- 7 months ago
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00:01A passenger jet that's supposed to be flying south of Kathmandu
00:05crashes into a mountain north of it.
00:09It's false, it's false.
00:15Investigators are baffled.
00:17It immediately created some mysteries as to why the airplane got to a place that was not expected.
00:22Air China 129, were you able to land?
00:25A plane that should be high above a mountain slams into it instead.
00:30The investigation uncovers a shocking series of mistakes.
00:37Why didn't they turn here?
00:39They just keep going.
00:40Then they crash into the mountain.
00:42And a jetliner goes down in a high altitude forest.
00:48The crash reveals a technological blind spot that could have prevented the tragedy.
00:54The common threat is a combination of loss of situational awareness
00:57and lack of understanding of where you are in relation to the terrain.
01:02D.D. D.D.
01:04D.D.
01:05D.D.
01:06D.D.
01:07D.D.
01:24Thai Airways Flight 311 cruises over Nepal, just above the peaks of the mighty Himalayas.
01:41The pilot flying is Captain Prida Suttimai.
01:45His first officer is Phunthat Bunyaye.
01:48Combined, they have close to 30,000 flying hours.
01:51I will never get tired of seeing these mountains.
01:55Kathmandu is a popular tourist destination, it's a mountainous airport and a lot of tourists
02:00fly in just for that, for the scenery.
02:04The flight's 99 passengers left Bangkok, Thailand and are bound for Nepal's capital Kathmandu
02:10on an Airbus A310.
02:14The approach requires navigating above some of the world's highest mountains and then making
02:19a steep descent to the runway.
02:23Kathmandu, Thai 311, request descent.
02:27Thai 311, you have negative traffic, you are cleared for descent.
02:35Thai 311, request 02.
02:40Thai 311, confirm requesting 02.
02:43Confirm.
02:44The pilots are expecting to make the usual straight in approach from the south to runway 02.
02:50That will keep them clear of the mountains north of the airport.
02:55But then…
02:57Kathmandu, Thai 311, we cannot make approach now.
03:01We will need to turn back to Romeo and climb to one 8,000 feet and start our approach again.
03:08They realise they're too close to the runway to safely commence the descent.
03:15The pilots will need to circle back to the south of the airport and make a second approach.
03:23You'd be challenged at doing a circling approach in a mountainous environment.
03:29It's one thing to do it without any obstacles, it's another thing to do it surrounded by mountains.
03:35Using the flight management system, the first officer enters the navigational waypoint called
03:42Romeo to restart their approach.
03:49But the system won't lock in a flight path to Romeo.
03:52You've disappeared.
03:54It's Romeo 27, isn't it?
03:58Ro-me-o.
04:02The pilots keep trying to program the Romeo waypoint.
04:07Thick cloud limits their view from the cockpit.
04:10Then…
04:11Roll up.
04:14Airspeed low.
04:16Sink rate.
04:17Roll up.
04:18Turn back.
04:19Turn back.
04:20It's false.
04:21It's false.
04:22Pull up.
04:25Pull up.
04:27Obstacle.
04:28Pull up.
04:29Only God!
04:40TIE 311, please report your position.
04:50The search for TIE Airways Flight 311 begins immediately.
04:55Nepal sets up a royal commission of local and international investigators.
05:01This is the airport. Flight 311 was coming in from the south, here.
05:11Until the airplane is found, it's difficult to figure out what might have happened.
05:15The search course started in the south because it came in from the south.
05:19Where is this thing?
05:21As the search continues, investigators interview the air traffic controller, hoping for any kind of lead.
05:29We don't have radar here, so we can't help you with the airplane's location.
05:33I just rely on what the pilots tell me.
05:36In a non-radar environment, they have a mental picture,
05:39and that picture is really painted by the words that the pilot reports to them.
05:44They don't have an exact location, almost like working blindfolded.
05:48Kathmandu, Thai 311. We cannot make approach now.
05:53We will turn back to Romeo and climb to 1,8000 feet to start our approach again.
06:00To redo the approach, they would have to turn back towards the south.
06:0648 hours after Flight 311 disappeared, villagers report finding aircraft debris to the north of Kathmandu.
06:14The reported crash site is nowhere near the area they've been searching south of the airport.
06:27North of Kathmandu, the Himalayan peaks soar to a height of 20,000 feet.
06:32For that reason, almost all planes approach the airport from the south, where the mountains are closer to 8,000 feet.
06:44Send out the helicopters. Tell them to start searching to the north of the airport.
06:49Later that day, 27 miles north of Kathmandu, search crews find the remains of Thai Airways Flight 311.
07:04The point of impact is a steep rock face more than 11,000 feet up the side of a remote mountain.
07:10None of the 113 people on board survived.
07:17It immediately created some mysteries as to what might have happened, why the airplane got to a place that was not expected.
07:24The level of destruction was enormous. You couldn't tell that you had an Airbus A310. You couldn't even tell you had two engines.
07:38The location of the crash puzzles investigators.
07:42The plane should never have been this far north of the runway.
07:50So why was it there?
07:57It's hard to tell what we're even looking at here.
08:01Incredibly, the team is able to retrieve the plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the fragments of debris.
08:08Investigators hope they'll provide crucial evidence that reveals how the plane ended up so far off course.
08:16Okay. Start it up.
08:18While the FDR is being processed, investigators analyze the cockpit voice recorder.
08:24Lots of clouds.
08:269-3-1-1, 10, Matthew.
08:29Go ahead. Would you request for runway 02, please?
08:33Thai 3-1-1, request 02.
08:350-2.
08:37Everything seems normal until they begin to restart their approach.
08:42Thai 3-1-1, report 2-5 DME.
08:46Wait a minute.
08:48Captain, do Thai 3-1-1. Confirm runway 02 available.
08:53Wait, wait a minute. Stop.
08:56The pilot talking to the controller is not the first officer.
09:00It's the captain.
09:01Why was the captain speaking with the controller?
09:05As the pilot flying, the captain should have focused solely on flying the plane, not communicating with air traffic control.
09:13In this case, I noticed that the captain was, in many cases, taking over the radio transmission work.
09:19The CVR reveals another surprising detail.
09:24Damn it. The flaps cannot be extended.
09:28The flaps would not extend to full configuration, which for the Kathmandu approach is essential.
09:35The recording leads investigators to ask some troubling questions.
09:44Did malfunctioning flaps and a distracted pilot send the plane into the path of a mountain?
09:50Investigators listening to the cockpit voice recorder for Thai Airways Flight 3-11 learned that the pilots were concerned with an issue with their flaps.
10:00Damn it. The flaps cannot be extended.
10:11But just as suddenly as the problem with the flaps began, it resolves itself.
10:18Back to normal though. Can we make a left turn to Romeo?
10:23Understand operation normal. And you'd like to make an approach?
10:27Affirm. Affirm.
10:29But the delay in extending the flaps meant that the pilot couldn't descend towards the airport in time to make a safe landing.
10:35We can't land at this time. We have to make a left turn back to Romeo and start our approach again.
10:45But other air traffic coming in from the south prevented Flight 3-11 from turning left.
10:50TIE 3-11. We have negative traffic at or above flight level 150 within our jurisdiction.
10:57Accept Royal LePaul at 206. You are cleared for descent.
11:03Then something perplexing happens.
11:10The controller goes silent.
11:12Answer please.
11:18Answer please.
11:21Flying north towards mountains and with traffic to his left, the captain makes a decision.
11:33Without waiting for ATC clearance.
11:36We'll climb and turn to the right.
11:39He begins turning right, back towards the start of his approach south of the airport.
11:44Moments later, investigators hear a strange question from the first officer.
11:57Are we going north?
11:58The recording exposes a troubling inconsistency.
12:04It seems the captain intended to turn south, away from the mountains.
12:09Yet minutes later, they're still flying north towards the mountains.
12:12Terrain, terrain. Pull up. Turn back. Turn back. Turn back. It's false. It's false. Pull up. Pull up. Pull up. Pull up. Pull up.
12:23Pull up. Pull up. Pull up. Pull up. Pull up. Pull up. Pull up.
12:30Is that the data from the FDR?
12:32Great.
12:34Fortunately, the flight data has been recovered.
12:38And investigators have their first chance to analyze the plane's flight path.
12:43What the team finds raises more questions.
12:47And right here, they're looping around to restart their approach.
12:51Right?
12:53They just kept turning.
12:57Instead of turning 180 degrees, straightening out, and heading south to Romeo,
13:05Flight 311 turns a full 360 degrees and continues heading north.
13:11It just doesn't make any sense.
13:18Fire it up.
13:21In search of answers, they turn to a flight simulator.
13:24The captain just took over communications with the controller.
13:28Yeah. Okay.
13:29In terms of simulator testing, the one thing that allows the investigators to do
13:32is replicate what happened and understand what the crew would see
13:35or any other problems that they would face.
13:38Cabin 2, tie 311 confirmed.
13:41Runway 02 available.
13:44At this point, they know the captain is flying the aircraft,
13:48monitoring the instruments, and communicating with the controller,
13:51all on one of the steepest, most difficult descents in aviation.
13:56Okay, there is a lot going on here right now.
14:01Dammit.
14:02The flaps cannot be extended.
14:07The time spent resolving the flaps issue creates a delay.
14:11They can no longer make the straight-in landing.
14:14Only choice is to circle back and do another approach.
14:19The captain can program the flight computer
14:21to take the plane to a selected heading.
14:24In this case, that means turning to the left.
14:27But there's a problem.
14:28The controller said there's traffic to the left.
14:30To avoid the traffic,
14:32the captain decides to adjust the autopilot.
14:36We'll climb and turn to the right.
14:38To make the turn,
14:40he rotates the heading knob to the right.
14:42Watch your turn.
14:49You're starting to level off.
14:50Oh, yeah, right.
14:53He's trying to do too many things at once.
14:55He's asking to go to a point.
14:57He's trying to fly the airplane on the autopilot.
14:59And he's starting to lose
15:01the 3D picture that he has in his head,
15:04where he is.
15:06Investigators make a critical discovery.
15:08The distracted pilot makes a fatal mistake.
15:13He turned it one too many times
15:14and did a full circle.
15:20Investigators now understand
15:21how the crew,
15:23facing nearly zero visibility in thick clouds,
15:26had no idea they actually turned back
15:28towards the mountains.
15:29Pilots are trained to fly
15:33using only their instruments.
15:36Why did these pilots
15:38fail to notice their mistake?
15:41Take a look at this.
15:43There are no cardinal points on the compass.
15:47A close look at the cockpit compass
15:49reveals a possible explanation.
15:50The instrument lacks the usual direction markers,
15:55N-S-E-W,
15:56indicating north, south, east, and west headings.
15:59I think if they had been a big N
16:01on top of the compass for the whole time,
16:03it might have made a difference.
16:06Are we going north?
16:07We will turn back soon.
16:09And then,
16:10only many miles north of the airport,
16:13does the first officer say,
16:14hey, my display says,
16:16I'm north of the airport.
16:18But by then it's too late.
16:18The accident underscores the need
16:38for more advanced air traffic control technology
16:40at Kathmandu's airport.
16:43In an environment like Kathmandu,
16:45radar was essential.
16:46And radar was put into Kathmandu,
16:49so this would not happen again.
16:52The disaster also reinforces
16:54the importance of teamwork among pilots.
16:58I'm flying the airplane,
16:59you're doing this,
17:00you communicate with me,
17:01I communicate with you,
17:02and we as a team maximize
17:04to a greater extent
17:05than the individual capability
17:07everything we can do,
17:08including knowing situational awareness
17:10and escaping when we have to.
17:11Ten years later,
17:13a plane crashes into a mountain
17:15it should have flown high above.
17:18Maspora, pull up, pull up!
17:20In a tragedy
17:21that is a simple matter of bad timing.
17:23No!
17:28Air China flight 129
17:36has been in the air
17:37for almost two hours.
17:38Captain Wu Xinlu
17:42heads the Chinese flight crew.
17:45He has more than 6,000 flying hours.
17:4818 degrees, dew point 16.
17:51First officer Gao Lai-ji
17:52has more than 1,200 hours
17:55flying the Boeing 767.
17:58Expect radar vectors
17:59to left downwind.
18:01The most junior member of the team
18:02is second officer Hu Jingying.
18:04There was a third pilot
18:07in the cockpit,
18:08a second officer,
18:09who was doing the radio calls,
18:11and that was because
18:11of his proficiency in English.
18:14Flight 129
18:16is flying southeast
18:17from Beijing
18:18to Kim Hei International Airport
18:20in Pusan, South Korea.
18:23It should be on the ground
18:25in less than 30 minutes.
18:29Good morning.
18:31With you now.
18:31Fifteen minutes before landing,
18:34the crew contacts
18:35the airport's approach controller.
18:38Air China 129,
18:39Kim Hei approach,
18:40fly heading 190,
18:42descend to 6,000.
18:44In this case,
18:45the co-pilot started the approach.
18:47He was actually the pilot flying.
18:49The captain was really
18:50monitoring his altitude
18:51because the captain
18:52is the non-flying pilot.
18:55Air China 129,
18:57turn left heading 160,
18:59descend to 2,600.
19:00Visibility is not very good.
19:06Kim Hei Airport
19:07is near Korea's southern coast,
19:09an area known
19:11for unpredictable weather.
19:15Visibility is spotty
19:16as the passenger jet
19:17descends through thick cloud.
19:19I don't think there was
19:24anything unique
19:25about this particular day.
19:27There were clouds,
19:27there was rain.
19:28Runway inside.
19:29But strong winds
19:30are making the current
19:31landing approach difficult.
19:34So the controller
19:36gives flight 129
19:37new landing instructions.
19:40Air China 129,
19:42contact tower 118.1,
19:43circle west.
19:45Circling approach
19:46is a visual approach.
19:47The pilot has to maintain
19:49sight of the runway
19:50the entire time.
20:00The wind is too strong.
20:02It's very hard to fly.
20:05The thick clouds
20:06obscure the tower controller's view.
20:10There's land runway 18.
20:11Reduce speed.
20:15Okay.
20:18The controller can't
20:20see the incoming 767.
20:26Air China 129,
20:27are you able to land?
20:33Let's go around!
20:35Pull up, pull up!
20:36Pull up!
20:36Pull up!
20:36Air China 129 crashes into the side
21:00of Mount Doctae,
21:01just three miles from the runway.
21:03Of the 166 people on board,
21:08only 37 survive.
21:11The crash site was horrible.
21:14It was truly a miracle
21:15that they were able to find
21:17a number of survivors
21:18from such a massive crash.
21:24Korean air accident investigators
21:26arrive on the scene,
21:28along with American investigators
21:29from the National Transportation Safety Board.
21:32You could tell
21:34the whole area
21:36had been cleared out
21:36by the impact
21:38of the whole aircraft,
21:40and pieces were spread
21:41all over the place.
21:44I was surprised
21:45that anybody survived.
21:48Let me borrow those.
21:55From the crash site,
21:56investigators can see the airport
21:58nearly three miles away.
22:00There is no simple explanation
22:02why Flight 129
22:04hit terrain
22:05so far from the runway.
22:08What are they doing here
22:10when they should be
22:11all the way down there?
22:12What would cause him
22:13to get this low,
22:15this far out?
22:15He should have been
22:16well above this terrain.
22:18You wondered,
22:19why did this guy
22:20hit a hill?
22:23Investigators concentrate
22:24on what the crash site
22:25can tell them
22:26about the accident.
22:26Debris is scattered
22:29for hundreds of yards
22:30down the hillside.
22:34Normally,
22:35when an incident occurs,
22:37the wreckage and debris
22:38tend to stay within the area
22:40of their initial impact point.
22:43The positioning of the fuselage
22:44gives the team
22:45its first clue.
22:47The back of the plane
22:48must have landed first,
22:50meaning the pilot
22:50was pulling up
22:51as the plane hit the ground.
22:52This suggests the crew
22:55made a last-ditch effort
22:56to clear the mountain.
23:00Investigators are faced
23:01with a troubling question.
23:04In the midst
23:04of a routine landing,
23:06why did the pilots
23:08fly so low?
23:15To understand
23:16why Air China
23:18Flight 129
23:19crashed into the side
23:20of a mountain,
23:20puzzled investigators
23:22look at the airliner's
23:23speed, altitude
23:24and heading parameters
23:26obtained from
23:27the flight data recorder.
23:30Around here,
23:31they should be circling in
23:32for a landing,
23:33but they just keep going.
23:35Then they crash
23:36into the mountain.
23:40Why didn't they turn here?
23:44How are they supposed
23:45to do this approach?
23:47The landing procedure
23:48for a circling approach
23:50to Pusan requires pilots
23:51to use a cockpit chronometer,
23:53a type of stopwatch.
23:57Flight crews time maneuvers
23:59to the precise second
24:01using headings
24:02and visual landmarks
24:03as references,
24:04a challenging task
24:06in thick cloud.
24:06So gear down here.
24:12Then they're supposed
24:12to do a 45-degree turn
24:14for 20 seconds here.
24:17Then they're supposed
24:17to make a 45-degree turn
24:19for 20 seconds here.
24:21You time it out
24:2220 seconds,
24:22you turn parallel
24:24the runway
24:24and then you make
24:25what's called
24:26a base turn,
24:27180-degree turn
24:28and land on the runway.
24:30Here they should see
24:32the end of the runway.
24:3420 seconds later,
24:36they should have made
24:36their base turn.
24:39Investigators realize
24:40the pilot got off
24:41to a bad start
24:41making his approach.
24:44The flight recorder
24:46showed that the pilot
24:47did not execute
24:48his first turn.
24:49He's supposed to make
24:49a left turn
24:50to begin the circling approach
24:51and he's supposed
24:52to do that aggressively.
24:54He didn't turn
24:55with a steep enough bang.
24:58What were the pilots thinking?
25:01Let's start from
25:02the very beginning
25:03of their approach.
25:04The team hopes
25:05the cockpit voice recorder
25:07will answer that question.
25:10Air channel 129
25:11can be approached.
25:12Fly heading 190
25:14descend to 6000.
25:16Roger.
25:21Up to now,
25:25they think
25:25they're coming in here.
25:28But the controller
25:29changes it to here.
25:31The crew's plan
25:33for a straight-in approach
25:34is changed
25:35to a circling approach
25:36that will take them
25:37to the other side
25:38of the airport.
25:41We're using runway 18R.
25:44So they immediately
25:45acknowledge
25:46their circling approach.
25:49But it soon
25:50becomes clear
25:51that they missed
25:51a critical step.
25:53So we exit
25:54on this side taxiway?
25:56What's it called?
25:57Charlie 6.
25:59After we land,
26:01we can leave directly
26:02using taxiway Charlie 6.
26:06Stop.
26:09They're talking about
26:09what to do
26:10after they land.
26:11But they never did
26:12a proper briefing
26:13for the actual landing.
26:14Let alone
26:15what they had to do
26:15to execute
26:16our final approach.
26:18When that didn't happen,
26:19somebody's supposed
26:20to speak up
26:21and say,
26:21hey, captain,
26:22or first doctor,
26:23we didn't do
26:23approach briefing.
26:24That's crew coordination.
26:26The missed briefing
26:27helps explain
26:28why the crew
26:29made the mistake
26:30of turning much less
26:31than the required
26:3245 degrees.
26:34timing.
26:37Wait, where's my stopwatch?
26:41A circling approach
26:42demands precise timing
26:44of the turning maneuvers.
26:48Here's where
26:49they start the timer.
26:52Timing.
26:56The captain
26:56must begin
26:57his final turn
26:58in exactly
26:5920 seconds.
27:00They had to fly
27:02the aircraft
27:03away from the airport
27:04and then
27:05turn on to final
27:06and then land
27:07in the opposite direction.
27:09The wind is too strong.
27:10It's very hard to fly.
27:15I have control.
27:18Investigators
27:18are stunned
27:19by what they hear.
27:22In the middle
27:23of the 20-second timer,
27:24he decides
27:24to take control.
27:27That's crazy.
27:27It confused
27:30the first officer,
27:32made the
27:33division of duties
27:34uncertain.
27:36They didn't know
27:36what person
27:37was supposed
27:37to do what.
27:38A critical mistake.
27:41The captain
27:41fails to tell
27:42the first officer
27:43to monitor
27:44the chronometer.
27:49The U-turn
27:50back to the runway
27:51should begin
27:51at the 22nd mark.
27:54But with the captain
27:55now flying
27:55and the first officer
27:57still looking
27:57through the cloud
27:58for the runway,
27:59they don't initiate
28:00the turn.
28:03Do you have
28:03the runway in place?
28:04No,
28:04I can't see out.
28:06Turn.
28:07Turn now.
28:10And why he didn't say,
28:11let's get out of here,
28:12let's miss the approach,
28:14we don't understand that.
28:15The captain
28:16continues to descend
28:18for almost 30 seconds
28:19before the first officer
28:20finally speaks up.
28:21Must go around.
28:23Hold up.
28:23Hold up.
28:24Don't let go.
28:25But it's too late.
28:28No!
28:32Pull up.
28:34Hurry, hurry.
28:37Hurry, hurry.
28:38Pull up.
28:51This is a botched approach.
28:54You never fly into a cloud
28:57on a circling approach.
28:59If you do,
28:59you should be initiating
29:01a go-around
29:02to get out of that situation.
29:04Why did these
29:05experienced pilots
29:07attempt a visual approach
29:08in the worst possible conditions?
29:10The causes of this accident
29:15are basically human factors.
29:17It was poor crew coordination.
29:20It was poor communications
29:21intra-cockpit
29:22and between the tower
29:23and the cockpit.
29:25In the aftermath
29:27of the Flight 129 disaster,
29:29Air China classifies
29:31Kim Hei as a special airport.
29:32All pilots are now taught
29:35how the area's
29:36challenging mountainous terrain
29:38can affect
29:38takeoffs,
29:39landings
29:40and go-arounds.
29:42If you're worried
29:43about visibility,
29:44if you're worried
29:44about mountainous terrain,
29:46don't do a circling approach
29:47unless you're absolutely sure
29:49you can keep
29:49the runway environment
29:51in sight.
29:52You have to be on your best game
29:53when you fly
29:53in mountainous terrain.
29:54But when a jet
29:56goes down
29:57in the mountains
29:57of Alsace,
30:01investigators observe
30:02how even the most
30:03sophisticated
30:03navigational equipment
30:05can't guarantee
30:06disasters will be averted.
30:12Air Inter Flight 148
30:15has just taken off
30:16from Lyon, France.
30:18124.95,
30:20thank you.
30:22Captain Christian Hecquette
30:24and First Officer
30:25Joël Cherubin
30:26are experienced pilots
30:28with more than 12,000
30:29flying hours between them.
30:32The flight is a short
30:34one-hour hop
30:35between Lyon, France
30:36and Strasbourg
30:37in the mountainous
30:38Alsace region.
30:41The French airline
30:43prides itself
30:44on quick turnarounds
30:45between cities
30:46and crews are encouraged
30:47to avoid delays.
30:49We were famous
30:50for a very short turnaround
30:52and the faster
30:53we flew
30:54the better
30:55wages we got.
30:57But the pilots
30:58already under time pressures
31:00receive an unwelcome
31:02communication
31:02from Strasbourg airport
31:04which changes
31:04their plans.
31:07They're told
31:08to land on runway 05.
31:1005?
31:13No chance.
31:16Captain Hecquette
31:17was hoping
31:18waiting to use
31:18runway 23
31:19an approach
31:21that provides
31:22the plane's autopilot
31:23with a precise
31:23navigational fix.
31:25But the new runway
31:2705
31:28requires the aircraft
31:30to circle around
31:31for landing.
31:32The new approach
31:34could take longer
31:35and affect flight time
31:36and delay
31:37their turnaround.
31:38They had wound us
31:40in the tanks.
31:41Cripes!
31:45Determine found
31:45Strasbourg.
31:47I hear you.
31:48Picking up
31:49on the captain's
31:50frustration
31:50the air traffic
31:51controller in
31:52Strasbourg
31:53offers assistance.
31:54I can take you
31:55with the radar
31:56to lead you
31:56to Andlow
31:57at 5000.
32:02The controller
32:03will guide
32:03the flight crew
32:04step by step
32:05towards Andlow
32:06an electronic waypoint
32:08on the approach path
32:09for runway 05.
32:11That will help
32:12the pilots line up
32:13for landing
32:13on that runway.
32:15That's good.
32:16Oh yeah.
32:17Okay then
32:17turn left to heading
32:192, 3, 0 degrees.
32:22Since runway 05
32:24doesn't allow
32:25for a full autopilot
32:26approach
32:27the captain
32:28must make his own
32:28calculation
32:29for the angle
32:30of descent.
32:31That makes
32:323, 3, 3, 3 degrees.
32:403.3 degrees
32:41is a normal
32:42flight angle
32:42that provides
32:43a good slope
32:44for landing.
32:47The controller
32:48talks flight 148
32:49through the last turn
32:51which will align
32:52it with the runway
32:52now 15 miles away.
32:57Authorized
32:58for final approach
32:5905.
33:02The captain
33:03configures
33:03the plane
33:04for landing.
33:05Flaps towards 2.
33:06Flaps towards 2.
33:09Flaps at 2.
33:11Geal down.
33:18We have to watch
33:19our descent.
33:20The approach axis.
33:22The first officer
33:23notices a problem
33:24with how the plane
33:25is lining up
33:26horizontally
33:26with the runway.
33:27It was 60.
33:30Check it out.
33:32But before
33:33the crew
33:34can adjust
33:34their course
33:35The A320
33:53has flown
33:54into the side
33:55of a mountain.
33:57The crash
33:58is catastrophic.
34:02An emergency
34:03is declared
34:04at Strasbourg airport.
34:06I immediately
34:07called
34:07my two main
34:09investigators
34:10and we organized
34:11the go team.
34:13It takes rescuers
34:15more than 3 hours
34:16to get to the crash site
34:17which is located
34:1812 miles
34:19from the runway.
34:21Eight passengers
34:22have survived
34:23but 87 passengers
34:26and crew
34:26including the pilots
34:27have died.
34:33A group
34:34of international
34:34accident investigators
34:36joins the French
34:37Accident Investigation Bureau
34:38the BEA
34:39in the search
34:40for clues
34:41to explain
34:42the crash.
34:42In the BEA lab
34:51technicians discover
34:52that the flight
34:52data recorder
34:53is completely destroyed.
34:56They try to salvage
34:57data from another
34:58recorder used
34:59by maintenance
35:00crews.
35:00It's known
35:01as a QAR.
35:03It took
35:03about a day
35:05to read
35:06a second
35:07of recording.
35:08Their painstaking
35:10efforts
35:11could take
35:11a month
35:12or more.
35:14Any additional
35:15second recovered
35:16could reveal
35:17something
35:18that would
35:19make a difference.
35:24In the meantime
35:25the focus
35:26of the investigation
35:27shifts to the
35:28cockpit voice recorder
35:29which has survived.
35:30Runway 23
35:31otherwise
35:32I can't...
35:33The recording
35:33reveals the captain's
35:35anxiety
35:35early in the flight.
35:36You're taking
35:3723 then?
35:38Yes!
35:410-5
35:42What sort
35:43of wind
35:44are they giving us?
35:48Turn left
35:49steer 90.
35:51While they listen
35:53investigators
35:53also plot
35:54the plane's
35:55trajectory
35:55using radar
35:56information.
35:59They discover
36:00that as it
36:01circled the mountain
36:02the plane
36:02began a
36:03dangerously
36:04steep
36:04and rapid
36:05descent.
36:05The voice
36:08recording
36:09reveals a
36:09remark
36:10from the
36:10crew
36:10about
36:11the
36:11speed
36:11of
36:11the
36:11descent.
36:13It comes
36:14just 16
36:15seconds
36:15before the
36:16crash.
36:17The aircraft
36:17was accelerating
36:18abnormally.
36:20We have to
36:20watch our
36:20descent.
36:22The captain
36:23started to
36:24realize there
36:24was something
36:25wrong with
36:26the descent
36:26rate.
36:27But then
36:28the first
36:30officer changes
36:31the subject.
36:32The approach
36:32axis.
36:33We're hitting
36:33the axis
36:34half point
36:34off.
36:35There.
36:36It was
36:3760.
36:37Check it
36:38out.
36:41He refocused
36:43the captain's
36:44attention on
36:45the lateral
36:46situation rather
36:47than the
36:48vertical situation
36:49which was the
36:50main problem
36:51of course.
36:51distance.
36:52But the
36:57biggest mystery
36:58remains.
37:00What caused
37:01the rapid
37:02descent in
37:02the first
37:03place?
37:05After
37:06months of
37:07work, all
37:08flight data
37:09from the
37:09damaged
37:09recorder becomes
37:10available.
37:13The data
37:14reveals that the
37:15angle of
37:16descent was
37:16far greater
37:17than the
37:173.3
37:18degrees
37:19calculated by
37:20the captain.
37:223
37:22decimals
37:243 degrees.
37:27That's
37:28quite a
37:28difference.
37:31As he
37:31studies the
37:32data,
37:33Paris discovers
37:34an important
37:34clue involving
37:35two key
37:36numbers.
37:37The plane's
37:37vertical speed
37:383,300 feet
37:40per minute
37:40and the
37:41intended flight
37:42path angle
37:433.3
37:45degrees.
37:51Coincidence?
37:55Paris uses a
37:56flight simulator
37:57to test a
37:57new theory.
37:58Can you
37:59show me a
37:59descent of
38:003,300 feet
38:01per minute?
38:03He believes
38:03that the
38:04similarity is
38:05more than a
38:05coincidence.
38:06on the
38:08autopilot
38:09there are
38:09two
38:10descent
38:10modes
38:11flight
38:12path
38:13angle
38:13and
38:14vertical
38:15speed.
38:15They are
38:16both displayed
38:17on the
38:17same
38:18window
38:18so
38:183,300
38:19is
38:20shortened
38:20to
38:2133.
38:23Now
38:23show me
38:24a flight
38:25angle
38:25of
38:26minus
38:263.3
38:27degrees.
38:28The
38:29problem
38:29on this
38:30aircraft
38:31was that
38:31the two
38:32values
38:32were
38:33visible
38:34on the
38:34same
38:34window
38:35and
38:36controlled
38:36by the
38:37same
38:37knob.
38:39Paris
38:39suspects
38:40the
38:40display
38:41confused
38:41and
38:42already
38:42anxious
38:42Captain
38:43Hecquette.
38:45The
38:45confusion
38:45is
38:46quite
38:46easy
38:47between
38:47the
38:47two
38:47modes
38:48if
38:48you
38:48don't
38:49do
38:49it
38:49carefully.
38:51If
38:51the
38:51captain
38:52failed
38:52to
38:52push
38:53the
38:53mode
38:53selector
38:54knob
38:54then
38:55entering
38:5533
38:55would
38:56not
38:56have
38:56initiated
38:57a
38:57safe
38:58angle
38:58of
38:58descent
39:04of
39:043300
39:05feet
39:06per
39:06minute.
39:10But
39:11when
39:11tested
39:12in
39:12the
39:12simulator
39:12this
39:13theory
39:13still
39:14doesn't
39:14result
39:15in
39:15a
39:15crash.
39:16We
39:16are
39:16missing
39:16something.
39:17Every
39:18approach
39:18would
39:19overfly
39:20this
39:20obstacle
39:21by
39:22a
39:22significant
39:23margin.
39:25To
39:25understand
39:26why
39:26Paris
39:27turns
39:27to
39:27an
39:27Airbus
39:28engineer
39:28who
39:29explains
39:29a
39:30little
39:30known
39:30element
39:30of
39:31the
39:31autopilot's
39:32design.
39:34In
39:36emergency
39:37situations
39:37where
39:38the
39:38A320
39:38needs
39:39to
39:39change
39:39direction
39:40quickly
39:40the
39:41autopilot
39:42is
39:42programmed
39:42to
39:43reverse
39:43the
39:43plane's
39:44direction
39:44at
39:45twice
39:45the
39:45normal
39:46rate.
39:49We
39:50immediately
39:50went
39:51back
39:52to
39:52the
39:52data
39:52at
39:53the
39:53very
39:54second
39:54at
39:55which
39:55the
39:56descent
39:56was
39:56commanded
39:57by
39:57the
39:57crew.
39:58Gear
39:58down.
39:59Paris
40:00discovers
40:00a
40:01tragic
40:01coincidence.
40:04We
40:05found
40:06that
40:06at
40:06this
40:06very
40:07second
40:07there
40:08was
40:08turbulence.
40:10The
40:11momentary
40:12turbulence
40:12caused
40:13the
40:13plane
40:13to
40:13climb
40:14slightly.
40:17It
40:18was
40:18during
40:19that
40:19second
40:19that
40:19the
40:20crew
40:20commanded
40:20the
40:20plane
40:21to
40:21descend.
40:21It
40:22was
40:2260.
40:22Check
40:22it
40:22out.
40:23The
40:23autopilot
40:24read
40:24this
40:24as
40:25an
40:25emergency
40:25requiring
40:26a
40:26rapid
40:27descent.
40:28That
40:28could
40:28be
40:29it.
40:29Paris
40:33goes
40:33back
40:33to
40:33the
40:34simulator
40:34to
40:34test
40:35his
40:35theory.
40:37Here
40:37it
40:37comes.
40:43And
40:43we
40:44got
40:44the
40:44crash.
40:46Paris
40:47theory
40:47now
40:48explains
40:48fully
40:49how
40:49the
40:49crew's
40:50confusion
40:50with
40:50the
40:51autopilot
40:51display
40:52caused
40:56the
40:56plane
40:56to
40:56descend
40:57dangerously
40:57close
40:58to
40:58the
40:58mountain.
40:59Then
41:01how
41:01turbulence
41:02an
41:02obscure
41:03safety
41:03feature
41:04and
41:04catastrophic
41:05timing
41:05combine
41:06to
41:07bring
41:07it
41:07even
41:07closer.
41:09Half
41:09a
41:09second
41:09before
41:10half
41:10a
41:11second
41:11later
41:11they
41:12wouldn't
41:13have
41:13the
41:13accident.
41:16The
41:17investigators
41:17conclusions
41:18highlight
41:19weaknesses
41:19in the
41:20Airbus
41:20320
41:21cockpit
41:21design.
41:26Airbus
41:27responds
41:27immediately.
41:29The main
41:29change
41:30which was
41:31very quickly
41:32made
41:32was to
41:33change
41:33the
41:34display
41:34window.
41:36With
41:36the new
41:37design
41:37when a
41:38pilot
41:38selects
41:38a vertical
41:39speed
41:39the entire
41:42four-digit
41:42number
41:43is displayed.
41:47The confusion
41:48between an angle
41:49and a vertical
41:50speed
41:50was no longer
41:51possible.
41:51If I hear
41:55there's
41:55a smoking
41:56hole
41:56in the
41:56side
41:57of a
41:57mountain
41:57I'm
41:58almost
41:58certain
41:58to
41:59say
41:59okay
41:59we've
41:59got a
42:00controlled
42:00flight
42:00into
42:01terrain
42:01situation.
42:02The common
42:03threat is
42:03lack of
42:03understanding
42:04of where
42:04you are
42:05in relation
42:05to the
42:05terrain.
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