All language subtitles for Air.Disasters.S14E07.Missing.Pieces.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-AiRPL4NE_track3_[eng]

First Officer: I CAN'T GET POWER
ON THE ENGINES.

Narrator:
A BOEING TRIPLE SEVEN...

Captain: MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

SPEEDBIRD. SPEEDBIRD.

Narrator: ...CRASH-LANDS
AT LONDON'S HEATHROW AIRPORT.

Man: JUST A HUGE BANG.

BITS FALLING OFF THE CEILING.

Passengers: FIRE!

Narrator: A COMMERCIAL JET

PLUNGES INTO
THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES.

Man: YOU COULD SMELL
THE JET FUEL.

YOU COULD SMELL DEATH.

[CRASH]

Narrator:
AND A DEVASTATING CRASH

SHATTERS A SCOTTISH VILLAGE.

Man: SCATTERED ALL AROUND
WERE BITS OF DEBRIS,

HUMAN TISSUE AS WELL.

Narrator:
THREE HORRIFYING DISASTERS

CAPTURE THE WORLD'S ATTENTION.

Man: IT'S A QUESTION
OF WHAT EVIDENCE YOU FIND

AND, AND WHICH DIRECTION
TO TAKE THE INVESTIGATION.

Narrator: EACH ONE
A COMPLETE MYSTERY

THAT HAS INVESTIGATORS STUMPED.

Man: MY FIRST THOUGHT IS,
HOW AM I GONNA PULL THIS OFF?

Narrator: CAN THEY FIND
THE CLUES THEY NEED

TO SOLVE THESE PUZZLING CASES?

Man: SOME OF THESE EVENTS,

WE CAN FIGURE THEM OUT
WITHIN A DAY OR TWO,

BUT OTHERS TAKE YEARS.

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!

Controller: I THINK I LOST ONE.

Man: INVESTIGATION STARTING
INTO THIS TRAGEDY...

Man: HE'S GONNA CRASH!

♪

Flight Attendant:
HI THERE. GOOD AFTERNOON.

Passenger: GOOD AFTERNOON.

Flight Attendant:
IT'S RIGHT THERE.

Narrator: VALUJET FLIGHT 592 ISA SHORT ONE-AND-A-HALF-HOUR TRIP

FROM MIAMI
TO ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

Flight Attendant:
LET ME HELP YOU WITH THAT.

Narrator: IN COMMAND IS
35-YEAR-OLD CANDALYN KUBECK.

SHE'S AN EXPERIENCED PILOT
WITH NEARLY 9,000 FLIGHT HOURS.

Richard Hazen: OKAY.

Narrator: THE FIRST OFFICER
IS A FORMER AIR FORCE PILOT,

52-YEAR-OLD RICHARD HAZEN.

Hazen: CLEAR TO START?
Candalyn Kubeck: RECEIVED.

Narrator:
TODAY'S FLIGHT IS LOADED

WITH ALMOST 4,400 POUNDS
OF CARGO,

WHICH INCLUDES
PASSENGER LUGGAGE,

VALUJET COMPANY MATERIAL,
AND U.S. MAIL.

AFTER THE CREW SIGNS OFF
ON THE CARGO,

THE FLIGHT IS READY
FOR DEPARTURE.

Hazen: THERE YOU GO.

Controller: CRITTER 592,
TAXI TO RUNWAY NINER-LEFT.

Hazen: NINE-LEFT, CRITTER 592.

Narrator:
THEY'RE PILOTING A DC-9

WITH MORE THAN 68,000 HOURS
OF FLIGHT TIME.

Controller: CRITTER 592,
RUNWAY NINE-LEFT,

CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF.

Hazen: POWER IS SET.

ROTATE.

Kubeck: GEAR UP.

Narrator: TAKEOFF
FROM MIAMI AIRPORT IS NORMAL.

Jerome Chandler: THE SKYWAS RELATIVELY BENIGN THAT DAY,

AND THEY WERE JUSTLOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING HOME.

Narrator: TODAY'S ROUTE
TAKES FLIGHT 592 NORTHWEST

OVER THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES

AND THEN STRAIGHT UP
TO ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

♪

[BOOM]

Kubeck: WHAT WAS THAT?

Hazen: I DON'T KNOW.

[ALARM]

Kubeck: WE GOT
SOME ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.

WE'RE LOSING EVERYTHING.

Narrator: IT'S JUST SIX MINUTES
AFTER TAKEOFF.

SUDDENLY,
THE DC-9 IS IN TROUBLE.

THE CREW FACES
A BARRAGE OF FAILURES.

Kubeck: WE NEED
TO GO BACK TO MIAMI.

[SNIFFS]

Passenger: DO YOU SMELL SMOKE?

[COUGHING]

Passenger: FIRE!

[ALARM]

FIRE!

Narrator: FLAMES ARE BURNING
THROUGH THE CABIN FLOOR.

[COUGHING]

Hazen: SMOKE IN THE CABIN.

Narrator: PASSENGERS ARE IN
A DESPERATE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL,

BUT THERE'S
NO ESCAPING THE FLAMES.

Chandler: THIS IS HEAVY,
POISONOUS SMOKE.

PEOPLE ARE BREATHING IT IN.

[ALARM]

Flight Attendant:
WE'RE COMPLETELY ON FIRE!

[ALARM]

Narrator: THE JET PLUMMETS
TOWARDS THE GROUND

AT OVER 400 MILES PER HOUR.

[COUGHING]

[ALARM]

FLIGHT 592 HAS CRASHED INTO

ONE OF THE MOST
INHOSPITABLE SPOTS ON EARTH,

THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES.

Witness: A LARGE JET AIRCRAFT
HAS JUST CRASHED OUT HERE,

LARGE, LIKE AIRLINER SIZE.

YOU NEED TO GET
YOUR CHOPPERS IN THE AIR.

Narrator: ALL 110 PEOPLE
ABOARD THE FLIGHT ARE DEAD.

NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION
SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATORS

FACE ONE OF THE MOST HAZARDOUS
ACCIDENT SCENES

THEY'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED...

A SWAMPLAND.

Malcolm Brenner: THE WRECKAGE
WAS IN A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT.

IT WASN'T CLEAR AT THAT POINT
HOW MUCH WE'D BE ABLE TO,

TO, TO LEARN FROM THE WRECKAGE
OR BE ABLE TO RECOVER.

Narrator: LEADING THE TEAM IS
VETERAN INVESTIGATOR GREG FEITH.

Greg Feith: ALL RIGHT,
LET'S GET TO WORK.

MY FIRST THOUGHT IS,
HOW AM I GONNA PULL THIS OFF?

WE'VE DRAWN UP A GRID.

WE'RE GOING TO SCOUR THIS SWAMP
QUADRANT BY QUADRANT.

Narrator: WHAT'S LEFT
OF THE AIRCRAFT

HAS SUNK INTO THE VAST SWAMP.

Brenner: THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE
OF THE AIRPLANE.

THERE WAS JUST DEBRIS,

VERY LITTLE PRESENT
AND NO EVIDENCE OF PASSENGERS.

Narrator: RECOVERY TEAMS
CONTINUE TO BATTLE

THE HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT,

LOOKING FOR ANY CLUES
THEY CAN FIND.

Paul Toy:
YOU'RE TRUDGING THROUGH,

AND YOU'RE IN YOUR WADERS,

AND, UH,
YOU'RE STEPPING ON STUFF.

YOU HAVE TO BEND DOWN,

AND YOU HAVE TO PICK IT UP
AND SEE WHAT IT IS.

Feith: THERE WERE TIMES
WHERE, YOU KNOW,

YOU THINK YOU'RE
PICKING UP A WIRE BUNDLE.

YOU'RE PICKING UP
THE BACK END OF A SNAKE.

♪

Narrator:
WHILE FEITH'S RESCUE TEAM

SCOURS THE DENSE GRASSES
OF THE SWAMPLAND,

INVESTIGATORS
TURN THEIR ATTENTION

TO THE ONLY LEAD THEY HAVE.

Controller: ROGER, CRITTER 592.

WHAT KIND OF PROBLEM
ARE YOU HAVING?

Narrator: THE PILOTS
REPORTED SMOKE IN THE CABIN.

Hazen: SMOKE IN THE CABIN.

Narrator: THEY DIG THROUGH
FLIGHT 592'S RECORDS,

LOOKING FOR CLUES
AS TO WHAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED IT.

THEY LEARN THAT THE FLIGHT
WAS DELAYED EARLIER IN THE DAY

DUE TO MINOR
ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS.

IT RAISES CONCERNS
THAT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

BROUGHT DOWN THE PLANE.

Brenner: WE WERE LOOKING
AT ANY EXPLANATION.

THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A FAULT IN
THE WIRING OR A SHORT CIRCUIT,

AND WE REALIZED IT WAS GONNA BE
A VERY DIFFICULT INVESTIGATION.

Narrator: WITH THIS NEW LEAD,

NTSB FIRE INVESTIGATOR
MERRITT BIRKY

STUDIES CLUMPS OF TANGLED
WIRING PULLED FROM THE SWAMP

TO DETERMINE
WHETHER A SHORT CIRCUIT

COULD HAVE CAUSED
THE IN-FLIGHT FIRE.

WHEN FAULTY WIRING
SPARKS A FIRE,

ELECTRICAL ARCING CAUSES
THE WIRES TO BURN AND MELT.

Merritt Birky: WHEN WE RECOVERED
MORE OF THE ELECTRICAL HARNESS

ON THE PLANE,
WE SAW SOME DAMAGE THERE,

BUT IT WASN'T, UH, EVIDENCE OF
ELECTRICAL ARCING ON THE WIRE.

Narrator: CAREFUL EXAMINATION
RULES OUT FAULTY WIRING

AS A POTENTIAL CAUSE
OF THE FIRE.

INVESTIGATORS ARE STILL
WITHOUT ANSWERS.

ALL THEY HAVE TO GO ON
ARE RANDOM PIECES OF WRECKAGE

THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO FIND
IN THE SWAMPLAND.

Birky: SO, WE HAD PARTS
COMING IN THAT WERE DAMAGED,

ALMOST ALL LIMITED
TO THE CARGO COMPARTMENT.

WE HAD MELTED STRUCTURE
COMPONENTS THAT WERE

IN THE OVERHEAD
OF THE CARGO COMPARTMENT,

WHICH MADE UP THE FLOOR
OF THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT.

Narrator: AS MERRITT BIRKY
HUNTS FOR EVIDENCE

OF WHAT STARTED THE FIRE,
HE MAKES A CHANCE DISCOVERY.

Birky: IT'S STAINLESS STEEL.

YOU DON'T NORMALLY SEE
BURNED STAINLESS STEEL

IN AN IN-FLIGHT FIRE.

Narrator: PLANES ARE MADE
OF LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIAL

LIKE ALUMINUM AND TITANIUM,
NOT STAINLESS STEEL.

INVESTIGATORS CONCLUDE
THAT IF THE STAINLESS STEEL

WASN'T FROM THE PLANE,
THEN IT MUST BE FROM THE CARGO.

Brenner: THE OPERATIONS GROUP
MORE AND MORE BECAME CONCERNED

ABOUT THE CARGO THAT WAS LOADED
ON THE AIRPLANE

AND WHAT POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANCE
IT COULD HAVE TO THE ACCIDENT.

Narrator: THEY PULL THE CARGO
DOCUMENTATION FOR FLIGHT 592

AND DISCOVER THAT
THE PLANE WAS TRANSPORTING

THREE TIRES AND FIVE
CARDBOARD BOXES CONTAINING

144 EMPTY STAINLESS STEEL
OXYGEN GENERATORS.

OXYGEN GENERATORS
ARE SMALL DEVICES INSTALLED

ABOVE THE PASSENGER SEATS
OF CERTAIN AIRPLANES.

THEY ARE CONNECTED
TO OXYGEN MASKS THAT DROP DOWN

IN THE EVENT
OF CABIN DEPRESSURIZATION.

WHEN DEPLOYED, SEVERAL CHEMICALS
COMBINE TO CREATE OXYGEN.

THE CHEMICAL REACTION
GENERATES A LOT OF HEAT.

THE CANISTERS CAN REACH
500 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

Birky: THESE THINGS
GET PRETTY HOT, GREG,

REALLY HOT.

Feith: AN OXYGEN GENERATOR
THAT IS NOT MOUNTED

IN ITS PROPER POSITION
IN A HEAT SINK CRADLE

IN THE PASSENGER SERVICE UNIT
IS, IS LETHAL

BECAUSE IF IT'S ANYWHERE
NEAR A COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL,

YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A FIRE.

Narrator: REGULATIONS REQUIRE
THAT ALL OXYGEN GENERATORS

REMOVED FROM AN AIRCRAFT
BE DEACTIVATED AND EMPTIED

OF VOLATILE CHEMICALS
BEFORE TRANSPORTING.

Feith: WE HAD FIVE BOXES
OF THESE, OR 144 OF THEM,

THROWN IN A BOX,
CARRIED AS CARGO.

THEY'RE SUPPOSEDLY EMPTY.

WHAT DANGER IS THERE
CARRYING THEM AS CARGO?

THERE'S NO QUESTION.

THEY'RE CLEARLY LISTED AS EMPTY.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS WONDER
WHETHER THE OXYGEN GENERATORS

WERE IMPROPERLY DISMANTLED
BEFORE SHIPPING.

Feith: DID THEY HAVE
A POTENTIAL FOR CREATING A FIRE,

OR A FIRE SITUATION,

THAT COULD HAVE JEOPARDIZED
THE SAFETY OF THIS AIRCRAFT?

Narrator: RECOVERY TEAMS
IN THE FIELD CATCH A LUCKY BREAK

AND RECOVER
A BATCH OF OXYGEN GENERATORS

AT THE BOTTOM
OF THE EVERGLADES.

THE DISCOVERY
CONFIRMS THEIR HUNCH.

WHILE SOME OF THEM ARE EMPTY...

Feith: THIS ONE'S
NEVER EVEN BEEN TRIGGERED.

Narrator:
...MANY OTHERS ARE FULL.

Feith: THE OXYGEN GENERATORS
THAT WE HAD FOUND

HAD BEEN DAMAGED.

SOME WERE COMPLETELY FLATTENED.

SOME OF THEM
WERE CHARRED AND CRUSHED.

SOME OF THEM STILL
HAD THE MATERIAL IN THEM,

BUT THE CASE HAD BEEN
DENTED AND, AND DAMAGED.

Narrator: IT NOW SEEMS THAT
THE HIGHLY VOLATILE CHEMICALS

WERE SHIPPED
ON BOARD VALUJET 592.

HAD THE PILOTS KNOWN
WHAT WAS ACTUALLY ON BOARD,

IT'S UNLIKELY THEY WOULD HAVE
SIGNED OFF ON THE MANIFEST.

Hazen: THERE YOU GO.

Narrator:
BUT TO PROVE THEIR THEORY,

INVESTIGATORS NEED TO FIND OUT
HOW THE CANISTERS

GOT ON THE FLIGHT
AND HOW THEY MIGHT HAVE IGNITED.

[SCREAMING]

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
SPECIALIST JIM HENDERSON

JOINS THE INVESTIGATIVE TEAM
TO FIGURE OUT

HOW HIGHLY VOLATILE
OXYGEN GENERATORS WERE SHIPPED

ON VALUJET FLIGHT 592
AS CARGO.

HE TRACKS DOWN SHIPPING PAPERS
AND UNCOVERS A SHOCKING MISTAKE.

THE SHIPPING CLERK MISLABELED
THE GENERATORS AS EMPTY,

WHEN IN FACT THEY WERE MERELY
PAST THEIR EXPIRATION DATE.

Jim Henderson:
DID SOMEONE ACTUALLY THINK

THAT EXPIRED MEANT EMPTY?

THIS WAS A BIG PROBLEM

BECAUSE THESE OXYGEN GENERATORSWEREN'T EMPTY.

THEY HAD EXPIRED,
BUT EXPIRATION JUST MEANT

THAT THEY HAD EXCEEDED
THEIR SHELF LIFE.

THEY WERE STILL CAPABLE
OF GENERATING OXYGEN.

THEY HADN'T BEEN PROPERLY SAFED,

AND THEY HADN'T BEEN
PROPERLY PACKAGED,

SO WE WERE REALLY CONCERNED
THAT THIS MIGHT BE

EITHER WHAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT
OR WHAT MADE THE FIRE WORSE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CONCLUDE
THAT AIRPORT WORKERS

LOADED POTENTIALLY FLAMMABLE
CARGO ONTO VALUJET 592

BECAUSE OF AN ERROR
IN SHIPPING PAPERS.

BUT THE MISTAKE STILL DOESN'T
EXPLAIN HOW THE FIRE SPREAD

TO THE REST OF THE PLANE.

THE DC-9'S CARGO HOLD
IS AIRTIGHT.

IT'S SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED
TO CONTAIN A FIRE.

BUT IF OXYGEN GENERATORS
WERE CREATING THEIR OWN OXYGEN,

COULD THE CARGO HOLD
STILL CONTAIN THE FIRE?

Feith: WE KNEW ABOUT
THE OXYGEN GENERATORS.

WE KNEW THE POTENTIAL THEY HAD
FOR BEING A FIRE SOURCE,

BUT WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW
THEIR REAL POTENTIAL

FOR BRINGING DOWN AN AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: AT A FEDERAL
AVIATION ADMINISTRATION

FIRE TEST FACILITY...

Feith: OKAY, LET'S DO THIS.

Narrator: ...INVESTIGATORS
HOPE TO RECREATE THE FIRE

THAT CONSUMED FLIGHT 592.

Birky: WE PUT FIVE BOXES
OF OXYGEN GENERATORS,

PUT THEM ON TOP OF,
UH, A TIRE

AND PUT SOME LUGGAGE
AROUND THEM.

Feith: ONE MINUTE TO IGNITION.

WE HAD TO TRIGGER ONE OF
THE OXYGEN GENERATORS MANUALLY.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
ACTIVATE ONE OF THE GENERATORS

TO SIMULATE A CANISTER
BEING JOSTLED IN THE CARGO HOLD

DURING TAKEOFF.

[BEEPING]

Feith: IT MADE
AN UNBELIEVABLE NOISE.

IT SOUNDED, IT WAS
A HIGH-PITCHED SCREAM.

WE ALL LOOKED AT EACH OTHER,
AND WE WERE KIND OF STARTLED.

I MEAN, THE SOUND WAS DEAFENING.

[SCREAMING]

Narrator: TEN MINUTES
AFTER IGNITION,

THE CEILING
OF THE TEST CARGO CONTAINER

REACHES 2,000 DEGREES
FAHRENHEIT.

Birky: LORD ALMIGHTY.

Feith: WE HAD A RAGING FIRE,
AND NONE OF US HAD EXPECTED

A FIRE TO BE THAT BIG
AND THAT HOT,

AND IT WAS JUST AMAZING TO SEE
HOW DESTRUCTIVE SOMETHING

THIS LONG AND THAT BIG AROUND
COULD BE.

Narrator: THE EXPERIMENT
SUPPORTS THE NTSB THEORY.

IMPROPERLY DISMANTLED
AND MISLABELED OXYGEN GENERATORS

CAUSED THE CRASH
OF VALUJET 592.

EVEN IN AN AIRTIGHT CARGO HOLD,

THE FIRE WOULD HAVE BURNED
FIERCELY ENOUGH

TO BRING DOWN THE DC-9.

Feith: IT ONLY TOOK
3 MINUTES AND 42 SECONDS

FOR THE FIRE
TO BRING DOWN THE PLANE.

Narrator: THERE WAS NO CHANCE

OF GETTING THE PLANE
TO THE GROUND SAFELY.

♪

IN THE WAKE OF THE ACCIDENT,

THE FEDERAL AVIATION
ADMINISTRATION

GROUNDS VALUJET INDEFINITELY.

THE AIRLINE IS EVENTUALLY SOLD.

THE NTSB RECOMMENDS
BETTER TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES

WHO HANDLE OXYGEN GENERATORS.

IT'S THE STUBBORN
AND UNRELENTING EFFORTS

OF INVESTIGATORS THAT SOLVES
THE CASE OF VALUJET 592.

Bob Benzon: IT WAS KIND OF
A SHERLOCK HOLMES-TYPE THING.

THERE'S A PROCESS OF ELIMINATION

TO WINNOW THINGS DOWN
TO A CAUSE.

Narrator: BRITISH AIRWAYS
FLIGHT 38 IS NEARING THE END

OF A TEN-AND-A-HALF-HOUR JOURNEY

FROM BEIJING
TO LONDON'S HEATHROW AIRPORT.

CAPTAIN PETER BURKILL HAS MADE
THIS TRIP MANY TIMES BEFORE.

Peter Burkill: I WAS OPERATING
THAT ROUTE A LOT.

IT WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITEFLIGHTS BECAUSE IT WAS DAYLIGHT.

YOU COULD,
YOU COULD SEE THE VIEWS

THE WHOLE WAY ALONG THE ROUTE.

Narrator: BURKILL AND
FIRST OFFICER JOHN COWARD

BOTH HAVE THOUSANDS OF HOURS
UNDER THEIR BELTS

FLYING THE TRIPLE SEVEN.

Burkill: IT'S A JOY TO FLY.
SHE HANDLES REALLY WELL.

SHE'S GOT MODERN EQUIPMENT.
THE COMPUTERS ARE EASY TO USE.

Narrator: POWERED BY TWO MASSIVE
ROLLS-ROYCE ENGINES,

THE BOEING TRIPLE SEVEN

IS ONE OF THE SAFEST PLANES
IN THE INDUSTRY.

THE AUTOPILOT IS IN CONTROL

AS THE CREW LINES UP
WITH THE RUNWAY.

AT 1,000 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND,

THE PLANE IS BUFFETED
BY SOME HIGH WINDS.

Nicholas Harris:
JUST A LITTLE TURBULENCE.

Narrator: IT'S THE FIRST WRINKLE
IN AN OTHERWISE SMOOTH JOURNEY.

TWO MINUTES BEFORE LANDING,

COWARD TAKES OVER
FLYING THE PLANE.

Burkill: YOU HAVE CONTROL?

John Coward: I HAVE CONTROL.

Controller: SPEEDBIRD 38,
CLEARED TO LAND 27 LEFT.

Burkill: CLEARED TO LAND
2-7 LEFT, SPEEDBIRD 38.

Narrator: BUT SUDDENLY,
THERE'S A PROBLEM.

Coward: I CAN'T GET POWER
ON THE ENGINES.

IT'S NOT GIVING ME POWER.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Burkill: WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

I WAS LOOKING
AT THE ENGINE INSTRUMENTS,

AND THEY DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME

BECAUSE WE WERE
ASKING FOR FULL POWER,

BUT THE ENGINE INSTRUMENTS WERE
NOT GIVING US ANY POWER AT ALL.

Narrator: LESS THAN THREE MILES
FROM THE RUNWAY...

Coward: WHAT'S GOING ON?

Narrator:
...FLIGHT 38 IS CRIPPLED

IN THE WORST WAY IMAGINABLE.

Coward: WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE
WE HAVE DOUBLE ENGINE FAILURE.

Narrator: THE PLANE IS FALLING
TOWARDS SOUTHWEST LONDON.

Burkill: THIS CAN'T
BE HAPPENING.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
MODERN JETS IN THE WORLD.

MAYDAY. MAYDAY.

SPEEDBIRD. SPEEDBIRD.

Narrator: THE PILOTS
OF A BOEING TRIPLE SEVEN

NEED TO FIND A WAY
TO KEEP THEIR PLANE

FROM CRASH-LANDING
IN A LONDON SUBURB,

POTENTIALLY KILLING
SCORES OF PEOPLE.

BOTH ENGINES ABOARD BRITISH
AIRWAYS FLIGHT 38 HAVE FAILED.

Burkill: AIRSPEED LOW.

Narrator: THERE ISN'T ENOUGH
POWER TO MAKE IT TO THE RUNWAY

AT HEATHROW AIRPORT.

Burkill: I KNEW I HAD ABOUT 15
SECONDS TO MAKE A HUGE DECISION.

I NEEDED TO GET
PAST THOSE BUILDINGS.

I NEEDED TO RAISE THE FLAPS.

Narrator: RETRACTING THE FLAPS
WILL REDUCE DRAG BUT ALSO LIFT.

THE PLANE WILL FLY FURTHER

BUT DROP FASTER ONTO THE GRASS
IN FRONT OF THE RUNWAY.

IT'S A DANGEROUS MOVE,

BUT IT'S CAPTAIN BURKILL'S
BEST OPTION FOR SAVING LIVES.

Burkill: IT WAS HARD, VERY HARD.

I REMEMBER THE COUPLE OF IMPACTS
AND THE NOISE.

Harris: GOOD GOD!

THE LANDING WAS HARD.

IT WAS JUST A HUGE BANG.

THE NOISE,
BITS FALLING OFF THE CEILING.

Narrator: RESCUERS
RUSH TO THE SCENE.

MIRACULOUSLY,
THERE ISN'T A SINGLE CASUALTY.

STILL, THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 38
IS THE MOST SERIOUS ACCIDENT

AT HEATHROW IN 30 YEARS.

MORE SIGNIFICANTLY,
THE TRIPLE SEVEN IS ONE

OF THE WORLD'S MOST MODERN
AND RELIABLE JETS.

THE ACCIDENT UNSETTLES
THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY.

David Learmount:
THE TRIPLE SEVEN IS AS SAFE

AS AN AIRPLANE CAN BE.

IT HAD SUCH
A SUPERB SAFETY RECORD.

WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED?

YOU DON'T LIKE NOT KNOWING
WHETHER IT MIGHT HAPPEN

TO THE REST OF YOUR FLEET.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS QUICKLY
ARRIVE ON THE SCENE.

PHIL SLEIGHT IS THE LEAD
ENGINEER FOR BRITAIN'S AAIB,

THE AIR ACCIDENTS
INVESTIGATION BRANCH.

Phil Sleight:
WHEN YOU FIRST APPROACH

AN ACCIDENT SITE LIKE THIS,

THE FIRST THOUGHT YOU'VE GOT IS,
WHERE DO I START?

Narrator: JUST HOURS
AFTER THE CRASH,

INVESTIGATORS
INTERVIEW THE CREW.

CAPTAIN PETER BURKILL
HAS A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT

OF WHAT HAPPENED.

Burkill: WE TRIED TO GIVE THEM
MORE POWER MANUALLY,

BUT THERE WAS NOTHING.

Narrator: BURKILL EXPLAINS
THAT SOMETHING HAD CAUSED

BOTH OF THE JET'S
ROLLS-ROYCE ENGINES

TO ROLL BACK AT THE SAME TIME,
ROBBING THE AIRCRAFT OF POWER.

Sleight: WHEN YOU HEAR SOMETHING
OF A DOUBLE ENGINE FAILURE,

YOU START LOOKING
AT WHAT'S COMMON.

WHAT COULD CAUSE BOTH ENGINES
TO FAIL AT THE SAME TIME?

SO, OUR FIRST THOUGHTS WERE THAT
IT MAY HAVE RUN OUT OF FUEL.

Narrator: AT THE CRASH SITE,

INVESTIGATORS LOOK
AT THE AIRCRAFT'S FUEL LEVELS.

THEY CONFIRM THAT TWO OF
THE TANKS DID IN FACT HAVE FUEL.

THE POWER LOSS ON FLIGHT 38

MUST HAVE BEEN CAUSED
BY SOMETHING ELSE.

AN EXPLANATION
SHOULD BE SIMPLE TO FIND

SINCE EVERY PIECE OF EVIDENCE
INVESTIGATORS COULD EVER WANT

IS READILY AVAILABLE.

Sleight: WE WERE QUITE FORTUNATE
TO HAVE THE AMOUNT OF DATA

THAT WE HAD ON THIS AIRCRAFT

BECAUSE THE AIRCRAFT
REMAINED INTACT.

WE WERE ABLE GET LOTS OF DATA
FROM THE RECORDERS,

AND ALSO COMPUTERS.

Narrator: THE TRIPLE SEVEN'S
ADVANCED COMPUTERS

HANDLE MOST
OF THE FLIGHT'S SYSTEMS.

A MASSIVE FAILURE
OF THOSE SYSTEMS COULD EXPLAIN

WHY THE ENGINES STOPPED WORKING.

AFTER REVIEWING
THE FLIGHT RECORDERS,

INVESTIGATORS RULE OUT
COMPUTER FAILURE

AS A FACTOR IN THE CRASH,

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL
THE RECORDERS TELL THEM.

Mark Ford: THE TWO
MOST SIGNIFICANT PARAMETERS

FROM THE QUICK ACCESS RECORDER
WERE THE FUEL METERING VALVES.

BOTH THOSE VALVES INDICATED
THAT THEY HAD OPENED

TO THEIR FULLY OPEN POSITION.

Narrator: THE PLANE'S COMPUTERS
WERE WORKING,

AND THE FUEL VALVES WERE OPEN,

SO WHY WASN'T THE FUEL
REACHING THE ENGINE?

INVESTIGATORS ARE STUMPED.

Learmount: THEY HAD THE PILOTS.
THEY HAD THE PASSENGERS.

THEY HAD THE AIRCRAFT.

THEY HAD EVERYTHING THERE,
EXCEPT THE THING THAT CAUSED IT.

THAT HAD DISAPPEARED
AS IF BY MAGIC.

Narrator: UNABLE TO EXPLAIN
WHY BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHT 38

CRASH-LANDED AT HEATHROW,
INVESTIGATORS NOW TURN AWAY

FROM THE CLUES THEY HAVE
TO THOSE THEY DON'T.

Brian McDermid: PHIL STARTED
COMING OUT WITH A MANTRA,

WHICH WAS A QUOTE
FROM SHERLOCK HOLMES.

Sleight: WHATEVER IS LEFT,
HOWEVER IMPROBABLE,

MUST BE THE CAUSE.

IT HAS TO BE.

IN THIS CASE, WE ALWAYS KEPT
COMING BACK TO WHAT'S THERE,

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN THERE
THAT'S NOT THERE NOW,

AND WE COME BACK TO ICE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS WONDER
IF ICE BUILT UP

IN THE FUEL LINES
WHILE FLYING OVER SIBERIA

COULD HAVE CLOGGED THE SYSTEM.

ICE IN THE FUEL LINES
HAS LONG BEEN A CONCERN

FOR JETS OF ALL KINDS
FLYING IN COLD AIR MASSES.

McDermid: IF YOU HAVE WATER
IN THE FUEL,

THEN THAT WATER WILL FREEZE
AND FORM ICE CRYSTALS.

Narrator: DECADES AGO, ENGINEERS
FOUND AN INGENIOUS WAY

TO DEAL WITH THE ICE FORMING

IN THE FUEL LINES
OF PASSENGER JETS.

THE HEART OF THE SYSTEM

IS THE FUEL OIL
HEAT EXCHANGER, OR FOHE.

COLD FUEL RUNS THROUGH
THIN TUBES, WHICH ARE SURROUNDED

BY THE HOT OIL USED
TO LUBRICATE THE ENGINES.

McDermid: THE PURPOSE OF A FUEL
HEATER IS TO HEAT THE FUEL UP

TO PREVENT ICING OF THE
DELICATE FUEL CONTROL SYSTEM.

Narrator: IF ICE BUILT UP
IN THE FUEL LINES

AND SOMEHOW THE FOHE
FAILED TO MELT IT,

HOW CAN INVESTIGATORS PROVE IT

IF THE EVIDENCE OF ICE
IS NO LONGER PRESENT?

THREE MONTHS AFTER THE CRASH,

BRIAN McDERMID FLIES TO THE
BOEING HEADQUARTERS IN SEATTLE

TO TEST WHETHER ICE
WAS A KEY FACTOR

IN BRINGING DOWN FLIGHT 38.

FIRST, THEY RECONSTRUCT
THE ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM.

THEN THEY REPLICATE
THE TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS

THE BOEING TRIPLE SEVEN
ENCOUNTERED DURING ITS FLIGHT.

McDermid: WHEN THE TEMPERATURE

GETS TO ABOUT
MINUS 20 DEGREES CENTIGRADE,

THEN THOSE ICE CRYSTALS
WILL START TO STICK TOGETHER

AND WILL ALSO STICK
TO THE INSIDE OF THE PIPES.

Sleight: THERE WAS
A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SURPRISE

AS TO HOW MUCH
COULD ACTUALLY GROW.

McDermid: NOW WE'RE
GETTING SOMEWHERE.

Narrator: WHILE INVESTIGATORS
CAN PROVE THAT ICE CRYSTALS

LIKELY FORMED DURING THE FLIGHT,

IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN IF IT
COULD HAVE TAKEN DOWN THE PLANE.

THE FOHE SHOULD HAVE MELTED IT.

INVESTIGATORS SIMULATE
FLIGHT 38'S JOURNEY.

DURING THE LONG VOYAGE
FROM BEIJING,

THE AUTOPILOT MAINTAINED
CONSTANT SPEED

AND LOW POWER FOR HOURS,

NEVER DEMANDING AN ABRUPT
INCREASE IN ENGINE POWER

UNTIL JUST BEFORE
THEY REACHED THE RUNWAY.

Sleight: THE APPROACH
INTO HEATHROW

WAS QUITE A TURBULENT APPROACH,

AND THE ENGINES WERE DEMANDING
VARIOUS LEVELS OF THRUST POWER.

McDermid: THE PROBLEM
THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT

IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT
TO REPLICATE,

AND DURING WHAT WAS
ONE OF THE LAST TESTS,

WE ACTUALLY MANAGED TO GET
ALL THE ELEMENTS TOGETHER.

Narrator: AFTER SIMULATING
RUNNING ENGINES

AT CONSTANT SPEED, INVESTIGATORS
INCREASE THE POWER,

JUST LIKE THE AUTOPILOT DID
AFTER THE PLANE HIT TURBULENCE.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
BREAKS THE CASE WIDE OPEN.

THE SUDDEN DEMAND
FOR MORE ENGINE POWER

CAUSES THE FUEL PRESSURE

DOWNSTREAM OF
THE FUEL OIL HEAT EXCHANGER

TO DROP DRAMATICALLY.

AND WHEN INVESTIGATORS EXAMINE
THIS VITAL COMPONENT...

McDermid: WE THEN SAW
THAT ICE HAD FORMED

ACROSS THE FACE OF IT.

Narrator: THE SYSTEM DESIGNED
TO MELT THE ICE FAILED.

SOFT ICE THAT HAD FORMED
DEEP INSIDE THE FUEL LINES

BROKE FREE WHEN THE PRESSURE
WAS ABRUPTLY INCREASED.

THE VARIEGATED DESIGN
OF THE INTAKE TUBES

CAUSED THE ICE TO CLOG THE FOHE,

PREVENTING FUEL
FROM REACHING THE ENGINES.

McDermid: THE FUEL WILL CONTINUE
TO FLOW THROUGH,

BUT THE FLOW RATE IS MUCH LOWER
THAN IT SHOULD BE.

Coward: PETE, I CAN'T GET
POWER ON THE ENGINES.

IT'S NOT GIVING ME POWER.

Narrator: FACING A THREAT
NO ONE KNEW EXISTED...

Burkill: MAYDAY.
SPEEDBIRD. SPEEDBIRD.

Narrator: ...THE PILOTS
DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE

TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

THE ICE THAT BROUGHT DOWN

ONE OF THE WORLD'S
MOST SOPHISTICATED AIRPLANES

WAS GONE BY THE TIME
INVESTIGATORS SHOWED UP.

Learmount: THE WEIRD THING
ABOUT THIS INVESTIGATION

WAS THAT THE CULPRIT
HAD FLED THE SCENE.

Narrator: SOON
AFTER THE SEATTLE TESTS,

THE ENGINE MAKER, ROLLS-ROYCE,

REDESIGNED
THE FUEL OIL HEAT EXCHANGER.

BUT IT'S THE UNRELENTING
DILIGENCE OF INVESTIGATORS,

AND A LITTLE INSPIRATION
FROM SHERLOCK HOLMES,

THAT SOLVES THIS MYSTERY.

John Nance:
SO, THE PHILOSOPHY HERE

IS THAT YOU LEAVE
NO STONE UNTURNED.

IF THERE'S ANY STONE
LEFT UNTURNED,

ANY PIECE OF METAL
THAT NEEDS TO BE KICKED OVER,

LOOKED AT, AND ANALYZED,
THEN YOUR JOB IS NOT DONE YET.

Narrator: PAN AM FLIGHT 103
IS ON ITS WAY

FROM LONDON TO NEW YORK.

THE JET HAS JUST TAKEN OFF
FROM HEATHROW AIRPORT.

MacQuarrie:
GOOD EVENING, SCOTTISH.

CLIPPER 103.

WE ARE LEVEL AT 3-1-0.

Controller:
103, YOU ARE IDENTIFIED.

Narrator: MOST OF THE PASSENGERS

ARE AMERICANS ON THEIR WAY HOME
FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

THE FIRST PART OF THE TRIP
TO THE UNITED STATES

TAKES THE PLANE NORTHWEST
UP OVER SCOTLAND,

THEN ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN
TO NEW YORK CITY.

37 MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT,
THE PLANE FLIES OVER LOCKERBIE.

IT'S ONE OF SEVERAL
SMALL TOWNS IN SCOTLAND

THE PLANE WILL PASS OVER.

MICHAEL GORDON
IS CHATTING WITH A FRIEND.

[BOOM]

Michael Gordon: YEAH, HANG ON.

UM, THERE'S SOMETHING ODD
OUTSIDE HERE.

I HEARD THIS NOISE, AND
THE NOISE SOUNDED LIKE THUNDER,

AND THE NOISE
GOT LOUDER AND LOUDER,

AND I COULD HEAR THE NOISE

THEN GOT TO THE STAGE

OF BEING SIMILAR

TO A JET FIGHTER.

AND AT THAT TIME, WE HAD A LOT
OF MILITARY AIRCRAFT

PASSING THROUGH THE AREA.

I SAW DARK OBJECTS,

DARK THINGS FALLING FROM THE SKY

AGAINST THE LIGHTS OF LOCKERBIE.

AND THEN I COULD SEE
A LONG, THIN BLACK OBJECT,

WHICH HAD A FIRE
ON THE UPPER SURFACE, COMING IN,

AND IT WAS MAKING ITS WAY
TOWARDS LOCKERBIE.

[CRASH]

[EXPLOSION]

WHEN IT HIT, IT WAS
THE MOST HORRENDOUS EXPLOSION.

Narrator: PAN AM FLIGHT 103
HAS FALLEN FROM THE SKY.

LOCKERBIE IS BURNING.

AIR CRASH INVESTIGATORS
ARE DISPATCHED TO THE TOWN.

MICK CHARLES IS
THE AAIB'S LEAD INSPECTOR.

Mick Charles: ONE OF
THE FIRST SITES WE WENT TO

WAS THE SITE OF THE CRATER.

THAT WAS, UH, STILL SMELLING

VERY MUCH OF AVIATION FUEL
FOR A START,

AND, UH, SCATTERED ALL AROUND
WERE, WERE BITS OF DEBRIS,

AND, IN SOME CASES,
HUMAN TISSUE AS WELL.

Narrator: ALL 259 PEOPLE
ON THE FLIGHT ARE DEAD.

11 PEOPLE FROM LOCKERBIE
HAVE ALSO BEEN KILLED

IN THE DISASTER.

CHARLES IS
UNDER INTENSE PRESSURE

TO EXPLAIN
WHAT CAUSED THE TRAGEDY.

Charles: YOU'LL BE
ORGANIZED INTO GROUPS,

HEADED BY AN AAIB INSPECTOR.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?

THE SOONER WE START, THE BETTER.

IT WAS ALL HEAVING,
IT WAS HAPPENING,

THERE WERE LOADS OF PEOPLE,

AND IT WAS,
TO SOME EXTENT, CHAOS.

Narrator: BUT FROM THE OUTSET,

THE INVESTIGATION
IS WITHOUT LEADS.

THE CRASH OF PAN AM 103
IS A COMPLETE MYSTERY.

♪

Chris Pollard:
YOU ALWAYS HAVE THIS,

THIS SENSE OF WANTINGTO GET TO GRIPS WITH WHAT IT IS.

IT WAS QUITE CLEAR THAT
WHATEVER IT WAS WAS COLOSSAL.

♪

Narrator: MORE THAN
1,000 POLICE OFFICERS

AND 600 MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY
POUR INTO LOCKERBIE TO HELP.

Pollard: AT THE START
OF THE INVESTIGATION,

WHAT WE WERE DOING
WAS FINDING ALL THE AIRPLANE.

Narrator: FROM THE GROUND,

THE SHEER SCALE OF THE DISASTER
IS DIFFICULT TO COMPREHEND.

Charles: CHRIS, THE RAF
HAVE OFFERED US A HELICOPTER.

CAN WE USE IT?

Pollard: ABSOLUTELY.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS NEED
TO GET A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW

SO THEY CAN LOCATE AND BEGIN
TO MAP THE FIELD OF DEBRIS.

WHEN THEY SURVEY THE SITE
FROM ABOVE,

THEY'RE SHOCKED
BY WHAT THEY FIND.

PIECES OF THE PLANE
ARE SCATTERED OVER AN AREA

LARGER THAN ALL OF LONDON.

IT QUICKLY BECOMES CLEAR
THAT PAN AM 103 WAS COMING APART

LONG BEFORE IT HIT THE GROUND.

Charles: NORMALLY, YOU'RE SEEING

A FAIRLY CONTAINED
ACCIDENT SITE.

IN LOCKERBIE,
IT WAS NOTHING LIKE THAT.

THE POLICE HAD IDENTIFIED
HALF A DOZEN DISCRETE SITES.

Narrator: A 747 IS MADE UP
OF MORE THAN SIX MILLION PARTS.

IN THE MANGLED REMAINS
OF THE JET,

INVESTIGATORS
NEED TO FIND THE ONE

THAT WILL TELL THEM
WHAT HAPPENED.

INSIDE THE PLANE'S
SEVERED COCKPIT,

INVESTIGATORS NOTE THE POSITION

OF VARIOUS SWITCHES
AND CONTROLS.

THEY FIND THE AUTOPILOT IS ON,

AND THE OXYGEN MASKS
ARE STILL STOWED.

Charles: NOTHING AT ALL UNTOWARD
FOUND IN THE COCKPIT.

IT WAS...EVERYTHING WAS
CONSISTENT WITH CRUISING FLIGHT.

Narrator:
WHILE THE PAINSTAKING WORK

OF COLLECTING EVIDENCE
CONTINUES,

INVESTIGATORS WONDER
IF SABOTAGE COULD BE AT PLAY.

Tom Thurman: CHARLES?

Narrator: TOM THURMAN OF THE FBI

ARRIVES TO HELP
THE INVESTIGATION.

IF IT WAS A BOMB,

THERE'S A CHANCE THAT
IMPORTANT EVIDENCE CAN BE FOUND.

Thurman: WE WERE LOOKING
FOR BLAST DAMAGE

ON THESE PIECES OF METAL,

BUT UNTIL WE FOUND SOMETHING
THAT SAID IT WAS A BOMB,

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE,
IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.

Narrator: ON CHRISTMAS EVE,

JUST THREE DAYS
AFTER THE CRASH OF THE PLANE,

THE INVESTIGATION
GETS AN ENORMOUS BREAK.

Thurman: MICK CHARLES,
HE HAD A BAG

AND HAD A PIECE OF METAL
IN THE BAG.

WHAT IS IT?

Charles: WE THINK
IT'S A PIECE OF LUGGAGE RAIL.

IT HELPS GUIDE THE CARGO
CONTAINERS INTO PLACE.

Narrator: SMALL MARKS
ARE IDENTIFIED ON THE METAL,

CRATERS THAT ARE
THE TELLTALE SIGNS OF A BOMB.

Thurman: THE HOT GASES
OF THE COMBUSTION PROCESS

OF THE EXPLOSION HITS
A PIECE OF PARTICULARLY METAL,

AND IT PUTS PITS IN IT,
LIKE YOU WOULD TAKE A BLOWTORCH.

Charles: WE WERE VERY SUSPICIOUS
THAT IT WAS A BOMB

WHICH HAD CAUSED
THIS DESTRUCTION, UM,

BUT WE WERE NOT PREPARED
TO SAY ANYTHING

UNTIL WE'D HAD
THOSE DETAILS CONFIRMED

BY THE FORENSIC EXPERTS.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
SEND THE LUGGAGE RAIL

TO A BRITISH FORENSICS LAB
FOR ANALYSIS.

THE RESULTS ARE CONCLUSIVE.

TRACES OF TWO CHEMICALS
USED TO MAKE PLASTIC EXPLOSIVES

ARE FOUND ON THE DEBRIS
RECOVERED NEAR LOCKERBIE.

ON DECEMBER THE 28th,
JUST SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE CRASH,

AIR CRASH INVESTIGATORS
HAVE THEIR PROOF.

Charles: IT HAS BEEN
ESTABLISHED THAT TWO PARTS

OF THE METAL LUGGAGE
PALLET'S FRAMEWORK

SHOW CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE
OF A DETONATING HIGH EXPLOSIVE.

Narrator: PAN AM FLIGHT 103
WAS BOMBED.

THE INVESTIGATION TAKES ON
A WHOLE NEW URGENCY.

IT FALLS UPON THE FBI
TO ANSWER ONE CLEAR QUESTION.

Dick Marquise: OUR MANDATE,
UH, WITH REGARD TO LOCKERBIE

WAS FIND OUT WHO DID IT
AND PROVE IT, UH,

BECAUSE WHAT WE WANTED TO DO
WAS BRING SOMEONE TO JUSTICE

AND MAKE THEM ANSWER
FOR KILLING 270 PEOPLE.

Narrator: THE PAN AM 103
TRAGEDY BECOMES A CRIMINAL CASE,

BUT THE FBI STILL NEEDS THE
EXPERTISE OF AAIB INVESTIGATORS

TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY.

FINDING THE BOMB IS ONE THING.

FINDING WHO PLANTED IT
IS QUITE ANOTHER.

IT WILL PUSH THE SKILLS
OF THE AAIB TEAM TO THE LIMIT.

AAIB ENGINEERS
RECONSTRUCT THE HULL

FROM FRAGMENTS OF THE WRECKAGE
RETRIEVED FROM THE CRASH SITE.

THEY SOON PINPOINT
THE LOCATION OF THE BLAST.

PETER CLAIDEN IS RESPONSIBLE

FOR REASSEMBLING
THE CARGO CONTAINERS

THAT WERE DIRECTLY
BEHIND THE SHATTER ZONE.

Peter Claiden: THE MAIN GOAL
I HAD WAS TO IDENTIFY

THE BAGGAGE CONTAINER
THAT CONTAINED THE DEVICE.

Narrator:
THE INVESTIGATORS CONCENTRATE

ON THE CARGO CONTAINERS

THAT WERE FOUND
IN THE SOUTHERN DEBRIS FIELD,

WRECKAGE THAT WAS EJECTED
SHORTLY AFTER THE EXPLOSION.

THE METAL CONTAINER, AVE 4041,
IS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST.

IT WAS RESTING
IN FRONT OF THE WING,

WHERE THE BLAST DAMAGE
IS THE WORST.

Claiden: THE DAMAGE CAUSED
TO THE METAL CONTAINER

WAS QUITE SEVERE.

THE DAMAGE TO THE ADJACENT
FIBERGLASS CONTAINER,

I THINK YOU MIGHT CALL IT
COLLATERAL DAMAGE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
CREATE A SIMPLE FRAMEWORK

AND ATTACH THE PIECES OF
THE REAL CARGO CONTAINER TO IT.

AS THEY DO IT, IT BECOMES CLEAR.

AVE 4041 CARRIED THE BOMB
THAT BROUGHT THE PLANE DOWN.

CLOSELY EXAMINING DAMAGE
TO THE FLOOR

AND THE SIDE OF THE CONTAINER,
INVESTIGATORS ARE ALSO ABLE

TO PINPOINT
THE HEIGHT OF THE BOMB,

WHERE IT WAS IN THE CONTAINER
WHEN IT EXPLODED.

Claiden: WHAT THAT SAID TO ME

WAS THAT THE DEVICE
WAS PROBABLY IN A SUITCASE,

AND THAT SUITCASE WAS PROBABLY

NOT ON THE FLOOR
OF THE CONTAINER.

IT LOOKED LIKE
IT WAS ONE LEVEL UP.

Narrator: ACCORDING
TO LUGGAGE RECORDS,

IT MEANS THE BAG
CONTAINING THE BOMB

HAD COME FROM
A CONNECTING FLIGHT.

BUT WHOSE SUITCASE WAS IT,

AND AT WHAT POINT
WAS IT PUT ON THE PLANE?

INVESTIGATORS HUNT
FOR THE SUITCASE

THAT HELD THE BOMB
THAT TOOK DOWN PAN AM 103.

STUDYING SMALL PIECES
OF WRECKAGE,

BRITISH FORENSIC EXPERTS
IDENTIFY THE SUITCASE,

A HARD-SIDED SAMSONITE 4000.

SEVERAL PIECES OF CLOTHING
HAVE ALSO BEEN IDENTIFIED

THAT WERE VERY CLOSE
TO THE EXPLOSION,

LIKELY IN THE SUITCASE
THAT CONCEALED THE BOMB.

MOST OF THESE CLOTHES WERE MADE
BY A SINGLE MANUFACTURER

AND WERE ONLY SOLD
ON THE TINY ISLAND OF MALTA.

Marquise: SO, MALTA BECAME
THE FOCUS OF THE INVESTIGATION

BECAUSE OF THE MANUFACTURE
AND EVENTUALLY, UH,

DISTRIBUTION
OF SOME OF THE CLOTHING

THAT WAS FOUND AT LOCKERBIE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
FIND THE SHOP IN MALTA

WHERE THE CLOTHES WERE SOLD.

THE OWNER GIVES THEM
ANOTHER CLUE.

Marquise: THE KEY THING
THAT HE TOLD US

WAS THE PERSON
HAD A LIBYAN ACCENT,

SOMETHING WE DIDN'T REALLY
HAVE EVIDENCE YET

THAT TIED LIBYA TO THE BOMBING.

Narrator: IN 1988,
LIBYA WAS REELING

FROM A NUMBER OF CONFRONTATIONS
WITH THE AMERICAN MILITARY.

Ronald Reagan:
IT WILL NOT SURPRISE ANY OF YOU

TO KNOW THAT
IN ADDITION TO IRAN,

WE HAVE IDENTIFIED
ANOTHER NATION, LIBYA,

AS DEEPLY INVOLVED IN TERRORISM.

Narrator: THE COUNTRY WAS
ISOLATED, AND ITS LEADER,

MUAMMAR KHADDAFFI,
AGGRESSIVELY ANTI-AMERICAN.

PERHAPS THE BOMBING
OF THE PAN AM FLIGHT

WAS AN ATTACK BY LIBYA
AGAINST THE UNITED STATES.

PORING THROUGH BAGGAGE RECORDS
FOR THE PAN AM FLIGHT,

POLICE DISCOVER A SUITCASE
THAT HAD BEEN CARRIED FROM MALTA

TO FRANKFURT EARLIER THAT DAY.

BAG NUMBER B8849 HAD BEEN SENT
THROUGH TO HEATHROW AIRPORT.

IT WAS THEN PLACED
ON THE SECOND LEVEL

OF CARGO CONTAINER AVE 4041.

IT WAS THE SAMSONITE CASE

INVESTIGATORS NOW KNOW
CARRIED THE BOMB.

MORE THAN A YEAR
AFTER THE CRASH,

A NEW DISCOVERY IN LOCKERBIE
HELPS INVESTIGATORS.

FORENSIC EXPERTS
DISCOVER A CIRCUIT BOARD

AMONG THE CLOTHES
THAT CAME FROM MALTA.

Thurman: THIS CIRCUIT BOARD IS
HALF THE SIZE OF YOUR THUMBNAIL.

Narrator: THURMAN TAKES
THE PHOTO OF THE CIRCUIT BOARD

TO THE CENTRAL
INTELLIGENCE AGENCY.

Thurman: WAIT A SECOND.

THAT COULD BE THE SAME.

DO YOU HAVE THIS TIMER?

Narrator: SIFTING THROUGH
REPORTS ON VARIOUS BOMBINGS,

THURMAN FINDS A MATCH.

Thurman: WITHIN A FEW MINUTES,
LITERALLY,

I STARTED GETTING COLD CHILLS.

AND RIGHT NOW AS I TALK ABOUT
IT, COLD CHILLS START ON ME,

BECAUSE I CAN, I CAN STILL SEE

THAT MOMENT SO VIVIDLY
IN MY MIND

THAT I'M LOOKING
AT A CIRCUIT TRACK

THAT'S JUST LIKE WHAT I'M SEEING
IN THE PHOTOGRAPH.

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

Narrator: THE TIMER THE CIA HAS

WAS SEIZED IN AFRICA
A FEW YEARS EARLIER.

TWO LIBYAN MEN
WERE TRYING TO GET IT,

AND SEVERAL POUNDS
OF EXPLOSIVES,

PAST AIRPORT SECURITY.

IT'S IDENTICAL TO THE TIMER USED
TO BRING DOWN FLIGHT 103.

[EXPLOSION]

Thurman: THIS IS
A LONG DELAY TIMER

THAT BROUGHT DOWN THAT AIRCRAFT.

BUT NOW WE WANT TO KNOW,
OKAY, WHERE'D THIS COME FROM?

Narrator: IN 1999,
11 YEARS AFTER THE BOMBING,

THEY FINALLY HAVE THE BOMBER.

AT THE TIME OF THE DISASTER,

ABDEL AL-MEGRAHI WAS
AN INTELLIGENCE OFFICER

FOR THE LIBYAN GOVERNMENT.

HE'S ARRESTED AND CHARGED.

IN 2001, SCOTTISH JUDGES
SENTENCE HIM TO LIFE

FOR THE MURDER OF 270 PEOPLE.

THE HUNT FOR EVIDENCE
INVOLVING FBI AGENTS

AND AAIB INVESTIGATORS

BRINGS JUSTICE TO THE CASE.

Marquise: LOCKERBIE
WAS A RARE OCCASION

THAT WE FELT HONORED
TO BE A PART OF.

EVERYBODY PLAYED SMALL ROLES
TO MAKE BIG CONTRIBUTIONS

TO AN OVERALL SUCCESS.

Narrator: WHEN AN AIRLINER
BECOMES CRIPPLED

HIGH IN THE SKY...

Burkill: MAYDAY.
SPEEDBIRD. SPEEDBIRD.

Narrator: ...WE HEAR STORIES
OF HERO PILOTS.

WHEN A PLANE CRASHES,

WE HEAR OF HEROIC RESCUE EFFORTS
THAT SAVE LIVES.

BUT THERE ARE OTHER HEROES

AMIDST THE TRAGEDY
OF AN AIR DISASTER--

THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO
CRACK A CASE AGAINST ALL ODDS

AND WORK TO MAKE SURE
IT NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.

Benzon: IF YOU'VE BEEN
DOING THIS FOR A FEW YEARS,

YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE WORK IS,IS PRETTY DARNED IMPORTANT.

YOU CONVINCE YOURSELF THAT YOU
ACTUALLY END UP SAVING LIVES.