1 00:00:02,586 --> 00:00:04,241 Smoke fills a passenger plane 2 00:00:04,344 --> 00:00:05,965 ten kilometers in the sky. 3 00:00:12,275 --> 00:00:14,000 We're on Mayday. We're going down. 4 00:00:14,103 --> 00:00:17,310 Electrical systems shut down as the smoke spreads. 5 00:00:17,413 --> 00:00:20,103 The crew tries desperately to land their stricken plane. 6 00:00:20,206 --> 00:00:22,000 We're going to make an emergency landing. 7 00:00:22,103 --> 00:00:23,379 Put your head on your lap. 8 00:00:23,482 --> 00:00:24,931 We're going to need fire trucks. 9 00:00:25,034 --> 00:00:26,241 They're standing by for you. 10 00:00:26,344 --> 00:00:31,655 What seemed like a small problem at first has 11 00:00:31,758 --> 00:00:34,344 become a life or death struggle for everyone on board 12 00:00:34,448 --> 00:00:35,896 Air Canada flight 797. 13 00:01:05,827 --> 00:01:07,862 Early evening, June 2nd, 1983. 14 00:01:07,965 --> 00:01:11,620 Suppertime aboard Air Canada Flight 797. 15 00:01:13,758 --> 00:01:16,965 Captain Donald Cameron has been working for Air Canada for 16 00:01:17,068 --> 00:01:21,827 17 years and has flown almost 5-thousand hours on a DC-9. 17 00:01:21,931 --> 00:01:24,931 But it doesn't mean he gets to eat first. 18 00:01:25,034 --> 00:01:26,379 How's your seafood? Nice? 19 00:01:26,482 --> 00:01:28,241 Before he can dig in, 20 00:01:28,344 --> 00:01:30,965 his first officer Claude Ouimet will have to finish. 21 00:01:31,068 --> 00:01:32,137 Good. 22 00:01:32,241 --> 00:01:38,241 The jet is in the middle of a flight 23 00:01:38,344 --> 00:01:41,689 from Dallas, Texas to Montreal with a stopover in Toronto. 24 00:01:44,379 --> 00:01:47,827 The heavy cloud cover below hides some light showers 25 00:01:47,931 --> 00:01:50,620 but at their cruising altitude of 10-thousand meters 26 00:01:50,724 --> 00:01:52,241 the view is clear and bright. 27 00:01:58,103 --> 00:02:00,344 The DC-9 is only half full today, 28 00:02:00,448 --> 00:02:03,172 with 41 passengers scattered throughout the plane. 29 00:02:03,275 --> 00:02:06,448 Can I have some tea please? 30 00:02:06,551 --> 00:02:08,965 24-year-old Dianne Fadley is an active 31 00:02:09,068 --> 00:02:11,241 member of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. 32 00:02:11,344 --> 00:02:13,620 We have a number of different 33 00:02:13,724 --> 00:02:15,137 fundraising activities. 34 00:02:15,241 --> 00:02:18,103 Once a year they have a large conference um 35 00:02:19,482 --> 00:02:21,758 and at this time it happened to be in Toronto. 36 00:02:21,862 --> 00:02:27,344 Raymond Chalifoux is 23 and recently married. 37 00:02:27,448 --> 00:02:29,034 An engineer, he's returning home 38 00:02:29,137 --> 00:02:30,689 from his first-ever business trip. 39 00:02:30,793 --> 00:02:32,724 It was a little bit frightening 40 00:02:32,827 --> 00:02:34,517 both for me and for my wife. 41 00:02:34,620 --> 00:02:36,827 I was supposed to be gone four or five days 42 00:02:36,931 --> 00:02:38,724 so uh first time we were separated for a long 43 00:02:38,827 --> 00:02:43,275 period of time so uh it was kind of insecure for me, yeah. 44 00:02:43,379 --> 00:02:47,758 And a few rows further up sits a growing 45 00:02:47,862 --> 00:02:49,448 legend in the world of folk music. 46 00:02:52,103 --> 00:02:55,379 Stan Rogers is just 33 but his career is 47 00:02:55,482 --> 00:02:58,965 beginning to take off outside of his native Canada. 48 00:02:59,068 --> 00:03:02,896 Stan's best known songs celebrate ordinary people. 49 00:03:04,241 --> 00:03:06,137 The songs are really about ordinary people 50 00:03:06,241 --> 00:03:09,896 rising to the occasion and becoming heroes on their own. 51 00:03:17,586 --> 00:03:19,586 Just before 7 o'clock, 52 00:03:19,689 --> 00:03:22,172 the plane is a little more than halfway to Toronto. 53 00:03:24,517 --> 00:03:28,793 What was that? It's right there. 54 00:03:28,896 --> 00:03:34,068 I see it. Right there. Yeah. 55 00:03:34,172 --> 00:03:37,448 Three circuit breakers have popped out. 56 00:03:37,551 --> 00:03:39,689 Like fuses, they protect delicate electrical 57 00:03:39,793 --> 00:03:41,965 circuits on the plane from becoming overloaded. 58 00:03:42,068 --> 00:03:47,551 Like a machine gun. Yeah. Zap, zap, zap. 59 00:03:47,655 --> 00:03:50,379 The three breakers are for the flushing 60 00:03:50,482 --> 00:03:53,172 motor in the toilet at the rear of the plane. 61 00:03:53,275 --> 00:03:54,448 Cameron decides to give them 62 00:03:54,551 --> 00:03:56,793 a few minutes before he tries to reset them again. 63 00:03:56,896 --> 00:04:00,689 You know sometimes it overworks and uh overheats 64 00:04:00,793 --> 00:04:03,793 and then the breaker pops and then you uh it 65 00:04:03,896 --> 00:04:06,551 cools off and then you push the breaker and everything is fine. 66 00:04:06,655 --> 00:04:09,793 So put the snag in the log book and that's it. 67 00:04:09,896 --> 00:04:11,896 Someone must have pushed a rag down the toilet or 68 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,103 something, jammed it and it overheated. 69 00:04:14,206 --> 00:04:17,517 Cameron thinks that something must be stopping 70 00:04:17,620 --> 00:04:20,965 the motor from working properly, but it's not an emergency. 71 00:04:21,068 --> 00:04:22,689 Toilets get blocked all the time. 72 00:04:27,103 --> 00:04:28,620 Several minutes pass as the plane 73 00:04:28,724 --> 00:04:30,413 continues on its way to Toronto. 74 00:04:32,241 --> 00:04:34,068 Flight attendants Laura Kayama 75 00:04:34,172 --> 00:04:36,931 and Judi Davidson are busy serving up dinner in the cabin. 76 00:04:39,206 --> 00:04:41,724 In the cockpit, it's Captain Cameron's turn for dinner. 77 00:04:43,103 --> 00:04:46,206 But first he wants to reset the three circuit breakers. 78 00:04:46,310 --> 00:04:48,275 Without them, the toilet won't work. 79 00:04:48,379 --> 00:04:49,551 The rest of the flight could get 80 00:04:49,655 --> 00:04:50,896 uncomfortable for the passengers. 81 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:52,655 Pops as I push it. 82 00:04:52,758 --> 00:04:57,137 He's given it more than 8 minutes, but whatever 83 00:04:57,241 --> 00:04:59,724 is wrong with the washroom, it isn't fixing itself. 84 00:05:02,448 --> 00:05:03,965 In the cabin, one of the passengers 85 00:05:04,068 --> 00:05:06,034 complains about a disturbing odour. 86 00:05:06,137 --> 00:05:11,034 Yeah that is a strange smell. Let me take a look. 87 00:05:14,448 --> 00:05:16,965 Connie Kirsch, a Texan headed for a business 88 00:05:17,068 --> 00:05:19,413 meeting in Toronto, is seated at the back of the plane. 89 00:05:19,517 --> 00:05:26,000 I had smelled a peculiar smell where I was sitting 90 00:05:27,413 --> 00:05:30,517 and I, it struck me as odd. 91 00:05:30,620 --> 00:05:33,517 Actually it was a wiry smell, it wasn't a smoke smell. 92 00:05:33,620 --> 00:05:37,827 A wisp of smoke is leaking out of the washroom. 93 00:05:37,931 --> 00:05:40,413 The smoke, and the acrid smell of burning plastic, 94 00:05:40,517 --> 00:05:42,103 takes Davidson by surprise. 95 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:45,931 This is much more than just a clogged toilet. 96 00:05:49,758 --> 00:05:51,758 Other passengers are beginning to notice the smoke 97 00:05:51,862 --> 00:05:53,206 and the suffocating smell. 98 00:05:53,310 --> 00:05:58,655 Sergio, there's a problem in the washroom. 99 00:05:58,758 --> 00:05:59,827 Judi says there's a fire. 100 00:05:59,931 --> 00:06:02,137 Okay. I'll be right there. 101 00:06:02,241 --> 00:06:05,655 Chief flight attendant Sergio Benetti 102 00:06:05,758 --> 00:06:07,206 is in charge of the cabin crew. 103 00:06:08,758 --> 00:06:10,689 As a precaution we're moving everyone three rows up. 104 00:06:15,206 --> 00:06:18,172 The smoke is noxious and overpowering. 105 00:06:18,275 --> 00:06:21,034 Benetti can't see any flames. 106 00:06:21,137 --> 00:06:23,827 He sprays the fire extinguisher into the tiny washroom, 107 00:06:23,931 --> 00:06:25,379 trying to coat every surface. 108 00:06:25,482 --> 00:06:31,793 As soon as I saw that fire extinguisher something 109 00:06:31,896 --> 00:06:32,724 went through my mind. 110 00:06:32,827 --> 00:06:34,000 There is definitely something wrong 111 00:06:34,103 --> 00:06:39,034 but the guy seemed to have the thing under control so he's 112 00:06:39,137 --> 00:06:43,137 gonna do his job and things will be business as usual. 113 00:06:43,241 --> 00:06:49,482 It's 2 minutes past 7, just 11 minutes 114 00:06:49,586 --> 00:06:51,482 since the circuit breakers first popped out. 115 00:06:52,862 --> 00:06:55,862 Laura Kayama brings Captain Cameron the disturbing news. 116 00:06:55,965 --> 00:06:57,482 Excuse me captain 117 00:06:57,586 --> 00:06:59,551 but there's a fire in the washroom in the back. 118 00:06:59,655 --> 00:07:01,000 They just went back to go put it out. 119 00:07:01,103 --> 00:07:07,275 You want me to go back? Yeah, go. 120 00:07:09,137 --> 00:07:10,965 A fire onboard an aircraft is 121 00:07:11,068 --> 00:07:14,482 one of the worst situations any crew can face. 122 00:07:14,586 --> 00:07:17,241 The plane is some 10-kilometers high. 123 00:07:17,344 --> 00:07:21,103 What starts as a spark can turn deadly in a few short minutes. 124 00:07:23,275 --> 00:07:24,931 But at the moment Cameron doesn't know 125 00:07:25,034 --> 00:07:26,551 how bad the situation is. 126 00:07:26,655 --> 00:07:29,000 You gotta remember in 1983 127 00:07:30,172 --> 00:07:31,827 people were allowed to smoke in the aircraft 128 00:07:34,206 --> 00:07:39,068 and there had been a number of incidents of this sort 129 00:07:39,172 --> 00:07:43,137 in the industry so it really didn't alarm me that much. 130 00:07:43,241 --> 00:07:47,068 Ouimet finds the situation is 131 00:07:47,172 --> 00:07:48,517 worse than he expected. 132 00:07:48,620 --> 00:07:50,620 I didn't see any flames when I opened the door 133 00:07:50,724 --> 00:07:53,206 before but I sprayed it really good with the fire extinguisher. 134 00:07:53,310 --> 00:07:56,137 You think it was a cigarette in the garbage? 135 00:07:56,241 --> 00:08:00,172 No, not really. Okay. 136 00:08:00,275 --> 00:08:14,172 Can't get back there. Smoke's too heavy. 137 00:08:14,275 --> 00:08:15,344 I think we better go down. 138 00:08:15,448 --> 00:08:18,965 But flight attendant Sergio Benetti has a very 139 00:08:19,068 --> 00:08:20,724 different assessment of the situation. 140 00:08:20,827 --> 00:08:24,379 You don't have to worry. I think the smoke's easing up. 141 00:08:24,482 --> 00:08:27,896 It's a confusing moment for Captain Cameron. 142 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:31,896 Some components do fail from time to time that 143 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:36,000 are not severe or serious enough to cause an emergency descent. 144 00:08:36,103 --> 00:08:37,379 That's a pretty serious thing. 145 00:08:37,482 --> 00:08:39,896 When Ouimet and Benetti 146 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:41,275 were at the back of the plane, 147 00:08:41,379 --> 00:08:44,724 the smoke seemed thick but now it appears to be subsiding. 148 00:08:44,827 --> 00:08:47,758 Okay. It's starting to clear now 149 00:08:49,206 --> 00:08:51,137 but I'll go back and check if that's okay. 150 00:08:51,241 --> 00:08:55,137 Yeah that's okay. Take these goggles. 151 00:08:55,241 --> 00:08:56,517 I'll leave my mask on. 152 00:08:56,620 --> 00:08:57,620 Go back wherever you can 153 00:08:57,724 --> 00:08:59,344 but don't get yourself incapacitated. 154 00:08:59,448 --> 00:09:01,137 No problem. No problem. 155 00:09:01,241 --> 00:09:05,620 If it's just a broken toilet motor, 156 00:09:05,724 --> 00:09:08,448 Cameron can still make it to Toronto. 157 00:09:08,551 --> 00:09:11,689 But if it's more serious he'll have to land immediately, 158 00:09:11,793 --> 00:09:15,137 before the small inconvenience becomes a deadly problem. 159 00:09:21,586 --> 00:09:22,482 June 2nd, 1983. 160 00:09:24,172 --> 00:09:27,689 Air Canada flight 797 cruises through the early evening. 161 00:09:33,137 --> 00:09:35,827 The flight has taken an unsettling turn. 162 00:09:35,931 --> 00:09:39,724 Wisps of smoke are gathering at the back of the DC-9. 163 00:09:39,827 --> 00:09:42,137 An acrid smell is spreading through the cabin. 164 00:09:44,793 --> 00:09:47,034 The crew is growing concerned. 165 00:09:47,137 --> 00:09:50,000 They've already moved passengers toward the front of the jet, 166 00:09:50,103 --> 00:09:52,068 as far as possible from the creeping smoke. 167 00:09:55,275 --> 00:09:57,517 Captain Donald Cameron is waiting for an update 168 00:09:57,620 --> 00:10:00,862 from the back of the plane when suddenly he's got a new problem. 169 00:10:02,620 --> 00:10:04,931 The master warning light is on. 170 00:10:05,034 --> 00:10:07,206 Electrical systems throughout the plane, 171 00:10:07,310 --> 00:10:10,000 including some in the cockpit, begin to fail. 172 00:10:10,103 --> 00:10:15,517 The airplane basically lost all its sophisticated 173 00:10:15,620 --> 00:10:18,275 navigation and attitude information. 174 00:10:18,379 --> 00:10:22,655 So I was left very suddenly with I think three engine 175 00:10:22,758 --> 00:10:27,000 instruments per engine and uh four flight instruments, 176 00:10:27,103 --> 00:10:28,206 which were very primitive. 177 00:10:28,310 --> 00:10:31,896 They were what you might have flown 178 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:33,758 a World War Two bomber with. 179 00:10:33,862 --> 00:10:37,689 With his electrical systems starting to shut down, 180 00:10:37,793 --> 00:10:39,827 Cameron calls the nearest ground control. 181 00:10:39,931 --> 00:10:41,551 Memphis Center, this is Air Canada 797. 182 00:10:41,655 --> 00:10:45,931 Air Canada 797 Indianapolis Center. Go ahead. 183 00:10:46,034 --> 00:10:48,517 Yeah we've got an electrical problem here. 184 00:10:48,620 --> 00:10:50,517 We may be off communication shortly. Stand by. 185 00:10:50,620 --> 00:10:56,275 Co-pilot Claude Ouimet is at the back of the plane. 186 00:10:56,379 --> 00:10:59,862 The washroom door handle has become hot to the touch. 187 00:10:59,965 --> 00:11:02,620 He doesn't even risk opening it. 188 00:11:02,724 --> 00:11:05,862 Faced with a potential fire onboard, the crew have no 189 00:11:05,965 --> 00:11:08,689 choice but to land their plane as soon as possible. 190 00:11:08,793 --> 00:11:11,896 I don't like what's happening. 191 00:11:14,758 --> 00:11:15,689 I think we'd better go down. 192 00:11:17,068 --> 00:11:19,586 We're going to be making an emergency descent. 193 00:11:19,689 --> 00:11:22,310 Brief the cabin crew. Yes sir. 194 00:11:22,413 --> 00:11:23,931 As soon as the decision is made, 195 00:11:24,034 --> 00:11:26,068 another warning light goes on. 196 00:11:26,172 --> 00:11:28,413 They've just lost most of their emergency power. 197 00:11:28,517 --> 00:11:31,034 We're talking about multiple failure here 198 00:11:31,137 --> 00:11:34,275 and it's starting to be complicated 199 00:11:34,379 --> 00:11:36,724 so we're going down and obviously we have to land. 200 00:11:36,827 --> 00:11:38,586 Mayday, mayday, mayday. 201 00:11:38,689 --> 00:11:41,068 A small problem has snowballed 202 00:11:41,172 --> 00:11:42,655 into an all-out emergency. 203 00:11:42,758 --> 00:11:45,344 Mayday, mayday, mayday. 204 00:11:45,448 --> 00:11:46,517 This is Louisville Control. Over. 205 00:11:46,620 --> 00:11:49,172 Air Canada 797. We have a fire onboard. 206 00:11:49,275 --> 00:11:50,206 We are going down. 207 00:11:50,310 --> 00:11:52,551 Can you possibly make Cincinnati? 208 00:11:52,655 --> 00:11:55,758 Roger that. 209 00:11:55,862 --> 00:11:59,482 Cincinnati is 46-kilometers away. 210 00:12:00,758 --> 00:12:02,137 They can make it. 211 00:12:02,241 --> 00:12:04,413 Captain Cameron begins an initial descent 212 00:12:04,517 --> 00:12:05,827 to 15-hundred meters. 213 00:12:07,034 --> 00:12:10,172 The crew has switched to emergency battery power 214 00:12:10,275 --> 00:12:12,758 but many of the plane's instruments aren't functioning. 215 00:12:12,862 --> 00:12:17,689 So all we had left was DC emer power 216 00:12:17,793 --> 00:12:19,586 and that's only good for radios basically. 217 00:12:19,689 --> 00:12:22,068 It's not only instruments. 218 00:12:22,172 --> 00:12:24,586 Cameron finds that a critical piece of his plane 219 00:12:24,689 --> 00:12:25,758 isn't working properly. 220 00:12:28,758 --> 00:12:32,551 The horizontal stabilizer on the tail of his DC-9 is frozen - 221 00:12:32,655 --> 00:12:33,517 set for cruising at 10-thousand meters. 222 00:12:33,620 --> 00:12:36,103 Cameron uses the part that's still working - 223 00:12:36,206 --> 00:12:39,068 the elevators - to make the plane dive. 224 00:12:39,172 --> 00:12:42,896 But like a car that's lost power steering, the aircraft resists. 225 00:12:44,034 --> 00:12:46,034 As Cameron pushes on the controls, 226 00:12:46,137 --> 00:12:49,275 they push back - with a pressure equal to 20 kilograms. 227 00:12:49,379 --> 00:12:54,896 The airplane became very heavy and that 228 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:57,758 took my total concentration to fly the airplane. 229 00:12:57,862 --> 00:13:03,000 An acrid, bitter smoke 230 00:13:03,103 --> 00:13:05,310 is creeping forward from the back of the plane 231 00:13:05,413 --> 00:13:08,241 and seeping in from the seams in the fuselage ceiling. 232 00:13:11,137 --> 00:13:13,655 It hovers like a cloud over the passengers' heads. 233 00:13:13,758 --> 00:13:19,379 Incredibly harsh smoke that was really 234 00:13:19,482 --> 00:13:21,241 irritating your throat. 235 00:13:21,344 --> 00:13:24,758 You had to take really, really small small breaths. 236 00:13:24,862 --> 00:13:31,068 Otherwise you would choke. I could see it rise. 237 00:13:34,379 --> 00:13:37,896 It was traveling along those luggage racks, 238 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:39,413 you know, coming forward. 239 00:13:39,517 --> 00:13:42,655 Seatbelts. 240 00:13:42,758 --> 00:13:45,241 The smell of burning plastic fills the air. 241 00:13:48,137 --> 00:13:50,965 Dropping oxygen masks could make the situation worse. 242 00:13:51,068 --> 00:13:54,862 I could have deployed the oxygen 243 00:13:54,965 --> 00:13:57,655 masks to the passengers but it's forbidden. 244 00:13:57,758 --> 00:13:59,551 You're only allowed to use the oxygen masks 245 00:13:59,655 --> 00:14:02,931 in case of a massive, a massive decompression or 246 00:14:03,034 --> 00:14:07,172 a loss of cabin pressure, not for fire. 247 00:14:07,275 --> 00:14:18,551 I was crying and scared. I wasn't hysterical. 248 00:14:18,655 --> 00:14:21,655 The gentleman sitting next to me explained to me that 249 00:14:21,758 --> 00:14:24,862 if I would not cry and if I could, you know, 250 00:14:24,965 --> 00:14:28,586 conserve my, not breathe so fast that it would conserve 251 00:14:28,689 --> 00:14:31,344 the oxygen and help us and not to worry, that the flight 252 00:14:31,448 --> 00:14:34,689 attendants, they really know how to handle these situations. 253 00:14:34,793 --> 00:14:39,827 As the electrical malfunctions 254 00:14:39,931 --> 00:14:43,931 ripple through the plane, the P.A. system shuts down. 255 00:14:44,034 --> 00:14:46,379 Flight attendants struggle to shout directions 256 00:14:46,482 --> 00:14:48,620 but it's getting more and more difficult to breathe. 257 00:14:51,482 --> 00:14:54,206 In 1983, it is not standard procedure to tell 258 00:14:54,310 --> 00:14:57,413 passengers how to open the emergency doors but in this 259 00:14:57,517 --> 00:15:00,724 case the two flight attendants are taking no chances. 260 00:15:00,827 --> 00:15:08,965 As smoke begins entering the cockpit, 261 00:15:10,482 --> 00:15:12,793 the Captain's situation is becoming critical. 262 00:15:14,206 --> 00:15:17,275 For the first time Ouimet talks to the Cincinnati airport. 263 00:15:17,379 --> 00:15:23,724 Approach Air Canada 797. We're on Mayday. 264 00:15:23,827 --> 00:15:28,689 We're going down. GREGORY: Air Canada 797. Cincinnati approach. 265 00:15:28,793 --> 00:15:32,896 Plan runway three six ILS and the equipment has been alerted. 266 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:34,965 Do you have time to give me the nature of the emergency? 267 00:15:35,068 --> 00:15:37,344 We have a fire in the washroom. 268 00:15:37,448 --> 00:15:39,206 We're filling up with smoke right now. 269 00:15:39,310 --> 00:15:42,931 Say type of aircraft, number of people onboard 270 00:15:43,034 --> 00:15:44,103 and the amount of fuel. 271 00:15:44,206 --> 00:15:48,034 We'll copy that later. We don't have time. 272 00:15:48,137 --> 00:15:53,206 Gregory Karam is the approach tower controller. 273 00:15:53,310 --> 00:15:56,172 He's the lifeline for the struggling jet. 274 00:15:56,275 --> 00:15:58,379 He can't see the plane on radar yet 275 00:15:58,482 --> 00:15:59,724 but he knows it's in trouble. 276 00:15:59,827 --> 00:16:05,413 There was really no mayhem whatsoever, 277 00:16:05,517 --> 00:16:08,172 no screaming, nothing at all. 278 00:16:08,275 --> 00:16:12,206 In fact it was very quiet and calm and, again, 279 00:16:12,310 --> 00:16:13,931 I was terrified at that point. 280 00:16:14,034 --> 00:16:17,827 Almost 13 minutes after 7, 281 00:16:17,931 --> 00:16:21,310 Karam catches sight of flight 797 on his radar. 282 00:16:36,413 --> 00:16:41,655 The crew needs to be guided in from the ground. 283 00:16:41,758 --> 00:16:43,965 Struggling to see through the dense smoke, 284 00:16:44,068 --> 00:16:45,586 they could easily veer off course. 285 00:16:48,896 --> 00:16:51,034 Karam will talk them down, watching them 286 00:16:51,137 --> 00:16:52,310 every step of the way. 287 00:16:55,172 --> 00:16:58,103 In the cabin, the smoke and heat are becoming unbearable. 288 00:16:58,206 --> 00:17:03,482 My thought was well we're gonna crash. 289 00:17:03,586 --> 00:17:05,172 They won't be able to identify myself 290 00:17:05,275 --> 00:17:07,413 because I didn't have my papers with me 291 00:17:07,517 --> 00:17:11,310 so I stood up, I took my wallet in the compartment 292 00:17:11,413 --> 00:17:15,137 and put my jacket on so that they could identify my body. 293 00:17:15,241 --> 00:17:18,379 Uh I knew at that point, that's when I decided, 294 00:17:18,482 --> 00:17:20,034 I felt that I was not gonna make it 295 00:17:20,137 --> 00:17:22,655 'cause I felt that I was never gonna see my family again. 296 00:17:22,758 --> 00:17:24,896 The situation just seemed very impossible. 297 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,344 Stan certainly had a sense of his own mortality. 298 00:17:28,448 --> 00:17:32,793 He hated to fly but the demand for Stan was growing 299 00:17:32,896 --> 00:17:35,620 so he was flying more often and he certainly had a sense 300 00:17:35,724 --> 00:17:38,172 that with so much traveling his risk is elevated. 301 00:17:38,275 --> 00:17:43,000 Where's the airport? 302 00:17:43,103 --> 00:17:45,586 Twelve o'clock and eight miles Air Canada. 303 00:17:45,689 --> 00:17:49,068 Okay. We're trying to locate it. 304 00:17:49,172 --> 00:17:49,965 We're going to need fire trucks. 305 00:17:50,068 --> 00:17:52,000 They're standing by for you. 306 00:17:52,103 --> 00:17:54,000 Can you give me the number of people and the amount of fuel? 307 00:17:54,103 --> 00:17:58,000 We don't have time. It's getting worse in here. 308 00:17:58,103 --> 00:17:59,551 Understood sir. Turn left now. 309 00:17:59,655 --> 00:18:01,724 You're just half a mile north of final approach. 310 00:18:01,827 --> 00:18:15,793 Finally the crew see the airport. 311 00:18:15,896 --> 00:18:21,379 Okay. We have the airport. 312 00:18:22,965 --> 00:18:24,482 The tower has you in sight. 313 00:18:24,586 --> 00:18:26,034 You need not acknowledge further transmission 314 00:18:26,137 --> 00:18:28,551 from the Air Canada 797. 315 00:18:28,655 --> 00:18:32,413 You are clear to land. You are four miles from the airport. 316 00:18:32,517 --> 00:18:34,965 Good luck. 317 00:18:35,068 --> 00:18:39,931 In a thick haze of smoke and soot, 318 00:18:40,034 --> 00:18:43,517 flight attendants Laura Kayama and Judi Davidson feel their 319 00:18:43,620 --> 00:18:46,448 way along the aisle, trying to reassure the passengers. 320 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:50,103 They can't get past the twelfth row. 321 00:18:50,206 --> 00:18:52,137 The smoke and the heat are overwhelming. 322 00:18:52,241 --> 00:18:55,275 I was praying the whole time. 323 00:18:55,379 --> 00:18:58,620 Dear god, please help us land this plane. 324 00:18:58,724 --> 00:19:01,379 Please get this plane safely on the ground. 325 00:19:27,379 --> 00:19:31,068 Can't see, can't breathe. 326 00:19:31,172 --> 00:19:37,068 Death absolutely crossed my mind but hang in there. 327 00:19:38,482 --> 00:19:39,275 Don't give up. 328 00:19:42,137 --> 00:19:44,206 I've been married for less than a year 329 00:19:44,310 --> 00:19:45,758 and it's already over. 330 00:19:47,344 --> 00:19:50,931 So I start breathing as little as I could 331 00:19:51,034 --> 00:19:54,482 and start thinking seriously of my wife. 332 00:19:54,586 --> 00:19:58,793 Fighting the reluctant controls, 333 00:19:58,896 --> 00:20:01,551 Captain Cameron's strength is being pushed to the limit. 334 00:20:09,413 --> 00:20:10,862 797 the tower has you in sight. 335 00:20:10,965 --> 00:20:34,379 Squinting through the smoke, 336 00:20:34,482 --> 00:20:37,965 the crew of flight 797 land hard. 337 00:20:38,068 --> 00:20:41,620 At 20 minutes after 7, the Air Canada plane is on the ground. 338 00:20:44,689 --> 00:20:46,068 It's less than 30 minutes 339 00:20:46,172 --> 00:20:48,793 since the first sign of any trouble on board flight 797. 340 00:20:48,896 --> 00:20:53,379 When we touched the ground, 341 00:20:53,482 --> 00:20:54,793 I assumed that we're safe now. 342 00:20:56,517 --> 00:20:57,896 Now let's get out of this airplane. 343 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:02,793 But inside the plane, the smoke isn't letting up. 344 00:21:02,896 --> 00:21:04,689 Passengers are undoing their seatbelts 345 00:21:04,793 --> 00:21:06,275 and trying desperately to escape. 346 00:21:06,379 --> 00:21:10,517 I got up out of my seat and I remember 347 00:21:10,620 --> 00:21:14,448 putting my hands up on someone's back and it was like waiting in 348 00:21:14,551 --> 00:21:18,103 a line and I knew that was one line I didn't want to wait very 349 00:21:18,206 --> 00:21:21,586 long and so I turned around and went the other direction, 350 00:21:21,689 --> 00:21:22,965 not knowing I was actually heading 351 00:21:23,068 --> 00:21:24,241 towards the front of the plane. 352 00:21:24,344 --> 00:21:32,965 Sergio Benetti is the first one to the door. 353 00:21:38,241 --> 00:21:40,172 He helps gasping passengers escape. 354 00:21:52,413 --> 00:22:06,931 The cabin is pitch black and burning hot. SERGIO: Go! 355 00:22:07,034 --> 00:22:08,000 In the cockpit, 356 00:22:08,103 --> 00:22:10,689 the crew quickly shuts the plane down. 357 00:22:10,793 --> 00:22:13,758 The first officer escapes through the emergency window. 358 00:22:13,862 --> 00:22:15,758 It's a 5-meter jump to the ground. 359 00:22:26,413 --> 00:22:29,620 Passengers have opened three of the over-wing exits. 360 00:22:29,724 --> 00:22:33,034 But even with the doors open, the exits are all but invisible. 361 00:22:33,137 --> 00:22:34,517 The smoke is too thick. 362 00:22:34,620 --> 00:22:44,931 I saw a light and it was the door that had opened, 363 00:22:45,034 --> 00:22:48,103 someone had opened the door and I realized what it was 364 00:22:48,206 --> 00:22:52,517 and ran to the door and held my, I just put my face out 365 00:22:52,620 --> 00:22:53,517 so I could breathe. 366 00:22:53,620 --> 00:23:00,206 Passengers who have found the exits 367 00:23:00,310 --> 00:23:02,620 slide off the wing and stumble to safety. 368 00:23:05,551 --> 00:23:08,758 On the ground, Laura Kayama and Judi Davidson frantically 369 00:23:08,862 --> 00:23:11,034 move passengers away from the deadly plane. 370 00:23:12,275 --> 00:23:14,310 Fire rescue vehicles surround the plane. 371 00:23:15,586 --> 00:23:17,172 They douse the plane's exterior 372 00:23:17,275 --> 00:23:19,103 and the ground beneath with foam, 373 00:23:19,206 --> 00:23:21,896 fearing a fuel fire, or worse an explosion. 374 00:23:24,586 --> 00:23:25,931 Through the cockpit window, 375 00:23:26,034 --> 00:23:28,896 Ouimet can see Captain Cameron sitting in his seat looking 376 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:30,827 dazed and slumped towards the wheel. 377 00:23:30,931 --> 00:23:35,517 The first thing that got my attention was to see 378 00:23:35,620 --> 00:23:37,344 Don's face in the window 379 00:23:37,448 --> 00:23:40,896 and uh realize that he was not completely conscious. 380 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,827 I couldn't get out of my seat. 381 00:23:44,931 --> 00:23:48,034 I'd start and I'd get my arse up in the air like that 382 00:23:48,137 --> 00:23:50,689 and I'd be pushed back by the, I have no idea, 383 00:23:50,793 --> 00:23:51,965 it was an invisible force 384 00:23:52,068 --> 00:23:53,724 but it was probably smoke and fire. 385 00:23:53,827 --> 00:23:58,137 Desperately trying to save the captain's life, 386 00:23:58,241 --> 00:24:01,827 Ouimet tells firefighters to cover him with foam. 387 00:24:01,931 --> 00:24:06,344 It was a soapy ice cold mixture that drenched me. 388 00:24:06,448 --> 00:24:09,034 It works. 389 00:24:09,137 --> 00:24:12,103 Cameron stirs and climbs out through the cockpit window. 390 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,275 Barely 90 seconds have passed since the plane landed 391 00:24:25,379 --> 00:24:29,206 when suddenly the whole interior of flight 797 ignites. 392 00:24:31,413 --> 00:24:33,793 The flames roll through the cabin like a train. 393 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,310 Captain Donald Cameron is the last person 394 00:24:37,413 --> 00:24:38,724 to get out of the plane alive. 395 00:24:38,827 --> 00:24:44,413 We knew there were people on the airplane 396 00:24:44,517 --> 00:24:46,310 unfortunately at that point. 397 00:24:46,413 --> 00:24:48,137 That was uh that was finished. 398 00:24:48,241 --> 00:24:53,482 The cabin fire breaks through the top of the fuselage. 399 00:24:56,241 --> 00:24:58,275 Black smoke can be seen for kilometers. 400 00:25:01,137 --> 00:25:03,482 Flight attendant Laura Kayama begins to count. 401 00:25:03,586 --> 00:25:05,931 I will remember these words forever. 402 00:25:06,034 --> 00:25:11,034 She told us to line up so that she could count the survivors. 403 00:25:11,137 --> 00:25:13,517 If there were survivors obviously there were dead. 404 00:25:13,620 --> 00:25:18,965 Including the crew there had 405 00:25:19,068 --> 00:25:21,965 been 46 people aboard the plane. 406 00:25:22,068 --> 00:25:24,034 But there aren't 46 people on the runway. 407 00:25:24,137 --> 00:25:34,413 I really thought that 408 00:25:34,517 --> 00:25:41,827 if the pilot could land the plane we would all get off but 409 00:25:41,931 --> 00:25:46,931 I knew when I looked around I didn't think we were all there. 410 00:25:47,034 --> 00:25:51,931 The passengers who escaped the plane 411 00:25:52,034 --> 00:25:54,827 suffer from smoke inhalation and minor injuries, 412 00:25:54,931 --> 00:25:56,413 but most are not badly hurt. 413 00:25:56,517 --> 00:26:04,379 It was almost like if you got off the plane 414 00:26:04,482 --> 00:26:05,655 nothing was wrong. 415 00:26:05,758 --> 00:26:07,344 I mean there was maybe a sprained ankle, 416 00:26:07,448 --> 00:26:09,689 maybe someone had a broken arm or something. 417 00:26:11,172 --> 00:26:13,586 You made it and you were completely fine 418 00:26:13,689 --> 00:26:14,586 or you didn't make it. 419 00:26:14,689 --> 00:26:18,068 The young man next to me 420 00:26:18,172 --> 00:26:21,344 that helped me with my breathing techniques didn't survive. 421 00:26:22,724 --> 00:26:25,206 That was a real tough blow because I know, 422 00:26:25,310 --> 00:26:29,000 I believe he played a big part in my survival. 423 00:26:29,103 --> 00:26:33,655 I guess it was around midnight 424 00:26:33,758 --> 00:26:36,206 I decided to call Air Canada. 425 00:26:36,310 --> 00:26:38,000 I said I'm trying to find out if a friend of mine 426 00:26:38,103 --> 00:26:40,482 was on this flight in Cincinnati 427 00:26:40,586 --> 00:26:43,965 and she said are you a member of the family? 428 00:26:44,068 --> 00:26:45,379 I said no, I'm just a close friend 429 00:26:45,482 --> 00:26:48,862 and she said do you know if his wife is alone? 430 00:26:51,655 --> 00:26:53,551 And I said well yes 431 00:26:53,655 --> 00:26:55,724 and she said well she may need somebody with her. 432 00:27:03,965 --> 00:27:07,689 Stan Rogers, the rising musical star, 433 00:27:07,793 --> 00:27:09,000 didn't make it off the plane. 434 00:27:14,655 --> 00:27:17,000 Cincinnati ground. 435 00:27:17,103 --> 00:27:18,655 This is Captain of the Air Canada flight 436 00:27:18,758 --> 00:27:19,862 that's on fire here. 437 00:27:19,965 --> 00:27:24,275 Captain Cameron radios Cincinnati Ground Control 438 00:27:24,379 --> 00:27:27,137 from an emergency vehicle near his plane. 439 00:27:27,241 --> 00:27:28,827 He has a sobering message. 440 00:27:28,931 --> 00:27:30,758 It seems there are 23 people 441 00:27:30,862 --> 00:27:33,034 left onboard the aircraft. 442 00:27:33,137 --> 00:27:35,137 Is there a scheduled carrier runs into here that could 443 00:27:35,241 --> 00:27:37,827 maybe give aid and shelter to our stranded passengers? 444 00:27:37,931 --> 00:27:41,310 It's pretty cold out here. 445 00:27:41,413 --> 00:27:49,931 What began with a simple electrical problem 446 00:27:50,034 --> 00:27:52,172 has taken the lives of 23 people. 447 00:27:56,137 --> 00:28:01,344 What caused the deadly fire? What went so horribly wrong? 448 00:28:01,448 --> 00:28:05,758 The investigation will uncover the plane's troubling history. 449 00:28:05,862 --> 00:28:08,689 This DC-9 had another serious accident 450 00:28:08,793 --> 00:28:10,482 just a few years before. 451 00:28:10,586 --> 00:28:19,413 In June of 1983, a strange smell in the back of an 452 00:28:19,517 --> 00:28:23,206 Air Canada DC-9 quickly turned into an all-out emergency. 453 00:28:24,931 --> 00:28:28,137 For 15 minutes, passengers and crew struggled to deal 454 00:28:28,241 --> 00:28:30,931 with thick toxic smoke as it rolled through the plane. 455 00:28:47,655 --> 00:28:50,965 Flight 797 made a remarkable landing, 456 00:28:51,068 --> 00:28:53,758 only to burst into flames 90 seconds later. 457 00:28:59,344 --> 00:29:01,758 23 people didn't escape the plane. 458 00:29:08,689 --> 00:29:11,827 Now the burnt shell of the DC-9 sits on the runway 459 00:29:11,931 --> 00:29:13,517 at the Greater Cincinnati Airport. 460 00:29:13,620 --> 00:29:17,931 It is one of the most disturbing airplane disasters in years. 461 00:29:19,413 --> 00:29:21,103 Within the hour, investigators 462 00:29:21,206 --> 00:29:24,172 from the National Transportation Safety Board are on the scene. 463 00:29:27,931 --> 00:29:30,827 The first grim task of the investigators is to recover 464 00:29:30,931 --> 00:29:37,000 the bodies of the dead - 21 Canadians and 2 Americans. 465 00:29:39,551 --> 00:29:41,344 Many are burned beyond recognition. 466 00:29:46,689 --> 00:29:48,793 Almost all of the victims are found in the front 467 00:29:48,896 --> 00:29:51,413 half of the plane between the wings and the cockpit. 468 00:29:54,310 --> 00:29:57,172 Some are still strapped into their seats. 469 00:29:57,275 --> 00:29:58,724 Others are found in the aisles. 470 00:30:00,482 --> 00:30:02,172 And even though all the passengers had been 471 00:30:02,275 --> 00:30:04,482 moved up earlier in the flight, 472 00:30:04,586 --> 00:30:07,482 two bodies are found near the rear, beyond the wings. 473 00:30:11,172 --> 00:30:13,034 Because of the dense smoke in the cabin, 474 00:30:13,137 --> 00:30:16,551 the passengers couldn't see well enough to find the exits 475 00:30:18,206 --> 00:30:21,241 and two passengers went beyond the over-wing exits 476 00:30:21,344 --> 00:30:23,206 and succumbed to the environment. 477 00:30:23,310 --> 00:30:28,034 Investigators take blood samples from the bodies. 478 00:30:28,137 --> 00:30:30,724 They find deadly levels of certain chemicals that were 479 00:30:30,827 --> 00:30:32,344 produced as the plane burned. 480 00:30:32,448 --> 00:30:36,034 When we did toxicological studies 481 00:30:36,137 --> 00:30:38,862 we were able to determine that there were some significant 482 00:30:38,965 --> 00:30:41,206 high levels of cyanide 483 00:30:41,310 --> 00:30:44,103 and fluoride in the blood as well as carbon monoxide. 484 00:30:44,206 --> 00:30:46,448 It's not known 485 00:30:46,551 --> 00:30:49,448 if the toxic fumes killed the passengers. 486 00:30:49,551 --> 00:30:50,896 All that's certain is that they were 487 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,655 unable to escape before the flames tore through. 488 00:30:53,758 --> 00:31:02,931 When I went onboard, I was just struck by the acrid smell. 489 00:31:04,827 --> 00:31:08,034 It was kinda eerie because there was a lot of fire damage. 490 00:31:08,137 --> 00:31:09,827 A lot of the fuselage was burned. 491 00:31:10,931 --> 00:31:13,034 The interior of the cabin was burned 492 00:31:13,137 --> 00:31:14,586 down to the tops of the seats. 493 00:31:14,689 --> 00:31:18,103 With the bodies removed, 494 00:31:18,206 --> 00:31:20,689 investigators begin digging through the wreckage to try 495 00:31:20,793 --> 00:31:22,310 and find the cause of the fire. 496 00:31:23,482 --> 00:31:24,689 Among them are members of the FBI. 497 00:31:24,793 --> 00:31:32,172 They were investigating to determine whether terrorism 498 00:31:32,275 --> 00:31:36,137 might have been a factor so they were on scene right away 499 00:31:36,241 --> 00:31:39,724 looking at the aircraft to make that determination. 500 00:31:39,827 --> 00:31:44,551 The FBI examine pieces of the plane's floor, samples of 501 00:31:44,655 --> 00:31:48,413 water from the washroom, even a plastic vial found on the floor. 502 00:31:48,517 --> 00:31:51,689 The FBI became involved very early 503 00:31:51,793 --> 00:31:56,551 because of a possibility of a crime taking place. 504 00:31:56,655 --> 00:32:01,517 Uh it takes precedent over an accident. 505 00:32:04,103 --> 00:32:05,241 They were looking for anything that would 506 00:32:05,344 --> 00:32:08,586 have to do with an incendiary device or a small explosive 507 00:32:08,689 --> 00:32:12,931 device or anything that could be fused to start a fire. 508 00:32:13,034 --> 00:32:16,034 They determined that there was no evidence of any crime 509 00:32:16,137 --> 00:32:20,586 being committed and it was probably accidental ignition 510 00:32:20,689 --> 00:32:24,517 and so they then left and NTSB took over the accident. 511 00:32:24,620 --> 00:32:28,206 Having discounted the possibility 512 00:32:28,310 --> 00:32:30,724 that the fire was deliberately set, 513 00:32:30,827 --> 00:32:34,862 investigators consider the next obvious cause - a cigarette. 514 00:32:38,034 --> 00:32:41,206 When smoking on planes was still allowed, the most common 515 00:32:41,310 --> 00:32:44,000 source of fires in a washroom was the trash container. 516 00:32:51,896 --> 00:32:54,310 Investigators examine the trash container 517 00:32:54,413 --> 00:32:57,620 and find that the top is burned away, but the trash chute 518 00:32:57,724 --> 00:33:00,655 and the container behind and below the sink are intact. 519 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:04,206 Inside the container are remnants of paper, 520 00:33:04,310 --> 00:33:06,655 scorched but not burned. 521 00:33:06,758 --> 00:33:08,413 The fire could not have started here. 522 00:33:13,241 --> 00:33:16,241 With the most obvious potential causes discounted, 523 00:33:16,344 --> 00:33:18,758 investigators begin to comb through the wreckage 524 00:33:18,862 --> 00:33:20,482 looking for what had started the fire. 525 00:33:24,137 --> 00:33:26,206 Studying the history of the plane, 526 00:33:26,310 --> 00:33:28,310 Hill uncovers some startling facts. 527 00:33:32,655 --> 00:33:36,482 In the year before the accident, 76 separate maintenance 528 00:33:36,586 --> 00:33:38,689 issues had been written up in the plane's logbook. 529 00:33:40,310 --> 00:33:42,034 All were dealt with but still 530 00:33:42,137 --> 00:33:44,344 it's an unusually high number of problems. 531 00:33:48,344 --> 00:33:50,517 The plane's troubled history didn't end there. 532 00:33:52,241 --> 00:33:55,034 Four years earlier, the rear bulkhead had failed, 533 00:33:55,137 --> 00:33:56,965 causing an explosive decompression. 534 00:33:59,793 --> 00:34:01,931 The crew had to make an emergency landing. 535 00:34:02,034 --> 00:34:08,034 It knocked out a lot of electrical cable 536 00:34:08,137 --> 00:34:10,172 and hydraulics and stuff like that 537 00:34:10,275 --> 00:34:12,586 and the guy did a hell of a job bringing it back to Boston. 538 00:34:12,689 --> 00:34:17,724 The plane was repaired and put back into service. 539 00:34:17,827 --> 00:34:20,482 But Hill focuses on the wires that had to be stitched 540 00:34:20,586 --> 00:34:23,000 together after the accident. 541 00:34:23,103 --> 00:34:25,793 A bad repair job could have been the cause of the fire. 542 00:34:25,896 --> 00:34:30,137 There were wires that ran through there 543 00:34:30,241 --> 00:34:32,896 that had been cut, spliced back together. 544 00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:36,344 Investigators study all the wire splices 545 00:34:36,448 --> 00:34:40,896 they can find on flight 797 that weren't destroyed in the fire, 546 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:44,068 but they find no evidence of arcing or short-circuiting. 547 00:34:45,482 --> 00:34:46,586 It's another dead end. 548 00:34:49,275 --> 00:34:51,551 Investigators turn their attention to the cockpit 549 00:34:51,655 --> 00:34:54,206 voice recorder and the popping circuit breakers. 550 00:34:56,965 --> 00:35:00,413 What was that? It's right there. 551 00:35:00,517 --> 00:35:00,827 I see it. Right there. What was that? It's right there. 552 00:35:00,931 --> 00:35:03,068 I see it. Right there. 553 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:09,586 Yeah, like a machine gun. 554 00:35:09,689 --> 00:35:13,379 Yeah. Zap, zap, zap. 555 00:35:13,482 --> 00:35:16,310 The circuit breakers trip as a precaution. 556 00:35:16,413 --> 00:35:19,827 When they begin to overheat, the circuit breakers turn off, 557 00:35:19,931 --> 00:35:22,517 cutting electrical current to the motor. 558 00:35:22,620 --> 00:35:25,379 It's a safety feature so the motor won't cause a fire. 559 00:35:25,482 --> 00:35:28,551 Pops as I push it. 560 00:35:28,655 --> 00:35:32,275 Investigators need to know 561 00:35:32,379 --> 00:35:34,551 if the breakers were tripped by a fire that had already 562 00:35:34,655 --> 00:35:38,034 started, or was the motor itself the problem? 563 00:35:39,827 --> 00:35:42,827 The NTSB build a mockup of the plane's washroom 564 00:35:42,931 --> 00:35:44,896 and force the flush motor to seize. 565 00:35:47,344 --> 00:35:49,551 They want to see if it could have started the fire. 566 00:35:51,137 --> 00:35:53,517 The seized motor reaches a temperature of 4-hundred 567 00:35:53,620 --> 00:35:56,241 and 28 degrees Celsius. 568 00:35:56,344 --> 00:35:59,000 It's hot but it is not enough to ignite 569 00:35:59,103 --> 00:36:00,758 parts of the washroom around the motor. 570 00:36:11,655 --> 00:36:14,310 As they listen to the cockpit voice recorder, 571 00:36:14,413 --> 00:36:16,551 investigators uncover a puzzling clue. 572 00:36:18,586 --> 00:36:21,275 Three minutes before the circuit breakers popped, 573 00:36:21,379 --> 00:36:23,103 the recorder picked up another noise. 574 00:36:24,379 --> 00:36:27,827 It was the sound of electrical arcing, like static, 575 00:36:27,931 --> 00:36:30,413 repeated eight times. 576 00:36:30,517 --> 00:36:32,241 The noises weren't audible to the crew. 577 00:36:35,206 --> 00:36:39,275 Hidden from view on any airplane is a river of wiring. 578 00:36:39,379 --> 00:36:42,206 Investigators focus on a cable coming from a generator 579 00:36:42,310 --> 00:36:44,620 below the washroom floor. 580 00:36:44,724 --> 00:36:48,172 Insulation had rubbed off two wires making it possible 581 00:36:48,275 --> 00:36:51,724 for sparks to be produced, sparks that could start a fire. 582 00:36:51,827 --> 00:36:54,758 There was evidence that there was some electrical 583 00:36:54,862 --> 00:36:56,931 arcing but it could have occurred after 584 00:36:57,034 --> 00:36:58,758 the insulation had burned on those wires. 585 00:36:58,862 --> 00:37:03,965 In spite of countless hours of investigation 586 00:37:04,068 --> 00:37:08,068 and numerous tests, in the end the NTSB can't pinpoint 587 00:37:08,172 --> 00:37:10,275 the exact cause of the fire. 588 00:37:10,379 --> 00:37:11,827 There simply isn't enough evidence. 589 00:37:11,931 --> 00:37:17,482 Just because of the vast amount of damage that was 590 00:37:17,586 --> 00:37:20,172 done in that concentrated area around the lavatory where 591 00:37:20,275 --> 00:37:23,655 the fire burnt for a long period of time and possibly 592 00:37:23,758 --> 00:37:27,896 destroyed any of the evidence where the fire actually ignited. 593 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,551 Even if they'll never know 594 00:37:31,655 --> 00:37:34,310 the exact cause of the fire, investigators 595 00:37:34,413 --> 00:37:37,241 try to understand how it could cause so much damage. 596 00:37:38,551 --> 00:37:41,586 There had been heat and smoke but no one had seen any 597 00:37:41,689 --> 00:37:44,379 flames until an explosion ripped through the jet. 598 00:37:44,482 --> 00:37:49,034 When you have a fire that has incomplete combustion, when 599 00:37:49,137 --> 00:37:54,172 it has a lack of oxygen they will product combustible gases. 600 00:37:54,275 --> 00:37:55,827 Those gases then can collect 601 00:37:55,931 --> 00:37:57,655 especially in the crown of an aircraft. 602 00:37:57,758 --> 00:38:03,034 The fire had burned out of sight 603 00:38:03,137 --> 00:38:05,655 behind the washroom walls and the smoke, 604 00:38:05,758 --> 00:38:09,551 hot gases and fumes intensified and spread inside the wall 605 00:38:09,655 --> 00:38:12,310 space from the washroom through to the cabin walls. 606 00:38:15,137 --> 00:38:18,000 Those spaces acted as a sort of chimney for the gases 607 00:38:18,103 --> 00:38:19,931 and smoke that the fire was creating. 608 00:38:24,827 --> 00:38:27,482 Although the fire remained concealed behind the walls 609 00:38:27,586 --> 00:38:30,655 and ceiling panels, the smoke and hot gases 610 00:38:30,758 --> 00:38:32,931 entered the cabin through every seam, 611 00:38:33,034 --> 00:38:35,275 gathering in the upper space in the cabin 612 00:38:35,379 --> 00:38:37,068 and pressing down on passengers. 613 00:38:37,172 --> 00:38:43,310 The inaccessible areas and the cabin area are all linked 614 00:38:43,413 --> 00:38:48,965 together through small cracks and cervices and small openings. 615 00:38:49,068 --> 00:38:52,517 Uh the plane is one big pressure vessel with everything 616 00:38:52,620 --> 00:38:56,103 being the same, equilibrated to the same pressure so smoke 617 00:38:56,206 --> 00:38:59,310 and gases in those areas would fairly quickly 618 00:38:59,413 --> 00:39:03,103 start to permeate into the passenger cabin. 619 00:39:03,206 --> 00:39:09,413 When the doors were opened during the evacuation, 620 00:39:09,517 --> 00:39:11,793 an unlimited supply of oxygen was suddenly 621 00:39:11,896 --> 00:39:13,344 available to feed the fire. 622 00:39:14,448 --> 00:39:15,931 The more intense the heat, 623 00:39:16,034 --> 00:39:18,931 the more oxygen-hungry a fire becomes. 624 00:39:19,034 --> 00:39:21,689 The gases ignited with the force of an explosion. 625 00:39:21,793 --> 00:39:29,965 Once you have a flashover you produce heat, 626 00:39:30,068 --> 00:39:33,206 toxic gases and you burn up all the oxygen in the cabin 627 00:39:33,310 --> 00:39:34,586 and it becomes non survivable. 628 00:39:34,689 --> 00:39:40,379 The technical part of the investigation is 629 00:39:40,482 --> 00:39:45,655 complete but there are still a lot of questions about how 630 00:39:45,758 --> 00:39:48,034 the crew responded to the fire. 631 00:39:48,137 --> 00:39:50,862 The first officer said it's starting to clear now 632 00:39:50,965 --> 00:39:54,206 and at that point I reckoned that the fire was under control. 633 00:39:54,310 --> 00:39:57,482 Could they have done more to prevent 634 00:39:57,586 --> 00:39:59,344 the tragedy on board flight 797? 635 00:39:59,448 --> 00:40:17,517 In 1983, a washroom fire on an Air Canada DC-9 636 00:40:17,620 --> 00:40:19,275 filled the plane's cabin with smoke. 637 00:40:31,551 --> 00:40:34,862 The crew struggled to land the plane but a flash fire 638 00:40:34,965 --> 00:40:37,551 ripped through the jet moments after it came to a stop. 639 00:40:38,655 --> 00:40:40,172 23 people were killed. 640 00:40:40,275 --> 00:40:42,482 There was a fireman hollering at us, 641 00:40:42,586 --> 00:40:45,310 I think the quote was she could blow at any minute. 642 00:40:45,413 --> 00:40:50,310 NTSB investigators are unable to definitively 643 00:40:50,413 --> 00:40:52,000 pinpoint the cause of the fire. 644 00:40:53,137 --> 00:40:55,724 But after reviewing all the information they have, 645 00:40:55,827 --> 00:40:57,275 they're ready to release their report. 646 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:02,448 The report on the lethal fire aboard Air Canada 647 00:41:02,551 --> 00:41:05,931 flight 797 is published a year after the accident. 648 00:41:07,241 --> 00:41:09,931 It's a landmark in aircraft safety. 649 00:41:10,034 --> 00:41:12,517 But it immediately makes for controversial headlines. 650 00:41:14,310 --> 00:41:17,620 The NTSB points out that the source of the smoke was never 651 00:41:17,724 --> 00:41:22,310 identified either by the flight attendants or the first officer. 652 00:41:22,413 --> 00:41:26,448 The captain was never told nor did he inquire as to the precise 653 00:41:26,551 --> 00:41:30,034 location and extent of the fire which had been reported to him. 654 00:41:30,137 --> 00:41:35,206 What type of fire did you believe that you had? 655 00:41:35,310 --> 00:41:40,034 The bin fire. Mayday, mayday, mayday. 656 00:41:40,137 --> 00:41:42,931 And the report asks a hypothetical question. 657 00:41:43,034 --> 00:41:46,413 Air Canada 797 we have a fire onboard. We are going down. 658 00:41:46,517 --> 00:41:48,689 Can you possibly make Cincinnati? 659 00:41:48,793 --> 00:41:52,034 Roger that. 660 00:41:52,137 --> 00:41:55,000 If he'd begun to descend sooner, 661 00:41:55,103 --> 00:41:57,965 could the captain have landed at Standiford Field Airport 662 00:41:58,068 --> 00:41:59,965 in Louisville, Kentucky? 663 00:42:00,068 --> 00:42:01,517 It was a few minutes closer. 664 00:42:04,655 --> 00:42:07,068 The report and the media attention it gets 665 00:42:07,172 --> 00:42:09,620 are devastating to Captain Cameron and his crew. 666 00:42:10,896 --> 00:42:12,827 Soon after the report is released, 667 00:42:12,931 --> 00:42:15,931 there is an outcry among pilots in the industry. 668 00:42:16,034 --> 00:42:19,172 They resent its implied criticism of flight 797's 669 00:42:19,275 --> 00:42:21,551 crew and the suggestion that they could have 670 00:42:21,655 --> 00:42:23,482 begun their descent five minutes sooner. 671 00:42:26,172 --> 00:42:29,103 Several months later, the Airline Pilots' Association 672 00:42:29,206 --> 00:42:32,172 submits a petition that defends Cameron and the crew. 673 00:42:33,586 --> 00:42:34,862 It makes an impact. 674 00:42:34,965 --> 00:42:38,103 The NTSB release a revised report including 675 00:42:38,206 --> 00:42:40,482 the petition by the Airline Pilots' Association. 676 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:44,896 In the petition, first officer Ouimet writes an impassioned 677 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:47,689 defense of landing the plane where and when they did. 678 00:42:49,448 --> 00:42:51,758 The issue wasn't only the distance to the nearest 679 00:42:51,862 --> 00:42:55,344 airport but the required rate of descent. 680 00:42:55,448 --> 00:42:57,206 As it was, the plane barely made 681 00:42:57,310 --> 00:42:59,310 the descent to the Greater Cincinnati Airport. 682 00:43:11,862 --> 00:43:14,137 Still, the National Transportation Safety Board's 683 00:43:14,241 --> 00:43:17,448 revised summary doesn't pull all its punches, 684 00:43:17,551 --> 00:43:19,344 pointing a finger at Captain Cameron. 685 00:43:20,758 --> 00:43:23,206 The report states that the time taken to evaluate 686 00:43:23,310 --> 00:43:26,344 the nature of the fire and to decide to initiate 687 00:43:26,448 --> 00:43:30,517 an emergency descent contributed to the severity of the accident. 688 00:43:33,448 --> 00:43:36,034 Twenty years later, the statement still stings. 689 00:43:36,137 --> 00:43:42,689 I am glad they were all, the people that got off got off. 690 00:43:42,793 --> 00:43:45,965 I'm very sorry the people that didn't get off didn't get off 691 00:43:46,068 --> 00:43:48,448 because we spent a lot of time and effort getting them there. 692 00:43:48,551 --> 00:43:50,689 That really bothered me. 693 00:43:50,793 --> 00:43:57,206 All I know is that I did the best I could. 694 00:43:57,310 --> 00:44:04,827 Along with the comments on the performance 695 00:44:04,931 --> 00:44:09,172 of the crew, the NTSB recommends a host of safety improvements. 696 00:44:12,793 --> 00:44:14,793 Perhaps if the flight had been full, 697 00:44:14,896 --> 00:44:17,275 someone would have noticed the smell of smoke sooner. 698 00:44:19,000 --> 00:44:22,103 But what the washroom of flight 797 could have used 699 00:44:22,206 --> 00:44:24,034 was a smoke detector. 700 00:44:24,137 --> 00:44:26,517 They weren't standard throughout the industry 701 00:44:26,620 --> 00:44:30,620 but after flight 797, attitudes and regulations changed. 702 00:44:34,965 --> 00:44:37,275 Even though flight attendants did receive some training 703 00:44:37,379 --> 00:44:41,965 in dealing with fires aboard a plane, it didn't go far enough. 704 00:44:42,068 --> 00:44:44,586 But what was more obvious, the flight attendants weren't 705 00:44:44,689 --> 00:44:47,310 properly equipped to attack fires. 706 00:44:47,413 --> 00:44:50,275 Without full face masks and oxygen, they couldn't be 707 00:44:50,379 --> 00:44:52,655 expected to fight fire while holding their breath. 708 00:44:54,172 --> 00:44:56,517 In the years after flight 797, 709 00:44:56,620 --> 00:44:59,275 attendants received better equipment and training. 710 00:45:04,068 --> 00:45:06,758 The cabin crew had also made split second decisions 711 00:45:06,862 --> 00:45:08,206 that helped save lives. 712 00:45:09,758 --> 00:45:13,103 Moving passengers further up the plane and handing out wet 713 00:45:13,206 --> 00:45:15,965 towels minimized the effects of the toxic smoke. 714 00:45:18,206 --> 00:45:20,724 Their decision to tell passengers to open the emergency 715 00:45:20,827 --> 00:45:24,241 exits over the wings was not standard procedure but bit it. 716 00:45:24,344 --> 00:45:26,862 But it let some passengers escape more quickly 717 00:45:26,965 --> 00:45:29,379 and was eventually adopted as a routine practice. 718 00:45:34,448 --> 00:45:36,965 Finally, it became obvious from the location of some 719 00:45:37,068 --> 00:45:39,965 of the bodies that passengers died because of precious 720 00:45:40,068 --> 00:45:43,034 seconds lost trying to find the exits in the pitch dark. 721 00:45:44,724 --> 00:45:46,689 What would have made a difference? 722 00:45:46,793 --> 00:45:49,655 Track lighting on the floors and bumps along the overhead 723 00:45:49,758 --> 00:45:53,172 bins that identified the rows with emergency exits, 724 00:45:53,275 --> 00:45:55,448 features that would eventually become standard. 725 00:46:00,620 --> 00:46:03,000 As a direct result of 797, 726 00:46:03,103 --> 00:46:06,034 a number of rules were changed including a more stringent 727 00:46:06,137 --> 00:46:10,034 test for seats, a heat release and smoke requirement 728 00:46:10,137 --> 00:46:14,379 for cabin interior panels, a requirement for smoke detectors 729 00:46:14,482 --> 00:46:17,551 in lavatories and halon fire extinguishers in the cabin. 730 00:46:17,655 --> 00:46:20,103 We're going to make an emergency landing. 731 00:46:20,206 --> 00:46:21,655 Put your head on your lap. Stay in that position. 732 00:46:21,758 --> 00:46:23,586 But the changes were too late for those who 733 00:46:23,689 --> 00:46:28,310 died on flight 797, like the man sitting beside Connie Kirsch. 734 00:46:31,379 --> 00:46:34,103 Months after the crash, his wife tracked Connie down. 735 00:46:34,206 --> 00:46:38,482 She said I just understand my husband was 736 00:46:38,586 --> 00:46:41,379 the one that was next to you and I just wanted to know what, how 737 00:46:41,482 --> 00:46:50,517 was he, what was his spirits and I said he was in great spirits. 738 00:46:50,620 --> 00:46:51,793 He was very nice. 739 00:46:51,896 --> 00:46:55,551 He let me sit next to him and explained to me how to breathe. 740 00:46:57,068 --> 00:46:59,551 That was really difficult 741 00:46:59,655 --> 00:47:04,344 and the guilt that I've carried for a long time was difficult 742 00:47:06,172 --> 00:47:10,620 but I'm past the guilt but I guess when you go back to it 743 00:47:10,724 --> 00:47:15,068 you think about it like this in detail, you're right back there. 744 00:47:15,172 --> 00:47:21,620 Stan Rogers was another victim of flight 797. 745 00:47:23,275 --> 00:47:24,620 He would never be able to fulfill 746 00:47:24,724 --> 00:47:27,172 the promise of his life and growing career. 747 00:47:27,275 --> 00:47:32,517 I loved his generosity and his loyalty as a friend. 748 00:47:34,000 --> 00:47:36,206 As an artist he was perhaps one of the best song writers 749 00:47:36,310 --> 00:47:41,275 this country's ever produced and it was really an incredible 750 00:47:41,379 --> 00:47:42,896 pleasure and honour to be working with him. 751 00:47:45,793 --> 00:47:50,517 He still gets lots and lots of airplay so his legend grows. 752 00:47:50,620 --> 00:47:58,275 Sometime after the accident, two Air Canada 753 00:47:58,379 --> 00:48:01,344 employees show up at Dianne Fadley's door in Dallas. 754 00:48:03,620 --> 00:48:05,379 They brought my bible. 755 00:48:05,482 --> 00:48:10,551 It's dark because it was burned and singed 756 00:48:10,655 --> 00:48:16,068 but it's a paperback bible and it did not completely burn up. 757 00:48:18,206 --> 00:48:27,310 This is just a reminder to me that God was with me and I 758 00:48:27,413 --> 00:48:34,724 believe he protected me and, you know, he, he was there with me. 759 00:48:34,827 --> 00:48:42,793 Captain Cameron and his crew eventually 760 00:48:42,896 --> 00:48:46,379 received six separate awards for their heroic actions on flight 761 00:48:46,482 --> 00:48:50,965 797, including recognition from the Royal Canadian Air Force, 762 00:48:52,827 --> 00:48:55,034 but they're all still haunted by the nightmare. 763 00:48:55,137 --> 00:48:58,551 You feel responsible. There's no question. 764 00:48:58,655 --> 00:49:01,413 You feel guilt. You're willing to give your license. 765 00:49:03,344 --> 00:49:09,241 You feel very uh very small until you get all the facts 766 00:49:09,344 --> 00:49:11,068 together and because it's a puzzle for you. 767 00:49:11,172 --> 00:49:14,103 You know, you're as much a victim in this. 768 00:49:14,206 --> 00:49:16,379 You're not supposed to fly an airplane in that condition, 769 00:49:16,482 --> 00:49:19,620 you know, so you're as much a victim as the passenger 770 00:49:19,724 --> 00:49:22,689 and it becomes, I think it becomes all of our problem 771 00:49:22,793 --> 00:49:24,137 and we're all part of the solution. 772 00:49:24,241 --> 00:49:28,965 It's just a shame we didn't get everybody off. 773 00:49:29,068 --> 00:49:30,931 It still bothers me.