All language subtitles for Air.Disasters.S18E12.Flying.on.Empty.1080p.SMIT.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-maldini_track3_[eng]

FLIGHT ATTENDANT (ON INTERCOM):
Ladies and gentlemen,

we are starting our approach.

MAN: We lost both engines.

[radio chatter]

MAN: Mayday.

Mayday.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT:
Brace for impact!

MAN: He's gonna crash!

[ominous music]

NARRATOR: On the night of
the 24th of August 2001,

a fully loaded Airbus A330
with 306 people on board

ran out of fuel midway
over the Atlantic.

[beeping]

How could a state of the
art computerized airliner

suffer such a
catastrophic failure?

Mayday.
Mayday.

Mayday.

We have lost both engines
due to fuel starvation.

We are gliding now.

Wow.

We're now at 30,000 feet,
at the rate of descent

of 2,000 feet per minute.

We have to ditch in the water.

I need you to put on your
life jackets right now.

It doesn't work!

NARRATOR: This program
investigates what happened

to Air Transat Flight 236.

This is it.

This is-- it's over.

We're just gonna die in
the next 5 to 10 minutes.

And the speed's increasing.

203 knots now.

It's way too fast.

Everybody, I
need you to brace.

Oh, my god!

[screaming]

NARRATOR: August
23, 2001, Toronto

International Airport is busy.

Air Transat is a
charter company that

has grown rapidly to
become one of the largest

airlines in Canada.

Midsummer brings fewer
business travelers

and a holiday atmosphere.

Air Transat Flight 236
is bound for Lisbon.

Most of the passengers
are Canadians

visiting Europe or Portuguese
immigrants heading home.

ROBERT PICHE: Ready
for the checklist?

NARRATOR: The plane, a
twin engine Airbus A330,

is being flown by
a young co-pilot,

Dirk DeJager, and an experienced
captain, Robert Piché.

YVAN-MIVILLE DES CHENES:
Captain Robert Piché is

somewhat out of the ordinary.

Captain Piché, from the
moment he gets his wing,

he gets to learn how to fly
in the north of the province

of Quebec, where the conditions
occasionally are very severe.

NARRATOR: The flight deck
of the A330 is ultra modern.

Banks of computers
connected to over 100

onboard sensors
constantly monitor

the operation of the plane.

This program reveals
how serious problems

can arise when the pilots begin
to distrust the computers.

Before departure, the
computers give no indication of

any problems with the Airbus.

MAN (ON RADIO): 236 Heavy,
follow A320 Air Canada.

Turn left on Romeo and
hold short on 24 Right.

Roger.

Follow A320 Air
Canada, left on Romeo,

and hold short of 24 Right.

NARRATOR: With
the crew of seven,

flight 236 has 306
people on board.

[chatter]

JOHN BALJKAS: Well, we
were married for four days,

wasn't it?
MARGARET MCKINNON: Four days.

JOHN BALJKAS: Four days?
- Four days.

So we had planned to go to
Portugal for our honeymoon.

And we had booked this
flight on Air Transat,

and rather quickly.

Because we hadn't
really planned what

we were going to
do very carefully.

So this was the
last flight left.

[chatter]

Well, I boarded on
this flight to go on a 2

and a half week vacation with--

with a friend of mine.

Obviously, I was very
excited spending 2 and a half

weeks on the coast of Portugal.

Very excited feeling.

MAN (ON RADIO): Transat 236
Heavy, cleared for takeoff.

240 at 8, cleared for takeoff.

24 Right, Transat 236 Heavy.

NARRATOR: At 20
minutes past 8:00,

the Airbus A330, loaded
with over 47 tons of fuel,

leaves Toronto for Lisbon.

V1.

Rotate.

NARRATOR: The weather forecast
for the Atlantic crossing

is good.

Everything runs smoothly
on the flight deck

apart from a small
adjustment to the route.

To avoid congestion,
air traffic control

directs the flight 60 miles
south of its original route.

It's a minor alteration, but
will later play a crucial role.

The passengers settle down
for the long crossing.

The reason for our trip to
Portugal was a family trip.

We were going to a wedding.

Otherwise, we would not
have gone this year.

So instead of just going
for four days for a wedding,

we decided to stay for
two weeks and throw

the wedding in as a kind of
family perk, and see everybody.

MARGARET MCKINNON: Everything
appeared quite normal.

And, in fact, I had
traveled on Air Transat

previously and found
it not to be very good,

and was surprised by the
quality of the flight,

that it was on time,
the plane was newer.

And we thought generally
it was much better than we

had expected it would be.

We're getting to
our next checkpoint.

NARRATOR: Every 30 minutes
across the Atlantic, the crew

checks their position and
their fuel consumption

against their flight plan.

11.2 tons on the right.

11.2 tons on the left.

NARRATOR: Despite the
computerized systems,

some procedures like checking
the fuel on board still

need to be done by hand.

5.2 tons.

NARRATOR: By comparing the
amount of fuel in the tanks

with the amount the
flight started with,

the pilots can keep an eye
on the fuel consumption.

Fuel check, complete.

Levels normal for
the distance flown.

All right.

NARRATOR: For the first five
hours, everything is routine.

The flight crew, Air Transat,
and the accident investigators

have all declined
to be interviewed

about what happened next.

This program uses known
facts about the flight,

standard emergency
procedures, and expert opinion

to reconstruct what took
place on Flight 236.

[beep]

ROBERT PICHE: Look, we're
getting a warning signal.

Oil temp low and oil
pressure high on number two.

NARRATOR: This warning is
the first step in the crisis.

DIRK DEJAGER: Oil
pressure is when

the normal limits on
number one, and number two

is slightly high.

NARRATOR: The computer
display reveals that the oil

temperature is low
in engine number two,

but the oil pressure is high.

It was a very unusual reading.

The pilots are puzzled.

I can't see anything here.

Hmm.

I'll look in the F-Com.

OK.

DAVID LYNCH: A low
oil temperature

indication is normally
indicative of bad readings

and bad sensor.

Oil temperatures don't
decrease normally.

They increase.

A low oil temperature
would be of no concern.

The high oil pressure is--

is a very strange indication.

It's very rare.

In fact, I've never
actually heard of one.

It's only indicative
of the contamination

normally of the oil with fuel.

That's not something that's
explained in the manuals.

Call the company.

NARRATOR: The crew
contacts Air Transat's

maintenance group in Montreal.

Transat 236 to
Mirabel Operations.

MAN (ON RADIO):
Maribel, Transat 236.

Hi.

DIRK DEJAGER: Hi.

We have a little problem.

We're getting the
warning oil temp

low and oil pressure high on
the E-cam for engine number two.

There's nothing in
the QRH nor the F-Com.

Can you help us out?

MAN (ON RADIO): I'm
looking in the manual.

NARRATOR: The ground crew
has no immediate solution.

The pilots must work
it out for themselves.

DAVID LYNCH: They
may have been given

some advice on troubleshooting,
to see if that would help.

But ultimately, you
know, the pilots

are up there on their own.

You know, they can get advice
from somebody 2,500 miles away,

but they can't really
fix the problems.

MAN (ON RADIO): I suggest you
keep monitoring your oil levels

and see what happens.

NARRATOR: Because the oil
readings are so unusual,

the pilots believe they may
indicate a computer error.

The crew keeps monitoring
the oil levels.

Air Transat 236
continues on track.

[ominous music]

Then, 20 minutes
later, a new warning.

Fuel imbalance warning.

I haven't seen that before.

Follow all E-cam action.

I'll have air traffic control.

NARRATOR: In the Airbus
330, most of the fuel

is in large tanks in the wings.

The computer has now
detected that the fuel

level on the right
is significantly

lower than the left.

The crew consults the
Airbus flight manual,

which recommends
they transfer fuel

through a special
cross feed valve.

Fuel will then flow from
one tank to the other.

But before opening
the cross feed,

the pilots must be
sure that the imbalance

is not caused by a more serious
problem, such as a fuel leak.

Last fuel check was only
15 minutes ago and it was OK.

No indication of a fuel leak.

Keep going.

Wing cross feed on.

On.

Once you begin a cross
feeding procedure to correct

a fuel imbalance,
restorative action

should commence quite quickly.

In other words,
the situation would

not continue to get worse.

It would either stabilize
immediately and then begin to--

to correct itself.

NARRATOR: But the situation
is not correcting itself.

Unknown to the pilots,
there is a major fuel

leak in the number two
engine on the right hand

side of the plane.

[engine roaring]

[fuel gushing]

Flight 236 is in the
mid-Atlantic, almost 190

miles from the nearest land.

miles from the nearest
land, Air Transat Flight 236

is in trouble.

Unknown to the pilots, the
right engine is leaking fuel.

The plane's computer system has
put up a series of warnings.

But the pilots believe
these are computer errors.

You ever seen something
like this before?

Nope.

Never.

Doesn't make any sense.

Yeah.

Even if there is a
leak, it doesn't explain

the alarms on the oil system.

And everything was OK at the
last fuel check at 30 West.

Yeah.

I bet you it's a
computer problem.

NARRATOR: The task
of finding out

if there is a fuel leak is
made harder by the design

of the Airbus systems.

The systems monitor hundreds
and hundreds of sensors.

And, you know, they can
be affected by, you know,

such mundane things as a little
bit of frost or ice on a sensor

can--

can-- can cause it
to present bad data.

So it's-- you know, it's
not something that would

occur on every single flight.

But it's something that we're--

we're quite used
to dealing with.

NARRATOR: There is
no Warning to show

that the fuel level is falling
faster than the engines are

consuming it.

So the pilots receive no
immediate indication that there

could be a fuel leak.

The fuel quantity isn't rising
in the tanks of the right wing.

Check fuel quantity.

It looks very low.

Hold on.

NARRATOR: When co-pilot DeJager
carries out the calculations,

he discovers there is
something seriously wrong.

There's much less fuel
than we should have.

It looks like a fuel leak.

Check again.

[ominous music]

NARRATOR: DeJager finds
a disturbing difference.

According to all the gauges,
all the tanks in the right wing

are way below the
level they should be

according to the flight plan.

And it's hardly anything
in the other ones.

What about the trim tank?

There's nothing there either.

[ominous music]

[phone alerting]

- Yes?
- Hello.

First Officer here.

Can you come to the
cockpit, please?

Sure.

NARRATOR: Although Captain Piché
believes he is dealing with

a computer problem, he
nevertheless decides to ask

for a visual check
just in case to see

if it could be a fuel leak.

Captain?

Hi.

Can you and Karen
take some flashlights

and go to the windows?

If you can see anything
trailing back from the wings,

it'll look like a
mist or a stream.

And report back immediately.

OK.

Dirk, I want you to do an auto
complete fuel check, please.

[ominous music]

I'm so sorry.

NARRATOR: In daylight,
the fuel pouring

out the back of the wing would
have been clearly visible.

But in the dead of night,
even with a flashlight,

the fuel leaking from the
engine is impossible to see.

[suspenseful music]

The crew realize that
the situation is not

improving, and discuss what
their next course of action

should be.

If the computer is correct,
then, with the amount of fuel

remaining the Airbus
will no longer

be able to make it to Lisbon.

Captain Piché is forced to
make a crucial decision.

Get onto Oceanic Control.

Where's the nearest airfield?

Transat 236 Heavy,
Santa Maria Control.

Can you advise nearest airfield?

We have a possible fuel problem.

NARRATOR: The nearest runway
is over 190 miles away.

But with the fuel remaining,
Lajes military air base

on the tiny island of
Terceira in the Azores

should be within reach.

Flight 236 continues flying
sough for the next 25 minutes.

Everything in the
cabin seems normal.

But in the cockpit, the fuel
readings are getting worse.

Must be the computer.

I've checked.

There's nothing in the
trim or center tank.

And the gauges show
only 7 and a half--

NARRATOR: According
to the fuel gauges,

the plane is using fuel
much faster than normal.

Whether they believe
the gauges or not,

the captain has no choice.

He must warn air
traffic control.

We have to declare
a fuel emergency.

Transat 236 Heavy,
Santa Maria Control.

MAN (ON RADIO): Santa Maria
control, Transat 236 Heavy.

Go ahead.

Transat 236 Heavy
declaring fuel emergency.

I really hope
it's a computer bug.

Because if we land in the Azores
with half a plane full of fuel,

it'll crucify us.

[chatter]

Please put up your tray.

Thank you.

[chatter]

NARRATOR: At 6:13
AM, less than an hour

from the first fuel alarm,
the right hand engine

runs out of fuel and cuts out.

[alarm beeping]

We're losing
engine number two.

I don't believe this.

OK.

Maximum thrust on number one.

[engine revving]

- What's going on?
- Uh-oh.

Uh-oh.
- Miss?

Miss, what's happening?

Lights started flickering
on and off, which I thought

was kind of odd, strange.

[alarm beeping]

NARRATOR: On one
engine, the Airbus

cannot fly at 39,000 feet.

They must descend quickly.

Try to transfer fuel from
center tank into trim tank.

Transferring.

Fuel quantities reaching zero.

ROBERT PICHE: This can't be.

We're not gonna go completely
dry on this [bleep] airplane.

All right.

We can't stay at 39,000
feet with just one engine.

We'll descend to 33,000
to control our speed.

DIRK DEJAGER: 236
to Lajes tower.

We have lost one
engine, engine flameout

MAN (ON RADIO):
Roger, Transat 236.

We can see you on primary radar.

You are at 135 nautical
miles from Lajes Field.

We are 135 nautical
miles from Lajes Field.

DAVID LYNCH: Well, there's a
whole lot of critical things

go on.

In addition to that, you turn
on all the exterior lights

so people can see
you're in trouble.

You have to broadcast your
intentions on an emergency

frequency so that
other people know

that you're unable to
maintain your altitude.

You may be-- you
may be descending

through their altitude.

So everybody else is now on
the lookout for an airplane

that's-- that's in distress.

NARRATOR: For the
next 10 minutes,

the stricken Airbus continues
on its remaining engine.

The pilots still believe
that the computer may

be partly faulty, and
that they can make

it to Lajes with fuel to spare.

In the end it
might be all right.

Fuel gauge is
falling fast, though.

It's nearly hitting zero.

[suspenseful music]

NARRATOR: But 13 minutes after
the right hand engine cuts out,

and with a little over
80 miles still to go,

the left engine begins to fail.

[alarm beeping]

We're losing number one.

DIRK DEJAGER: Mayday.
Mayday.

Mayday.

We have lost both engines
due to fuel starvation.

We are gliding now.

NARRATOR: One of the most
sophisticated airliners

of the modern era, carrying
306 passengers and crew,

is now nothing more
than a giant glider

drifting steadily down
towards the ocean.

[chatter]

Honey, it doesn't work.

Excuse me.

Can somebody come?

[chatter]

You can literally
hear a pin drop.

The exterior-- there was
no sound in that plane--

in that cabin at all.

A lot of people were
praying and screaming for God.

My wife was a
little hysterical.

My best friend was
in another world.

The plane was dead silent
except for the people

who were--

Screaming.

--who were very upset.

No anti-skid.
No reversers.

Rudder trim.
Radio HF 1 and 2.

DAVID LYNCH: With the
loss of both engines

we have no electrical
system, which

means if the engines
aren't running,

the generators aren't running.

So there's no power
on the airplane.

There is a small device, it's
called a ram air turbine.

It will deploy from
underneath the fuselage

near the wing fairing.

And it's-- it's a
small propeller that

deploys out the
bottom of the fuselage

and it spins in the wind.

And that small
propeller will provide

very limited electrical
and hydraulic

systems to run the aircraft.

In other words,
although it's a glider,

at least it's a
controllable glider.

Calculate how far we can go
with our glide angle, will you?

Well, we're now at 30,000
feet at the rate of descent

of 2,000 feet per minute.

We can hang out-- hang
on for 14 or 15 minutes.

What?

I don't want to die
on our honeymoon.

I was just trying
to calm her down,

like, try and reassure her
that everything would be OK.

It's a very big struggle
to stay calm when you're

considering your own death.

NARRATOR: Without
power, the plane

loses almost 1,000 feet in
height for every 3 miles

it travels forward.

They can reach the Azores.

But if the pilots get
their calculations wrong,

they may face a forced
landing on the water.

I'm not sure we
can make it to Lajes.

without fuel over the Atlantic.

Although their initial
calculations show that

the plane should
make it to Lajes,

Captain Piché must now follow
standard emergency procedure

for a passenger jet over water.

Prepare the cabin.

OK.

The cabin's slowly
depressurizing.

We need to put our
oxygen masks on.

NARRATOR: The loss
of engine power

means the cabin
soon depressurizes.

Ow.

[suspenseful music]

Everybody, please,
I need your attention.

We're preparing to
ditch the plane.

I need you to put on your
life jackets right now.

MAN: What?

MARCO SCOCCO: Within probably,
I'd say, two minutes,

I saw flight attendants
with life jackets

in their hand running
down the aisles.

Obviously, that was a--

a sign of fear.

What-- you know,
what was happening

was the first question
that popped in my mind.

What?

Honey.

Sweetheart.

You'll just need to
tighten this up like that.

Sure.

You know, you don't
really know what to think.

But people did start
to panic at that point

when they were told to
put on life jackets.

- This isn't working!
- No.

It's all right.
- But it doesn't work!

Please keep her calm.

[excited chatter]

Please don't die.

Please don't die.

JOHN BALJKAS: I kept thinking
that if the plane did hit

water, that we would survive.

I was probably delusional.

[laughs]

MARCO SCOCCO: Fear just
suddenly just kicked in from--

from my toes straight
up to my head.

At that point, they
started instructing

us and giving us instructions
of what to do in this procedure.

Take off your shoes
was one of them.

Don't inflate your jacket
until we hit the water.

Get into this position
when we hit the water.

It was a lot of-- it
wasn't, like, ifs or maybes.

It was this was gonna happen.

This is the real deal.

[crying]

NARRATOR: Ditching the large
passenger jet in the water

presents severe hazards.

If the Airbus 330 has to
make a forced landing,

the chances of
survival are bleak.

In 1996, a Boeing
767 ran out of fuel

off the coast of East Africa.

Its last moments were
caught on amateur video,

and reveal what can happen
when an airliner attempts

a controlled landing on water.

[explosion]

Of the 175 people on the
Ethiopian Airways jet, only 50

survived.

The chances of surviving a
ditching and floating for very

long are not very good.

NARRATOR: If Air Transat
Flight 236 has to carry out

a similar maneuver, it faces an
equally grave possible outcome.

With over 80 miles before
they reach the Azores,

the pilots face a long
and difficult maneuver.

They need to keep
the plane gliding

for more than 15 minutes.

DAVID LYNCH: There's very little
time for any emotions at all.

You just-- you're just so
focused on the mission.

[ominous music]

DIRK DEJAGER (ON RADIO): Transat
236 Heavy to Lajes tower.

MAN (ON RADIO): Lajes tower
receiving, Transat 236 Heavy.

DIRK DEJAGER: Do you have
us on radar, Transat 236?

MAN (ON RADIO): We
have on primary radar,

confirm you're at 80 miles out.

You're heading is good.

DIRK DEJAGER: Transat 236
Heavy, Lajes tower, we

are trying to make the runway.

Please describe runway
heading and length.

MAN (ON RADIO): Lajes
tower, Transat 326 Heavy.

Runway is 33 and
10,865 feet long.

Airport dead ahead on
your present heading.

Please advise when
you have it in sight.

[suspenseful music]

Transat 236 Heavy.

We cannot see the airport.

We will tell you when we can.

[suspenseful music]

NARRATOR: As the
minutes tick by,

the long wait for those
on board is agonizing.

MARCO SCOCCO: That's it.

That's-- this is it.

This is-- it's over.

We're just gonna die in
the next 5 to 10 minutes.

[crying]

MARGARET MCKINNON: I had
contemplated the idea

that we would die, certainly.

And kind of you can--

I think in that moment you
can accept it more than you

think you would accept it.

DANIEL RODRIGUES: I never
thought I was gonna die.

I was in a little bit
of a state of distress.

I did my best not to
show it, to try to keep

cool, calm, and collected.

But there was certain
times where I wasn't

sure if we would make it.

The torture of the whole
fact that you're gonna die--

which I totally thought
I was going to--

is worse to me than dying.

If I'm gonna die,
just kill me now.

Just get a gun and shoot me
or just let this plane go down

and nosedive into the ocean
and then just die instantly.

NARRATOR: On the
ground, emergency

services prepare for
the crash landing

of a fully loaded airliner.

[siren wailing]

[sirens wailing]

the crew of Transat Flight 236
prepares for the most dangerous

part of the operation--
getting their plane

on the runway in one piece.

DIRK DEJAGER: --the threshold
now and weather, please.

MAN (ON RADIO): Roger,
Transat 236 Heavy.

You are eight miles out
according to primary radar.

Airspeed, 280 knots
according to our readings.

Visibility, unlimited.

You should have the
airport in sight.

DIRK DEJAGER (ON RADIO):
Negative, Lajes tower.

Until now we cannot
see the runway.

NARRATOR: There is
no room for error.

Without power, the pilots have
only one chance at landing.

If they miss or
overshoot the runway,

the results could
be catastrophic.

I got it, just to the right.

Minimum RAT speed is 140 knots.

Maximum speed for gravity
gear extension, 200 knots.

I'm not lowering the
gear until the last minute.

OK?

OK.

NARRATOR: The crew
struggles to lose

height and speed for landing.

DIRK DEJAGER: Roger, Lajes.

6 nautical miles.

Let's open the slats.

It'll slow us down a bit.

Slats out and locked.

NARRATOR: As they
approach the runway,

their speed increases
dangerously.

Too fast and they could roll
off the end of the runway.

Lower the gear?

Hold on.

Speed is about 200.

All right.

I stabilized the speed.

Can you give me a
landing speed, please?

No engine, no flaps.

Ideal approach
speed is 170 knots.

We're too fast.

Yes.

But the runway is very long.

NARRATOR: Captain Piché
performs a difficult

series of swerving
maneuvers to slow

the plane down for landing.

[ominous music]

[siren wailing]

MARCO SCOCCO: The
plane was almost

on a-- like, a 45 degree angle.

I thought it was just gonna--

it was just gonna flip over and
just nosedive straight down.

The plane was circling
around the island to slow down.

So then we saw land
and then we saw water.

And when I saw water
again, it really

struck me that, you know, our
chance for survival had maybe--

was gone.

DANIEL RODRIGUES:
The runway as long.

Yeah, sure.

But at the end there's
a 400 foot cliff.

If we don't stop in
enough time, we're toast.

We're dead.

[ominous music]

NARRATOR: The crew lines
up the giant Airbus

for the final approach.

Landing gear down and locked.

Three green.

No flaps, only the
emergency brakes.

No spoilers, no reverse thrust.

4,000 feet, 195 knots.

[ominous music]

3,000 feet, 197 knots.

2,000 feet, 200 knots.

Alert the cabin.

Cabin crew, one
minute to landing.

[excited chatter]

[frightened groans]

Hang on.

DIRK DEJAGER: Vertical speed
at 3,000 feet per minute.

We're going way too fast
and the speed's increasing.

203 knots now.

It's way too fast.

1,000 feet, 201 knots.

We'll try to get the nose up.

We'll arrive fast.

NARRATOR: But even
if the crew can

get the Airbus on the runway,
they face a further problem.

Without engines, the normal
procedures for braking

are severely restricted.

For Flight 236, the
danger is far from over.

[ominous music]

The pilots must land
the plane without power,

and somehow get it to stop.

[suspenseful music]

Everybody, I
need you to brace.

[screaming]

WOMAN: Hang on!

[tires screeching]

[screaming]

NARRATOR: The Airbus
lands hard at high speed.

The tires have blown!

NARRATOR: Captain Piché
tries to hold the nose down.

[suspenseful music]

[tirs screeching]

WOMAN: Oh, my god!

[screaming]

NARRATOR: After
bursting eight tires,

the plane finally stops in
the middle of the runway.

Yeah!

What do you say?

We made it!

[cheering and applause]

Come on, everybody, get
out of the plane right now.

Let's go.

Let's go.
- Come on.

Come on.

DANIEL RODRIGUES: I didn't
slide down the slide.

I ran down it.

And they're just-- get
out, get out, got out.

So you're just running
out of this aircraft.

MARCO SCOCCO: What in
God's name just happened?

I-- I fell down to the ground,
literally, and I just started--

I started crying.

MARGARET MCKINNON: I mean,
once you're off the plane

and you're evacuated, you
want to know what happened.

Piché and DeJager had
flown their Airbus

without power further than
any passenger jet in history.

As news of their
remarkable achievement

spreads around the
world, they find

themselves reluctant heroes.

You don't have time,
really, to think about

anything else than taking
care the-- of the safety

of your passenger.

You know?

That's your main goal.

And since we didn't
have any engine,

the other main goal was to
make the landing safely.

So at that time, I guess,
the experience came in,

you know, with the
help of my colleague.

That's why we-- that's why
we made a successful landing.

DIRK DEJAGR: You're
trying for the worst,

but you never know how you'll
deal with situations like this.

And reflecting
afterwards, I feel

we dealt in the most
professional and complete

matter we could.

A feeling of being grateful to
see all the passengers were OK.

ROBERT PICHE: You know,
something like this happen,

you never know what is
gonna happen, really.

I mean, you don't-- you
start not to believe it.

I mean, it makes no sense
that a big jet with two engine

has no more power with
300 people on board.

You know?

NARRATOR: But although the
public story is of success,

disturbing questions remain.

Why did a highly sophisticated
airliner run out of fuel?

What exactly happened
to Flight 236?

Away from the cameras,
an accident investigation

begins immediately by the
Portuguese, Canadian, and

French Transport Authorities.

Initial checks quickly confirm
that all the fuel tanks of

the Airbus were indeed empty.

But to lose more
than 17 tons of fuel

in such a short space of time
means they had a major leak.

The question is, where.

Engineers examine
the fuel system,

searching for faults in the
tanks and the fuel lines.

It isn't long before they
find what they're looking

for just by the right engine.

LU ZUCKERMAN: In
this particular case,

you had a hydraulic tube that's
relatively small by comparison

to the larger fuel tube.

And the hydraulic tube--

due possibly to pulsations
in the hydraulic system--

were abrading against
the larger tube.

And, eventually, the larger
tube had a leak in it.

And the leak-- or not the
leak itself, but the--

the hole eventually possibly
led in to a fracture of the tube

allowing this massive fuel
flow outside of the engine.

NARRATOR: The investigators
begin checking Air

Transat maintenance records.

They discover that on the
17th of August, five days

before the flight, Air Transat
removed the right hand engine

for maintenance and
installed a replacement

unit sent by Rolls-Royce.

But as they analyze the
repair logs for the engine,

they uncover a shocking mistake.

This was not a case
of faulty design

but of faulty maintenance.

Rolls-Royce had supplied the
engine without a hydraulic pump

assembly.

To overcome this,
Transat mechanics and use

the parts from an older engine.

But they didn't fit properly.

And the pipes had been rubbing
together for five days,

until midway over the
Atlantic one finally broke.

[fuel gushing]

LU ZUCKERMAN: The engine was
delivered minus these two

tubes and a bracket.

The purpose of that bracket was
to maintain adequate clearance.

So if they took the
bracket off the old engine

and put it on the new
engine, is that the pipes

would be locked together so
that they could possibly abrade.

So the mechanics-- now,
I can't fault them,

but they are not given
specific instructions to verify

the 3 millimeter clearance.

NARRATOR: As investigators
questioned Air Transat

mechanics, they
find more disturbing

evidence of malpractice.

The chief mechanic
testified that he

had been concerned
about the substitution

of another hydraulic assembly.

Five days before the
accident, he raised

his concerns with his superior.

Put it on.

Leave it on so the plane
can get up in the air.

NARRATOR: He was told that it
would cost too much to have

the aircraft waiting
for the missing parts,

and to go ahead with
the substitution.

Not exact.

NARRATOR: The
replacement parts only

differed from the correct
ones by a few millimeters.

But it was the difference
that almost cost 306 lives.

[somber music]

A few days after the
accident, Air Transat

publicly accepted responsibility
for the faulty maintenance.

We have to realize that
there was a small mistake made

in terms of changing the pump.

We installed it, but then some--

some pipes, so to
speak, were needed

to be connected to the pump.

And there was a mismatch.

The immediate consequences
for Air Transat in that event

was that they got to pay a
fine of a quarter of a million

dollar, which was the
highest ever in Canada,

for an error that could
have been prevented.

MARCO SCOCCO: How someone that
is supposed to be qualified

in their job can put the wrong
part onto an engine and risk

300 people's lives is--

is beyond me.

MARGARET MCKINNON:
This incident is

a very strong reminder that
regulation is important

and safety is important.

And lives will be lost
in the absence of that.

And they're real lives.

It's not just, you know,
this imaginary figure

in your head of 300 people.

It's real people who suffer,
and continue to suffer

through all-- if it
hadn't been suffering,

it would have been our families.

[ominous music]

NARRATOR: This is by no
means the end of the story.

Investigators now
turn their attention

to the cockpit itself.

Wing cross feed, on.

ROBERT PICHE: On.

NARRATOR: When the crew
opened the cross feed valve

to transfer fuel from the
left wing tank to the right,

they lost 17 tons of fuel
in less than 30 minutes.

Yet, they failed to close
the cross feed valve

and prevent further loss.
- Mayday.

Mayday.
Mayday.

We have lost both engines
due to fuel starvation.

We are gliding now.

NARRATOR: In the days
after the incident,

Captain Robert Piché
and Dirk DeJager were

called before the
inquiry and asked

in detail about their actions.

In 2004, the investigators
issued a report

that cited pilot
error as contributing

to the near catastrophe.

Captain Piché believed
for a long time that

he was facing a computer error.

It was only when
the engines finally

stopped that he had to accept
that the fuel leak was genuine.

The technological complexity
of modern aircraft

can help to make them
safer and more reliable.

But it can also
lead to the problems

that nearly brought catastrophe
to Air Transat Flight 236.

Discrepancies in replacement
parts led to a fuel leak.

Distrust in computers led the
crew to misread the situation.

These errors combined to
have huge implications.

Only because air traffic
control initially sent the plane

60 miles south to
avoid congestion

was Flight 236 close
enough to the Azores

when the crisis struck.

Otherwise, it would have
had to ditch in the ocean.

After the accident, Airbus
modified its checklist

in the event of fuel imbalance.

From now on, the computer checks
all the fuel levels on board

against the flight plan.

It now gives a clear warning
if more fuel is being lost

than the engines can consume.

Rolls-Royce re-issued
a service bulletin

alerting all its clients
of the incompatibility

of the two very similar parts.

For the passengers
trapped on Flight 236,

the trauma has them
with mixed feelings.

All right.

I stabilized the speed.

DAVID LYNCH: This
accident wasn't--

wasn't caused by simply one
omission by any one individual,

as is typical of most
aircraft accidents.

There's a whole chain of
events-- a whole series of--

of events that lead to--

to the incident or
to the accident.

And this accident
was no different.

[engine roaring]

MARCO SCOCCO: Whatever
the circumstances are,

the pressure that he
was under is tremendous.

He got that plane down safely,
only blew out 8 of the 12

tires, and saved 300 people.

He saved 300 people's lives.

[suspenseful music]

Captain Piché saved our lives.

And whether or not
he made an error

or if there was a
failure of a computer,

it doesn't really matter
because we're alive.

Do I think he's a hero?

No.

Do I think he's a
hell of a pilot?

Yes.

MARCO SCOCCO: Thank god
the islands of the Azores

we're there and basically
saved our lives.

But if that fuel pump broke 2,
5 minutes beforehand, we'd-- we

would have ended up into--

into the water.

And I probably wouldn't
be here to tell the story.