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On 29 March 2001, a chartered business jet operated by Avjet crashes into a hillside while on final approach to Aspen/Pitkin County Airport in Colorado, killing all 18 people on board. The cause of the accident was the pilots' premature descent below the minimum descent altitude.
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00:00A private charter jet is flying 15 passengers to Aspen, Colorado for a party.
00:05This flight really captured the public attention because of the people on board.
00:11Poor weather makes the landing a challenge for the experienced pilots.
00:16Can you see out there at all yet?
00:18No.
00:19Aspen is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the country.
00:24As the plane nears the runway, the controller watches as disaster unfolds.
00:30What are they doing?
00:35Investigators examine the Gulf Stream's wreckage for answers.
00:40I don't see any issues here.
00:42When they learn about the passengers' behavior...
00:46We're running out of fuel here for the birthday boy!
00:49The moving parts of this mystery fall into place.
00:52That clearly had to put some pressure on the pilots to say,
00:55all right, this is not looking good.
01:19The sun has just set over the Colorado mountains.
01:23Avjet November 303 Gulf Alpha is nearing the end of its journey to Aspen.
01:30Well, there's the edge of the night there.
01:33Yeah.
01:35Captain Robert Frisbee has almost 10,000 flying hours to his credit.
01:40What time is official sunset?
01:44He and 1st Officer Peter Kowalczyk have been flying together for close to five months.
01:50628.
01:53Both pilots have been with Avjet for less than a year.
01:58The small charter airline is based out of Burbank, California.
02:04Avjet catered to high rollers, business people, people who could afford to charter a jet.
02:10People who had to get there in a hurry, but do it in style.
02:14Running out of fuel here for the birthday boy!
02:19A Miami financier chartered this flight for 14 of his friends to attend a birthday party at an exclusive venue
02:26in Aspen.
02:28This was a group of friends who seemed to have had tremendous early achievements and accomplishments,
02:34and they were really going to go places.
02:39So 4,800 pounds, 126.
02:42It was 50.
02:43You know what? I adjusted it, because the fuel was way off.
02:48The pilots are flying a Gulfstream 3.
02:53The Gulfstream is a luxurious plane that, you know, people see in the movies,
02:58and people think high rollers and movie stars flying, but it's a workhorse plane.
03:03It actually has a good reputation.
03:06It's a 90-minute flight from Los Angeles to Aspen.
03:13Gulfstream 303 Gulf Alpha, Aspen reduced speed to 210 or slower.
03:19The controller slows down the Gulfstream to maintain a safe distance from the other planes heading into Aspen.
03:28210 or slower, 3 Gulf Alpha.
03:3417 minutes from landing, the pilots begin their descent.
03:40Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, also known as Sadi Field, is about 3 miles northwest of Aspen.
03:48Landing on its single runway is a challenge.
03:52Aspen is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the country.
03:57The runway is not long, and it is in close proximity to high terrain on all sides.
04:20The landing is made even more difficult, with the final stage needing to be carried out visually.
04:27As the plane nears Aspen, a beacon guides it to the airport, but it doesn't lead it directly to the
04:34runway.
04:35Once the airport is in sight, the pilots must line up with the runway visually.
04:40Because of the high terrain and close proximity to the final approach course, the minimum altitude is a couple thousand
04:48feet above the ground,
04:49and we must be visual by that time to safely continue our descent down to a landing.
04:55And tonight, the weather isn't making landing any easier.
05:01And if at any time it's snowing, it's very hard to acquire that visual reference to safely descend further to
05:10a landing.
05:13Residential noise restrictions around the airport leave the pilots only nine minutes until the landing curfew at 6.58.
05:21The crew is cutting it close.
05:25Can you see out there at all yet?
05:29Uh...
05:30No.
05:34Kov stream 3, Gulf Alpha, heading 050.
05:38Heading 050, 3 Gulf Alpha.
05:42As the pilots prepare to line up with the runway, passengers get ready for landing.
05:55it synchronizes off there is just enough fuel for one landing attempt after that the pilots
06:02will have to divert to another airport okay it's off hydraulic pressure is good
06:11Gulfstream 3 gulf alpha turn heading 140 intercept final approach course maintain
06:16one six thousand eight minutes from the airport the controller gives the crew clearance to
06:22commence the approach intercept final approach course 3 gulf alpha 1 6,000
06:38as the pilots get their final intercept to the airport
06:44challenger 7 juliet alpha you have the airport in sight another aircraft also on approach to aspen
06:50updates the controller that's a negative going around those pilots aboard their landing because
06:59they can't see the runway attention all aircraft last aircraft went missed what went missed went missed
07:10damn that's not good if you can't successfully land the aircraft then a missed approach is a procedure
07:20that pilots will execute to return to a safe altitude as the gulf stream gets closer to the airport the
07:28weather deteriorates
07:38coast room 3 gulf alpha 5 miles from red table cross red table at or above one four thousand clear
07:45v or dme charlie approach the controller clears the pilots to begin the final approach 11 miles from
07:56the airport you have to be configured properly at the right altitude at the right altitude at the right
08:00speed otherwise you're expected to execute a missed approach red table at one four thousand cleared for
08:07v or approach Gulfstream three zero three gulf alpha here we go as the pilots get closer to the airport
08:18they're counting on the weather to improve for their landing sending to one four thousand
08:26problems can escalate very quickly when flying into aspen there's really no room to recover without
08:33breaking off that approach or trying it again landing flaps landing flaps just over two minutes from landing
08:43instruments have successfully guided the pilots to the airport now it's up to them to identify the runway
08:51you see the runway
08:57Gulfstream three gulf alpha you have the runway in sight
09:03affirmative yeah now we do yeah runway in sight three gulf alpha
09:07gulf stream three gulf alpha visual roger 1,000 1,000 to go the pilots are now less than a
09:17minute from landing
09:27at the last moment they realize something is wrong
09:33go go go go go go go go go go avjet 303 gulf alpha crashes just short of the runway
09:54at aspen
09:56aircraft identification gulf stream three zero three gulf alpha aircraft location it was north of the runway
10:02approximately the shale bluffs area
10:07emergency vehicles rush to the scene in the hope that there are survivors of the crash of avjet 303 gulf
10:14alpha
10:22but all 18 people on board are dead all 15 passengers the two pilots and the flight attendant
10:37this flight really captured the media and the public attention because of the people on board
10:44there were a lot of very young talented people
10:53put everything from the tail section over there
10:58by the following day investigators are on site
11:03thousands of passengers fly charter airplanes every year encompassing 2.5 million flight hours annually
11:12so trying to understand why this accident occurred was significant
11:21let me see that within hours the plane's cockpit voice recorder or cvr is retrieved from the wreckage
11:29let's get the data pulled from that asap what about a flight data recorder
11:39looks like there wasn't one okay
11:45because the airplane was manufactured in 1980 and registered in 1981 it was not required to have an fdr
11:53while the cvr is sent for analysis investigators from the national transportation safety board
12:00wonder why the pilots weren't able to land safely the plane crashed 2400 feet from the runway
12:07when an aircraft crashes short of a runway especially a sophisticated airplane like a gulfstream jet
12:13a number of questions arise here how did they get there what possible factors could the crew have
12:17uh was there some sort of a failure in the aircraft take a look at this what do you think
12:26caused that
12:27there's a deep ground scar at the crash site
12:33that would do it investigators conclude that it was formed when the left wing hit the ground
12:40when an airplane comes through trees or vegetation as it approaches the ground
12:46it cuts off branches and we can look at those branches and the angles that are made
12:51to understand the airplane's attitude as it came into the ground and its descent profile
12:58left wing struck the trees at about
13:0449 degrees
13:07that's a hell of a bank
13:14there is no operationally relevant reason for an airplane to be banked at 49 degrees
13:19that close to the airport or that close to the ground
13:23maybe they lost control of the plane
13:27when we see an aircraft in a abnormal attitude uh we've got to look at did something happen
13:33where you know the pilots couldn't keep it level
13:35the plane's position gives investigators a promising lead
13:40engine failure
13:43the loss of thrust resulting from an engine failure on one side can yaw the airplane and if not appropriately
13:50managed by the pilots in a timely fashion can lead to a loss of control
13:57aside from the impact damage
13:59there's no sign of fire to the exterior
14:02the team studies the engine's compressor blades to determine if the engines were functioning when the plane hit the ground
14:11when the Gulfstream 3's engines are working the compressor blades spin in a clockwise direction
14:16if the engines were still functioning when the plane crashed these blades would be bent counterclockwise or in the opposite
14:23direction
14:24you know these are all bent counterclockwise so it wasn't engine failure
14:34our examination of the engines showed that there was no pre-existing damage no evidence of an in-flight fire
14:42and also showed that they were operating normally and at high power at the time
14:46of the impact
14:48let's take a look at the rudder
14:51an airplane operating at a low airspeed while the rudder moves to an extreme limit
14:57could introduce a rolling moment or also stall one of the wings which would further exacerbate the rolling moment
15:07investigators examine the actuator that controls the rudder's movement
15:11the piston is completely intact
15:15no sign of any damage
15:20there was no pre-existing conditions or failures that would have explained the accident the airplane was functioning normally
15:27if mechanical failure didn't cause the roll what went wrong on approach
15:35determining the airplanes flight path helps us understand how that airplane got to the accident site
15:40what was it doing
15:42where was it flying how fast was it going
15:46have a look at this radar data
15:50with no flight data recorder investigators turn to Aspen's radar information to reconstruct the Gulf Stream's descent profile
16:01using the radar position and time so the altitude and position of the aircraft
16:05the performance engineers can extract the speed of the aircraft how fast is it descending
16:11is that appropriate for the approach that they're trying to do
16:17here's what we've got
16:20this is the approach they should have flown
16:23investigators examine the path the pilots were required to follow into Aspen
16:30due to the rising terrain away from the airport
16:33Aspen at this time had a step down approach which from a profile looks like stairs
16:39the pilots will step down to an altitude based on the terrain availability
16:45pilots cannot descend below that altitude until they reach another fix or another distance
16:52and
16:56here's the descent the pilots actually flew
16:58the radar data shows the avjet flight deviated from the published descent profile
17:06four miles out they dropped 300 feet below the minimum
17:09and a mile later they dropped 900 feet below the minimum altitude
17:14and they stayed that way
17:16they flew in very low
17:20if you go below a minimum altitude before you are allowed to
17:25then you no longer can guarantee the safety of that aircraft
17:35why would they do that?
17:38because the pilots did not fly this approach to standards
17:41we wanted to look into their backgrounds and training
17:44to better understand why the accident may have occurred
17:52why did the pilots of avjet 303 gulf alpha
17:56not follow the prescribed approach procedure into Aspen?
18:02the captain passed his last proficiency check
18:04so did the first officer just a couple months ago
18:09investigators learn that all avjet pilots are trained to land in mountainous terrain like Aspen
18:16and they both flew into Aspen together twice before without incident
18:22no accidents
18:23no reprimands
18:27even the captain's driving record is spotless
18:31so looking into the background of this flight crew
18:33we really didn't see anything that stood out
18:35they were both well qualified
18:36well trained and experienced
18:38to fly this airplane and make this trip
18:41and they both got plenty of sleep before the flight
18:43so fatigue isn't an issue
18:46in fact I don't see any issues here
18:50this doesn't make any sense
18:52this doesn't make any sense
18:55why would two well trained pilots fly so recklessly below the limits
19:02no matter whether you're a charter pilot or an airline pilot
19:05or even just a personal general aviation pilot
19:08you know our number one job is safety
19:09regulations are there for a reason
19:12what is it that could lead a good flight crew
19:15to go beyond those safety limits
19:20ok so
19:21we know the pilots landed at Aspen twice before with that incident
19:25what was different this time?
19:29maybe they were trying to get eyes on the runway?
19:32pull up the weather
19:43it was important to understand exactly what was going on with the weather
19:47in terms of the layers of clouds
19:49whether they were solid or broken
19:52to understand
19:54what capability these pilots may have had to see objects on the ground
20:00the crash was at 7.02pm
20:02back it up to about 6.30pm
20:06they would have been flying in and out of some pretty heavy cloud here
20:09so
20:11maybe they didn't have a clear line on the runway
20:14ok but
20:15these are seasoned pilots
20:16they should know if you don't see the runway
20:17you don't try to land on it
20:18and yet they did try to land on it
20:20and they missed by almost half a mile
20:22so
20:23did they see the runway or not?
20:27we should talk to the controller
20:32an air traffic controller can tell you
20:35what the visibility is
20:36what the weather conditions were
20:38what other airplanes were doing
20:39in terms of coming into the airport
20:42and provide eyewitness testimony
20:44about the time of the accident
20:46but they also can help us understand
20:48communications that they had with the airplane
20:53so did they give you any indication at all
20:56that they were having trouble seeing the runway?
20:58no, quite the opposite
21:00I asked them if they could see the runway
21:02and they confirmed that they did
21:04Gulfstream 3 Gulf Alpha
21:05you have the runway in sight?
21:07yeah, runway in sight 3 Gulf Alpha
21:10Gulfstream 3 Gulf Alpha
21:12visual, roger
21:14hmm
21:16I made extra sure to confirm
21:19because I couldn't see them
21:21the weather was so bad
21:23did you have any reason to doubt the pilots?
21:27not at the time
21:29but
21:30here's what's so odd
21:32they confirmed they had visual
21:34but then when they came out of the clouds
21:36they were headed to the right of the airport
21:47what are they doing?
21:51what are they doing?
21:56I don't think they realized they weren't headed for the runway
21:59until the last second
22:03when we put those pieces together
22:05you know that the pilots did report on the radio
22:06they had the runway in sight
22:08we had to ask ourselves
22:09did they really?
22:10did they really see the runway?
22:12might they have engaged in a little wishful thinking?
22:17this leaves investigators with a troubling question
22:23they couldn't see the runway
22:25why did they go ahead with the landing?
22:27maybe they were under some kind of pressure
22:31we needed to know the purpose of this flight
22:34its schedule
22:35and the pilots activities
22:37before they departed for Aspen
22:39looking into what happened
22:41before the flight took off from LA
22:43can help us gain insight into
22:45what might have been going on during the flight
22:53so sorry to keep you waiting
22:55no problem at all
22:57to understand why the pilots were so intent upon landing in Aspen
23:01NTSB investigators speak to the avjet coordinator
23:05who managed flight 303 Gulf Alpha
23:08the charter coordinators communicated with the pilots
23:12moments before the flight departed Los Angeles
23:15they would have insights into
23:17what was concerning the pilots
23:20what they were trying to accomplish
23:22and some of the decisions being made
23:26did you talk to the captain on the day of the flight?
23:29oh yes
23:30and there were some problems right from the start
23:32really? how so?
23:34well the flight was supposed to leave at 4.30
23:36at 4.15 he called to say the passengers still hadn't shown up
23:42well if the passengers don't show up soon
23:44with the long taxi out to the runway
23:47we won't make it to Aspen in time
23:49so what are you suggesting?
23:50well we may need to divert
23:54the captain was worried that because of the 7pm noise curfew at Aspen
23:58he might have to go to Rifle instead
24:00which is about 60 miles away
24:02so he knew about the noise curfew
24:04and he had a plan to divert if he needed
24:06absolutely
24:09they knew that Rifle Colorado Airport was nearby
24:12they had planned for alternatives even before they left
24:14which is exactly what a crew should be doing
24:18when did the passengers board?
24:20they didn't start boarding till around 4.30
24:24then what happened?
24:26about 10 minutes later
24:28I got a phone call from the client's personal assistant
24:30and he told me the client was very upset
24:36what's this about diverting to Rifle?
24:38what do you mean?
24:40once the passenger is boarded
24:42there was a call by the charter customer's assistant
24:47expressing
24:50concern
24:50that the crew had told the passengers
24:53that they might have to go to another airport
24:56welcome
24:57welcome
24:57given the delay in boarding looks like we may have to divert the rifle
25:06so the client had his assistant call me
25:10so my boss wants you to tell the pilot to
25:13well keep his mouth shut around the passengers
25:15and if he has anything to say
25:17save it until he gets there
25:19and then they can talk it over
25:22understood
25:23there's nothing to worry about
25:24I'll take care of it
25:25thank you very much for letting me know
25:30so of course safety comes first
25:32but we wanted to keep the client happy
25:35did this make it back to the captain?
25:38yes, I called him right away
25:40the client's very upset
25:42he doesn't want you speaking to any of the passengers anymore
25:44only to him
25:45understood, okay
25:47don't mention diverting
25:49thank you so much
25:50yeah
25:55he was worried that he was going to disappoint our boss
25:58maybe even get into trouble for upsetting the client
26:02but he wouldn't get into trouble
26:04in a charter operation
26:06the needs of your passengers are front and centre
26:09you're fully aware of them
26:10and in a situation where
26:13a group of people are going to add dinner
26:15and that's the only reason they're taking this trip
26:18if they can't satisfy that timeline
26:20then there was no point of being on that aircraft
26:24the captain was told not to upset the passengers
26:27did that instruction affect his decision about diverting his plane to rifle?
26:32and so this was all before they took off?
26:35yes
26:35and was that the last time you spoke to the captain?
26:38no, he called me again en route to Aspen
26:41and what time was that?
26:436.30
26:47we'll be landing in Aspen in about 20-25 minutes
26:50but we'll have to spend the night there
26:52no problem, I can book your rooms
26:54hey, how are the passengers?
26:56are they still upset?
26:58I don't think so
26:59what about the client?
27:01I had a talk with the client
27:03it's just really important to him that we make it to Aspen
27:06apparently he's dropping a substantial amount of money on dinner
27:11the client didn't want to go to Rifle
27:12Rifle was more than 60 miles away
27:15it would have taken them too long to get there
27:16I see
27:20ok, wow
27:22thank you very much for your time
27:23happy to help
27:27although the pilots would be aware of the needs of their passengers
27:31at no point can that supersede the professionalism of that crew
27:36your primary and only real job is the safety of that aircraft
27:41you know, it seems they were under a lot of pressure to land
27:45not only before the flight began, but even during the flight
27:50crash happened more than half an hour after that last call from the plane
27:55did commercial pressure influence the pilots to make a risky decision
28:00that cost the lives of 18 people?
28:03you know, this comes up all the time
28:05charter pilots often voice on chat rooms and complaint lines
28:10that they are pressured to keep people happy
28:13and do really difficult things just to satisfy a demanding customer
28:17and it's dangerous
28:20they still had time to correct the situation
28:23so what happened in these final 30 minutes?
28:32it's here
28:34NTSB investigators turned to the cockpit voice recorder
28:37of Avjet 303 Golf Alpha
28:40to understand why the pilots chose to land instead of diverting
28:45we could learn about the crew's decision making
28:47and what they were doing from their conversations with each other
28:50you know, how they were planning
28:52and using the information that was coming in
28:55as they approached Aspen
28:57you know what, let's pick it up before they begin their final descent
29:10you know what, let's pick it up before they begin their final descent
29:11hey, do you remember that crazy guy in the Lear
29:13when we were in Aspen last time?
29:15it was, I could see the airport
29:17but he couldn't see it
29:20pause that
29:24so, 14 minutes before the crash
29:27they're ridiculing another pilot
29:29who tried to land without the runway in sight
29:32why did they do the same thing?
29:35at that point
29:36they were still in the mode of
29:38we're gonna do this right
29:39and even sort of made a joke about this
29:42one guy that didn't do it right
29:48okay
29:51okay
29:52okay, we'll shoot it from here
29:53I mean, we're here, but we only get to do it once
29:56right, once
29:58and then we get a rifle, right?
29:59yeah, it's too late in the evening to come around
30:06so, right there they're talking about doing a missed approach
30:10that was at 6.50, so two minutes later
30:14twelve minutes from the airport
30:16the pilots confirmed their plan to divert if they needed to
30:21as the crew was approaching Aspen
30:23they were getting the idea that the weather was getting more difficult to get in
30:27and they were having a conversation about this
30:29they mentioned again, well, we might only have one shot at this and we have to go to rifle
30:33they were really saying the right things
30:39attention all aircraft, last aircraft went missed
30:44what?
30:45you went missed
30:46you went missed?
30:48damn
30:50that's not good
30:54nine minutes from crashing
30:57they know the plane in front of them couldn't land
30:59and they know it's a bad sign for them
31:03that clearly had to put some pressure on them
31:06and say, alright, this is not looking good
31:10it should have those pilots starting to get into the mindset of executing the missed approach
31:15rather than landing the aircraft
31:17so they know they shouldn't attempt the landing either
31:19up until now they've been doing everything right by the book
31:22yeah, I wonder what changed
31:27investigators discover something unusual in the CVR transcripts
31:32huh
31:36looks like the flight attendant brought someone into the cockpit
31:41about eight minutes before the accident
31:43somebody came into the cockpit
31:45one of the passengers
31:47thank you very much
31:56you think it's the client?
32:00is it possible?
32:03having somebody else up on the flight deck as you're conducting an approach
32:07into mountainous area at night
32:11in poor weather
32:12is not a good idea
32:18did the presence of a passenger in the cockpit play a role in the crash?
32:30weather's gone down
32:33they're not making it in
32:34as the crew got closer to Aspen
32:37the weather worsened
32:38making it more dangerous for planes to try to land
32:42oh really?
32:44oh really?
32:48the only conversation that should be going on is between the crew
32:51about aspects of the flight
32:53here having someone up there questioning their decision making
32:56questioning the weather and the operation
32:58is just such a distraction and a pressure to them
33:03as the pilots approached the airport the situation intensified
33:08challenge your 9-8 Romeo you're number one
33:119-8 Romeo negative visual on the mist
33:15they learned that the plane ahead of Avjet 303 Golf Alpha
33:19also missed their approach because they couldn't see the runway
33:24it's too dangerous to land on that runway under these conditions
33:28so what happened?
33:35are we cleared to land?
33:36not not yet
33:38we just missed
33:39the guy in front of us didn't make it either
33:42oh really?
33:47okay so it sounds like this guy is sending the pilots a message
33:50exactly
33:53oh really may not sound like much
33:55but after all those other things that had occurred
33:58I think oh really was a warning shot
34:01get this thing in Aspen
34:04but the pilots still had one more chance
34:07to implement their backup plan to divert to another airport
34:14where's it at?
34:17so obviously they still can't see the runway
34:22to the right
34:23to the right
34:30so instead of executing a missed approach
34:32they're still looking for the runway which is actually to their left
34:37there was a river valley and some roads nearby
34:39might they have seen something they thought was the runway?
34:42you know some lights of the village or what not
34:43they believed they saw the runway but that wasn't correct
34:47they just keep flying lower and lower looking for the airport
34:52they were just under way too much pressure to make good decisions
34:59they had the night curfew
35:00they had the time pressure
35:02pressure from the client as well
35:04and then with the weather coming in and out as they step down
35:09they'd catch glimpses now and then of the ground
35:12500
35:13rev plus 5
35:15think rate
35:16think rate
35:1922 seconds after crossing the missed approach point
35:23Avjet 303 Golf Alpha hits the ground
35:26Gaustin
35:28Thud
35:29Da
35:51So, in Los Angeles, they were ready to divert.
35:57Then they get chewed out for talking about diverting, and the client tells them how important
36:01the dinner is.
36:03Topping it all off, the passenger enters the cockpit.
36:06So by the time they get to Aspen, they were bound and determined to land.
36:13Sadly, they turned it to the pilots they were ridiculing.
36:17All indications from our investigation show that these two pilots were good pilots.
36:26Once the crew descended without the runway in sight, the accident was inevitable.
36:35They just kept pushing, and step by step, it got worse and worse until they descended
36:41too low.
36:42Despite the pressures the pilots were under to land, there was one more safeguard that could
36:48have prevented this tragedy.
36:50You're not going to believe this.
37:01Investigators of Avjet 303 Gulf Alpha examine a safety notice for Aspen Airport that might
37:07have prevented the crash.
37:12Notam is an official notice to airmen.
37:17That's a notice put out by the FAA to tell pilots about some abnormality in the airspace
37:22system.
37:23An approach procedure has been changed, a navigation aid is out, all sorts of things.
37:29Two days before the crash, a Notam was issued with a warning about landing at Aspen.
37:35As far as I can tell, it says circling NA not authorized at night.
37:40So in other words, they should never have been flying into Aspen at night in the first
37:44place.
37:46It said that circling not authorized at night.
37:51This approach is only a circling approach, even if you elect to land straight in, it actually
37:56had the effect of making that approach not authorized at night.
38:02The crash was at 7.02 PM.
38:04What time was nightfall?
38:05Nightfall was officially at 6.55.
38:10Well, that's seven minutes before the crash.
38:12Why didn't they follow the Notam?
38:17Investigators examined the Gulf Stream's briefing records to see if it included the most recent
38:22notice.
38:25It looks like the first officer did receive the Notam over the phone before the flight.
38:30So who knows if he passed it on to the captain?
38:34Notams are hard to read.
38:36There's a lot of extraneous information in them.
38:39They tell you about everything from a burned out light bulb on a tower 15 miles away to the
38:44runways closed and everything in between.
38:47And what about the controller?
38:53Notams are also distributed to ATC facilities.
38:55They need to know about things that affect the airspace as well.
39:02It never got passed on to Aspen ATC.
39:10The reason the tower didn't get the Notam is it was supposed to get sent by, believe it
39:14or not, fax.
39:15And for whatever reason, didn't get sent to the ATC facilities that needed to know.
39:21Had the controller received the Notam, it might have prevented the crash.
39:27In the final analysis, investigators conclude the probable cause of the accident was the
39:32flight crew's operation of the airplane below the minimum descent altitude without an appropriate
39:38visual reference to the runway.
39:42This accident happened because the captain did not go around, did not conduct a missed
39:46approach.
39:48Had he done that, they would have gone to rifle, and the passengers may have been frustrated,
39:55may have been angry.
39:56There might have been a big conversation, but they would have been alive.
40:03Investigators also believe external pressures played a role in the pilot's decision making.
40:10We call it get there-itis.
40:12We were close to the destination, almost there, and the pressure on people to
40:16make the decision.
40:17Nothing broke, nothing really failed, other than just the decision making under pressures
40:22of get there-itis.
40:26As a result of this accident, Avjet restricts flying into Aspen between sunset and sunrise.
40:33The FAA also revises its specifications for flying into Aspen, with a minimum visibility
40:39of 5 miles, and a cloud ceiling of at least 4,400 feet above ground now required for landing.
40:48Can you see the runway?
40:51This is to ensure pilots always have a clear view of the runway before landing.
40:56Thank you very much.
40:58Avjet also takes steps to prevent unnecessary distractions in the cockpit during the flight.
41:04After the accident, the company issued a bullet in changing their rules that no passengers
41:10were allowed in the cockpit.
41:13OK, guys, let's finish up tomorrow.
41:18The NTSB has also made a number of recommendations on improving the NOTAM system, making things
41:24a little bit more graphical and easy to use so that people can sort them out, rather than
41:28just reading a list.
41:30The lessons serve as a warning to all other pilots who interact with passengers.
41:36I think the message of this flight is there is no dinner, date engagement, or birthday party
41:43that is more important than the lives of your passengers on the plane.
41:48And the pilot has to be tough enough to stand up to that, because the passengers just don't
41:54know.
41:54They're not pilots, and they do not know that their behavior is endangering their very
41:59lives.
42:00But it did help change the law and change how the FAA operates in many aspects, and for
42:07that we're thankful.