1 00:00:02,620 --> 00:00:05,034 In heavy wind and blinding rain, 2 00:00:05,137 --> 00:00:07,482 the crew of a passenger jet struggles to land. 3 00:00:07,586 --> 00:00:12,379 Put it down! Put it down! 4 00:00:21,103 --> 00:00:23,068 A Terrifying crash-landing 5 00:00:23,172 --> 00:00:25,241 leads to a desperate fight to survive. 6 00:00:25,344 --> 00:00:27,000 The only thing that matters to me 7 00:00:27,103 --> 00:00:30,655 now is to get my daughter Emilie and protect her as we blow up. 8 00:00:30,758 --> 00:00:35,344 Daddy! Emilie! Emilie! 9 00:00:35,448 --> 00:00:37,517 We just knew that there were 10 00:00:37,620 --> 00:00:41,137 so many passengers in that plane that had not gotten out. 11 00:00:43,931 --> 00:00:45,896 Open the door! Open the dooor! 12 00:01:03,965 --> 00:01:06,310 This is a true story based on Air Traffic Control 13 00:01:06,413 --> 00:01:09,620 recordings, official reports and interviews with those involved. 14 00:01:14,206 --> 00:01:16,448 Tuesday August 2, 2005. 15 00:01:18,275 --> 00:01:19,896 Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. 16 00:01:21,551 --> 00:01:23,862 Two hundred and ninety-seven passengers are boarding 17 00:01:23,965 --> 00:01:26,758 Air France flight 358 bound for Toronto. 18 00:01:26,862 --> 00:01:28,758 Uh, far aisle, left hand side. 19 00:01:33,448 --> 00:01:35,758 Philippe LaCaille is traveling with his wife 20 00:01:35,862 --> 00:01:37,448 and two of his four children. 21 00:01:39,517 --> 00:01:42,034 They're stuck at the back of the enormous jet - 22 00:01:42,137 --> 00:01:43,275 and they're not sitting together. 23 00:01:48,620 --> 00:01:49,551 Emilie. 24 00:01:49,655 --> 00:01:50,655 It just happened 25 00:01:50,758 --> 00:01:52,206 that we were separated, uh, from Emilie. 26 00:01:52,310 --> 00:01:55,896 They had three seats together, so we were in the middle section 27 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,413 and Emilie was actually sitting a couple of seats ahead of us 28 00:01:59,517 --> 00:02:02,793 on the right side, so close to the right wing of the plane. 29 00:02:02,896 --> 00:02:08,586 For Eddie Ho, flight 358 is 30 00:02:08,689 --> 00:02:10,655 the continuation of a trip that began in Johannesberg. 31 00:02:10,758 --> 00:02:14,034 I'm an international student in Canada 32 00:02:14,137 --> 00:02:15,758 at Queen's University, 33 00:02:15,862 --> 00:02:18,586 and every summer I go back to South Africa. 34 00:02:18,689 --> 00:02:22,862 Ho isn't traveling light. 35 00:02:22,965 --> 00:02:26,862 I was carrying, uh, everything that I had... 36 00:02:26,965 --> 00:02:31,344 my books to my clothing to tuition money for the year. 37 00:02:31,448 --> 00:02:32,551 Computer laptops... 38 00:02:32,655 --> 00:02:37,344 This is also another leg 39 00:02:37,448 --> 00:02:40,172 in a long journey for Joann Cordary-Bundock, 40 00:02:40,275 --> 00:02:41,965 who's returning from a trip to Thailand. 41 00:02:42,068 --> 00:02:49,241 I rerouted myself in the last two days before the flight 42 00:02:49,344 --> 00:02:52,793 from Bangkok through Paris to come directly to Toronto. 43 00:02:52,896 --> 00:02:56,241 As the passengers continue to board, 44 00:02:56,344 --> 00:02:58,931 the flight crew get settled in to the Air Bus A-340. 45 00:03:00,620 --> 00:03:04,241 The Captain is 57-year-old Alain Rosaye. 46 00:03:04,344 --> 00:03:07,172 He's been with Air France for more than 20 years. 47 00:03:07,275 --> 00:03:10,034 His co-pilot is 43-year-old Frederic Naud. 48 00:03:10,137 --> 00:03:12,655 Do you want to start, or shall I? 49 00:03:12,758 --> 00:03:15,379 Uh, why don't you fly first and then I'll take 50 00:03:15,482 --> 00:03:19,379 over for landing in Toronto... I'll check the weather. 51 00:03:19,482 --> 00:03:21,379 On this flight, 52 00:03:21,482 --> 00:03:23,862 the two men decide that Captain Rosaye will handle 53 00:03:23,965 --> 00:03:25,655 the take-off in Paris 54 00:03:25,758 --> 00:03:27,965 and co-pilot Naud will land in Toronto. 55 00:03:28,068 --> 00:03:31,758 Destination, Toronto Pearson. 56 00:03:31,862 --> 00:03:33,758 Crews often split the duties - 57 00:03:33,862 --> 00:03:35,965 so that co-pilots can get more experience. 58 00:03:36,068 --> 00:03:41,827 Rosaye and Knaud are joined by one other person in the cockpit. 59 00:03:41,931 --> 00:03:43,655 Hello, I'm Miles Trochesset. 60 00:03:43,758 --> 00:03:45,137 Welcome aboard. 61 00:03:45,241 --> 00:03:46,827 Miles Trochesset is the son 62 00:03:46,931 --> 00:03:48,517 of an Air France employee. 63 00:03:48,620 --> 00:03:51,172 He's allowed to ride in the cockpit's jump seat for free. 64 00:03:51,275 --> 00:03:54,931 I just want to let you know I've done this before. 65 00:03:55,034 --> 00:03:55,896 I promise I'll be quiet. 66 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:03,000 This Air France plane is 67 00:04:03,103 --> 00:04:05,137 one of the safest in the world. 68 00:04:05,241 --> 00:04:09,068 Since the A-340s first went into service in 1993, 69 00:04:09,172 --> 00:04:10,896 they've had an excellent safety record. 70 00:04:14,862 --> 00:04:16,241 Air France, three five eight. 71 00:04:16,344 --> 00:04:20,758 Runway two seven left cleared for takeoff. 72 00:04:20,862 --> 00:04:21,862 Cleared for take off Air France three five eight. 73 00:04:21,965 --> 00:04:23,413 Have a good afternoon gentlemen. 74 00:04:23,517 --> 00:04:30,241 Just a few minutes before two in the afternoon, 75 00:04:30,344 --> 00:04:33,517 Flight 358 powers into the sky above Paris. 76 00:04:40,103 --> 00:04:43,241 Toronto may be several thousand kilometres away, 77 00:04:43,344 --> 00:04:46,379 but the friends and family of those on board flight 358 78 00:04:46,482 --> 00:04:49,482 are already making plans to meet the plane when it arrives. 79 00:04:49,586 --> 00:04:53,965 Hello? Audrey, I won't forget. 80 00:04:54,068 --> 00:04:56,275 I'll make sure to pick up mom and dad. 81 00:04:56,379 --> 00:04:58,931 No, I won't forget the two brats either. I'll get them all. 82 00:04:59,034 --> 00:05:02,034 Well we usually make arrangements before we go 83 00:05:02,137 --> 00:05:03,689 to France to be picked up. 84 00:05:03,793 --> 00:05:05,965 It's easier because we've lots of luggage you know 85 00:05:06,068 --> 00:05:07,448 and we bring back stuff from France. 86 00:05:07,551 --> 00:05:10,379 So it just happened that Julien, our son, was going to spend 87 00:05:10,482 --> 00:05:14,344 the summer in Toronto and was available to pick us up. 88 00:05:14,448 --> 00:05:16,896 Sis, I'll give you a call as soon as they get in. 89 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:20,965 Don't worry, I've got it covered. Okay? Alright. 90 00:05:21,068 --> 00:05:23,517 Talk to you soon. Bye. 91 00:05:23,620 --> 00:05:28,551 Centre. We have a humidex advisory, an extreme heat 92 00:05:28,655 --> 00:05:32,965 alert for Toronto as well a thunderstorm warning in effect 93 00:05:33,068 --> 00:05:34,379 for Toronto. 94 00:05:45,862 --> 00:05:47,655 A regular flight from Paris to Toronto 95 00:05:47,758 --> 00:05:49,827 takes about eight hours. 96 00:05:49,931 --> 00:05:52,862 As Air France 358 closes in on Canada, 97 00:05:52,965 --> 00:05:55,206 there is little to separate this trip from any other. 98 00:05:55,310 --> 00:06:00,275 I found that their service was amazing. 99 00:06:00,379 --> 00:06:01,586 The food was great. 100 00:06:01,689 --> 00:06:04,517 They had very good, uh, flight attendants. 101 00:06:04,620 --> 00:06:08,689 There were lots of exchange students from France. 102 00:06:08,793 --> 00:06:11,379 You know like teenagers coming to Canada 103 00:06:11,482 --> 00:06:14,620 for their first time, usually their first flight. 104 00:06:14,724 --> 00:06:16,413 And, uh, they were very loud. 105 00:06:16,517 --> 00:06:22,137 There was a beautiful day on the flight over 106 00:06:22,241 --> 00:06:25,241 and the sun was shining and it was just blue skies 107 00:06:25,344 --> 00:06:27,344 and white clouds and just a lovely day. 108 00:06:27,448 --> 00:06:30,931 The autopilot does most of the work 109 00:06:31,034 --> 00:06:34,724 for captain Alain Rosaye and his co-pilot, Frederic Naud. 110 00:06:34,827 --> 00:06:36,413 Just as the two men had planned, 111 00:06:36,517 --> 00:06:38,379 Naud is now in control of the plane. 112 00:06:38,482 --> 00:06:43,137 We have a new weather report. 113 00:06:43,241 --> 00:06:45,344 The two men get regular 114 00:06:45,448 --> 00:06:47,586 updates on the weather conditions in Toronto. 115 00:06:47,689 --> 00:06:50,793 Overcast and raining with a chance of thunderstorms. 116 00:06:50,896 --> 00:06:52,620 Temperature in the low 20s. 117 00:06:52,724 --> 00:07:02,206 At Toronto's International Airport, 118 00:07:02,310 --> 00:07:04,517 the thunderstorms are already rolling through. 119 00:07:06,793 --> 00:07:09,655 Rain, wind and lightning are hammering the runways. 120 00:07:12,448 --> 00:07:14,103 The lightning has already forced airport 121 00:07:14,206 --> 00:07:16,724 authorities to declare a Red Alert. 122 00:07:16,827 --> 00:07:17,862 It means that the chance of 123 00:07:17,965 --> 00:07:20,241 being struck by lightning is so great, 124 00:07:20,344 --> 00:07:23,000 that ground crews are not allowed to work on the planes. 125 00:07:30,241 --> 00:07:33,379 Just as flight 358 closes in on Toronto, 126 00:07:33,482 --> 00:07:35,827 it's put into a holding pattern. 127 00:07:35,931 --> 00:07:37,344 The weather isn't getting any better. 128 00:07:37,448 --> 00:07:38,206 Air France 358, 129 00:07:38,310 --> 00:07:39,310 there's going to be a little delay. 130 00:07:39,413 --> 00:07:42,517 Air France 358. Roger on delay. 131 00:07:48,103 --> 00:07:50,793 Uh, ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. 132 00:07:50,896 --> 00:07:54,034 I'm sorry to inform you that there'll be a short delay. 133 00:07:54,137 --> 00:07:56,448 There's some weather conditions above Toronto, 134 00:07:56,551 --> 00:08:00,482 and we're just going to give it a couple of minutes to clear up. 135 00:08:00,586 --> 00:08:02,103 I was very surprised 136 00:08:02,206 --> 00:08:04,827 when I heard the Captain's announcement that we were 137 00:08:04,931 --> 00:08:08,275 gonna be delayed in landing for about twenty five or thirty 138 00:08:08,379 --> 00:08:11,965 minutes because of thunderstorms over Toronto. 139 00:08:12,068 --> 00:08:16,344 While they're not in the storm yet, 140 00:08:16,448 --> 00:08:20,034 the crew enters their holding pattern, north east of Toronto. 141 00:08:20,137 --> 00:08:21,068 Their alternate airport 142 00:08:21,172 --> 00:08:23,620 is almost 300 kilometres away in Ottawa. 143 00:08:26,310 --> 00:08:29,689 At the moment, the plane has a little over 7500 kilograms 144 00:08:29,793 --> 00:08:32,689 of fuel in its tanks - more than enough to get them there. 145 00:08:32,793 --> 00:08:37,241 Typically, a pilot will think about the economic 146 00:08:37,344 --> 00:08:40,137 impact of diverting to an alternate airport. 147 00:08:40,241 --> 00:08:43,275 While that is not a primary decision maker, 148 00:08:43,379 --> 00:08:45,931 it is an alternate decision maker as far 149 00:08:46,034 --> 00:08:48,931 if they have to divert how are the folks gonna be 150 00:08:49,034 --> 00:08:52,827 transported from that alternate airport back to the destination 151 00:08:52,931 --> 00:08:55,793 airport that the airplane was originally going to. 152 00:08:55,896 --> 00:08:59,724 Flying almost 300 passengers to Ottawa would 153 00:08:59,827 --> 00:09:01,931 be a logistical nightmare. 154 00:09:02,034 --> 00:09:03,793 But the crew can't circle for too long 155 00:09:03,896 --> 00:09:05,482 with the fuel they have. 156 00:09:05,586 --> 00:09:08,620 If the delay continues, they'll have no choice but to divert. 157 00:09:11,827 --> 00:09:14,137 Air France, Toronto arrival. 158 00:09:14,241 --> 00:09:15,517 Your hold is now cancelled. 159 00:09:15,620 --> 00:09:19,206 You are cleared for a WASIE 2 arrival. Maintain 5,000 feet. 160 00:09:19,310 --> 00:09:25,172 Air France 358. Roger on cancellation of holds. 161 00:09:25,275 --> 00:09:27,482 Cleared for WASIE 2 arrival and maintain 5,000. 162 00:09:27,586 --> 00:09:30,137 Today the delay isn't long at all. 163 00:09:30,241 --> 00:09:33,551 Although the storm continues to thunder down near the airport, 164 00:09:33,655 --> 00:09:35,793 the crew is put into their landing sequence. 165 00:09:35,896 --> 00:09:44,965 Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. 166 00:09:45,068 --> 00:09:46,724 Just wanted to let you know we're 167 00:09:46,827 --> 00:09:50,137 beginning our descent into Toronto at this time. 168 00:09:50,241 --> 00:09:52,724 We should be on the ground at about 4 pm local time. 169 00:09:52,827 --> 00:09:57,275 Usually, when they say forty five minutes you know 170 00:09:57,379 --> 00:10:00,620 it's to be nice, usually it's like an hour, hour and a half. 171 00:10:00,724 --> 00:10:01,896 This time, it was like twenty minutes. 172 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:03,827 Twenty minutes later they said, Ok, well now we are going 173 00:10:03,931 --> 00:10:06,379 to go down, and prepare, you know for the landing. 174 00:10:06,482 --> 00:10:10,034 With co-pilot Frederic Naud at the controls, 175 00:10:10,137 --> 00:10:12,448 the plane begins its descent into the storm. 176 00:10:12,551 --> 00:10:15,758 Air France 358, reducing speed to one nine zero. 177 00:10:15,862 --> 00:10:18,862 Naud isn't prepared for what he's about to face. 178 00:10:18,965 --> 00:10:21,275 The storm has a savage surprise in store 179 00:10:21,379 --> 00:10:23,068 for everyone on board flight 358. 180 00:10:23,172 --> 00:10:36,413 A brutal summer storm is battering Toronto. 181 00:10:41,275 --> 00:10:43,620 Winds and lightning are hammering the airport, 182 00:10:43,724 --> 00:10:45,586 making it tense for incoming planes. 183 00:10:48,379 --> 00:10:50,689 After a short hold, Air France flight 358, 184 00:10:50,793 --> 00:10:54,275 with 297 passengers aboard 185 00:10:54,379 --> 00:10:55,931 begins descending into the storm. 186 00:11:00,482 --> 00:11:03,965 Flaps two. Flaps two. F speed. 187 00:11:04,068 --> 00:11:08,068 Gear down. Landing gear down. 188 00:11:08,172 --> 00:11:12,689 Spoilers armed. Four green. Landing gear down. 189 00:11:12,793 --> 00:11:14,931 Spoilers armed. Four green. 190 00:11:27,827 --> 00:11:29,586 It'll be fine. Don't worry. 191 00:11:29,689 --> 00:11:32,517 It immediately turned into very dark skies 192 00:11:32,620 --> 00:11:35,724 and dark clouds and a little bit bumpy and choppy. 193 00:11:35,827 --> 00:11:38,034 And the weather outside was definitely 194 00:11:38,137 --> 00:11:39,551 within a thunderstorm. 195 00:11:39,655 --> 00:11:42,965 But really and truly to me it was just a typical, uh, 196 00:11:43,068 --> 00:11:46,172 stormy landing, nothing out of the ordinary. 197 00:11:46,275 --> 00:11:50,413 In the main cabin, though, not everyone is so sure. 198 00:11:50,517 --> 00:11:51,827 The plane was getting very bumpy. 199 00:11:51,931 --> 00:11:54,758 There was a lot of turbulence. 200 00:11:54,862 --> 00:11:56,827 We were surrounded basically by heavy rain 201 00:11:56,931 --> 00:11:59,586 and this was completely not expected. 202 00:11:59,689 --> 00:12:00,793 I didn't expect that. 203 00:12:11,275 --> 00:12:15,068 Air France 358, slow your final approach speed. 204 00:12:15,172 --> 00:12:18,758 Co-pilot Frederic Naud has the plane in position. 205 00:12:18,862 --> 00:12:20,034 He's moments from landing. 206 00:12:20,137 --> 00:12:22,482 Air France 358. Roger. 207 00:12:22,586 --> 00:12:25,965 Flaps to full. Flaps to full. 208 00:12:42,172 --> 00:12:43,965 It was going darker and darker. 209 00:12:44,068 --> 00:12:46,206 We were like in the middle of hundred and hundreds 210 00:12:46,310 --> 00:12:50,000 of lightnings every second we had lightnings all around us. 211 00:12:51,310 --> 00:12:54,724 So people were getting nervous, quite nervous. 212 00:12:54,827 --> 00:12:55,689 I was getting nervous. 213 00:12:55,793 --> 00:12:59,034 Ahead of the Air France airbus, 214 00:12:59,137 --> 00:13:01,413 two other planes have just touched down on the same 215 00:13:01,517 --> 00:13:03,655 runway that flight 358 is heading for. 216 00:13:03,758 --> 00:13:07,413 Air France 358, this is Toronto tower. 217 00:13:07,517 --> 00:13:11,000 Toronto tower, Air France 358, go ahead. 218 00:13:11,103 --> 00:13:14,896 You are cleared to land runway two-four left. 219 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:17,413 Be advised that preceding aircraft report that braking 220 00:13:17,517 --> 00:13:20,586 action is poor and they estimate the surface winds near the 221 00:13:20,689 --> 00:13:23,689 runway as two hundred and ninety degrees at 15 to 20 knots. 222 00:13:23,793 --> 00:13:27,551 Braking poor, fifteen knots, gusts to twenty. 223 00:13:27,655 --> 00:13:29,793 Air France 358, thank you. 224 00:13:29,896 --> 00:13:34,068 The crew is being sent to runway 24L, 225 00:13:34,172 --> 00:13:36,172 which will allow them to land into the wind. 226 00:13:37,827 --> 00:13:39,344 It also happens to be the closest 227 00:13:39,448 --> 00:13:41,551 runway to the city's biggest freeway, 228 00:13:41,655 --> 00:13:44,344 which is gearing up to handle the evening rush hour traffic. 229 00:13:52,103 --> 00:13:54,931 Facing unpredictable winds and a wet runway, 230 00:13:55,034 --> 00:13:56,724 the crew prepare for the landing. 231 00:13:56,827 --> 00:14:03,758 Select auto brakes to medium. 232 00:14:04,827 --> 00:14:05,965 Medium is set. 233 00:14:06,068 --> 00:14:12,379 The final approach to landing was hellish. 234 00:14:12,482 --> 00:14:18,448 Lightnings were all over, uh, turbulences were enormous. 235 00:14:18,551 --> 00:14:21,379 You could feel the pilot fight with the plane to keep 236 00:14:21,482 --> 00:14:25,275 the plane in line with the runway to land. 237 00:14:25,379 --> 00:14:28,034 And had a heck of a time to keep it lined up. 238 00:14:30,206 --> 00:14:32,586 I know my son next to me was getting very nervous. 239 00:14:32,689 --> 00:14:35,827 And I was nervous to see my daughter actually far from us. 240 00:14:35,931 --> 00:14:43,965 I cinched up my seatbelt tighter than it was, 241 00:14:44,068 --> 00:14:48,034 expecting a very hard landing and the pilot was gonna 242 00:14:48,137 --> 00:14:52,068 stick it on the runway or we were maybe gonna do a touch 243 00:14:52,172 --> 00:14:54,931 and go and he was gonna give it power and go around, because 244 00:14:55,034 --> 00:14:59,034 I knew that it was not going to be just a normal landing. 245 00:14:59,137 --> 00:15:05,275 Landing. Auto-pilot, auto-thrust. Off. 246 00:15:05,379 --> 00:15:08,724 At two minutes after four o'clock, 247 00:15:08,827 --> 00:15:12,275 Air France flight 358 roars over the beginning of the runway. 248 00:15:51,034 --> 00:15:54,724 This landing was more intense 249 00:15:54,827 --> 00:15:58,482 and harder than any time I've ever landed in another aircraft. 250 00:15:58,586 --> 00:16:03,862 It was a very difficult landing. 251 00:16:03,965 --> 00:16:07,379 And everyone started clapping and even the lady sitting 252 00:16:07,482 --> 00:16:09,655 next to me, I remember this very clearly. 253 00:16:09,758 --> 00:16:13,000 She said, You know, wow, that was an amazing landing. 254 00:16:19,275 --> 00:16:22,068 And as soon as she finished that sentence, 255 00:16:22,172 --> 00:16:24,137 then all Hell broke loose. 256 00:16:29,172 --> 00:16:32,241 We started just, 257 00:16:32,344 --> 00:16:35,724 the plane started violently going up and down. 258 00:16:35,827 --> 00:16:39,620 And it felt like we were going a hundred miles an hour 259 00:16:39,724 --> 00:16:43,931 down a road filled with potholes that were about three feet deep. 260 00:16:44,034 --> 00:16:50,620 Shit! Shit! 261 00:16:50,724 --> 00:16:53,931 Immediately you could see this orange aura, 262 00:16:54,034 --> 00:16:57,620 and for me it's a picture I shall never forget. 263 00:16:57,724 --> 00:17:02,344 My daughter was sitting ahead of us on the right of the plane 264 00:17:02,448 --> 00:17:05,206 and at that time she turned her head towards us, 265 00:17:05,310 --> 00:17:08,965 you know with very wide eyes, you know, looking at us. 266 00:17:09,068 --> 00:17:11,655 And her face was surrounded by this enormous aura, 267 00:17:11,758 --> 00:17:13,448 this orange aura of fire. 268 00:17:13,551 --> 00:17:18,206 Then, moments after touching down, still traveling 269 00:17:18,310 --> 00:17:22,793 at 146 kilometres per hour, Flight 358 runs out of room. 270 00:17:27,965 --> 00:17:29,689 At that point, 271 00:17:29,793 --> 00:17:31,551 I believed we were all going to die. 272 00:17:31,655 --> 00:17:34,655 It was obvious that no one can survive this kind of thing. 273 00:17:34,758 --> 00:17:36,000 I thought this was it. 274 00:17:36,103 --> 00:18:03,931 The next thing I remember is that an announcement came. 275 00:18:04,034 --> 00:18:06,482 Ladies and Gentlemen everything's okay. 276 00:18:06,586 --> 00:18:08,620 We've stopped now. 277 00:18:08,724 --> 00:18:11,862 Well, no kidding, of course we've stopped now. 278 00:18:11,965 --> 00:18:14,241 But I could tell that everything was not okay 279 00:18:14,344 --> 00:18:17,241 because I could immediately smell jet fuel. 280 00:18:17,344 --> 00:18:21,689 As the smell of jet fuel fills the cabin... 281 00:18:21,793 --> 00:18:26,655 Fire! Fire! 282 00:18:26,758 --> 00:18:28,206 ...panic quickly spreads. 283 00:18:28,310 --> 00:18:33,206 Get out! Fire! Fire! Get out! 284 00:18:33,310 --> 00:18:35,586 Everybody was expecting the plane to blow up. 285 00:18:35,689 --> 00:18:37,344 It was obvious. 286 00:18:37,448 --> 00:18:41,655 Smoke and flames are spreading quickly. 287 00:18:41,758 --> 00:18:43,655 Now it's a desperate struggle to escape. 288 00:18:43,758 --> 00:18:53,068 You heard shouting from the back 289 00:18:53,172 --> 00:18:54,586 that there was a fire, fire. 290 00:18:54,689 --> 00:18:56,586 Then people started really getting panicked. 291 00:18:56,689 --> 00:18:59,034 If they don't get out - 292 00:18:59,137 --> 00:19:00,655 they have just seconds to live. 293 00:19:00,758 --> 00:19:04,517 We know that about two minutes into a fire in many 294 00:19:04,620 --> 00:19:08,137 cases the environment becomes untenable. 295 00:19:08,241 --> 00:19:10,655 So ninety seconds is a good rule that we 296 00:19:10,758 --> 00:19:13,275 use in trying to get people out to make sure 297 00:19:13,379 --> 00:19:15,586 they have as much time and safety as possible. 298 00:19:15,689 --> 00:19:18,724 Two hundred and ninety-seven passengers 299 00:19:18,827 --> 00:19:20,379 are desperate to leave the plane. 300 00:19:20,482 --> 00:19:25,275 Emilie! Emilie! Daddy! 301 00:19:25,379 --> 00:19:27,275 The only thing that matters to me now is 302 00:19:27,379 --> 00:19:31,241 get my daughter Emily who's sitting like two seats ahead. 303 00:19:31,344 --> 00:19:34,344 Get her, get her under me, and protect her as we blow up. 304 00:19:34,448 --> 00:19:37,896 Go! Go, go, go! 305 00:19:42,896 --> 00:19:45,551 Am I going to try and get my luggage, my laptop. 306 00:19:45,655 --> 00:19:47,413 Then I thought to myself. 307 00:19:47,517 --> 00:19:52,103 What if I would die trying to get my laptop? 308 00:19:52,206 --> 00:19:54,655 I just said, ok I've got to get out. I've got to get out. 309 00:19:54,758 --> 00:19:58,965 Flight 358 has eight possible emergency exits. 310 00:19:59,068 --> 00:20:01,758 But seconds after the crash, most of them aren't opened. 311 00:20:01,862 --> 00:20:05,068 People were crawling over the seats. 312 00:20:05,172 --> 00:20:06,517 They were pushing each other. 313 00:20:06,620 --> 00:20:09,379 There was basically all for yourself. 314 00:20:09,482 --> 00:20:11,551 Hey! Stay calm please. 315 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,000 Open the door! Open the door! 316 00:20:27,275 --> 00:20:29,551 I could see the air attendant there 317 00:20:30,793 --> 00:20:33,689 struggling with the fact that should I or should I not 318 00:20:33,793 --> 00:20:38,000 open this door because the fire was raging just in front of it. 319 00:20:38,103 --> 00:20:44,586 If the fuel tanks rupture and we have a lot of fuel 320 00:20:44,689 --> 00:20:47,000 that gets out either on to the ground. 321 00:20:47,103 --> 00:20:51,413 Well then there's enough heat that would cause 322 00:20:51,517 --> 00:20:53,931 the airplane skin to melt in a couple of minutes. 323 00:20:54,034 --> 00:20:55,689 At the front of the plane, 324 00:20:55,793 --> 00:20:58,758 thick smoke is pouring in through one of the open doors. 325 00:20:58,862 --> 00:21:01,931 Joann Cordary-Bundock races to the other side of the plane. 326 00:21:02,034 --> 00:21:06,310 The gentleman in front of me had his bag with him 327 00:21:06,413 --> 00:21:08,000 and he was kind of fumbling around with that 328 00:21:08,103 --> 00:21:09,551 and trying to take that down the slide. 329 00:21:09,655 --> 00:21:11,793 And he was a rather large man 330 00:21:11,896 --> 00:21:16,275 and the slide did not deploy the entire way. 331 00:21:16,379 --> 00:21:20,586 So I kind of baled off the slide above of him and hit the ground. 332 00:21:20,689 --> 00:21:25,172 Eddie Ho has found an exit too. But there's no slide. 333 00:21:25,275 --> 00:21:27,724 And people, there were pushing me forward. 334 00:21:27,827 --> 00:21:34,000 I couldn't even control myself and I was like no, I don't want 335 00:21:34,103 --> 00:21:37,448 to jump as well, because it was like five meters down at least. 336 00:21:37,551 --> 00:21:42,827 Is he okay? I don't know. 337 00:21:42,931 --> 00:21:49,000 Is he okay? I don't know. 338 00:21:49,103 --> 00:21:50,034 In the cockpit, 339 00:21:50,137 --> 00:21:52,068 Captain Rosaye has been badly injured 340 00:21:52,172 --> 00:21:55,172 when his seat was ripped off the floor by the force of the crash. 341 00:22:00,827 --> 00:22:03,379 As precious seconds tick by, the flight attendant 342 00:22:03,482 --> 00:22:06,000 near the LaCailles manages to open the exit door. 343 00:22:08,310 --> 00:22:10,379 Even though passengers are confronted with the flames 344 00:22:10,482 --> 00:22:13,413 and smoke of the burning engine, they jump out of the plane. 345 00:22:13,517 --> 00:22:16,379 So I pushed them down, 346 00:22:16,482 --> 00:22:17,827 my wife went down, I went down... 347 00:22:17,931 --> 00:22:20,172 Run, run! This way! Run! 348 00:22:20,275 --> 00:22:26,758 We just ran up as fast as we could through torn metal 349 00:22:26,862 --> 00:22:31,379 and thorns and like through whatever was 350 00:22:31,482 --> 00:22:33,275 left on the ground where the plane was. 351 00:22:33,379 --> 00:22:38,379 Once the fire gets inside the airplane, 352 00:22:38,482 --> 00:22:40,655 all of the furnishings are much like the furnishings 353 00:22:40,758 --> 00:22:44,379 in your house and there are foams and materials that, 354 00:22:44,482 --> 00:22:47,413 when they catch on fire, produce toxic gases and that's 355 00:22:47,517 --> 00:22:51,586 really the most important lethal aspect of the fire. 356 00:22:51,689 --> 00:23:00,413 Basically you just had to jump. 357 00:23:00,517 --> 00:23:04,000 So what I did was you know I prayed quickly 358 00:23:04,103 --> 00:23:06,896 and closed my eyes and jumped. 359 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:15,068 Emergency workers are able to reach the burning 360 00:23:15,172 --> 00:23:18,551 jet just 52 seconds after it crashes. 361 00:23:18,655 --> 00:23:20,206 But with the threat of an explosion, 362 00:23:20,310 --> 00:23:22,000 it's dangerous to get too close. 363 00:23:22,103 --> 00:23:24,620 It was very difficult to see anything 364 00:23:24,724 --> 00:23:26,758 due to the rain that was coming down. 365 00:23:26,862 --> 00:23:29,551 There was a lot of smoke engulfing the plane, 366 00:23:29,655 --> 00:23:32,517 some fire that was still ongoing. 367 00:23:32,620 --> 00:23:36,655 As well as you could see that parts of the plane had 368 00:23:36,758 --> 00:23:38,689 broken off, some of the wheels that 369 00:23:38,793 --> 00:23:41,620 were at the side of the roadway, as well as portions 370 00:23:41,724 --> 00:23:44,068 of the plane's wings that had broken off. 371 00:23:44,172 --> 00:23:47,275 Philippe LaCaille and his family 372 00:23:47,379 --> 00:23:50,758 struggle up the hill the plane has just ploughed down. 373 00:23:50,862 --> 00:24:01,379 And, at that point, the plane blew up. Once. Twice. 374 00:24:01,482 --> 00:24:03,758 Three times so you could feel 375 00:24:03,862 --> 00:24:10,206 and hear this enormous explosion actually taking place. 376 00:24:10,310 --> 00:24:12,172 On the first one I looked at the first one 377 00:24:12,275 --> 00:24:15,000 because I just couldn't believe my eyes because I could see 378 00:24:15,103 --> 00:24:17,034 pieces of luggage, things flying up in the air. 379 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,448 And of course, at that time I figured, my God, 380 00:24:21,551 --> 00:24:23,034 it could have been us. 381 00:24:23,137 --> 00:24:31,275 We had a perfect view of the airplane. 382 00:24:31,379 --> 00:24:35,655 And see this black smoke coming out of the side of the airplane. 383 00:24:35,758 --> 00:24:36,827 And the yellow and the orange 384 00:24:36,931 --> 00:24:38,620 and the red flames, shooting out. 385 00:24:40,689 --> 00:24:43,965 We were fine but we just knew that there were 386 00:24:44,068 --> 00:24:47,586 so many passengers in that plane that had not gotten out. 387 00:24:57,068 --> 00:25:00,137 August 2, 2005. 388 00:25:00,241 --> 00:25:02,448 Air France flight 358 has crashed 389 00:25:02,551 --> 00:25:04,517 off its runway in Toronto. 390 00:25:04,620 --> 00:25:06,724 Flames are tearing at the fuselage. 391 00:25:06,827 --> 00:25:08,965 Smoke is pouring from the ruined jet. 392 00:25:10,068 --> 00:25:12,275 Dazed passengers are stumbling from the plane. 393 00:25:12,379 --> 00:25:21,724 The passengers that were coming up were very rain 394 00:25:21,827 --> 00:25:23,689 soaked and muddy from coming up the hill. 395 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:26,275 There were several individuals that, 396 00:25:26,379 --> 00:25:28,827 once they got up there, were crying and a bit 397 00:25:28,931 --> 00:25:33,137 emotional as well as looking around for other passengers, 398 00:25:33,241 --> 00:25:36,448 or family or friends that may have been with them at the time. 399 00:25:36,551 --> 00:25:38,482 About 35 min. 400 00:25:38,586 --> 00:25:42,862 ago a plane run of a runway at Toronto Pearson Airport. 401 00:25:42,965 --> 00:25:44,103 Footage of the crash 402 00:25:44,206 --> 00:25:47,172 quickly appears on local TV stations. 403 00:25:47,275 --> 00:25:49,655 Philippe LaCaille's daughter Audrey is one of the many 404 00:25:49,758 --> 00:25:51,275 people shocked by the pictures. 405 00:25:51,379 --> 00:25:54,827 She turned on the TV and here we go, 406 00:25:54,931 --> 00:25:57,206 there was the Air France crash right here, 407 00:25:57,310 --> 00:26:02,379 live in front of her burning, exploding in front of her eyes. 408 00:26:02,482 --> 00:26:07,034 250 people on board we've have not had any reason 409 00:26:07,137 --> 00:26:11,724 to make a statement yet as to anybody has survived or escaped. 410 00:26:11,827 --> 00:26:16,379 Philippe LaCaille's son Julien is 411 00:26:16,482 --> 00:26:18,620 waiting for his father at the airport. 412 00:26:18,724 --> 00:26:20,551 He has no idea what has just happened 413 00:26:20,655 --> 00:26:21,827 to the Air France flight. 414 00:26:21,931 --> 00:26:24,103 What? What do you mean where am I? 415 00:26:24,206 --> 00:26:30,275 I'm at the airport waiting for mom and dad like... what? What!? 416 00:26:30,379 --> 00:26:31,827 So Julien didn't know anything and he was 417 00:26:31,931 --> 00:26:35,344 there at the airport and she says, 'Well you know what? 418 00:26:35,448 --> 00:26:36,931 I think you're going to have to wait a long time, 419 00:26:37,034 --> 00:26:38,241 cause their plane just crashed.' 420 00:26:38,344 --> 00:26:41,689 One of the busiest highways 421 00:26:41,793 --> 00:26:44,068 in North America borders the airport. 422 00:26:44,172 --> 00:26:45,241 Just before rush hour, 423 00:26:45,344 --> 00:26:47,862 it's packed with thousands of vehicles. 424 00:26:47,965 --> 00:26:49,206 Drivers slow down, 425 00:26:49,310 --> 00:26:52,034 captivated by the terrifying sight of the burning plane. 426 00:26:58,896 --> 00:27:01,724 Some of the passengers who have escaped the plane stumble 427 00:27:01,827 --> 00:27:04,655 dazed and shaken right onto the edge of the highway. 428 00:27:09,344 --> 00:27:12,034 Passing motorists stop to take them to the airport. 429 00:27:12,137 --> 00:27:20,275 At this point, 430 00:27:20,379 --> 00:27:26,448 there was only about twenty five or thirty people with me at 431 00:27:26,551 --> 00:27:33,000 the airport and here you're also thinking, is this all there is? 432 00:27:33,103 --> 00:27:36,034 As people are brought in, airport employees 433 00:27:36,137 --> 00:27:39,379 struggle to account for all the passengers and crew. 434 00:27:39,482 --> 00:27:42,896 They were totally disorganized. 435 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:45,931 There's no announcements being made. 436 00:27:46,034 --> 00:27:49,965 There's nothing of any kind of organization. 437 00:27:50,068 --> 00:27:53,137 And you're in this little crowded area with all 438 00:27:53,241 --> 00:27:57,172 the irate passengers, waiting to be processed. 439 00:27:57,275 --> 00:27:59,724 Some people even said, 'You know, 440 00:27:59,827 --> 00:28:03,620 the first disaster was the plane crash. 441 00:28:03,724 --> 00:28:05,965 And the second disaster is exactly how it 442 00:28:06,068 --> 00:28:07,172 was handled afterwards. 443 00:28:07,275 --> 00:28:13,551 Relatives wait desperately for any news. 444 00:28:18,206 --> 00:28:21,620 Julien LaCaille is just one of many who fears the worst. 445 00:28:21,724 --> 00:28:24,758 For a least an hour and a half 446 00:28:24,862 --> 00:28:25,586 they thought we were dead. 447 00:28:26,965 --> 00:28:30,068 That's a shame because of course we panicked, 448 00:28:30,172 --> 00:28:32,172 we were scared to death. 449 00:28:32,275 --> 00:28:35,413 But the families that were waiting for the passengers, 450 00:28:35,517 --> 00:28:39,103 they were even more scared because it lasted much longer. 451 00:28:39,206 --> 00:28:41,931 They really believed deep down 452 00:28:42,034 --> 00:28:43,620 that their family members were dead. 453 00:28:43,724 --> 00:28:47,000 Finally, hours after the crash, 454 00:28:47,103 --> 00:28:50,551 passengers who have waiting family members are reunited. 455 00:28:50,655 --> 00:28:52,827 Julien. Julien! 456 00:28:54,103 --> 00:29:02,034 We finally met up with Julien, it 457 00:29:02,137 --> 00:29:03,413 was eleven o'clock that night. 458 00:29:06,896 --> 00:29:10,689 It was, you know. God. 459 00:29:10,793 --> 00:29:14,448 We're so lucky, we're so lucky we're alive. 460 00:29:19,344 --> 00:29:20,344 It's hard to explain, 461 00:29:20,448 --> 00:29:23,482 but it's like you're given a second chance. 462 00:29:23,586 --> 00:29:26,482 You know, here's my son you know maybe I didn't tell him 463 00:29:26,586 --> 00:29:28,103 I loved him when I left for France. 464 00:29:32,034 --> 00:29:36,931 It was a very nice moment. A very deep moment. 465 00:29:37,034 --> 00:29:41,413 It's just one of dozens of reunions. 466 00:29:41,517 --> 00:29:44,758 It takes hours to confirm, but by early evening, 467 00:29:44,862 --> 00:29:47,379 Air France and the local airport authorities can make 468 00:29:47,482 --> 00:29:49,551 the incredible announcement. 469 00:29:49,655 --> 00:29:51,724 Remarkably, every single passenger 470 00:29:51,827 --> 00:29:54,827 and all the members of the crew of Flight 358 have 471 00:29:54,931 --> 00:29:57,482 managed to escape the burning wreckage of their plane. 472 00:30:09,793 --> 00:30:12,793 The next day, smoke and charred wreckage are all that 473 00:30:12,896 --> 00:30:14,551 remain of Air France flight 358. 474 00:30:18,103 --> 00:30:20,482 The Airbus A340 is a sophisticated, 475 00:30:20,586 --> 00:30:23,620 highly engineered plane with a glowing safety record. 476 00:30:24,793 --> 00:30:29,068 What had gone so terribly wrong? 477 00:30:35,137 --> 00:30:37,724 Canada's Transportation Safety Board quickly begins 478 00:30:37,827 --> 00:30:39,275 investigating the accident. 479 00:30:39,379 --> 00:30:46,620 Landing. Auto-pilot, auto-thrust off. 480 00:30:46,724 --> 00:30:49,724 Rain and lightning had been battling 481 00:30:49,827 --> 00:30:51,724 the airport all afternoon. 482 00:30:51,827 --> 00:30:54,517 Was it simply bad weather that caused this crash? 483 00:30:56,793 --> 00:30:58,931 Put it down! Put it down! 484 00:31:03,931 --> 00:31:05,137 Neither the pilot, 485 00:31:05,241 --> 00:31:07,689 nor the co-pilot have spoken publicly about the crash. 486 00:31:07,793 --> 00:31:11,551 We have to evacuate now! 487 00:31:11,655 --> 00:31:14,344 Citing lawsuits that were filed soon after, 488 00:31:14,448 --> 00:31:16,689 Air France has kept all of its employees who 489 00:31:16,793 --> 00:31:18,689 were on the plane from speaking to the media. 490 00:31:18,793 --> 00:31:21,172 Is he okay? I don't know. 491 00:31:21,275 --> 00:31:22,310 Is he okay? I don't know. 492 00:31:22,413 --> 00:31:25,689 But former Air France trainer Herve LaBarthe 493 00:31:25,793 --> 00:31:27,068 has spoken to Captain Rosaye. 494 00:31:27,172 --> 00:31:32,241 We spoke, let me think for half an hour. 495 00:31:32,344 --> 00:31:35,448 He told me, and this is the crucial point, 496 00:31:35,551 --> 00:31:36,931 that he asked control. 497 00:31:37,034 --> 00:31:39,517 More specifically he informed control that he had reached 498 00:31:39,620 --> 00:31:41,896 the point where he would have to consider diverting. 499 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:46,689 What he told me is that control informed him that they 500 00:31:46,793 --> 00:31:48,344 would soon open the runway. 501 00:31:50,379 --> 00:31:53,517 There was of course a lot of lightning, rain and turbulence. 502 00:31:53,620 --> 00:31:56,551 And turbulence can have a devastating effect. 503 00:31:56,655 --> 00:31:58,793 Instruments become more difficult to read. 504 00:31:58,896 --> 00:32:00,965 The aircraft is harder to handle. 505 00:32:01,068 --> 00:32:07,275 Investigators discover that as the crew 506 00:32:07,379 --> 00:32:09,689 struggled for control in the cockpit, 507 00:32:09,793 --> 00:32:12,103 on the ground delicate instruments used to measure 508 00:32:12,206 --> 00:32:14,758 the wind at the runway were destroyed by lightning. 509 00:32:15,931 --> 00:32:17,965 With the ground equipment destroyed, 510 00:32:18,068 --> 00:32:19,310 they were relying on their on-board 511 00:32:19,413 --> 00:32:21,758 systems for information about wind conditions. 512 00:32:21,862 --> 00:32:24,482 The on-board equipment only gives them 513 00:32:24,586 --> 00:32:27,103 the actual wind direction 514 00:32:27,206 --> 00:32:31,206 and speed on the nose of the aircraft at that exact time. 515 00:32:31,310 --> 00:32:33,965 It does not predict ahead of the aircraft. 516 00:32:34,068 --> 00:32:36,379 So the pilots really have no way of knowing 517 00:32:37,620 --> 00:32:39,241 what lies ahead of them. 518 00:32:39,344 --> 00:32:43,068 But two planes had touched down just 519 00:32:43,172 --> 00:32:47,172 minutes before the Air France flight - on the same runway. 520 00:32:47,275 --> 00:32:49,862 The crews of those planes did their best to inform 521 00:32:49,965 --> 00:32:52,103 air traffic control of the tricky conditions. 522 00:32:52,206 --> 00:32:55,724 Air France 358, this is Toronto tower. 523 00:32:55,827 --> 00:32:59,034 Toronto tower, Air France 358, go ahead. 524 00:33:00,793 --> 00:33:03,034 You are cleared to land runway two-four left. 525 00:33:03,137 --> 00:33:05,551 Be advised that preceding aircraft report that braking 526 00:33:05,655 --> 00:33:08,724 action is poor and they estimate the surface winds near the 527 00:33:08,827 --> 00:33:12,310 runway as two hundred and ninety degrees at 15 to 20 knots. 528 00:33:12,413 --> 00:33:15,206 Braking poor, fifteen knots, gusts to twenty. Roger. 529 00:33:15,310 --> 00:33:17,241 Twenty knot winds are strong - but are well 530 00:33:17,344 --> 00:33:19,206 within the allowable range for landing an A340. 531 00:33:21,172 --> 00:33:24,379 But when investigators study radar images of the airport, 532 00:33:24,482 --> 00:33:26,379 they discover quite a different story. 533 00:33:27,758 --> 00:33:30,793 As flight 358 landed, a sharp line of rain 534 00:33:30,896 --> 00:33:33,827 moved across the runway from north to south. 535 00:33:33,931 --> 00:33:37,448 It was driven by a sudden gust of wind of up to 33 knots. 536 00:33:39,172 --> 00:33:41,724 The crew of the Air France jet had to deal with conditions 537 00:33:41,827 --> 00:33:43,827 that were much worse than they were expecting. 538 00:33:43,931 --> 00:33:46,620 Landing. Auto-pilot. Auto-thrust. Off. 539 00:33:46,724 --> 00:33:51,034 Thirty-three knots is the demonstrated maximum 540 00:33:51,137 --> 00:33:55,448 crossing wind for an A340, and that would be on a dry runway. 541 00:33:55,551 --> 00:34:00,275 So when you say thirty-three knots - at 90 degrees - 542 00:34:00,379 --> 00:34:05,275 you're encroaching on the limits of the aircraft. 543 00:34:05,379 --> 00:34:08,172 Closely studying the airport, 544 00:34:08,275 --> 00:34:11,448 investigators uncover another piece of the puzzle. 545 00:34:11,551 --> 00:34:14,517 Maintenance issues - and the storm itself - were forcing 546 00:34:14,620 --> 00:34:18,482 Air Traffic controllers to use runway 24L for landings. 547 00:34:18,586 --> 00:34:22,275 It is the shortest runway at the airport - almost 650 metres 548 00:34:22,379 --> 00:34:23,689 shorter than some of the others. 549 00:34:25,413 --> 00:34:28,379 Blinded by rain, driven by unexpected winds, 550 00:34:28,482 --> 00:34:31,344 and landing on the shortest runway at the airport, 551 00:34:31,448 --> 00:34:33,965 flight 358 was in a dangerous position. 552 00:34:34,068 --> 00:34:37,931 Over the previous four hours 553 00:34:38,034 --> 00:34:42,413 they had been made aware of the terrible storms and red alerts. 554 00:34:42,517 --> 00:34:44,793 And that was for me, my biggest concern. 555 00:34:44,896 --> 00:34:46,793 Were they perhaps over tired? 556 00:34:46,896 --> 00:34:49,413 Were they lax, victims of routine? 557 00:34:49,517 --> 00:34:50,793 In any case, it's obvious 558 00:34:50,896 --> 00:34:54,931 they hadn't gauged the extent of the danger. 559 00:34:55,034 --> 00:34:58,448 It's evident that the flight crew didn't perceive 560 00:34:58,551 --> 00:35:01,172 the information that they were getting from these various 561 00:35:01,275 --> 00:35:03,931 sources as being threatening. 562 00:35:04,034 --> 00:35:06,275 Therefore they attempted to make a landing. 563 00:35:06,379 --> 00:35:08,965 But even in bad conditions - 564 00:35:09,068 --> 00:35:10,379 even on a short runway - 565 00:35:10,482 --> 00:35:14,034 the crew had 3000 meters in which to land their plane. 566 00:35:14,137 --> 00:35:15,724 It should have been enough. 567 00:35:15,827 --> 00:35:20,000 To find out why it wasn't, investigators turn to the past. 568 00:35:20,103 --> 00:35:22,758 In 1999, an eerily similar accident 569 00:35:22,862 --> 00:35:24,413 took place in Little Rock, Arkansas. 570 00:35:24,517 --> 00:35:25,620 CO-PILOT: We're off course. 571 00:35:25,724 --> 00:35:27,172 No, I can't see it. CO-PILOT: Way off. 572 00:35:27,275 --> 00:35:29,724 Struggling with unpredictable weather, 573 00:35:29,827 --> 00:35:32,931 the crew of an American Airlines jet landed their plane - 574 00:35:33,034 --> 00:35:34,827 only to have it skid off the runway. 575 00:35:38,482 --> 00:35:39,793 Eleven people were killed. 576 00:35:41,241 --> 00:35:43,448 Greg Feith helped investigate that crash. 577 00:35:43,551 --> 00:35:45,862 One of the first things that 578 00:35:45,965 --> 00:35:48,551 I thought about was déjà vu. 579 00:35:48,655 --> 00:35:50,620 Having the first bits of information 580 00:35:50,724 --> 00:35:53,965 about the Air France accident it reminded me 581 00:35:54,068 --> 00:35:56,482 so much of the American Airlines accident. 582 00:35:56,586 --> 00:35:58,931 In the Little Rock crash, 583 00:35:59,034 --> 00:36:02,000 Feith discovered that the crew had made a critical mistake 584 00:36:02,103 --> 00:36:04,241 which contributed significantly to the accident. 585 00:36:04,344 --> 00:36:08,689 They hadn't followed all of the check list procedures 586 00:36:08,793 --> 00:36:11,689 and they didn't have the ground spoilers armed, which basically 587 00:36:11,793 --> 00:36:14,482 degrades the efficiency of lift on the wings and settles 588 00:36:14,586 --> 00:36:16,931 the airplane heavily on the main wheels 589 00:36:17,034 --> 00:36:19,034 so that breaking action is more effective. 590 00:36:19,137 --> 00:36:22,448 Spoilers are only one of several ways 591 00:36:22,551 --> 00:36:26,206 pilots of passenger jets stop their massive planes. 592 00:36:26,310 --> 00:36:28,655 Reverse thrusters are used to redirect the engine power 593 00:36:28,758 --> 00:36:31,068 forward as the plane lands. 594 00:36:31,172 --> 00:36:33,758 And sophisticated brakes help slow the jets down. 595 00:36:36,655 --> 00:36:39,620 To rule out any mechanical fault, all three systems 596 00:36:39,724 --> 00:36:43,482 are examined by investigators of the Air France crash. 597 00:36:43,586 --> 00:36:47,034 One of the brakes on flight 358 was destroyed in the fire. 598 00:36:47,137 --> 00:36:48,827 But the seven other sets of brakes 599 00:36:48,931 --> 00:36:51,034 are all tested after the accident. 600 00:36:51,137 --> 00:36:53,172 All of them are working properly. 601 00:36:53,275 --> 00:36:57,482 Flaps two. Flaps two. F speed. 602 00:36:57,586 --> 00:37:00,206 Investigators in Toronto also discover that - 603 00:37:00,310 --> 00:37:01,965 unlike in the Little Rock crash - 604 00:37:02,068 --> 00:37:04,344 this time the spoilers had deployed properly. 605 00:37:04,448 --> 00:37:07,655 Landing gear down. Spoilers armed. Four green. 606 00:37:07,758 --> 00:37:10,586 And, when the engines are examined, 607 00:37:10,689 --> 00:37:12,827 the reverse thrusters are deployed. 608 00:37:12,931 --> 00:37:15,103 No obvious mechanical fault can be found. 609 00:37:18,965 --> 00:37:20,965 As the investigation continues, 610 00:37:21,068 --> 00:37:23,172 a French newspaper prints a bombshell. 611 00:37:26,517 --> 00:37:28,137 Le Figaro publishes a story 612 00:37:28,241 --> 00:37:29,965 claiming that the thrust reversers - 613 00:37:30,068 --> 00:37:32,965 which use the jet's engines to slow it down - 614 00:37:33,068 --> 00:37:34,379 were not turned on until the plane 615 00:37:34,482 --> 00:37:38,448 had been on the runway for more than 12 seconds. 616 00:37:38,551 --> 00:37:44,793 As for Captain Rosaye, he confirmed the newspaper report. 617 00:37:44,896 --> 00:37:48,310 His explanation, was that his co-pilot had tensed up 618 00:37:48,413 --> 00:37:50,034 and was having difficulty controlling 619 00:37:50,137 --> 00:37:51,655 the lateral movements of the plane. 620 00:37:52,965 --> 00:37:55,034 No doubt because of the strong cross winds 621 00:37:55,137 --> 00:37:57,068 and because the runway was so slippery, 622 00:37:57,172 --> 00:38:00,620 his hand was clamped tightly on the throttle release lever, 623 00:38:00,724 --> 00:38:03,620 which prevented the captain from reaching it himself. 624 00:38:03,724 --> 00:38:06,000 So the reverse thrusters could not be activated. 625 00:38:07,413 --> 00:38:12,448 Shortly after the newspaper story appears, 626 00:38:12,551 --> 00:38:15,344 investigators publish their initial report. 627 00:38:15,448 --> 00:38:18,379 It confirms La Figaro's version of events. 628 00:38:18,482 --> 00:38:20,793 Canada's Transportation Safety Board reveals that, 629 00:38:20,896 --> 00:38:22,344 while the thrusters were found 630 00:38:22,448 --> 00:38:24,517 in their on position at the crash site, 631 00:38:24,620 --> 00:38:27,586 they had not been deployed as soon as the plane landed. 632 00:38:27,689 --> 00:38:29,793 In fact, it took 17 seconds 633 00:38:29,896 --> 00:38:31,482 before they reached maximum power. 634 00:38:31,586 --> 00:38:36,482 The delay was a question raised in the report 635 00:38:36,586 --> 00:38:39,310 and I wouldn't want to hazard a guess as to why there was 636 00:38:39,413 --> 00:38:43,310 such a delay, or what was the cause of it. 637 00:38:43,413 --> 00:38:46,620 I just know that pilots, as a rule, want to get those 638 00:38:46,724 --> 00:38:50,758 reversers in as quickly as possible for maximum stopping. 639 00:38:50,862 --> 00:38:54,103 The investigators reveal other confusing 640 00:38:54,206 --> 00:38:56,724 facts about the last few seconds of Flight 358. 641 00:39:02,206 --> 00:39:04,344 When it came over the start of the runway, 642 00:39:04,448 --> 00:39:07,034 it was twice as high as it should have been. 643 00:39:07,137 --> 00:39:10,000 And when it did land, it was nearly halfway down the runway. 644 00:39:10,103 --> 00:39:15,551 Put it down! Put it down! 645 00:39:15,655 --> 00:39:17,413 In these stormy conditions, 646 00:39:17,517 --> 00:39:19,551 the crew didn't have enough time to stop. 647 00:39:19,655 --> 00:39:24,965 Once they found that the airplane had floated 648 00:39:25,068 --> 00:39:27,827 down the runway, the pilot has to make the decision whether 649 00:39:27,931 --> 00:39:31,482 we stay on the ground and try to salvage this bad situation 650 00:39:31,586 --> 00:39:36,517 or we abort the landing, power up, pull up and go around, 651 00:39:36,620 --> 00:39:39,586 get our stuff together and then come back for a second landing. 652 00:39:39,689 --> 00:39:43,655 But decisions in a cockpit are joint decisions. 653 00:39:43,758 --> 00:39:46,724 The captain and the first officer work together. 654 00:39:46,827 --> 00:39:51,689 If the captain sees that landing will be difficult 655 00:39:51,793 --> 00:39:53,068 he must open throttle 656 00:39:53,172 --> 00:39:55,551 and go through abort landing procedures. 657 00:39:55,655 --> 00:39:56,448 That's his duty. 658 00:39:58,344 --> 00:40:03,551 And of course, the co-pilot 659 00:40:03,655 --> 00:40:06,206 is also allowed to be the first to act. 660 00:40:06,310 --> 00:40:07,241 But the captain's duty 661 00:40:07,344 --> 00:40:09,793 is to avoid at all cost a lengthy touchdown. 662 00:40:09,896 --> 00:40:11,379 That is clear. 663 00:40:11,482 --> 00:40:16,586 By the time the plane touched down, 664 00:40:16,689 --> 00:40:19,620 it had only 1500 metres to stop. 665 00:40:19,724 --> 00:40:22,344 And when it DID land, critical seconds were lost 666 00:40:22,448 --> 00:40:24,448 when the reverse thrusters weren't engaged. 667 00:40:28,172 --> 00:40:32,068 Would it have made a difference to immediately 668 00:40:32,172 --> 00:40:34,103 activate the reverse thrusters? 669 00:40:34,206 --> 00:40:35,827 Of course it would. 670 00:40:35,931 --> 00:40:37,344 Since reverse function reaches 671 00:40:37,448 --> 00:40:39,482 its peak efficiency at high speed, 672 00:40:39,586 --> 00:40:41,862 that is the exact moment of touchdown, 673 00:40:41,965 --> 00:40:43,655 that's what reverse is there for. 674 00:40:44,793 --> 00:40:46,724 It's all a matter of aerodynamic braking. 675 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:50,275 The other problem is that the wheels touched 676 00:40:50,379 --> 00:40:52,275 ground in the middle of the runway, 677 00:40:52,379 --> 00:40:54,620 and reverse or no reverse, at that point it was already 678 00:40:54,724 --> 00:40:57,551 too late, as was pointed out by the head of the inquiry. 679 00:40:58,965 --> 00:41:01,655 That being said, if the reverse thrusters 680 00:41:01,758 --> 00:41:03,620 had been activated immediately, 681 00:41:03,724 --> 00:41:06,724 the plane would have come to a stop more quickly. 682 00:41:06,827 --> 00:41:13,965 In heavy storms, the margin for error is razor thin. 683 00:41:14,068 --> 00:41:17,655 On this rain-filled afternoon, sudden wind, a long landing and 684 00:41:17,758 --> 00:41:21,137 a short runway sealed the fate of everyone on board flight 358. 685 00:41:26,206 --> 00:41:29,000 What concerns some in the aviation industry isn't 686 00:41:29,103 --> 00:41:32,206 this particular flight, but the reality that over runs 687 00:41:32,310 --> 00:41:36,586 are far too common - they happen all around the world. 688 00:41:36,689 --> 00:41:40,413 And safety procedures that could stop them are not in place. 689 00:41:40,517 --> 00:41:49,034 In August 2005, Air France 690 00:41:49,137 --> 00:41:52,655 flight 358 crashed off the end of a runway in Toronto. 691 00:41:54,793 --> 00:41:56,862 It was a horrifying incident, 692 00:41:56,965 --> 00:41:58,827 yet amazingly, everyone survived. 693 00:42:00,620 --> 00:42:02,965 But flight 358 wasn't the only jet 694 00:42:03,068 --> 00:42:04,896 to go off the end of a runway in 2005. 695 00:42:08,034 --> 00:42:12,275 Worldwide, there were 37 other runway overruns. 696 00:42:12,379 --> 00:42:14,172 And the causes of all these accidents 697 00:42:14,275 --> 00:42:15,586 were remarkably similar. 698 00:42:15,689 --> 00:42:19,896 There are a number of causal factors that occur 699 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:22,827 again and again in runway over run accidents. 700 00:42:22,931 --> 00:42:24,000 These would be the weather conditions 701 00:42:25,551 --> 00:42:27,000 The state of the runway surface. 702 00:42:27,103 --> 00:42:32,103 It can be wet, be icy, it can have snow on it. 703 00:42:32,206 --> 00:42:38,137 Speed in excess of normal approach speed for the aircraft, 704 00:42:38,241 --> 00:42:41,172 that does not bleed off as the aircraft attempts to land. 705 00:42:42,413 --> 00:42:44,344 And these factors occur again and again 706 00:42:44,448 --> 00:42:46,137 in runway over run accidents. 707 00:42:46,241 --> 00:42:48,241 Unlike the crash at Toronto, 708 00:42:48,344 --> 00:42:50,655 some over runs are deadly. 709 00:42:50,758 --> 00:42:53,586 This Southwest Airlines flight in Chicago slid off 710 00:42:53,689 --> 00:42:57,344 its runway several months after the Air France crash. 711 00:42:57,448 --> 00:42:59,206 A small child was killed in a car that was 712 00:42:59,310 --> 00:43:00,793 driving on the nearby highway. 713 00:43:00,896 --> 00:43:03,344 Many older airports, 714 00:43:03,448 --> 00:43:05,551 in particular in big cities which have expanded 715 00:43:05,655 --> 00:43:09,379 out toward the airport in the course of their growth, 716 00:43:09,482 --> 00:43:14,448 are constrained in the area that they can use for over runs. 717 00:43:14,551 --> 00:43:17,068 You have to consider what happens 718 00:43:17,172 --> 00:43:21,689 when the runway is contaminated - snow, ice, standing water. 719 00:43:21,793 --> 00:43:25,551 That will degrade the stopping performance of the airplane. 720 00:43:25,655 --> 00:43:28,827 Add to that a tail wind component which was 721 00:43:28,931 --> 00:43:32,103 existent at time the Air France landed. 722 00:43:32,206 --> 00:43:35,793 That, in combination with the contaminated runway 723 00:43:35,896 --> 00:43:38,172 can jeopardize the landing performance 724 00:43:38,275 --> 00:43:41,275 and in fact probably increase it by fifty percent. 725 00:43:41,379 --> 00:43:44,655 The International Civil Aviation Organization 726 00:43:44,758 --> 00:43:48,344 recommends that every airport have a 300-metre safety zone 727 00:43:48,448 --> 00:43:51,000 at the end of runways that handle international flights. 728 00:43:52,103 --> 00:43:54,931 Canadian standards are a little less strict. 729 00:43:55,034 --> 00:43:57,517 They call for a 60-metre over run area 730 00:43:57,620 --> 00:44:01,000 and recommend another 90 metres on top of that. 731 00:44:01,103 --> 00:44:04,827 Runway 24L meets the low end of those recommendations. 732 00:44:04,931 --> 00:44:07,827 There was another runway over run 733 00:44:07,931 --> 00:44:12,241 accident to the runway in Toronto, which was very 734 00:44:12,344 --> 00:44:15,034 closely aligned with the runway that is there at the moment. 735 00:44:15,137 --> 00:44:18,068 In 1978, when a DC9, 736 00:44:18,172 --> 00:44:23,689 an Air Canada DC 9 rejected a takeoff and ran into the ravine. 737 00:44:23,793 --> 00:44:26,724 Well the plane started to break 738 00:44:26,827 --> 00:44:30,000 and then there was just nothing and we dropped over the edge. 739 00:44:30,103 --> 00:44:32,379 There was about a fifty foot drop, 740 00:44:32,482 --> 00:44:34,068 I guess, at the end of the runway. 741 00:44:34,172 --> 00:44:35,517 We just went over the top. 742 00:44:35,620 --> 00:44:36,793 Then there was a heck of a bang 743 00:44:36,896 --> 00:44:39,413 and people and seats all over the place. 744 00:44:39,517 --> 00:44:43,793 Two people died in the 1978 accident. 745 00:44:43,896 --> 00:44:46,379 A coroner's inquest after the crash recommended 746 00:44:46,482 --> 00:44:49,137 that the gully be filled in, but it never was. 747 00:44:49,241 --> 00:44:50,517 It's a steep ravine, 748 00:44:50,620 --> 00:44:52,172 it has about a fifty-foot drop-off 749 00:44:52,275 --> 00:44:53,724 and when you take a large, 750 00:44:53,827 --> 00:44:57,137 complicated and fragile piece of machinery like a commercial 751 00:44:57,241 --> 00:45:01,413 aircraft and you drop it fifty feet, then it tends to break. 752 00:45:01,517 --> 00:45:06,000 There is a possible solution to runway over runs. 753 00:45:06,103 --> 00:45:08,000 But it's not being used in Toronto - 754 00:45:08,103 --> 00:45:10,586 or many other international airports. 755 00:45:10,689 --> 00:45:14,275 It's called EMAS - or Engineered Material Arresting Systems. 756 00:45:14,379 --> 00:45:21,310 It's a form of artificial stone or artificial gravel 757 00:45:21,413 --> 00:45:23,482 which has a certain depth. 758 00:45:23,586 --> 00:45:26,931 And anybody who's ridden a bicycle into a gravel pit 759 00:45:27,034 --> 00:45:29,896 knows that the bicycle stops very quickly 760 00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:32,689 and it can be almost impossible to pedal it out. 761 00:45:32,793 --> 00:45:34,413 And the same thing happens to airplanes. 762 00:45:34,517 --> 00:45:37,724 Several airports in the U.S. use the system. 763 00:45:37,827 --> 00:45:39,689 But most international airports do not. 764 00:45:39,793 --> 00:45:44,241 It's very much more effective than friction braking 765 00:45:44,344 --> 00:45:47,724 and it's certainly incomparably more effective 766 00:45:47,827 --> 00:45:51,000 than thrust reverse and spoilers. 767 00:45:51,103 --> 00:45:53,724 And any one of these systems, when properly engineered, 768 00:45:53,827 --> 00:45:56,103 can stop a large airplane. 769 00:45:56,206 --> 00:45:59,275 No matter what the runway surface conditions, 770 00:45:59,379 --> 00:46:01,344 in a very short distance. 771 00:46:01,448 --> 00:46:05,551 We have to evacuate now! 772 00:46:05,655 --> 00:46:08,172 But one vital air safety guideline was met 773 00:46:08,275 --> 00:46:10,448 when flight 358 crashed. 774 00:46:10,551 --> 00:46:12,896 In spite of the smoke and the spreading fire, 775 00:46:13,000 --> 00:46:15,241 the crew of the crippled plane made sure that all 776 00:46:15,344 --> 00:46:17,758 the passengers escaped in just 90 seconds. 777 00:46:21,931 --> 00:46:24,689 It's just a miracle that all of those people were 778 00:46:24,793 --> 00:46:27,137 able to evacuate the airplane as quickly as they did 779 00:46:27,241 --> 00:46:28,517 before the airplane was consumed. 780 00:46:28,620 --> 00:46:33,620 The Air France flight was particularly noteworthy 781 00:46:33,724 --> 00:46:36,689 that everybody got out essentially unscathed. 782 00:46:41,379 --> 00:46:43,068 It was a noteworthy and it 783 00:46:43,172 --> 00:46:46,586 was a very good evacuation from that perspective. 784 00:46:46,689 --> 00:46:49,620 Captain Alain Rosaye 785 00:46:49,724 --> 00:46:52,172 may never fly for Air France again. 786 00:46:52,275 --> 00:46:53,758 His injuries required extensive 787 00:46:53,862 --> 00:46:56,413 physical therapy after the crash. 788 00:46:56,517 --> 00:47:00,586 At the time, he was less than three years from retirement. 789 00:47:00,689 --> 00:47:04,275 Every morning Captain Rosaye relives the experience, 790 00:47:04,379 --> 00:47:08,206 coming face to face with the flames, the noise, the crash. 791 00:47:08,310 --> 00:47:11,068 And it made him sad to end his career on that note, 792 00:47:11,172 --> 00:47:12,620 having destroyed his plane. 793 00:47:12,724 --> 00:47:16,137 That's the worst possible fate for a pilot, the worst outcome. 794 00:47:16,241 --> 00:47:18,655 The co-pilot, Frederic Naud, 795 00:47:18,758 --> 00:47:21,758 is suspended for three months after the accident. 796 00:47:21,862 --> 00:47:25,689 By early the next year, he is back on duty with Air France. 797 00:47:25,793 --> 00:47:28,275 There are reports that, after he helped Captain Rosaye 798 00:47:28,379 --> 00:47:31,344 out of the cockpit, he was the last person off the plane. 799 00:47:36,448 --> 00:47:39,000 The passengers deal with the crash in their own ways. 800 00:47:42,827 --> 00:47:46,862 I went through nightmares almost every single night. 801 00:47:48,275 --> 00:47:50,344 Flashbacks during the day. 802 00:47:50,448 --> 00:47:54,517 I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat and I questioned myself, 803 00:47:54,620 --> 00:47:55,862 why am I here? 804 00:47:55,965 --> 00:48:00,586 It's frightening to be in such a state, and... 805 00:48:00,689 --> 00:48:02,241 it has taught me to be strong. 806 00:48:02,344 --> 00:48:11,448 We really need to take seriously those safety commands 807 00:48:11,551 --> 00:48:14,862 and evacuation information because you never know. 808 00:48:14,965 --> 00:48:16,517 It was a perfect flight, 809 00:48:16,620 --> 00:48:19,793 there's not any indications that anything can go wrong. 810 00:48:19,896 --> 00:48:25,137 And it's right at the very last second that everything happens. 811 00:48:27,068 --> 00:48:32,172 So, thank goodness I'm here to talk about it now. 812 00:48:32,275 --> 00:48:38,517 Open the door! Open the door! 813 00:48:38,620 --> 00:48:40,655 There's a lot of negative in the accident 814 00:48:41,758 --> 00:48:42,965 and there's a lot of positive. 815 00:48:44,172 --> 00:48:46,793 The negative is oh my God you know I'm going to die, 816 00:48:46,896 --> 00:48:47,896 oh my God it's horrible. 817 00:48:48,000 --> 00:48:50,689 Oh I have these nightmares and yes I'm traumatized 818 00:48:50,793 --> 00:48:52,758 and my kids are traumatized. 819 00:48:52,862 --> 00:48:54,931 However there are positives. 820 00:48:55,034 --> 00:48:59,758 And the positives are, gee, I'm alive you know? 821 00:48:59,862 --> 00:49:01,517 I have been given a second chance. 822 00:49:02,620 --> 00:49:04,758 I have been given a second life. 823 00:49:05,896 --> 00:49:11,965 And all of us, my wife and my children, myself, 824 00:49:12,068 --> 00:49:15,620 we all experience the same positive 825 00:49:15,724 --> 00:49:18,344 effects of the crash which is we have to give back. 826 00:49:18,448 --> 00:49:20,172 We have to do something for others. 827 00:49:20,275 --> 00:49:22,931 We have to extend our heart out, 828 00:49:23,034 --> 00:49:25,241 our compassion to people who need it. 829 00:49:27,137 --> 00:49:28,862 It's almost therapeutic for us, you know, 830 00:49:28,965 --> 00:49:32,689 the more you do for others, the better you gonna feel. 831 00:49:32,793 --> 00:49:36,068 So, for me, I figure if I can extend my heart 832 00:49:36,172 --> 00:49:37,862 out to others, it's gonna help me as well.