1 00:00:02,586 --> 00:00:03,517 We've lost engine number two. 2 00:00:03,620 --> 00:00:05,000 High above the Mediterranean, 3 00:00:05,103 --> 00:00:07,241 two pilots struggle with a stalled engine. 4 00:00:07,344 --> 00:00:09,344 Engine relight. Negative. 5 00:00:09,448 --> 00:00:11,758 Stop. Stop! Engine one is flamed out. 6 00:00:11,862 --> 00:00:15,103 45 miles from land, the pilot's make a difficult decision. 7 00:00:16,551 --> 00:00:17,448 Prepare to ditch. 8 00:00:19,241 --> 00:00:21,689 Oh, my God, be merciful. 9 00:00:21,793 --> 00:00:24,931 Passengers are forced to make life or death decisions on their own. 10 00:00:26,862 --> 00:00:27,862 Do not inflate your vests! 11 00:00:34,241 --> 00:00:37,068 The accident will tear families apart, 12 00:00:37,172 --> 00:00:39,724 set in motion a massive rescue effort at sea, 13 00:00:41,793 --> 00:00:43,931 and trigger a multi-national investigation 14 00:00:45,862 --> 00:00:49,172 to discover why both engines on one of the world's 15 00:00:49,275 --> 00:00:52,551 most popular planes stopped in mid-flight. 16 00:01:21,655 --> 00:01:28,517 August the 6th, 2005, Bari, Italy, an ancient port town on the Adriatic Sea, 17 00:01:28,620 --> 00:01:30,034 where the past meets the present. 18 00:01:33,172 --> 00:01:35,241 Just north of this historic city, 19 00:01:35,344 --> 00:01:38,586 Bari International Airport serves ten major airlines 20 00:01:38,689 --> 00:01:41,310 and more than one and a half million passengers each year. 21 00:01:44,862 --> 00:01:48,655 One of those carriers is Tunisia's Tuninter Airlines. 22 00:01:48,758 --> 00:01:52,827 Captain Chafik Gharbi is a pilot with Tuninter. 23 00:01:52,931 --> 00:01:55,482 Today, he's in command of Flight 1153. 24 00:01:57,103 --> 00:02:00,344 The 45-year-old Tunisian is a military-trained pilot 25 00:02:00,448 --> 00:02:01,931 with a flawless flight record. 26 00:02:04,137 --> 00:02:07,137 Gharbi's co-pilot is 28-year-old Ali Kebaier. 27 00:02:08,482 --> 00:02:10,931 - How much fuel are we running? - 400 kilograms. 28 00:02:11,862 --> 00:02:13,620 - 2700 total? - Yes. 29 00:02:16,241 --> 00:02:20,344 Captain Gharbi and his co-pilot flew from Tunis to Bari this morning 30 00:02:20,448 --> 00:02:22,793 to collect 34 Italian passengers. 31 00:02:22,896 --> 00:02:26,344 Now they're going to fly them to Djerba, a Tunisian resort island. 32 00:02:36,551 --> 00:02:40,758 Among the passengers is 31-year-old police officer Lucas Squicciarini. 33 00:02:41,931 --> 00:02:43,827 His girlfriend, Paola, is traveling with him. 34 00:02:48,620 --> 00:02:50,310 Our first choice wasn't Djerba, 35 00:02:50,413 --> 00:02:51,206 It was Cape Verde. 36 00:02:54,103 --> 00:02:57,965 The thing with Cape Verde is that it was a period of terrorist activities. 37 00:02:58,068 --> 00:03:01,758 The flight would have left from either Rome or Milan. 38 00:03:06,034 --> 00:03:08,034 Since there are two large airports, 39 00:03:08,137 --> 00:03:10,241 Paola was afraid that there would be an attack, 40 00:03:10,344 --> 00:03:12,172 so we chose not to go to Cape Verde. 41 00:03:16,448 --> 00:03:18,379 It was my first trip with Paola, 42 00:03:18,482 --> 00:03:20,275 we met the previous winter, 43 00:03:20,379 --> 00:03:22,448 we had plans to marry the following year. 44 00:03:24,862 --> 00:03:26,068 To tighten your belt, 45 00:03:26,172 --> 00:03:27,862 pull on the loose end of the strap. 46 00:03:27,965 --> 00:03:31,448 To release your seatbelt, lift the upper portion of the buckle. 47 00:03:31,551 --> 00:03:34,275 Ladies and gentlemen, your life vests are located beneath your seats. 48 00:03:34,379 --> 00:03:36,517 To inflate the vest, pull firmly on the red cord, 49 00:03:36,620 --> 00:03:38,517 only when you are leaving the aircraft. 50 00:03:38,620 --> 00:03:40,896 If you need to refill the vest, blow into the mouthpiece. 51 00:03:47,275 --> 00:03:51,310 TS-LBB Flight 1153, permission for take-off granted. 52 00:03:51,413 --> 00:03:53,068 Roger that, clear for take-off. 53 00:03:53,827 --> 00:03:54,931 Final prep for departure. 54 00:03:56,862 --> 00:04:00,965 The crew is flying a French-made ATR-72. 55 00:04:01,068 --> 00:04:04,103 The small turbo prop is perfect for short flights. 56 00:04:05,758 --> 00:04:08,413 It doesn't need a lot of maintenance or guzzle a lot of fuel. 57 00:04:10,034 --> 00:04:13,000 Just after 2:30 in the afternoon, the plane takes off. 58 00:04:16,620 --> 00:04:18,103 Forty-nine minutes after take-off, 59 00:04:18,206 --> 00:04:20,793 Flight 1153 is 400 miles away 60 00:04:20,896 --> 00:04:22,758 from its destination, Djerba. 61 00:04:31,689 --> 00:04:34,068 So we started chatting with other passengers. 62 00:04:34,172 --> 00:04:35,448 We were all excited. 63 00:04:35,551 --> 00:04:36,896 We talked about the vacation. 64 00:04:38,793 --> 00:04:42,620 Like Luca and Paola, Barbara Baldacci is on her way to Djerba 65 00:04:42,724 --> 00:04:45,068 for a vacation with her fiance, Francesco. 66 00:04:49,482 --> 00:04:52,310 Barbara was 23 years old. 67 00:04:52,413 --> 00:04:58,034 She was on the verge of realizing her lifelong dream of graduating in Biology. 68 00:04:58,137 --> 00:05:02,551 After writing her final exam, she decided to take this vacation 69 00:05:02,655 --> 00:05:04,275 with her fiance, Francesco. 70 00:05:09,034 --> 00:05:14,448 Then, 75 miles from the nearest land and 23,000 feet above the sea... 71 00:05:17,827 --> 00:05:19,724 - the plane's right engine stops working. - 72 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:24,310 We've lost engine number two. 73 00:05:25,551 --> 00:05:27,137 Let's get to 17,000 feet. 74 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:30,793 TUI 1153 request 170. 75 00:05:32,172 --> 00:05:34,551 Captain Gharbi begins an emergency descent. 76 00:05:35,482 --> 00:05:36,931 Descending 170. 77 00:05:37,034 --> 00:05:39,137 When you have a single engine flameout, 78 00:05:39,241 --> 00:05:40,827 you would descend down to a lower altitude. 79 00:05:40,931 --> 00:05:43,344 The air is thicker, the propeller is more efficient. 80 00:05:43,448 --> 00:05:47,379 Under current conditions, the ATR-72 can best fly on one engine 81 00:05:47,482 --> 00:05:49,655 at an altitude of 17,000 feet. 82 00:05:51,793 --> 00:05:55,758 Power lever, flight idle. Start button. 83 00:05:55,862 --> 00:05:58,655 The crew struggles to restart the right engine. 84 00:05:58,758 --> 00:05:59,655 Negative. 85 00:06:01,793 --> 00:06:03,551 Check. 86 00:06:03,655 --> 00:06:06,137 But then, less than two minutes after, the first engine quits... 87 00:06:11,206 --> 00:06:13,827 Stop, Stop! Engine number one has flamed out! 88 00:06:13,931 --> 00:06:16,241 ...both of the plane's engines have stopped. 89 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:24,517 The engine shut off. 90 00:06:25,896 --> 00:06:28,172 Our first thought was of a terrorist attack, 91 00:06:28,275 --> 00:06:30,689 since there were so many at the time. 92 00:06:30,793 --> 00:06:33,034 We tried to figure out what was happening, 93 00:06:33,137 --> 00:06:37,379 so we looked towards the cockpit to see if someone was trying to sabotage the plane. 94 00:06:43,379 --> 00:06:46,724 The plane is now falling to the sea at 800 feet per minute. 95 00:06:47,448 --> 00:06:50,586 Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! 96 00:06:50,689 --> 00:06:54,034 TUI 1153, we have lost both engines. 97 00:06:54,137 --> 00:06:56,620 Request immediate landing at Palermo. 98 00:06:56,724 --> 00:06:59,379 The crew still hopes to reach an airport. 99 00:06:59,482 --> 00:07:02,896 But they have 70 miles of ocean to cross before they're over land. 100 00:07:04,586 --> 00:07:06,344 Crews are trained for almost anything. 101 00:07:06,448 --> 00:07:09,241 There's a checklist for them to follow to solve most problems, 102 00:07:09,344 --> 00:07:11,965 including what to do when both engines die. 103 00:07:12,068 --> 00:07:14,241 Both engines flameout checklist. 104 00:07:14,344 --> 00:07:16,517 Fuel supply, check. 105 00:07:16,620 --> 00:07:19,344 The pilots don't know why their engines have stopped. 106 00:07:19,448 --> 00:07:22,137 The only clue they're getting is a low fuel feed warning. 107 00:07:23,827 --> 00:07:26,206 A low pressure warning light tells a pilot 108 00:07:26,310 --> 00:07:28,862 that there's low fuel pressure going to the engine. 109 00:07:28,965 --> 00:07:30,724 Now that could be a mechanical problem 110 00:07:30,827 --> 00:07:34,448 or that could be a contamination problem. 111 00:07:34,551 --> 00:07:37,137 The crew follows the steps laid out by the manufacturer 112 00:07:37,241 --> 00:07:38,896 to relight their dead engines. 113 00:07:39,655 --> 00:07:40,482 Fuel supply, check. 114 00:07:41,586 --> 00:07:44,310 Power level flight idle. Start button. 115 00:07:45,310 --> 00:07:46,172 Engine relight. 116 00:07:47,379 --> 00:07:48,241 Negative. 117 00:07:52,310 --> 00:07:53,689 Get Chokri. 118 00:07:53,793 --> 00:07:55,448 The captain asks the cabin crew 119 00:07:55,551 --> 00:07:58,620 to bring the on-board engineer Chokri Harbaoui to the cockpit. 120 00:08:00,034 --> 00:08:01,413 Palermo approach, 121 00:08:01,517 --> 00:08:04,931 this is TUI 1153, we have lost both engines. 122 00:08:05,034 --> 00:08:06,206 Request immediate landing. 123 00:08:10,620 --> 00:08:14,000 The closest airport is in Palermo, on the Italian island of Sicily. 124 00:08:14,931 --> 00:08:18,000 TUI 1153 Palermo. 125 00:08:18,103 --> 00:08:20,482 Affirmative you are clear for landing. 126 00:08:20,586 --> 00:08:23,310 Palermo approach, what is our distance to the airport? 127 00:08:23,413 --> 00:08:29,275 Your distance to Palermo is now 48 nautical miles. 128 00:08:29,379 --> 00:08:33,000 An ATR-72 will fall from the sky at a predictable rate. 129 00:08:34,413 --> 00:08:36,896 One foot down for every 16 feet forward. 130 00:08:38,896 --> 00:08:42,068 Forty-eight nautical miles is further than the plane can glide. 131 00:08:43,758 --> 00:08:44,551 I don't think we're gonna make it. 132 00:08:50,379 --> 00:08:53,206 If they can't restart their engines soon, 133 00:08:53,310 --> 00:08:55,172 they'll be forced to ditch in the sea. 134 00:08:59,793 --> 00:09:02,620 Ditching at sea is a very difficult decision to make, 135 00:09:02,724 --> 00:09:04,448 because it's the hardest thing to do. 136 00:09:04,551 --> 00:09:08,137 You have the swells, waves, wind. 137 00:09:09,344 --> 00:09:11,344 Is anybody gonna see you? 138 00:09:11,448 --> 00:09:13,000 How long can the plane float for? 139 00:09:15,068 --> 00:09:18,241 Landing a passenger plane on water is extremely dangerous. 140 00:09:20,275 --> 00:09:27,827 In 1996, an Ethiopian Airlines pilot was forced to bring his 767 down on the Indian Ocean. 141 00:09:27,931 --> 00:09:30,724 The ditching was recorded by a tourist on a nearby beach. 142 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:36,862 Fifty people survived, but 125 people died. 143 00:09:40,896 --> 00:09:44,241 The crew of this small plane doesn't usually include an engineer. 144 00:09:44,344 --> 00:09:47,586 When there is one on-board, he usually travels in the cabin. 145 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,310 I remembered this person looked at the stewardess 146 00:09:51,413 --> 00:09:53,103 and shook his head as if saying 'no'. 147 00:09:53,206 --> 00:09:55,310 After the second engine had shut off. 148 00:10:10,482 --> 00:10:12,965 That gesture showed there was nothing left to do. 149 00:10:15,896 --> 00:10:19,000 The crew of Flight 1153 has tried all it can. 150 00:10:19,103 --> 00:10:21,275 They're running out of time and options. 151 00:10:23,551 --> 00:10:27,000 Flight Engineer, Chokri Harbaoui, has joined in the struggle 152 00:10:27,103 --> 00:10:29,931 to get Flight 1153's engines started. 153 00:10:31,724 --> 00:10:34,931 - You've run the checklist? - Yes. 154 00:10:35,034 --> 00:10:37,275 The Captain hopes the engineer will know something 155 00:10:37,379 --> 00:10:38,793 that isn't covered by the checklist. 156 00:10:40,068 --> 00:10:41,517 Attempt to restart the engines. 157 00:10:41,620 --> 00:10:42,689 Right engine first. 158 00:10:42,793 --> 00:10:47,000 Fuel supply, check. Engine two start power button, on. 159 00:10:47,724 --> 00:10:50,206 Engine relight, negative. 160 00:10:51,448 --> 00:10:55,724 Palermo approach, TUI 1153. 161 00:10:55,827 --> 00:11:02,103 - Any closer airport where we can land? - Negative, 1153. 162 00:11:02,206 --> 00:11:04,413 Palermo Airport is the closest airport to your position. 163 00:11:05,310 --> 00:11:06,172 We're not gonna make it. 164 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:10,068 Prepare to ditch. 165 00:11:12,793 --> 00:11:13,896 Oh, my God, be merciful. 166 00:11:20,862 --> 00:11:23,034 No one said anything. 167 00:11:23,137 --> 00:11:26,896 I noticed something wasn't right because the two engines shut off . 168 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,965 More than once, I tried to get the stewardess' attention 169 00:11:30,068 --> 00:11:32,206 asking what I should do. 170 00:11:32,310 --> 00:11:34,448 If I had to put on the life jacket, 171 00:11:34,551 --> 00:11:37,620 If I had to stand, if I should take off my shoes? 172 00:11:37,724 --> 00:11:39,517 I got no answer. 173 00:11:39,620 --> 00:11:41,517 She was in shock and started to cry. 174 00:11:44,965 --> 00:11:48,344 The senior flight attendant does give the passengers direction. 175 00:11:48,448 --> 00:11:53,379 The captain has decided to land the plane at sea. 176 00:11:56,448 --> 00:11:58,896 I'll let you imagine the panic on-board. 177 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,620 People were screaming and crying. 178 00:12:01,724 --> 00:12:04,448 Please stay calm and follow your crew's instructions. 179 00:12:08,241 --> 00:12:09,793 There were people in the front seats 180 00:12:09,896 --> 00:12:13,344 that had a baby girl, she had been playing and was so excited. 181 00:12:13,448 --> 00:12:17,068 To now see the panic in her mother's face made me feel so sad. 182 00:12:19,758 --> 00:12:21,482 TUI 1153, 183 00:12:22,758 --> 00:12:23,655 what is your fuel load? 184 00:12:25,586 --> 00:12:29,655 Cockpit fuel quantity 1800 kilograms. 185 00:12:29,758 --> 00:12:33,551 Captain Gharbi's fuel gauge shows that he has plenty of fuel. 186 00:12:33,655 --> 00:12:36,655 But for some reason, neither engine will restart. 187 00:12:36,758 --> 00:12:38,827 Just ten minutes after the trouble began, 188 00:12:38,931 --> 00:12:42,206 the plane is 7000 feet above the ocean and falling. 189 00:12:43,724 --> 00:12:49,000 Outside it's completely silent, but in the cabin, there's panic. 190 00:12:49,103 --> 00:12:53,172 Please remain in your seats with your seatbelts fastened. 191 00:12:53,275 --> 00:12:56,862 My first instinct was to undo my seatbelt, to prevent getting trapped 192 00:12:56,965 --> 00:12:59,000 when we hit the water. 193 00:12:59,103 --> 00:13:02,103 I didn't want to be trapped in my seat and go down in a horrible way. 194 00:13:04,034 --> 00:13:07,103 But secondly, I put on my life jacket, and quickly blew it up. 195 00:13:09,068 --> 00:13:11,310 I did this to soften the blow of the impact. 196 00:13:16,448 --> 00:13:20,206 Do not inflate your vests until you've left the plane! 197 00:13:20,310 --> 00:13:23,172 A plane ditching at sea will more than likely fill with water. 198 00:13:25,517 --> 00:13:27,689 That's why safety procedures call for passengers 199 00:13:27,793 --> 00:13:31,896 to only inflate their life vests once they've cleared the plane. 200 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,965 Otherwise, they could become trapped inside the flooded fuselage and drown. 201 00:13:39,793 --> 00:13:41,379 In the Ethiopian Airline's crash, 202 00:13:41,482 --> 00:13:44,000 many passengers ignored this advice, 203 00:13:44,103 --> 00:13:46,241 and drowned after surviving the initial impact. 204 00:13:49,103 --> 00:13:50,620 Negative. 205 00:13:50,724 --> 00:13:55,448 The dead engines aren't the only problem confronting the crew. 206 00:13:55,551 --> 00:13:59,172 Many of their instruments get their power from the engines. 207 00:13:59,275 --> 00:14:02,241 Without the engines, some vital gauges are dead. 208 00:14:02,344 --> 00:14:04,275 On a two-engine flameout, 209 00:14:04,379 --> 00:14:06,689 you go on your standby instruments. 210 00:14:06,793 --> 00:14:08,137 Which is you have an attitude indicator, 211 00:14:08,241 --> 00:14:09,689 you have an altimeter. 212 00:14:09,793 --> 00:14:11,620 Fuel supply, check. 213 00:14:11,724 --> 00:14:14,620 The crew continues to try to restart their engines, 214 00:14:14,724 --> 00:14:17,000 but it's become clear that they've run out of time. 215 00:14:18,689 --> 00:14:20,172 They're not doing anything. 216 00:14:20,275 --> 00:14:21,758 Confirm distance, please. 217 00:14:21,862 --> 00:14:25,034 Your distance is now 20 miles. 218 00:14:26,827 --> 00:14:27,827 Boats. I see boats. 219 00:14:29,310 --> 00:14:32,241 Choosing to ditch near a ship or a vessel 220 00:14:32,344 --> 00:14:34,241 is not written in any checklists. 221 00:14:34,344 --> 00:14:38,620 It's just good airmanship, because the rescue can start immediately 222 00:14:38,724 --> 00:14:41,068 and it increases your chances of survival. 223 00:14:42,413 --> 00:14:45,724 Palermo approach, this is TUI 1153. 224 00:14:46,586 --> 00:14:47,551 We can't make it to the airport. 225 00:14:49,655 --> 00:14:51,448 We see two boats on the left side. 226 00:14:52,275 --> 00:14:53,068 We're going there. 227 00:14:54,413 --> 00:14:55,448 If you can, please call. 228 00:14:58,827 --> 00:15:01,655 Captain Gharbi turns his plane towards the boats. 229 00:15:04,310 --> 00:15:06,448 Can you send helicopters or something similar? 230 00:15:06,551 --> 00:15:08,241 Fast, fast, fast. 231 00:15:08,344 --> 00:15:09,724 Emergency! 232 00:15:09,827 --> 00:15:14,689 All marine units, aircraft in distress 20 nautical miles off Palermo. 233 00:15:16,586 --> 00:15:20,310 Even before the plane hits the water, rescuers are on their way. 234 00:15:23,448 --> 00:15:26,137 I had very little information. 235 00:15:26,241 --> 00:15:29,172 We didn't know the nature of the crash or anything about the plane. 236 00:15:30,896 --> 00:15:33,241 Auto-press, dump. 237 00:15:33,344 --> 00:15:36,344 Although it's a rare maneuver, there is also a checklist 238 00:15:36,448 --> 00:15:38,275 for ditching a plane in the water. 239 00:15:38,379 --> 00:15:42,344 Before ditching, the crew ensures all landing gear is retracted, 240 00:15:42,448 --> 00:15:44,758 to help the plane land more smoothly. 241 00:15:44,862 --> 00:15:46,103 Landing gear lever, up. 242 00:15:48,448 --> 00:15:52,068 When pilots ditch, they want their airplane as streamlined as possible 243 00:15:52,172 --> 00:15:54,793 so that it glides across the water when it hits. 244 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,965 Pilots must not only monitor the systems on the plane, 245 00:16:00,068 --> 00:16:02,793 they also have to assess conditions at sea. 246 00:16:02,896 --> 00:16:05,620 They don't want to hit a wave head on. 247 00:16:05,724 --> 00:16:10,724 If you hit perpendicular to the waves or swells with the aircraft, 248 00:16:10,827 --> 00:16:12,379 it's like hitting concrete. 249 00:16:12,482 --> 00:16:14,206 The plane will break up. 250 00:16:14,310 --> 00:16:16,689 Passengers can see what's coming. 251 00:16:19,206 --> 00:16:20,724 I was hanging on tight 252 00:16:20,827 --> 00:16:23,551 to the seat in front of me and through the window, 253 00:16:23,655 --> 00:16:25,241 I could see the impact was imminent. 254 00:16:29,551 --> 00:16:32,517 The crew is 700 feet above the sea. 255 00:16:32,620 --> 00:16:35,000 You're with me Ali, huh? Careful. 256 00:16:36,931 --> 00:16:38,689 Chokri, ready? 257 00:16:38,793 --> 00:16:41,206 - Ready. - Here we go. 258 00:16:41,310 --> 00:16:44,827 There is no other God but Allah, Muhammad is his messenger. 259 00:16:44,931 --> 00:16:46,241 In the name of God merciful, merciful. 260 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:06,862 At a speed of 145 miles an hour, the plane collides with the sea. 261 00:17:21,724 --> 00:17:22,931 I lost consciousness. 262 00:17:30,275 --> 00:17:34,206 I woke up in the water. I was two or three meters under water. 263 00:17:37,344 --> 00:17:40,137 I came up to the surface wearing only my pants. 264 00:17:40,241 --> 00:17:42,655 I had lost my life jacket and clothes on impact. 265 00:17:44,034 --> 00:17:46,275 I got to the surface and grabbed on to a bag. 266 00:17:46,827 --> 00:17:47,724 Paola! 267 00:17:49,793 --> 00:17:51,172 I was in shock. 268 00:17:51,275 --> 00:17:53,448 I was surrounded by everything. 269 00:17:57,551 --> 00:17:59,931 My thoughts were constantly with Paola. 270 00:18:00,034 --> 00:18:03,241 I thought I was going to die because I was spitting blood. 271 00:18:03,344 --> 00:18:05,103 I felt my lungs filling with blood. 272 00:18:14,896 --> 00:18:18,448 Captain Gharbi survives but has been seriously injured. 273 00:18:18,551 --> 00:18:21,551 Co-Pilot Ali Kebaier has also survived, 274 00:18:21,655 --> 00:18:24,000 but flight engineer Chokri Harbaoui is killed. 275 00:18:28,379 --> 00:18:30,275 No one aboard the nearby boats 276 00:18:30,379 --> 00:18:32,586 saw Flight 1153 crash into the sea. 277 00:18:33,793 --> 00:18:37,103 The plane has broken into three pieces. 278 00:18:37,206 --> 00:18:41,689 The tail section and much of the fuselage sink to the bottom of the sea. 279 00:18:41,793 --> 00:18:44,862 But the largest section containing the two wings stays afloat. 280 00:18:47,103 --> 00:18:49,724 It becomes a makeshift life raft for the survivors. 281 00:18:52,241 --> 00:18:55,137 But not all of the passengers have survived. 282 00:18:55,241 --> 00:18:57,965 Many haven't made it out of the plane and to the surface, 283 00:19:04,034 --> 00:19:06,482 A fleet of rescue personnel are en route, 284 00:19:06,586 --> 00:19:10,758 including Admiral Vincenzo Pace of the Italian Coast Guard. 285 00:19:10,862 --> 00:19:14,517 Rescuers must travel 26 miles through heavy seas to get to the crash site. 286 00:19:17,137 --> 00:19:19,689 The sky was very visible, but the water was agitated. 287 00:19:19,793 --> 00:19:23,482 This caused some problems to the recovery mission. 288 00:19:23,586 --> 00:19:28,482 Helicopter pilot, Stefano Burigana, is one of the first to arrive at the scene. 289 00:19:28,586 --> 00:19:33,517 The approach control asked us if we were aware of a ditched aircraft 290 00:19:33,620 --> 00:19:39,172 out of the coast of Palermo, and if we were able to help them 291 00:19:39,275 --> 00:19:42,103 to locate the airplane. 292 00:19:42,206 --> 00:19:44,068 When we approached the airplane, 293 00:19:44,172 --> 00:19:46,827 we could see the wings floating. 294 00:19:52,862 --> 00:19:58,620 There were several people in the water around the aircraft all floating, 295 00:19:58,724 --> 00:20:02,551 and everybody with their jacket inflated. 296 00:20:04,517 --> 00:20:09,931 Burigana spots Luca Squicciarini floating away from the main wreckage. 297 00:20:10,034 --> 00:20:16,862 There was one man, without his jacket and he was the farthest from the airplane. 298 00:20:16,965 --> 00:20:23,000 I decided to go over him and throw one of our life jacket to him. 299 00:20:27,586 --> 00:20:31,793 The Coast Guard arrives and begins pulling survivors from the sea. 300 00:20:31,896 --> 00:20:34,896 The actions of the people in the water made us very agile. 301 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:37,758 Because of what they were doing, we ourselves did not panic. 302 00:20:37,862 --> 00:20:40,000 We had the calm collaboration of all these people, 303 00:20:40,103 --> 00:20:43,137 because despite what happened they knew help was coming and they would be rescued. 304 00:20:45,172 --> 00:20:48,724 Within the hour, the crash site is teeming with rescuers. 305 00:20:48,827 --> 00:20:51,413 They search for survivors from the water and from the air. 306 00:20:57,137 --> 00:20:59,758 23 people are pulled from the Mediterranean Sea, 307 00:21:02,344 --> 00:21:06,482 but 16 have died in the crash, including Paola Di Ciaola. 308 00:21:09,103 --> 00:21:11,862 My relatives told me a couple of days later, 309 00:21:11,965 --> 00:21:13,965 while I was still at the hospital. 310 00:21:14,827 --> 00:21:15,758 I had no reaction. 311 00:21:16,517 --> 00:21:18,137 Paola was gone. 312 00:21:21,344 --> 00:21:23,724 I reacted when I got home. 313 00:21:23,827 --> 00:21:27,724 When I got home and went to the cemetery, I realized what was happening. 314 00:21:30,344 --> 00:21:31,965 That's where I got really down. 315 00:21:35,103 --> 00:21:39,206 Barbara Baldacci and her fiance Francesco are also killed. 316 00:21:44,793 --> 00:21:46,206 It seemed impossible 317 00:21:46,310 --> 00:21:48,931 that this terrible tragedy would happen, 318 00:21:49,034 --> 00:21:51,517 because Barbara and Francesco were great swimmers. 319 00:21:57,172 --> 00:22:00,551 They used to go underwater without any problems. 320 00:22:00,655 --> 00:22:05,068 How is it possible that many on that plane saved themselves and they didn't? 321 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,206 I was stunned and incredulous. 322 00:22:11,379 --> 00:22:13,689 It's quite likely that none of those who died 323 00:22:13,793 --> 00:22:15,586 ever had a chance to swim to safety. 324 00:22:17,931 --> 00:22:19,931 Their serious injuries would have prevented them 325 00:22:20,034 --> 00:22:21,724 from escaping after the plane hit the water. 326 00:22:25,862 --> 00:22:29,862 In this accident, most of the survivors were seated in the rear of the plane, 327 00:22:32,310 --> 00:22:35,000 most of those who died, up front. 328 00:22:37,068 --> 00:22:41,482 Those sections, along with some valuable clues are now at the bottom of the sea. 329 00:22:45,379 --> 00:22:47,000 The one section that didn't sink 330 00:22:47,103 --> 00:22:50,241 is towed to the port in Palermo and taken to a nearby hangar. 331 00:22:58,103 --> 00:23:03,000 A team of agents from Italy's National Flight Safety Agency, the ANSV, 332 00:23:03,103 --> 00:23:05,275 begin looking for leads. 333 00:23:05,379 --> 00:23:11,586 Their job, find out why Flight 1153's engines stopped in mid-flight. 334 00:23:11,689 --> 00:23:15,137 We need to collect as much evidence as possible 335 00:23:15,241 --> 00:23:19,103 in order to fulfill two main answers, 336 00:23:19,206 --> 00:23:21,862 what happened and why had it happened? 337 00:23:23,931 --> 00:23:28,137 They are led by Chief ANSV Investigator, Vincenzo Pennetta. 338 00:23:28,241 --> 00:23:31,172 I arrived in Palermo the day after the accident, 339 00:23:31,275 --> 00:23:33,896 on the 7th, very early in the morning. 340 00:23:35,793 --> 00:23:37,931 A flight test engineer by training, 341 00:23:38,034 --> 00:23:40,482 Pennetta has led several air crash investigations. 342 00:23:42,448 --> 00:23:47,034 The engines and central fuselage of Tuninter Flight 1153 have been recovered. 343 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:51,862 The rest of the plane lies somewhere off the Sicilian coast. 344 00:23:53,275 --> 00:23:55,344 The main challenge of investigation 345 00:23:55,448 --> 00:23:59,379 was the fact that the flood recorder and the cockpit voice recorder 346 00:23:59,482 --> 00:24:05,827 and also the front fuselage were 1500 meters under the sea. 347 00:24:05,931 --> 00:24:08,689 While the Italian Navy conducts a deep-water search 348 00:24:08,793 --> 00:24:12,517 for the rest of the wreck and the crucial black boxes, 349 00:24:12,620 --> 00:24:14,827 Italian investigators are given some assistance 350 00:24:14,931 --> 00:24:17,620 by the plane's European manufacturer. 351 00:24:17,724 --> 00:24:22,413 ATR's Giuseppe Caldarelli is here to find out if there's a flaw with the company's plane. 352 00:24:24,482 --> 00:24:29,137 Any time there is an accident and also one people die, for me, is a big accident. 353 00:24:32,965 --> 00:24:38,896 Worldwide, hundreds of ATR 72s cross the skies each day. 354 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:43,586 Those aircraft have very sound structure and robust systems, 355 00:24:43,689 --> 00:24:44,896 and are very cost-efficient. 356 00:24:48,206 --> 00:24:52,551 Together, Pennetta and Caldarelli set out to find out why both engines 357 00:24:52,655 --> 00:24:55,448 on such an advanced airplane died in mid-flight... 358 00:24:56,827 --> 00:25:00,000 TUI 1153, we have lost both engines. 359 00:25:00,103 --> 00:25:01,724 ...before it happens again. 360 00:25:06,931 --> 00:25:08,241 Captain Gharbi how are you? 361 00:25:08,344 --> 00:25:11,000 I'm getting better, thank you. 362 00:25:11,103 --> 00:25:13,655 Investigators want to know what happened in the cockpit 363 00:25:13,758 --> 00:25:17,655 of Tuninter Flight 1153 when the engines died. 364 00:25:17,758 --> 00:25:19,793 Without the cockpit voice recorder, 365 00:25:19,896 --> 00:25:24,448 they must rely on the recollections of surviving passengers and crewmembers. 366 00:25:24,551 --> 00:25:28,275 The main cause of double engine flameout could be a lack of fuel. 367 00:25:28,379 --> 00:25:30,655 But according to Captain Chafik Gharbi, 368 00:25:30,758 --> 00:25:32,206 lack of fuel was not the problem. 369 00:25:34,448 --> 00:25:35,551 What were your fuel readings? 370 00:25:37,275 --> 00:25:41,724 The Fuel Quantity Indicator said 1800 kilograms of fuel. 371 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:44,655 What is your fuel load? 372 00:25:44,758 --> 00:25:48,034 Cockpit fuel quantity 1800 kilograms. 373 00:25:48,137 --> 00:25:50,310 Fuel supply, check. 374 00:25:50,413 --> 00:25:52,551 Was there any warning that you were low on fuel? 375 00:25:54,689 --> 00:25:56,137 There was definitely no low fuel warning. 376 00:25:57,862 --> 00:26:01,517 Just a... low-feed pressure light. 377 00:26:01,620 --> 00:26:03,793 The absence of a low fuel warning 378 00:26:03,896 --> 00:26:07,068 and the presence of a low feed pressure warning is a major clue. 379 00:26:09,206 --> 00:26:13,413 This set of alarms usually indicates that there is a problem 380 00:26:13,517 --> 00:26:17,000 in feeding the engine with fuel. 381 00:26:17,103 --> 00:26:20,275 Since the plane's gauges indicated that there was fuel on-board 382 00:26:20,379 --> 00:26:22,724 that did not get to the engines, 383 00:26:22,827 --> 00:26:27,448 ATR's Giuseppe Caldarelli looks for flaws in the fallen plane's fuel delivery system. 384 00:26:33,413 --> 00:26:36,896 Four years earlier, an Airbus operated by Air Transat 385 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,965 developed a leak in the fuel line that feeds the plane's right engine. 386 00:26:42,517 --> 00:26:45,137 Over time, the plane leaked all of its fuel 387 00:26:45,241 --> 00:26:47,206 and both engines failed. 388 00:26:47,310 --> 00:26:50,241 The pilots were forced to glide their plane to an emergency landing. 389 00:26:53,620 --> 00:26:57,655 That incident has a lot of similarities to the Tuninter crash. 390 00:26:57,758 --> 00:27:01,000 Giuseppe Caldarelli's team looks for breaks or blockages 391 00:27:01,103 --> 00:27:04,379 in the fuel lines and evidence that the fuel pumps malfunctioned 392 00:27:04,482 --> 00:27:06,241 and stopped fuel flow to the engines. 393 00:27:09,482 --> 00:27:13,827 While Caldarelli waits for technicians to complete tests on pumps and lines, 394 00:27:13,931 --> 00:27:16,379 Pennetta decides to start a new line of inquiry. 395 00:27:21,379 --> 00:27:25,448 He explores the possibility that the fuel that was on-board was somehow contaminated. 396 00:27:27,275 --> 00:27:32,413 Fuel contamination can derive from four or five different sources. 397 00:27:37,103 --> 00:27:39,724 Kerosene-based jet fuel is very delicate. 398 00:27:39,827 --> 00:27:43,758 If stored or transferred improperly, it can be polluted with water, 399 00:27:43,862 --> 00:27:48,586 sand, or fungus, even sticky residue from the hoses of refueling tankers. 400 00:27:49,896 --> 00:27:51,793 Any of these could prevent the fuel from 401 00:27:51,896 --> 00:27:55,344 properly igniting and could have caused the engines to shut down. 402 00:27:58,724 --> 00:27:59,551 How much fuel are you adding? 403 00:28:00,172 --> 00:28:02,103 400 kilograms. 404 00:28:02,206 --> 00:28:04,068 The plane last took on fuel in Bari. 405 00:28:06,482 --> 00:28:09,068 Samples from the tanker that supplied it are taken for testing. 406 00:28:10,896 --> 00:28:13,275 Pennetta needs to prove that one of these contaminants 407 00:28:13,379 --> 00:28:17,172 got into Flight 1153's fuel, prevented combustion 408 00:28:17,275 --> 00:28:19,000 and caused both engines to fail. 409 00:28:21,620 --> 00:28:23,310 Sediments can be transferred 410 00:28:23,413 --> 00:28:25,379 from the tanker truck to the aircraft. 411 00:28:26,758 --> 00:28:28,931 So the fuel feeder can be clogged 412 00:28:29,034 --> 00:28:31,689 and so the engine can have some problem. 413 00:28:33,655 --> 00:28:35,896 Technicians remove the truck's fuel filters 414 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:37,482 to look for evidence of contamination. 415 00:28:41,344 --> 00:28:44,517 Hoses and couplings are swabbed for sticky residue 416 00:28:44,620 --> 00:28:47,965 or colonies of microorganisms and submitted for testing 417 00:28:48,068 --> 00:28:50,137 at an Italian Air Force laboratory. 418 00:28:54,379 --> 00:28:57,724 The fuel is filtered for minute particles suspended in the fluid, 419 00:29:04,241 --> 00:29:06,310 and carefully examined for impurities. 420 00:29:14,827 --> 00:29:18,793 The truck's filters are also inspected for residue or sediment from the tanks. 421 00:29:22,172 --> 00:29:23,931 Meanwhile, in Palermo, 422 00:29:24,034 --> 00:29:26,758 Caldarelli and his technicians have completed tests 423 00:29:26,862 --> 00:29:29,413 on Flight 1153's fuel lines and pumps. 424 00:29:30,965 --> 00:29:32,344 The tests are thorough. 425 00:29:32,448 --> 00:29:33,689 The result's conclusive. 426 00:29:37,344 --> 00:29:42,724 The fuel feed line were okay, were no leak. 427 00:29:42,827 --> 00:29:45,517 If the fuel delivery system was working, 428 00:29:45,620 --> 00:29:48,793 and the two pilots remember having ample fuel... 429 00:29:48,896 --> 00:29:53,172 The Fuel Quantity Indicator said 1800 kilograms of fuel. 430 00:29:54,689 --> 00:29:56,448 ...then why had the engines failed? 431 00:29:59,275 --> 00:30:02,172 When test results from the the Bari fuel tanker come in, 432 00:30:02,275 --> 00:30:04,103 they too are conclusive. 433 00:30:04,206 --> 00:30:07,586 The fuel filters, hose couplings and tanker fuel 434 00:30:07,689 --> 00:30:10,275 at Bari Airport are clean. 435 00:30:10,379 --> 00:30:12,413 So fuel contamination as a source 436 00:30:12,517 --> 00:30:16,793 of double engine flameout was then excluded. 437 00:30:16,896 --> 00:30:19,482 At this point, the investigators still don't know 438 00:30:19,586 --> 00:30:22,344 what caused the downing of Tuninter Flight 1153. 439 00:30:25,965 --> 00:30:28,241 But something has been eating at Pennetta. 440 00:30:30,793 --> 00:30:32,862 If the plane was filled with fuel 441 00:30:32,965 --> 00:30:35,586 and since the fuel is stored in the plane's wings, 442 00:30:36,586 --> 00:30:38,931 why did the wing section float? 443 00:30:39,034 --> 00:30:40,517 The floating of the wing 444 00:30:40,620 --> 00:30:43,655 indicates that the weight of the wing was not so high. 445 00:30:43,758 --> 00:30:47,689 We have been told by ATR that if the amount of fuel 446 00:30:47,793 --> 00:30:49,724 that was supposed to be into the wing, 447 00:30:49,827 --> 00:30:55,241 around the 2000 kilograms, were on the fuel tanks, 448 00:30:55,344 --> 00:31:01,103 the wings maybe would not have been able to float. 449 00:31:01,206 --> 00:31:05,379 Pennetta suspects the plane didn't have as much fuel as the pilots thought, 450 00:31:05,482 --> 00:31:07,000 but he doesn't know how that could be. 451 00:31:08,689 --> 00:31:10,172 Two weeks into the investigation, 452 00:31:10,275 --> 00:31:13,482 Pennetta gets an important lead in the case. 453 00:31:13,586 --> 00:31:18,379 After two weeks of the event, we received some technical documentation 454 00:31:18,482 --> 00:31:19,827 from the aircraft operator. 455 00:31:20,896 --> 00:31:22,344 According to the logs, 456 00:31:22,448 --> 00:31:26,000 Captain Gharbi flew the same aircraft the day before the accident. 457 00:31:28,724 --> 00:31:32,000 After that flight, he reported a problem with his fuel gauge. 458 00:31:33,655 --> 00:31:37,482 When he left the aircraft the day before, he reported 459 00:31:37,586 --> 00:31:41,379 that the right display float indicator was out of service, 460 00:31:41,482 --> 00:31:43,896 so it needs to be replaced. 461 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:46,655 The Fuel Quantity Indicator or FQI, 462 00:31:46,758 --> 00:31:50,137 is a gas gauge that tells pilots how much fuel is left on-board. 463 00:31:54,862 --> 00:31:57,344 The lights on the FQI were malfunctioning 464 00:31:57,448 --> 00:32:00,206 and Captain Gharbi made a note of this in the maintenance log. 465 00:32:01,931 --> 00:32:05,241 We were able to see that the Fuel Quantity Indicator 466 00:32:05,344 --> 00:32:07,931 was changed the day before the event. 467 00:32:09,655 --> 00:32:13,206 The maintenance log raises the possibility that the FQI 468 00:32:13,310 --> 00:32:16,379 that the mechanic installed was not the right one for the plane. 469 00:32:16,482 --> 00:32:18,413 It doesn't seem to have the right model number. 470 00:32:20,344 --> 00:32:23,344 Tuninter flies two models of ATR aircraft. 471 00:32:23,448 --> 00:32:26,931 The ATR-42 and the larger ATR-72. 472 00:32:33,103 --> 00:32:36,172 The Fuel Quantity Indicators for each plane look identical, 473 00:32:36,275 --> 00:32:39,000 except for a different model number at the top of each unit. 474 00:32:41,758 --> 00:32:45,206 The ATR-72 should have model number 2500, 475 00:32:47,551 --> 00:32:50,413 but according to the logs, mechanics installed a unit 476 00:32:50,517 --> 00:32:53,344 with the model number 2250 instead. 477 00:32:56,034 --> 00:32:58,724 Tuninter's maintenance logs offer a valuable clue. 478 00:33:00,517 --> 00:33:02,586 But for Pennetta, there's no definitive proof 479 00:33:02,689 --> 00:33:05,689 that the wrong Fuel Quantity Indicator was installed on the plane. 480 00:33:07,655 --> 00:33:09,379 It could have been a mismatch 481 00:33:09,482 --> 00:33:12,931 in that aircraft documentation, so we need to prove that. 482 00:33:14,896 --> 00:33:16,827 There is only one way to know for certain 483 00:33:16,931 --> 00:33:20,137 whether Flight 1153 had the right Fuel Quantity Indicator. 484 00:33:23,103 --> 00:33:25,965 Go find it at the bottom of the sea. 485 00:33:26,068 --> 00:33:30,689 We need of course, to recover the wreckage from the aircraft to see, 486 00:33:30,793 --> 00:33:32,206 physically see, 487 00:33:32,310 --> 00:33:36,586 what was the Fuel Quantity Indicator installed on the aircraft. 488 00:33:39,275 --> 00:33:41,413 Not until three weeks after the crash 489 00:33:41,517 --> 00:33:43,793 do investigators recover wreckage from the sea. 490 00:33:46,517 --> 00:33:50,068 The data from the plane's black boxes confirms what the pilots have been saying. 491 00:33:51,827 --> 00:33:53,793 There was no warning of low fuel, 492 00:33:53,896 --> 00:33:57,172 so there appeared to be enough fuel to make the flight. 493 00:33:57,275 --> 00:33:59,620 The black boxes can't solve this mystery. 494 00:34:03,241 --> 00:34:07,103 Investigators hope that the tail and front section can. 495 00:34:07,206 --> 00:34:09,482 They are hauled aboard a naval vessel from the sea. 496 00:34:19,689 --> 00:34:23,034 The moment the cockpit is hauled in, Pennetta is there. 497 00:34:23,137 --> 00:34:25,586 There's only one thing he wants to see inside. 498 00:34:31,620 --> 00:34:35,965 So when the wreckage was recovered from under the sea and put on a ship deck, 499 00:34:36,068 --> 00:34:38,275 I realized that, as a matter of fact, 500 00:34:38,379 --> 00:34:42,862 the Fuel Quantity Indicator for an ATR-42 was installed. 501 00:34:42,965 --> 00:34:45,310 It was like we found the smoking gun. 502 00:34:47,034 --> 00:34:50,551 The wrong FQI was installed on Flight 1153. 503 00:34:52,448 --> 00:34:54,827 Pennetta finally has the break he's been looking for. 504 00:34:57,655 --> 00:35:01,068 The ATR's Fuel Quantity Indicator collects data from sensors 505 00:35:01,172 --> 00:35:04,448 in the fuel tanks and calculates how much fuel is in the tanks. 506 00:35:06,827 --> 00:35:11,793 But since the fuel tanks on the 42 and the 72 are a different size, 507 00:35:11,896 --> 00:35:14,689 Fuel Quantity Indicators can't be swapped between them. 508 00:35:18,862 --> 00:35:24,034 Technicians conduct refueling tests with the wrong FQI installed on an ATR-72... 509 00:35:28,827 --> 00:35:30,172 and the results are chilling. 510 00:35:31,655 --> 00:35:35,034 The results show that, if you install an 511 00:35:35,137 --> 00:35:41,758 FQI type, say 42 on an ATR-72 aircraft, 512 00:35:41,862 --> 00:35:46,793 if I have no fuel, into the aircraft in the fuel tanks, zero fuel, 513 00:35:46,896 --> 00:35:51,482 then Fuel Quantity Indicator show me 1800 kilograms. 514 00:35:51,586 --> 00:35:55,206 Precisely the amount of fuel that the Captain reported having 515 00:35:55,310 --> 00:35:57,206 when his engines flamed out. 516 00:35:57,310 --> 00:36:00,793 Cockpit fuel quantity, 1800 kilograms. 517 00:36:00,896 --> 00:36:02,586 Investigators conclude 518 00:36:03,862 --> 00:36:06,758 at 23,000 feet above the Mediterranean, 519 00:36:06,862 --> 00:36:10,310 the wrong fuel indicator led the crew to believe that they had ample fuel, 520 00:36:11,413 --> 00:36:14,000 when their tanks were actually empty. 521 00:36:14,103 --> 00:36:16,103 Engine relight, negative. 522 00:36:17,172 --> 00:36:18,379 They're not doing anything. 523 00:36:18,482 --> 00:36:20,827 The engines could not possibly have been restarted. 524 00:36:22,586 --> 00:36:26,862 With hundreds of ATR-42s and ATR-72s still flying, 525 00:36:26,965 --> 00:36:28,241 the implications are stark. 526 00:36:29,758 --> 00:36:33,758 Could there be other planes flying with the wrong gauge? 527 00:36:33,862 --> 00:36:39,689 The first safety recommendation was to mandate all operators that use 528 00:36:39,793 --> 00:36:41,896 ATR-42 and 72 529 00:36:42,965 --> 00:36:44,862 aircraft in their fleet, 530 00:36:44,965 --> 00:36:52,137 to check whether the right Fuel Quantity Indicator was installed on the aircraft. 531 00:36:52,241 --> 00:36:54,758 Pennetta and Caldarelli have uncovered the error 532 00:36:54,862 --> 00:36:58,206 that caused both of Flight 1153's engines to quit in mid-air. 533 00:37:07,482 --> 00:37:10,000 But the case isn't closed. 534 00:37:10,103 --> 00:37:12,827 Standard flight procedures should have uncovered the error 535 00:37:12,931 --> 00:37:15,068 before take-off and prevented the disaster. 536 00:37:21,172 --> 00:37:24,344 Captain Gharbi's aircraft went in for repairs in Tunisia 537 00:37:24,448 --> 00:37:26,793 the night before the crash. 538 00:37:26,896 --> 00:37:31,206 The plane's FQI indicated 790 kilograms of fuel in the tank. 539 00:37:34,862 --> 00:37:37,965 After the new Fuel Quantity Indicator was installed, 540 00:37:38,068 --> 00:37:41,068 it showed that there was almost four times as much fuel on-board. 541 00:37:42,103 --> 00:37:44,379 3100 kilograms. 542 00:37:46,413 --> 00:37:50,482 The following morning, Captain Gharbi noticed that the fuel levels had gone up. 543 00:37:50,586 --> 00:37:52,827 He assumed the fuel had been added. 544 00:37:52,931 --> 00:37:54,862 But when fuel is added to an aircraft, 545 00:37:54,965 --> 00:37:57,448 a refueling slip must be left in the cockpit. 546 00:38:00,103 --> 00:38:02,655 Where is the refueling slip? 547 00:38:02,758 --> 00:38:07,103 The pilot asked to the flight dispatcher, where was this refueling slip? 548 00:38:07,206 --> 00:38:12,551 But the flight dispatcher was not able to find the refueling slip. 549 00:38:12,655 --> 00:38:14,172 I will get to you when you get back from Djerba. 550 00:38:15,310 --> 00:38:16,103 Roger that. 551 00:38:18,034 --> 00:38:21,793 There was no refueling slip because the plane hadn't been refueled. 552 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:31,068 In spite of regulations, the Captain left without that vital piece of paper. 553 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:34,827 There are some standard regulations 554 00:38:34,931 --> 00:38:39,241 requiring the pilot to take-off only when he is sure 555 00:38:39,344 --> 00:38:40,793 about the quantity of fuel. 556 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:45,068 With the wrong Fuel Indicator on-board, 557 00:38:45,172 --> 00:38:46,793 and less fuel than he believed, 558 00:38:47,896 --> 00:38:50,275 Captain Gharbi makes it to Bari, Italy, 559 00:38:52,206 --> 00:38:55,034 and tops up his plane for the next leg of the trip to Djerba. 560 00:39:00,586 --> 00:39:02,931 - How much fuel are you adding? - 400 Kilograms. 561 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:06,620 - 2700 total? - Yes. 562 00:39:06,724 --> 00:39:10,793 Believing he has 2700 kilograms of fuel on-board, 563 00:39:10,896 --> 00:39:12,931 Captain Gharbi begins his flight to Djerba. 564 00:39:14,965 --> 00:39:18,482 If the correct Fuel Quantity Indicator had been installed, 565 00:39:18,586 --> 00:39:23,413 the Captain would have known that he had only 540 kilograms. 566 00:39:23,517 --> 00:39:26,344 Not nearly enough to make the crossing. 567 00:39:26,448 --> 00:39:29,241 Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! 568 00:39:29,344 --> 00:39:33,862 TUI 1153 requesting immediate landing at Palermo. We've lost both engines. 569 00:39:44,310 --> 00:39:46,137 Pennetta's investigation comes to a close. 570 00:39:47,241 --> 00:39:48,931 He draws up his final report. 571 00:39:50,758 --> 00:39:54,000 His colleague, Giuseppe Caldarelli, voices a bold view. 572 00:39:55,793 --> 00:39:58,620 Even with no fuel and dead engines, 573 00:39:58,724 --> 00:40:01,000 Flight 1153 could have made it to land. 574 00:40:02,344 --> 00:40:06,862 The aircraft was in a position that allowed to reach Palermo. 575 00:40:07,413 --> 00:40:09,551 TUI 1153... 576 00:40:09,655 --> 00:40:12,517 Caldarelli wonders if the pilots did everything they could have 577 00:40:12,620 --> 00:40:14,068 to get the plane safely to Palermo. 578 00:40:16,379 --> 00:40:20,172 Investigators get some unexpected answers by having seasoned pilots 579 00:40:20,275 --> 00:40:24,275 fly the exact same fight with the exact same problems. 580 00:40:24,379 --> 00:40:25,586 Okay, we are now in big trouble, 581 00:40:25,689 --> 00:40:28,000 because the second engine has gone off. 582 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:35,448 Vincenzo Pennetta's investigation into the crash of Tuninter Flight 1153, 583 00:40:35,551 --> 00:40:38,172 has uncovered the events that led up to the accident. 584 00:40:38,275 --> 00:40:41,655 Now, he and Giuseppe Caldarelli need to resolve one question, 585 00:40:41,758 --> 00:40:44,655 did mistakes made by the pilots cost people their lives? 586 00:40:45,344 --> 00:40:46,206 We're not gonna make it. 587 00:40:48,206 --> 00:40:50,379 Prepare to ditch. 588 00:40:50,482 --> 00:40:53,724 Caldarelli and his team study the plane's specifications 589 00:40:53,827 --> 00:40:56,000 and draw a surprising conclusion. 590 00:40:56,103 --> 00:40:59,793 Flight 1153 could have been able to glide to Palermo. 591 00:41:01,793 --> 00:41:03,655 According to manufacturer data, 592 00:41:03,758 --> 00:41:07,862 an ATR is able to glide three miles for every 1000 feet of descent. 593 00:41:11,620 --> 00:41:13,758 With the help of the tailwind that day, 594 00:41:13,862 --> 00:41:18,000 Flight 1153 could have been able to glide 70 miles to Palermo, 595 00:41:19,517 --> 00:41:20,931 The crew might have been able to make it. 596 00:41:23,137 --> 00:41:24,620 Landing gear lever up. 597 00:41:25,965 --> 00:41:28,000 So what had the pilots done wrong? 598 00:41:33,137 --> 00:41:35,620 To answer that question, Pennetta and Caldarelli 599 00:41:35,724 --> 00:41:41,068 recreate Flight 1153 in the flight simulator at the ATR facility in France. 600 00:41:47,827 --> 00:41:53,000 Test pilots try to glide an ATR-72 for 70 miles from the altitude 601 00:41:53,103 --> 00:41:55,724 at which Flight 1153 lost its second engine. 602 00:42:03,103 --> 00:42:07,000 The simulation was requested to see the range of the aircraft 603 00:42:07,103 --> 00:42:09,344 starting from the second engine out. 604 00:42:09,448 --> 00:42:13,137 Double engine flameouts, you have to be very... 605 00:42:13,241 --> 00:42:16,275 aware of the configuration of the aircraft 606 00:42:16,379 --> 00:42:19,206 in order to keep as much as possible 607 00:42:19,310 --> 00:42:22,655 the altitude and distance to fly before the crash. 608 00:42:24,517 --> 00:42:27,379 Stop, Stop! Engine number one has flamed out. 609 00:42:29,137 --> 00:42:32,034 With both engines out, the priority is to keep 610 00:42:32,137 --> 00:42:34,724 the plane gliding as far as necessary. 611 00:42:34,827 --> 00:42:39,103 To do that, pilots can change the angle of their windmilling propellers. 612 00:42:39,206 --> 00:42:42,862 You have the maximum glide performance when you minimize the drag. 613 00:42:42,965 --> 00:42:48,482 It's very important to think to feather the propeller in order to reduce the drag. 614 00:42:48,586 --> 00:42:51,862 Feathering the props involves changing their angle against the wind. 615 00:42:55,862 --> 00:42:57,413 The maneuver reduces drag. 616 00:42:59,206 --> 00:43:02,068 When you want to feather a propeller in flight, 617 00:43:02,172 --> 00:43:05,620 you first have to reduce the power lever to idle 618 00:43:05,724 --> 00:43:09,517 and put the condition lever back to feather position. 619 00:43:09,620 --> 00:43:12,551 The crew did not feather their props when their engines quit. 620 00:43:14,551 --> 00:43:17,137 The windmilling propellers created enormous drag. 621 00:43:20,827 --> 00:43:24,241 If the crew of Flight 1153 had feathered their props, 622 00:43:24,344 --> 00:43:26,620 they may have been able to glide further than they did. 623 00:43:26,724 --> 00:43:28,448 Let's get to 1700 feet. 624 00:43:28,551 --> 00:43:31,344 By the time Captain Gharbi's second engine flamed out, 625 00:43:31,448 --> 00:43:33,862 he was just below 22,000 feet. 626 00:43:36,206 --> 00:43:38,344 To further reduce drag at that altitude, 627 00:43:38,448 --> 00:43:42,275 the plane should be slowed to 158 miles per hour, 628 00:43:42,379 --> 00:43:45,000 the ATR-72's ideal gliding speed. 629 00:43:46,655 --> 00:43:49,206 Surprisingly, to glide as far as possible, 630 00:43:49,310 --> 00:43:52,000 a pilot doesn't want to fly as fast as possible. 631 00:43:53,586 --> 00:43:56,206 The faster a plane flies, the more the airflow 632 00:43:56,310 --> 00:43:58,275 pushes against it, creating resistance. 633 00:44:00,724 --> 00:44:04,000 Every plane has an optimal speed to achieve the furthest glide. 634 00:44:06,586 --> 00:44:10,034 The crew continued flying up to 55 miles an hour faster 635 00:44:10,137 --> 00:44:11,758 than their optimal gliding speed. 636 00:44:13,896 --> 00:44:17,689 That added to the drag on the plane and reduced the distance they could glide. 637 00:44:20,206 --> 00:44:23,206 By feathering his props and reducing his speed, 638 00:44:23,310 --> 00:44:27,068 a simulator pilot in France was able to get the plane as far as Palermo. 639 00:44:29,793 --> 00:44:32,551 You're with me Ali, huh? Careful. 640 00:44:34,344 --> 00:44:38,965 Flight 1153 hit the water 26 miles from shore. 641 00:44:39,068 --> 00:44:41,586 Well short of what the plane was capable of achieving. 642 00:44:51,310 --> 00:44:54,862 The simulation confirmed that the crew might have been able to make it to land. 643 00:44:58,448 --> 00:45:02,758 It was theoretically possible to reach the coast, 644 00:45:02,862 --> 00:45:07,206 but it was also very difficult to achieve that result. 645 00:45:07,310 --> 00:45:11,965 Simulator pilots had one big advantage over the crew of Flight 1153. 646 00:45:12,068 --> 00:45:14,448 They weren't in a life or death situation, 647 00:45:14,551 --> 00:45:16,620 and they knew they had to glide instead. 648 00:45:16,724 --> 00:45:18,448 Fuel supply, check. 649 00:45:18,551 --> 00:45:21,310 But Captain Gharbi didn't know he was out of fuel. 650 00:45:21,413 --> 00:45:24,034 He didn't think he'd need to glide to Palermo. 651 00:45:24,137 --> 00:45:27,068 Gharbi focused on restarting the engines instead. 652 00:45:27,172 --> 00:45:29,620 Feathering the props isn't part of that procedure. 653 00:45:31,172 --> 00:45:33,482 If the captain had known he was out of fuel, 654 00:45:33,586 --> 00:45:36,517 he might have acted to maximize glide instead. 655 00:45:36,620 --> 00:45:39,000 Once he realized that his engines wouldn't start, 656 00:45:39,103 --> 00:45:41,655 his focus was on trying to find a place to ditch the plane. 657 00:45:43,310 --> 00:45:46,241 Captain Gharbi also had to contend with the lack of instruments 658 00:45:46,344 --> 00:45:47,758 as well as radio interruptions. 659 00:45:49,103 --> 00:45:51,931 Palermo TUI 1153 what is your fuel load? 660 00:45:52,034 --> 00:45:54,758 Cockpit fuel quantity, 1800 kilograms. 661 00:45:57,137 --> 00:46:01,931 Most importantly, Captain Gharbi had the lives of his 34 passengers to consider. 662 00:46:03,827 --> 00:46:07,137 Of course, it's much easier to cope with 663 00:46:07,241 --> 00:46:10,931 that kind of situation on the simulator. 664 00:46:11,034 --> 00:46:14,724 Because if you do wrong, if you crash the aircraft, 665 00:46:14,827 --> 00:46:19,310 you have the magic button, reset, everything is okay again, 666 00:46:19,413 --> 00:46:22,275 and that's very different in the real life 667 00:46:22,379 --> 00:46:26,241 with passengers behind and when it's your life. 668 00:46:26,344 --> 00:46:30,000 Your distance is now 20 miles. 669 00:46:32,517 --> 00:46:34,517 We're not gonna make it. 670 00:46:34,620 --> 00:46:37,482 The simulation highlights the importance of proper training 671 00:46:37,586 --> 00:46:39,689 to deal with unlikely situations, 672 00:46:39,793 --> 00:46:42,034 such as a twin-engine flameout. 673 00:46:42,137 --> 00:46:45,275 In aviation, is a very rare event. 674 00:46:45,379 --> 00:46:47,482 Vincenzo Pennetta's report urges airlines 675 00:46:47,586 --> 00:46:51,172 to train their pilots how to ditch without engine power. 676 00:46:51,275 --> 00:46:57,551 Better pilot training is just one of 17 safety recommendations in the accident report. 677 00:46:57,655 --> 00:47:03,827 Perhaps the most important, that ATR re-design the Fuel Quantity Indicator. 678 00:47:03,931 --> 00:47:07,344 In order to prevent a Fuel Quantity Indicator 679 00:47:07,448 --> 00:47:12,137 type 42 on a 72 aircraft and vice versa. 680 00:47:12,241 --> 00:47:15,827 To prevent mechanics from installing the incorrect part, 681 00:47:15,931 --> 00:47:19,482 Pennetta believes that the only answer is to design the FQIs 682 00:47:19,586 --> 00:47:21,862 so that they only fit on the plane they're meant for. 683 00:47:24,103 --> 00:47:29,931 Nine men face charges of criminal negligence for the downing of Flight 1153. 684 00:47:30,034 --> 00:47:35,448 Including the Tuninter mechanic who installed the wrong FQI and Captain Gharbi. 685 00:47:41,517 --> 00:47:43,517 I'll get it to you when you get back from Djerba. 686 00:47:44,517 --> 00:47:46,034 Roger that. 687 00:47:46,137 --> 00:47:48,620 There is no single cause of the accident. 688 00:47:48,724 --> 00:47:52,862 This accident, like many other aircraft accident, 689 00:47:52,965 --> 00:47:55,172 was determined by a series of actions, 690 00:47:55,275 --> 00:47:57,896 a series of events, linked one to each other. 691 00:48:01,206 --> 00:48:02,068 This is unheard of. 692 00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:10,275 I would have accepted the engine breaking or a window shattering, 693 00:48:10,379 --> 00:48:12,620 but to have people die because of lack of fuel? 694 00:48:19,172 --> 00:48:22,965 We remember this to avoid other such tragedies, 695 00:48:23,068 --> 00:48:26,103 so that when you board a plane, you don't have to endure anything. 696 00:48:27,034 --> 00:48:28,206 Not even the simplest thing. 697 00:48:32,379 --> 00:48:35,551 Because it is the simple things that can be avoided. 698 00:48:35,655 --> 00:48:37,310 Tragic events like this should not happen. 699 00:48:40,620 --> 00:48:42,344 Attempt to restart the engine. 700 00:48:42,448 --> 00:48:45,620 The crash of Flight 1153 was caused by a series 701 00:48:45,724 --> 00:48:48,379 of grave errors on the ground and in the air. 702 00:48:48,482 --> 00:48:51,793 But the flight data recorder does show the crew's last move 703 00:48:51,896 --> 00:48:54,103 before hitting the water was absolutely perfect. 704 00:48:55,517 --> 00:48:56,827 Here we go. 705 00:48:56,931 --> 00:48:58,793 According to available evidences, 706 00:48:58,896 --> 00:49:00,724 the flight data recorder, 707 00:49:00,827 --> 00:49:04,931 and also some statements listed by the crew that survived, 708 00:49:05,034 --> 00:49:09,793 The aircraft touched the sea first with the rear part of the aircraft 709 00:49:09,896 --> 00:49:12,448 at an attitude which is compatible 710 00:49:12,551 --> 00:49:15,482 with the optimum pitch altitude of the aircraft. 711 00:49:15,586 --> 00:49:17,344 Which is nine degrees. 712 00:49:17,448 --> 00:49:19,586 Captain Gharbi raised the plane's nose up 713 00:49:19,689 --> 00:49:21,448 to nine degrees at the last possible moment. 714 00:49:22,620 --> 00:49:25,000 So, instead of plowing into the sea, 715 00:49:25,103 --> 00:49:27,275 his plane glided along the surface of the water. 716 00:49:32,758 --> 00:49:36,068 The maneuver likely saved lives by allowing more passengers 717 00:49:36,172 --> 00:49:38,517 to escape the ruined aircraft. 718 00:49:38,620 --> 00:49:41,000 His flying may have prevented this accident 719 00:49:41,103 --> 00:49:43,482 from becoming an even greater tragedy.