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00:00:02,586 --> 00:00:05,310
High above
the North Sea,
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00:00:05,413 --> 00:00:07,689
an aging propeller plane
tumbles from the sky.
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00:00:10,137 --> 00:00:11,241
The first headline
was sabotage.
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00:00:12,827 --> 00:00:16,241
Investigators consider
a string of possibilities.
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00:00:16,344 --> 00:00:18,862
It takes two years
to find the cause.
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00:00:18,965 --> 00:00:20,482
Unbelievable.
7
00:00:20,586 --> 00:00:23,517
It's something
that's never been seen
in any previous investigation.
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00:00:23,620 --> 00:00:27,068
They looked at that
and said, "Man, oh, man,
how could that be?"
9
00:00:27,172 --> 00:00:30,551
It would lead
to arrests half a world away.
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00:00:30,655 --> 00:00:34,310
And call into question
the safety of one of the world's
most important planes,
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00:00:35,758 --> 00:00:36,965
Air Force One.
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It reached all the way
to the aviation that flies
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around the President
of the United States.
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4:30 p.m.,
September the 8th 1989.
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Oh, hang on, hang on.
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Knut Tveitm
and Finn Petter Berg are
flying a charter flight
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from Oslo, Norway,
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00:01:29,206 --> 00:01:31,827
to the German city of Hamburg.
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00:01:31,931 --> 00:01:34,551
Partnair 394,
radar service terminated.
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00:01:34,655 --> 00:01:38,310
The plane
is about 100 kilometers
from the Danish Coast.
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00:01:38,413 --> 00:01:42,413
124 decimal 55 bye.
Partnair 394.
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00:01:44,965 --> 00:01:46,000
How was dinner?
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00:01:46,103 --> 00:01:47,137
Delicious.
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00:01:49,034 --> 00:01:51,827
Little pricey, but delicious.
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The two friends have
flown around the world together,
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including remote
areas of Africa.
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They're highly experienced
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and both are only months away
from retirement.
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Copenhagen, good afternoon.
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Partnair 394 maintaining
flight level 2-2-0.
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Partnair 394, good afternoon.
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Radar contact
Copenhagen control.
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00:02:16,344 --> 00:02:17,551
394.
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00:02:17,655 --> 00:02:20,827
The plane is flying
22,000 feet above the North Sea.
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00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,275
The aircraft they're flying
is a twin-prop,
Convair 340-580.
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It's a popular plane
for short routes like this one.
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The plane has been
chartered by the Norwegian
shipping company, Wilhelmsen.
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All 50 passengers are winners
of a company lottery,
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sending them on a free trip
to Hamburg to name a new ship.
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00:03:04,482 --> 00:03:07,793
One of the company's
best employees
is chosen to give a speech
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00:03:07,896 --> 00:03:09,965
at the christening
of the ship in Hamburg.
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As the Convair
crosses the North Sea,
a Norwegian Air Force F-16
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00:03:31,241 --> 00:03:33,034
approaches the plane
on its way home.
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00:03:40,413 --> 00:03:42,172
Whoa! Look at that,
11 o'clock.
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00:03:42,655 --> 00:03:43,517
F-16.
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00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,827
Suddenly, the plane
experiences a violent shock.
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00:04:04,620 --> 00:04:06,551
The crew is caught by surprise.
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00:04:12,172 --> 00:04:14,310
The plane begins
rolling upside down.
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00:04:18,586 --> 00:04:21,517
Air traffic control
notices the Partnair 394
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00:04:21,620 --> 00:04:23,758
is off course
and falling from the sky.
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00:04:29,172 --> 00:04:31,724
Partnair 394,
Copenhagen control,
please report new flight level.
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00:04:34,655 --> 00:04:38,758
The crew is struggling
to save the plane and the lives
of everyone on board.
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00:04:41,620 --> 00:04:43,206
Please report new flight level.
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00:04:43,310 --> 00:04:46,344
Pull up, terrain.
Pull up, terrain. Pull up.
55
00:04:50,448 --> 00:04:51,793
Please report new flight level.
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Then it disappears.
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00:05:02,068 --> 00:05:04,965
It seems as though
the charter flight
has crashed into the sea.
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00:05:08,275 --> 00:05:10,793
Partnair 394 enroute
to Hamburg is off radar.
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00:05:29,965 --> 00:05:31,965
Rescue teams race
to the crash site,
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nearly 20 kilometers
north of the Danish Coast.
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They find only wreckage
and bodies.
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00:05:43,586 --> 00:05:46,689
All 55 people
who were on the flight are dead.
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00:06:07,275 --> 00:06:10,482
The shipping company
is devastated by the news.
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00:06:10,586 --> 00:06:13,206
Half the staff
from its head office
has been killed.
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It's the biggest
airline disaster
in Norwegian history.
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The nation is in shock.
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00:06:31,344 --> 00:06:35,310
Jan Ovind is a young reporter
for Norway's largest newspaper.
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He's assigned
to cover this story.
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One of the inspectors
in the Norwegian FAA
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00:06:39,965 --> 00:06:43,379
jumped to the conclusion
that it had to be sabotage.
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00:06:43,482 --> 00:06:48,379
And it was also stated
by one of the Danish
rescue team leaders,
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00:06:48,482 --> 00:06:51,413
who said that
they had no distress call,
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it just fell out of the sky.
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00:06:54,137 --> 00:06:57,448
Which meant it had to be
a bomb or something.
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00:06:57,551 --> 00:07:00,344
And somebody draw
links to Lockerbie,
the year before.
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00:07:01,310 --> 00:07:03,103
In December 1988,
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00:07:03,206 --> 00:07:07,758
Pan Am Flight 103
exploded over
Lockerbie Scotland.
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00:07:07,862 --> 00:07:10,896
The evidence in that case
is pointing conclusively
to a bomb.
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00:07:14,344 --> 00:07:16,965
Norwegian journalists
uncover an intriguing fact
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00:07:17,068 --> 00:07:18,689
about the Partnair plane.
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00:07:20,655 --> 00:07:22,206
Our prime minister
at the time,
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00:07:22,310 --> 00:07:23,310
Gro Harlem Brundtland,
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she used the plane
on her campaign trip
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00:07:25,034 --> 00:07:26,896
to the North of Norway,
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00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:29,275
and I guess she used it
for two or three days.
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00:07:29,379 --> 00:07:33,068
And that was just two
or three days
before it crashed.
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00:07:34,724 --> 00:07:36,172
The nation wonders,
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00:07:36,275 --> 00:07:39,275
could the tragedy have been
a botched assassination attempt?
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00:07:39,379 --> 00:07:43,620
The first headline was
sabotage on the
whole front page.
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00:07:43,724 --> 00:07:47,103
A bomb would explain
the plane's sudden plunge
from the sky.
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00:07:48,827 --> 00:07:52,586
Had the 55 people on board
been the innocent victims
of a murderer?
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00:07:57,379 --> 00:07:59,689
Investigators looking into
the mysterious downing
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00:07:59,793 --> 00:08:04,620
of a passenger jet over
the North Sea are facing
a stunning possibility
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00:08:04,724 --> 00:08:06,896
that the plane
was deliberately sabotaged.
95
00:08:08,965 --> 00:08:10,103
I want
maintenance logs...
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00:08:10,206 --> 00:08:12,620
The Norwegian Accident
Investigation Board recruits
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00:08:12,724 --> 00:08:16,517
an Air Force investigator,
Finn Heimdal, to join the team.
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00:08:16,620 --> 00:08:19,862
It will be a severe test
of his investigative skills.
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00:08:19,965 --> 00:08:21,034
It's good to be here.
100
00:08:21,137 --> 00:08:23,379
I started many, many years ago
with the Air Force.
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00:08:24,931 --> 00:08:29,551
And, of course,
I saw some investigations
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00:08:29,655 --> 00:08:34,448
mishandled terribly,
and I thought it can be done
better than that.
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00:08:39,068 --> 00:08:41,241
Investigators hear
from several witnesses
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00:08:41,344 --> 00:08:44,586
who lend support to the idea
that the plane was sabotaged.
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A young man
claims to have heard
a cannon-like sound
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coming from the crash site
off the Danish Coast.
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It may have been the explosion
that brought down
the Partnair plane.
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00:09:06,413 --> 00:09:08,482
Searchers scour the surface
of the sea
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00:09:08,586 --> 00:09:12,172
for floating debris
and for victims of the crash.
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00:09:12,275 --> 00:09:15,517
Eventually,
all but five bodies are found.
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00:09:15,620 --> 00:09:17,586
They're taken to Denmark
for autopsies.
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00:09:20,965 --> 00:09:23,206
Those examinations reveal
that some of the victims
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00:09:23,310 --> 00:09:26,517
have small,
puncture-like wounds.
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00:09:26,620 --> 00:09:30,172
This supports the notion
that a bomb brought down
Partnair Flight 394.
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00:09:32,758 --> 00:09:36,172
An autopsy on the
First Officer also uncovers
something unusual.
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00:09:36,275 --> 00:09:39,758
A complete, unbroken toothpick
is discovered in his stomach.
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00:09:41,724 --> 00:09:48,206
That was a odd finding really
because it was pointed
at both ends
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00:09:48,310 --> 00:09:51,034
and how can you swallow
a toothpick like that?
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00:09:51,137 --> 00:09:55,068
So he must have been exposed
to a very shocking experience.
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00:10:01,551 --> 00:10:03,724
Please report new flight level.
121
00:10:03,827 --> 00:10:07,758
But investigators
can't confirm that a bomb
brought down the plane.
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00:10:07,862 --> 00:10:12,172
They'll need to know more
about the final moments
of Flight 394.
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00:10:12,275 --> 00:10:15,172
Partnair 394 enroute
to Hamburg is off radar.
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00:10:20,862 --> 00:10:24,344
Nine separate
radar stations
tracked its final seconds.
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00:10:27,482 --> 00:10:29,310
They could provide
valuable clues.
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00:10:31,275 --> 00:10:35,172
The most intriguing readings
come from a military
radar station in Sweden.
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00:10:37,344 --> 00:10:40,827
Operators there tracked
the Partnair flight
as it crossed the North Sea.
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00:10:45,827 --> 00:10:48,172
Let's start at 14:36.
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00:10:48,275 --> 00:10:51,586
The military
radar has detected
something unexpected.
130
00:10:51,689 --> 00:10:55,517
There is another object
in the same airspace
as the plane.
131
00:10:55,620 --> 00:10:58,103
It is not another airplane.
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00:10:58,206 --> 00:11:02,068
It appears as Flight 394
started to plummet
from 22,000 feet.
133
00:11:02,172 --> 00:11:03,482
Any idea what it is?
134
00:11:07,310 --> 00:11:09,586
We simply didn't know
what it was from the beginning.
135
00:11:09,689 --> 00:11:12,103
We had no idea
what it could have been.
136
00:11:16,413 --> 00:11:21,137
It took more than half an hour,
something like 38 minutes
137
00:11:21,241 --> 00:11:25,034
and the question was,
what is light enough
to fall that slowly,
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00:11:25,137 --> 00:11:29,689
and then solid enough
to give radar returns like that?
139
00:11:29,793 --> 00:11:32,241
Whatever the mysterious object was,
140
00:11:32,344 --> 00:11:34,206
it now lies
at the bottom of the sea.
141
00:11:37,517 --> 00:11:41,586
A month after the crash,
investigators are busy
recovering sunken wreckage.
142
00:11:43,310 --> 00:11:45,551
They've plotted the position
of the wreckage
on the ocean floor
143
00:11:45,655 --> 00:11:47,551
using side scan sonar.
144
00:11:50,413 --> 00:11:54,517
It sends out sound waves
that are reflected back
when they encounter objects.
145
00:11:57,586 --> 00:11:58,931
The sonar equipment has painted
146
00:11:59,034 --> 00:12:02,000
a remarkably accurate picture
of the underwater wreckage.
147
00:12:07,068 --> 00:12:09,413
It helps investigators
see that the plane parts
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00:12:09,517 --> 00:12:11,689
have settled over
a two kilometer-wide area.
149
00:12:14,896 --> 00:12:16,482
It's an important piece
of evidence.
150
00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,896
It was evident that the aircraft
had come apart in the air.
151
00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,965
It hadn't hit the sea
in one piece.
152
00:12:26,068 --> 00:12:28,206
That was for sure.
153
00:12:28,310 --> 00:12:31,206
The midair break-up
suggests a bomb
brought down the plane.
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00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:34,724
But it will take weeks
to prove this.
155
00:12:39,310 --> 00:12:42,758
In the meantime,
investigators hope the plane's
black boxes will provide
156
00:12:42,862 --> 00:12:44,758
more immediate insight
into the crash.
157
00:12:46,344 --> 00:12:49,241
The plane's voice recorder
and eventually
it's data recorder
158
00:12:49,344 --> 00:12:51,172
are recovered from the seabed,
159
00:12:51,275 --> 00:12:52,965
and sent to labs for analysis.
160
00:12:56,172 --> 00:12:58,206
Both boxes were damaged
in the crash.
161
00:13:02,379 --> 00:13:06,206
Investigators hope the damage
to the boxes
didn't affect the data.
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00:13:06,310 --> 00:13:07,758
Now let's see what we got.
163
00:13:07,862 --> 00:13:09,655
The voice recorder
may have picked up
164
00:13:09,758 --> 00:13:11,000
a conversation
between the pilots
165
00:13:11,103 --> 00:13:12,724
that can explain
what happened on board.
166
00:13:14,724 --> 00:13:15,586
Avionics CVR?
167
00:13:16,172 --> 00:13:18,068
On, as required.
168
00:13:18,172 --> 00:13:19,344
Auto feather system?
169
00:13:19,448 --> 00:13:20,965
Armed and two green...
170
00:13:21,068 --> 00:13:23,551
The device usually
records the final minutes
of a flight.
171
00:13:23,655 --> 00:13:25,655
But this CVR has done
the opposite.
172
00:13:25,758 --> 00:13:27,310
Engaged Beta lights off.
173
00:13:27,413 --> 00:13:28,275
Power.
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00:13:31,655 --> 00:13:34,206
It recorded
the start of the flight
175
00:13:34,310 --> 00:13:38,172
but then mysteriously
stopped recording
just before the plane took off.
176
00:13:38,275 --> 00:13:42,482
Well, it had recorded
the conversation on the ground,
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00:13:42,586 --> 00:13:46,103
but as soon as the engines
were up shifted the normal RPM
for takeoff,
178
00:13:46,206 --> 00:13:48,344
it ceased operations.
179
00:13:48,448 --> 00:13:51,241
So that was
a disappointment to us.
180
00:13:51,344 --> 00:13:57,586
But the malfunctioning
CVR did pick up an intriguing
exchange between the two pilots.
181
00:13:57,689 --> 00:13:59,172
How's the weather in Hamburg?
182
00:13:59,275 --> 00:14:00,827
It's clear skies.
Good visibility.
183
00:14:00,931 --> 00:14:02,827
Hope it stays that way.
184
00:14:02,931 --> 00:14:08,620
The CVR does tell
investigators that Flight 394
began with an unusual problem.
185
00:14:08,724 --> 00:14:15,482
Partnair was in financial
dire straits, and we found out
that just a few hours
186
00:14:15,586 --> 00:14:16,931
before the plane took off,
187
00:14:17,034 --> 00:14:19,965
the Norwegian aviation
authorities sent out a telex
188
00:14:20,068 --> 00:14:24,862
to tell all the airports
in Norway to don't let
a Partnair plane take-off
189
00:14:24,965 --> 00:14:29,379
because they owe a lot of money
in non-paid charges and fees.
190
00:14:29,482 --> 00:14:32,068
They won't release us
for takeoff until we pay
the catering bill.
191
00:14:34,724 --> 00:14:36,137
How much you got on ya?
192
00:14:36,241 --> 00:14:37,034
Seriously?
193
00:14:39,827 --> 00:14:40,793
God!
194
00:14:42,448 --> 00:14:44,620
Probably enough actually.
195
00:14:44,724 --> 00:14:45,586
Wow.
196
00:14:48,689 --> 00:14:49,896
I'll take care of it then.
197
00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:52,034
The First Officer
was forced to leave the cockpit
198
00:14:52,137 --> 00:14:54,413
to pay the caterers
for on board meals.
199
00:14:57,586 --> 00:14:59,551
Investigators check
maintenance records
200
00:14:59,655 --> 00:15:01,310
to find out why the CVR
201
00:15:01,413 --> 00:15:04,344
only recorded the crew's
conversation while they
were on the ground.
202
00:15:05,965 --> 00:15:07,413
They discovered
that the plane's cockpit
203
00:15:07,517 --> 00:15:10,724
voice recorder had been modified
more than 10 years earlier.
204
00:15:12,172 --> 00:15:14,724
Modified to switch
to primary AC?
205
00:15:20,103 --> 00:15:21,172
Beta lights out.
206
00:15:21,275 --> 00:15:22,965
It was altered
so that when the engines
207
00:15:23,068 --> 00:15:25,000
were given full power
for take-off...
208
00:15:25,965 --> 00:15:28,413
Your power.
209
00:15:28,517 --> 00:15:32,931
...the CVR would automatically
switch from the plane's
batteries to its generator.
210
00:15:36,241 --> 00:15:41,206
And that modification
was not working
on this aircraft.
211
00:15:41,310 --> 00:15:45,379
Neither pilot realized
that as the engines
were revved up for take-off,
212
00:15:45,482 --> 00:15:48,896
power to the CVR
was actually cut off.
213
00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:52,034
Anytime you get key
investigation components
214
00:15:52,137 --> 00:15:53,551
such as the cockpit
voice recorder
215
00:15:53,655 --> 00:15:56,034
and Flight Data Recorder
that don't work correctly,
216
00:15:56,137 --> 00:16:00,413
it brings into question
the thoroughness
of the maintenance
217
00:16:00,517 --> 00:16:06,793
and also the continued
safe operation of the airplanes.
218
00:16:06,896 --> 00:16:11,206
The malfunctioning
voice recorder
and the unpaid catering bill
219
00:16:11,310 --> 00:16:15,206
lead investigators to look
more closely at the history
of the airplane,
220
00:16:15,310 --> 00:16:17,862
and the company that owned it,
Partnair Airlines.
221
00:16:22,620 --> 00:16:25,379
Partnair operated a fleet
of mostly older planes
222
00:16:25,482 --> 00:16:27,689
that flew to Northern
European destinations.
223
00:16:31,965 --> 00:16:34,034
The Convair that crashed
into the North Sea
224
00:16:34,137 --> 00:16:36,517
was one of the airline's
most recent acquisitions.
225
00:16:39,862 --> 00:16:42,931
But the plane itself
was 36 years old.
226
00:16:43,034 --> 00:16:46,655
It had a complicated history
of both ownership,
and modifications.
227
00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:50,448
The biggest change
was to the plane's engines.
228
00:16:53,758 --> 00:16:58,620
The really important
modification was upgrading
the engines to turbine engines.
229
00:16:58,724 --> 00:17:01,620
On prop planes
the propeller moves
air backwards,
230
00:17:01,724 --> 00:17:04,000
propelling the plane forward.
231
00:17:04,103 --> 00:17:07,172
Early prop planes
used piston engines
to turn the propeller.
232
00:17:09,206 --> 00:17:11,896
But turbine engines,
which use a series of fans,
233
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,655
not pistons, to compress air,
generate substantially
more power.
234
00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:26,793
Heimdal learns that in 1960,
the plane's original
piston engines were removed
235
00:17:26,896 --> 00:17:30,862
and powerful new turbo-props
were bolted to the wings.
236
00:17:30,965 --> 00:17:34,551
It's a modification
that provides more power
but could pose a risk.
237
00:17:37,310 --> 00:17:39,793
When there was
a tremendous increase
of horsepower,
238
00:17:39,896 --> 00:17:41,620
installed in the turbine
engines.
239
00:17:41,724 --> 00:17:44,827
I was wondering what that
was doing to the structure
of the aircraft.
240
00:17:48,068 --> 00:17:51,172
Heimdal has been
placed in charge of analyzing
the plane's engines.
241
00:17:55,758 --> 00:17:57,862
He wants to know
if the turbine engines
242
00:17:57,965 --> 00:18:00,448
could have torn
the aging plane apart.
243
00:18:00,551 --> 00:18:02,068
I started
asking the question,
244
00:18:02,172 --> 00:18:05,724
how can an aircraft fly itself
to pieces in mid-air.
245
00:18:10,724 --> 00:18:13,413
The plane's Flight
Data Recorders should
tell investigators
246
00:18:13,517 --> 00:18:16,379
about the operation
of the engines
in the moments before the crash.
247
00:18:21,172 --> 00:18:24,172
The recorder from this flight
is a primitive analog model.
248
00:18:27,517 --> 00:18:32,275
It used a metal
foil strip that rotated
and some marking pens
249
00:18:32,379 --> 00:18:36,275
actually scratched on the metal
surface on the piece of metal.
250
00:18:39,137 --> 00:18:43,275
The antiquated data
recorder proves to be another
frustration for investigators.
251
00:18:46,862 --> 00:18:49,448
It didn't record
many of the parameters
it was supposed to.
252
00:18:51,551 --> 00:18:54,275
But more mysteriously,
the needle seems
to have recorded
253
00:18:54,379 --> 00:18:55,896
certain signals twice.
254
00:18:58,172 --> 00:19:01,206
The double line confounds
experts who analyze the device.
255
00:19:02,724 --> 00:19:05,206
We had no experience
with anything like that.
256
00:19:05,310 --> 00:19:11,068
We contacted several experts,
but none had experience
with this before.
257
00:19:11,172 --> 00:19:12,310
Yeah, I've never seen
that before.
258
00:19:14,482 --> 00:19:16,655
The flight data
doesn't offer investigators
259
00:19:16,758 --> 00:19:19,000
any immediate revelations
about the crash.
260
00:19:21,275 --> 00:19:23,206
Heimdal now wonders
if the very fact
261
00:19:23,310 --> 00:19:26,275
that the recorder
was malfunctioning
could be a clue in itself.
262
00:19:32,310 --> 00:19:34,275
He decides to send
the Flight Data Recorder
263
00:19:34,379 --> 00:19:37,620
back to the American company
that made it
for further analysis.
264
00:19:44,448 --> 00:19:47,793
Investigators painstakingly
reconstruct the Partnair plane.
265
00:19:49,827 --> 00:19:53,448
The Norwegian team
recovered the airplane
with assistance
266
00:19:53,551 --> 00:19:57,413
from the local authorities,
the Danish authorities
I believe,
267
00:19:57,517 --> 00:20:00,275
and decided
to reconstruct the airplane.
268
00:20:02,793 --> 00:20:06,724
A reconstruction is like
putting together a puzzle
that helps investigators
269
00:20:06,827 --> 00:20:10,862
focus the investigation
on areas that need
to be looked at
270
00:20:10,965 --> 00:20:13,275
and perhaps prioritize
the investigation.
271
00:20:17,482 --> 00:20:20,586
As the fuselage
takes shape,
the reconstructed plane
272
00:20:20,689 --> 00:20:23,206
provides investigators
with some stunning evidence.
273
00:20:26,724 --> 00:20:27,793
The only thing
that would destroy
274
00:20:27,896 --> 00:20:30,448
the aircraft at cruising level
would be an explosion.
275
00:20:31,758 --> 00:20:35,862
So some of the parts looked
maybe a bit suspicious.
276
00:20:37,551 --> 00:20:39,068
Suspicious for what's on them.
277
00:20:41,689 --> 00:20:47,896
There were rumors that
it was found explosives at,
in the Partnair plane.
278
00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:51,517
There are traces of a powerful
military explosive.
279
00:20:51,620 --> 00:20:54,448
The amount is small,
but the press gets wind of it.
280
00:21:01,241 --> 00:21:04,206
The explosive residue could be
from a bomb on board the plane,
281
00:21:07,413 --> 00:21:09,137
or from another source.
282
00:21:09,241 --> 00:21:12,551
A NATO war exercise
called "Operation Sharp Spear"
283
00:21:12,655 --> 00:21:18,275
was taking place that same day
near the flight path
of Flight 394.
284
00:21:18,379 --> 00:21:22,000
One of the pilots I talked to,
and he said,
"I guess it might have been
285
00:21:22,103 --> 00:21:25,724
"the so-called cold rocket,
test rocket might have
286
00:21:25,827 --> 00:21:27,413
"gone through one of the wings
287
00:21:27,517 --> 00:21:29,620
"or the fuselage."
288
00:21:29,724 --> 00:21:32,517
Many people now wonder
if an errant warhead
289
00:21:32,620 --> 00:21:34,620
played a role
in bringing down the plane.
290
00:21:37,413 --> 00:21:41,034
Pull Up. Terrain.
Pull Up. Terrain.
291
00:21:41,137 --> 00:21:42,586
Pull Up...
292
00:21:45,034 --> 00:21:47,482
But when the explosive
residue is analyzed,
293
00:21:47,586 --> 00:21:51,482
it's found not to have been
from a bomb or a warhead.
294
00:21:51,586 --> 00:21:53,344
There simply isn't enough
of it on the plane.
295
00:21:55,241 --> 00:21:59,793
There was a small sign
of explosives,
but that was a very low level
296
00:21:59,896 --> 00:22:03,724
and looked more like
a contamination
than anything else.
297
00:22:07,931 --> 00:22:10,758
Many battles
have been fought
off the Danish Coast.
298
00:22:10,862 --> 00:22:12,896
The sea is littered
with old munitions.
299
00:22:14,206 --> 00:22:15,724
Investigators believe the plane
300
00:22:15,827 --> 00:22:18,931
picked up some explosive residue
while lying on the ocean floor.
301
00:22:20,482 --> 00:22:23,206
Explosives are ruled out
as a cause of this crash.
302
00:22:26,551 --> 00:22:28,758
Metallurgist, Terry Heaslip,
has been brought in.
303
00:22:30,620 --> 00:22:36,379
He examines the plane's
reconstructed tail and makes
a startling observation.
304
00:22:36,482 --> 00:22:40,724
Pieces of the plane's skin
show evidence of damage
from over-heating.
305
00:22:40,827 --> 00:22:42,379
Which means that it was flexing.
306
00:22:42,482 --> 00:22:45,103
And you know, you take
a coat hanger and you go
like that, back and forth,
307
00:22:45,206 --> 00:22:47,965
you hold it close to where
it's going to break,
and you'll burn your hand
308
00:22:48,068 --> 00:22:50,586
because you develop
heat where you're
doing the fatiguing.
309
00:22:50,689 --> 00:22:51,793
It's the same thing
on an airplane.
310
00:22:53,965 --> 00:22:57,068
The evidence
is pointing to a problem
with the plane's tail.
311
00:22:59,724 --> 00:23:02,379
Investigators are keen to look
at a massive generator
312
00:23:02,482 --> 00:23:04,241
recovered from the rear
of the aircraft.
313
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,689
The Auxiliary Power Unit
is housed inside
the Convair's rear fin.
314
00:23:12,793 --> 00:23:15,896
It's a back-up power generator,
that's usually only used
315
00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:17,310
while the plane
is on the ground.
316
00:23:19,068 --> 00:23:21,103
Heimdal inspects the device
and discovers
317
00:23:21,206 --> 00:23:24,103
that some melted plastic parts
from the plane's cabin
318
00:23:24,206 --> 00:23:27,551
have found their way inside
the APU's turbine.
319
00:23:27,655 --> 00:23:29,965
It gives him an important
new piece of information
320
00:23:30,068 --> 00:23:32,620
about what was happening
on the plane
at the moment it failed.
321
00:23:34,896 --> 00:23:40,793
Meaning that the cabin
had failed when
the APU was still operating.
322
00:23:43,068 --> 00:23:47,206
The APU should not
have been running
while the plane was in the air.
323
00:23:47,310 --> 00:23:51,103
The fact that it was
means the APU could be
behind this crash.
324
00:23:54,862 --> 00:23:58,241
Investigators try to learn more
about what happened
on the day of the crash.
325
00:24:00,034 --> 00:24:02,689
They interview the mechanic
who inspected the plane
that morning.
326
00:24:05,551 --> 00:24:09,827
He reports that,
one of the plane's two main
generators wasn't working,
327
00:24:09,931 --> 00:24:11,620
and that he wasn't able
to repair it.
328
00:24:15,413 --> 00:24:18,620
Regulations demand
that the plane have
two sources of power
329
00:24:18,724 --> 00:24:20,000
before it's allowed to take off.
330
00:24:23,482 --> 00:24:25,310
The First Officer comes up
with a solution
331
00:24:25,413 --> 00:24:27,103
that will allow
the flight to leave.
332
00:24:29,068 --> 00:24:31,965
He tells the airline
that he will use
the Auxiliary Power Unit
333
00:24:32,068 --> 00:24:36,758
throughout the flight
as a substitute for the
malfunctioning main generator.
334
00:24:36,862 --> 00:24:38,482
Okay. I want you
to write this in the log book,
335
00:24:38,586 --> 00:24:41,551
"Released for flight
with APU generator operative."
336
00:24:41,655 --> 00:24:43,551
We'll use the APU to power
to the left side AC system.
337
00:24:47,758 --> 00:24:49,137
APU is coming on.
338
00:24:54,655 --> 00:24:55,551
Beta lights off.
339
00:25:04,862 --> 00:25:05,689
Your power.
340
00:25:13,793 --> 00:25:17,896
During his inspection
of the APU, Heimdal makes
an important discovery.
341
00:25:20,206 --> 00:25:23,689
When I saw the part
I saw, it was not an aircraft
standard part at all.
342
00:25:23,793 --> 00:25:30,241
It was made in a very primitive
way by a piece of iron
and welding it together
343
00:25:30,344 --> 00:25:32,413
in a substandard way.
344
00:25:32,517 --> 00:25:36,827
He notices that
one of the mounts attaching
the APU to the plane is broken.
345
00:25:36,931 --> 00:25:41,275
The unit contains
a rapidly spinning turbine
that generates electricity.
346
00:25:41,379 --> 00:25:44,827
If it wasn't properly held
in place, it could have
caused this crash.
347
00:25:51,724 --> 00:25:54,896
Investigators need to know
if the broken APU
caused the crash.
348
00:25:56,965 --> 00:26:01,344
They'll soon discover
that it's just a piece of
a much more troubling puzzle.
349
00:26:05,103 --> 00:26:10,551
Investigators have discovered
that Partnair Flight 394 was
flying with a broken APU mount.
350
00:26:17,655 --> 00:26:20,517
Metallurgist, Terry Heaslip,
performs extensive testing
351
00:26:20,620 --> 00:26:22,034
on the failed part.
352
00:26:22,137 --> 00:26:26,413
My initial reaction was
that the welding was bad,
353
00:26:26,517 --> 00:26:28,034
was probably inappropriate.
354
00:26:29,482 --> 00:26:33,275
Heaslip wants to know
when the strut broke.
355
00:26:33,379 --> 00:26:37,172
If it happened during
the plane's last flight,
it could explain the accident.
356
00:26:38,896 --> 00:26:43,413
I could see the impact markings
and the progression
markings on it
357
00:26:43,517 --> 00:26:46,896
that showed that it did not fail
in a single overload
358
00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,724
during this last
accident flight.
359
00:26:49,827 --> 00:26:52,068
The way
the broken mount is worn down
360
00:26:52,172 --> 00:26:55,103
also tells Heaslip
that the mount
holding the APU in place
361
00:26:55,206 --> 00:26:57,344
didn't break
on the day of the accident.
362
00:26:57,448 --> 00:27:00,482
It was broken long before
Flight 394 took off.
363
00:27:02,724 --> 00:27:06,758
Investigators now need to know
what effect the broken mount
had on the flight.
364
00:27:07,965 --> 00:27:09,655
40,000 RPMs.
365
00:27:10,827 --> 00:27:11,827
Do a lot of damage.
366
00:27:14,068 --> 00:27:16,344
The APU is a large
gyroscope,
367
00:27:16,448 --> 00:27:20,172
that's having a tremendous
amount of energy in it
368
00:27:20,275 --> 00:27:22,827
when it's rotating,
and if that energy is
369
00:27:22,931 --> 00:27:30,000
transmitted to the surroundings,
the fuselage, the structure,
370
00:27:30,103 --> 00:27:35,413
it could impact the whole
vibration pattern in the tail.
371
00:27:35,517 --> 00:27:38,517
Investigators want to know if anyone
had felt vibrations
372
00:27:38,620 --> 00:27:40,172
on this particular plane.
373
00:27:40,275 --> 00:27:43,034
Interviews with people
who flew on it
provide some answers.
374
00:27:43,137 --> 00:27:44,517
Listen, we appreciate
your coming in.
375
00:27:44,620 --> 00:27:45,482
Thanks a lot.
376
00:27:50,586 --> 00:27:53,896
Now, you said you felt
some rumbling on the plane?
377
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:54,896
Is that right?
378
00:27:57,896 --> 00:28:01,344
One person stated
that the plane that crashed
vibrated far more
379
00:28:01,448 --> 00:28:03,793
than the two other Convairs
owned by the company.
380
00:28:05,931 --> 00:28:08,413
Did anything seem unusual
in the plane?
381
00:28:08,517 --> 00:28:10,689
But others failed
to mention the vibrations.
382
00:28:12,206 --> 00:28:13,482
Had a good flight?
383
00:28:14,862 --> 00:28:16,689
It's a
puzzling situation.
384
00:28:16,793 --> 00:28:21,379
Investigators know the APU mount
was broken before the flight.
385
00:28:21,482 --> 00:28:24,586
But they still don't know
if it even played a role
in the crash
386
00:28:24,689 --> 00:28:26,620
or whether it would have
affected the plane's tail.
387
00:28:28,034 --> 00:28:30,344
Then the reconstruction
begins to clear things up.
388
00:28:41,586 --> 00:28:46,620
Heimdal discovers that two doors
from the plane's tail
have not been found.
389
00:28:46,724 --> 00:28:48,448
When we reassembled
the parts from the tail,
390
00:28:48,551 --> 00:28:50,724
we saw that the rudder
had been torn apart
391
00:28:50,827 --> 00:28:53,655
in two major pieces
and some parts were missing.
392
00:28:56,689 --> 00:29:01,620
In particular, the doors between
the fin and rudder were missing.
393
00:29:05,310 --> 00:29:09,862
The shroud doors
are two small doors located on
the vertical fin of the plane.
394
00:29:09,965 --> 00:29:13,241
They provide mechanics
with access to weights
inside the fin
395
00:29:13,344 --> 00:29:15,206
that control
the rudder's movement.
396
00:29:17,931 --> 00:29:21,310
Heimdal makes a dramatic find
about the doors themselves.
397
00:29:21,413 --> 00:29:24,034
They were constructed with
an aluminum honeycomb liner.
398
00:29:26,827 --> 00:29:28,517
From his days in the Air Force,
399
00:29:28,620 --> 00:29:30,827
Heimdal knows
they have a unique property.
400
00:29:32,655 --> 00:29:34,551
This is thin aluminum foil,
as you know,
401
00:29:34,655 --> 00:29:39,827
and it has the good
reflective properties for radar
402
00:29:39,931 --> 00:29:41,655
and it's very light.
403
00:29:41,758 --> 00:29:45,758
The military use it
to disturb radar signals.
They call it chaff.
404
00:29:48,206 --> 00:29:51,448
Investigators now realize that
the unidentified object
405
00:29:51,551 --> 00:29:56,793
picked up by Swedish radar
was probably a piece
of one of the shroud doors.
406
00:29:56,896 --> 00:30:00,655
But when we connected
the missing doors in the
honeycomb with the radar data,
407
00:30:00,758 --> 00:30:03,793
we knew that it had happened
up at cruising altitude.
408
00:30:03,896 --> 00:30:09,896
Because the slow falling object
had come from very high level,
cruising altitude practically.
409
00:30:12,241 --> 00:30:14,620
Investigators conclude
that the tail
410
00:30:14,724 --> 00:30:18,931
began to break apart
at 22,000 feet before it
plummeted from the sky.
411
00:30:20,896 --> 00:30:23,413
But why had the doors
fallen off in mid-flight?
412
00:30:26,482 --> 00:30:30,551
Whatever caused the shroud doors
to tear off likely caused
the crash.
413
00:30:35,103 --> 00:30:37,586
Investigators know that
the rudders counterweights
414
00:30:37,689 --> 00:30:40,000
are located
just inside the shroud doors.
415
00:30:43,068 --> 00:30:47,448
If a rudder moves too violently
from side to side,
the weights do as well.
416
00:30:47,551 --> 00:30:52,586
We found enough pieces
to show that they were
just pounding these doors.
417
00:30:52,689 --> 00:30:55,068
And the first real components
that came off
418
00:30:55,172 --> 00:30:58,137
were the honeycomb
in those doors.
419
00:30:58,241 --> 00:31:00,965
Investigators conclude
that around the time
of the accident,
420
00:31:01,068 --> 00:31:04,551
something caused the rudder
to swing violently
back and forth.
421
00:31:04,655 --> 00:31:06,413
But they still don't know what.
422
00:31:06,517 --> 00:31:11,758
The APU with the broken
front shock mount
on its own running in flight
423
00:31:11,862 --> 00:31:17,551
would not cause the aircraft
to come apart and the tail
to come apart.
424
00:31:17,655 --> 00:31:19,862
There had to be extra factors
there for that to occur.
425
00:31:22,379 --> 00:31:25,517
Investigators continue
searching for those
"extra factors" .
426
00:31:27,137 --> 00:31:29,344
Then Partnair Airlines
proposes one.
427
00:31:33,068 --> 00:31:35,758
They point to the F-16
that passed over the plane
428
00:31:35,862 --> 00:31:38,448
just minutes before the plane
veered off course.
429
00:31:38,551 --> 00:31:40,344
Whoa! Look at that,
11 o'clock.
430
00:31:40,793 --> 00:31:41,655
F-16.
431
00:31:43,482 --> 00:31:45,965
Partnair claims
the military jet
was flying faster
432
00:31:46,068 --> 00:31:47,206
than it should have been.
433
00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:54,068
They also believe that
it came much closer
434
00:31:54,172 --> 00:31:56,034
to the flight
than officially reported.
435
00:31:57,517 --> 00:32:01,482
Partnair, they contacted
a Swedish investigator,
436
00:32:01,586 --> 00:32:06,000
and he came out with the answer
that the F-16 could probably
437
00:32:06,103 --> 00:32:08,034
have gone through
the sound barrier
438
00:32:08,137 --> 00:32:10,344
as it passed just over
the Partnair plane.
439
00:32:13,655 --> 00:32:17,517
When a fighter jet
or any other plane,
breaks the sound barrier,
440
00:32:17,620 --> 00:32:21,172
you have this pressure wave,
and their theory was that
441
00:32:21,275 --> 00:32:25,379
this pressure wave
just got the plane
to disintegrate in the air.
442
00:32:29,517 --> 00:32:33,275
But the Norwegian
F-16 pilot testifies that he was
more than a 1000 feet
443
00:32:33,379 --> 00:32:35,137
above the Convair
when he passed it.
444
00:32:37,379 --> 00:32:41,517
Investigators calculate
just how close the F-16
would have had to be
445
00:32:41,620 --> 00:32:44,862
in order to seriously disturb
Flight 394.
446
00:32:44,965 --> 00:32:47,310
They determine that
for the F-16's pressure wave
447
00:32:47,413 --> 00:32:50,379
to have affected the Convair,
it would have had to fly
448
00:32:50,482 --> 00:32:52,034
within a few meters
of the plane.
449
00:32:53,620 --> 00:32:56,620
There's no evidence
the two planes
were ever that close.
450
00:32:56,724 --> 00:32:58,448
Okay, good work.
451
00:33:02,517 --> 00:33:04,448
Ninety percent
of the plane's wreckage
452
00:33:04,551 --> 00:33:05,724
has been recovered
from the sea.
453
00:33:07,482 --> 00:33:08,931
But investigators
still don't know
454
00:33:09,034 --> 00:33:11,827
what caused the Convair's tail
to come off in mid-air.
455
00:33:17,793 --> 00:33:19,931
During the course
of the investigation,
456
00:33:20,034 --> 00:33:22,206
Finn Heimdal is given
a promotion.
457
00:33:22,310 --> 00:33:26,000
But he has no idea
how to solve the puzzle
that haunts his nation.
458
00:33:26,103 --> 00:33:28,758
They asked me to be in charge
459
00:33:28,862 --> 00:33:31,620
of the rest of the hardware
investigation.
460
00:33:31,724 --> 00:33:34,931
I was standing
in a heap of a wrecked parts
461
00:33:35,034 --> 00:33:37,310
and thinking I'll never
get an end of this.
462
00:33:42,034 --> 00:33:46,068
Investigators get a break when the faulty
Flight Data Recorder
463
00:33:46,172 --> 00:33:48,000
is analyzed
in the United States.
464
00:33:49,551 --> 00:33:51,931
The manufacturer has asked
its top expert
465
00:33:52,034 --> 00:33:54,482
to come out of retirement
and examine the device.
466
00:33:56,517 --> 00:33:59,379
The manufacturer,
Fairchild, referred us
to a previous employee...
467
00:34:01,241 --> 00:34:03,241
and we found him
in California.
468
00:34:03,344 --> 00:34:06,827
The expert tells
investigators that the needle
that was supposed to be
469
00:34:06,931 --> 00:34:10,172
recording the plane's altitude
was shaking so much,
470
00:34:10,275 --> 00:34:12,379
that it was leaving
another mark on the foil.
471
00:34:17,137 --> 00:34:19,379
But then he goes
one step further.
472
00:34:19,482 --> 00:34:23,103
The FDR has a capacity
to record for hundreds of hours.
473
00:34:23,206 --> 00:34:25,931
By un-spooling
the metal foil completely,
474
00:34:26,034 --> 00:34:29,379
he sees that the FDR
has been vibrating
severely for months.
475
00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:36,862
We saw that this had happened
476
00:34:36,965 --> 00:34:40,931
something like 360 operations
hour before the accident.
477
00:34:42,551 --> 00:34:46,068
I had never seen an abnormality
like that before,
478
00:34:46,172 --> 00:34:48,620
and it took us a while
to figure out
what was going on here.
479
00:34:52,068 --> 00:34:56,344
It now seems
the APU wasn't the only thing
vibrating on this plane.
480
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:04,931
Investigators decide to chart
the history of the vibrations
chronologically.
481
00:35:08,551 --> 00:35:11,896
They notice an unusual change
in the pattern of vibrations.
482
00:35:13,793 --> 00:35:18,758
Two months before the crash,
the vibration suddenly stopped
for a number of weeks.
483
00:35:18,862 --> 00:35:23,517
Virtually no vibrations
for 16 flights.
484
00:35:23,620 --> 00:35:26,586
It was increasing
intensity and frequency
485
00:35:27,724 --> 00:35:30,482
up to the summer of '89
486
00:35:30,586 --> 00:35:32,034
and then the pattern changed.
487
00:35:34,586 --> 00:35:37,172
After getting better,
the pattern of vibrations
488
00:35:37,275 --> 00:35:40,103
got worse again,
right up until the crash.
489
00:35:40,206 --> 00:35:41,413
What happened here?
490
00:35:43,206 --> 00:35:46,275
Investigators now need
to find out what changed
on the plane
491
00:35:46,379 --> 00:35:48,896
during the two-week period
when the vibrations stopped.
492
00:35:52,448 --> 00:35:53,758
Why was it out of service?
493
00:35:55,103 --> 00:35:56,827
Where was the work done?
494
00:35:56,931 --> 00:35:59,758
The airline tells
investigators that during
that time,
495
00:35:59,862 --> 00:36:03,103
the plane was receiving
a major overhaul
in Western Canada.
496
00:36:03,206 --> 00:36:04,172
Thank you.
497
00:36:04,275 --> 00:36:05,068
We'll be in touch.
498
00:36:09,862 --> 00:36:13,344
The work was done
by the plane's previous owner,
499
00:36:13,448 --> 00:36:16,862
a Canadian company
that specializes
in servicing Convairs.
500
00:36:20,620 --> 00:36:22,275
During the various
test fights there,
501
00:36:22,379 --> 00:36:26,103
the FDR recorded almost no
excessive vibrations.
502
00:36:26,206 --> 00:36:29,413
This healthy pattern continued
on several passenger flights
503
00:36:29,517 --> 00:36:32,655
once the overhaul was done
and the plane returned
to Norway.
504
00:36:36,172 --> 00:36:39,586
Investigators review
the maintenance records.
505
00:36:39,689 --> 00:36:41,965
Heimdal finds that
during the overhaul,
506
00:36:42,068 --> 00:36:45,068
mechanics found signs of wear
on one of the four bolts
507
00:36:45,172 --> 00:36:47,620
that connect the vertical fin
to the plane's tail.
508
00:36:52,586 --> 00:36:56,241
These four bolts
are the only things holding
the tail to the fuselage.
509
00:37:01,965 --> 00:37:05,068
During the overhaul
of the Convair in July of 1989,
510
00:37:06,827 --> 00:37:09,310
a mechanic replaced
one of the four bolts.
511
00:37:16,551 --> 00:37:18,551
The information
from the Flight Data Recorder
512
00:37:18,655 --> 00:37:22,413
reveals that the vibrations
in the tail stopped right after
513
00:37:22,517 --> 00:37:24,551
that one bolt was replaced.
514
00:37:30,758 --> 00:37:34,724
Incredibly,
investigators are able to
recover all four of the bolts
515
00:37:34,827 --> 00:37:36,448
which were holding
the tail in place.
516
00:37:42,275 --> 00:37:45,068
Terry Heaslip thoroughly
analyzes the bolts.
517
00:37:45,172 --> 00:37:47,413
He makes a final
stunning discovery.
518
00:37:47,517 --> 00:37:50,965
The three bolts
that weren't replaced
were not approved parts.
519
00:37:52,379 --> 00:37:58,413
We did metallurgical testing,
and we did mechanical testing.
520
00:38:00,517 --> 00:38:03,310
And by doing
all of these analyses,
521
00:38:03,413 --> 00:38:09,034
we worked out that
the three of the assemblies
were not up the scratch.
522
00:38:09,137 --> 00:38:11,862
They were bogus assemblies.
523
00:38:11,965 --> 00:38:14,551
His analysis shows
that the faulty bolts
were incorrectly
524
00:38:14,655 --> 00:38:17,896
heat-treated
when they were made.
525
00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:21,793
As a result, they are only
sixty percent as strong as
they should have been.
526
00:38:23,689 --> 00:38:27,275
Investigators finally know
why the tail was vibrating
for months.
527
00:38:27,379 --> 00:38:29,000
- You got something for me?
- Mm-hmm.
528
00:38:31,034 --> 00:38:33,655
Three of the bolts
holding it in place
were too weak.
529
00:38:35,034 --> 00:38:36,068
They just weren't hard enough.
530
00:38:37,137 --> 00:38:38,517
Unbelievable.
531
00:38:38,620 --> 00:38:41,206
Three bolts holding
the tail to the rest
of the plane
532
00:38:41,310 --> 00:38:43,068
were not authentic parts.
533
00:38:43,172 --> 00:38:45,000
They were well-disguised fakes.
534
00:38:49,241 --> 00:38:52,758
The week bolts mean
investigators now must answer
a critical question.
535
00:38:54,103 --> 00:38:55,724
Why didn't the tail come off
536
00:38:55,827 --> 00:38:59,413
in the previous 16 flights
where it vibrated excessively?
537
00:38:59,517 --> 00:39:01,068
Why this last flight?
538
00:39:01,172 --> 00:39:05,137
Investigators already know that on the day
of the accident flight,
539
00:39:05,241 --> 00:39:09,379
a power generator wasn't working
and that the pilots improvised
a solution.
540
00:39:12,344 --> 00:39:14,896
Okay, I want you
to write this in the logbook,
"Released for flight
541
00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:17,068
"with APU generator operative."
542
00:39:17,172 --> 00:39:19,275
We'll use the APU to power
the left side AC system.
543
00:39:23,655 --> 00:39:25,275
APU is coming on.
544
00:39:25,379 --> 00:39:28,310
The pilots didn't
realize that the APU mount
was broken,
545
00:39:28,413 --> 00:39:32,275
and the motor
was vibrating considerably.
546
00:39:32,379 --> 00:39:36,034
Their decision to run it
throughout the flight
made a bad situation worse.
547
00:39:36,137 --> 00:39:41,965
The reason why things got bad
on this particular flight
is that the APU
548
00:39:42,068 --> 00:39:45,793
was literally floating on
two mounts instead of three.
549
00:39:47,344 --> 00:39:49,310
This,
along with the faulty bolts,
550
00:39:49,413 --> 00:39:53,241
created even more vibrations
in the tail of the plane.
551
00:39:53,344 --> 00:39:56,620
And when you get
the two of them shaking,
if they ever get into sync,
552
00:39:56,724 --> 00:40:00,103
what we call resonance
with each other, disaster.
553
00:40:05,827 --> 00:40:08,620
The investigators
conclude that the vibrations
in the tail
554
00:40:08,724 --> 00:40:13,137
and the vibrations from the APU
could have combined
into a lethal force.
555
00:40:15,586 --> 00:40:19,137
Now, this is what we got
from the guys at MIT.
556
00:40:19,241 --> 00:40:24,000
Technically, the vibrations
could have torn the plane apart.
557
00:40:24,103 --> 00:40:29,931
If the two loose items
start to vibrate
in the same frequency,
558
00:40:30,034 --> 00:40:32,827
now you're going to get,
or a multiple
of that frequency,
559
00:40:32,931 --> 00:40:35,344
you get what's called
coupled harmonics.
560
00:40:35,448 --> 00:40:41,103
And the one vibration is feeding
the other one there,
feeding each other
561
00:40:41,206 --> 00:40:42,827
and making each other
worse and worse.
562
00:40:44,931 --> 00:40:48,172
The most famous
example of coupled
harmonics occurred
563
00:40:48,275 --> 00:40:52,034
on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge
in Washington state in 1940.
564
00:40:52,137 --> 00:40:54,310
The newly-built steel
and concrete bridge
565
00:40:54,413 --> 00:40:58,379
began swaying lengthwise,
and then a cross-wind
started dipping it
566
00:40:58,482 --> 00:40:59,344
left to right.
567
00:41:01,241 --> 00:41:05,793
The two vibrations moving
in different directions
combined to create a violent
568
00:41:05,896 --> 00:41:08,034
twisting motion
that tore the bridge apart.
569
00:41:12,517 --> 00:41:17,827
Investigators calculate that the same effect
tore apart Flight 394.
570
00:41:17,931 --> 00:41:21,689
And we said, my gosh,
that's exactly the phenomenon
we have here.
571
00:41:21,793 --> 00:41:23,827
This lethal
combination of vibrations
572
00:41:23,931 --> 00:41:27,344
caused the tail to sway
back and forth so violently
573
00:41:27,448 --> 00:41:29,379
that the rudder
jammed to the left.
574
00:41:29,482 --> 00:41:32,724
This forced the plane
into a left turn so abrupt
575
00:41:32,827 --> 00:41:34,482
that it increased airflow
576
00:41:34,586 --> 00:41:38,137
over the right wing,
creating greater lift and
causing the aircraft to roll.
577
00:41:40,068 --> 00:41:44,689
The plane recovered briefly,
but the rudder jams
to the left again,
578
00:41:44,793 --> 00:41:47,206
and the shroud doors explode.
579
00:41:49,172 --> 00:41:52,689
It rolls a second time,
the tail begins to disintegrate.
580
00:41:54,310 --> 00:41:56,482
After that, the crew
didn't have a hope.
581
00:41:59,482 --> 00:42:02,758
Investigators conclude that it was
the three bogus bolts
582
00:42:02,862 --> 00:42:04,689
that initiated
the Partnair crash.
583
00:42:09,827 --> 00:42:13,724
I looked at that
and said, "Man, oh, man,
how could that be?"
584
00:42:13,827 --> 00:42:18,931
In a crucial component,
a crucial fitting like that
in the tail.
585
00:42:19,034 --> 00:42:20,655
I couldn't believe it.
586
00:42:20,758 --> 00:42:23,379
The report on
Partnair Flight 394,
587
00:42:23,482 --> 00:42:26,724
sends shock waves throughout
the aviation industry.
588
00:42:26,827 --> 00:42:29,034
It's the first time
that a fatal plane crash
589
00:42:29,137 --> 00:42:31,379
has been linked
to unapproved spare parts.
590
00:42:33,655 --> 00:42:36,379
It raises
a frightening question.
591
00:42:36,482 --> 00:42:40,827
How many of the parts
being put into planes
around the world are bogus?
592
00:42:40,931 --> 00:42:44,620
The Partnair crash,
that was the seminal event
593
00:42:44,724 --> 00:42:47,965
that started people
actually having
594
00:42:48,068 --> 00:42:54,172
to recognize the unapproved
parts problem
and the fact that the worldwide
595
00:42:54,275 --> 00:42:58,689
inventories of aircraft parts,
in fact, were contaminated.
596
00:43:00,413 --> 00:43:04,620
There are six million
moving parts on a 747 alone.
597
00:43:04,724 --> 00:43:08,172
The spare parts business
is a 45 billion dollar industry.
598
00:43:11,551 --> 00:43:15,310
And at the time of the crash,
that industry
was largely unregulated.
599
00:43:19,344 --> 00:43:21,758
Mary Schiavo is the former
Inspector General
600
00:43:21,862 --> 00:43:24,034
of the Department
of Transportation,
601
00:43:24,137 --> 00:43:26,413
the agency that oversees
the FAA.
602
00:43:26,517 --> 00:43:28,965
No one knew
how large the problem was.
603
00:43:29,068 --> 00:43:30,758
They knew it was a problem
because of a crash.
604
00:43:30,862 --> 00:43:34,689
But how big was the
problem in the United States?
So we set out to measure it.
605
00:43:34,793 --> 00:43:37,931
We started by auditing
the FAA's own parts bins
606
00:43:38,034 --> 00:43:43,206
and the FAA's own parts bins
contained 39 percent
bogus parts.
607
00:43:43,310 --> 00:43:46,655
What we found is if the parts
had come from parts broker,
608
00:43:46,758 --> 00:43:50,241
which was a huge percentage
of the parts supply industry,
609
00:43:50,344 --> 00:43:53,344
95 percent of them
were not authentic.
610
00:43:56,758 --> 00:44:01,172
The FAA would soon
find bogus parts on
an airplane widely considered
611
00:44:01,275 --> 00:44:03,482
to be the most secure
plane on Earth.
612
00:44:11,172 --> 00:44:15,965
There are 5,000 parts brokers
in the United States,
many of them in the Miami area.
613
00:44:19,793 --> 00:44:22,206
Parts brokers
had no regulation whatsoever.
614
00:44:22,310 --> 00:44:25,689
You had a telephone and a fax,
you were a parts broker.
615
00:44:25,793 --> 00:44:28,206
Overnight, you could be
in the parts brokerage business,
616
00:44:28,310 --> 00:44:30,758
and you could get them
anywhere you chose.
617
00:44:30,862 --> 00:44:32,344
You could get them
from junkyards.
618
00:44:32,448 --> 00:44:34,517
You could get 'em
from scrap facilities.
619
00:44:34,620 --> 00:44:36,137
You could get 'em
from old planes.
620
00:44:36,241 --> 00:44:37,482
You could get 'em from crashes.
621
00:44:37,586 --> 00:44:39,965
You could get 'em from people
who were willing to manufacture
622
00:44:40,068 --> 00:44:41,586
and don't care about the law.
623
00:44:41,689 --> 00:44:44,206
Spare parts
for airplanes are expensive.
624
00:44:44,310 --> 00:44:47,137
A single bolt, like the one
holding on the Partnair flight's
625
00:44:47,241 --> 00:44:51,137
vertical fin
can cost up to $250.
626
00:44:51,241 --> 00:44:53,655
A bogus one can cost
as little as $30.
627
00:44:54,724 --> 00:44:55,862
Which makes it a bargain.
628
00:44:57,551 --> 00:45:01,206
And when you have situations
like you have today
629
00:45:01,310 --> 00:45:04,034
and airlines
are bottom-line driven,
630
00:45:04,137 --> 00:45:06,655
and you've got eight
or ten major airlines
631
00:45:06,758 --> 00:45:10,034
in the United States,
for example, that are
on the verge of bankruptcy,
632
00:45:10,137 --> 00:45:11,482
they're looking to cut costs.
633
00:45:13,034 --> 00:45:15,448
The FAA launches
a major investigation
634
00:45:15,551 --> 00:45:20,275
into illegal parts,
and uses sting operations
to uncover unscrupulous dealers.
635
00:45:26,103 --> 00:45:28,586
Investigators uncover
a black market industry
636
00:45:28,689 --> 00:45:32,000
that makes thousands of worn
and inferior parts
look brand new.
637
00:45:33,724 --> 00:45:35,965
These are really
good counterfeits.
638
00:45:36,068 --> 00:45:38,689
It's very difficult to tell.
639
00:45:38,793 --> 00:45:41,758
At the time
of the Partnair accident,
there were checks and balances
640
00:45:41,862 --> 00:45:44,103
in the system
that were supposed
to keep bogus parts
641
00:45:44,206 --> 00:45:45,724
from getting on major airlines.
642
00:45:48,034 --> 00:45:52,448
For instance, each spare part
needs someone's signature
to verify its authenticity.
643
00:45:54,103 --> 00:45:58,413
It has to have
some documentation
644
00:45:58,517 --> 00:46:00,793
that states that it's airworthy.
645
00:46:03,241 --> 00:46:05,689
It has to have
a maintenance release
646
00:46:05,793 --> 00:46:08,068
by some certificated entity.
647
00:46:10,413 --> 00:46:14,793
But investigators
discover that in addition
to a huge market in spare parts,
648
00:46:14,896 --> 00:46:18,000
there's also a burgeoning market
for counterfeit FAA tags.
649
00:46:24,103 --> 00:46:26,137
We'd execute search warrants
and find that people
650
00:46:26,241 --> 00:46:28,206
had printed stacks of fake
yellow tags,
651
00:46:28,310 --> 00:46:30,068
and in many cases,
they'd sign with a name
652
00:46:30,172 --> 00:46:32,896
of an actual inspector,
but they'd just
forge the signature.
653
00:46:36,034 --> 00:46:41,275
The tag in this business
is worth more than
the part.
654
00:46:41,379 --> 00:46:46,241
At first investigators
believe the problem
is mostly with smaller airlines.
655
00:46:46,344 --> 00:46:51,000
Smaller operators
and repair stations
are usually the people
656
00:46:51,103 --> 00:46:55,206
who are most vulnerable
to this after-market
broker parts problem.
657
00:46:55,310 --> 00:46:58,379
They're shocked
when they discover
that bogus parts have been found
658
00:46:58,482 --> 00:47:01,758
on what is supposed to be
the most tightly controlled
plane in the world,
659
00:47:01,862 --> 00:47:03,724
Air Force One.
660
00:47:03,827 --> 00:47:07,000
It reached all the way
to what many people considered
661
00:47:07,103 --> 00:47:09,379
literally the highest levels
of aviation.
662
00:47:09,482 --> 00:47:12,931
The aviation that flies around
the President
of the United States.
663
00:47:13,034 --> 00:47:16,482
Supposedly in an air-tight
supply chain,
664
00:47:16,586 --> 00:47:18,931
we had bogus parts cases
that touched those aircraft.
665
00:47:27,586 --> 00:47:31,310
The FAA responds
quickly. More than
a 100 dealers are arrested.
666
00:47:34,758 --> 00:47:39,379
With every conviction,
we were able to raise
the level of awareness,
667
00:47:39,482 --> 00:47:43,241
not only of the problem,
but of the severe consequences.
668
00:47:43,344 --> 00:47:45,862
If you want to risk
somebody's life.
669
00:47:45,965 --> 00:47:48,172
And I actually think
that the most
670
00:47:48,275 --> 00:47:52,448
important thing that we did
was get criminal convictions.
671
00:47:52,551 --> 00:47:55,724
As a result
of their investigation,
the FAA institutes
672
00:47:55,827 --> 00:47:59,379
a much more rigorous system
for documenting airplane parts.
673
00:47:59,482 --> 00:48:01,758
They threaten airlines
with criminal charges
674
00:48:01,862 --> 00:48:03,965
if they knowingly
accept bogus parts.
675
00:48:06,137 --> 00:48:09,344
Things are different today,
because we have a whole body
of regulations,
676
00:48:09,448 --> 00:48:13,517
much more than we had
in the '80s and '90s even,
to address the problem.
677
00:48:16,344 --> 00:48:21,586
You have to get
the mechanic who's actually
got the wrench
678
00:48:21,689 --> 00:48:24,931
in his hand
to a point of sophistication
679
00:48:25,034 --> 00:48:29,000
where he's knowledgeable enough
680
00:48:30,068 --> 00:48:32,896
to smell a bad part.
681
00:48:33,000 --> 00:48:37,724
To smell a bad piece of paper,
and it is possible to do.
682
00:48:37,827 --> 00:48:40,724
The new regulations
achieved their goal.
683
00:48:40,827 --> 00:48:44,827
In the two decades
following the crash
of Partnair 394,
684
00:48:44,931 --> 00:48:48,413
there wasn't
a single fatal accident
attributed to bogus parts.
685
00:48:54,344 --> 00:48:56,827
Years after the Partnair crash,
686
00:48:56,931 --> 00:49:00,620
Finn Heimdal became the head
of the Norwegian Accident
Investigation Board.
687
00:49:01,758 --> 00:49:02,655
Jimmy, my friend.
688
00:49:04,068 --> 00:49:07,000
It was a major puzzle
689
00:49:07,103 --> 00:49:10,241
that an aircraft,
for no obvious reason,
690
00:49:10,344 --> 00:49:14,793
could more or less
disintegrate in mid-air.
691
00:49:14,896 --> 00:49:17,862
His report
into the accident resulted
in major changes
692
00:49:17,965 --> 00:49:19,620
that likely saved lives.
693
00:49:22,586 --> 00:49:23,620
That's a positive thing.
694
00:49:23,724 --> 00:49:26,172
But the negative,
of course, is the tragedy,
695
00:49:26,275 --> 00:49:28,206
the personal tragedy
for many people.
696
00:49:29,551 --> 00:49:31,000
One of the
smallest parts
697
00:49:31,103 --> 00:49:35,068
on a Norwegian charter plane,
failed in 1989.
698
00:49:35,172 --> 00:49:38,241
Because investigators found
the cause of that accident,
699
00:49:38,344 --> 00:49:41,344
passengers around the world
are safer.
700
00:49:41,448 --> 00:49:44,965
Less likely to be on a plane
that's fitted with bogus parts.