All language subtitles for M.2003-S11E02-The.Plane.That.Flew.Too.High.West.Caribbean.Airways.Flight.708.WEBDL-1080pEAC3.5.1h264-PiTBULL_track4_[eng]

NARRATOR: A scene of
devastation in a remote region

of Venezuela confirms the fate
of a missing passenger jet.

MAN: (OVER RADIO)
Whiskey-Charlie.

NARRATOR:
West Caribbean Airways Flight 708

has mysteriously dropped from the sky
while flying at over 30,000 feet.

It took off from Panama.

It's a Colombian operator.

There was 160 French citizens on board.

It's the biggest accident that has ever
occurred in the Venezuelan territory.

NARRATOR: Investigators
hope the crew's desperate last words.

DAVID: West 708.

MAN: Do you have a problem on board?

NARRATOR: Will help them pinpoint
the cause of the crash.

OMAR: Affirmative.

Tell them we've had
a flameout on both engines.

NARRATOR:
But instead, the mystery deepens.

It's a stall, captain. It's a stall.

NARRATOR: The pilots can't agree on
why the plane is falling.

(SCREAMING)

Now it's up to investigators
to figure it out.

MAN: (OVER RADIO)
Mayday, mayday.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

NARRATOR: At Panama's Tocumen
International Airport

West Caribbean Airways Flight 708
begins boarding

two hours behind schedule.

It's well past midnight.

The 152 passengers
on this charter flight are returning

home to Martinique,
they've been visiting the Panama Canal.

Captain Omar Ospina has just flown in
with his crew from Colombia.

As he's behind schedule,
he must turn the plane around quickly.

But there are more unexpected delays.

First Officer David Munoz informs
the captain that the flight is overbooked.

Even the jump seat in
the cockpit is filled.

Let me deal with it.

Alejo, I need you onboard to do
the announcements

in Spanish and English.

Yes, sir.

- Angela and Luisa can stay behind.
- I'll let them know.

NARRATOR: Two of the flight
attendants will stay in Panama

because there's not enough room onboard.

Sir, we just got the final load sheet.

NARRATOR:
Checking the weight of the aircraft.

Take off from runway two-one-left, sir.
3,050 meters.

NARRATOR:
And the length of runway,

Captain Ospina calculates
that he can safely get airborne.

Their flight path will take them
through some heavy weather,

something crews are accustomed to
during hurricane season.

Okay we're ready for takeoff.
Request pushback clearance.

Ground West Caribbean Airways.

DAVID: (OVER RADIO) 708 request pushback
clearance gate two-eight.

West Caribbean 708.

MAN: (OVER RADIO)
Cleared for pushback gate two-eight.

Proceed to runway two-one-left.

West Caribbean 708 runway two-one-left
cleared for takeoff.

(TURBINES WHIRRING)

V1.

Rotate.

NARRATOR:
At 1:00 in the morning,

flight 708 begins the journey
to Martinique.

They took off from Panama Airport,

Tocumen Airport
with a heavy load for a long flight

for that aircraft.

NARRATOR:
The flight should take three hours.

EDUARDO: (OFF-SCREEN)
They climb up to 31,000 feet,

their initial assigned flight level.

They have filed a flight plan
with a final cruise level

of 3-3-0, 33,000 feet.

NARRATOR:
The crew is flying an MD-80.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

The plane is easily recognizable
by its two rear mounted engines.

The MD-82 aircraft
is a very good aircraft.

It's a model that was derived
from the DC9.

They made it longer, more fuel efficient

and more modern instrumentation
and avionics.

Anti-ice on, please.

NARRATOR: As altitude increases
and temperature drops,

they activate the plane's anti-ice system.

Half an hour into the flight
while cruising at 31,000 feet,

the weather ahead is turning nasty.

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

A low-intensity hurricane
moving in from the Atlantic

has been whipping up
winds across the region.

Request deviation left.

Barranquilla West 708 request deviation
to the left to avoid formation.

MAN: (OVER RADIO) West Caribbean 708
cleared to deviate left.

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

EDUARDO: In the kind of weather
they were flying,

it's common for pilots
to deviate from their initial route

to avoid this bad weather.

It should get better soon.

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

(BABY CRIES)

NARRATOR: 40 minutes into the flight
the plane has burnt

through thousands of pounds of fuel
allowing it to fly higher.

In order to reduce weight,
they had to climb to 31,000 feet

wait until the weight goes down and
then do a step climb up to 33,000 feet.

- Okay, let's do 3-3-0.
- 3-3-0.

Barranquilla West 708 request level 3-3-0.

MAN: (OVER RADIO)
708 cleared to level three-three-zero.

NARRATOR:
The captain now begins the climb

to their scheduled altitude
of 33,000 feet.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

Turn off engine anti-icing.

(BEEPING)

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

I can't accelerate.

NARRATOR: The captain notices that
the engines don't seem to be responding.

I'm going to the bathroom.

NARRATOR:
The crew isn't overly concerned.

Almost a third of the way to Martinique...

West Caribbean flight 708
enters Venezuelan airspace.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

Is there cake and coffee for everybody?

- Or are we expected to share?
- (CHUCKLES)

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

NARRATOR: As the storm intensifies
First Officer Munoz worries about icing.

- Do I turn it on, captain?
- Do we have ice?

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

Put 'em on.

(BABY CRIES)

(SCREAMS)

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

NARRATOR:
Soon the turbulence gets worse.

Man, there is a lot of nasty weather.

Put the fasten seatbelt sign on.

(CLICKING)

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

(SCREAMING)

Please stay in your seat.

I'm dimming the lights
so the passengers don't stand up.

Should we go down to level 3-1-0?

Do it.

Maiquetia Whisky-Charlie.

NARRATOR:
The Maiquetia Air Traffic Control Station

in Venezuela isn't equipped with radar.

MAN: Request descent
to level 3-1-0.

NARRATOR: The controller depends
on pilots to tell him where they are.

MAN: 3-1-0.

NARRATOR:
Captain Ospina turns off the autopilot.

OMAR: Give me 3-1-0.

NARRATOR: And the plane starts
heading back down to 31,000 feet.

- (AIRPLANE DRONING)
- (SCREAMING)

The turbulence is getting even heavier.

(ALARM BEEPING)

And then suddenly
the stick shaker goes off.

It's the most serious warning that
a crew can get.

(RATTLING)

The captain's control column
starts to vibrate

warning him the plane
is flying dangerously slowly.

(ALARM BEEPING)

At close to 31,000 feet,
the plane suddenly drops.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

(SCREAMING)

(ALARMS BEEPING)

It's a stall, captain.
It's a stall.

NARRATOR: The plane is falling fast.

The crew has only seconds
to figure out why.

(SCREAMING)

West 708.

DAVID: (OVER RADIO)
Level down to below 2-4-0.

Descending to 2-4-0.

- Do you have a problem onboard?
- Affirmative.

Tell him we've had a flameout
on both engines.

- We've had a flameout on both engines.
- Confirm?

We've got a flameout on both engines.

MAN: (OVER RADIO)
Roger.

Confirm radial and distance
from Punto Cabello if possible.

NARRATOR: The controller
needs to know where they are.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

Negative. Negative.

We are at 14,000 feet.

We're about 14,000.

And going down.
The plane is uncontrollable.

Keep your heads down. Stay down.

Keep your heads down.

Confirm people onboard,

intention and distance from NAV aid
if it's possible.

152 people onboard.

The plane is uncontrollable.

NARRATOR: In just 30 seconds,
the plane falls 9,000 feet.

(SCREAMING)

I understand 152 people onboard.

Affirmative.

MAN: (OVER RADIO)
Acknowledge.

Confirm at what level you are crossing
at this time, whisky-Charlie-whisky.

(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

MAN: (OVER RADIO)
Whisky-Charlie-Whisky 708.

Confirm position if possible.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

Whisky-Charlie-Whisky 708
confirm position if possible.

NARRATOR: While flying almost
ten kilometers above the earth

West Caribbean 708 mysteriously
drops from the sky.

Confirm position, if possible.

NARRATOR: Air traffic control in Venezuela
doesn't know its location

nor if anyone has survived.

NARRATOR: The morning after
West Caribbean Flight 708 goes missing,

Venezuelan villagers report that a plane
has crashed on a remote farm.

Colonel Lorllys Ramos
is the lead air crash investigator

for the Venezuelan Government.

She has never handled a crash this big.

She's shocked by what she sees.

All 160 people onboard,

most of them French citizens
from Martinique have died.

LORLLYS: (OFF SCREEN)
It was a real shock for us

because it was our
first really big accident.

And it had the highest number
of deaths for any crash in Venezuela.

We felt a lot of pressure because of that.

NARRATOR: The scope
of the investigation is daunting.

Lorllys Ramos knows the plane
that has crashed

is one of the safest planes in the world.

There are more than 3,000 such planes
flying every day.

EDUARDO: Investigating a crash
where an aircraft so popular

as the MD-80 is a great responsibility

because of the effects it could have
on the rest of the fleet.

(SPEAKING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE)

NARRATOR: The Colombian, Venezuelan
and French press from Martinique,

all descend on the site demanding answers.

The plane has crashed in a lawless area
next to the Colombian border.

Kidnappings are common.

The Venezuelan army informs investigators

that it can only protect them
during daylight hours.

We don't have a lot of time.

Let's get everything
documented as fast as.

MANUEL:
Certainly, our team including myself

wasn't prepared for the emergency
we faced.

MANUEL:
This accident was complex.

And it was very difficult to quickly
figure out what had happened.

NARRATOR:
After the victims have been removed,

the investigators first goal

is to determine how much of the plane
landed intact at the crash site.

If it's all there,
they can rule out a mid-air break-up.

We could observe the four corners
of the aircraft,

the tail, a part of the cockpit
and some remains of the wings.

And this suggested that
there were no explosions

or a collision that produced the accident.

NARRATOR: Investigators question
the Maiquetia air traffic controller.

They told me that they had a flameout
on both their engines.

Do you have a problem onboard?

Tell them we've had a flameout
on both engines.

When we learned that the crew had reported
a flameout in both engines,

we immediately focused on the function
of the airplane's engines.

Yeah, I'm just getting up to speed now.

NARRATOR: Joe Sedor is a senior
investigator at the NTSB in Washington

specializing in foreign assignments.

As soon as we're notified of an accident,

we contact the manufacturer
of both the airframe and the engine.

Given the initial information
of a dual engine flameout,

this caused us to start getting as much
information about the engines as possible.

No sign of fire inside the engine.

Lorllys had her hands full
with this accident.

It was a remote location.

There was four countries involved
and she didn't have a big staff.

Let's see what we can find out
about the weather they flew through.

NARRATOR: Colonel Ramos knows that severe
storms can kill a plane's jet engines.

(THUNDER CRASHES)

In 1977, a DC-9 with similarly
mounted rear engines

experienced a flameout
while flying through a thunderstorm.

Both engines were disabled.

The plane fell 17,000 feet,
slammed to the ground

and erupted in flames.

Investigators suspect
that the engines of flight 708

may have flamed out either
from heavy rain entering them

or due to turbulent winds.

One way to think of an engine flameout

is when you have a pilot light go out
on your furnace at home.

The engine is working properly
with combustion going on internally

and then the flame stops
and the engine quits.

NARRATOR:
If both engines flamed out,

it would explain why the plane fell
from the sky in one piece.

(ALARMS BEEPING)

But Colonel Ramos knows that
her best chance of finding out

exactly what happened to the engines lies
with the plane's two black boxes.

They could hold critical flight
and voice data.

But retrieving that data gets complicated
by political concerns.

The other difficulty
with this investigation

was the international aspect.

This was a Colombian operator
that took off from Panama

was over-flying Venezuela
and crashed on their soil.

So from the Venezuelan standpoint,

they had very little connection
with the actual flight

or the passengers on the aircraft.

NARRATOR: The Venezuelan government,
deeply mistrustful of the United States,

has final say on who will examine
the black boxes.

JOSEPH: Since this is a United States
manufactured aircraft,

we offered our facility to them
to download both the FDR and CVR.

But they requested that they be downloaded
at the French facility of the BEA,

our counterparts, uh, in Paris.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

NARRATOR: The black boxes are sent
to France for expert analysis.

The French aviation authorities
participated in the accident investigation

because, um, all the passengers were
French citizens that lived in Martinique.

NARRATOR: In the meantime,
investigators pursue another possible

cause of engine failure,
contaminated fuel.

They track down the fuel truck
that filled the plane in Panama.

It was important to test the fuel

because it was a possible cause
for why the engines had failed.

We asked the Panamanian authorities

to test the fuel for contaminants,

but the results they obtained
were negative.

- Hi.
- Hi.

I hope I can be of some help.

NARRATOR: Joe Sedor arrives from
Washington with two engine experts.

JOSEPH: Once we arrived on scene
that was one of the first things

that we wanted to look at was the engines.

So my engine investigator
and the Pratt and Whitney investigator...

went to each engine
and examined them thoroughly.

NARRATOR: What they find is surprising.

Both engines exhibited indications
of high-speed rotation at impact.

That is to say that they,
that the evidence indicated

that both engines were operating
at a very high power.

NARRATOR: The investigators
give the engines a clean bill of health.

When we obtained the analysts results
for the engines,

we realized that they worked perfectly.

- MAN: You have a problem onboard?
- Affirmative.

Tell them we've had
a flameout on both engines.

We've had a flameout on both engines.

It sure looks like those blades were
turning when the plane hit the ground.

LORLLYS: And that the flame out
reported by the crew never happened.

NARRATOR:
The main suspect in the crash

of one of the most popular planes
on earth is ruled out.

Investigators need another lead.

It made us want to get that FDR
and CVR data as quickly as possible.

NARRATOR: The team is now counting
on the plane's two black boxes

to shed light on the cause of the crash.

They travel to France where
one of the boxes has been opened.

When they listen to the
plane's cockpit voice recorder

investigators are surprised
by what they hear.

DAVID: (OVER RADIO)
It's a stall, captain. It's a stall.

After listening
to the cockpit voice recordings,

he realized that the plane
had entered a stall.

(BEEPING)

How did this plane stall at over
30,000 feet with two working engines?

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

NARRATOR:
To create the lift needed to fly,

a plane depends on a very fast
moving stream of air over the wings.

JOSEPH: An airplane stall
is when the lift over the wings

is reduced to the point that
the lift cannot support

the weight of the aircraft in the air.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

(ALARM BEEPING)

NARRATOR: It's unusual for planes to stall
at such a high altitude.

Investigators hope the plane's
second black box will reveal

why that happened.

When we opened the flight data recorder

even though it was really damaged,
the conditions inside were good.

And that was a huge relief.

NARRATOR: But for some reason, much of
what's on the recorder is gibberish.

JOSEPH: Unfortunately,
some of the data was not usable.

And it was some very important
data points that were not available

such as elevator position,
rudder position,

heading and the most important parameters
engine pressure ratios.

NARRATOR:
It's a disappointing loss for Sedor.

We need those engine parameters.

NARRATOR: The engine pressure numbers
would tell investigators

how much power the engines
were generating.

They would paint a picture of how the
airplane was flying in its final minutes.

In Washington, the NTSB offers to help.

Sophisticated software may be able
to recapture some of the lost data.

We wanted to work with
what data we had to recover

any engine data that we could.

NARRATOR: Meanwhile,
investigators look for other clues

about what may have caused the stall.

That's quite a storm
probably very heavy rain.

NARRATOR: They discover that
the plane flew through freezing,

wet weather
capable of causing ice to form.

Ice on the wings
can cause a plane to stall.

JOSEPH:
When ice accumulates on an airplane,

it will have increased drag and
increased weight and decreased lift.

NARRATOR: The MD-80 is equipped
with an anti-icing system.

When turned on, it blows hot air
from the engines onto the wings

preventing ice from forming.

Let's see what they did about the ice.

OMAR: (OVER COMPUTER)
Put on the fasten seatbelt sign.

Man, that is a lot of nasty weather.

NARRATOR:
As the plane rose to 33,000 feet,

Captain Ospina made an unusual decision.

Turn off engine anti-icing.

NARRATOR: A short while later
First Officer Munoz wants to know

if the anti-icing system
should be put back on.

Should I turn it on, Captain?

Do we have ice?

NARRATOR: Pilots generally examine
the outside metal window sill

to see whether ice is forming there.

Put 'em on.

NARRATOR:
It appears the captain saw ice.

DAVID: (OVER COMPUTER)
Barranquilla West 7...

NARRATOR: Since they were flying
through cold and wet conditions,

investigators don't know
why the crew didn't simply turn on

the anti-ice and leave it on.

With the weather conditions they had,

they should have been using the anti-ice
systems during the entire flight.

NARRATOR: Investigators wonder
if the crew made an error

that allowed ice to build up on the
plane's wings causing it to stall

and fall from the sky.

NARRATOR: Promising new evidence in
the crash of West Caribbean Flight 708

may help the investigative team to zero in
on the cause of the disaster.

The NTSB has managed to recover
missing data about the MD-80's engines.

(BEEPING)

This was very important for us
because it allowed us to understand

the operation of the engine
throughout the flight.

NARRATOR:
If there had been ice on the wings,

the engines would have had to work harder

to overcome the friction it creates.

The engine power numbers
would have gone up.

Look at this.

Engine power wasn't going up,
it was actually going down.

Therefore that showed that
there was no ice on the airframe.

NARRATOR: Ice didn't cause the stall.

So what did?

Investigators must determine
why the engines

weren't providing the power needed
to keep the MD-80 in the air.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

The airline's troubled history
of safety violations

gives investigators a possible lead.

It had been cited
for flying overweight planes.

Colombian authorities used to bring
the aircraft to a scale,

they have at Bogota Airport
and compare against the manifest.

And on some occasions,

they found that the aircraft was heavier
than what was recorded.

NARRATOR: Did Flight 708 stall in mid-air
because it was too heavy?

MANUEL:
During our visit to Panama,

we observed that West Caribbean

didn't have very rigorous control over
the checking of passengers' luggage

and their weight.

NARRATOR:
If a plane is too heavy,

it may not be able to fly at higher
altitudes where the air is less dense.

Pilots need to make these
calculations carefully.

The pilot knows
at what altitude he can fly

by studying the aircraft's
performance tables

and inputting the plane's weight
and the temperature.

NARRATOR:
What investigators don't know

is whether Captain Ospina
did the math correctly.

Stand-by.

NARRATOR: They now try
to calculate whether flight 708

was too heavy to avoid stalling
at 33,000 feet.

So we went back
and looked at the number of,

of passengers onboard,
the number of crew onboard

and the weight of the aircraft itself
along with the baggage.

NARRATOR: They already tested the plane
at its reported weight of 148,000 pounds.

Alright, let's add a few thousand pounds,

we got heavier luggage, mis-weighed cargo.

Uh, let's try 155,000 pounds.

NARRATOR:
Investigators now make the calculations

for a plane that's grossly overweight.

They're in for a surprise.

JOSEPH: And even with
a heavier aircraft at takeoff,

the aircraft could maintain
level flight at three, three, zero.

NARRATOR:
It's a setback for the investigation.

We're missing something.

Let's go back to the beginning.

NARRATOR: After much research,
investigators still can't figure out

what caused the plane to stall.

Thanks.

NARRATOR: The answer has to do
with how a plane distributes power.

When it's turned on, the anti-icing system
draws energy from the engines

reducing power for thrust.

This decrease in thrust can affect
the performance of the airplane

depending on the weight and the altitude.

The performance study showed
that the airplane

was perfectly safe to fly at 33,000 feet
with the anti-ice off.

Anti-ice on, please.

JOSEPH: However, it could only fly as high
as 31,900 feet with the anti-ice on.

It was the anti-icing.

It robbed them of the power they needed.

They shouldn't have gone higher than 31-9.

We concluded that the aircraft
was flown too high

for its weight and
the weather conditions it faced.

- (AIRPLANE DRONING)
- Put 'em on.

The airspeed started to decelerate

when the flight crew turned
on the anti-ice system.

This reduced the thrust of the engine.

NARRATOR: Investigators conclude
the reduction in thrust

led the plane to stall.

Sir, we just got the final load sheet.

NARRATOR: They now assume that
when Captain Ospina

calculated his maximum cruise altitude,

he failed to factor in the need
for anti-icing.

There are many factors you have to take
into account when planning,

and, apparently,
they did not do it in this case.

NARRATOR: But if low thrust led
to a stall, why didn't the crew notice?

Part of the answer is that
while the problem was developing,

they weren't flying the plane.

They had their autopilot on.

NARRATOR: The autopilot should not
let a plane stall.

Investigators wonder why this particular
autopilot let that happen.

While researching
the autopilot on the MD-80,

they discover a bulletin
from the plane's manufacturer.

It was sent to the airline
three years earlier.

Under some conditions,
airspeed could decay to stall warning

before the autopilot disconnects.

In the bulletin issued by Boeing,
it described another incident

with an autopilot
that was almost the exact same

as what had happened with West Caribbean.

NARRATOR: The bulletin warned crews

that if they set the autopilot to maintain
the plane's altitude,

they should keep a close eye
on their airspeed.

JOSEPH: The operation bulletin warned
that with the autopilot on

and at altitude that
a similar situation could occur

where the aircraft could maintain altitude

and airspeed could decrease

if the pilots were not monitoring
the airspeed.

So in order to maintain altitude
as the speed goes down,

the aircraft starts to pitch up, nose up
attitude increasing the angle of attack

to have a better lift.

But that has a problem because
you cannot exceed certain angle

because you can enter a stall condition.

In this case,
the autopilot led the aircraft

into a condition that caused
an excessive angle of attack.

That generated the stall.

NARRATOR:
As important as the bulletin was,

there's no evidence that
it ever reached West Caribbean's pilots.

Investigators now have
a deeper understanding

of the events causing the stall.

The crew were not monitoring
their instruments

believing that the autopilot would
maintain the correct speed.

They were wrong.

It was at this moment that
the captain began to notice

that something wasn't right.

I can't accelerate.

I'm going to the bathroom.

They were aware that they had a problem
but they didn't know why.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

NARRATOR: The captain decided
to descend to an altitude

where the engines would perform better.

MAN: (OVER RADIO)
Three, one, zero.

And descending to 31,000 feet
was the right choice.

That's why he disconnected
the autopilot to begin the descent.

OMAR:
Give me three, one, zero.

NARRATOR:
The plane is very close to stalling.

But the crew is just a few seconds away
from overcoming the problem.

If he would have attained 31,000 feet

during that descent the speed
would have gone up

and he would have recovered the lift.

And after leveling off, there would
have been no problem at all.

NARRATOR: They almost made it.

But the captain was oblivious
to his biggest threat.

The plane is still traveling slowly
with its nose raised

at a dangerously high angle.

That's when the crew experienced
some bad luck.

The weather they were flying
through was turbulent.

Winds were intense
and the plane was vulnerable.

Our study showed that it would
only take a 20 mile an hour updraft

to push the aircraft into a stall.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

NARRATOR: Investigators conclude that the
plane was hit with a ferocious updraft...

that lifted the plane's nose
just enough to put it into a stall...

a crisis the crew then mishandled.

There was very little communication
between them.

The captain thought he was having
a flameout in both engines.

OMAR:
Affirmative.

Tell him we have a flameout both engines.

(BEEPING)

DAVID: (OVER RADIO)
We have a flameout on both our engines.

The captain was not telling
the first officer what to do.

The captain was only fixating,
or if you will have tunnel vision,

on the engines...

which is a very big problem
in this situation.

NARRATOR: As the investigation
into the crash of flight 708

nears completion only one
mystery remains unsolved.

It's a stall.

Munoz seems to know what was happening.

NARRATOR: Why did the crew fail
to recover from a stall

that they'd been trained to overcome?

To get out of a stall,
a pilot should increase thrust

and pitch over, that is push forward
on the control column.

NARRATOR:
But as the recovered flight data shows

that is not what Captain Ospina did.

There is no indication that the pilot
pushed forward on the control column

to reduce the angle of attack
and to increase speed.

(ALARM BEEPING)

He's pulling back on the control column.

At that point, it was impossible
to recover from the stall.

NARRATOR:
The captain should have pushed forward.

The question remains, why didn't he?

Investigators get their first clue
when they re-examine the engine data,

at the precise moment of the stall.

That's what distracted the captain.

At the time that the airplane stalled,

we also saw that both engines rolled back
at the same time.

JOSEPH:
This most likely confused the pilots.

NARRATOR: When airflow
to the engines is disrupted

it causes a rollback reducing thrust.

Because of the updrafts in the area,

it most likely increased
the angle of attack of the engine inlet

which then caused
the engines to roll back.

NARRATOR: With his engine power
temporarily reduced,

the captain wrongly concluded
that his engines had quit.

It's a stall.

The first officer yelled,
"It's a stall, captain, it's a stall."

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

JOSEPH:
There was no response from the captain.

This showed that the captain was
fixating most likely on the engines.

NARRATOR: Unaware he had stalled,

the captain made things worse by
pulling back on his control column.

That kept the nose of the plane
angled dangerously high.

Tell them we've had a flameout
on both engines.

We've had a flameout on both engines.

The crew couldn't understand the situation
presented to them.

West 708 go down to level two-four-zero.

Do you have a problem onboard?

We've got a flameout on both engines.

They had a heavy buffet from the stall.

They were looking at the engines
which were rolled back

and they were also communicating
with the air traffic controller.

During that time there was not much
troubleshooting going on in the cockpit.

This was a very, very difficult time
for the pilot.

It is very important that the crews
communicate in an effective way.

And, in this case,
you don't hear the two pilots

communicating between themselves.

It was an almost silent cockpit

until the time just before the accident

when they realized
they were in deep trouble.

NARRATOR:
But by that time, it was already too late.

They were past the point of no return.

During that descent
according to the flight data recorder,

they reached a rate of descent,

an average of more than
12,000 feet per minute.

At that rate of descent not only
the G-force will prevent them

from any coordinated action, the vibration
in the aircraft would be a lot.

That's why when you hear the voice
recorder you hear the voice trembling.

Negative. Negative.

We are at 14,000 feet.

We're about 14,000.

We're going down.
The plane is uncontrollable.

And that's because of high vibration
in the aircraft.

NARRATOR:
For everyone on board,

the final plunge was a nightmare
lasting almost three minutes.

(EXPLOSION)

Whisky Charlie Whisky.

NARRATOR:
When Colonel Lorllys Ramos

and her team interview friends
and family of the pilots

of West Caribbean flight 708.

How was he when he was at home?

NARRATOR: They uncover
other longstanding issues

that may help explain the crew's behavior.

West Caribbean Airline, uh, was going
through a very critical financial status.

Because of West Caribbean's
economic struggles,

the crew members
hadn't been paid for six months.

And this could have influenced,

the captain's concentration.

NARRATOR:
Investigators discover that Captain Ospina

was forced to take a second job
moonlighting in a bar

in order to make ends meet for his family.

MANUEL: The level of stress
that the captain was under

because of his financial
situation was huge.

- Have we solved the fuel situation yet?
- I think we're getting close captain.

NARRATOR: Before the accident,
the crew was delayed in Colombia for hours

because the airline
couldn't pay for their fuel.

That was their third of four flights
that day.

The crew was under a lot of stress
because they were already late

and they didn't know if their flight
would be canceled.

T's a stall, captain. It's a stall.

NARRATOR: Investigators also believe
that the 21-year-old first officer

should have voiced his opinions
more clearly.

There was a considerable age difference
between the captain and the co-pilot

and this might have intimidated
the co-pilot when he needed to speak up.

- Do I turn it on, captain?
- Do we have ice?

EDUARDO: No matter how young
the copilots and first officers are,

how old and experienced the captain is,

they have the right
to preserve their life.

If they see something that's going wrong.

It's a stall, captain. It's a stall.

And they alert the captain
and he does not react,

they should react by themselves.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

NARRATOR: The investigation's
official report concludes

that there was an insufficient level
of situational awareness

in both pilots.

Although, the pilot's actions
are in question in this flight,

we also have to look at the operator.

Did the operator provide proper training?

We found that the training
was insufficient,

that they did not receive
proper CRM training,

and they did not receive
proper stall training.

LORLLYS: This accident happened
as a result of numerous factors

that aren't only attributable to the crew.

There were deplorable conditions
in the operation of the airline.

And over time,
these faults can lead to accidents.

- Negative. Negative.
- Do you have problem on board?

We're 14,000 feet. We're going down.
The plane is uncontrollable.

NARRATOR: The report makes
a long list of recommendations

to ensure that the tragedy of flight 708
never happens again.

We made recommendations
to the Colombian aviation authorities

to improve pilot training.

Specifically, better training
in crew communication

and having a better awareness

about the use of the plane's autopilot.

After this accident occurred, the airline
was grounded and it never operated again.

It went bankrupt and simply disappeared.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

NARRATOR: But West Caribbean Airways
did leave a valuable legacy.

Better safety measures for every
other MD-80 taking to the skies today.

(AIRPLANE DRONING)

(CLOSING THEME MUSIC PLAYING)