All language subtitles for Flight.English [CC]

[AIRPLANE TAKING OFF]

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]

[SIGHS]

[CELL PHONE RINGING]

Christ.

[RINGING CONTINUES]

Hey.

Yeah? [CONTINUES RINGING]

[URINATING]

Yeah?

Wait a minute,
wait a minute,

wait a minute,
wait a minute.

Wait a minute,
slow down.

Slow down.

[EXHALES] Hold on.

[TOILET FLUSHING]

Yeah.

[SNIFFS]

No, I've been up
since the crack of dawn.

What tuition?

How much does it cost?

No.

[YAWNING] No.
No, no, no.

That's not true.
That's not true.

You're the one that
wanted him to go
to private school,

not me.

Well, put Knuckles
on the phone.

Then tell him
it's a two-way street.

I call him,
he's gotta call me.

Oh, he's my son now?

Because you want him
to go to...

You want a fucking
tuition check.

Huh?

That's great, Deana.
That's great.

You call me, 7:00
in the morning in Orlando

to shake me down
for fucking money.
That's great.

Does he even
want to go to
the fucking school?

All right, look, just...
I got a 9:00 flight.

Sit tight. I'll be
in Atlanta in a minute.

And how am I a liar?

Yeah, but how does that
make me a liar?

How... [SIGHS]

All right.

All right.

All right, bye.

Was that your wife?

My ex-wife.

[CHUCKLES] Mmm.

But you, Trina, you could
be my second wife.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

Mmm-mmm. Don't joke
about that, papi.

Oh.

Our flight's at 9:00. Flight's at 9:00.

Let's get to it.

Yes, let's get to it.

I'm feeling
a little lightheaded.
I should have...

I should have
ate something.

[EXHALING]

[SNORTS] Ahhh!

♪ You feeling all right?

♪ I'm not feeling
too good myself

♪ You feeling all right?

♪ I'm not feeling
that good myself

♪ Boy, you sure took me
for one big ride

♪ And even now I sit
and I wonder why

♪ And when I think of you
I stop myself from crying

♪ I just can't waste my time
I must get by ♪

TRINA: Actually,
your seat is 1CDE.

So, if you have
a seat for me,

I'll figure that
out for you

after all the passengers
get on board. Is that okay?

Okay. Good morning, Trina.

Good morning,
Captain Whitaker.

I'm sorry, sir,
you're going to have
to check that bag.

Margaret.

Captain Whitaker. Good morning.

That sky gonna hold?

You're not gonna
make me spend another
night in Orlando.

Don't worry,
I will get you to your
prayer meeting on time.

What is it,
Jesus Christ Superstar,

First 27th Baptists?

That's right.
Christ the King
First Baptist Church

on Hazel and Ninth.

And I'm still saving
a seat for you,
right next to me.

Save two. I will.

Good morning. Good morning,
Captain.

Walk around
is complete.

Margaret!

Yeah, could you get me
a cup of coffee, black,

lots of sugar and
a couple of aspirins,

okay, sweetie? MARGARET: Mmm-hmm.

Okay, you want something? No, ma'am, thank you.

Have we flown
together before?

I don't think so, sir. You sure?

Yeah. Ken Evans.

Whip Whitaker.

Nice to meet you.My pleasure.

Oxygen check.

[AIR WHOOSHING] [INHALES DEEPLY]

[EXHALES HEAVILY]

That checks.
You want a hit?

Uh, no, thank you, sir. You sure?

Yes, sir. Okay.

[AIR WHOOSHING]

[INHALES DEEPLY]

[EXHALES]

Sir, it's 8:50.

Is it? All right,
well, let's push.

I got a great
on time record.

Yes, sir, you got it.

How are you
feeling today, sir?

A little tired.
A quick turnaround for me,

ten turns in three days.
Off tomorrow.

MARGARET:
Here's your coffee. Oh, thank you.

And your aspirin. Thank you.

And the manifest
with 102 souls on board.

Thank you, thank you,
thank you.

Let's get them tucked in.
We're ready to push.

You got it.

[LINE RINGING]

Oh, please
don't pick up.

Don't pick up.

KIP: Yo.

Hi, it's Nic.
Do you have any?

[SNORTING]

[SNIFFING] Kip.

Hey, baby, come here.
How are you?

[SNIFFS]

It's good to see you.
Nicole, this is Tiki Pot.

Tiki is my partner
in this new series.

He knows
a lot about porn.

I need two grams.

We are putting
the narrative back
into porn, baby. [SNIFFS]

Desdemona.

You could totally
play Desdemona.

Look at you.
You're perfect. Desdemona? What the fuck?

Fuck, yeah! You're perfect.
Look at this. Beautiful.

She do anal,
$2,000, one hour.

All right.
I don't do porn, Kip.

Okay. Listen, listen... Just let me see the H.

It's an Othello
theme, okay?

The Moor comes in,
finds you in bed
with one of his nurses.

And he fucks me
in the ass, huh?

College student.
Very clean. Brett!

We're putting
a whole new spin

on the beast
with two backs, baby.

In fact, that's
what it's called,

The Beast With Two Backs.

I don't understand
why you told me

you had some
but you haven't.

Or "Holethello"
or "Butt Holethello."

Show her
the pipe. Huh?

Mmm? Mmm?

Tiki, that's
your name?

Hmm?

Why don't you
shove that in your ass

and you call me
in the morning?

Hey, Nicole! Nicole!
Hey, hey, hey, hey.

Slow down, slow down.
Hey, I'm sorry, all right?

We're tweaked. Okay?
I'm sorry.

Hey, stick around.
It's not a big deal.

Sit down and take
some stills for me
or something.

What's going on
with you?

I thought you were clean.

Now you're, like,
freaking out on me and...

Oh, come on. [SOBS]

Don't cry.

I...

I just want
to get faded, Kip.

I have $100. Please. I don't want it.
No, keep it.

Keep it.
I don't want it. Okay?

Listen.

This is the Taliban, okay?
Very heavy. Okay?

I can handle it.

I don't want you
shooting this shit.

It's too heavy,
all right?

I won't. I promise.

Um, I'm just going
to smoke it.

I haven't used needles
in weeks.

Okay. No needles.

And if you get
a little too low,

you just do
a little coke, okay?

Get yourself back up,
all right?

Right where you
need to be. Okay.

All right?Yeah.

Okay, baby.
Mmm-hmm. Thanks.

MARGARET ON PA:
All carryon items
are safely stored

in the overhead bin
or under the seat
in front of you.

Also, all electronic devices

must be turned off
at this time.

Our flight time to Atlanta
is approximately 52 minutes.

Flight attendants,
take your seats.

[SIGHS] So what did you
do last night?

I crashed,
went straight to bed.

WHIP: All right,
here we go.

KEN: Engine instruments
are in the green.

Airspeeds alive,
both sides.

Eighty knots,
crosscheck.

It's like
a video game, right?

[RUMBLING]

Oh! Nothing like
a little 30-knot crosswind

to exercise the old
sphincter muscle.

KEN: V1,

and rotate.

We're at
a positive rate.

WHIP: Gear up.

Yee-hah, ride 'em, cowboy.

MAN ON RADIO:
SouthJet 227,

Orlando Departure,
radar contact.

Turn left, heading 170.
Climb, maintain
niner thousand.

Roger that. Left 170,
climb and maintain
niner thousand.

Don't want autopilot.
I'm flying today.

MAN ON RADIO:
SouthJet 227,

Orlando Departure,
what's your ride like?

Uh, Departure,
this is SouthJet 227.

We've got some rough chop,
I'd say moderate to...

[PASSENGERS SCREAMING]

[LAUGHS] I'd say
severe turbulence,

definitely severe turbulence.

No meal service today.

[PASSENGERS EXCLAIMING
FEARFULLY]

♪ Feeling all right,
all right

♪ Feeling all right

[WHIP HUMMING]

♪ I'm not feeling
too good myself ♪

[HUMMING]

[ALL SCREAMING]

Damn it,
I'm tired of this shit.

KEN:
What are you doing? WHIP: Leveling off.

What? You see that
little sliver of black

between those
two ugly clouds?

That's a pocket
of smooth air

squatting right
over Kissimmee.

We're gonna thread
the needle.

Turn us right,
30 degrees.

Departure,
SouthJet 227,

we need to deviate
30 degrees right.

For weather.

For weather.

MAN ON RADIO: SouthJet 227,
30 degrees right approved.

Report back on course.

KEN: Oh, Lord.

[CHUCKLES] He can't
help you now, brother.

[ALL EXCLAIMING FEARFULLY]

MAN ON RADIO: Uh,
SouthJet 227,
say altitude.

What should I say? Tell him
we're climbing.

Uh, Departure,
we're leaving
niner thousand

for flight level 180.

MAN ON RADIO:
Uh, roger, 227.

We're approaching
our maximum airspeed.

You're damn right.
We need the speed

to punch through this crap.
Just work with me.

KEN: You're over
speeding, sir.

Trying to get out
of this shitty air,

if that's all right
with you, junior.

MAN ON RADIO:
SouthJet 227, Orlando,

you need to check
your Mode C.

Your transponder indicates
you're descending.

WHIP: Departure,
this is SouthJet 227.

We're experiencing
some rough air,

encountering some
severe downdrafts.

We're in our
climb now. Over.

MAN ON RADIO:
Uh, roger, 227.

Sir, look at
your airspeed.

You're way too fast
for this rough air!

I'm right on the line.
Settle down.

[ALL SCREAMING]

Come on, sweetheart,
show me the sun.

[ALL EXCLAIM FEARFULLY]

Yeah! Aha!

Daylight.

KEN: Thank God that's over.

[PASSENGERS APPLAUDING]

All right, turn us north.
Take us home. Your plane.

My plane.

Margaret, I'm coming out.

[TIRES SCREECHING]

Shit, Fran!

Hey, Nicole.

That's a nice camera.

You know, you're like
a little ghost.

'Cause I never know
when you're here.

Don't ever fucking
touch my camera!
Now get out!

Hey! Now, as
the building manager,

I got a legal right
to enter an apartment,

especially if I feel
the occupant to be unwell

and the occupant
is not current
on her rent.

Just give me a minute.

All right.
I have your rent.

I will bring it
down to you, okay?

Just let me
take a shower.

You shower
at my house.

You know,
bring that money down,
we can shower together.

I got that good
water pressure.

You know that.

You're in the perfect
light there, Franny.

Yeah? Mmm-hmm.

Back up a little.Okay.

A little more.

[CHUCKLES] All right.
Okay. That's tricky,
tricky, girl.

So you just shower up
and come on down.

In your fucking dreams.

Good morning,
ladies and gentlemen,
I'm Captain Whitaker.

If you look up,
you'll see me here
in the forward galley.

I'll wave to you.

I want to apologize
for the bumps this morning.

Uh, evidently, Florida
doesn't like us Georgians.

Maybe it has
something to do with

the beating the Bulldogs
put on the Gators last fall.

[ALL LAUGH]

I'm going to ask you
just to stretch out
and relax.

Uh, the air might
get a little cranky,

so we're gonna ask that
you remain in your seats

with your seatbelts
securely fastened
around you.

We won't have
beverage service today,

but the flight attendants
will be going through
the cabin

with water
and with snacks.

We'll have you
on the ground in
Atlanta in 40 minutes.

Thank you.

[GROANS]

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

[GASPING]

[KNOCKS ON DOOR]

FRAN: Hey, Nicole,
open up!

Oh, fuck, Nicole,
I know you're in there!

I can smell
that shit cooking!

You better not
be burning down
my fucking building!

MARGARET: How can anybody
sleep like that?

[CHUCKLES]

I don't know.

And how long has
Sleeping Beauty been out?

Um, 26 minutes.

We're gonna
start descending
any second now.

Well, looks
like you'll need
to wake him up.

MAN ON RADIO:
SouthJet 227,
Atlanta Center.

Descend and maintain
flight level 300.

Descend and maintain
flight level 300,
SouthJet 227.

[METALLIC CLANKING]

Whoa!

[ALL SCREAM]

Whoa! What is that?

The elevator feels
really stiff, sir.

All right,
don't force it.

All right. Margaret,
get everybody strapped in.

That came from
the back.

Get everybody
strapped in tight.

[PASSENGERS EXCLAIMING
FEARFULLY]

Ladies and gentlemen...

It's pulling
left hard, sir.

Oh!

[PASSENGERS SCREAMING]

Power back.
Power back!

AUTOMATED VOICE:
Sink rate. Pull up.

Sink rate. Pull up.

Ladies and gentlemen,
fasten your seatbelts now.

Fasten your seatbelts
securely now!

I have no control
on my side.

No control at all, sir.

We've lost hydraulics.

Center, this is
SouthJet 227.

We've lost our hydraulics

and it feels like
our pitch control.

MAN ON RADIO:
SouthJet 227, Atlanta...

Turn on the backup pumps.
The backup pumps.

That is affirm. We are
in an uncontrolled desce...

[ALL SCREAMING]

MAN ON RADIO:
SouthJet 227, Atlanta.
Say your intentions.

Are you declaring
an emergency?

Everybody's belted in.
Are we going down?

Get belted in.

We need everybody
in brace positions.

Yes. That is affirm.
We are in a dive!

We are in a dive!

We have lost
vertical control.

We're gonna need drag.

I want you to throw out
everything you got,

the speed brakes,
the gear, everything.

KEN: Gear!
Speed brakes!

Brace position.

Head down! Bend forward!
Head down, bend forward!

Uh, gear's down.

I don't think hydraulics
is the problem, sir.

We need to dump
the fuel. Do it!

All right.

Atlanta Center,
this is SouthJet 227.

We're in an
uncontrolled dive

descending out
of 21,000 feet.

We're declaring
an emergency.

We've dumped our fuel.

We've got a jammed
stabilizer or something.

We need a block
of altitude to
work the problem

and a heading
to the nearest airport.

MAN ON RADIO:
SouthJet 227...

Ah, I can't hold it.
Dump the flaps.

Dump the flaps. We're still fast.

Just do it. Do it.
Thirty degrees. [GRUNTS]

MAN ON RADIO:
Turn left, heading 315.

315, we'll try our best.

All right, that
bought us a little time.

That bought us
a little time.

Now we got to revert
to manual control.

Your side first.

Okay, got it.

[GRUNTS] Nothing.
No control.

Oh, no,
we're diving again!

AUTOMATED VOICE:
Pull up. Sink rate.

Damn it.

All right.
Okay, okay, look.

I can't let go of my side.
See if you can reach my side.

[GRUNTING]

I can't reach it, sir.

Just... No,
stay strapped in.
Stay strapped in.

Margaret! Margaret!

[WHIMPERING] Oh, God.

KEN: We're out
of 15,000.

God, Whip,
what's happening?

Calm down, calm down,
calm down.

Get strapped into
the jump seat there.

I need you to
do something for me.

KEN: We're at 129!

MAN ON RADIO:
SouthJet 227, Atlanta.

Fuel dump is approved. Thank you.

[SCREAMING]

Cami!

Cami! Sit back down!

No, Cami, sit down!

MAN ON RADIO:
I see you're going
below 10,000.

How are you doing? Uh, not good.
Not good.

Margaret, there's
a red lever right there
next to my seat.

It says "manual control."
You see it?

Uh, yeah. Okay.

turn it clockwise,
push it back down.

Ready? One,

two, three.

[WHIMPERS] Oh, God.

That's okay, it's okay.

Ahhh, come on.

All right, okay,
okay, okay.

Here we go.
We got something.

Ahhh! Shit!

[GRUNTS]

Cami! Cami!

Margaret!

KEN: Oh, Lord,
we're coming out
at 7,000!

I see nothing
but houses!

Evans! Listen to me.

When I say I want you
to retract the flaps,

retract the gear,
trim us nose down, okay?

But everything's
gonna be opposite,

so make sure
you trim us nose down.

Wait, trim down?
What are you
going to do?

Margaret. MARGARET: Yeah.

When I tell you I want you
to push these forward,

full power, full throttle.
Can you do that?

Yeah. Okay.

Okay, when I tell you. KEN: Wait, wait, sir.

What are we doing?
Why would I trim down?

We're going
to roll it, okay?

What do you mean
"Roll it"?

WHIP: We gotta
do something
to stop this dive.

Margaret,
what's your son's name?

Trevor. Say, "I love you, Trevor."

What?Black box.

Say, "I love you, Trevor."

I love you, Trevor.
You be a good boy.
Mommy loves you.

Okay, here we go.
I've got control.

KEN: Oh, Lord Jesus!

[KEN PANTING]

All right, Evans, flaps. KEN: Flaps!

Speed brakes. Speed brakes!

[KEN MOANING LOUDLY]

[ALL SCREAMING]

Margaret! Power!

Gear up. KEN: Gear up!

[PASSENGERS CLAMORING]

Jesus, fuck!

Shit!

Oh, Lord Jesus,
we're inverted!

WHIP: We're flying.
Listen, we're level.

We can maintain altitude
like this.

MAN ON RADIO: SouthJet 227,
Atlanta Center.
I see your position.

Four and a half miles
southeast of the airport

at 1,800. Are you okay?

WHIP: Atlanta Center,
this is SouthJet 227.
We are inverted.

I repeat,
we are inverted.

MAN ON RADIO:
SouthJet 227, uh,
did you say inverted?

KEN: We're losing
oil pressure!

Pump failure,
both engines!

We're all right.
We're flying.

[ALL SCREAMING]

Come on, baby.

FATHER: Oh, my God. Please.

[BEEPING]

Fire in the left engine! Put it out.

FATHER: I'm right here.
Look at me, I'm right here.

Atlanta, SouthJet 227,
where's that airport?

227, it's one o'clock,
three miles.

All right. We're not
gonna make that.

Our engines
are burning up.

I see a field
and a road ahead of us.

We're gonna
set it down there.

Roger, 227. [ALARM BEEPING]

Oh, no,
fire in the right now!

WHIP: Evans,
we're coming back around.

Margaret, I want you
to hit full power.

Full throttle,
you understand?

Here we go.

Evans, speed brakes.

KEN: Speed brakes!

WHIP: Flaps full. Flaps full!

[ALL SCREAMING]

TRINA: Cami!

Oh, my God.

KEN: We're losing
the left engine.

MAN ON RADIO:
SouthJet 227,

I see you descending
through 1,000.

Do you concur?

Margaret, full power.

[PEOPLE GRUNTING]

KEN: We lost
the left engine!

Let it roll.

KEN: We're losing
power in the right!

We lost all power!

AUTOMATED VOICE:
Too low. Terrain.

Too low. Terrain.

Too low. Terrain.

Are we gliding?

Too low. Terrain.

We're gliding.
Pitch for glide.

Too low. Terrain.

One hundred.

Fifty.

Forty.

Thirty.

[PEOPLE SCREAMING] Twenty.

WHIP: Brace. Ten. Minimums.

Brace for impact. Minimums.

[CRASHING]

[HIGH-PITCHED WHINING]

RESCUER:
I got the pilot!

Somebody give me
a hand here!

[MARGARET SOBBING]

Oh, my God!

[CHILD WAILING]

[MUFFLED SHOUTING]

[FIRE TRUCK HONKING]

[INDISTINCT TALKING]

[MACHINE BEEPING]

[INAUDIBLE]

[WHIP BREATHING HEAVILY]

WHIP: Charlie Anderson?

Hey. Hey.

How you feeling, Whip?

Initial reports
look like you pulled

some kind of move
up there, man.

You saved
a lot of lives.

How many?

The 102 souls on board,
including the flight crew,

96 of them
survived the crash.

Six people died.

Two crew,
four passengers.

Who on the crew?

Uh, listen,
the protocol is...

Who on the crew, Charlie?

The protocol is
that the NTSB
has to be the first

to make contact
with you. I can't...

And that agent's here, so

let me go get him.
It's a bit of a show.

So, just...
There's half
a dozen of them.

All right?

[DOOR OPENING]

Hey, Craig,
come on in.

[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]

Captain William Whitaker?

Nod if you can hear me
and understand me.

I'm Craig Matson
from the NT... NTSB.

And I am required
as the lead on
the Go Team

to make initial
contact with you

after a major incident
like the one you had today.

You are in a hospital
in South Atlanta.

Are you aware that
the plane you were
piloting went down?

I have a doctor here
who can explain

your medical situation.

I'm Dr. Kenan.

And the good news is
you're in good condition.

You did suffer
a concussion,

you have numerous
lacerations around

your left eye.

We're going to
keep the patch on
for a few days.

Just as a precaution.

Your eye seems
to be okay.

Now, the MRIs show
that you have some
strained tendons

in your left knee
and ankle,

and you have
no broken bones.

But you have some
deep bruising in
your left thigh

and some torn ligaments
in your left wrist.

Nothing serious.

So, as soon as we clear
your concussion

and you feel well enough,
you can go home.

That may take a day,
maybe three. Okay?

I won't ask too much
of you tonight,

but as I said,
the NTSB is required
to make initial contact.

How much do you remember
about the flight?

Um, I remember, uh...

I remember everything
up till the crash.

Okay.

Mr. Whitaker,
that's fine.

I am required
to inform you
that this incident

did result
in the loss of life.

The current information
states that

of the 102 souls on board,
we lost six.

Two crew members
and four passengers.

Fifty-nine people
were treated and released,

thirty-seven
people remain...

Who did we lose
on the crew?

The two flight
attendants,

Camelia Satou
and Katerina Marquez.

The rep from your
pilots' union,

Mr. Anderson, will be
our contact for you.

It's important
that you follow
your union's guidance

on press and media.

The pilots' union works
closely with the NTSB.

So, I'm going
to head out.

I'll turn this off.

Good luck, Mr. Whitaker. Thank you.

I knew Trina Marquez.
She was, um...

We spent some
time together.

Yeah, apparently,
she wasn't strapped in.

A survivor reported
she was assisting a kid.

Margaret Thomason,
how's she doing?

Broken collarbone,
just, I mean, cuts.

I mean,
she's banged up,

but she's...

She's here, too.
She's fine.

And Ken Evans,
your copilot,

he took a bad shot
to the head.

And they're keeping him
in a coma

just to let the brain
swelling go down,

but we feel good
about him.

He's going to be okay.

What are you doing here,
Charlie?

I'm flying a desk now.

I'm a rep for
the pilots' union.

You're the rep
for the pilots' union?

Yeah, I'm one of them.
When your plane went down,

all the reps
got a page

and I just
shot up my hand

'cause I know you,
said I wanted to

come be the first face
you'd see.

I'm glad you're here.

The union's gonna
release a statement
on your behalf,

condolences to the families
who lost loved ones,

gratitude to
the brave men and
women of the flight crew.

That's... You don't have
to worry about that.

And I know you
and Deana have been
divorced for a while now,

but maybe she
and your son,
Will, wanna...

Yeah, Knuckles, uh...

[CHARLIE CHUCKLES]

How old is he now?

Too old. Fifteen.

Fifteen? Wow. Yeah.

When we were
flying for Delta,

you weren't even married.

We're dinosaurs, Whip.

Do you want me
to reach out to Deana?

And see if she and Will
want to come down...

No, no. I'll...
I'll call them.

All right.

Well, speaking of which,
I got your phone.

And a whole bunch
of other personal effects

from the plane.

Your clothes are toast.

Uh, do you...

Do you need me
to get you some
stuff, or...

Uh, I'm okay.

Charlie, I'm...

I'm glad you came.

Me, too.
I'm happy to be here.

All right, well,
I'm going to...

I'll let you
get some rest.
But I'll come back.

I mean, you're going
to see plenty of me.

I'm sure you will.

The plane was fucked,
Charlie. It was doomed.

I know.

And the way you
landed that plane

was nothing
short of a miracle.

Know that.

Okay, man?

All right, cowboy.

God... Damn.

God damn it.

[PEPPY MUSIC PLAYING]

I'm on the list,
baby girl. Mr. Mays.

Harling.

If this is going to
turn into a sponge bath,

I'll come back later.

Sir. WHIP: It's okay.

That's all right, honey,

I'm on the list.
Harling Mays.

Some say they
"Harling" knew me.

Honey, could you
hustle us up
a couple of daiquiris

and a cocktail weenie?

On second thought,
just bring the booze,

I brought my own weenie.

[GASPS] Oh,
she's offended
and she should be.

I'm a pig.
And I hate me.

That's what
we have in common,
Nurse Ratched.

We both hate me.
[LAUGHS]

Harling Mays.

Whip, what the fuck,
my man?

They're saying,
"Sweet Jesus,

"what a stud
that pilot is."

You're a hero, man.

You will never pay
for another drink
as long as you live.

There is all kinds
of crazy news people
out here.

It's a fucking
circus, man.

Come on, check
this shit out, man.
It's all for you.

Look at this shit.

Classic hero
worship shit.

You're a rock star, man.
Oh, check out this video.

This is outside
your condo.
It's a zoo.

It's crawling
with reporters.

Let's see.
Check this out.

So you do know
Captain Whitaker.
You are friends.

Oh, yeah.
Yes, he's my brother.

HARLING: That's me
and that's Mark Mellon,

you know, that douchey
talking haircut
from local Atlanta

Channel 12.

I said a few words,
you know,

mostly straight talk.

Whoa.

You okay,
Captain Whitaker?

The meds they're giving me,
they're messing me up.

I'm all shaky
and dried out,
I can't sleep good.

Meds? What the hell
kind of meds
are they giving you?

Alprazolam?

That's generic Xanax.

Hydrocodone, that's
generic Vicodin.
It's shit.

Probably Canadian.
We don't want this shit.

We want the premium stuff,
the blue label,

not this fucking well shit.

I mean, where's
the dihydromorphinone?

Or at least some
fucking Palladone,
for Christ's sake.

Is this amateur hour?
Get that doctor in here.

You just saved
a hundred people...

Harling!

You bring my smokes?Yes, I did.

I got your
fucking message

and, yes,
I got your fucking
smokes right here.

Here's a fresh carton.

You smoke your
nuts off, champion.

Hell, if I was you,
I'd fire up right here
in the goddamn room.

Here. I got you
a pint of vodka,

I got you some Red Bulls.
You know what I'm saying?

I know my customer.

Take the vodka with you.

What... Take the vodka?
What are you...

I'm not drinking anymore.
Take it with you.

I'll just tuck it...

Take the fucking vodka
with you. Okay. All right.

Listen, but you
got to come get me
tomorrow. Okay?

And... [GROANS]

I want you to
go by my condo,

pick me up some clothes
and my phone charger.

Look in my refrigerator

and pick up a package
that says "veal" on it.

It's marked "veal." Veal.

Done and done.
What time do you
want me here?

I'll call you.

Okay. You give
a mayday,

you're out of here
in seven minutes. Oh!

Oh, I almost forgot.

I got you some
stroke mags.

I've been in
the hospital before,
I know what you need.

I got Juggs, Hot MILFs
in Heat, AssMasters.

You just stroke it
all day, you're a hero.

If I was you,

I'd just lay here
pulling on that thing
all day long.

You know what I'm saying?
There's a smile. Yes, sir.

[THUNDER RUMBLING]

[THUNDER CRASHING] [EXCLAIMS FEARFULLY]

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

Damn it.

[THUNDER CRASHING]

Devious minds
think alike.

Don't go.

I'll be quiet
and just...

It's nice to...

...just sit and smoke
with somebody.

Were you on that plane?

Yeah, I was.

You?

You must have been
sitting at the back.

Yeah, way in the back.

MAN: ♪ Tobacco's
but an Indian weed

♪ Grows green in the morn
Cut down in the eve

♪ Shows our decay
'cause we are but clay ♪

Ha! I love the smell
of nicotine in the morning.

[CLEARS THROAT]

It smells like victory.

Can I bum one?

I should quit.

My cancer
might get cancer.

Joke. Hmm?
[CHUCKLES]

Were you in
the plane crash?

NICOLE: He was.

Holy shit, man!
You're the fucking pilot!

Ha!

What happened up there?

Okay. Yeah. I'd... Mmm.

Tough deal, man,
but you walked away.

Or you limped away.

Yeah, I'm lucky.
Going home tomorrow.

Home?

Home for me
is the basement.

They keep cancer treatment
in the basement.

What kind of cancer
you got?

Fibromyxoid sarcoma.
Soft tissue sarcoma.

Very rare.

God chose me.

You believe that?

Fuck, yeah, bitch.

You're a stupid fucker
if you don't believe
in God.

Once you realize
all the random events
in your life are God,

you will live
a much easier life.

We spend all our time
trying to control
all these things

that happen to us,
it's bullshit.

The plane you're flying
goes down?

Out of your control.

God gives you cancer?
I got no control over that.

Did God give me cancer?

You bet your ass
God gave me cancer.

You know,
do you think

God would have
given me cancer
if I'd asked for it?

Uh, I don't think so,

'cause I begged Him
to take it away
and guess what?

No control
over that, either.

What are you
doing here, honey?

You're beautiful,
you know that?

Do I scare you?

People are either
drawn to me,

or they pretend like
they can't see me.

It's a trip.

They think because
I'm close to
the other side,

I got some sort
of power or wisdom.

Like I got
all the answers.

I don't know, maybe I do.

Death gives you
perspective.

It all makes sense,
somehow.

[LAUGHS] And I just
can't get over
how beautiful you are.

I can see your arm.
Are you an addict?

Yeah.

What's your name?

Nicole.

What do you do
in the world, Nicole?

[CHUCKLES] Not much.

I was a photographer,
and then I was a masseuse,

and now I sometimes
wash hair in a salon.

Oh, yeah? Where is it?

I'm gonna come by.
I'm real easy,

you just wash
my head. [CHUCKLES]

You think
you're going to die?

Don't you just love her?

Don't know her.

Bullshit. I do.

Random act of God?
I don't think so.

You survive
a plane crash

to meet a beautiful woman
in a stairwell.

Fuck you, man.

[DOOR OPENS]

Probably looking for me.

My family just
flew in from Utah.

You know it's bad
when they start flying in.

Hmm.

[INHALES SHARPLY]
It's a trip.

'Cause every morning
is special now.

I'm grateful for that.

I wish I could bottle
this feeling that I have

about how beautiful
every last breath
of life is.

[LAUGHS]

Mmm. You think
I could get one more,
just for the road?

Here.
Take the pack.

Mmm!

Thank you.

I'll pass these out
in the cancer ward. Mmm.

Nicole. You're going
to be okay.

Chemo brain.

Makes you pretty foggy.

Oh, yeah?

They call it
chemo brain.

My momma, she used
to slur her words
and get all chatty.

Your mom had cancer.

Breast cancer.
She was only 54.

Is that why you think
you're going to die?

Heroin addicts
who use needles,
they tend to die.

Especially women,
for some reason.

I read that
in a pamphlet.

A woman from AA,
she just came to see me

whilst I was in rehab.

That guy was a trip, huh?

Yeah.

He made it feel like,
I don't know.

Like you and me
were the last people
left on this planet.

And together
we'll save the world.

[CHUCKLES]

[CHUCKLING]

Where do you live, Nicole?

Why? You want
to come visit me?
It's luxurious.

I live in Bankhead,
near the bus station.

I'll come visit you.

You're sweet.I will.

What's your address?

I live at
the Georgian Terraces,
on Taylor Street.

Okay.

And you say
you're a masseuse?
What kind of masseuse?

I've been every kind
of masseuse there is.

Good luck, Nicole.

[TIRES SQUEALING]

HARLING: I couldn't
find any suitcases.

I put all your shit
in garbage bags.

No, thanks.

You're staying with me
down on University, right?

It's nice.

A lot of young people.
Good vibe.

No, I'm going
to the farm.

Farm?

I can't stay
at my condo.

I thought you sold
your dad's place.

Not yet.

[GROANS]

I'm not sure
I want to stay
at the farm.

You're not.
You're just gonna
drive me to the airport

so I can pick up my car.

"Veal"?

Really.

[BOTH LAUGH]

[CELL PHONE BEEPS]

MAN: Captain Whitaker,
this is Jim Court,

I'm with CNN.
We'd like...

WOMAN: This is the
NBC affiliate in Athens.

We're looking to...

[STEREO HUMMING]

[MELLOW SONG PLAYING]

[BOTTLES RATTLING]

MELLON: In the wake
of the deadly crash
of SouthJet flight 227,

we have more questions
than answers

as to what exactly
happened that day.

And like many,
we are out looking
for answers.

Looking here
at the home of pilot

Captain William
"Whip" Whitaker.

[PHONE RINGING]

We still have no sighting
and no comments

from the Captain himself.

This is Mark Mellon,
still on the hunt,

from midtown Atlanta.

WHIP'S FATHER:
You've reached the Whitaker
Crop Dusting Company,

flying lessons
and plane rides.

Please leave a message
and it will be returned.

Thank you.

[ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS]

Hey, cowboy.
It's Charlie again.

Listen, I'm back in town

and I stopped by
the hospital tonight,

but they said
you'd gone home,

so you must be
feeling pretty good.

Uh, listen, I went out
to your condo

and the manager said
you had not returned,

so you may be
with relatives,
which I understand,

but I know you have
a doctor's appointment

early in the morning
for your eye,

and I was just hoping
that you could meet us
for breakfast.

About 10:00
at the St. Regis,

there's an
executive buffet there.

And we'll be
covering some pretty
important stuff,

so it'd be nice
to have you there.

All right. Be good.

[CALL DISCONNECTS] [ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS]

Oh, there he is.

Hey, Whip. Hey, buddy.
Man, you look good.

I feel good.

Thanks for coming.
Glad you got my message.

How's your eye? Good, good.

This is Hugh Lang,
he's an attorney
from Chicago.

Pleasure to
meet you, Captain. My pleasure.

CHARLIE: Sit down.
You want a coffee? WHIP: Uh, yes, I do.

Could we have
some fresh coffee? Yes, sir.

We were just talking
about your copilot's wife.

Told a newspaper that
"God landed that plane."

Yeah? Oh, God landed
that plane?

Well, I do believe God
landed the plane.

Same way I believe
God should hit the buffet,

the turkey sausage
is excellent.

I'm fine with coffee,
thank you.

So, Len Caldwell
really wanted to
get here this morning.

Len's the president
of the pilots' union.

He wanted to be here
to meet with us and you,

but they need him
at the crash site.

As you know,
when a plane goes down,

the NTSB sends
a Go Team

to the crash site
immediately.

They find the flight
data recorder?

They did.
It's perfectly intact.

Oh, great.
Great, great, great.

Then that solves
everything.

So why do we need
a lawyer from Chicago?

Well, Hugh specializes
in criminal negligence.

Criminal negligence? CHARLIE: Mmm-hmm.

Death demands
responsibility.

Six dead on that plane,
someone has to pay.

Yeah, but that's a plane
that fell apart at,

thank you,
fell apart at 30,000 feet.

The airline will try
to prove equipment failure,

which is gonna make
the manufacturer responsible.

The manufacturer in turn
is gonna try and prove

poor maintenance
of the equipment
by the airline.

Or pilot error.

[CHARLIE CLEARS THROAT]

I flew the plane inverted,
that means upside down, Hugh.

Hmm. You get the picture?
A hundred people,

upside down,
500 feet off the ground.

Do you have any idea
what that's like?

I do. I heard the black box
recordings last night.

Oh, you heard.
Are you a pilot?

No, I'm not.

Then you don't know
what the fuck you're
talking about, do you?

Hugh's on our team, Whip.

Is he? Yeah, he is.

He doesn't act like
he's on our team. Well, he is.

Asking me questions
about fucking pilot error.

Listen, it's
the NTSB's ball game.

They run
the investigation.

And they will ultimately
rule on the cause.

And that's why we need him.

Well, they interview
the entire flight crew.

They interview
the passengers.
They hold public hearings.

All right,
let's cut to the chase.

[STAMMERS] Just tell me
what it is I need
to know, Charlie.

The NTSB Go Team
also collects blood,
hair and skin samples

from the entire flight
crew for the purposes
of a toxicology report.

Okay. When do they
want to do that?

They've already
done that.
In the hospital.

It's the first thing
they do.

You don't remember
having your blood drawn
the night of the crash?

No. No.

They get the results
of this test?

Yeah, they do.

Anything else
for you gentlemen?

Yeah. [STAMMERS]

You had warm cinnamon buns
over there, right? Yes, sir.

Could you get me
one of those, please? Sure.

In fact,
get me two of them.

Yes, sir. Coming up. Thank you, sweetie.

Now, an initial report
shows that

you had alcohol
in your system

at a level of .24.

Now in the good old
U.S. of A.,

one of the most lenient
drunk driving countries
in the world,

you go to jail for driving
with anything above .08.

And by driving,
I mean a car. Mmm.

[SIGHS]
Thank you.

Uh... So...
That doesn't
mean anything.

I had a couple of beers
the night before the flight.

That made the tail
of the plane explode?

A couple of beers? Yeah, a couple of beers.

You know, I need
a lawyer, Charlie.

CHARLIE: Hugh is your lawyer. I need a bigger lawyer.

I need a lawyer
that understands

that someone put me
in a broken plane.

Without me up there,
there would have been
102 funerals, not six.

We're not talking
about funerals
right now, Captain.

Well, then what are
we talking about?

We're talking about
prison time.

What? Lawsuits.

Somebody has to pay. What, write a check?

It's not gonna be me,
I promise you that.

As long as they're
writing checks,

tell them to write
one for me, too.

Because someone put me
in a broken plane.

I'd love a check, Charlie.

This toxicology report
states that you were drunk

and high on cocaine.

Felonies punishable by
up to 12 years in prison.

And if it is proven
that your intoxication

was the cause of the death
of the four passengers,

now we're gonna look at
four counts of manslaughter.

That could be
life in prison.

Now can I please
do my job on your behalf

and kill this tox report?

CHARLIE: He's gonna
get it done, Whip.
He'll get it done.

It's what
his whole life's about.

Trust me. Trust him.

You don't have to worry,
you'll walk away
from this the hero.

I'm not worried, Charlie.

I promise you
that I'm not worried.

No one could have landed
that plane like I did.

No one.

CHARLIE: Thanks for coming. Yeah.

Excuse me.

Excuse me.BARTENDER: Yes.

Yeah, let me have
an orange juice.

Large orange juice.

BARTENDER: Just orange juice?

Yeah, uh, no. Uh...

Double Stoli. Neat.

It paints a picture
to me anyway

of a real American hero.
Is that your reading of it?

Absolutely. However,
remember, every
situation is different.

And the actions of
the pilots on SouthJet 227

will be heavily scrutinized.

MORGAN:
Are you suggesting
that there may be

more to this
than meets the eye?

TILMON: There always is.

You don't have
all the answers.

You do have
a lot of questions.

We're gonna have to
wait until some of
those answers come in

before we can
say much more.

MORGAN:
Are you hinting here,

I don't want to put
words in your mouth,

but are you hinting
that this is suspicious?

TILMON:
This accident is not
like any other accident.

Ah.

[NEWSCASTER TALKING ON RADIO]

And the next one will be

Taylor Street.

Ah, Taylor Street.

[DOG BARKING]

FRAN: What the fuck,
Nicole?

NICOLE: Get out!

FRAN: The guy in unit 1
just told me you stayed
here last night!

NICOLE: Franny,
just relax.

I just want to
get my shit out of here.

FRAN: What about my rent?
You owe me money, bitch!

NICOLE: Don't touch me,
Franny!

Fran, get off me.
Fran, get your hand
off me!

What the fuck are you doing?
Get the fuck off her!

Keep your fucking hands
off her!

Oh.

You okay?

Is this all the rest
of your stuff?

Uh, yeah.

She still owes me $1,100!

Plus damages! Shut up!

What, you want to sue her?

Spend a thousand bucks,
or you want to make
a cash deal with me?

Make up your mind.

Make up your mind!

I'll take 700 cash.

You're a hairy little creep,
aren't you?

Some baseball bat bullshit.

Seven hundred, my ass.

There's 400 cash.

Now be a good boy,

grab that box
and put it in her car.

Uh, my car,
it don't run.

It didn't start this morning.
I'm taking all this with me.

Your car doesn't run? Mmm-mmm.

Well, what were you
going to do?

Why...

I don't know
what I was gonna do.

[MELLOW MUSIC PLAYING
ON RADIO]

[LIGHTER CLICKING]

What's your name?

Whip.

What? [LAUGHS]

That's funny?

Thank you,

Captain Whip.

[FUNK MUSIC PLAYING]

[SIGHING]

Hey.

You okay?

Yeah. You?Yeah.

You want a drink?No, thanks.

You sure it's all right
that I stay here?

Yes, it's all right
that you stay here.

I want you to stay.

That knee hurting you?

Yes, it is. Yes, it is.

Oh. Thank you, Doctor.
[CHUCKLES]

It's throbbing
a little bit. Yeah.

The blood's having
a hard time getting
back to your heart.

Hmm.

Ooh.

Feels good, though.

Hmm.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

[CAR APPROACHING]

You going to shoot me?
Or can I come inside?

Yeah, come on inside.
I'll shoot you inside.

Listen, I thought
we'd take a ride.

There's something
I need to show you.

Okay.

[EXHALES DEEPLY] There it is.

You can see on
initial impact, the left
wing hit the ground.

Think if it would have
sheared off completely,

everybody would have
walked away from this plane.

The wing snapped off
and drove the engine
cowling into...

...the rear fuselage. Yeah.

If you were sitting
in the last six
or seven rows,

it was like being
hit by a train.

Who are they?

HUGH: The John the Baptist
Pentecostal Mission.

They helped pull survivors
out of the wreckage.

Now, they come out
here every day.

And that is Ellen Block.

She's the head
of the NTSB investigation.

She's the one
that's gonna be asking you
the tough questions.

I drank the night
before the flight.

I drank that morning, too.

I used cocaine to help
straighten myself out.

I know. It's in
the toxicology report.

But that is
not the reason
why this happened.

No, it's not.

Listen.

Clearly, there was
a mechanical issue

with the plane. [SNICKERS]
Yeah, clearly.

Yeah, but what
you and I know,
this was an act of God.

And I'm going to fight to get
the NTSB to add "Act of God"

as one of
the probable causes.

Whose God would do this?

Okay.

So,

here's the deal.
Avington Carr,

he's the owner
of the airline,
he's on our side.

He's got big friends
in Washington, too.

He wants to have
a sit-down with us

tomorrow morning at 10:00.

Good. Yeah.

You can't drink, Captain.

You're under
the microscope
right now.

You can't be seen
buying liquor.

That means no bars,
no drugs...

I understand.
I won't drink,
I promise you.

Look, we can
get you help... I don't need help.

I won't drink, I promise you.
I can stop. On my own.

Okay. Okay.

Till 10:00.10:00, I got it.

Avington Carr.

I never wanted
that fucking airline.

Neither did my brother.
It was my father
that wanted it.

I like baseball. Oh, I like baseball.

Everybody in Georgia
likes baseball.

The whole country
likes baseball.

Cut the crap.

So, what's the deal, Lenny?

Is your union going
to survive this one?

More importantly,
how big a check

you think I'm gonna
have to write?

Oh, you had six fatalities
on board your aircraft.

No, no,
it's four, Lenny.

Uh, the two crew members
don't count.

[CHUCKLES]
I don't mean
they don't count.

They don't get settlements
like the passengers.

Okay, that's
a workman's comp claim,

part of the union contract.

They do a dangerous job.
They know it.

You the lawyer
for the pilots' union?

No, sir,
this is Hugh Lang,

he's the attorney
we brought on

to handle the criminal
side of Captain Whitaker's
situation.

Yes, and what is
Mr. Whitaker's situation?

The NTSB is up my ass
with a flashlight.

We had to give them
access to everything.

Everybody's curious
about Captain Whitaker.

Well, I flew with him
in the Navy and
he is a great pilot.

Huh.

Is he a drunk?

He's a heavy drinker.

But maybe I should
bring him in...

AVINGTON: In a minute.

All right,
so let's get down
to it, Lenny.

What does the union
plan to do about
this blood test saying

Whitaker was high
on booze and coke?

This guy's a real peach.

I'm going to kill
the toxicology report.

The testing
was done incompetently.

The toxicology
equipment they used

was last calibrated
in June of 2009.

It's already
18 months past code.

Their log,
that should clearly state

who labeled
the blood vials, and when,
is very incomplete.

And they used
a preservative in the blood

that has been known
to cause fermentation,

and in some cases,
register higher
in an alcohol test.

Now, I've done all this,
I've only been here
a few days,

so I wouldn't worry about it
too much. I can handle this.

[CHUCKLES]
I like this guy, Lenny.

Makes me want to go out
and sniff a few lines
and fly a jet.

Mr. Carr,
we're going to fight
to push all the fault

onto the manufacturer,
Jackson Ridgefield.

And you think they're gonna
just open their checkbook
and buy us all lunch?

Good fucking luck.

What's my exposure, Jim?

Well, the awards
to the families
could kill the airline.

Fuck the airline.

The insurance companies
can have the goddamn airline.

I just don't want them
to come sniffing
in my other pockets.

LEN: Speaking
for the pilots' union, sir,

we don't want to see
your airline go away.

We enjoy the contract
you have with us.

We're gonna protect
Captain Whitaker,

and in turn, we're gonna
protect your airline.

Does Whitaker know
he's going to jail?

My clients don't go
to jail, Mr. Carr.

Oh, he's going to jail.

He belongs in jail.

You bet your ass
he's going to jail.
The only question is,

is he going to die in jail?

You're wrong, Mr. Carr.

Last time
I checked,

six counts
of manslaughter
is life in prison.

Life in prison.

What we in Georgia call
"all day long."

I hear you're
some kind of pilot.

WHIP ON TV: To the forty,
to the fifty! And touchdown!

And Grandpa throws it,
picks it up...

Oh, Grandpa, what, are you
going to chase him now?

Pick it up, Pop.

Pick it up.

Run it back! Run it back!
Come on, Knuckles!

Let me see you cut.

[WHIP MOANING]

There she is,
there she is.

You back... To the meet?
At the nice meeting.

I know, it's okay. Eh?

[CHUCKLES]

Yep. That shit ain't...

See?

This shit...

And my...

Knuckles, he's my boy.

He can play a game.

He can play that game.

WHIP ON TV: You want
to run the ball!

You want to be a quarterback!
Let me see you run it back!

Fake Dad out!
Fake Grandpa out!

Oh, Dad,
where'd you get that arm?

You must've got that
from Grandma's side.

[WHIP MUMBLING]

[GROANING]

There's a flight.
We're gonna
miss the flight.

WHIP ON TV: And he
picks it up! Tell him, Dad.

When are we going to
go flying, Dad? Soon?

WHIP'S FATHER: Soon.

You still want
to get up there?

Sure.
Any time, son.

All right.
Say hi, son.

All right.
Where's little man
Knuckles?

What's up, Knuckles?

Don't get shy. Don't act
like you don't know me.

I'm your father.
Say, "Hi, Dad."

WILL: Hi, Dad. WHIP: What's your name?

Will.

What's your nickname? Knuckles.

What are you gonna be
when you grow up?

A pilot. There you go.

You taught him well, Dad.
A pilot.

[LAUGHS] Wait, wait,
let me get that.

Say hi to Mom. Hi, Mom.

What do you wanna tell Mom?
Tell her you love her.

I love her.

[BREATHING DEEPLY]

[CAMERA CLICKING]

[KNOCKING]

Morning. Good morning.

You were in pretty
bad shape last night.

Yeah.

Just tired. Oh!

I drank
a little bit too much.

A bit?

What, you want to count
the fucking beers?

I threw them out.

They're in the garbage.
Vodka, too.

That okay with you?

More than okay. Good.

I've been watching the sky
change since the sunrise.

Beautiful.

I went out there,
I took some great shots.

It's just so beautiful here.

You grow up here?

No. My dad did though.

It's my grandfather's farm.

Was.

Dad was a pilot.
He was 332nd Airborne.

He was Tuskegee.

Built that landing strip
out there.

Crop dusting.
EPA shut him down.

He traded in
the crop duster

for the old Cessna
sitting out there
in the barn.

[CHUCKLES]

Flew that damn thing
all over the place.

He died.

I got a divorce and...

I've been trying to sell
the place ever since.

What about your mom?

Dead.

You? What about your dad?

Well, I'm pretty sure
he lives in Colorado.

Yeah?

No relationship?

It was my mom
that raised me.

She was incredible.

She held it together
for so long,

I couldn't even tell
how sick she was.

We spent those last
seven months together

like we were teenagers. [CHUCKLES]

We'd trade stories
about boys and whatever.

Ah, she loved me.

[CAMERA CLICKS]

[CHURCH BELL TOLLING]

My name's Trevor.

You saved my mom.

It's great to
see you, Whip.

It's good to see you,
too, Margaret.

[SNIFFLING]

The service was so nice.

I mean, all these people
who wanted to say goodbye.

Trina looked
so beautiful in there.
Didn't you think so?

I mean, like she was just
going to wake up and smile.

I didn't go in. I...
I just couldn't.

Trevor, find Daddy,
baby. He's over there
by Mr. Benton.

You really should come
to the counseling group.

The union has great people
for us to talk to.

I can't. Really. I...

I will.

Well... [SNIFFLES]

You take care,
okay, Whip? Okay.

Listen, Margaret.

Uh...

You know I'm in
the middle of this, uh,

investigation. The NTSB
is investigating the crash.

Yeah. I'm gonna talk
to them next week.

Yeah. Well, I'm...
[STUTTERS] I'm
a little nervous

because I was out the night
before the crash, at dinner.

Yeah. With Trina.

Right. And I had
two glasses of wine

and they're probably
going to ask you

about my condition
that morning,

or whether you thought
I had anything to drink.

What?

I've known you
11 years, Whip.

Right.

You want to tell me that
you and Trina went to dinner

and you had
two glasses of wine? No.

Sounds like
a nice restaurant.
Now, which one was it?

You have to say that it was
an ordinary day, Margaret.

I mean,
it was an ordinary day.

You know me.
I was in shape to fly.

You have a problem
with saying that?

It's a lie, Whip.

It's a lie. Trina told me
you two hadn't been to sleep.

Well, my lack of sleep
had nothing to do

with that plane
falling apart, Margaret.

I'm just trying
to get this thing straight.

Now you think any other pilot
could have landed that plane
and saved more lives?

I didn't say that, Whip.
I can't imagine another... All right, then.

Well, imagine your son,
Trevor, in this church,

looking at you in that box.

Or my son
visiting me in prison.
And...

Oh, please, Whip, enough.
Enough, Whip. And for the next 40 years...

Don't you think
we've all had enough?

[SOBS]

I need this, Margaret.

[SIGHS]

What do you want me to say?

[SIGHS] I just...

It was an ordinary day.

The storm,
after we took off,

was very severe.

But as far as
the flight crew
was concerned,

it was a perfectly
ordinary day.

Hey. Hi.

Ah...

You okay?

Uh... Yeah, yeah.

So?

Well, I got through
my first day.
They didn't fire me.

So... Good. Good.

And they need someone
to work the night shift
and they asked me.

It's time and a half, so...

[BOTH CHUCKLING]

I got a vest.

And a little name tag.
I got you something. Nice.

Yeah? Yeah.

Oh...

It's a P-51 Mustang.

I know it's a P-51...

Your daddy
fly one of those?

Yes, he did.

It's cause for celebration.

Oh, well,
I promised Sheila that I'd go
to this AA meeting now.

She's my sponsor, the one
that's been helping me.

Can we celebrate
tomorrow night?

Yeah.

Yeah, sure, come on.

You know,
you could come with me.

To the meeting.

It's an open meeting,
meaning that anyone can come.

Even you.

So the cops got a flashlight
on me behind the dumpster.

I'm wearing nothing
but my girlfriend's panties,

I got vomit all down
the front of my chest.

And I say to them,
"Uh, I might have
had two beers."

[ALL LAUGHING]

So that's how
I got the nickname
"Two Beer Barry."

I'm getting the stink eye
from Ed over here.

Have I gone off format?

My name is Barry
and I am an alcoholic.

ALL: Hi, Barry.

Are there any other
alcoholics present?

I always love
a meeting where we

all have to identify
at the top

because it forces me
to be honest about
who I really am.

And I never told the truth
out there, obviously.

I lied about everything.

I was taught in these rooms
that I would never get sober

if I kept lying,
but that's what
I was best at.

If I knew anything
in this world
it was how to lie,

especially about
my drinking.

But, whatever. I would lie
about the name of my dog,

I'd lie about
the color of my own hair

right to your face.

And my whole life
just became

a series of lies
strung together by me,

one after the other. I'm going to go, okay?

Sure. You got a ride home?

Uh, yeah.
Sheila, she can give me
a ride. This is Sheila.

How you doing?I'm Sheila.

BARRY: ...that my lies
would kill me.

Left to their own devices,

my lies would walk me
out that door.

MORGAN:
Is it safe to say that
Captain Whitaker

remains a bit
of a mystery?

KEN: Those are your words,
sir, not mine.

I've been speaking
to some people

who are very close
to the NTSB investigation.

They are confident they will
soon be able to determine

exactly what brought
this plane down.

I'm sure they will, sir.

Well,
Ken and Vicky Evans,

thank you both very much.

Thank you, sir.
And God bless you.

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

WHIP: How you feeling, Ken?

Happy to be alive.

Blessed to be alive.

I'm Captain Whitaker.
I was flying with...

I know who you are.

Excuse me.
Could you give us
some privacy, please?

Thank you.

So, uh...

How long have
you been out of...

Out of a coma? Yeah.

Two days.

Good.

[TAPPING CANE]

Well, uh, look, I don't want
to disrupt your whole day.

And God knows you've been
swamped by interviews and...

You were brilliant
on CNN, by the way.

Both my legs are crushed.
My pelvis is snapped.

I'll probably
never walk again,

at least not without
a walker or braces.

I'll certainly
never fly again.

I'm very sorry, Ken.

That plane was doomed

the moment you sat
in that cockpit.

You reeked like gin
or something.

I called Vicky
from the plane
before we took off.

That's when the rain
kicked up.

Well, I don't know
how much you remember,

but that plane,

it started
falling apart, Ken.

I remember everything
until we crashed.

I know what went on.

What are we
trying to say, Ken?

What are
we talking about?

I don't know,
Captain Whitaker.

What are
we talking about?

I'm just trying
to get a sense from you

about what you thought
caused the crash.

Was it the fact
that you got
on the plane

still drunk
from the night before?

The NTSB
is coming back tomorrow

to finish taking
a deposition from me.

About the events
on that flight.

Do you think
you'd be alive if I wasn't
flying that plane?

No.

We'd all be dead.

But are you going
to argue with me

that your physical state
was tip-top?

Wait.

Sit.

Please.

I never shared my opinion
about your physical state

the morning of the flight.

I never said a word.

Okay.

That crash
was preordained.

I prayed on it, Captain.
Vicky and I both
prayed on it.

There is only
one judge, sir.

Praise Jesus.

And He's got
a higher plan for you.

This event,
although it's tragic
in its loss of life,

it's also
a celebration of life.

Nothing happens
in the Kingdom of the Lord
by mistake, sir.

VICKY: Praise Jesus.

KEN: Captain.

Will you
pray with us?

Jesus, our Savior,
we thank you

for blessing
Captain Whitaker.

For guiding his hand
on that fateful morning.

Bye. Bye-bye.

Thanks for the ride.Okay.

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO]

Hi.

Hey, hey.

[TURNS RADIO OFF]

How you doing?

Oh, hey. Look.

Great, right?

It's kind of beautiful.

It is beautiful, isn't it?
Like you.

Does it work?

[LAUGHS] Yes, it works.

I learned how to fly
on this baby.

Me and my friend Harling,
we flew it to Jamaica.

Jamaica? In this?

Yeah. In this.

We went on an overnight
fishing trip

about two hours
south of here.

Next thing you know...
Bethel, Jamaica.

You're insane.

Yes, I am.

It was beautiful.
It was like a postcard,

you know, like one of those

picture postcards.
White sand,

beautiful, sky-blue seas.

It was the most
beautiful thing
I ever saw.

Was the water warm?

Yes, it was very warm.

That's my kind of place.

Let's go.

Sure. Why not? [CHUCKLES]

Yeah. Let's go tomorrow.

Oh, you're serious. I'm dead serious.

We'll go in the morning.

You know,
we'll just get out of here.

Start over.Whip, we can't. No.

Yes, we can.
It'll be beautiful.

Bright sand beaches...

I'm worried about you. It's para...

Don't worry about me.
I'm fine. Thank you.

You're not.
You're really not.

Yes, I am. Yes, I am.

You need help.

You need rehab, Whip.

You think I need rehab?
So, you go to
two AA meetings

and I need rehab?
[SCOFFS] Okay.

Hey, look,
who are you, Jesus Christ?

Don't worry about me, okay?

You just
worry about yourself.
Don't worry about me.

We're the same,
you and me.

No, we're not the same. Yeah, we are.

We are not the same.
I don't suck dick
to get high, okay?

And don't give me that
your mother died...

I never! ...and your father...

I never in my life...

Bullshit, bullshit,
bullshit.

That why you shot dope? That's not fair.

That's why you get high?

There's a whole lot of people
out there whose mothers die

and they don't
fucking drink.

You're sick, Whip. Yeah, well,

I embrace it. Shit!

I choose to drink!

You do? Yes, I do.

You choose it?
Well, I don't see a whole lot
of choice going on here!

I choose to drink!
And I blame myself!

I'm happy to!
And you know why?

Because I choose to drink!

I got an ex-wife
and a son I never talk to!

And you know why?
Because I choose to drink!

No. I got to go.

Nicole.

[DOOR CLOSES]

Hey, listen.

All right, look.

I was loaded
when the plane crashed.

With this investigation,

I don't know
what's going to happen.

I could go to jail
for the rest of my life.

I got to get out of here.

And I want you
to come with me.

Whip.

I'm afraid that
I'm gonna use again.

Do you understand?

Then come with me.

Just come with me.
I need help, I do.

I'd like it
if you got help. I'll get help.

We'll go straight
to Jamaica,

we'll go right
to the local hospital.

I'll do it.

For you. Any...
Anything you want.

I don't want to use again.

I can't.
I won't make it back, Whip.

I won't force you to stay.

If you don't like it,

if I don't sober up,
then you leave.

I promise you,
you can leave.

[SOFTLY] We can leave
before noon.

I'm a great pilot.

So many
beautiful things to see.

I just want you
to come with me.

Everything okay, sweetie?

Yeah. Okay.

[THUNDER RUMBLING]

WHIP: Nicole.

Nicole?

[THUNDER CRASHING]

[PHONE RINGING]

[YELLS]

You've reached the Whitaker
Crop Dusting Company.

Please leave a message
and it will be returned.

CHARLIE: Hey, Whip,
if you're there, pick up.

It's Charlie.
I got some good news.

Hello?

CHARLIE: Oh!
There's our man. Hey!

HUGH: Captain Whitaker.

Let me be the first to say,
"Congratulations."

It's a good day.
We've won.

Yeah, this is what
we call, in my profession,
a "walk over."

Yeah, they
scheduled a hearing,
it's ten days away.

They can be tough,
but you just gotta be sharp.

Stay focused.

Answer the
questions correctly.

That's right,
but we're good.

All right,
I've successfully
had an "Act of God"

added to the NTSB's
list of probable causes.

We've shifted suspicion
away from you.

It's no longer a question
of your condition,

but the condition
of the plane.

Fantastic. That's
what I've been trying
to tell everybody.

This is a broken plane.

That's right.

WHIP: What about
my toxicology report?

HUGH: Oh, I killed that.

[ALL CHUCKLING]

There is no physical proof

that you were intoxicated
on that plane,

and no eyewitnesses.

So why are we here?
We're good.

Uh... Because there is
a small problem.

Because of turbulence,

there was no drink service
on the flight,

but they did find

two empty vodka bottles
in the galley trash.

Yeah, um...

And there's no physical
evidence on the bottles.

No DNA, no fingerprints
to link them to anyone,

but they were
uncapped and empty.

And the only people
who would have had access

to those bottles
would be the flight crew.

Now, Margaret,
Evans and Camelia Satou,

they all had
clean tox reports,

so that only leaves
you and, uh...

Trina Marquez.

Right, Trina Marquez.

Okay.

Okay, I see where
we're going here.

That's funny, though,
you know,

they only found
two bottles.

Why is that?

I drank three.

One's missing.

[SCOFFS]

You know,
when I first met you,

I couldn't believe
what a drunk,

arrogant scumbag you were.

Oh, really?Yeah.

Oh, thank you, Hugh.

But I did the research,
Captain Whitaker.

I heard
the expert analysis,

and I got to tell you,
I'm in awe of what you did.

The FAA and the NTSB
took ten pilots,

placed them in simulators,

re-created the events
that led to this plane

falling out of the sky.

Do you know
how many of them

were able to safely
land the planes?

Not one.

Every pilot
crashed the aircraft,

killed everybody on board.

You were the only one
who could do it.

Great.

I'm going home.

Hey, wait, Whip.
You can't... Captain Whitaker,

I'm telling you right now,
you walk away...

Listen, man. ...you're going to prison.

I'm trying to save
your fucking life.

What fucking life?

Huh? Don't kill yourself
on my account, Hugh.

Captain Whitaker,
this NTSB hearing

is a federal agency hearing.
Do you understand that?

Yes, I understand that.

Okay. Well, we can't play
around with these people.

Now, we walk in there
like this, with this,
we're done.

Everything we've done
goes right out the window.

I have no more moves,
all right?

It's all on you right now.

Okay. Charlie,
just get him to
the church on time.

Yeah, get him
to the church on time!

Yeah, Charlie,
just keep him
nice and sober,

so he can save
your fucking union! Huh?

Listen, Whip... And that fat fuck's airline!
Fuck you, Charlie! Fuck you!

[TIRES SCREECHING]

MAN: It's him.
Yeah, it's him, all right.

[DOORBELL RINGING]

How you doing?

What are you doing here?

[LAUGHS] It's good
to see you, too, Deana.
May I come in?

I just thought I'd come by

and see how
you and Will are doing.

Will! Knuckles!

We hadn't
talked in a while,

and this
whole thing happened.

I just thought I'd come by
and we could talk.

You know that
I prefer that you call us.

Right, right. Yeah.

Yeah, call you. But I mean,

it's not like anybody
around here calls me,

in the last three years,
other than to ask
for some money.

Have you been drinking?

Well, that didn't
take long, did it?

Seventeen seconds. Yeah.
Exactly seventeen seconds.

Ladies and gentlemen...

I'm gonna ask you
just to leave.

...it took
exactly 17 seconds
for my ex-wife,

Deana Coleman,
to ask me
if I was drinking.

Just leave, Will.What, is that
a world record?

Leave the house
that I paid for?

That's what
you want me to do?

Ugh! I'm calling the police.

Call the police.

WILL: I'm telling you
to leave.

Will Whitaker, Junior!
How you doing, son?

Man of the house.
Thanks for calling me back.

I'm telling you to leave.

Are you?
You're the man
of the house now?

You upset my mother.
You gotta go.

Well, I'm your father,
tough guy.

You're a drunk.

Get off!

I'm a drunk. You don't know
who the fuck I am.

I sure don't!
Why don't you tell me?

What? Who the fuck are you, huh?
Who are you?

Get the fuck out!

[WHIP GROANING]

Get the fuck out, man!

Whip, stop it! Stop it!
Stop it!

I love you, son.

Get the fuck out!

Stop it!
That's enough!

Get out!

I know where
I'm not wanted.

[REPORTERS CLAMORING]

REPORTER: Captain Whitaker,
a lot of people are working

to keep you out of the media.
Are you hiding something?

Just give my family
some room, please.

This is not
the appropriate time.

At the appropriate time,

I will tell my story,
and, uh, now is

a time for grieving

and taking care
of the injured.
Thank you.

NEWSCASTER: Questions remain
about the flight,

but they won't be
answered today

as Captain Whitaker
politely asked

that we give his family
some peace.

A reasonable request
from a quiet, heroic man
who has...

Hey, Charlie.

[CLEARS THROAT]

Listen, I just couldn't
find a safe place.

Amanda was kind enough
to let me in. Thank you.

Are you sure
I can't get you something?

No, I'm fine.No, we're good.

But thank you.
Thank you very much.

What the hell
is wrong with you?

Really.

Hugh just called me.

Apparently, you went
to your ex-wife's house

drunk as a skunk,

the news crews showed up

and then the police
escort you out.

It's okay, though.
I been watching. It's okay.

Oh, yeah, no,

Hugh checked
all the media outlets
that covered it.

You come off fine.
So I guess we're good.

Okay, good. Okay,
here's the deal, though...

No, Whip, Whip.
There's no deals.

All right, look at you.

I got no idea what you're
gonna do or say, ever.

You're all over the place.

I was the one guy
in your court.

The one guy!

I was your defender
and your apologist,
but no more.

Charlie, I can do this.

You're about to
be questioned by
a federal agency

about piloting
an airliner drunk.

An airliner that crashed!

And you continue to drink!
And stumble around!

What kind of crazy
do you have to be
to do that?

I'm afraid of you.

Okay, all right.
Then let me stay with you.

Then let me stay with you.

They're staking out
all my houses anyway.

[STAMMERING] I'll stay
with you until, until...

Until the hearing.
I won't leave the house.

I won't.

You cannot
drink in my house.

I won't. I won't. I won't.

You can't have a drink.

I won't.

Officer Edmonds.

EDMONDS: Yes, sir.

Whip, this is
Officer Edmonds.

He'll be
staying here tonight.

Any problems,
he'll handle it.

Captain Whitaker.

Hugh.

You look great.
I mean that.

Thank you.
Thank you very much.
I feel good.

Yeah. Charlie tells me
you haven't had a drink
in 8 days.

Nine days, two hours,
26 minutes.

But who's counting? [LAUGHS]

Okay. Right here.

So, yeah,
we wanted to make this

as easy as possible
on you.

I hope this is okay.

You can just relax,
get some rest.

Order up a steak,
get a movie.

I made a copy
of the entire investigation

and my file on you.

I was trying to
anticipate what kinds of

questions they might
ask you under oath

and I wrote some
non-damaging responses.

So, it's all in there.

You know, with photos,
interviews,

there's some
testimony in there.

I called Ellen Block,
told her you're here.

You're all tucked in.

She got
the knife out for me?

[CHUCKLES] Well, look,
she's not happy

that I killed
the tox report, but

this isn't a trial,

so she's very limited
in the kinds of questions

she can ask you.

You know?
You're gonna be fine.

Yeah, the hearing's
at 10:00,
so just downstairs

so we're figuring
we meet here at 9:00

for breakfast,
in the room

and take it from there. Take it from there.

Yeah.

All right, Captain Whitaker,
see you in the morning.

Thank you. And thank you
for letting me stay
in your house.

You have a beautiful home,
beautiful family.

You did great.

I needed it. I needed it.

That's all right.
Happy to do it.

Okay. Yep.

All right.
See you in the morning. Okay, yes.

Just like flying.

[MAN CHATTERING ON TV]

[SHOWER RUNNING]

[SOFT KNOCKING]

[SOFT KNOCKING]

[LOUDER KNOCKING]

Hello?

Hello.

[AIRPLANE TAKING OFF
IN DISTANCE]

[WHIRRING]

How's our man?

Not a peep.

Maybe he overslept.

Yeah.

You didn't let
any girls in there
last night, did you?

No, sir, not a soul.

No one came in or out
besides room service.

Okay.

[CONTINUES KNOCKING]

You have a key?

Hey, Whip.

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]

Hey, buddy! Whip!

HUGH: Holy shit.

What the hell? No kidding.

What the hell? Where the fuck is he?

Oh, Jesus. Where is he?

Where is he? Where is he? I don't know.

HUGH: Did he fucking
walk away? Son of a bitch.

Hugh. Hugh. Whip!

Damn it!

Oh, no. Is he dead?I don't know.

Is he dead? I don't know.

WHIP: Yeah, I'm dead!

EDMONDS: You want me
to get an ambulance?

No, no, no. No. No. No.

WHIP: Who's making
all that noise?

Let's just get him
to the bed. Come on.

Come on. That's all right.

HUGH: That's it, Charlie.

Okay? That's it.
We're fucked, man.
He just fucked us.

Your guy
just fucked us, Charlie.

All right. You just get
on the front door

make sure
nobody comes in.

Put that on your head.

There you go, man.
What time is it?

We've got 45 minutes, okay?

How much grace
you think we've got?

Grace? Ellen Block?

We're going to get
some fucking grace?

[STAMMERING]
Well, we probably
got an hour before

we really gotta
get him downstairs.

Okay. Great.
Well, let's just
get a wheelchair

and wheel his ass
into the hearing!

Call Harling Mays, man.

Oh, Harling's got
a wheelchair?

He's got cocaine.

Cocaine?

Hey, brother. Harling Mays.
I'm on the list.

Whip.

What's the deal, buddy?

You look like
you're hurtin'
for certain.

Thanks for...

Do not touch the merch,
motherfucker!

Take one step back,
please.

Cee Lo, I need you outside
guarding the door, please.

Thank you very much. [WHIP CHUCKLES]

Go ahead.

It's all right.
Yeah.

All right, gentlemen,
I need that table cleared

and placed in front of Whip
with a chair behind it.

Now, please!

I need a glass of water,
I need a credit card,

I need
a hundred dollar bill.

I got a twenty.

She'll do.

All right, Whip,
banana boat's a-coming.

And I need
a coco puff.

A what?

Just take the tiniest
little bit of tobacco

out of the top of
the cigarette, please.

Damn. Amateur night.

Banana boat's a-coming.
You're almost home.

Okay, baby,
we're gonna do

two small whiffs first

one on each side.

[WHIP GROANS]

Just a little primer
to get us started.

[MOANING] Okay.

Coco puff.

Ah!

[CHUCKLES]

[SNORTS] Ah!

Atta boy. Atta boy.
Head back. Swallow.

Water! Water now,
chief, you.

All right.

A little coco puff, buddy.

Who's the banana man?

You.

There's the banana man.
All right.
Now focus up, big dog.

Here's the train
coming to you.

Yeah.

Keep it down, big dog.

Banana boat's coming.

And the banana boat is here.

All right.

Nothing keeps you down, dog.

Nothing keeps
that big dog down.

You all are up.

Oh, uh...

I don't, um...

Shit,
I'll take another hit.

Ah!

Thank you, brother.
Shit, I'm back.

All right, baby.
I love you.

I love you, too. Shit.

[CHUCKLING]

All right.
Which one of you gentlemen

is funding this enterprise?

It's five hundred bucks.

I've got like
eighty bucks on me.

How much you got?

I got it. I got it.

All right.

Here, just... You pay him. What?

Pay him.

Thank you. Okay.

There's a gram in here.

You take it. You paid for it.
He's going to need it later.

My work here is finished.

See y'all
on the dark side
of the moon.

♪ You feeling all right?

♪ I'm not feeling
that good myself

♪ You feeling all right?

♪ I'm not feeling
that good myself ♪

Your nose.

I'll go ahead
and tell them
we're here.

You're going
to make it.

Remember, if they
ask you anything
about your drinking

it's totally acceptable
to say "I don't recall."

Hey, don't tell me
how to lie about
my drinking, okay?

I know how to lie
about my drinking.

I've been lying about
my drinking my whole life.

[PEOPLE YELLING]

Those are
difficult images
to watch.

For the record,
I'm Ellen Block,

Hearing Officer
for this hearing.

Captain Whitaker,
good morning.

Morning.
[COUGHS] Morning.

ELLEN: What that video
captures is that

the aircraft
was in a relatively
stable glide

just prior to
the moment of impact.

However, according to
the data we retrieved

from the cockpit
data recorders,

at exactly 9:34,

after flying 27 minutes
without incident,

the transponder recorded
a loss in altitude

in excess of
4,800 feet per minute

in what is considered
a "full pitch

"nose down" attitude.

Then, at 9:42,

according to
the data recorders,

a decision was made
to invert the aircraft.

The NTSB has created
an animated simulation

that I would like
to play at this point.

WHIP: We're going to roll it.

KEN: What do you mean,
"Roll it"?

We gotta do something
to stop this dive.

Margaret, what's
your son's name?

MARGARET: Trevor. Say, "I love you, Trevor."

What? Black box.

Say, "I love you, Trevor."

I love you, Trevor.
You be a good boy.

Mommy loves you.

Okay, here we go.
I've got control.

KEN: Oh, Lord Jesus!

WHIP: [GARBLED] ...flaps. KEN: Flaps!

Speed brakes. Speed brakes!

Margaret! Power!

Gear up. Gear up!

Oh, Lord Jesus,
we're inverted!

We're flying.
We're level.

We can maintain
altitude like...

Atlanta Center...
SouthJet... 7.

We are inverted.

I... We are inverted.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
SouthJet 2... 7, uh,

did you say inverted?

That audio is tragic
and compelling.

I chose to play that part
of the cockpit recording

to highlight a key moment
on board flight 227,

wherein you say,
"We're going to roll it."

"Here we go.
I've got control."

You made a very
conscious decision to

invert the aircraft,

to roll the plane
upside-down,

is that correct?

I'm not sure
if it was conscious. But...

It was more like instinct.

What led to that decision?

[CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY]

I don't recall.

Let me quote from
an investigative summary.

"From 9:34 until 9:42

"the events
on the aircraft are,"
again I quote

"bold and remarkable.

"By inverting the plane,

"Captain Whitaker
arrested the descent

"and allowed the aircraft
to level off

"enabling him
to glide the aircraft

"away from
any populated areas

"and allowing him to execute

"a forced landing
in an open field."

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDS]

I heard a loud
metallic bang.

We pitched nose down.

No control. ELLEN: Yes.

First Officer Evans'
testimony confirms the same.

I want to
show you something.

Nothing's happening.

This remote isn't working.

Apologies.
I can do this manually.

This is the jackscrew
on the tail assembly

that articulates
the horizontal stabilizer,

also known as the elevator.

As you can see,

the threads on this screw
are almost entirely gone.

This part was suggested as
a maintenance replacement

in January of 2011.
It was never replaced.

It had an additional
1,200 hours of flight on it.

It finally failed.

Our investigators
have concluded

that the jackscrew snapped

and the elevator was frozen
in a fixed position,

locking the elevator
in a down position,

which forced the plane
into a dive.

The loss of
the elevator was,
and I quote our report,

"A catastrophic event

"from which recovery
was improbable

"and stable flight
impossible."

Mr. Whitaker,

I want to talk about
the days leading

and the hours leading
up to the accident.

But before I do,

I want to remind you
that you are under oath

and that any testimony
you give here today

will be
considered admissible

in any subsequent hearings
or criminal proceedings.

Do you understand
what that means?

Captain Whitaker,
for the record,

I need you to verbalize
your answer.

Uh, I'm sorry.
Yes, I understand.

On the three days
leading up to the accident,

Tuesday, October 11th,

Wednesday, October 12th
or Thursday, October 13th,

did you consume any alcohol

or other
intoxicating elements?

No, I did not.

ELLEN: On the morning
of the accident,

Friday, October 14th,

did you consume any alcohol
or ingest any chemicals
or drugs

that may have
impaired your ability
to perform your job?

No, I did not.

Mr. Whitaker, do you now
or have you ever had

a problem
with alcohol dependency,

alcoholism
or drug addiction?

No.

Okay, Mr. Whitaker,
we're about done.

Due to
the severe turbulence

in the early part
of the flight,

you asked the flight crew
to suspend

the beverage service
on the plane,
is that correct?

Yes, that's correct.

I suspended
the drink service
on the plane.

Are you aware that
our investigators found

two single service
vodka bottles

in the galley trash bin?

Yes, I'm aware of that.

There were five
crew members on board

that would have had access
to the beverage trolley.

Less than an hour
after the accident,

blood was taken from each
of these crew members,

yourself,
First Officer Evans,

Flight Attendant
Margaret Thomason,

and posthumously
from Camelia Satou

and Katerina Marquez.

Toxicology analysis
was performed and

three of these tests
came back negative,

one was disqualified
for technical reasons,
and one

tested positive for alcohol.

It registered
a .17 blood alcohol level.

Are you aware of that?

Yeah, I'm aware of it now.

Mmm-hmm.

Miss Marquez was not only
a colleague,

but you knew her
outside of work,

is that correct?

Outside of work?

No, not really.

Did you know Miss Marquez
had a drinking problem?

No, I did not.

Did you ever see her
drink to excess?

No, I did not.

Were you aware that
she was twice treated

for alcohol addiction?

The last time
was 16 months ago,

and paid for
by SouthJet Airlines.

No, I did not.

Is it your opinion

that Katerina Marquez

drank on that flight?

Could you
repeat the question?

Is it your opinion
that Katerina Marquez

drank on that flight?

I'm sorry, my what?

Your opinion, Captain.

Since her toxicology report
is the only toxicology report

that is admissible
in this hearing,

and she in fact tested
positive for alcohol,

is it your opinion
that Katerina Marquez

drank those two bottles
of vodka on the plane?

[EXHALES] God help me.

ELLEN: I'm sorry,
Mr. Whitaker,

I couldn't hear you.
What did you say?

I said, "God help me."

Yes, well, however,
is it your opinion...

It's my opinion

Trina did not
drink that vodka.

Excuse me, Mr. Whitaker?

She saved the boy's life,
that's...

Could you speak louder,
Captain Whitaker?

Trina Marquez
did not drink the vodka

because I drank the vodka.

[AUDIENCE MURMURING]

What the hell? Objection!

NTSB OFFICER: Please
be seated, sir. Sir.

CHARLIE:
Captain Whitaker misspoke.

WHIP: I drank
the vodka bottles.

CHARLIE: Didn't you hear me?
I said I object!

Please be seated, sir.
This is not a courtroom.

Well, I object anyway!

I drank the vodka bottles
on the plane.

Captain Whitaker,

on the three nights
before the accident,
October 11th...

October 11th, October 12th,

and 13th and 14th
I was intoxicated.

I drank all of those days.
I drank.

In excess.

On the morning
of the accident...

I was drunk.

I'm drunk now.

I'm drunk right now,
Miss Block.

Because I'm an alcoholic.

WHIP: That was it.

I was finished.

I was done.

It was as if I had reached
my lifelong limit

of lies.

I could not tell
one more lie.

And maybe I'm a sucker

'cause if I had told
just one more lie,

I could have walked away
from all that mess

and kept my wings,
kept my false sense of pride.

And more importantly,

I could have avoided
being locked up

in here with all you

nice folks
for the last 13 months.

But I'm here.

And I'll be here
for at least the next
four or five years.

And that's fair.

I betrayed the public trust.
I did.

That's how the judge
explained it to me.

I had betrayed
the public trust.

The FAA, they took away
my pilot's license.

And that's fair.

My chances
of ever flying again
are slim to none.

And I accept that.

I've had a lot of time
to think about it,
all of it.

I've been doing
some writing.

I wrote letters
to each of the families

that had lost loved ones.

Some of them were able
to hear my apology.

Some of them never will.

I also apologized to

all the people
that tried to help me
along the way, but I

couldn't or wouldn't listen.

People like my wife,
you know.

My ex-wife and, uh,

my son.

And again, like I said,
you know, some of them will

never forgive me.
Some of them will.

But at least I'm sober.

I thank God for that.
I'm grateful for that.

And this is going
to sound real stupid

coming from a man
who's locked up in prison,

but for the first time
in my life

I'm free.

Whitaker.
You got a visitor.

[BUZZER SOUNDS]

GUARD: You got 40 minutes. Okay.

[LAUGHS]

Aw.

Ah.

Look at you, boy.

How are you doing? I'm good.

You look good.

Come on, sit down.

This is a surprise.

You get that gift
I sent you?

Yeah, yeah, I got it.

Yeah? You like it?Yeah.

Good.

How's your mom?

Oh. She's all right.

My college counselor
wanted me to come
and interview you.

Me?

Yeah. I'm writing essays
for college applications.

Good.

I need your help.

You got it.

Well, this essay, the essay
that I have to write...

[SIGHS]

It's called "The Most
Fascinating Person

"That I've Never Met."

Okay.

So...

[RECORDER BEEPS]

Who are you?

That's a good question.