All language subtitles for Air.Disasters.S10E06.Dangerous.Approach.1080p.PMTP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-maldini_track3_[eng]

Folks, this is your
captain speaking.

We'll soon be
landing in Durango.

NARRATOR: A commuter flight
over the Rocky Mountains

speeds towards disaster.

Somewhere out there
in the black of night

was an aircraft
down in our county.

NARRATOR: A desperate search
uncovers twisted wreckage

five miles from the runway.

Half the people were killed.

What are we missing here?

We're having a hard
time understanding

how the true impact is so
far short of the airport.

NARRATOR: An unexpected
tip-off points

to a shocking possibility.

What exactly did she say?

NARRATOR: One that will rock
the entire airline industry.

The best way I could
describe the investigators

was astounding.

NARRATOR: It's a cold
winter's evening at Stapleton

Airport in Denver, Colorado.

Captain Stephen Silver and
First Officer Ralph Harvey are

just about ready for takeoff.

Hey, everybody seated?

Yeah everybody's in.

No good outside?

Walk-around was all clear.

NARRATOR: Trans-Colorado
Flight 2286

is a short hop to
Durango-La Plata County

Airport in Southern Colorado.

Listen, when we
get to Durango,

I'd like to get in the air
again as quickly as possible.

It shouldn't be the problem.

We won't need to refuel.

NARRATOR: It's the crew's
fourth flight of the day,

and they're running late.

Bad weather has put them
40 minutes behind schedule.

Let's see what else
we could do to get

these folks back on time.

You got it.

We're always running
behind it seems like.

You're constantly trying
to get caught back up.

Because you have
connecting flights,

passengers want to make these
flights, just as we would

to if we were a
passenger in the back.

NARRATOR: Tonight,
there are 15 people

in the cabin of the
turboprop commuter plane,

including Susie Welch.

My brother was
sick in California.

And I was there, coming
home from visiting him.

And I missed my connection.

So it was a plane
that I wasn't supposed

to be on in the first place.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL:
Trans-Colorado 2286,

you are cleared for takeoff.

NARRATOR: Trans-Colorado
is a small regional carrier

that operates flights
for Continental Airlines.

2286, cleared for takeoff.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: Captain
Silver is in command.

He loved life.

And it was in his blood.

You could see it.

NARRATOR: Brad Howard
flew with Captain Silver

in the late 1980s.

Steve was a very happy,
jovial, energetic pilot.

I enjoyed flying with Steve.

You're handling
flying this leg, right?

You bet.

NARRATOR: First Officer Harvey
will operate the controls

for this flight,
leaving the captain

free to handle radio calls.

Take off power.

Airline pilots routinely
trade the flying duties.

Part of it is for the
reduction of fatigue,

so that one person is
not doing all the work.

But it also divides
the jobs up,

so that first officers
that will be captains

are gaining experience.

100.

NARRATOR: The captain keeps
an eye on the airspeed

as they accelerate for takeoff.

V1.

And rotate.

I was a little
bit apprehensive

because the weather wasn't
so great before I got on.

But when I got on,
I thought, wow,

what was I worrying about?

It's fine.

NARRATOR: The crew's
day began in Denver.

After two short hops to
Riverton and Casper, Wyoming,

they circled back to Denver.

Now they're headed
for Durango, a route

that takes them over the
Southern Rocky Mountains.

In fact, just about 20 miles
to the north of Durango is

the most numerous
14,000-foot peaks within

the continental United States.

Denver Flight Watch,
Trans-Colorado Flight 2286.

I'd like the latest weather
for Durango and Cortez, please.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL:
The latest we

have is indefinite ceiling,
obscured visibility,

light snow and fog.

They're still forecasting
moderate icing below 18,000.

Thank you.

The mountains come
very obscured quite fast

when a front moves through.

And visibility, of
course, then drops down.

Nothing we can't handle.

NARRATOR: About 20
minutes from the airport,

the captain and the first
officer review the landing.

So we're still doing this
straight into runway two

zero, OK?

Runway two zero, sounds good.

Control, we'll plan it on
a DME to runaway two zero.

That's approved.

Trans-Colorado 2286 cleared
for runway two zero approach

at Durango Airport.

NARRATOR: Like many small
airports in America,

Durango does not have its
own air traffic control.

The controller is in Denver,
more than 200 miles away.

Once they cleared
you for that approach,

they basically gave
you the responsibility

to get that airplane
down on the ground.

Radar coverage terminated.

Please report landing by radio.

Have a good night.

OK.

We're down to one
four, and we're

cleared for the approach.

2286, we'll go.

NARRATOR: The passengers
should be on the runway

in less than 5 minutes.

STEPHEN SILVER: Folks, this
is your captain speaking.

We'll soon be
landing in Durango.

So if you could please
buckle up your seatbelts,

we should have you on
the ground shortly.

The entire flight actually
was smooth as glass.

It's like one of the smoothest
flights I've ever had.

There was no cause for alarm,
anything unusual at all.

Speed set.

One quarter flaps.

One quarter flaps.

NARRATOR: The
pilots work quickly

to prepare for landing.

Gear it out.

Gear it out.

Three green.

They know that they
have a lot of altitude

to lose, they got a lot
of airspeed to lose.

And it also requires
the appropriate use

of different devices
on the airplane

to create additional drag
to help it slow down.

Do you have the runway?

NARRATOR: Something's wrong.

The pilots can't
see the runway.

Damn.

We're too low.

Pull up.

No, no, no, no, no.

Hold on.

There was this just big boom.

I thought we just
had a rough landing.

And the plane
began to do a flip.

That's when I thought
it's happening.

We're crashing.

Help me, Jesus.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL:
Trans-Colorado 2286,

this is Denver.

Please come in.

NARRATOR: The flight to
Durango is now overdue.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL:
Trans-Colorado 2286,

how do you read?

Trans-Colorado 2286,
how do you read?

Both Denver and the La
Plata County Airport personnel

had tried to contact
the aircraft via radio.

Trans-Colorado
2286, please come in.

It was pretty much
aircraft was overdue.

And somewhere out there
in the black at night

was an aircraft
down in our county.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL:
Trans-Colorado 2286, please

come in.

It was dark, and
it was a very cold.

And just looking
around, I could

see that we could be anywhere.

Please.

Is anyone out there?

I just thought, here I am.

Lord, help me.

NARRATOR: Susie Welch discovers
that she's not badly injured.

But it's clear other survivors
of the Trans-Colorado crash

are suffering terribly.

We have to get out.

They needed help as quickly
as they could get it.

We couldn't give what
they needed at the time.

NARRATOR: Susie faces
a difficult decision.

Stay and tend to the injured
or leave in search of help.

They usually say
stay where you are.

Someone will come and get you.

But we were out in
the middle of nowhere.

We didn't know if
anybody knew anything.

The weather wasn't really
good that night at all.

There were snow
flurries in the area,

and it was extremely cold.

NARRATOR: If the injured
don't get help soon,

they could freeze to death.

Just hang on.

We'll send for help.

NARRATOR: Welch and some
other able-bodied passengers

decide to set out on foot.

It may be the best chance
of survival for everyone.

I was thinking, my family,
they don't know where we are.

They have no idea
if I'm even alive.

That gets me.

We had approximately
4 feet of snow

on the ground, which
really hampered

our rescue activities.

NARRATOR: After
more than an hour,

they catch a lucky break.

They come across a highway.

I saw a semi and a car.

And I thought, hallelujah.

That was a relief to see that.

NARRATOR: Some
passengers are now safe.

Rescuers go in
search of the others.

We moved emergency
responders and equipment

to that particular
location on US

Highway 160, east of Durango,
approximately six miles.

It was a remote area.

And so it made it
difficult for the emergency

responders to get there.

It took us a long
time to figure out

exactly where the crash was.

NARRATOR: Finally, rescuers
reached the airplane.

Of the 17 people on
board, the crashes killed

nine, including both pilots.

Half the people
were killed, which

is, of course,
it's a heartbreaker

for a lot of people.

NARRATOR: The next
morning, daylight

reveals the full extent
of the destruction.

The front of the aircraft
from the wing forward

was fairly well-demolished.

The tail was broken
off in parts,

and the good portion of
the left wing was missing.

NARRATOR: Tom Hauter of the
National Transportation Safety

Board now faces a huge task.

Yeah.

Left wing tip right here.

Yeah.

Thanks, guys.

NARRATOR: Figuring
out why a commuter

plane slammed into the ground
five miles from the airport.

We were having a
hard time understanding

how the crew impact is so
far short of the airport.

That was going to
be the big mystery

here to try to understand.

NARRATOR: Sorting
through the wreckage

is like trying
to piece together

a giant jigsaw puzzle.

And that's not the
only challenge.

In 1988, planes with
fewer than 20 passengers

are not required to
carry flight recorders.

The lack of a cockpit voice
recorder and digital flight

data recorder makes things
much, much more difficult

because you have to then take
the evidence from the airplane

and then deduce what
happened to lead

the airplane into the ground.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: Hauter immediately
turns his attention

to an obvious suspect.

The weather.

STEPHEN SILVER: Denver Flight
Watch Tarns-Colorado Flight

2286, I'd like the latest
weather for Durango

and Cortez, please.

Trans-Colorado 2286,
Durango, the latest we have

is indefinite ceiling,
obscured visibility,

light snow, and fog.

They're still forecasting
moderate icing below 18,000.

NARRATOR: Icing is
a potentially deadly

phenomenon that can
occur from 32 down

to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Supercooled water
coats the surface

of an aircraft's
wings and freezes,

degrading aerodynamic
performance.

The biggest problem is it
changes the shape of the wing.

All of a sudden,
you start getting,

instead of a nice,
rounded edge,

it starts becoming
a blunt edge.

And now, instead of
the smooth airflow,

you get turbulent
airflow, and you

start losing lift on the wing.

NARRATOR: That's what happened
to American Eagle Flight 4184.

The plane was en
route to Chicago

when ice buildup on the wings
sent it into a deadly roll.

The crash killed all
68 people on board.

The critical question now,
did ice on the wings of Flight

2286 lead to a similar
tragedy on a snowy night

in the Colorado Rockies?

The descent to runway
two zero in Durango

is over mountainous terrain.

A crew would have
had little time

to recover if ice on the wings
caused a sudden loss of lift.

No, no.

No, no.

Pull up

NARRATOR: Did the
plane's wings ice over?

Is it the right
temperature range for icing?

NARRATOR: Hauter
studies weather

reports from Durango Airport.

Normally, icing
is a problem if you

have a liquid that's very
cold, hits the airplane,

and freezes on it.

It has to be
raining or drizzle.

The weather at the airport
was overcast cloudy,

but the temperature was
negative 24 Fahrenheit.

NARRATOR: It's a dead end.

Temperatures were
well below the minimum

required for icing.

It was so cold
that night, there's

no liquid water out there that
just form on the airplane.

Just snow.

And so icing could be
eliminated pretty quickly.

NARRATOR: The location
of the crash site,

just five miles
from the runway,

suggests another possibility.

One quarter flaps.

NARRATOR: To
prepare for landing,

the pilots have to
extend the plane's flaps

and lower the landing gear.

Gear down.

Three green.

NARRATOR: The increased
drag means the plane needs

more power to maintain lift
during the last few minutes

of flight.

Investigators wonder, did a
sudden loss of engine power

caused the crash?

Were they producing
power at impact?

Was there any obvious
problems with the engines

prior to impact?

So you start looking at
everything in detail.

NARRATOR: They check the
position of the engine levers.

The engine speed
is set for high,

exactly where it should be.

NARRATOR: It seems the pilots
had the right settings.

Speed set.

NARRATOR: What about
the engines themselves?

Did they somehow fail?

A trained investigator can find
clues to engine performance

by looking at the
propeller blades and how

they bent in the crash.

The blades that are in
opposition produce thrust.

And also by rotational damage,
they were running that impact.

If they hadn't been running,
even just pulled back.

But you can see that they're
actually chopping away

at the ground and
trees and being

pulled forward when they hit.

It was definitely
going at full speed.

No fault with the engine.

NARRATOR: With no black
boxes, it's difficult to know

where else to look.

Accident investigators
very definitely utilize

a process of elimination.

You eliminate the
things that you

know that didn't contribute.

And then eventually,
you get two,

to three, or four,
or five things

that did contribute to it.

Hauter here.

NARRATOR: An unexpected call
brings a surprising new lead.

One of the survivors has
made an alarming allegation.

Really?

Hi.

Welcome aboard.

You're down to the left.

Good evening.

How are you?

You are right in
the back there.

NARRATOR: One of the
passengers reported

that she thought she smelled
alcohol on the first officer.

The first officer helped
board the passengers.

Very gracious gentleman
by all accounts,

but she was disturbed by that.

NARRATOR: The NTSB
immediately adds

aviation psychologist
Malcolm Brenner

to the investigative team.

We were actually alarmed.

We were very concerned
that alcohol might turn out

to be a factor in this case.

As soon as the
team came back, I

was launched I think the
next day almost immediately

to follow up and
see what I could

learn about the first officer.

Unbelievable.

NARRATOR: A check of
the first officer's

driving record turns up
more damning evidence.

Arrested twice
for drunk driving.

For us, that is a
major trouble sign.

That would suggest that there
is a serious alcohol issue.

NARRATOR: Lab tests
are ordered to check

for alcohol in the blood
and urine of both pilots.

Let me know when
you get the results.

You're handling
flying this leg, right?

You bet.

NARRATOR: If the first officer
was impaired when Flight

2286 left Denver,
that could explain

the aircraft's tragic fate.

So this is the route
from Denver to Durango.

And here is where
they hit the ground.

NARRATOR: While they
wait for lab results,

investigators examine
other evidence.

They hope recordings of the
controller's conversations

and transponder
data can help them

build a better picture of what
was happening in the cockpit.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL:
Trans-Colorado 2286,

climb and maintain
flight level 230.

STEPHEN SILVER: Climb
and maintain 230.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: For most
of the flight,

there's no sign of a problem.

They didn't provide a mayday,
any calls, or any warnings

like that.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL:
Trans-Colorado

2286, across the
Durango, one mile,

fixed at or above 1 4,000.

Cleared for runway
two zero approach.

So now they're here.

STEPHEN SILVER: OK.

We're down to 1 4.

And we're cleared
for the approach.

2286, we'll go.

NARRATOR: But as
the plane approaches

Durango, investigators spot
something very strange.

They're dropping really fast.

NARRATOR: Planes
usually descend

at a slow, steady rate of
about 1,000 feet per minute.

Flight 2286 is descending
at nearly triple that rate.

A much faster, much greater
rate of descent approach

than normal.

And so we're sort of wondering
what was happening here.

NARRATOR: Did
alcohol impairment

caused the pilot flying to
make a reckless descent?

Was the first
officer flying drunk?

Blood and urine tests are in.

Technicians have
carefully checked

samples from both pilots.

Despite suspicions raised
by a passenger's tip-off,

the results show no alcohol
in the first officer's blood.

He was not drinking
before the crash.

Hello, sir.

The passenger must
have been mistaken.

Either she smelled
cologne or something else.

But fortunately, it turns
out alcohol was not an issue.

And I was relieved to find
out that the first officer

had dealt with that issue.

And it did seem to be
in a commendable way.

NARRATOR: What went wrong
in the final minutes

of Flight 2286 is
still a mystery.

OK.

We're down to 1 4, and
we're cleared with approach.

2286, we'll go.

NARRATOR: Investigators now
wonder about the instructions

the crew received from
air traffic control.

Were they told to
fly an approach

that was simply too risky for
the conditions that night?

The air traffic
recording soon gives

investigators their answer.

Trans-Colorado 2286, for
your approach to Durango,

would you rather shoot the ILS,
or will the approach to runway

two zero be sufficient?

NARRATOR: The recording reveals
that the controller did not

dictate the
approach to Durango.

Instead, he gave the
crew two options.

The first was to fly an
easy path around the airport

to a runway equipped
with an instrument

landing system or ILS that
guides the pilots down.

The second option, runway
two zero, has no ILS.

It requires pilots to descend
in a series of steep steps

to avoid mountains
north of Durango.

The way that the air
traffic controller handled

the flight was exemplary.

They offered them the
choice of which runway

and which instrument procedure
that they would like to do,

but left the decision
appropriately to the captain.

We'll plan on
using the two zero.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: For some
reason, the captain

chose to fly the steeper,
more difficult approach.

We have hills
here, here, and here.

Why didn't they take
the easy way down?

These are normally very,
very well trained pilots.

So what could have been the
factors that occurred here?

Thanks for coming.

Have a seat.

NARRATOR: Malcolm Brenner hopes
other Trans-Colorado pilots

can explain the decision.

So tell me about
Captain Silver.

What kind of a pilot was he?

NARRATOR: Everyone
agrees that Stephen

Silver was a skilled pilot.

But he was known to
want a rush at times.

A number of people
noted he tended to push

to keep the airplane on time.

He was a person that
pushed the limit on things

as a personality type.

NARRATOR: There's even
a letter in his file

praising him for his ability
to get in and out of an airport

in just 7 minutes.

Listen.

When we get to Durango,
I'd like to get in the air

again as quickly as possible.

It shouldn't be a problem.

We won't need to refuel.

Let's see what else
we could do to get

these folks back on time.

NARRATOR: The captain's
concern over lateness

helps explain his chosen
approach to Durango.

So we're still doing this
straight into runway two

zero, OK?

Runway two zero.

Sounds good.

Control, we're planning
on a DME to runway two zero.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Cleared
for runway two zero approach.

NARRATOR: Estimates show
that the straight in approach

to runway two zero saves about
10 minutes of flight time.

To me, it seems
almost instinctive

that he thought this is his way
to catch up and get in faster.

Folks, this is your
captain speaking.

We'll soon be
landing in Durango.

I think what this captain
felt as though it was

his responsibility
to try to get

the passengers where
they wanted to go,

when they were
expected to be there.

And he took that
very personally.

NARRATOR: The information
explains why Captain silver

chose such a challenging
approach on a snowy night,

but it doesn't
explain the crash.

Other pilots say they often use
the very same runway approach.

Professional pilots do
these kinds of approaches

with great regularity.

So I suspect that they were
aware of the challenging

nature of the approach.

Tricky approach.

But lots of pilots say
they did it all the time.

NARRATOR: To try to understand
where things went wrong,

investigators compare the
flight path pilots are

supposed to follow for runway
two zero to the actual descent

of Flight 2286.

What they discover
is astonishing.

Look at this.

They're way too steep,
even for this approach.

NARRATOR: The
comparison reveals

that after opting for a
challenging approach requiring

a steep descent, the
Trans-Colorado pilots

flew in even steeper.

And here, they're finally
on the right flight path.

But they just keep dropping.

It's like they had no
idea of their altitude.

We don't know exactly what
happened obviously because we

don't have the
recorded information

we do in a modern airplane.

It's quite clear
that the crew descended

below the published approach.

Why exactly, we don't know.

NARRATOR: Investigators
wonder if the plane's

altimeters or any other
flight instruments

might have malfunctioned.

Was it possibly
internal failures?

Do we see anything clogging
the lines that provide

pressure to the instruments?

And so you look at
all the connections.

NARRATOR: A thorough
inspection turns up nothing.

All the control systems
were properly hooked up

and should have been
functional at the time.

We found nothing mechanically
wrong with the aircraft.

NARRATOR: Once again, the
investigation hits a wall.

Do you have the runway?

NARRATOR: There's
still no explanation

for why two trained
airline pilots flew

their plane into
a hillside just

short of the Durango airport.

Damn.

We're too low.

Pull up.

No, no, no, no, no.

Hold on.

NARRATOR: In Denver,
Malcolm Brenner

digs into the qualifications
of the two pilots

on Trans-Colorado flight 2286.

People don't normally
go out with an intention

of crashing airplanes.

So what was it in their
training, their background,

something in their
personal history,

anything else that
could have caused

them to make this error?

NARRATOR: The file the
First Officer Ralph

Harvey, the pilot
who was flying,

contained some
disturbing details.

Tested for captain, failed.

Proficiency test, failed.

Instrument flying,
below average.

NARRATOR: Brenner uncovers
a history of failed tests.

He learns that the first
officer's mediocre flying

actually cost him a job.

He was released from
a previous employer

because he failed to be able to
upgrade in complex instrument

flying conditions.

This particular
individual was very

challenged to do this on a
regular basis and do it well.

So we're still doing this
straight into runway two

zero, OK?

Runway two zero, sounds good.

Nothing we can't handle.

NARRATOR: Brenner suspects
that flying the challenging

approach to Durango
and limited visibility

was more than the first
officer could manage.

I think as long as
the weather is good,

he would probably be
a very adequate pilot.

His trouble is when
things start to happen

very fast it seems like.

NARRATOR: But there's
another troubling question.

The duties of airline pilots
are usually carefully divided.

Landing lights.

On.

NARRATOR: The first
officer was flying.

Speed set.

NARRATOR: So the
captain should have

been monitoring the instruments
and watching for mistakes.

This first officer
had a history

of having some difficulties
with complex

instrument procedures.

And so this would be a first
officer that a captain would

want to watch pretty closely.

NARRATOR: It seems
Captain Silver

was not watching closely.

The evidence suggests
he never corrected

his first officer's mistakes.

For some reason,
the captain didn't

take over and save the plane.

I need to know why.

NARRATOR: They contact
friends and family, trying

to piece together what the
pilots were doing in the hours

leading up to
their last flight.

They're looking for any
sign of stress or fatigue.

Fatigue can be insidious.

And a lot of it depends on
what was the quality of sleep

that he got the night before.

NARRATOR: Brenner
learns that the captain

had dinner with his parents
the night before the crash.

Looks like plenty
of time to rest.

NARRATOR: As far
as anyone can tell,

Captain Silver spent a
quiet evening with family,

then went home to sleep.

What a day.

NARRATOR: Less than
24 hours later, he

would fail to correct his
first officer's perilously

quick descent towards Durango.

After an exhaustive
investigation,

Brenner and his colleagues
still don't know why.

What are we missing here?

When you find a mechanical
failure, it's obvious.

Something fatigued and broke.

And because that part
failed, this happened.

Trying to really understand
why people make mistakes

can be very difficult.

NARRATOR: The case seems
to have hit a dead end.

Hello.

NARRATOR: Until a phone
call changes everything.

Yes.

What?

What exactly did she say?

We got a call from a
member of the public.

This was a pilot who said that
he had met with a woman who he

believed was the fiancee
of the captain who

died in the accident.

What a day.

NARRATOR: Investigators learn
that on the eve of the crash,

Captain Silver
may not have spent

a quiet night alone after all.

Time to have a bit of fun.

Now you're
speaking my language.

NARRATOR: They hear a
story about drug use

and a woman who
is alleged to have

made a stunning admission.

I'm sure glad to be buried
and right after the accident.

The night before, we'd
done a bag of cocaine.

We did a bag of cocaine.

Would you like to go first?

Yeah.

Bag of cocaine.

That's the expression she used.

It's enough for a couple
to party all night.

You realize this is a
very serious allegation?

The best way I could
describe the investigators

was astounded.

Thank you.

It's very disturbing to
have a drug involved.

Cocaine was something that
we hadn't really expected.

We've got a new
story on the captain.

NARRATOR: The stunning
claim contradicts

what many friends
and family have said

about the dedicated pilot.

Everything that we received
on the captain of the aircraft

is that he was well
trained, a good pilot,

certainly had all
the experience,

and there were no issues.

NARRATOR: And the
captain's fiancee

denies the entire story.

A letter from her
lawyer contends

she wasn't even
with the captain

the night before the crash.

The ingestion of these
drugs, you just don't see

this with professional pilots.

NARRATOR: Though the
captain's blood has already

been analyzed, the test
wasn't sensitive enough

to detect cocaine use.

The first one was
done by the hospital.

And their testing was
at a very high level.

They were looking
only for overdose.

Call the lab.

We need to run the
captain samples again.

Subsequently, the specimens
were sent to the toxicology

lab in Oklahoma City.

In that case, they go down
to very sensitive levels.

NARRATOR: If the
captain of Flight 2286

really was using
cocaine, the implications

for the entire aviation
industry will be huge.

I always thought pilots
were squeaky clean.

I mean, they are
carrying people's lives.

They have people's
lives in their hands.

NARRATOR: Technicians
conduct a second and then

a third toxicology
test on blood samples

from the deceased
captain of Flight 2286.

Because of the
seriousness of it,

they wanted to make
sure that there wasn't

laboratory error involved.

NARRATOR: The results
leave no room for doubt.

They reported
that in the blood,

there had been cocaine
in the recent past.

He wasn't asleep.

He was up using cocaine.

If, as the evidence
suggests, the captain

had been partying all
night and had come to work,

he probably got
very limited sleep.

He was in withdrawal by
the time of the accident.

And many of the things that are
characteristic of withdrawal,

such as a slowing of reaction
and a general feeling

of not being well,
would not help

him on this type of approach.

NARRATOR: Brenner now
understands the shocking chain

of errors, negligence,
and criminal behavior

that led to the crash.

This accident
begins with a captain

who was in no shape to fly.

NARRATOR: After a long
night of drug use,

the captain sets off for work.

His first flight of
the day is scheduled

to depart at 1:15 PM.

He must report
for duty at 12:30.

Seven hours later,
after three flights,

the twin turboprop
is running late.

And the captain is feeling the
effects of cocaine withdrawal.

Listen, when we
get to Durango,

I'd like to get in the air
again as quickly as possible.

It shouldn't be a problem.

We won't need to refuel.

Because of his actions,
his deliberate actions,

he presented himself
for duty not qualified.

And that goes
against everything

that professional
pilots are taught.

Trans-Colorado 2286.

For your approach to
Durango, would you rather

shoot the ILS, or would the
approach to runway two zero

be sufficient?

Control, we'll plan on
a DME to runway two zero.

NARRATOR: The captain's
habit of rushing

leads him to choose
a risky approach when

a safer option is available.

What a horrible decision.

In withdrawal, he's
not half the pilot

he is when he's alert.

NARRATOR: The
struggling first officer

is soon overwhelmed by
the difficult approach.

But the captain doesn't notice.

Do you have the runway?

For this individual
to have allowed himself

to fall into this
condition is very, very

hard for me to understand.

NARRATOR: With one pilot
struggling at the controls

and the other battling
fatigue, neither is

watching the plane's altitude.

Damn.

We're too low.

Pull up.

No, no, no, no, no.

Once he lost track
of their altitude,

they didn't have a chance.

NARRATOR: The NTSB final report
cites the first officer's

poor flying and
the captain's use

of cocaine as
contributing causes

of the Trans-Colorado crash.

The drug revelations make
headlines across the country.

It's thought to
be the first time

that a commercial pilot
involved in a crash

has tested positive for drugs.

I was totally naive to
the situation with Steve.

It totally shocked me.

NARRATOR: The FAA
soon implements

important changes,
including more frequent drug

testing for pilots.

As a result of this
accident, to a large extent,

drug testing programs
became practical.

And they've been
very, very successful.

To my knowledge,
there has not been

any other case
of drugs involved

in an airline accident.

NARRATOR: The Durango crash
leads to other reforms

as well.

Regulations now require black
boxes in all commuter planes.

And any plane with
10 or more seats

must have a ground
proximity warning device.

WARNING DEVICE: Pull up.

NARRATOR: To alert pilots
if they're flying too low.

In the case of this
accident, the Safety Board

reconstructed that a ground
proximity device would

have given warning
at least 23 seconds

prior to the collision.

And in aviation, that actually
is quite a bit of time.

NARRATOR: For survivors
like Susie Welch,

painful memories linger.

But she knows her ordeal and
the terrible loss of life

were not in vain.

Flying is safer now than
it ever was because they're

making these changes.

And so I think that
makes me really happy.

Yeah.