlantic
670, we'd like

to do a visual into runway 33.

Affirmative, 670.

The runway is free.

You are cleared for a
visual approach, runway 33.

ROLF LILAND: Since they
were coming from the South,

straight and landing
towards the Northwest

would be the most
convenient way to land.

NARRATOR: The
straight in approach

will put the airplane
on the ground

in less than five minutes.

What's our landing speed?

112 knots.

NARRATOR: The crew
now enters the busiest

time in any flight.

Set speed for final.

NARRATOR: They
must simultaneously

shed altitude and speed.

Speed set.

Flaps 20.

NARRATOR: And prepare
the plane for touchdown.

Flaps 20.

You're deploying the flaps,
you're putting the gear down,

the wheels, if you will.

Gear down.

Gear is down.

Flaps to full.

Flaps full.

NARRATOR: Flight 670 is just
one minute from the runway.

We're stable.

We have landing speed.

ROLF LILAND: The flying
pilot will be looking outside

at the visual references.

He'll be checking the
air speed to make sure

that it's on speed,
not too high,

and definitely not too low.

And when you're landing at
an airport like Stord, which

is fairly short, where
stopping distances is

an important
factor, then you're

extremely highly focused on
the desired touchdown point.

Reducing thrust.

NARRATOR: The plane
touches down at 7:32 AM.

And spoilers.

No spoilers.

INTERPRETER: I noticed there
was something abnormal.

Full brakes.

Why aren't we slowing down.

INTERPRETER: It felt like when
you're driving a car on ice

and you're trying to
break, but they don't work.

We're not stopping.

TOR ARNE JOHANNESEN:

INTERPRETER: We realized
it wasn't breaking,

and it's moving
really, really fast.

Speed.

ROLF LILAND: If the
airplane still does not

seem to be decelerating,
then you're starting

to run out of options.

NARRATOR: Flight 670 is
running out of runway.

Desperate to stop his
plane, Captain Djurhuus

takes drastic measures.

Hang on.

NARRATOR: He throws the
plane into a sharp turn,

first right, then left,
hoping to skid to a stop.

These pilots were
thinking extremely clearly.

And they even tried to put
the aircraft into a skid

just to increase the
friction between the wheels

and the pavement.

Stop!

Stop!

Just stop!

We're going over!

TOR ARNE JOHANNESEN:

INTERPRETER: Your only thought
is that you're going to die.

This is the end.

The fire brigade
responded immediately.

NARRATOR: At Stord
Airport, firefighters

race toward the
end of the runway

where Flight 670 has
disappeared over a cliff.

Both pilots are alive,
but fire is consuming

the right side of their plane.

You all right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Emergency checklists.

I'll shut down, you
order the evacuation.

--here comes
down off the top.

NARRATOR: Procedures
call for the crew

to shut down the engines
and order an evacuation.

But the cockpit door is jammed.

The door is stuck.

We've got to get out.

We've got to get out now.

TOR ARNE JOHANNESEN:

INTERPRETER: I had
only one focus,

and that was I had
to get off the plane.

NARRATOR: Passengers face
a terrifying challenge.

The front exits are
blocked, and moving

up the aisle to
the rear exit doors

is like climbing a cliff.

ROLF LILAND: The passengers had
to more or less climb uphill

in order to reach
that door, using

the seats and the headrests
to pull themselves

up towards the exit door.

NARRATOR: The pilots have
their own serious problems,

one of the plane's four
engines is not switching off.

The door is stuck.

I can't get engine
two to shut down.

Behind the engine,
obviously it's very hot.

On the front end of
the engine, there's

the jet intake, the
air intake, which

is sucking air into the
engine for compression.

So basically you have a danger
area all around the engine.

INTERPRETER: You're standing
in the aisle hearing the jet

engines, and you're sure that
you're going to die when you

jump out behind the engines.

NARRATOR: Less than
a minute after what

seemed like a normal touchdown,
all 16 people on board

are scrambling for their lives.

The cockpit door
still won't budge.

Hey, we have to
get out of here.

NARRATOR: The pilots
are forced to escape

through the side window.

Above the window is a
rope that you can use.

And you sit out with the back,
lean back, hold the rope,

and kind of winch
yourself down.

NARRATOR: At the
back of the plane,

Tor Arne Johannesen has
finally found a way out.

He escapes just before the
plane bursts into flames.

INTERPRETER: The interior
burst into flames,

and you couldn't see anything.

The next moment, I'm
outside the plane.

I didn't think about whether
I was relieved or happy,

I was just full of adrenaline.

My wife.

I need to call my wife.

NARRATOR: A local
resident records

the terrifying
scene as aviation

fuel burns out of control.

It takes fire crews nearly two
hours to quench the flames.

ROLF LILAND: They have
to stand up by the runway

and direct their foam and
water way down into the ravine,

barely reaching the aircraft.

NARRATOR: Four people are dead.

Both pilots have survived.

Tor Arne Johannesen has
suffered some painful burns,

but it could have
been much worse.

TOR ARNE JOHANNESEN:

INTERPRETER: I kept my jacket
on, which saved my arms

from being badly burned.

ROLF LILAND: There
were tragic fatalities.

But the fact that they
managed to evacuate so many

from the aircraft
is really, really

a feat which has impressed a
lot of people in the industry.

NARRATOR: Sven-Erik Strandberg
spoke to the captain

just after the crash.

I tried to comfort
him somehow there

but he didn't say much.

I couldn't stop.

Why couldn't I stop?

Obviously in shock and trying
to figure out what happened,

I would say.

NARRATOR: Within
hours, Norway's

Accident Investigation Board,
the AIBN, is at the scene.

Watch your step, guys.

TOR NORSTEGAARD: We knew
very little in the beginning.

We heard that it had
skidded off the runway,

and it was burning, and
it was fatalities there.

And then we knew
it was serious.

NARRATOR: As they
begin their work,

there's only one thing
investigators know for sure.

We knew that this aircraft
didn't manage to stop.

So we had to look into
why couldn't it stop,

and why didn't it stop.

NARRATOR: Answering that
question won't be easy.

There's much more to
stopping an airplane

than just hitting the brakes.

Aerodynamic forces,
atmospheric conditions,

and a range of mechanical
systems are all at play.

ROLF LILAND: So the
evidence they would find

would need a deep
technical analysis in order

to draw conclusions
from it, or at least

meaningful conclusions.

NARRATOR: Flight 670 has
come to rest nose down,

one side rolled against
the steep slope.

We saw that this must
have been a dramatic event.

NARRATOR: Investigators
quickly realize the wreckage

will give them few leads.

Much of the plane has
been completely consumed

by the post-crash fire.

TOR NORSTEGAARD: There
was almost nothing left.

It was melted aluminum.

And what we could
find was some steel

bolts, and some steel shafts,
and bits and pieces of steel.

But the rest of it was gone.

NARRATOR: Investigators face
immediate pressure to find

the cause of the crash.

The BAE 146 is considered an
ideal machine for Norway's

challenging flying conditions.

If there's a hidden flaw in
the design of the aircraft,

other lives could be at risk.

The flight recorders
are quickly recovered.

But they've been exposed
to intense heat and fire

for two hours, more
than double what

they're designed to endure.

They weren't quite burned.

They were suited.

Ooh.

A lot of heat damage
to the exterior.

KAARE HALVORSEN: And
they had changed color

from the normal red
to black grayish

color, which indicates
that they had

been exposed to extreme heat.

Well, let's hope the
insides are in better shape.

NARRATOR: Investigators
send them for analysis,

and hope for the best.

We took both of
their recorders

to the British
Accident Investigation

Board, which are experts on
reading out the recorders.

NARRATOR: For now,
the runway itself

is the best lead they have.

For now, just record
everything you see.

You never know what
might be important.

We could see some
marks at the runway

that looked like being
from the accident airplane.

So that was very interesting.

NARRATOR: The skid
marks might provide

important clues about why
the plane failed to stop.

But analyzing them
won't be easy.

How many planes use
this airport anyway?

On this airport, there's
a lot of skid marks.

So it's a tricky part
to determine which skid

mark was from which aircraft.

NARRATOR: As they collect bits
of debris from the runway,

they notice a troubling
detail about the surface.

Runway's damp.

NARRATOR: It lacks a
crucial safety feature.

And there are no grooves.

NARRATOR: Most
modern runways are

lined with special grooves
that carry away rainwater

and help prevent pooling.

It was raining at Stord earlier
on the morning of the crash.

A wet runway will make
the runway more slippery,

and it will increase the
aircraft stopping distance.

We're not stopping.

NARRATOR: Did the dangerously
wet runway prevent

Flight 670 from stopping--

We're going over!

NARRATOR: --before
it's fatal plunge

down a rocky embankment?

Air traffic controllers
at Stord Airport

can't explain why
Atlantic Airways Flight

670 careened over a cliff.

The other flight
had no problem.

NARRATOR: An
identical plane landed

safely on the same runway just
25 minutes before the crash.

Sven-Erik Strandberg
was piloting that plane.

It was not that wet, it
was just a little bit damp,

so we didn't notice very
much on landing at all.

So it was uneventful.

NARRATOR: The idea that a
wet runway was to blame just

doesn't seem to add up.

You describe how the
landing looked to you?

NARRATOR: But investigators
get a new lead

when they talk to some
of the firefighters

who saw Flight 670 land.

Several reports
seeing a trail of mist

streaming from the plane's
wings after it touched down.

KAARE HALVORSEN: The witnesses
stated that they saw wing

vortices from the aircraft.

For us, this is one evidence
that the lift spoilers

were not working as intended.

NARRATOR: When an
airplane is in flight,

the wings create
trails of turbulent air

known as wingtip vortices.

But only when the wings
are generating lift.

In the air, you can actually
see this like corkscrews

following up from the wings.

NARRATOR: The 146 has six
spoilers that should have

deployed on touchdown
to disrupt that lift

and help the plane stick
to the runway and stop.

As soon as you
select the spoilers,

you will feel the airplane
sink down towards the runway,

and you can apply the brakes.

NARRATOR: Did the
spoilers on Flight 670

somehow fail to deploy?

It may be a difficult question
for the team to answer.

All six of the plane spoilers
were destroyed by fire.

Is this all we got?

TOR NORSTEGAARD: Digging
into this wreckage,

we saw that it was no switches,
no wires, nothing that could

be useful for us, but we knew
that the actuators possibly

could tell us something.

NARRATOR: Investigators
are in luck.

The actuators that move
the spoilers into place

have survived.

OK then.

Let's see what
these can tell us.

NARRATOR: They send them to
the lab for X-ray examination.

The actuators,
they were moving

the spoilers up and down.

The actuator is sort
of a jack, you see.

So it pushes the spoilers
up, and it locks them.

NARRATOR: X-rays
of the actuators

confirm the
investigators suspicions,

the spoilers never deployed.

With no spoilers, Flight 670
didn't have the usual amount

of stopping power.

It's a compelling clue.

Investigators wonder
if they've found

the explanation for the crash.

With no spoilers, they
would need 40% more runway.

NARRATOR: As a safety
feature, the British Aerospace

146 can stop without
spoilers, but it

takes a lot more runway.

ROLF LILAND: When
you know that you're

going to land at
the short airport,

you need to calculate how much
distance you will use to land.

How long is this
runway anyway?

NARRATOR: Perhaps
the runway at Stord

was simply too
short for the plane

to stop without this
critical equipment.

Stopping distance
is 470 meters

on a 1,200 meter runway.

NARRATOR: But it's a dead end.

They had more than enough
room to stop without spoilers.

TOR NORSTEGAARD: The
last part of the runway,

for instance, the speed
should have been so low,

so spoilers or no spoilers
shouldn't be that important.

So we knew early on that
it must be something else

in addition to the spoilers.

NARRATOR: But what?

That is the mystery now.

Stop!

Stop!

Just stop!

NARRATOR: What else went wrong
during a routine landing that

suddenly turned to disaster?

We're going over!

NARRATOR: In their quest for
answers about the fatal crash

at Stord Airport, investigators
have a vital witness,

Captain Niklas Djurhuus.

We tried to get
into the cabin,

but the door would not open.

Not too sure why.

We gave it everything we had,
but the door wasn't opening.

NARRATOR: He recounts the
harrowing last moments

in the twisted cockpit
of his burning plane,

and his desperate efforts
to open the cockpit door

and help with the evacuation.

--you order the evacuation.

Down here comes
out off the top.

ROLF LILAND: The door was a
new type which was reinforced

for security measures.

I can't get engine
two to shut down.

So opening it by
kicking it and so forth

would not be as easy as with
an old type basic type of door.

Hey, we have to
get out of here.

Now I need you to
think back further.

NARRATOR: To understand
the cause of the accident,

investigators need to
know what the captain

was doing in the cockpit before
he lost control of the plane.

What happened when
you first touched down?

OK, well, as soon
as we touched down,

I pulled the spoiler lever.

But it didn't work.

NARRATOR: The captain
says he tried to activate

the spoilers on touchdown.

And spoilers.

No spoilers.

Full brakes

NARRATOR: But they
didn't engage.

And that wasn't the
crew's only problem.

The braking system seemed
ineffective as well.

We were slowing down.

I think we could have
stopped if we just--

I needed a few more meters.

OK.

Thank you, captain.

Talking to the crew, we got
indications that the brake

possibly was not working.

So then we were interested
in investigating the braking

system more thoroughly.

We're not stopping.

NARRATOR: If the brakes
on Flight 670 failed,

that would explain why
the plane couldn't stop.

There might be evidence
to support that theory

on the flight data recorder.

But it's been almost
entirely melted by the fire.

TOR NORSTEGAARD: The flight
data recorder was a rather

old type with the tape.

And the tape hasn't
survived the heat.

What we got was
just three smaller

fragments that was usable.

That was a disappointment.

NARRATOR: The investigation
into the crash of Flight 670

is nearly at a standstill.

There's almost
no hard evidence.

We've got about three seconds
of FDR data after touchdown.

And we know they had
a speed of 20 knots

near the end of the runway.

And that's about it.

NARRATOR: Investigators
need to know more about

how well the
brakes were working

when Flight 670 touched down.

They hope the skid
marks will tell them.

As they trace the
marks along the runway,

they notice something strange.

Anyone seen skid
marks this color before?

TOR NORSTEGAARD: Normal skid
marks are like black lines

along the runway, but this was
more like a lightly colored

brownish type of marks.

NARRATOR: Equally strange,
the skid marks were dotted

with unusual pieces of debris.

TOR NORSTEGAARD: It
smelled like rubber,

and it felt like rubber,
but soft and sticky.

NARRATOR: The debris appears
to be from the tires,

but investigators have no
idea why the tires would have

disintegrated so severely.

I have personally
never seen such rubber

grains on the runway before.

So that was new to me.

NARRATOR: Investigators
pin their hopes

on the cockpit voice recorder.

OK.

Let's see what we've got.

NARRATOR: Though the
flight data recorder

is beyond repair,
technicians have

managed to recover
the recordings

captured in the cockpit.

There's 10,000.

The manufacturers
were able to repair

the memory from the recording
and download the information.

And the information was superb.

NARRATOR: This could
be their last chance

to solve the puzzle.

The runway's going
to be in sight soon.

Why don't you see what
the weather's doing.

KAARE HALVORSEN:
We had everything,

from takeoff to the accident.

Control, Atlantic 670--

NARRATOR: They hope the
sounds will reveal why

Flight 670 didn't slow down.

Visibility is
over 10 kilometers.

Wind 110 at 6, Atlantic 670.

Fairly routine so far.

NARRATOR: They don't
hear any mistakes.

ROLF LILAND: The communication
between the pilots

was very professional,
down to the point,

and exactly how a
pilot would expect it

to be on a flight like this.

Wind's 110 and 6 knots?

Yep.

So it's just a
small tailwind.

Let's take runway 33, that
way we can do it straight in.

You got it.

Bit of a tailwind.

What's your landing speed?

112 knots.

Set speed for final.

Looks like they were
aiming for the right speed,

but that tailwind could have
given them a little bit extra.

Having a tailwind
in general will

affect your landing distance.

It will increase a little bit.

NARRATOR: Strong
winds behind a plane

can push up landing
speed, making

it take longer to slow down.

So pilots usually try
to land into the wind.

That's what
Sven-Erik Strandberg

did on the day of the crash.

I made a circle to land.

Came in from the North
landing towards the South

in a little bit of
a headwind there.

Control, Atlantic 670--

NARRATOR: Investigators wonder
if the tailwind eroded Flight

670's safety margin when
it was already struggling

to stop without spoilers.

Tailwind?

Could it be that simple?

NARRATOR: Investigators
review the history

of the British Aerospace 146.

They find 12 other
incidents of the plane

careening off the runway after
touching down in a tailwind.

It's a troubling record.

OK, runway is damp,
tailwind is 6 knots,

let's give it a try.

NARRATOR: To learn more,
they recreate Flight

670's landing in a simulator.

The airport at Stord
is a nice airport,

in good conditions,
could be a little bit

hard sometimes when it's rainy
and the winds from the

West there.

And we're reducing thrust.

NARRATOR: They want
to know if conditions

that day made it too difficult
to stop with no spoilers.

Don't put out the spoilers.

Step on the brakes.

NARRATOR: But the
theory doesn't hold up.

OK, looks like we're
back to square one.

Within acceptable
limits, there

was nothing wrong about
landing with 5 knots tailwind.

NARRATOR: Even without spoilers
to help slow the plane,

the tailwind was not enough
to push it over the edge.

The answers investigators
need remain elusive.

What sent Flight 670 plummeting
off the end of the runway.

We're going over!

NARRATOR: Digging through the
remains of the burnt fuselage

turns up an unexpected lead.

A kind of breakthrough
came when we started

to remove the wreckage.

NARRATOR: One of the tires from
Flight 670's main landing gear

has survived the fire.

It's a lucky break.

Investigators
immediately noticed

that the edges of
the rubber tire

have a peculiar texture,
just like the rubber pieces

they found on the runway.

More sticky rubber.

The inner left hand
main landing gear

had a flat spot,
which indicates

that the tire had been
skidding along the runway.

We could see that it
had been extremely hot.

And this heat had
transformed the tire.

NARRATOR: The tire
manufacturer provides

an intriguing explanation
for the strange discovery.

Reverted rubber hydroplaning?

NARRATOR: The sticky
pieces of rubber

are the result of an
unusual phenomenon that

sometimes occurs when
rubber tires heat

up due to extreme friction.

Yeah.

Let's bag some of that.

NARRATOR: If the
rubber is skidding

along a damp or wet
runway, the friction

can generate so much heat
that it turns the water

into a cushion of steam
that lifts the tire up

off the surface of the runway.

The small layer of steam
from the rubber developed

between the tires
on the runway,

and basically
making it a lot more

difficult to get the
required retardation

from the wheel brakes.

NARRATOR: The extreme heat
also breaks down the rubber

and makes it sticky,
just like the fragments

found on the runway.

It looks like
we've got a match.

We had a kind of textbook
example of it in front of us.

NARRATOR: The
phenomenon also explains

the unusually pale skid
marks investigators

found on parts of the runway.

The reason for the
skid marks being so pale

is because that cushion
of steam sort of steam

cleaned the runway.

Takes all the dirt and
everything out of the

runway itself.

Something just
doesn't seem to fit.

NARRATOR: But there's
still a mystery.

Reverted rubber
hydroplaning only

occurs if the wheels lock.

It's the only way to
produce enough friction.

The BAE 146 is equipped
with anti-lock brakes.

And spoilers.

No spoilers.

Full brakes.

NARRATOR: They're not supposed
to lock up and skid ever.

And yet that's
exactly what happened.

Investigators need to know why.

They return to the
sounds captured

in the cockpit of Flight 670.

OK.

Go ahead, please.

KAARE HALVORSEN: We didn't
know what had happened

mechanically in the aircraft.

So then we had to
look for other means.

NIKLAS DJURHUUS: We
have landing speed.

Reducing thrust.

And spoilers.

Hang on.

Play that again.

NARRATOR: Many cockpit controls
make distinctive sounds

when pilots move them.

JAKOB EVALD: And spoilers.

NARRATOR: Investigators
compare the cockpit recording

to a detailed
library of sounds,

hoping to piece
together what was

happening on board Flight 670.

There.

That click is the
spoiler lever.

NARRATOR: The
technique pays off.

They're able to identify
specific sounds,

including the click
of the spoiler lever.

No spoilers.

Full brakes.

NARRATOR: Listening closely,
they soon hear another sound,

a sound that could
finally explain

why the plane couldn't stop.

We're not stopping.

Stop.

Can you match that?

NARRATOR: The chiming
sound indicates

the plane's emergency
brake has been switched on.

Play it again.

We're not stopping.

Listen to those tires.

First, the chime of
the emergency brake,

then they start skidding.

NARRATOR: It's a
major breakthrough.

We got the chime that
proved that he has turned

on the emergency brake, and
a short period after that,

we could hear the noise
from the wheels on the CVR.

I think we found
our smoking gun.

Anti-skid and touch
down protection

may not be available.

Landing distance will
be increased by 60%.

NARRATOR: Investigators learn
that the emergency braking

system on the
British Aerospace 146

doesn't have
anti-skid protection.

That was the last piece in
the puzzle that told us more

about this braking situation.

We're stable.

We have landing speed.

Reducing thrust.

NARRATOR: Investigators
finally understand why

Flight 670 ended in tragedy.

They touched down here.

But the runway is damp, and
there's a tailwind giving

them a bit of an extra push.

And spoilers.

The captain
activates the spoilers,

but they don't deploy.

No spoilers.

Full brakes.

Here he switches on
the emergency brake.

We're not stopping.

And that's the final straw.

ROLF LILAND: Which
means basically

that the wheels are
locked, as on a car,

with no anti-skid brakes.

NARRATOR: The plane's
fate is sealed.

We're going over!

NARRATOR: Investigators
now believe

that even with the damp runway,
no spoilers, and the tailwind,

the plane would have
stopped in time if not

for the emergency brake.

We're not stopping.

NARRATOR: But the pilots had
no way to predict the outcome.

They had never trained for
such an unlikely scenario.

ROLF LILAND: If you have a
failure at a critical time,

like just after touchdown
on a case like this,

and the normal systems for
deceleration do not work,

then you automatically
almost by instinct

go on to the next
level, you need

to go to the emergency brakes.

Hang on.

SVEN-ERIK STRANDBERG: You
have to stop the aircraft,

and that's what they try to do.

In this case, of course, the
runway wasn't long enough.

NARRATOR: In their
final report,

the AIBN calls for
better training

to help pilots stop safely
in similar situations.

They also call for longer
safety areas around runways,

especially at airports
like Stord that are

surrounded by steep terrain.

That's our goal, that
every accident should

bring the safety
standards a little bit

in the right direction.

NARRATOR: Since the crash of
Atlantic Airways Flight 670,

important changes have been
made to make landing at

Stord safer.

The runway is now
longer, and grooves

have been added to channel
water off the surface

in rainy weather.

SVEN-ERIK STRANDBERG:
It's 50 meters longer

now than before the accident.

So I think positive
things happen even

though we had an accident.

The main task is
to improve safety,

and the other is telling
the story so others

can learn from failures.