1 00:00:03,036 --> 00:00:06,373 NARRATOR: At one of the busiest airfields on Earth... 2 00:00:06,439 --> 00:00:09,843 CPT. HASLER: Okay. He's clear. Let's get going. 3 00:00:09,909 --> 00:00:11,778 NARRATOR: ...a 747 cargo plane 4 00:00:11,845 --> 00:00:15,281 is transporting a load of military equipment. 5 00:00:15,348 --> 00:00:18,418 Within seconds, things go horribly wrong. 6 00:00:18,485 --> 00:00:19,652 CPT. HASLER: Get the nose down! 7 00:00:19,719 --> 00:00:20,887 FO. BROKAW: I'm trying! 8 00:00:20,954 --> 00:00:22,989 STEVEN: It completely foundered and stalled. 9 00:00:23,056 --> 00:00:25,959 I remember thinking he's lost all his engines. 10 00:00:27,594 --> 00:00:29,696 NARRATOR: The accident is caught on camera. 11 00:00:29,763 --> 00:00:31,498 TIM: Holy cow. There it is. 12 00:00:31,564 --> 00:00:32,565 NARRATOR: Leading investigators 13 00:00:32,632 --> 00:00:36,403 to what seems like an obvious conclusion. 14 00:00:36,469 --> 00:00:38,071 TIM: Looks like a problem with the cargo load. 15 00:00:38,138 --> 00:00:41,040 TIM: We really thought that we had the cause of the accident. 16 00:00:41,107 --> 00:00:44,110 But later we found out there was more to the story. 17 00:00:44,177 --> 00:00:46,579 NARRATOR: It takes one piece of overlooked evidence 18 00:00:46,646 --> 00:00:51,718 to tell investigators they were wrong. 19 00:00:51,785 --> 00:00:53,820 Flight attendant: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE ARE STARTING OUR APPROACH. 20 00:00:53,887 --> 00:00:55,088 Pilot: WE LOST BOTH ENGINES! 21 00:00:55,155 --> 00:00:56,356 Flight attendant: PUT THE MASK OVER YOUR NOSE. 22 00:00:56,423 --> 00:00:57,290 EMERGENCY DESCENT. 23 00:00:57,357 --> 00:00:58,358 Pilot: MAYDAY, MAYDAY. 24 00:00:58,425 --> 00:01:00,059 Flight attendant: BRACE FOR IMPACT! 25 00:01:00,126 --> 00:01:01,494 Controller: I THINK I LOST ONE. 26 00:01:01,561 --> 00:01:04,631 Man: INVESTIGATION STARTING INTO THIS TRAGEDY... 27 00:01:04,697 --> 00:01:06,199 Man: HE'S GONNA CRASH! 28 00:01:09,536 --> 00:01:17,076 ♪ 29 00:01:17,143 --> 00:01:20,547 NARRATOR: Bagram Airfield in northeastern Afghanistan. 30 00:01:20,613 --> 00:01:24,918 It's a hive of activity. 31 00:01:24,984 --> 00:01:28,054 FO. BROKAW: Bagram ground, ISAF nine-five-alpha-Quebec 32 00:01:28,121 --> 00:01:29,322 ready to taxi. 33 00:01:29,389 --> 00:01:31,024 NARRATOR: The crew of National Airlines Flight 102 34 00:01:31,090 --> 00:01:35,795 is on the last leg of a grueling shift. 35 00:01:35,862 --> 00:01:37,163 FO. BROKAW: The air is just billowing outta here. 36 00:01:37,230 --> 00:01:39,432 CPT. HASLER: Yeah. Sure is. 37 00:01:39,499 --> 00:01:43,603 NARRATOR: They're flying cargo in a converted Boeing 747 38 00:01:43,670 --> 00:01:49,042 and are parked on the tarmac waiting to depart. 39 00:01:49,108 --> 00:01:50,109 CPT. HASLER: Please tell the flight attendant 40 00:01:50,176 --> 00:01:52,512 I'm ready for my lobster dinner. 41 00:01:52,579 --> 00:01:53,713 FO. BROKAW: I think she's in First Class 42 00:01:53,780 --> 00:01:55,748 handing out caviar at the moment. 43 00:01:55,815 --> 00:01:58,117 DON: Joking and humor among air crews 44 00:01:58,184 --> 00:02:01,287 is probably more prevalent in times of stress 45 00:02:01,354 --> 00:02:06,259 when you get into these off-line unusual situations. 46 00:02:06,326 --> 00:02:09,229 NARRATOR: The crew members are all American. 47 00:02:09,295 --> 00:02:13,733 Captain Brad Hasler is heading home to his pregnant wife. 48 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,270 Beside him is First Officer Jamie Brokaw. 49 00:02:17,337 --> 00:02:20,673 Augment Captain Jeremy Lipka is in the jump seat. 50 00:02:20,740 --> 00:02:23,142 CPT. HASLER: Is Sheets back there? I haven't seen him. 51 00:02:23,209 --> 00:02:25,778 I hope he's in the back. 52 00:02:25,845 --> 00:02:28,448 AC. LIPKA: Yeah, he's back there. 53 00:02:28,515 --> 00:02:29,983 NARRATOR: In a cabin behind the cockpit 54 00:02:30,049 --> 00:02:33,286 is loadmaster Michael Sheets, along with two technicians 55 00:02:33,353 --> 00:02:36,489 and an augment first officer. 56 00:02:36,556 --> 00:02:38,825 With the additional pilots, the plane can be flown 57 00:02:38,892 --> 00:02:42,028 long distances non-stop. 58 00:02:42,095 --> 00:02:43,596 NARRATOR: The crew members are all civilians 59 00:02:43,663 --> 00:02:47,700 on contract for the US Department of Defense. 60 00:02:47,767 --> 00:02:50,003 The United States military and its allies 61 00:02:50,069 --> 00:02:52,639 built more than fifty bases across Afghanistan 62 00:02:52,705 --> 00:02:57,744 during the war there. Bagram was by far the biggest. 63 00:02:57,810 --> 00:03:01,180 STEVEN: It's got gyms and seven dining facilities 64 00:03:01,247 --> 00:03:06,786 of enormous sizes. It's got stores. It had a Burger King. 65 00:03:06,853 --> 00:03:10,990 NARRATOR: At its peak, more than 40,000 people lived here. 66 00:03:11,057 --> 00:03:13,059 Now, after twelve years of fighting, 67 00:03:13,126 --> 00:03:16,930 the military is scaling back their operation. 68 00:03:16,996 --> 00:03:21,968 Troops, weapons and heavy machinery are all on the move. 69 00:03:22,035 --> 00:03:25,338 Every day, air traffic control handles several hundred flights 70 00:03:25,405 --> 00:03:29,576 coming in and out of the airport. 71 00:03:29,642 --> 00:03:33,046 Today, National Airlines Flight 102 is just one piece 72 00:03:33,112 --> 00:03:35,548 of a hugely complex puzzle. 73 00:03:35,615 --> 00:03:39,218 ♪ 74 00:03:39,285 --> 00:03:41,721 The flight plan has taken it from Chateauroux, France, 75 00:03:41,788 --> 00:03:45,458 to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, where the crew loaded up 76 00:03:45,525 --> 00:03:48,728 207,000 pounds of cargo. 77 00:03:48,795 --> 00:03:52,231 They were supposed to take it straight to Dubai 78 00:03:52,298 --> 00:03:56,102 but were rerouted via Bagram. 79 00:03:56,169 --> 00:04:00,907 The crew has been waiting more than an hour to depart. 80 00:04:00,974 --> 00:04:02,241 AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Five Alpha Quebec, 81 00:04:02,308 --> 00:04:05,778 I have your clearance. Advise when ready to copy. 82 00:04:05,845 --> 00:04:07,113 CPT. HASLER: Yeah, let's do it. 83 00:04:07,180 --> 00:04:09,248 NARRATOR: Finally, they get clearance to go. 84 00:04:09,315 --> 00:04:11,517 FO. BROKAW: Ready to copy, Nine Five Alpha Quebec. 85 00:04:11,584 --> 00:04:12,919 AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Nine Five Alpha Quebec, 86 00:04:12,986 --> 00:04:15,154 taxi to runway three. 87 00:04:23,463 --> 00:04:25,131 NARRATOR: Controllers need to keep a sharp eye 88 00:04:25,198 --> 00:04:28,334 on the crowded taxiway that the 747 freighter shares 89 00:04:28,401 --> 00:04:32,238 with other military aircraft. 90 00:04:32,305 --> 00:04:34,607 AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Nine Five Alpha Quebec, 91 00:04:34,674 --> 00:04:39,612 give way to the C-17. 92 00:04:39,679 --> 00:04:42,415 CPT. HASLER: Let him go first. 93 00:04:42,482 --> 00:04:44,550 FO. BROKAW: Roger. We'll let him go first. 94 00:04:44,617 --> 00:04:47,553 NARRATOR: A C-17 military cargo plane moves to the runway 95 00:04:47,620 --> 00:04:51,457 ahead of them. 96 00:04:51,524 --> 00:04:55,528 Although the military effort is winding down in Afghanistan, 97 00:04:55,595 --> 00:05:00,066 this is not the kind of place a civilian wants to linger. 98 00:05:00,133 --> 00:05:03,503 Bagram is still a favorite target of the Taliban. 99 00:05:03,569 --> 00:05:08,174 STEVEN: It's a dangerous place. I mean, it's not JFK airport. 100 00:05:08,241 --> 00:05:12,245 It's JFK airport surrounded by terrorists. 101 00:05:12,311 --> 00:05:15,782 NARRATOR: For the crew of Flight 102, 102 00:05:15,848 --> 00:05:18,017 every delay means more risk. 103 00:05:18,084 --> 00:05:20,386 CPT. HASLER: Okay, he's clear. Let's get going. 104 00:05:20,453 --> 00:05:23,556 FO. BROKAW: Following the C-17 for Nine Five Alpha Quebec. 105 00:05:23,623 --> 00:05:32,398 ♪ 106 00:05:32,465 --> 00:05:35,134 Before-takeoff checklist. Flaps? 107 00:05:35,201 --> 00:05:37,637 CPT. HASLER: Ten, ten, checked. 108 00:05:37,704 --> 00:05:39,706 DON: You're certainly thinking: 109 00:05:39,772 --> 00:05:43,342 What do I do if somebody started firing at us on the ground? 110 00:05:43,409 --> 00:05:45,378 Well, that's a great deal of mental pressure. 111 00:05:45,445 --> 00:05:48,915 NARRATOR: The C-17 ahead has cleared the runway. 112 00:05:48,981 --> 00:05:50,383 CPT. HASLER: How are we looking on that wing? 113 00:05:50,450 --> 00:05:52,151 Everything look clear? 114 00:05:52,218 --> 00:05:53,619 FO. BROKAW: Everything's great. 115 00:05:53,686 --> 00:05:55,588 CPT. HASLER: We all happy with that? 116 00:05:55,655 --> 00:05:57,356 FO. BROKAW: Yeah, I'm good. 117 00:05:57,423 --> 00:05:59,826 NARRATOR: They must now wait for takeoff clearance. 118 00:05:59,892 --> 00:06:03,663 They've been on duty for more than twenty straight hours. 119 00:06:03,730 --> 00:06:07,300 Once in Dubai, they'll get a rest break. 120 00:06:07,366 --> 00:06:11,304 CPT. HASLER: We earned it as far as I'm concerned, man. 121 00:06:11,370 --> 00:06:15,641 Without minimum rest, I'd be dead tomorrow. 122 00:06:15,708 --> 00:06:17,543 FO. BROKAW: I think I'd have to agree with that sentiment. 123 00:06:17,610 --> 00:06:19,078 DON: It's a real stress situation. 124 00:06:19,145 --> 00:06:22,849 They were rightfully ready for their day to be over. 125 00:06:22,915 --> 00:06:26,619 NARRATOR: Finally, at 3:25 pm, they are cleared for takeoff. 126 00:06:26,686 --> 00:06:28,187 AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Nine Five Alpha Quebec, 127 00:06:28,254 --> 00:06:31,057 runway three full length. 128 00:06:31,124 --> 00:06:32,959 CPT. HASLER: Runway three is verified. 129 00:06:33,025 --> 00:06:34,527 FO. BROKAW: Prepare for departure. 130 00:06:34,594 --> 00:06:36,062 NARRATOR: The first officer is at the controls 131 00:06:36,129 --> 00:06:37,930 for this final leg. 132 00:06:37,997 --> 00:06:43,936 They're scheduled to arrive in Dubai in two and a half hours. 133 00:06:44,003 --> 00:06:46,539 DON: When you've been in a long delay situation, when 134 00:06:46,606 --> 00:06:49,909 you finally get the clearance to go, 135 00:06:49,976 --> 00:06:53,613 it's a great relief. 136 00:06:53,679 --> 00:06:55,748 NARRATOR: At that same moment, 137 00:06:55,815 --> 00:06:57,650 military journalist Steven Hartov 138 00:06:57,717 --> 00:07:00,853 is on the base's perimeter road, returning from 139 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:05,825 a day's work taking photographs for a magazine. 140 00:07:05,892 --> 00:07:08,461 STEVEN: We decided we were gonna go get something to eat 141 00:07:08,528 --> 00:07:11,063 and I saw off to the left of the truck 142 00:07:11,130 --> 00:07:14,867 a white and purple 747. 143 00:07:14,934 --> 00:07:16,736 And I remember thinking, this is a beautiful airplane, 144 00:07:16,803 --> 00:07:19,605 because it looked brand new. 145 00:07:19,672 --> 00:07:22,809 CPT. HASLER: V-1. Rotate. 146 00:07:22,875 --> 00:07:28,114 Positive climb. 147 00:07:28,181 --> 00:07:32,985 FO. BROKAW: Gear up. CPT. HASLER: Gear up. 148 00:07:33,052 --> 00:07:35,421 STEVEN: He pulled away from us and started to rotate 149 00:07:35,488 --> 00:07:40,893 and in this case there was something immediately not right. 150 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:43,496 NARRATOR: The climb is unusually steep. 151 00:07:43,563 --> 00:07:45,298 STEVEN: What's going on with that aircraft? 152 00:07:45,364 --> 00:07:47,767 STEVEN: It was almost stuttering in the air. 153 00:07:47,834 --> 00:07:49,435 And I immediately said to Chris, 154 00:07:49,502 --> 00:07:51,737 what's going on with that aircraft? Is he taking fire? 155 00:07:51,804 --> 00:07:57,043 ♪ 156 00:07:57,109 --> 00:08:01,981 CPT. HASLER: Keep on that! Get the nose down! 157 00:08:02,048 --> 00:08:03,716 FO. BROKAW: I'm trying! 158 00:08:03,783 --> 00:08:06,085 NARRATOR: The plane is suddenly uncontrollable. 159 00:08:06,152 --> 00:08:09,055 The nose won't drop. 160 00:08:09,121 --> 00:08:11,557 CPT. HASLER: My airplane! 161 00:08:11,624 --> 00:08:12,859 NARRATOR: In a matter of seconds, 162 00:08:12,925 --> 00:08:15,228 the crew is in emergency mode. 163 00:08:15,294 --> 00:08:18,965 If they can't get the nose down fast, the plane will stall. 164 00:08:23,703 --> 00:08:25,271 DON: They're not very high above the ground, 165 00:08:25,338 --> 00:08:28,507 therefore don't have very much time to try very many things. 166 00:08:28,574 --> 00:08:31,077 AUTOMATION: Bank angle. Bank angle. 167 00:08:31,143 --> 00:08:34,513 Bank angle. 168 00:08:34,580 --> 00:08:38,184 NARRATOR: For a moment, the plane hangs in the air, suspended. 169 00:08:38,251 --> 00:08:42,021 STEVEN: And then the aircraft seemed to sort of careen 170 00:08:42,088 --> 00:08:45,358 in our direction. 171 00:08:45,424 --> 00:08:48,427 Now you're looking at a big 747 coming at ya. 172 00:08:48,494 --> 00:08:49,528 STEVEN: Stop the car. 173 00:08:49,595 --> 00:08:54,800 ♪ 174 00:08:54,867 --> 00:08:57,403 STEVEN: And then it completely foundered and stalled, 175 00:08:57,470 --> 00:09:02,041 and I remember thinking, he's lost all his engines. 176 00:09:02,108 --> 00:09:05,544 AUTOMATION: Don't sink. Don't sink. 177 00:09:05,611 --> 00:09:10,449 STEVEN: And in very slow motion it just went straight down 178 00:09:10,516 --> 00:09:13,185 and pancaked into the ground. 179 00:09:15,855 --> 00:09:18,424 The explosion was enormous. 180 00:09:18,491 --> 00:09:21,360 It was a mushroom cloud like a small atom bomb. It was huge. 181 00:09:21,427 --> 00:09:23,062 The entire base, you know, 182 00:09:23,129 --> 00:09:28,935 thundered under our feet. 183 00:09:29,001 --> 00:09:30,836 NARRATOR: The controller also watches helplessly 184 00:09:30,903 --> 00:09:33,539 as the aircraft comes down. 185 00:09:33,606 --> 00:09:36,208 It is the worst civilian aviation accident ever 186 00:09:36,275 --> 00:09:38,444 at Bagram Airfield. 187 00:09:38,511 --> 00:09:40,613 STEVEN: And I just pulled a camera out with the lens 188 00:09:40,680 --> 00:09:44,517 and just shot some pictures. 189 00:09:44,583 --> 00:09:50,523 Instinct, you know, trigger instinct. 190 00:09:50,589 --> 00:09:54,193 Watching those people die was tough. It was tough. 191 00:10:02,268 --> 00:10:04,704 I still think about it. 192 00:10:04,770 --> 00:10:08,841 Sometimes I wake up thinking about it. 193 00:10:08,908 --> 00:10:12,678 NARRATOR: Has a US cargo plane been shot down? 194 00:10:12,745 --> 00:10:19,752 The safety of thousands of people now hinges on the answer. 195 00:10:19,819 --> 00:10:21,120 NEWS ANCHOR (Archive): Today officials identified 196 00:10:21,187 --> 00:10:24,190 seven Americans killed Monday in the crash of a cargo plane 197 00:10:24,256 --> 00:10:25,558 in Afghanistan. 198 00:10:25,624 --> 00:10:28,027 NARRATOR: National Airlines Flight 102 crashed 199 00:10:28,094 --> 00:10:33,466 at America's biggest Air Force base in Afghanistan. 200 00:10:33,532 --> 00:10:36,102 Remarkably, no one on the ground was hit, 201 00:10:36,168 --> 00:10:39,772 but the entire flight crew is dead. 202 00:10:39,839 --> 00:10:41,540 STEVEN: You think about these poor seven people 203 00:10:41,607 --> 00:10:46,712 who were there on a contract job, you know, never went home. 204 00:10:46,779 --> 00:10:50,282 DON: The loss of life is tragic under any circumstance, 205 00:10:50,349 --> 00:10:53,219 but when it's a fellow pilot it's, 206 00:10:53,285 --> 00:10:59,191 it's, it's really hard to deal with. 207 00:10:59,258 --> 00:11:02,395 NARRATOR: Within hours, the Taliban claims responsibility. 208 00:11:06,665 --> 00:11:07,700 ♪ 209 00:11:07,767 --> 00:11:09,769 Amid the specter of a terrorist attack, 210 00:11:09,835 --> 00:11:13,305 the NTSB is assigned to lead the US investigation. 211 00:11:13,372 --> 00:11:17,777 ♪ 212 00:11:17,843 --> 00:11:19,745 TIM: Although it wasn't ideal, it was one of those things 213 00:11:19,812 --> 00:11:24,283 that we had a job to do, and so let's go get it done. 214 00:11:24,350 --> 00:11:28,754 NARRATOR: Tim LeBaron heads up the team of five investigators. 215 00:11:28,821 --> 00:11:30,556 TIM: This investigation was a lot different 216 00:11:30,623 --> 00:11:33,292 because we were flying into a war zone. 217 00:11:33,359 --> 00:11:35,661 When we first got there, we were given bulletproof vests 218 00:11:35,728 --> 00:11:39,765 and Kevlar helmets to wear into the accident site. 219 00:11:39,832 --> 00:11:41,700 NARRATOR: As this is an American base, 220 00:11:41,767 --> 00:11:45,905 the civilian NTSB will have to work closely with the military. 221 00:11:45,971 --> 00:11:48,140 TIM: So what have you got for me? 222 00:11:48,207 --> 00:11:49,942 NARRATOR: A military sweep of the crash site 223 00:11:50,009 --> 00:11:53,045 has already turned up the black boxes. 224 00:11:53,112 --> 00:11:55,815 TIM: The US military had found the flight data recorder 225 00:11:55,881 --> 00:11:58,417 and the cockpit voice recorder before we arrived 226 00:11:58,484 --> 00:12:00,419 and had sent them back to the United States 227 00:12:00,486 --> 00:12:02,154 to the NTSB laboratory, 228 00:12:02,221 --> 00:12:04,557 and so we were very hopeful that we would get good information 229 00:12:04,623 --> 00:12:06,959 from those recorders that would help explain 230 00:12:07,026 --> 00:12:09,128 why the airplane had crashed. 231 00:12:09,195 --> 00:12:10,863 TIM: Is there a report for me? 232 00:12:10,930 --> 00:12:13,299 NARRATOR: But there's another surprising piece of news. 233 00:12:13,365 --> 00:12:16,569 The sweep has uncovered no evidence of a missile attack. 234 00:12:16,635 --> 00:12:18,304 TIM: You're sure? 235 00:12:18,370 --> 00:12:21,574 NARRATOR: The Taliban claim was purely opportunistic. 236 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:23,242 TIM: Let's see what we have here, okay? 237 00:12:23,309 --> 00:12:24,610 NARRATOR: With the most obvious explanation 238 00:12:24,677 --> 00:12:29,215 for the crash eliminated, the team must now take a new look 239 00:12:29,281 --> 00:12:31,817 at the wreckage. 240 00:12:31,884 --> 00:12:34,186 BRIAN: The damage to this aircraft was 241 00:12:34,253 --> 00:12:37,590 some of the most extensive fire damage I've had to work with 242 00:12:37,656 --> 00:12:39,458 in my career. 243 00:12:39,525 --> 00:12:44,330 So we really didn't have much to work with. 244 00:12:44,396 --> 00:12:45,998 NARRATOR: Seventy-five percent of the plane 245 00:12:46,065 --> 00:12:51,537 has been consumed by fire or destroyed by impact forces. 246 00:12:51,604 --> 00:12:56,942 But the crucial tail section is still almost intact. 247 00:12:57,009 --> 00:13:00,112 The tail wings hold the plane's flight control surfaces, 248 00:13:00,179 --> 00:13:02,982 including the all-important elevators, 249 00:13:03,048 --> 00:13:07,052 which the pilots move up or down to control the plane's pitch. 250 00:13:07,119 --> 00:13:12,158 And pitch was a problem from the start of Flight 102. 251 00:13:12,224 --> 00:13:14,360 BRIAN: We had that structure remaining, 252 00:13:14,426 --> 00:13:18,230 so we did have something of value to look at 253 00:13:18,297 --> 00:13:22,601 with regards to a possible scenario for the accident. 254 00:13:22,668 --> 00:13:25,404 NARRATOR: They take a close look at the tail wing mechanics. 255 00:13:25,471 --> 00:13:28,774 TIM: We looked at the hydraulic actuators for the elevators 256 00:13:28,841 --> 00:13:32,645 and really couldn't find any problems with that. 257 00:13:32,711 --> 00:13:36,649 TIM: So everything seems to check out. No problem here. 258 00:13:36,715 --> 00:13:39,385 Why couldn't those guys get that nose down? 259 00:13:39,451 --> 00:13:41,320 NARRATOR: If the flight controls were working, 260 00:13:41,387 --> 00:13:47,159 then something else must have made the plane uncontrollable. 261 00:13:47,226 --> 00:13:49,695 ♪ 262 00:13:49,762 --> 00:13:53,499 Every last scrap of evidence is collected, including 263 00:13:53,566 --> 00:13:56,268 a number of unidentified parts found on the runway 264 00:13:56,335 --> 00:14:00,306 more than a mile from the crash site. 265 00:14:00,372 --> 00:14:03,909 TIM: Anybody know what this is? Let's find out. 266 00:14:03,976 --> 00:14:07,213 TIM: Our team was in Afghanistan one time and one time only. 267 00:14:07,279 --> 00:14:08,948 So it was very important for our team 268 00:14:09,014 --> 00:14:11,483 that we document what we could, find what we could, 269 00:14:11,550 --> 00:14:13,786 because we knew that we'd never be able to return 270 00:14:13,852 --> 00:14:15,487 and see the wreckage again. 271 00:14:15,554 --> 00:14:18,224 TIM: Let's get those photos to Boeing right away. 272 00:14:18,290 --> 00:14:20,025 NARRATOR: The pieces of wreckage will be sent 273 00:14:20,092 --> 00:14:21,894 to the United States, where the manufacturer 274 00:14:21,961 --> 00:14:23,796 will have to identify them. 275 00:14:23,862 --> 00:14:28,500 ♪ 276 00:14:28,567 --> 00:14:31,437 With all the evidence now collected from the crash site, 277 00:14:31,503 --> 00:14:34,907 investigators move their operations indoors. 278 00:14:34,974 --> 00:14:36,842 TIM: Our headquarters was in the basement 279 00:14:36,909 --> 00:14:38,510 of an old control tower. 280 00:14:38,577 --> 00:14:41,046 TIM: Okay. Let's clean this place up. Okay. I'll set up there. 281 00:14:41,113 --> 00:14:43,015 TIM: Yeah, there really was no workspace down there. 282 00:14:43,082 --> 00:14:45,417 There were a bunch of computers. 283 00:14:45,484 --> 00:14:48,053 There were signs that warned of asbestos. 284 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:52,958 And it was a pretty rough environment. 285 00:14:53,025 --> 00:14:54,260 NARRATOR: As they are settling into 286 00:14:54,326 --> 00:14:56,829 their temporary headquarters, a video of the accident 287 00:14:56,895 --> 00:15:00,399 appears on the Internet. 288 00:15:00,466 --> 00:15:04,236 TIM: Holy cow. There it is. 289 00:15:04,303 --> 00:15:06,805 ♪ 290 00:15:06,872 --> 00:15:09,775 NARRATOR: Shot from an unknown vehicle on the perimeter road, 291 00:15:09,842 --> 00:15:12,778 it reveals a huge clue about the plane's erratic climb 292 00:15:12,845 --> 00:15:14,513 and fall. 293 00:15:14,580 --> 00:15:19,585 ♪ 294 00:15:19,652 --> 00:15:21,954 TIM: Looks like a problem with the cargo load. 295 00:15:22,021 --> 00:15:23,589 NARRATOR: The aircraft's movement in the video 296 00:15:23,656 --> 00:15:26,925 suggests it was carrying too much weight 297 00:15:26,992 --> 00:15:29,928 and that the load threw the plane off balance. 298 00:15:29,995 --> 00:15:33,065 BRIAN: The weight is very important in a cargo accident 299 00:15:33,132 --> 00:15:35,434 more so than a passenger accident per se 300 00:15:35,501 --> 00:15:38,871 because passengers have assigned weights. It's very standard. 301 00:15:38,937 --> 00:15:41,006 There's much more room, 302 00:15:41,073 --> 00:15:45,411 margin of error to work with passenger weights and baggage 303 00:15:45,477 --> 00:15:47,846 than when you're flying cargo. 304 00:15:47,913 --> 00:15:49,948 NARRATOR: A 747 freighter plane can carry 305 00:15:50,015 --> 00:15:52,818 just about any type of load. 306 00:15:52,885 --> 00:15:55,387 It is the cargo company's responsibility to ensure 307 00:15:55,454 --> 00:15:57,856 that the aircraft is not overweight. 308 00:15:57,923 --> 00:16:01,026 DON: I've heard it frequently in the cargo business 309 00:16:01,093 --> 00:16:03,862 about you call, we haul, and sometimes the crew knows 310 00:16:03,929 --> 00:16:05,597 in advance what they're gonna be doing. 311 00:16:05,664 --> 00:16:08,901 And sometimes it's all last-minute. 312 00:16:08,967 --> 00:16:10,536 BRIAN: Some of the early questions were, you know, 313 00:16:10,602 --> 00:16:14,707 what was the cargo in the airplane? Was it full? 314 00:16:14,773 --> 00:16:17,042 How heavy was the cargo? 315 00:16:17,109 --> 00:16:19,345 NARRATOR: By examining the cargo manifest, 316 00:16:19,411 --> 00:16:21,880 investigators discover that the plane was carrying 317 00:16:21,947 --> 00:16:26,885 an unusual load: armored vehicles called MRAPs, 318 00:16:26,952 --> 00:16:31,690 or Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. 319 00:16:31,757 --> 00:16:36,829 These massive, heavily armored cars can sustain roadside bombs. 320 00:16:36,895 --> 00:16:38,797 They even have bulletproof wheels. 321 00:16:38,864 --> 00:16:40,866 DON: The crew had never flown these type of vehicles 322 00:16:40,933 --> 00:16:42,234 in this charter. 323 00:16:42,301 --> 00:16:44,937 In fact, the airline had not carried these kind of vehicles 324 00:16:45,003 --> 00:16:47,973 that were loaded on the airplane. 325 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:50,342 NARRATOR: The plane was carrying five MRAPs 326 00:16:50,409 --> 00:16:53,245 weighing between twelve and eighteen tons. 327 00:16:53,312 --> 00:16:56,215 Each vehicle was chained to a custom-built pallet 328 00:16:56,281 --> 00:17:00,652 and secured with straps to the plane's main deck. 329 00:17:00,719 --> 00:17:03,822 BRIAN: The cargo in this particular case was very heavy. 330 00:17:03,889 --> 00:17:05,023 It was the first time they'd ever flown 331 00:17:05,090 --> 00:17:07,893 five vehicles this heavy. 332 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:09,261 FO. BROKAW: Ready to put some numbers in there? 333 00:17:09,328 --> 00:17:11,096 CPT. HASLER: Yeah. Go ahead. 334 00:17:11,163 --> 00:17:12,898 NARRATOR: The crew landed at Bagram Air Base 335 00:17:12,965 --> 00:17:17,536 with a full cargo load of 207,000 pounds. 336 00:17:17,603 --> 00:17:19,972 Then they refueled, increasing the fuel load 337 00:17:20,038 --> 00:17:22,708 to 106,000 pounds. 338 00:17:22,775 --> 00:17:26,645 FO. BROKAW: Zero fuel weight is 2-5-9-2. 339 00:17:26,712 --> 00:17:28,046 ♪ 340 00:17:28,113 --> 00:17:30,015 NARRATOR: Investigators calculate the precise weight 341 00:17:30,082 --> 00:17:32,151 being carried. 342 00:17:32,217 --> 00:17:35,454 TIM: Max takeoff weight is 870,000 pounds. 343 00:17:35,521 --> 00:17:39,825 We have 207,000 pounds of cargo, plus fuel. 344 00:17:39,892 --> 00:17:40,926 NARRATOR: They learn that 345 00:17:40,993 --> 00:17:42,928 even with the heavy cargo and fuel load, 346 00:17:42,995 --> 00:17:45,497 the plane was not overweight. 347 00:17:45,564 --> 00:17:51,103 It was almost 200,000 pounds under the safe limit. 348 00:17:51,170 --> 00:17:52,771 TIM: Weight was definitely not an issue. 349 00:17:52,838 --> 00:17:54,373 NARRATOR: Something else must have brought 350 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:59,678 the 747 cargo plane down. 351 00:17:59,745 --> 00:18:01,146 ♪ 352 00:18:01,213 --> 00:18:03,315 NARRATOR: Even if the weight of the cargo was not responsible 353 00:18:03,382 --> 00:18:07,252 for the crash of Flight 102, the balance of the load 354 00:18:07,319 --> 00:18:08,754 could be the problem. 355 00:18:08,821 --> 00:18:12,658 DON: If the aircraft is loaded from the outset out of balance, 356 00:18:12,724 --> 00:18:15,594 then that affects the performance of the airplane. 357 00:18:15,661 --> 00:18:17,396 TIM: Bring up the schematics. 358 00:18:17,463 --> 00:18:19,865 NARRATOR: Investigators map out the placement of the MRAPs 359 00:18:19,932 --> 00:18:23,235 in the hold to study the balance of the load. 360 00:18:23,302 --> 00:18:25,037 TIM: Fill it with our cargo. 361 00:18:25,103 --> 00:18:27,639 NARRATOR: Three MRAPs weigh 18 tons each. 362 00:18:27,706 --> 00:18:32,611 On the ends are similar versions that weigh 12 tons apiece. 363 00:18:32,678 --> 00:18:34,546 TIM: The center of gravity with their vehicles in position 364 00:18:34,613 --> 00:18:37,349 looks like 30.4 percent. 365 00:18:37,416 --> 00:18:39,017 NARRATOR: After a few calculations, 366 00:18:39,084 --> 00:18:41,453 they determine the balance of the load. 367 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:43,689 TIM: The airplane actually could carry the weight 368 00:18:43,755 --> 00:18:48,026 and, as loaded, was within the center of gravity. 369 00:18:48,093 --> 00:18:49,695 NARRATOR: It's a puzzling assessment. 370 00:18:49,761 --> 00:18:51,597 But there's another possibility. 371 00:18:51,663 --> 00:18:54,299 Even if the load was balanced before takeoff, 372 00:18:54,366 --> 00:18:58,704 it could have shifted as the plane was lifting off. 373 00:18:58,770 --> 00:19:01,640 The focus now turns to the loading procedures. 374 00:19:01,707 --> 00:19:06,478 Specifically, were the MRAPs properly secured? 375 00:19:06,545 --> 00:19:09,481 Standard cargo containers are locked into a hardware system 376 00:19:09,548 --> 00:19:14,052 built on tracks in the floor. 377 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:16,989 But oddly shaped oversized cargo, like the MRAPs, 378 00:19:17,055 --> 00:19:18,991 can't use these locks. 379 00:19:19,057 --> 00:19:21,894 Heavy nylon straps are secured to tie-down points 380 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:24,162 around the hold. 381 00:19:24,229 --> 00:19:26,331 BRIAN: What became critical to me was the process 382 00:19:26,398 --> 00:19:29,134 of calculating the number of straps necessary 383 00:19:29,201 --> 00:19:31,637 to restrain these five vehicles. 384 00:19:31,703 --> 00:19:33,238 NARRATOR: The loadmaster on board the plane 385 00:19:33,305 --> 00:19:36,074 used a National Airlines manual to calculate 386 00:19:36,141 --> 00:19:41,046 how many straps were needed to secure the vehicles. 387 00:19:41,113 --> 00:19:43,248 BRIAN: Based on their cargo operations manual, 388 00:19:43,315 --> 00:19:46,084 the numbers were determined to be 24 straps 389 00:19:46,151 --> 00:19:48,654 for the 28,000-pound MATVs 390 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:53,659 and 26 straps for the three 40,000-pound Cougars. 391 00:19:53,725 --> 00:19:57,796 And seeing his rationale for calculating those numbers, 392 00:19:57,863 --> 00:20:00,632 all seemed to make sense to me. 393 00:20:00,699 --> 00:20:03,368 NARRATOR: Despite the appearance of the dash cam video, 394 00:20:03,435 --> 00:20:07,439 analysis has shown that the plane was not overweight, 395 00:20:07,506 --> 00:20:10,108 it was properly balanced, and the load was secured 396 00:20:10,175 --> 00:20:14,046 according to company standards. 397 00:20:14,112 --> 00:20:16,748 Investigators need to find out what was going on 398 00:20:16,815 --> 00:20:18,584 inside the plane. 399 00:20:18,650 --> 00:20:23,322 Information from the black boxes will be crucial. 400 00:20:23,388 --> 00:20:24,289 CPT. HASLER: My airplane! 401 00:20:24,356 --> 00:20:25,924 TIM: Flight data recorders record 402 00:20:25,991 --> 00:20:28,093 what the elevator and the ailerons 403 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,228 and what the control pitches are doing. 404 00:20:30,295 --> 00:20:32,698 And so we were very hopeful that we would get good information 405 00:20:32,764 --> 00:20:34,967 from those recorders that would help explain 406 00:20:35,033 --> 00:20:37,603 why the airplane had crashed. 407 00:20:37,669 --> 00:20:38,937 TIM: Hello? 408 00:20:39,004 --> 00:20:40,739 NARRATOR: A call comes in from the NTSB's head office 409 00:20:40,806 --> 00:20:43,141 in Washington, D.C. 410 00:20:43,208 --> 00:20:46,445 TIM: Hey. You have the readouts? 411 00:20:46,511 --> 00:20:48,647 NARRATOR: The black box data is in. 412 00:20:48,714 --> 00:20:49,715 TIM: That's great! 413 00:20:49,781 --> 00:20:51,617 NARRATOR: But there's a problem. 414 00:20:51,683 --> 00:20:52,818 TIM: Really? 415 00:20:52,884 --> 00:20:54,920 TIM: I got a call from our director, John DeLisi. 416 00:20:54,987 --> 00:20:57,689 And he informed me that unfortunately the flight data 417 00:20:57,756 --> 00:21:01,259 recorder and the cockpit voice recorder had quit working 418 00:21:01,326 --> 00:21:03,128 shortly after takeoff. 419 00:21:03,195 --> 00:21:06,064 NARRATOR: Things started to go wrong shortly after liftoff, 420 00:21:06,131 --> 00:21:09,167 known as the point of rotation, but this is precisely 421 00:21:09,234 --> 00:21:13,405 the moment when the black boxes stopped recording. 422 00:21:13,472 --> 00:21:16,208 TIM: Having the FDR, CVR after the point of rotation 423 00:21:16,274 --> 00:21:19,578 would have been very helpful. We had none of that information. 424 00:21:19,645 --> 00:21:21,213 TIM: Thank you. 425 00:21:21,279 --> 00:21:24,516 TIM: We really had to revert back to old methods 426 00:21:24,583 --> 00:21:28,320 of investigating. So I call it old-school methods. 427 00:21:31,223 --> 00:21:33,759 NARRATOR: Investigators decide to contact eyewitnesses 428 00:21:33,825 --> 00:21:37,062 who might have seen the plane take off. 429 00:21:37,129 --> 00:21:39,564 TIM: Okay. What else did you see? 430 00:21:39,631 --> 00:21:40,999 NARRATOR: On a base of this size, 431 00:21:41,066 --> 00:21:42,801 there may be thousands of people who could provide 432 00:21:42,868 --> 00:21:45,604 potential clues. 433 00:21:45,671 --> 00:21:47,239 TIM: All right, well, thanks very much. 434 00:21:47,305 --> 00:21:50,275 TIM: You need really to interview many different witnesses 435 00:21:50,342 --> 00:21:53,512 and listen for the common thread that's the same 436 00:21:53,578 --> 00:21:55,447 through all of the witness statements. 437 00:21:55,514 --> 00:21:57,716 TIM: Sorry. What did you see? 438 00:21:57,783 --> 00:22:00,485 NARRATOR: One witness reports an unusual sight. 439 00:22:00,552 --> 00:22:03,588 A runway sweeper is sure he saw puffs of smoke 440 00:22:03,655 --> 00:22:07,559 trailing behind the airplane after liftoff. 441 00:22:07,626 --> 00:22:10,862 TIM: And it wasn't coming off the wings or out of the engines? 442 00:22:10,929 --> 00:22:12,831 NARRATOR: His testimony raises the possibility 443 00:22:12,898 --> 00:22:18,704 that a fire inside the plane may have caused the crash. 444 00:22:18,770 --> 00:22:20,072 ♪ 445 00:22:20,138 --> 00:22:23,942 If a fire had started inside the cargo hold during liftoff, 446 00:22:24,009 --> 00:22:26,278 there would be evidence of this on the pieces of wreckage 447 00:22:26,344 --> 00:22:29,414 from the interior of the plane. 448 00:22:29,481 --> 00:22:31,883 TIM: The interesting thing was, the tail portion, 449 00:22:31,950 --> 00:22:35,220 the aft pressure bulkhead, which is white in its color, 450 00:22:35,287 --> 00:22:37,089 did not have any evidence to support 451 00:22:37,155 --> 00:22:40,459 that we had a fire on board the airplane before the impact. 452 00:22:40,525 --> 00:22:43,028 TIM: There's no sign of any smoke residue. 453 00:22:43,095 --> 00:22:46,498 There couldn't have been a fire on board. 454 00:22:46,565 --> 00:22:52,070 NARRATOR: Investigators are at another impasse. 455 00:22:52,137 --> 00:22:54,973 They still have no hard evidence about the final fatal moments 456 00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:59,544 of Flight 102. 457 00:22:59,611 --> 00:23:01,279 TIM: When you go to an accident scene 458 00:23:01,346 --> 00:23:03,482 where everything appears to be burned up 459 00:23:03,548 --> 00:23:05,217 and there's not a lot left, 460 00:23:05,283 --> 00:23:08,620 how in the world can you do an investigation? 461 00:23:08,687 --> 00:23:12,491 One thing for sure is there's always evidence. 462 00:23:12,557 --> 00:23:14,860 TIM: Bring up the CVR. Stand by. 463 00:23:14,926 --> 00:23:16,228 NARRATOR: In a search for answers, 464 00:23:16,294 --> 00:23:20,432 investigators turn to the cockpit voice recorder. 465 00:23:20,499 --> 00:23:23,802 It cut out just three seconds after liftoff. 466 00:23:23,869 --> 00:23:26,438 But it was recording during the crew's hour-long wait 467 00:23:26,505 --> 00:23:27,739 on the tarmac. 468 00:23:27,806 --> 00:23:29,508 TIM: What the heck. Let's hear the whole two hours. 469 00:23:29,574 --> 00:23:33,111 There might be something there. 470 00:23:33,178 --> 00:23:34,112 FO. BROKAW: There's your trouble, Brad. 471 00:23:34,179 --> 00:23:35,113 CPT. HASLER: What is it? 472 00:23:35,180 --> 00:23:36,148 TIM: Sounds like the first officer 473 00:23:36,214 --> 00:23:38,383 is showing something to the captain. 474 00:23:38,450 --> 00:23:40,886 FO. BROKAW: There's your trouble, Brad. 475 00:23:40,952 --> 00:23:41,987 CPT. HASLER: What is it? 476 00:23:42,053 --> 00:23:43,622 FO. BROKAW: One of the damn straps is busted. 477 00:23:43,688 --> 00:23:45,490 TIM: Pause it there. 478 00:23:45,557 --> 00:23:47,692 NARRATOR: The CVR suggests the first officer 479 00:23:47,759 --> 00:23:52,130 found a broken strap inside the cargo hold. 480 00:23:52,197 --> 00:23:53,732 TIM: Play. 481 00:23:53,799 --> 00:23:54,866 CPT. HASLER: So are you gonna be throwing more straps on that thing? 482 00:23:54,933 --> 00:23:57,102 FO. BROKAW: Well, it just shifted apparently. 483 00:23:57,169 --> 00:23:58,403 CPT. HASLER: Did the truck move? 484 00:23:58,470 --> 00:24:00,238 FO. BROKAW: Yeah. I just tightened up on the straps. 485 00:24:00,305 --> 00:24:02,908 TIM: Holy crap. One of those things actually moved? 486 00:24:02,974 --> 00:24:04,576 TIM: So we're hearing the crew talk about 487 00:24:04,643 --> 00:24:09,181 that the load had shifted, also that a strap had broken. 488 00:24:09,247 --> 00:24:10,982 Definitely piqued our interest. 489 00:24:11,049 --> 00:24:12,617 TIM: Go again. FO. BROKAW: All the straps 490 00:24:12,684 --> 00:24:15,520 that were keeping them from moving backwards were loose. 491 00:24:15,587 --> 00:24:16,788 TIM: Those things shouldn't budge an inch. 492 00:24:16,855 --> 00:24:18,990 NARRATOR: Despite investigators' earlier conclusion 493 00:24:19,057 --> 00:24:21,293 that the heavy load was properly secured 494 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:24,796 and therefore could not shift, the CVR recording indicates 495 00:24:24,863 --> 00:24:26,398 that the opposite was true. 496 00:24:26,464 --> 00:24:27,899 TIM: So from that information we know 497 00:24:27,966 --> 00:24:30,502 that they had a load shift when they came in and landed, 498 00:24:30,569 --> 00:24:33,271 and that was very important to us in our investigation. 499 00:24:33,338 --> 00:24:34,639 FO. BROKAW: All the straps that were keeping them 500 00:24:34,706 --> 00:24:36,942 from moving backwards were loose. 501 00:24:37,008 --> 00:24:38,443 AC. LIPKA: What the hell do you think's gonna happen 502 00:24:38,510 --> 00:24:41,279 when you slam it on the runway, slam on the brakes 503 00:24:41,346 --> 00:24:42,581 and don't use reverse? 504 00:24:42,647 --> 00:24:43,949 FO. BROKAW: Well, there ain't nothing you coulda done 505 00:24:44,015 --> 00:24:45,217 about that. 506 00:24:45,283 --> 00:24:48,320 AC. LIPKA: I'm getting off this plane. I'm scared! 507 00:24:48,386 --> 00:24:50,422 TIM: They have no idea how serious this really is. 508 00:24:50,488 --> 00:24:53,425 DON: Really the crew is not trained or equipped 509 00:24:53,491 --> 00:24:58,530 to actually be involved in knowing whether the restraints 510 00:24:58,597 --> 00:25:00,298 are proper for the load. 511 00:25:00,365 --> 00:25:02,868 CPT. HASLER: I hope instead of just replacing that strap 512 00:25:02,934 --> 00:25:04,703 he's beefing the strap up more. 513 00:25:04,769 --> 00:25:06,972 FO. BROKAW: Yeah, he's cinching them all down. 514 00:25:07,038 --> 00:25:12,444 TIM: Stop. "He" would be Loadmaster Michael Sheets. 515 00:25:12,510 --> 00:25:14,546 DON: The loadmaster in a cargo operation 516 00:25:14,613 --> 00:25:19,251 is the one that's responsible for the security of the load. 517 00:25:19,317 --> 00:25:21,887 So everyone is depending upon them. 518 00:25:21,953 --> 00:25:23,521 CPT. HASLER: What's up, dude? 519 00:25:23,588 --> 00:25:25,290 FO. BROKAW: Did you throw that other strap away? 520 00:25:25,357 --> 00:25:27,893 CPT. HASLER: Did you put a couple more on? How far did it move? 521 00:25:27,959 --> 00:25:29,094 A couple inches? 522 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:30,128 LOADMASTER: Yeah. They just moved a couple inches 523 00:25:30,195 --> 00:25:31,563 'cause it's nylon, you know? 524 00:25:31,630 --> 00:25:33,732 CPT. HASLER: Those things are so heavy you'd think 525 00:25:33,798 --> 00:25:36,468 they probably wouldn't hardly move no matter what. 526 00:25:36,534 --> 00:25:39,938 LOADMASTER: They always move. Everything moves. 527 00:25:40,005 --> 00:25:43,041 TIM: So if those straps weren't fixed right then 528 00:25:43,108 --> 00:25:45,777 the back vehicle could have come loose on takeoff. 529 00:25:45,844 --> 00:25:48,013 BRIAN: If that cargo shifts during rotation 530 00:25:48,079 --> 00:25:50,482 you'll wind up with a potential pitch problem. 531 00:25:50,548 --> 00:25:52,751 NARRATOR: Did the MRAPs shift after takeoff? 532 00:25:52,817 --> 00:25:55,320 To answer this question, the team must find a way 533 00:25:55,387 --> 00:25:57,956 to piece together events in the cargo hold 534 00:25:58,023 --> 00:26:02,961 in the moments before the crash. 535 00:26:03,028 --> 00:26:04,095 TIM: So there's no evidence of a... 536 00:26:04,162 --> 00:26:05,864 NARRATOR: Investigators need to prove that 537 00:26:05,931 --> 00:26:09,434 one of the heavy Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles 538 00:26:09,501 --> 00:26:12,837 shifted during the flight. 539 00:26:12,904 --> 00:26:14,172 Clues might be hard to find 540 00:26:14,239 --> 00:26:18,376 in the minimal and scattered remains of the aircraft. 541 00:26:18,443 --> 00:26:20,946 TIM: But the one thing as investigators that we do 542 00:26:21,012 --> 00:26:23,648 is we go into a very chaotic environment 543 00:26:23,715 --> 00:26:26,351 and we bring order to it. 544 00:26:26,418 --> 00:26:27,519 TIM: Okay guys, great. 545 00:26:27,585 --> 00:26:29,020 Just put that down right in the center there. 546 00:26:29,087 --> 00:26:30,822 BRIAN: So I gathered as much 547 00:26:30,889 --> 00:26:32,924 of the aft pressure bulkhead structure as I could, 548 00:26:32,991 --> 00:26:37,095 and I believe we came up with at least 90 to 95% of it. 549 00:26:37,162 --> 00:26:40,532 NARRATOR: The aft pressure bulkhead is an airtight wall. 550 00:26:40,598 --> 00:26:42,033 It protects the cargo area 551 00:26:42,100 --> 00:26:45,036 from the non-pressurized tail section of the aircraft. 552 00:26:45,103 --> 00:26:48,406 ♪ 553 00:26:48,473 --> 00:26:50,608 Investigators sort out pieces of the liner 554 00:26:50,675 --> 00:26:56,247 that covers the cargo hold side of the bulkhead. 555 00:26:56,314 --> 00:27:01,353 TIM: You definitely go with this guy here. Take a look at this. 556 00:27:01,419 --> 00:27:03,021 I can guess what that is. 557 00:27:03,088 --> 00:27:05,156 BRIAN: And you could read the words Goodyear. 558 00:27:05,223 --> 00:27:08,893 What became obvious was that the tire from the aft MATV 559 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:10,929 had impacted the aft pressure bulkhead 560 00:27:10,996 --> 00:27:15,800 and left that tire impact on the liner. 561 00:27:15,867 --> 00:27:17,369 TIM: Bam! 562 00:27:17,435 --> 00:27:19,904 TIM: It looked as if that tire had pressed up 563 00:27:19,971 --> 00:27:22,474 like a rubber stamp on the aft pressure bulkhead. 564 00:27:22,540 --> 00:27:25,243 TIM: Only one tire capable of doing that. 565 00:27:25,310 --> 00:27:26,978 NARRATOR: The mark matches the spare tire 566 00:27:27,045 --> 00:27:31,049 in the top right corner of the rear vehicle. 567 00:27:31,116 --> 00:27:34,119 The vehicle itself was found tipped over in the wreckage, 568 00:27:34,185 --> 00:27:37,489 damaged but not destroyed by fire. 569 00:27:37,555 --> 00:27:42,961 TIM: Pass me that flashlight, will you? Thanks. 570 00:27:43,028 --> 00:27:45,630 NARRATOR: The metal antenna box from the rear of the same MRAP 571 00:27:45,697 --> 00:27:48,199 is damaged and provides another big clue. 572 00:27:48,266 --> 00:27:51,903 ♪ 573 00:27:51,970 --> 00:27:55,206 TIM: Look at that, paint transfer! 574 00:27:55,273 --> 00:27:58,710 NARRATOR: The box sits up high at the back of the MRAP. 575 00:27:58,777 --> 00:28:00,478 TIM: That looks like a direct hit. 576 00:28:00,545 --> 00:28:02,247 TIM: The only place that we could think of 577 00:28:02,313 --> 00:28:05,583 where there was orange paint was the cockpit voice recorder 578 00:28:05,650 --> 00:28:08,420 and the flight data recorder. 579 00:28:08,486 --> 00:28:10,488 NARRATOR: To hit the flight recorders, the MRAP 580 00:28:10,555 --> 00:28:13,625 would have had to shift at least twelve feet. 581 00:28:13,691 --> 00:28:17,762 Could it have moved that far? 582 00:28:17,829 --> 00:28:19,230 NARRATOR: A few quick measurements show that 583 00:28:19,297 --> 00:28:21,833 the height of the paint transfer on the antenna box 584 00:28:21,900 --> 00:28:24,903 lines up neatly with the location of the orange recorders 585 00:28:24,969 --> 00:28:28,006 inside the plane. 586 00:28:28,073 --> 00:28:32,544 BRIAN: The antennae box sat about 104 inches above floor level, 587 00:28:32,610 --> 00:28:37,449 and where the CVR and FDR are located is 104 inches 588 00:28:37,515 --> 00:28:40,819 above the floor of the aircraft. 589 00:28:40,885 --> 00:28:42,754 Now you're starting to see a chain of events 590 00:28:42,821 --> 00:28:47,459 that this vehicle had to be moving in an aftward direction. 591 00:28:47,525 --> 00:28:49,461 NARRATOR: Both black boxes stopped recording 592 00:28:49,527 --> 00:28:53,565 seconds after takeoff because a twelve-ton MRAP 593 00:28:53,631 --> 00:28:56,801 knocked them out. 594 00:28:56,868 --> 00:29:00,271 But even if the heavy vehicle damaged the flight recorders, 595 00:29:00,338 --> 00:29:04,943 would it have been able to somehow bring down a huge 747? 596 00:29:12,851 --> 00:29:14,586 NARRATOR: Investigators turn to the only wreckage 597 00:29:14,652 --> 00:29:18,790 left to examine, the collection of unidentified parts 598 00:29:18,857 --> 00:29:20,091 found on the runway. 599 00:29:20,158 --> 00:29:22,527 BRIAN: These items were all recovered from the runway 600 00:29:22,594 --> 00:29:25,964 in the area near the point of rotation for the flight. 601 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:30,135 CPT. HASLER: Rotate. 602 00:29:30,201 --> 00:29:34,739 ♪ 603 00:29:34,806 --> 00:29:36,908 NARRATOR: At Bagram Airfield, the runway stretches 604 00:29:36,975 --> 00:29:39,744 for over two miles. 605 00:29:39,811 --> 00:29:41,613 The parts were discovered at the spot 606 00:29:41,679 --> 00:29:44,716 where the aircraft lifted off, one mile 607 00:29:44,782 --> 00:29:47,285 from the site of the crash. 608 00:29:47,352 --> 00:29:50,622 It is uncertain what relevance, if any, they have. 609 00:29:50,688 --> 00:29:52,257 BRIAN: Where were these parts on the airplane? 610 00:29:52,323 --> 00:29:54,025 Did they come from the nose section? 611 00:29:54,092 --> 00:29:57,228 Did they come from the aft section of the airplane? 612 00:29:57,295 --> 00:30:00,331 What function did they serve on the airplane? 613 00:30:00,398 --> 00:30:04,836 NARRATOR: Experts at Boeing have been able to identify them. 614 00:30:04,903 --> 00:30:08,806 TIM: There we go. Hydraulic return tubing. 615 00:30:08,873 --> 00:30:11,176 NARRATOR: One of the parts, a broken piece of tubing, 616 00:30:11,242 --> 00:30:14,913 comes from Hydraulic System Number Two. 617 00:30:14,979 --> 00:30:17,248 TIM: Bring up the hydraulic system schematic. 618 00:30:17,315 --> 00:30:19,784 NARRATOR: The 747 has four hydraulic lines 619 00:30:19,851 --> 00:30:24,088 that power the control systems of the aircraft. 620 00:30:24,155 --> 00:30:26,090 Hydraulic System Number Two carries fluid 621 00:30:26,157 --> 00:30:29,060 along the deck floor and through the aft pressure bulkhead 622 00:30:29,127 --> 00:30:32,363 at the back of the plane. 623 00:30:32,430 --> 00:30:33,798 TIM: The tube runs through here. 624 00:30:33,865 --> 00:30:35,934 TIM: The number two hydraulic system operates 625 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:39,571 one of the four airplane elevator panels. 626 00:30:39,637 --> 00:30:41,406 NARRATOR: The elevator panels control pitch 627 00:30:41,472 --> 00:30:45,510 from the tail of the aircraft. 628 00:30:45,577 --> 00:30:48,846 If the rear vehicle shifted backwards through the bulkhead, 629 00:30:48,913 --> 00:30:51,015 it could have hit the hydraulic tubing, 630 00:30:51,082 --> 00:30:54,752 affecting control of the airplane. 631 00:30:54,819 --> 00:30:58,223 TIM: Okay, let's play it. 632 00:30:58,289 --> 00:31:00,391 NARRATOR: Investigators decide to take a closer look 633 00:31:00,458 --> 00:31:01,993 at the dash cam video. 634 00:31:02,060 --> 00:31:12,170 ♪ 635 00:31:12,237 --> 00:31:20,778 ♪ 636 00:31:20,845 --> 00:31:23,815 TIM: Play it again, this time in slow motion. 637 00:31:23,881 --> 00:31:28,419 NARRATOR: Upon close examination, they notice something odd. 638 00:31:28,486 --> 00:31:31,656 TIM: Freeze. 639 00:31:31,723 --> 00:31:36,628 Something's not right. Advance a few frames. 640 00:31:36,694 --> 00:31:40,665 A little more. A little more. Stop. 641 00:31:43,167 --> 00:31:45,236 What's going on? 642 00:31:45,303 --> 00:31:47,939 Something's wonky with the landing gear. 643 00:31:48,006 --> 00:31:50,742 DON: Large aircraft like the 747 644 00:31:50,808 --> 00:31:53,878 have a very complicated landing gear system 645 00:31:53,945 --> 00:31:55,747 to carry the loads that they carry. 646 00:31:55,813 --> 00:31:58,483 They come down together and they go up together, 647 00:31:58,549 --> 00:32:02,053 and it takes several hydraulic systems to make that happen. 648 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,589 NARRATOR: The hydraulic systems that control landing gear 649 00:32:04,656 --> 00:32:07,425 also regulate various other parts of the plane, 650 00:32:07,492 --> 00:32:10,028 including control surfaces that affect pitch. 651 00:32:10,094 --> 00:32:14,132 ♪ 652 00:32:14,198 --> 00:32:17,135 Using animation software, the investigators create 653 00:32:17,201 --> 00:32:23,141 a match for the 747 with its five sets of landing gear. 654 00:32:23,207 --> 00:32:25,109 TIM: Now let's compare the model to the video. 655 00:32:25,176 --> 00:32:29,981 ♪ 656 00:32:30,048 --> 00:32:34,485 These are down and this one here is up. 657 00:32:38,723 --> 00:32:40,725 That shouldn't happen. 658 00:32:48,166 --> 00:32:50,101 CPT. HASLER: Positive climb. 659 00:32:50,168 --> 00:32:53,604 NARRATOR: On National Airlines Flight 102, one of the last commands 660 00:32:53,671 --> 00:32:57,208 recorded refers to the landing gear. 661 00:32:57,275 --> 00:33:00,545 FO. BROKAW: Gear up. CPT. HASLER: Gear up. 662 00:33:00,611 --> 00:33:03,915 NARRATOR: But after that exchange, not all the gear retracted. 663 00:33:03,981 --> 00:33:06,150 DON: When I see a configuration of an airplane 664 00:33:06,217 --> 00:33:09,754 with part of the landing gear up, part of it down, 665 00:33:09,821 --> 00:33:12,757 I immediately think that they've had a hydraulic failure 666 00:33:12,824 --> 00:33:16,561 of one or more of the hydraulic systems. 667 00:33:16,627 --> 00:33:17,628 NARRATOR: It looks like damage 668 00:33:17,695 --> 00:33:19,697 to one of the four hydraulic lines 669 00:33:19,764 --> 00:33:22,233 may have happened in the air. 670 00:33:22,300 --> 00:33:25,136 TIM: Now, which systems are out? 671 00:33:28,773 --> 00:33:32,276 Body landing gear. 672 00:33:32,343 --> 00:33:38,216 TIM: Now which systems are out? Body landing gear. 673 00:33:38,282 --> 00:33:41,452 The nose and body landing gear didn't retract. 674 00:33:41,519 --> 00:33:42,987 It must have been system one. 675 00:33:43,054 --> 00:33:44,288 TIM: We were able to determine 676 00:33:44,355 --> 00:33:47,191 that the number one hydraulic system had been damaged 677 00:33:47,258 --> 00:33:50,461 at some point before the airplane hit the ground. 678 00:33:50,528 --> 00:33:52,597 NARRATOR: The discovery of the broken hydraulic line 679 00:33:52,663 --> 00:33:56,601 explains the eyewitness account of smoke. 680 00:33:56,667 --> 00:34:00,004 TIM: As hydraulic fluid vaporizes behind the airplane, 681 00:34:00,071 --> 00:34:03,141 it appears to look like smoke. 682 00:34:03,207 --> 00:34:04,208 NARRATOR: Investigators think 683 00:34:04,275 --> 00:34:06,778 they have finally cracked the mystery. 684 00:34:10,148 --> 00:34:12,316 The heavy armored vehicle came loose, 685 00:34:12,383 --> 00:34:14,786 smashed through the back of the plane 686 00:34:14,852 --> 00:34:16,954 and took out the hydraulic lines, 687 00:34:17,021 --> 00:34:19,223 making the plane uncontrollable. 688 00:34:19,290 --> 00:34:24,061 ♪ 689 00:34:24,128 --> 00:34:25,797 NARRATOR: After eleven days in Bagram, 690 00:34:25,863 --> 00:34:29,000 the investigators are ready to head home. 691 00:34:29,067 --> 00:34:31,335 All that's left to do is wrap up the case 692 00:34:31,402 --> 00:34:35,640 with a simulation test back in Washington. 693 00:34:35,706 --> 00:34:39,277 TIM: We really thought that we had the cause of the accident, 694 00:34:39,343 --> 00:34:42,246 but there was more to the story. 695 00:34:42,313 --> 00:34:43,915 ♪ 696 00:34:43,981 --> 00:34:48,553 NARRATOR: At NTSB headquarters in Washington, D.C... 697 00:34:48,619 --> 00:34:50,021 TIM: Glad to be back. 698 00:34:50,087 --> 00:34:53,391 NARRATOR: ...investigators are preparing to finalize the case. 699 00:34:53,458 --> 00:34:56,027 All they have to do is to verify their theory 700 00:34:56,093 --> 00:34:58,196 that damaged hydraulics made it impossible 701 00:34:58,262 --> 00:35:01,365 for the pilots to recover from the steep climb. 702 00:35:01,432 --> 00:35:03,201 TIM: So once we got back to the United States, 703 00:35:03,267 --> 00:35:06,237 the next step was to do simulations, 704 00:35:06,304 --> 00:35:09,207 reenact the accident scenario. 705 00:35:09,273 --> 00:35:11,275 NARRATOR: First, they model the 747 706 00:35:11,342 --> 00:35:13,177 with two broken hydraulic systems 707 00:35:13,244 --> 00:35:17,982 to test the cargo shift. 708 00:35:18,049 --> 00:35:20,551 Airplane performance group chairman Tim Burtch 709 00:35:20,618 --> 00:35:22,887 oversees the simulations. 710 00:35:22,954 --> 00:35:26,123 TIM: If I had one of these armored vehicles move back 711 00:35:26,190 --> 00:35:29,961 and there was an associated center of gravity shift, 712 00:35:30,027 --> 00:35:31,863 is the airplane controllable? 713 00:35:31,929 --> 00:35:34,565 TIM: Okay. What else do we know? 714 00:35:34,632 --> 00:35:36,968 Let's try the new balance numbers. 715 00:35:37,034 --> 00:35:40,071 TIM: Let's take what we know up to a point 716 00:35:40,137 --> 00:35:44,375 and then start doing the what-if scenarios with the simulation 717 00:35:44,442 --> 00:35:48,246 to see if we can put together a story that makes sense. 718 00:35:48,312 --> 00:35:50,481 TIM: Okay, plane. Let's see what you do now. 719 00:35:50,548 --> 00:35:51,949 NARRATOR: But when they run the simulation 720 00:35:52,016 --> 00:35:54,519 of the rear vehicle coming loose, 721 00:35:54,585 --> 00:35:58,556 something totally unexpected happens. 722 00:35:58,623 --> 00:36:00,791 TIM: Nose comes down and flies out of trouble. 723 00:36:00,858 --> 00:36:03,160 Let's shift even more weight back. 724 00:36:03,227 --> 00:36:09,367 ♪ 725 00:36:09,433 --> 00:36:13,037 Let's push the center of gravity even further. Let's try that. 726 00:36:13,104 --> 00:36:19,577 ♪ 727 00:36:19,644 --> 00:36:22,113 NARRATOR: Even with two hydraulic systems broken 728 00:36:22,179 --> 00:36:25,783 and an MRAP crushed into the back of the plane, 729 00:36:25,850 --> 00:36:30,421 the simulations show that the aircraft can be controlled. 730 00:36:30,488 --> 00:36:32,290 TIM: All right. We're missing something. 731 00:36:32,356 --> 00:36:35,192 NARRATOR: The theory that seemed so solid in Afghanistan 732 00:36:35,259 --> 00:36:36,894 is now a bust. 733 00:36:36,961 --> 00:36:39,630 TIM: So we started scratching our heads. 734 00:36:39,697 --> 00:36:43,734 There was something more that we were missing. 735 00:36:43,801 --> 00:36:46,304 NARRATOR: Most of the airplane wreckage now lies buried near 736 00:36:46,370 --> 00:36:51,375 the crash site in Afghanistan, thousands of miles away. 737 00:36:51,442 --> 00:36:54,045 Only selected parts have been sent to the United States 738 00:36:54,111 --> 00:36:57,982 for analysis. 739 00:36:58,049 --> 00:37:01,385 Investigators must sift through photographs from the site 740 00:37:01,452 --> 00:37:03,421 to search for new evidence that might explain 741 00:37:03,487 --> 00:37:04,822 what caused the crash. 742 00:37:04,889 --> 00:37:19,437 ♪ 743 00:37:19,503 --> 00:37:21,238 TIM: Hmm. I wonder. 744 00:37:21,305 --> 00:37:23,541 BRIAN: So we needed to look further, and the next thing 745 00:37:23,608 --> 00:37:25,476 behind the aft pressure bulkhead 746 00:37:25,543 --> 00:37:29,580 that control pitch on the aircraft is the jackscrew. 747 00:37:29,647 --> 00:37:35,086 ♪ 748 00:37:35,152 --> 00:37:39,123 TIM: Hey. Where'd that stabilizer jackscrew end up? 749 00:37:39,190 --> 00:37:41,892 NARRATOR: The horizontal stabilizer is a large control surface 750 00:37:41,959 --> 00:37:45,930 that helps balance the plane in the air. 751 00:37:45,997 --> 00:37:49,166 The jackscrew, about six feet tall, lowers and raises 752 00:37:49,233 --> 00:37:50,501 the edge of the stabilizer 753 00:37:50,568 --> 00:37:53,404 in response to the pilot's commands. 754 00:37:57,608 --> 00:37:59,443 The jackscrew found at the crash site 755 00:37:59,510 --> 00:38:03,314 was bent and severed right near its base. 756 00:38:03,381 --> 00:38:05,549 The most likely explanation seemed to be 757 00:38:05,616 --> 00:38:08,052 that the damage occurred on impact. 758 00:38:08,119 --> 00:38:11,989 But just to make sure, it was sent to the US for testing. 759 00:38:12,056 --> 00:38:14,625 TIM: What we were surprised to find out was that that jackscrew 760 00:38:14,692 --> 00:38:17,762 had actually been pushed aft and had broken loose 761 00:38:17,828 --> 00:38:19,296 from the airplane. 762 00:38:19,363 --> 00:38:23,434 Results show that the jackscrew was bent backwards, 763 00:38:23,501 --> 00:38:26,604 the opposite of how it would have bent in the crash. 764 00:38:26,671 --> 00:38:28,539 TIM: So that raised the big question -- why? 765 00:38:28,606 --> 00:38:31,008 What could have pushed it aft? 766 00:38:31,075 --> 00:38:38,015 ♪ 767 00:38:38,082 --> 00:38:39,684 TIM: Do we have a printout of this? 768 00:38:39,750 --> 00:38:42,319 NARRATOR: To find out what could have hit the jackscrew, 769 00:38:42,386 --> 00:38:46,023 investigators consult a diagram of the airplane's aft section. 770 00:38:46,090 --> 00:38:47,291 TIM: Okay. 771 00:38:47,358 --> 00:38:49,160 They take some careful measurements 772 00:38:49,226 --> 00:38:52,997 and come up with a match. 773 00:38:53,064 --> 00:38:57,201 TIM: Yep. Straight hit. 774 00:38:57,268 --> 00:39:00,838 BRIAN: I was able to determine that the bumper of the MATV 775 00:39:00,905 --> 00:39:03,874 lines up directly with the motor of the jackscrew 776 00:39:03,941 --> 00:39:07,111 in the area where it detached from the lower fuselage. 777 00:39:10,614 --> 00:39:12,483 NARRATOR: They input the new data. 778 00:39:12,550 --> 00:39:15,186 The simulation now includes a broken jackscrew 779 00:39:15,252 --> 00:39:18,956 that makes the stabilizer free-floating. 780 00:39:19,023 --> 00:39:21,592 TIM: One MRAP at the back. 781 00:39:21,659 --> 00:39:27,298 So two elevators down 782 00:39:27,364 --> 00:39:30,801 equals one uncontrollable plane. 783 00:39:30,868 --> 00:39:33,304 NARRATOR: Investigators finally know that an MRAP 784 00:39:33,370 --> 00:39:37,374 crashing into the jackscrew is what brought the airplane down. 785 00:39:37,441 --> 00:39:39,877 But there's still one major mystery. 786 00:39:39,944 --> 00:39:42,146 TIM: We're not done yet. There's one more question. 787 00:39:42,213 --> 00:39:44,582 How did that MRAP come loose? 788 00:39:44,648 --> 00:39:47,752 NARRATOR: In Bagram, the loadmaster had calculated 789 00:39:47,818 --> 00:39:52,156 the correct number of straps to use on each vehicle. 790 00:39:52,223 --> 00:39:53,991 He based his calculations on the company's 791 00:39:54,058 --> 00:39:56,827 cargo operating manual. 792 00:39:56,894 --> 00:39:58,863 How could the cargo have come loose 793 00:39:58,929 --> 00:40:01,532 if he followed the right procedure? 794 00:40:01,599 --> 00:40:04,902 BRIAN: I immediately began contacting other cargo operators 795 00:40:04,969 --> 00:40:07,204 to understand what is supposed to be done 796 00:40:07,271 --> 00:40:11,342 to restrain free-floating cargo using straps. 797 00:40:11,408 --> 00:40:14,011 NARRATOR: When executives from Boeing review the procedures, 798 00:40:14,078 --> 00:40:16,480 they're less than impressed. 799 00:40:16,547 --> 00:40:18,015 BRIAN: The manufacturers were quite shocked 800 00:40:18,082 --> 00:40:21,552 at how they were interpreting the requirements. 801 00:40:21,619 --> 00:40:25,055 NARRATOR: To get the maximum load capacity out of each strap, 802 00:40:25,122 --> 00:40:28,759 it has to be tied down at a precise angle. 803 00:40:28,826 --> 00:40:34,632 Changing the angle changes the strap's capacity. 804 00:40:34,698 --> 00:40:38,669 The airline had not spelled this out in its manual. 805 00:40:38,736 --> 00:40:40,271 TIM: Boeing, when you look at their manual, 806 00:40:40,337 --> 00:40:43,874 they say that if you pull on a strap directly... 807 00:40:43,941 --> 00:40:46,644 let's say that it's worth 3,500 pounds. 808 00:40:46,710 --> 00:40:51,048 But if you go up on a 45-degree angle, it's worth even less. 809 00:40:51,115 --> 00:40:53,717 And if you pull on it on a 90-degree angle, 810 00:40:53,784 --> 00:40:56,520 it's worth zero. 811 00:40:56,587 --> 00:40:59,623 National Airlines' manual said regardless of angle 812 00:40:59,690 --> 00:41:04,361 each strap could be counted for 5,000 pounds. 813 00:41:04,428 --> 00:41:06,063 NARRATOR: Boeing's own calculations found 814 00:41:06,130 --> 00:41:09,133 that National Airlines Flight 102 took off 815 00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:15,105 with less than half the straps required on each vehicle. 816 00:41:15,172 --> 00:41:20,978 TIM: At the most they could have carried one MATV vehicle. 817 00:41:21,045 --> 00:41:22,112 CPT. HASLER: What's up, dude? 818 00:41:22,179 --> 00:41:23,480 NARRATOR: Investigators find no fault 819 00:41:23,547 --> 00:41:26,550 with flight loadmaster Michael Sheets. 820 00:41:26,617 --> 00:41:30,387 He had little training. He wasn't certified. 821 00:41:30,454 --> 00:41:31,622 Without knowing it, 822 00:41:31,689 --> 00:41:34,491 he'd based his calculations on a faulty manual. 823 00:41:34,558 --> 00:41:37,394 TIM: My heart goes out the loadmaster in this situation. 824 00:41:37,461 --> 00:41:41,999 The data, the manuals that he had to go by were incorrect. 825 00:41:42,066 --> 00:41:47,538 So he was really in a no-win situation. 826 00:41:47,605 --> 00:41:49,340 NARRATOR: But the cargo shift itself 827 00:41:49,406 --> 00:41:53,310 would not have brought down the plane. 828 00:41:53,377 --> 00:41:54,945 The crash ultimately occurred 829 00:41:55,012 --> 00:41:59,717 because the sliding MRAP damaged the horizontal stabilizer. 830 00:41:59,783 --> 00:42:01,619 TIM: You take away the horizontal tail 831 00:42:01,685 --> 00:42:05,589 you're not gonna be able to control this airplane and pitch. 832 00:42:05,656 --> 00:42:08,893 This was an uncontrollable event. 833 00:42:08,959 --> 00:42:10,828 NARRATOR: Without the horizontal stabilizer, 834 00:42:10,895 --> 00:42:13,564 the pilots' inputs made the plane do the exact opposite 835 00:42:13,631 --> 00:42:15,699 of what they wanted. 836 00:42:15,766 --> 00:42:19,937 A command to lower nose suddenly caused the plane to pitch up. 837 00:42:20,004 --> 00:42:22,706 TIM: There's a total disconnect between what you're doing 838 00:42:22,773 --> 00:42:27,111 as a pilot and what the airplane's doing. 839 00:42:27,177 --> 00:42:29,880 DON: And it must have been terrifying. 840 00:42:29,947 --> 00:42:33,384 I can't truthfully imagine it other than just sheer panic. 841 00:42:33,450 --> 00:42:35,653 ♪ 842 00:42:37,922 --> 00:42:40,291 NARRATOR: The NTSB's final report finds 843 00:42:40,357 --> 00:42:42,760 that the probable cause of the accident 844 00:42:42,826 --> 00:42:44,995 was National Airlines' inadequate procedures 845 00:42:45,062 --> 00:42:49,500 for restraining special cargo loads. 846 00:42:49,566 --> 00:42:53,037 It concludes that the improper restraint of the rear vehicle 847 00:42:53,103 --> 00:42:57,341 allowed it to move back, hit the aft pressure bulkhead, 848 00:42:57,408 --> 00:42:59,109 and knock out the two hydraulic systems 849 00:42:59,176 --> 00:43:01,445 and the horizontal stabilizer, 850 00:43:01,512 --> 00:43:04,014 making it impossible for the crew to regain control 851 00:43:04,081 --> 00:43:06,884 of the airplane. 852 00:43:06,951 --> 00:43:12,156 ♪ 853 00:43:12,222 --> 00:43:14,058 One of the key recommendations is 854 00:43:14,124 --> 00:43:19,096 for mandatory certification of all cargo handling personnel, 855 00:43:19,163 --> 00:43:22,666 a move that would standardize their procedures, training 856 00:43:22,733 --> 00:43:24,168 and workloads. 857 00:43:24,234 --> 00:43:26,437 DON: I know that there are economics involved 858 00:43:26,503 --> 00:43:29,640 in using more certified people. 859 00:43:29,707 --> 00:43:33,444 But I certainly hope that they end up making loadmasters in 860 00:43:33,510 --> 00:43:38,983 these cargo operations certified just like anybody else. 861 00:43:39,049 --> 00:43:41,885 TIM: So reflecting back on this investigation, 862 00:43:41,952 --> 00:43:44,521 there were many hurdles. 863 00:43:44,588 --> 00:43:48,759 We had went into Afghanistan with a very, very small team. 864 00:43:48,826 --> 00:43:52,796 We had to go back to old school methods. 865 00:43:52,863 --> 00:43:56,433 But at the end we actually came out with safety recommendations 866 00:43:56,500 --> 00:43:58,736 that I believe are going to prevent 867 00:43:58,802 --> 00:44:02,806 an accident like this one from happening again. 868 00:44:02,873 --> 00:44:05,676 I don't forget the tragedy, but I also have a lot of pride 869 00:44:05,743 --> 00:44:08,412 that I believe that we've been able to make a difference.