- 13 時間前
Air Crash Investigation S24E06 Fight for Survival
カテゴリ
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面白系トランスクリプション
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.
00:39A surviving pilot gives NTSB investigators the break they need.
00:44The first time I hit the switch, I saw the smoke.
00:47It's coming from the base of the control column.
00:50That was a very, very large statement to an investigator.
00:57Mayday! Mayday!
01:01Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!
01:21Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!
01:21Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!
01:22Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! May
01:29so please make sure your seatbelts are fastened at this time.
01:33All set.
01:34Nicely done.
01:36Just after three in the afternoon, the Twin Otter starts down the runway.
01:42Sixty knots.
01:43Sixty knots.
01:47Flight 458 lifts off from Groton, Connecticut.
01:52The flight is a short hop to Boston, just 87 miles to the north.
01:59Positive rate.
02:01Flaps up.
02:03Flaps up.
02:0536-year-old Thomas Prinster is the captain flying today.
02:10He's been with the airline for three years.
02:13Thomas, 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.
02:20It was just a real pleasure to fly with.
02:25Temperatures and pressures in the green, looking good.
02:28Pilgrim 458, now passing through 1,000 feet.
02:31Pilgrim 458, roger that, passing 1,000.
02:3527-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'd flown approximately 400 hours.
02:56The 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.
03:26Pilgrim 458, climb 4,000.
03:29Report Norwich VOR.
03:32The 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 Polycron.
03:44He's flying to Boston for the start of his shift.
03:48My 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.
04:00Paul Hainsworth is a business consultant who's catching a connecting flight in Boston.
04:06Once we started the take-off and started going up into the air,
04:10I literally just tipped my head over, closed my eyes and started dozing.
04:15I was tired.
04:17The 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 with some freezing drizzle, freezing rain.
04:33Pilgrim 458, how's the ride?
04:37Smooth right now.
04:40With the outside temperature nearing minus 3 degrees Celsius,
04:44the precipitation is freezing and creating a layer of ice on the windshield.
04:50We're picking up some ice.
04:53On the windshield, it's similar to frost on a windshield of a car.
04:57Sort of rough looking and difficult to see through.
05:00How do the wings look?
05:05No ice.
05:07All 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 de-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.
05:37Not getting anything on my side.
05:39I noticed very little fluid on my side of the windshield when I first activated the switch.
05:47Anything on your side?
05:49Some.
05:50Not a whole lot.
05:56The 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.
06:08Still nothing.
06:12Something's not right.
06:13I'm going to stop trying.
06:15Quite soon after that, there was an odor in the cockpit.
06:19It was alcohol-like.
06:21There wasn't an emergency at that time yet,
06:24but we were beginning our thought process as far as,
06:28okay, what are we going to do to deal with this issue?
06:32I smell smoke.
06:35Yep.
06:37Around the same time, we also realized there was an acrid-type smell.
06:42The 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,
06:54and it was not smoke coming from the ashtray.
06:58In the cabin, Harry Polycron senses something's not right.
07:03I had my head buried in the paperwork,
07:05and then I got that whiff of alcohol.
07:08As a flight engineer, Polycron knows the smell could indicate something serious.
07:14Alcohol is not something you normally smell on an airplane flight.
07:20It's coming from down there.
07:23The pilots now see wisps of smoke entering the cockpit.
07:28We did see initially some very light, white-type smoke.
07:35Before we could even talk about that or react to that,
07:39the smoke started to become thick very quickly.
07:43Both pilots realize something is on fire, and it's getting worse.
07:49Fires are terrible things to have on an aircraft.
07:52You can't just pull off to the side of the road with a fire.
07:54You have to do something immediately.
07:57Concept, Pilgrim 458.
07:59We need to direct to Providence.
08:00This is an emergency.
08:03The captain wants to land at the nearest airport, Providence, Rhode Island,
08:08just 12 miles to the right.
08:10A turn to Providence was kind of a no-brainer,
08:13because we knew exactly where we were and knew exactly where Providence was.
08:19Pilgrim 458, was that you calling?
08:21Directly to Providence, please.
08:23This is an emergency.
08:24There is a fire on board.
08:25Pilgrim 458, roger.
08:28Understand.
08:31Turn right, heading up 150 for Vectors to Providence.
08:36Okay, let's get on the ground.
08:39Right turn, 150.
08:43I'll look for the runway.
08:45With 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!
08:55But 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've got to get under these damn clouds!
09:06We needed to get on the ground as fast as we could,
09:08and so the turn was quite abrupt, and the descent was quite steep.
09:15Pilgrim 458, how many people on board?
09:19Controllers begin to prepare for an emergency landing in Providence.
09:23We've got ten people on board.
09:26Lyle responded that there were ten.
09:29He was thinking of the passengers.
09:31He didn't include Tom and himself.
09:35It's getting worse.
09:39Where the hell is it coming from?
09:41It was blinding.
09:43It was choking.
09:44They couldn't see each other.
09:46They couldn't see out the windscreet.
09:47They couldn't see their instruments.
09:49They were in the clouds.
09:53The smoke from the cockpit makes its way through the cabin.
10:01As 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,
10:12pulled 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.
10:32Because I was having a hard time seeing Tom at that point,
10:36I opened the window on my side of the aircraft.
10:42But windows in the cabin don't open,
10:44and the passengers are suffocating.
10:47How am I going to get air?
10:49It was time to fight for your life.
10:54The passengers and crew of Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458
10:58are in the fight of their lives.
11:00I did have that tennis racket, boom,
11:02bash out a window.
11:14It 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.
11:27I was absolutely in awe as to what he was doing.
11:34We'll all be fine!
11:36The smoke is starting to clear!
11:40I thought, my God, this is just an amazing piece of good news,
11:47not only for me, but for everybody else on the plane.
11:53In addition to the thick smoke,
11:55the pilots are now confronted by fire coming up through the floor.
12:02I thought, let me try to get to the fire extinguisher.
12:05It was behind my seat.
12:07It was close to the floor.
12:11But with intense heat coming through the floor,
12:14Hogg can't grab it.
12:20That's when we were starting to be burned.
12:23Initial reaction is not feeling the pain.
12:26The initial reaction is,
12:28you know, we've got to get this airplane on the ground quickly.
12:31Still 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.
12:40We were in an emergency descent,
12:42pointing towards Providence,
12:44but not knowing if we could get there.
12:47Off-duty flight engineer Harry Polychron
12:50makes his way to the cockpit
12:51to let the pilots know about the situation in the cabin.
12:57It was hard to stand.
12:59It pitched up, pitched down, pitched 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.
13:14They couldn't see the instruments
13:16and they couldn't see outside.
13:17So how they managed to keep that plane right side up
13:21amazes me.
13:23I just wanted to let them know
13:25that the passengers were okay
13:27and just keep it up, guys.
13:29You're doing a great job.
13:30I said,
13:31You guys keep flying.
13:32We have everything under control in the back.
13:35My intentions were just to keep those guys
13:39inspired to keep doing what they were doing,
13:41which was heroic.
13:44The flames are spreading from the cockpit into the cabin.
13:47The pilots are running out of time to save their plane.
13:54It was an extraordinarily painful,
13:58frightening, deadly set of circumstances
14:01getting worse every second.
14:05The pilots can't see each other and with the windows open can't hear each other either.
14:10I needed to make sure that Tom was, in fact, still flying the aircraft.
14:15And that's when I rested my hand on the yoke to follow along with his movements.
14:21Captain Prinster maintains a rapid descent, but he has no idea where he's going to land.
14:29I initially did not see an adequate landing site.
14:33We were still in the clouds.
14:36The passengers start to prepare for the inevitable.
14:40I sat up very straight in the chair
14:44and took the seatbelt
14:46and ensured that it was going across my head bones
14:50and not my stomach
14:52and tightened it as tight as I possibly could.
14:571,500 feet from the ground,
14:59the heat from the fire has grown so intense
15:02that the pilots' headsets are beginning to melt.
15:08They needed to get that rubber headset off.
15:12These circumstances were absolutely extreme.
15:16At that point, it was very clear to the pilots
15:20that this airplane was a death trap.
15:24The flight should be nearing the airport in Providence.
15:28Pilgrim 458, you can proceed direct to Providence VOR.
15:34Without headsets,
15:36the pilots are no longer able to communicate with the ground.
15:40One of the pilots was gripping the yoke so hard
15:43his thumb was on top of a button
15:46that activates the microphone.
15:48And the result of that was
15:51the air traffic controllers heard this roar.
15:56Pilgrim 458.
16:00Pilgrim 458, do you copy?
16:02I'm not reading you.
16:051,000 feet above the ground,
16:07the twin otter breaks through the clouds.
16:11Out of my window, all I could see were trees.
16:16Tom was making a turn.
16:18I couldn't see him,
16:18but I could feel him making a turn to the left.
16:23The pilots need to land
16:25before the fire reaches the highly flammable fuel
16:28located in the belly of the aircraft,
16:31directly below the passengers.
16:36I was wondering, at this point,
16:39were we going to be able to get the plane on the ground,
16:42or was it going to explode in mid-air?
16:46Get ready!
16:50Oh, God!
16:55Looking out the window,
16:56I no longer saw all trees.
16:59I saw the shores of this frozen reservoir,
17:03and my immediate thought was,
17:05hey, we're going to make it.
17:07The pilots have spotted the Situate Reservoir
17:10near Providence, Rhode Island,
17:12a frozen body of water that covers five square miles.
17:16It was a wide-open, flat area.
17:18There were no trees.
17:19There was no nothing.
17:20There was just ice.
17:22It was a gift.
17:24The pilots aim their burning plane towards the reservoir.
17:29The next thing was just to get that thing on the ground
17:32as fast as we could and get out of the aircraft.
17:34It had never crossed our minds
17:36was the ice going to hold the airplane or not.
17:40In the cabin of Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458,
17:44passengers can see they're heading for an emergency landing.
17:48I looked out the window,
17:49and I saw impact was imminent.
17:54I wanted to go strap in,
17:55but the seat was on fire,
17:57so I braced myself against the bulkhead.
18:01Flight 458 is moments
18:03from slamming onto a frozen lake.
18:06Order!
18:08It was a matter of
18:09get this airplane on the ground
18:11as absolutely as fast as we could.
18:14It wasn't going to be a smooth landing.
18:17Save me, Jack!
18:18All of a sudden,
18:20there's the most enormous bang.
18:34Paul Hainsworth and Harry Polychron
18:36are knocked unconscious.
18:38The plane breaks up
18:40as it skids across the ice for 500 feet.
18:48When I woke up,
18:50the plane had stopped,
18:51and everything was very quiet.
18:59The pilots have managed
19:00to maneuver their burning airplane
19:02onto the ice-covered lake.
19:04Now they must make sure
19:05everyone gets off the airplane
19:07before it's completely consumed by fire.
19:10Here we are
19:11in this white, frozen tundra,
19:13if you will.
19:14What do we do now?
19:18I 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.
19:33I glanced
19:34and I saw a split
19:36in the fuselage
19:37right behind
19:40the doorway.
19:42I 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!
19:54There's a hole back here!
19:55You can get out this way!
19:57Hainsworth knows
19:58passengers must get out quickly.
20:02I still had the concern
20:03that the plane
20:06could imminently explode.
20:09I jumped out first
20:10and I then started
20:12to assist other people.
20:15At the front of the plane,
20:17Harry Polychron
20:18is badly injured.
20:22I 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.
20:30My 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
20:35of the airplane.
20:36I heard a young woman
20:37say,
20:38somebody please help me.
20:40Come on!
20:41This way to the back!
20:42We can get out of here!
20:43Come on!
20:44You okay?
20:45Come on!
20:47I 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.
20:59Can you make it?
21:00Yeah, yeah.
21:02Yeah.
21:03I think we can make it.
21:07There was no checklist
21:08to be read
21:09and no procedures
21:10to follow at that point.
21:13Let's get out of here.
21:15Yeah.
21:17Both pilots
21:18and nine of the ten passengers
21:20make it off the plane
21:21and head for the shore.
21:23Minutes later,
21:24the twin otter
21:25is completely consumed
21:27by fire.
21:28I 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
21:47quite frankly
21:48beyond remarkable.
21:52One passenger
21:53is dead,
21:55the result
21:55of severe smoke inhalation.
21:57All of the surviving passengers
21:59are taken to hospital
22:00with serious injuries.
22:02Both pilots
22:03are badly burned.
22:05Lyle was burned
22:06over 25%
22:08of his body
22:08and the captain
22:10was burned
22:11over seven-tenths
22:13of his body,
22:14much of it
22:15third degree.
22:17Volunteers
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.
22:26Tonight we have
22:27a clean-up operation.
22:28We have a portable
22:29electric generator
22:30out there
22:31with lights.
22:32We're going to mop up
22:33the fuel oil
22:34and wait
22:36until the FAA comes.
22:37It's obvious
22:38that the plane
22:39was destroyed
22:40by fire,
22:41but it's not obvious
22:42what caused it.
22:44Knowing that there's
22:45a fire on board
22:45isn't just enough.
22:47You need to understand
22:48exactly what happened,
22:50how it happened,
22:51when it happened,
22:52and 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.
23:09And when did
23:10they call that in?
23:11The call came in
23:12at 3.29,
23:14so less than 20 minutes
23:15after takeoff.
23:17What 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.
23:24Okay.
23:25It's going to be hard
23:26to find anything useful
23:27in any of this.
23:29Investigators examine
23:30Flight 458's
23:32cockpit gauges,
23:33hoping to find clues
23:34about the cause
23:35of the fire.
23:38But after a post-crash fire,
23:40those instruments
23:40are often so badly damaged
23:42that they take extensive
23:44work to get more,
23:45and sometimes we get
23:46nothing from the instruments
23:47because we just can't
23:48make any sense
23:49out of what they say.
23:52Wait a minute.
23:53The plane's clock
23:54is still legible,
23:56stopped by the impact
23:57of the crash.
23:593.34.
24:02Whatever happened?
24:03Happened fast.
24:05Less than five minutes
24:06after the pilots
24:07report the emergency,
24:09they slam onto
24:10the frozen reservoir.
24:14This tells investigators
24:16that the situation
24:17escalated rapidly.
24:25Engine fire?
24:27Pilgrim Air Flight 458
24:29wasn't equipped
24:30with a cockpit voice recorder
24:31or flight data recorder.
24:34Investigators will need
24:35to work through
24:35the most likely sources
24:37of an onboard fire.
24:40It makes investigation
24:41a little more difficult
24:43and takes a little longer
24:44to get it done.
24:45It doesn'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.
24:53They study what remains
24:54of the engines
24:55to determine if they
24:57played a role
24:57in this accident.
25:03Both engines
25:04were running
25:04at the moment of impact.
25:07The best indication
25:08that engines
25:09are running at impact
25:10are you look for damage
25:12to the engine,
25:13you look for twisting
25:14and bending
25:14the propellers,
25:15look for direction
25:16of the bending
25:17and the amount
25:18of bending
25:18of the propellers.
25:19There were clear indications
25:21that both engines
25:22were developing power
25:23at the time of impact.
25:27The fact that the engines
25:29were running on impact
25:30tells investigators
25:32they were not
25:32the source of the fire.
25:38They all report
25:39the same thing.
25:41Smoke.
25:44The pilots
25:45are still too injured
25:46to 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.
25:57If passengers
25:58say they saw smoke
25:59any time during the flight,
26:01it would be
26:02a focus of the investigation
26:03because we would be
26:06interested in
26:07the source of the smoke,
26:08the timing of the smoke.
26:10They study
26:11the plane's
26:12badly burned wreckage
26:13for any evidence
26:14that could tell them
26:15exactly where
26:16the fire began.
26:18Well, the fire
26:18had to start somewhere.
26:21We look for
26:22concentrations of heat
26:23which would give us
26:24an indication
26:25where a fire began.
26:28Oh, planes incinerated.
26:30Yeah, but the cockpit
26:32floor here
26:32suffered the most
26:33fire damage.
26:36I'd guess that the fire
26:37started somewhere
26:38under the cockpit.
26:40The plane burned up
26:41after it touched
26:42down on the ice.
26:44It's impossible
26:44to pinpoint
26:45the precise origin
26:46of the fire.
26:48We 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.
26:59Days after the accident,
27:01the pilots are ready
27:02to 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.
27:15all their sights,
27:17sounds, and feelings
27:18can make a difference
27:19in the investigation.
27:23Thanks for agreeing
27:24to do this.
27:26Maybe you just want
27:27to talk me through
27:29what you can remember.
27:30Towards the end
27:31of that week
27:32they asked if I would
27:33speak to the NTSB
27:34and I agreed.
27:37We tried to de-ice
27:39the windshield
27:40but weren't getting
27:42any fluid
27:43almost immediately.
27:45I smelled the alcohol
27:47and then smoke
27:50and then I saw
27:52the smoke
27:54thin and white
27:56at first.
27:57It was coming
27:59from the base
27:59of the control column.
28:02It didn't take long
28:04before that smoke
28:05turned thick
28:05and black.
28:09Soon we couldn't breathe
28:11and we were
28:12starting to burn.
28:19How long
28:20between the de-icing
28:21and the first signs
28:22of smoke?
28:27It all happened
28:28real fast.
28:30I don't know.
28:32Maybe a minute.
28:34Maybe less.
28:36And that's when
28:37you called in
28:37the emergency.
28:39Yeah.
28:40It started to descend
28:41immediately after that.
28:43He hit the switch
28:44to apply
28:46the de-icing fluid
28:47to his windshield
28:49to clear some icing
28:51that he saw
28:51and then very shortly
28:53thereafter
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.
29:07Okay.
29:09It all starts
29:10right here
29:11with the de-icing.
29:14The interview
29:15with the first officer
29:16provides the team
29:17with a focus
29:18for their investigation
29:19the airplane's
29:21de-icing system.
29:22We'd start looking
29:24in the wreckage
29:24for evidence
29:26for that de-icing system
29:28and then begin
29:29a parallel investigation
29:31with maintenance
29:32to see if there was
29:34any kind of history
29:35of problems
29:36with that system.
29:38The reservoir
29:39holds one and a half
29:40gallons of de-icing fluid.
29:43A 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.
29:53It's a pretty basic system.
29:55The 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.
30:06Investigators search
30:07for the surviving
30:08components
30:09of the de-icing system.
30:12If they had found
30:13the pump
30:13and the attachments
30:15it clearly
30:16would have shown
30:17to them
30:17where the problem was.
30:21That's all that's left.
30:24No 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.
30:36This tells us nothing.
30:46Focusing on the smell
30:47of alcohol reported
30:48by the crew
30:49investigators study
30:50a sample
30:51of the de-icing fluid
30:52used by Pilgrim Airlines
30:54to determine
30:55just how flammable it is.
31:0487% isopropyl.
31:07It's a pretty flammable stop.
31:11They are now
31:12fairly certain
31:13that the de-icing fluid
31:14on Flight 458
31:16ignited
31:17leading to a raging fire
31:19but they still
31:20don't know how.
31:23We really have not
31:24had any experience
31:26with this type
31:27of system
31:28causing
31:28a fire
31:29on board
31:30an airplane.
31:33They go over
31:34the first officer's
31:35statement
31:35for clues
31:36about how
31:36the fire started.
31:38They did say
31:39the system
31:39didn't work very well
31:40when they tried
31:41to de-ice.
31:42The first time
31:43I hit the switch
31:45I got a tiny bit
31:46of fluid
31:47on my side
31:49so I
31:50tried a second time
31:52and got nothing.
31:54So what did you do?
31:56That's when I got
31:57the strong smell
31:57of alcohol
31:58so I stopped trying.
32:00A few seconds later
32:01we smelled the smoke.
32:06Investigators
32:06now need to figure out
32:08what part
32:09of the de-icing system
32:10could have led
32:11to the fire
32:11that brought down
32:12Flight 458.
32:17Investigators
32:18review maintenance
32:19records
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
32:27of leaking.
32:29Reports show
32:30that the plastic tubing
32:31had a history
32:32of cracking
32:33and separating
32:34from the pump.
32:35Pilgrim's mechanics
32:36fixed the problem
32:37by trimming
32:38the cracked tubing
32:39and reattaching it
32:41to the pump
32:41with clamps.
32:42As the alcohol
32:43comes into contact
32:44with this tubing
32:46from the inside
32:46it's changing
32:47the properties
32:48of the tubing
32:49and it's causing
32:50it to harden
32:51and swell.
32:52So at the
32:53connection points
32:54it's no longer
32:55maintaining
32:55a good contact.
32:58They dig further
32:59into the plane's
33:00history
33:00to find anything
33:01that could explain
33:02how the de-icing system
33:04led to an onboard fire.
33:06Yeah,
33:07listen to this.
33:08A few months ago
33:09they discovered
33:09a leak on this plane.
33:11Maintenance checked it out
33:12discovered the tubing
33:13was too short
33:13to reach the pump.
33:17They had trimmed
33:18and reconnected
33:19the tubing so often
33:20that it didn't fit anymore.
33:22Every time mechanics
33:23trimmed the cracked tubing
33:25they made it
33:26progressively shorter
33:27until it couldn't
33:28reach the pump.
33:30Over time
33:31you wouldn't have
33:32enough hose left
33:32to attach it
33:34and you would have
33:34to replace
33:35that piece of tubing.
33:37Hello.
33:40Looks like the same
33:41thing happened
33:41on this plane
33:42just three days
33:43before the accident.
33:45Pretty major leak
33:46by the sounds of it.
33:48Pilots 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.
33:59They rode it up
34:00and the mechanic
34:01worked on it
34:02later that day.
34:04The mechanic
34:05repaired the damaged tubing,
34:08reconnected
34:08and secured it,
34:09then refilled
34:10the reservoir.
34:13The mechanic says
34:14he clamped the tubing
34:15to the pump
34:16and then signed off
34:17on the discrepancy
34:18as repaired.
34:21Three days later
34:22the plane goes up
34:22in flames
34:23as the pilots
34:24try to de-ice.
34:27Investigators suspect
34:28the tubes
34:29carrying fluid
34:30to and from the pump
34:32weren't properly secured
34:33and detached
34:34from the pump
34:35after the repair.
34:38There's a good chance
34:39that that line
34:39wasn't as long
34:41as it should have been
34:42and probably was
34:43pulling on the pump
34:44and because of how
34:45it was attached
34:45it came off.
34:47Still 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
34:57the fire.
34:59The 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
35:10one of these reservoirs
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.
35:19Investigators need
35:20to determine
35:20how much
35:21of the highly flammable
35:22fluid would have
35:23cooled below the cockpit
35:25if the tube
35:26did detach
35:26as they suspect.
35:30Okay.
35:31Let's see what we get.
35:37Even without activating
35:39the system
35:39it leaks
35:41when the tube
35:41isn't attached.
35:43They measure
35:44the amount of fluid
35:45that leaks
35:46from the pump.
35:48The testing disclosed
35:50that the pump
35:51would leak
35:52fluid
35:53to the rate
35:54of about
35:5590 milliliters
35:56a minute
35:58and
35:58over time
36:00that could actually
36:01drain the entire
36:02tank
36:03of a gallon
36:03and a half
36:04of fluid.
36:05The 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
36:11accumulated
36:12below the cockpit
36:13even before
36:14the pilots
36:15tried to de-ice
36:16the windshield.
36:17Let's see what happens
36:18when the system
36:19is activated.
36:29Seven feet.
36:32All he smokes
36:32that goes far.
36:34When Hogg
36:36tries to activate
36:36the windshield
36:37de-icing system
36:38the pump
36:39would have
36:39sprayed fluid
36:40across a distance
36:41of seven feet
36:42in the compartment
36:43below the cockpit.
36:45The consequences
36:47of that
36:47given what is down
36:49in that area
36:50are quite severe.
36:54The de-ice pump
36:56gets pretty hot
36:57when it's operating.
36:58The air
36:59from the
37:00bleed air duct
37:00is 150 degrees
37:02Fahrenheit.
37:03The discharge
37:04from the silencer
37:05sends heated air
37:06into the cockpit
37:08and the electric motor
37:10that drives the flaps
37:11could also
37:12ignite the fluid.
37:14Investigators
37:15pinpoint several
37:16components
37:17that could have
37:17ignited the spray
37:19of highly flammable liquid.
37:22Investigators
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
37:36components
37:36on the airplane
37:37on the back
37:38of the instrument panel.
37:40Directly to Providence,
37:41please.
37:42This is an emergency.
37:42There is a fire on board.
37:44Once the liquid ignites,
37:46it doesn't take long
37:47for fire to spread
37:48throughout the airplane.
37:50Older aircraft
37:51are less fire-resistant
37:53to newer aircraft.
37:54And if you have alcohol
37:56from a de-icing system
37:58spreading through
37:59the airplane,
38:00it would have been
38:01easier for it
38:02to have burned
38:03than probably
38:04the newer materials.
38:06They've been flying around
38:07in a time bomb
38:08all these years
38:09and no one thought
38:09this was a problem?
38:12I think it's surprising
38:13any time you find,
38:15particularly an aircraft
38:16that's been in service
38:17for so long
38:18with such a good history,
38:20find something new
38:21that you learn
38:22in an investigation.
38:24Investigators
38:25now consider
38:25one final question.
38:27How the hell
38:28did they even manage
38:29to get this plane
38:29on the ground?
38:39NTSB investigators
38:41studied the actions
38:42of the pilots
38:43of Pilgrim 458
38:44as they responded
38:45to the emergency
38:46unfolding on board.
38:49The first sign
38:50of black smoke
38:51they call in
38:52the emergency.
38:56Then immediately
38:57change course
38:58for an emergency
38:59landing at Providence.
39:01He pushed the yoke
39:02forward
39:03to make the airplane
39:04descend
39:04very quickly.
39:07They were still
39:08in the clouds
39:09and the airplane
39:10was coming down
39:11rapidly.
39:12Turn right,
39:14heading up
39:14150
39:15for vectors
39:16to Providence.
39:17Let's get on the ground.
39:19The pilots
39:20quickly began
39:20a rapid descent
39:21from 4,000 feet
39:23while making
39:24a right turn
39:25towards Providence.
39:27All their focus
39:28was on getting
39:29the airplane down.
39:33At this point
39:34the cockpit
39:35is full of thick
39:35black smoke
39:36and fire.
39:37So what do
39:37these guys do?
39:38They stick their heads
39:39out the window
39:40and try and get
39:40below the clouds.
39:43In spite of being
39:44unable to see
39:45or breathe
39:46and badly burned
39:47by fire,
39:48the pilots fight
39:49to get the plane
39:50below the clouds.
39:52They 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
40:01this airplane
40:01and getting it
40:03down to land
40:04on that frozen
40:04lake bed
40:05was amazing.
40:07Despite the pain
40:08and the terror,
40:10these pilots
40:11stayed at their post.
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.
40:27They report
40:27breaking through
40:28the clouds
40:28at 1,000 feet.
40:30Quick left turn.
40:31They're on the ground
40:32in seconds.
40:34The 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.
40:41It wasn't pretty
40:42but we did that.
40:43It got it on the ground
40:44and almost everybody
40:45survived.
40:54Six minutes
40:55to get below the clouds
40:57find a place to land
40:58and put it on the ground
41:00in a burning airplane.
41:05The investigators
41:06commend both pilots
41:08for their prompt
41:08and heroic actions
41:10in response
41:10to the emergency.
41:13Here's an example
41:14of a crew
41:15at the height
41:16of their skills
41:17and professionalism
41:18saving the lives
41:19of themselves
41:20and the people
41:21aboard.
41:22Yeah, yeah.
41:25Let's get out of here.
41:26Lesser men
41:27would have given up.
41:29They didn't give up.
41:30They fought right to the end
41:31and that's why
41:32I'm here today.
41:35Passengers 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
41:50those windows
41:51I absolutely believe
41:53other people
41:54would have died
41:55in that crash.
41:58The NTSB
41:59determines
42:00that the fire
42:01on board
42:02flight 458
42:03was the result
42:03of the poor design
42:04of the windshield
42:05de-icing system.
42:07I didn't know
42:08how flammable
42:10isopropyl alcohol was.
42:12I think it took the industry
42:13by surprise
42:14that it was so flammable
42:16and could result
42:18in such a devastating fire
42:20so quickly.
42:22Investigators recommend
42:23that the isopropyl alcohol system
42:25on all twin otters
42:27be replaced
42:28with an electrically
42:29heated windshield.
42:31The alcohol de-icing
42:32systems went away
42:34as a result
42:35of this accident
42:36and I think
42:37a realization
42:38that the hazards
42:39were just
42:40were too high.
42:42But the enduring
42:43legacy
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.
42:56I don't consider
42:57myself a hero.
42:58I consider
42:59that we did
43:00what we were trained
43:01to do
43:01and did what we had
43:02to do that day
43:03in order to survive.
43:05The two pilots
43:07received numerous honors
43:08for their heroic actions.
43:11today a memorial
43:12stands in a park
43:13named after
43:14Prinster and Hog
43:15in Situate, Rhode Island
43:16near the location
43:18of their remarkable landing.
43:2141 years later
43:23the heroes
43:24of flight 458
43:25reflect on the hard
43:26lessons learned
43:27that day.
43:29I mean you guys
43:30were just heroic
43:32in your mental strength
43:35to just stay with
43:36the task there.
43:38Fortitude is the word.
43:40I think your body
43:41takes over
43:42and you just
43:43hang in there.
43:44It'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.
43:54Yeah, it was quite a day.
43:56Yeah.
43:57Yeah.
43:58Yeah.
44:01Yeah.
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