- 2 days ago
Air Crash Investigation Series S24E06 Fight for Survival
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TVTranscript
00:00A horror story unfolds at 4,000 feet.
00:04There were actual flames coming up through the cockpit floor.
00:08We were starting to be burned.
00:11Fire is consuming Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458.
00:15This airplane was a death trap.
00:17It was time to fight for your life.
00:20The pilots have just seconds to get their plane on the ground.
00:23All I could see were trees.
00:25Hold on!
00:26It wasn't going to be a smooth landing.
00:30Eleven of the 12 people on board make it out alive.
00:34But the fire destroys any evidence of its origin.
00:38The plane is incinerated.
00:40A surviving pilot gives NTSB investigators the break they need.
00:44The first time I hit the switch, I saw the smoke.
00:47It was coming from the base of the control column.
00:50That was a very, very large statement to an investigator.
00:57Mayday! Mayday!
01:00There are ten passengers on board Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458.
01:25Folks, we'll be getting airborne shortly, so please make sure your seatbelts are fastened at this time
01:32All set
01:34Nicely done
01:35Just after three in the afternoon, the twin otter starts down the runway
01:41Sixty knots
01:43Sixty knots
01:44Flight 458 lifts off from Groton, Connecticut
01:52The flight is a short hop to Boston
01:55Just 87 miles to the north
01:57Positive rate
02:00Flaps up
02:02Flaps up
02:0336-year-old Thomas Prinster is the captain flying today
02:09He's been with the airline for three years
02:12Thomas, loved by all, he would show us how to fly that airplane
02:17What you don't want to do, what you do want to do
02:19It was just a real pleasure to fly with
02:22Temperatures and pressures in the green
02:26Looking good
02:27Pilgrim 458 now passing through 1,000 feet
02:31Pilgrim 458, roger that, passing 1,000
02:3427-year-old first officer Lyle Hogg has only been with the airline for a few months
02:41Before I went to Pilgrim Airlines, I had about 1,500 hours
02:46In my time at Pilgrim prior to this, I had flown approximately 400 hours
02:54The pilots are flying a de Havilland Dash 6 Twin Otter
03:00A turboprop airplane that's popular with regional airlines
03:05It was a twin-engine turboprop used on local flights for the most part
03:11A very popular airplane in its day
03:14It helped lead the regional airline revolution that was going on at the time
03:20And it was used all over the world
03:22Pilgrim 458, climb 4,000
03:29Report Norwich VOR
03:30The flight to Boston lasts only 40 minutes
03:35There's no flight attendant on board
03:38One of the passengers on today's flight is U.S. Air flight engineer Harry Polychron
03:43He's flying to Boston for the start of his shift
03:47My flight out of Boston the next day was early in the morning
03:51So my plan was to arrive on Sunday night, get a hotel room
03:56So I would be all set and ready to go
03:59Paul Hainsworth is a business consultant
04:03Who's catching a connecting flight in Boston
04:05Once we started the take-off and started going up into the air
04:10I literally just tipped my head over
04:13Closed my eyes and started dozing
04:16I was tired
04:16The plane reaches its cruising altitude of 4,000 feet
04:22The weather was a typical February day in New England
04:25There was clouds at about 3,000 feet
04:29With some freezing drizzle, freezing rain
04:32Pilgrim 458, how's the ride?
04:37Smooth right now
04:38With the outside temperature nearing minus 3 degrees Celsius
04:44The precipitation is freezing and creating a layer of ice on the windshield
04:49On the windshield, it's similar to frost on a windshield of a car
04:56Sort of rough looking and difficult to see through
05:00How do the wings look?
05:05No ice
05:06All right, let's see if we'll be able to clear this windshield
05:09You got it
05:10The pilots want to make sure they'll be able to de-ice their windshield when it's time to land
05:16We would test the windshield, the ice just to make sure it was working
05:21We wouldn't continually operate the pump all the way to your destination
05:26So you wouldn't use up too much of the alcohol
05:29You'd save it for when you needed it
05:30Which would be on approach and landing at the next airport
05:33Not getting anything on my side
05:38I noticed very little fluid on my side of the windshield
05:45When I first activated the switch
05:47Anything on your side?
05:50Some, not a whole lot
05:51The second time held the switch in the on position for a little bit longer
06:01So we could get a good indication of the de-icing fluid affecting the windshield
06:06Still nothing
06:09Something's not right
06:13I'm going to stop trying
06:14Quite soon after that, there was an odor in the cockpit
06:19It was alcohol-like
06:20There wasn't an emergency at that time yet
06:24But we were beginning our thought process as far as
06:27Okay, what are we going to do to deal with this issue?
06:33I smell smoke
06:34Yep
06:36Around the same time, we also realized there was an acrid-type smell
06:41The first thought that I had was Tom had been a smoker
06:45And the ashtray in the cockpit was in the lower center yoke
06:50We looked towards the floor where the ashtray was
06:53And it was not smoke coming from the ashtray
06:57In the cabin, Harry Polychron senses something's not right
07:02I had my head buried in the paperwork
07:05And then I got that whiff of alcohol
07:07As a flight engineer, Polychron knows the smell could indicate something serious
07:14Alcohol was not something you normally smell on an airplane flight
07:18It's coming from down there
07:22The pilots now see wisps of smoke entering the cockpit
07:26We did see initially some very light, white-type smoke
07:33Before we could even talk about that or react to that
07:39The smoke started to become thick very quickly
07:42Both pilots realize something is on fire
07:46And it's getting worse
07:48Fires are terrible things to have on an aircraft
07:51You can't just pull off to the side of the road with a fire
07:54You have to do something immediately
07:56Concept, Pilgrim 458
07:58We need a direct to Providence, this is an emergency
08:01The captain wants to land at the nearest airport
08:06Providence, Rhode Island
08:08Just 12 miles to the right
08:09A turn to Providence was kind of a no-brainer
08:13Because we knew exactly where we were
08:16And knew exactly where Providence was
08:18Pilgrim 458, was that you calling?
08:21Directly to Providence, please
08:23This is an emergency, there is a fire on board
08:25Pilgrim 458, roger, understand
08:28Turn right, heading up 150 for vectors to Providence
08:35Okay, let's get on the ground
08:37Right turn, 150
08:42I'll look for the runway
08:44With a fire burning somewhere inside the airplane
08:49The pilots have very little time to get back on the ground
08:52I'm pushing, I'm pushing
08:54But the smoke is making it difficult to see inside the cockpit
08:58The clouds and ice-covered windshield make it nearly impossible to see outside
09:03We gotta get under these damn clouds
09:05We needed to get on the ground as fast as we could
09:08And so the turn was quite abrupt
09:10And the descent was quite steep
09:14Pilgrim 458, how many people on board?
09:19Controllers begin to prepare for an emergency landing in Providence
09:22We've got 10 people on board
09:25Lyle responded that there were 10
09:29He was thinking of the passengers
09:31He didn't include Tom and himself
09:34It's getting worse
09:36Where the hell is it coming from?
09:41It was blinding, it was choking
09:44They couldn't see each other, they couldn't see out the windscreet
09:47They couldn't see their instruments
09:49They were in the clouds
09:51The smoke from the cockpit makes its way through the cabin
09:56As soon as the black smoke started in the cabin
10:04It became more and more difficult to see and breathe
10:07I immediately grabbed the bottom of my sweater
10:11Pulled it up, spat into it
10:14And put it over my nose and mouth
10:19And started to use that, you know, as a filter
10:22The pilots are also struggling to breathe
10:26Since the twin otter is not pressurized
10:28They're able to open their windows to get fresh air
10:31Because I was having a hard time seeing Tom at that point
10:36I opened the window on my side of the aircraft
10:40But windows in the cabin don't open
10:44And the passengers are suffocating
10:47How am I going to get air?
10:50It was time to fight for your life
10:51The passengers and crew of Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458
10:58Are in the fight of their lives
10:59I did have that tennis racket, boom
11:02Bash out a window
11:03It drew the smoke out
11:16And then I proceeded forward
11:17I did it a couple more times
11:19To other windows on the right side of the airplane
11:21I was absolutely in awe
11:29As to what he was doing
11:31We'll all be fine
11:36The smoke is starting to clear
11:37I thought, my God
11:42This is just an amazing piece of good news
11:47Not only for me, but for everybody else on the plane
11:51In addition to the thick smoke
11:55The pilots are now confronted by fire
11:58Coming up through the floor
11:59I thought, let me try to get to the fire extinguisher
12:05It was behind my seat
12:07It was close to the floor
12:09But with intense heat coming through the floor
12:14Hog can't grab it
12:15That's when we were starting to be burned
12:22Initial reaction is not feeling the pain
12:26The initial reaction is
12:27We've got to get this airplane out of the ground quickly
12:30Still 11 miles from Providence and unable to see
12:34The pilots know they don't have enough time
12:37To get their burning airplane to the airport
12:39We were in an emergency descent
12:42Pointing towards Providence
12:44But not knowing if we could get there
12:45Off-duty flight engineer Harry Polychron
12:50Makes his way to the cockpit
12:51To let the pilots know about the situation in the cabin
12:55It was hard to stand
12:59It pitched up, pitched down
13:01Pitched left, pitched right
13:03It was a wild ride
13:04You got thrown around up there
13:06When I poked my head into the cockpit
13:08It was engulfed in smoke
13:09They couldn't see the instruments
13:16And they couldn't see outside
13:17So how they managed to keep that plane right side up
13:22Amazes me
13:23I just wanted to let them know
13:25That the passengers were okay
13:26And just keep it up guys
13:28You're doing a great job
13:30I said
13:31You guys keep flying
13:32We have everything under control in the back
13:34My intentions were
13:36Just to keep those guys
13:38Inspired to keep doing what they were doing
13:41Which was heroic
13:42The flames are spreading
13:45From the cockpit into the cabin
13:47The pilots are running out of time
13:49To save their plane
13:51It was an extraordinarily painful
13:58Frightening
13:59Deadly set of circumstances
14:01Getting worse every second
14:03The pilots can't see each other
14:07And with the windows open
14:09Can't hear each other either
14:10I needed to make sure
14:12That Tom was in fact
14:13Still flying the aircraft
14:15And that's when I rested my hand
14:17On the yoke
14:17To follow along
14:18With his movements
14:20Captain Prinster maintains
14:23A rapid descent
14:24But he has no idea
14:26Where he's going to land
14:27I initially did not see
14:31An adequate landing site
14:33We were still in the clouds
14:35The passengers start to prepare
14:39For the inevitable
14:40I sat up very straight
14:43In the chair
14:44And took the seatbelt
14:46And ensured that it was going
14:49Across my head bones
14:50And not my stomach
14:52And tightened it
14:54As tight as I possibly could
14:56Fifteen hundred feet
14:58From the ground
14:59The heat from the fire
15:00Has grown so intense
15:02That the pilots' headsets
15:03Are beginning to melt
15:04They needed to get that
15:09Rubber headset off
15:11These circumstances
15:13Were absolutely extreme
15:16At that point
15:17It was very clear
15:19To the pilots
15:20That this airplane
15:21Was a death trap
15:23The flight should be
15:25Nearing the airport
15:26In Providence
15:27Pilgrim 458
15:30You can proceed direct
15:31To Providence VOR
15:32Without headsets
15:36The pilots are no longer
15:37Able to communicate
15:38With the ground
15:39One of the pilots
15:41Was gripping the yoke
15:43So hard
15:43His thumb
15:44Was on top of a button
15:46That activates
15:47The microphone
15:48And the result
15:50Of that was
15:52The air traffic controllers
15:54Heard this roar
15:55Pilgrim 458
15:57Pilgrim 458
16:01Do you copy?
16:02I'm not reading you
16:03One thousand feet
16:06Above the ground
16:07The twin otter
16:08Breaks through the clouds
16:09Out of my window
16:13All I could see
16:13Were trees
16:14Tom was making a turn
16:17I couldn't see him
16:18But I could feel him
16:19Making a turn
16:20To the left
16:21The pilots need to land
16:25Before the fire
16:26Reaches the highly
16:27Flammable fuel
16:28Located in the belly
16:30Of the aircraft
16:30Directly below the passengers
16:32I was wondering
16:37At this point
16:39Were we going to be able
16:40To get the plane
16:41On the ground
16:42Or was it going to explode
16:44In midair
16:45Get ready
16:47Oh god
16:51Looking out the window
16:56I no longer saw
16:58All trees
16:59I saw the shores
17:00Of this frozen reservoir
17:02And my immediate thought
17:05Was hey
17:06We're going to make it
17:07The pilots have spotted
17:08The situate reservoir
17:10Near Providence
17:11Rhode Island
17:12A frozen body of water
17:14That covers
17:14Five square miles
17:16It was a wide open
17:17Flat area
17:18There were no trees
17:19There was no nothing
17:20There was just ice
17:21That was a gift
17:23The pilots aim
17:25Their burning plane
17:26Towards the reservoir
17:27The next thing
17:30Was just to get
17:31That thing on the ground
17:32As fast as we could
17:33And get out of the aircraft
17:34It never crossed our minds
17:36Was the ice
17:37Going to hold
17:37The airplane or not
17:38In the cabin
17:42Of Pilgrim Airlines
17:43Flight 458
17:44Passengers can see
17:45They're heading
17:46For an emergency landing
17:47I looked out the window
17:49And I saw
17:51Impact was imminent
17:53I wanted to go
17:55Strap in
17:55But the seat was on fire
17:57So I braced myself
17:58Against the bulkhead
17:59Flight 458
18:02Is moments
18:03From slamming
18:04Onto a frozen lake
18:05Hold on
18:08It was a matter
18:09Of get this airplane
18:10On the ground
18:11As absolutely
18:12As fast as we could
18:13It wasn't going to be
18:16A smooth landing
18:17Save me again
18:18All of a sudden
18:20There's the most
18:22Enormous
18:23Bang
18:24Paul Hainsworth
18:35And Harry Polychron
18:36Are knocked unconscious
18:37The plane breaks up
18:40As it skids across the ice
18:41For 500 feet
18:43When I woke up
18:50The plane had stopped
18:51And everything was very quiet
18:53The pilots have managed to maneuver
19:01Their burning airplane
19:02Onto the ice-covered lake
19:03Now they must make sure
19:05Everyone gets off the airplane
19:07Before it's completely consumed
19:09By fire
19:09Here we are
19:11Here we are
19:11In this white
19:12Frozen tundra
19:13If you will
19:14And what do we do now
19:15I just released my seatbelt
19:20And jumped up
19:21And hit the plane door
19:23And attempted to open it
19:26Which I was unable to do
19:28Because the fuselage
19:31Had compressed
19:32I glanced
19:34And I saw a split
19:36In the fuselage
19:38Right behind
19:39The doorway
19:41I made the decision
19:43That I was going to kick
19:45That area
19:47Of the fuselage
19:49And make a hole in it
19:50So that we could escape
19:52This way
19:53There's a hole back here
19:55You can get out this way
19:56Hainsworth knows
19:58Passengers must get out quickly
20:00I still had the concern
20:03That the plane
20:06Could imminently explode
20:08I jumped out first
20:10And I then started
20:12To assist other people
20:14At the front of the plane
20:17Harry Polychron
20:18Is badly injured
20:19I was filled with adrenaline
20:23And shock
20:24I had dislocated my shoulder
20:26I had injured my knee
20:27I had a burned leg
20:29My very first instinct
20:31Was to get out
20:32Of that airplane
20:32Right now
20:33And I started
20:34To proceed
20:34To the back of the airplane
20:36I heard a young woman
20:37Say somebody
20:38Please help me
20:39Come on
20:41This way to the back
20:42We can get out of here
20:42Come on
20:43You okay
20:44Come on
20:46I grabbed the young lady
20:48I pulled her
20:48To the back of the airplane
20:49And as far as I knew
20:50I was the last one out
20:51Can you make it?
21:00Yeah
21:01I think we can make it
21:04There was no checklist
21:08To be read
21:09And no procedures
21:10To follow at that point
21:11Let's get out of here
21:14Both pilots
21:18And nine of the ten passengers
21:20Make it off the plane
21:21And head for the shore
21:22Minutes later
21:24The twin otter
21:25Is completely consumed
21:27By fire
21:27I think it's
21:29One in a hundred million
21:31That I'm still here
21:32And I'm very grateful
21:35To the pilot
21:37The co-pilot
21:38And also
21:39The other pilot
21:41That was a passenger
21:42On the plane
21:43For their actions
21:44That were
21:46Quite frankly
21:48Beyond remarkable
21:51One passenger is dead
21:54The result of severe smoke inhalation
21:57All of the surviving passengers
21:59Are taken to hospital
22:01With serious injuries
22:02Both pilots are badly burned
22:05Lyle was burned
22:06Over 25% of his body
22:09And the captain
22:10Was burned
22:11Over 7 tenths of his body
22:14Much of it
22:15Third degree
22:16Volunteers
22:18Immediately begin
22:19Removing vital pieces
22:21Of wreckage
22:21From the lake
22:22So they can be studied
22:23More closely
22:24By investigators
22:25Tonight we have
22:27A clean up operation
22:28We have
22:28A portable electric
22:30Generator out there
22:31With lights
22:31We're going to
22:33Mop up the fuel oil
22:34And wait
22:36Until the FAA comes
22:37It's obvious
22:38That the plane
22:39Was destroyed
22:40By fire
22:40But it's not obvious
22:42What caused it
22:43Knowing that there's
22:45A fire on board
22:45Isn't just enough
22:46You need to understand
22:48Exactly what happened
22:50How it happened
22:51When it happened
22:51And how the crew
22:53Were able to fly
22:54The airplane
22:54With a fire on board
22:55Both pilots
22:56Are too injured
22:57To provide a statement
22:58So investigators
22:59Turn to the controllers
23:00For more insight
23:02What did they tell you?
23:03Just that they had
23:04A fire on board
23:05And needed to make
23:06An emergency landing
23:07And when did they
23:10Call that in?
23:11The call came in
23:12At 3.29
23:14So less than
23:1520 minutes after takeoff
23:16What would cause
23:18An in-flight fire?
23:20You're looking
23:20For a flammable source
23:22You're looking
23:22For an ignition source
23:23Okay
23:24It's going to be hard
23:26To find anything
23:27Useful in any of this
23:28Investigators examine
23:30Flight 458's
23:32Cockpit gauges
23:32Hoping to find clues
23:34About the cause
23:35Of the fire
23:36But after a post-crash fire
23:39Those instruments
23:40Are often so badly damaged
23:42That they take extensive
23:44Work to get more
23:45And sometimes
23:45We get nothing
23:46From the instruments
23:47Because we just can't
23:48Make any sense
23:49Out of what they say
23:50Wait a minute
23:52The plane's clock
23:55Is still legible
23:56Stopped by the impact
23:57Of the crash
23:583.34
24:00Not whatever happened
24:03Happened fast
24:04Less than five minutes
24:07After the pilots
24:07Report the emergency
24:08They slam onto
24:10The frozen reservoir
24:11This tells investigators
24:16That the situation
24:17Escalated rapidly
24:19Engine fire
24:26Pilgrim Air Flight 458
24:29Wasn't equipped
24:30With a cockpit voice recorder
24:31Or flight data recorder
24:33Investigators will need
24:35To work through
24:35The most likely sources
24:37Of an onboard fire
24:38It makes investigation
24:41A little more difficult
24:43And takes a little longer
24:44To get it done
24:45Doesn't keep us
24:46From doing an investigation
24:48But it certainly adds
24:49To the amount of work
24:50Required to complete
24:51An investigation
24:52They study
24:54What remains of the engines
24:55To determine
24:56If they played a role
24:57In this accident
24:58Both engines were running
25:04At the moment of impact
25:05The best indication
25:08That engines are running
25:09At impact
25:10Are you look for
25:12Damage to the engine
25:13You look for twisting
25:14And bending the propellers
25:15Look for direction
25:16Of the bending
25:17And the amount of bending
25:18Of the propellers
25:19There were clear indications
25:21That both engines
25:22Were developing power
25:23At the time of impact
25:24The fact that the engines
25:29Were running on impact
25:30Tells investigators
25:32They were not the source
25:33Of the fire
25:34They all report
25:39The same thing
25:40Smoke
25:41The pilots are still
25:45Too injured to talk
25:47But interviews
25:47With the passengers
25:48Provide the team
25:49With an important clue
25:51Thick smoke
25:52From the cockpit
25:53Poured into the cabin
25:54If passengers
25:58Say they saw smoke
25:59Anytime during the flight
26:01It would be
26:02A focus of the investigation
26:03Because we would be
26:06Interested in the source
26:07Of the smoke
26:08The timing of the smoke
26:10They study the plane's
26:12Badly burned wreckage
26:13For any evidence
26:14That could tell them
26:15Exactly where
26:16The fire began
26:17Well the fire
26:18Had to start somewhere
26:19We look for
26:22Concentrations of heat
26:23Which would give us
26:24An indication
26:25Where a fire began
26:27Oh planes incinerated
26:29Yeah but the cockpit floor
26:32Here suffered the most
26:33Fire damage
26:34I'd guess that the fire
26:37Started somewhere
26:38Under the cockpit
26:39The plane burned up
26:42After it touched down
26:43On the ice
26:43It's impossible
26:44To pinpoint
26:45The precise origin
26:46Of the fire
26:47We could tell
26:49Generally the area
26:50Where it started
26:51But we needed
26:52To do more work
26:53To look at
26:54Potential flammable sources
26:56Days after the accident
27:01The pilots are ready
27:03To make their statements
27:04Pilots are
27:05Most likely
27:06The most experienced
27:07People on the airplane
27:08And they can tell you
27:09The events that occurred
27:11Around them
27:12At the time
27:13That this was going on
27:14All their sights
27:16Sounds and feelings
27:18Can make a difference
27:19In the investigation
27:20Thanks for agreeing
27:24To do this
27:25Maybe you just want
27:27To talk me through
27:29What you can remember
27:29Towards the end
27:31Of that week
27:32They asked if I would
27:33Speak to the NTSB
27:34And I agreed
27:35We tried to de-ice
27:39The windshield
27:40But weren't getting
27:42Any fluid
27:43Almost immediately
27:44I smelled the alcohol
27:47And then smoke
27:50And then I saw
27:52The smoke
27:52Thin and white
27:56At first
27:56It was coming
27:59From the base
27:59Of the control column
28:00It didn't take long
28:04Before that smoke
28:05Turned thick
28:05And black
28:07Soon we couldn't breathe
28:10And we were starting
28:13To burn
28:13How long
28:20Between the de-icing
28:21And the first
28:22Signs of smoke
28:22It all happened
28:28Real fast
28:29I don't know
28:31Maybe a minute
28:33Maybe less
28:36And that's when
28:37You called in the emergency
28:38Yeah
28:39And started to descend
28:41Immediately after that
28:42He hit the switch
28:45To apply
28:46The de-icing fluid
28:47To his windshield
28:49To clear some icing
28:51That he saw
28:51And then
28:52Very shortly thereafter
28:54He had what he described
28:55As white smoke
28:56With an alcohol smell
28:58That was a very
29:00Very large statement
29:02To an investigator
29:03Looking for a fire
29:05Okay
29:08It all starts
29:10Right here
29:11With the de-icing
29:13With the de-icing
29:13The interview
29:15With the first officer
29:16Provides the team
29:17With a focus
29:18For their investigation
29:19The airplane's de-icing system
29:22We'd start looking
29:24In the wreckage
29:25For evidence
29:26For that de-icing system
29:28And then begin
29:29A parallel investigation
29:31With maintenance
29:33To see
29:33If there was
29:34Any kind of history
29:35Of problems
29:36With that system
29:37The reservoir
29:39Holds one and a half
29:41Gallons of de-icing fluid
29:42A switch
29:44On the overhead console
29:45Activates the 28 volt pump
29:47Flexible plastic tubing
29:48Connects the pump
29:49To the spray nozzles
29:51It's a pretty basic system
29:54The use of chemical de-icing
29:57In airplanes
29:58Had been used
29:59Since the 20s
30:00So it was not
30:01An unknown
30:02Or novel system
30:03That they were using
30:04Investigators search
30:07For the surviving components
30:09Of the de-icing system
30:10If they had found
30:13The pump
30:13And the attachments
30:15It clearly
30:16Would have shown
30:17To them
30:18Where the problem was
30:19That's all that's left
30:23No sign of the pump
30:25Lines are all gone
30:27Melted
30:28The only part
30:30Of the de-icing system
30:31That survived the fire
30:32Is a melted portion
30:34Of the plastic reservoir
30:35This tells us nothing
30:38Focusing on the smell
30:47Of alcohol
30:48Reported by the crew
30:49Investigators study
30:50A sample of the de-icing fluid
30:52Used by Pilgrim Airlines
30:54To determine
30:55Just how flammable it is
30:5787% isopropyl
31:06It's a pretty flammable stop
31:09They are now fairly certain
31:13That the de-icing fluid
31:14On flight 458 ignited
31:17Leading to a raging fire
31:19But they still don't know how
31:21We really have not
31:24Had any experience
31:26With this type of system
31:28Causing a fire
31:29On board an airplane
31:30They go over
31:34The first officer's statement
31:35For clues
31:36About how the fire started
31:38They did say
31:39The system didn't work
31:40Very well
31:40When they tried to de-ice
31:41The first time
31:43I hit the switch
31:44I got a tiny bit
31:46Of fluid on my side
31:48So I tried a second time
31:52And got nothing
31:53So what did you do?
31:56That's when I got
31:57The strong smell of alcohol
31:58So I stopped trying
31:59A few seconds later
32:01We smelled the smoke
32:02Investigators now need
32:07To figure out
32:08What part of the de-icing system
32:10Could have led to the fire
32:11That brought down
32:12Flight 458
32:14Investigators review
32:18Maintenance records
32:19Of the destroyed airplane
32:21For any previous issues
32:22With the plane's
32:23Windshield de-icing system
32:25It had a history of leaking
32:27Reports show
32:30That the plastic tubing
32:31Had a history of cracking
32:33And separating from the pump
32:34Pilgrim's mechanics
32:36Fixed the problem
32:37By trimming the cracked tubing
32:39And reattaching it
32:41To the pump with clamps
32:42As the alcohol
32:43Comes into contact
32:45With this tubing
32:46From the inside
32:47It's changing the properties
32:48Of the tubing
32:49And it's causing it
32:50To harden and swell
32:52So at the connection points
32:54It's no longer
32:55Maintaining a good contact
32:57They dig further
32:59Into the plane's history
33:00To find anything
33:01That could explain
33:03How the de-icing system
33:04Led to an on-board fire
33:06Yeah, listen to this
33:07A few months ago
33:09They discovered a leak
33:09On this plane
33:10Maintenance checked it out
33:12Discovered the tubing
33:13Was too short
33:13To reach the pump
33:14They had trimmed
33:18And reconnected the tubing
33:19So often
33:20That it didn't fit anymore
33:21Every time mechanics
33:23Trimmed the cracked tubing
33:25They made it
33:26Progressively shorter
33:27Until it couldn't reach
33:28The pump
33:29Over time
33:31You wouldn't have
33:32Enough hose left
33:33To attach it
33:34And you would have to
33:34Replace that piece of tubing
33:36Hello
33:38Looks like the same thing
33:41Happened on this plane
33:42Just three days
33:43Before the accident
33:44Pretty major leak
33:46By the sounds of it
33:47Pilots saw a leak
33:50During a stop
33:51In New Haven
33:52They tried to reattach
33:54The hose
33:54Coming from the pump
33:55But they couldn't
33:56Because the tubing
33:57Was too short
33:57They rode it up
34:00And the mechanic
34:01Worked on it
34:02Later that day
34:02The mechanic
34:05Repaired the damaged tubing
34:07Reconnected and secured it
34:09Then refilled the reservoir
34:11The mechanic says
34:14He clamped the tubing
34:15To the pump
34:16And then signed off
34:17On the discrepancy
34:18As repaired
34:19Three days later
34:22The plane goes up in flames
34:23As the pilots
34:25Try to de-ice
34:26Investigators suspect
34:29That tubes
34:29Carrying fluid
34:30To and from the pump
34:32Weren't properly secured
34:33And detached from the pump
34:35After the repair
34:36There's a good chance
34:39That that line
34:39Wasn't as long
34:41As it should have been
34:42And probably
34:42Was pulling on the pump
34:44And because of how
34:45It was attached
34:45It came off
34:46Still nothing
34:48The team believes
34:50A faulty repair
34:51Is the reason
34:52The de-icing system
34:53Malfunctioned
34:54On flight 458
34:55But that still
34:57Doesn't explain the fire
34:58The NTSB
35:00In an effort
35:01To determine
35:02Just what effect
35:03That this system
35:04Could have had
35:05On a fire
35:06Either starting it
35:07Or contributing to it
35:08They took one of these
35:10Reservoirs
35:11In a pump
35:12And into the laboratory
35:13And hooked it up
35:15To a power supply
35:16To see what it would do
35:17Investigators need
35:20To determine
35:20How much
35:21Of the highly
35:22Flammable fluid
35:23Would have cooled
35:24Below the cockpit
35:25If the tube
35:26Did detach
35:27As they suspect
35:27Okay
35:30Let's see what we get
35:32Even without
35:38Activating the system
35:39It leaks
35:41When the tube
35:41Isn't attached
35:42They measure
35:44The amount of fluid
35:45That leaks
35:46From the pump
35:47The testing
35:49Disclosed
35:50That the pump
35:51Would leak
35:52Fluid
35:53To the rate
35:54Of about
35:5590 milliliters
35:56A minute
35:57And
35:58Over time
36:00That could actually
36:01Drain the entire
36:02Tank
36:03Of a gallon
36:03And a half
36:04Of fluid
36:04The test shows
36:06That if the tube
36:07From the pump
36:08Had detached
36:08A large pool
36:10Of flammable liquid
36:11Would have accumulated
36:12Below the cockpit
36:13Even before
36:14The pilots
36:15Tried to de-ice
36:16The windshield
36:16Let's see what happens
36:18When the system
36:19Is activated
36:20Seven feet
36:30Holy smokes
36:32That goes far
36:33When Hogg
36:35Tries to activate
36:36The windshield
36:37De-icing system
36:38The pump
36:39Would have sprayed
36:40Fluid across
36:41A distance
36:41Of seven feet
36:42In the compartment
36:43Below the cockpit
36:44The consequences
36:47Of that
36:47Given what is
36:49Down in that area
36:50Are
36:51Quite severe
36:52The de-ice pump
36:56Gets pretty hot
36:57When it's operating
36:57The air
36:59From the bleed air duct
37:00Is 150 degrees
37:02Fahrenheit
37:02The discharge
37:04From the silencer
37:05Sends heated air
37:06Into the cockpit
37:07And the electric motor
37:10That drives the flaps
37:11Could also
37:12Ignite the fluid
37:13Investigators
37:15Pinpoint several
37:16Components
37:17That could have
37:17Ignited the spray
37:19Of highly flammable
37:20Liquid
37:20Investigators
37:22Were never able
37:23To fully determine
37:24What ignited
37:25The fluid
37:26Because there was
37:27So much down there
37:28It could have been
37:29The heat
37:30From the hydraulic pump
37:31It could have been
37:32The motor
37:33For the hydraulic pump
37:34It could have been
37:35Any one of the components
37:36On the airplane
37:37On the back
37:38Of the instrument panel
37:39Directly to Providence
37:41Please
37:41This is an emergency
37:42There is a fire on board
37:44Once the liquid ignites
37:45It doesn't take long
37:47For fire to spread
37:48Throughout the airplane
37:49Older aircraft
37:51Are less fire resistant
37:53To newer aircraft
37:54And if you have alcohol
37:56From a de-icing system
37:57Spreading through the airplane
38:00It would have been
38:01Easier for it to have burnt
38:03Than probably
38:04The newer materials
38:05They've been flying around
38:07In a time bomb
38:08All these years
38:09And no one thought
38:09This was a problem
38:10I think it's surprising
38:13Anytime you find
38:15Particularly an aircraft
38:16That's been in service
38:17For so long
38:18With such a good history
38:19Find something new
38:21That you learn
38:22In an investigation
38:23Investigators now consider
38:25One final question
38:27How the hell
38:28Did they even manage
38:29To get this plane
38:29On the ground
38:30NTSB investigators
38:41Study the actions
38:42Of the pilots
38:43Of Pilgrim 458
38:44As they responded
38:45To the emergency
38:46Unfolding on board
38:48The first sign of black smoke
38:51They call in the emergency
38:53Then immediately
38:57Change course
38:58For an emergency landing
38:59At Providence
39:00He pushed the yoke forward
39:03To make the airplane
39:04Descend
39:05Very quickly
39:06They were still
39:08In the clouds
39:09And the airplane
39:10Was coming down rapidly
39:12Turn right
39:13Heading up
39:14One five zero
39:15For vectors to Providence
39:17Let's get on the ground
39:18The pilots quickly
39:20Began a rapid descent
39:21From 4,000 feet
39:23While making a right turn
39:25Towards Providence
39:26All their focus
39:28Was on getting
39:29The airplane down
39:30At this point
39:34The cockpit
39:35Is full of thick
39:35Black smoke
39:36And fire
39:36So what do these guys do?
39:39They stick their heads
39:39Out the window
39:40And try and get
39:40Below the clouds
39:41In spite of being
39:44Unable to see
39:45Or breathe
39:46And badly burned
39:47By fire
39:48The pilots fight
39:50To get the plane
39:50Below the clouds
39:51They were getting
39:53Some severe burns
39:54On their bodies
39:56They never left
39:57Their seats
39:58And the fact
39:58That they were
39:59Doing everything
40:00They could
40:00To control this airplane
40:01And getting it down
40:03To land on that
40:04Frozen lake bed
40:05Was amazing
40:06Despite the pain
40:08And the terror
40:09These pilots
40:11Stayed at their posts
40:13They kept flying
40:14The airplane
40:15They were determined
40:17To get it down
40:18Safely
40:19Despite the agony
40:22They were confronting
40:23They report breaking
40:28Through the clouds
40:28At 1,000 feet
40:29Quick left turn
40:31They're on the ground
40:32In seconds
40:33The cardinal rule
40:35Is you know
40:36With the fires
40:36Get the airplane
40:37On the ground
40:38As fast as you can
40:39And we did that
40:40It wasn't pretty
40:42But we did that
40:43It got it on the ground
40:44And most everybody
40:45Survived
40:46Six minutes
40:55To get below the clouds
40:57Find a place to land
40:58And put it on the ground
40:59In a burning airplane
41:02The investigators
41:06Commend both pilots
41:08For their prompt
41:09And heroic actions
41:10In response to the emergency
41:11Here's an example
41:14Of a crew
41:15You know
41:16At the height of their skills
41:17And professionalism
41:18Saving the lives
41:19Of themselves
41:20And the people
41:21Of Borden
41:21Yeah
41:22Yeah
41:23Let's get out of here
41:26Yeah
41:26Lesser men
41:27Would have given up
41:28They didn't give up
41:30They fought right to the end
41:31And that's why
41:32I'm here today
41:33Passengers also
41:36Praised the actions
41:37Of off-duty flight engineer
41:39Harry Polychron
41:40For helping to save lives
41:42Without the actions
41:44Of the passenger
41:46Sitting in front of me
41:47With the tennis racket
41:49That broke out those windows
41:51I absolutely believe
41:53Other people
41:54Would have died
41:55In that crash
41:56The NTSB determines
42:00That the fire
42:01On board flight 458
42:03Was the result
42:03Of the poor design
42:05Of the windshield
42:05De-icing system
42:07I didn't know
42:09How flammable
42:10Isopropyl alcohol was
42:12I think it took
42:13The industry by surprise
42:14That it was so flammable
42:16And could result
42:18In such a devastating fire
42:20So quickly
42:21Investigators recommend
42:23That the isopropyl alcohol system
42:25On all twin otters
42:27Be replaced
42:28With an electrically
42:29Heated windshield
42:30The alcohol de-icing systems
42:33Went away
42:34As a result of this accident
42:36And I think
42:37A realization
42:38That the hazards
42:39Were just
42:40Were too high
42:41But the enduring legacy
42:44Of flight 458
42:45Is the heroism
42:47And professionalism
42:48Of two pilots
42:49Who overcame
42:50Overwhelming odds
42:51To get their plane
42:52And their passengers
42:53Safely to the ground
42:55I don't consider myself
42:58A hero
42:58I consider that
42:59We did what we're
43:00Trained to do
43:01And did what we had
43:02To do that day
43:03In order to survive
43:04The two pilots
43:07Received numerous honors
43:08For their heroic actions
43:10Today a memorial stands
43:13In a park named after
43:14Prinster and Hog
43:15In Situate, Rhode Island
43:17Near the location
43:18Of their remarkable landing
43:20Forty-one years later
43:23The heroes of flight 458
43:25Reflect on the hard
43:26Lessons learned
43:27That day
43:28I mean, you guys
43:30Were just heroic
43:32In your mental strength
43:35To just stay with
43:36The task there
43:37Fortitude is the word
43:39I think your body
43:41Takes over
43:42And you just hang in there
43:43It's nice
43:45When stuff really
43:46Hits the fan
43:46You can really
43:47Kind of shed
43:48Everything away
43:49And go for it
43:50And I think
43:51We all had
43:52A little bit of that
43:53Yeah, it was quite a day
43:56Yeah
43:56Yeah
43:56Yeah
43:57Yeah
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