1 00:00:01,235 --> 00:00:03,437 Good morning Nigerian 2120. 2 00:00:03,570 --> 00:00:05,906 Cleared for takeoff 34 left. 3 00:00:06,039 --> 00:00:07,040 What's that? 4 00:00:07,174 --> 00:00:08,325 NARRATOR: A mysterious sound. 5 00:00:08,408 --> 00:00:09,927 So as soon as this aircraft took off. 6 00:00:10,010 --> 00:00:11,395 We've got four low pressure lights. 7 00:00:11,478 --> 00:00:12,830 LARRY: There was basically no surviving. 8 00:00:12,913 --> 00:00:14,448 (ALARM BEEPING) 9 00:00:14,581 --> 00:00:16,405 The air brake thing just broke. 10 00:00:18,018 --> 00:00:19,069 - Smoke. - I'll take a look. 11 00:00:19,152 --> 00:00:21,305 They think they've got a hydraulic problem. 12 00:00:21,388 --> 00:00:22,918 We've lost all hydraulics. 13 00:00:23,190 --> 00:00:24,742 NARRATOR: A confounding series of failures. 14 00:00:24,825 --> 00:00:26,277 ALLAN: (OVER RADIO) We're declaring an emergency. 15 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,596 We are having flight control problems. 16 00:00:28,829 --> 00:00:31,300 Roger. Roger. I thought you were Saudi 738. 17 00:00:31,632 --> 00:00:34,168 Now they have to grapple with this blaze. 18 00:00:34,301 --> 00:00:36,287 There's smoke in the back. Real bad. 19 00:00:36,370 --> 00:00:37,688 NARRATOR: A raging inferno. 20 00:00:37,771 --> 00:00:40,124 This thing would have been like a torch. 21 00:00:40,741 --> 00:00:43,143 It's pandemonium inside the cabin. 22 00:00:43,277 --> 00:00:45,846 No! No! No! Don't! 23 00:00:45,979 --> 00:00:48,332 Bodies were falling out of the aircraft. 24 00:00:50,551 --> 00:00:52,069 There it is! It's two miles out! 25 00:00:52,152 --> 00:00:53,820 Christ, I have no control! 26 00:00:53,954 --> 00:00:57,541 And he had no idea what would ensue when he lowered that landing gear. 27 00:00:57,624 --> 00:00:59,126 NARRATOR: 261 people. 28 00:00:59,259 --> 00:01:00,394 Landing gear down. 29 00:01:00,527 --> 00:01:02,586 NARRATOR: On the brink of disaster. 30 00:01:05,866 --> 00:01:07,749 MAN: (OVER RADIO) Mayday, mayday. 31 00:01:41,301 --> 00:01:43,066 NARRATOR: Mecca, Saudi Arabia. 32 00:01:43,937 --> 00:01:46,306 The birthplace of the prophet Mohammed. 33 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,109 This is the holiest city in all of Islam. 34 00:01:49,643 --> 00:01:52,412 Making the journey to Mecca is a sacred duty 35 00:01:52,546 --> 00:01:54,548 in the life of every Muslim. 36 00:01:58,018 --> 00:02:00,489 The Hajj is the world's largest pilgrimage. 37 00:02:01,355 --> 00:02:03,941 This week more than one-and-a-half million people 38 00:02:04,024 --> 00:02:05,730 will take part in the ritual. 39 00:02:08,529 --> 00:02:12,599 80 kilometers away, one of the largest airports in the world 40 00:02:12,733 --> 00:02:15,910 is the gateway to Mecca for pilgrims traveling by air. 41 00:02:17,437 --> 00:02:21,437 Jeddah Airport has a terminal built exclusively for the annual Hajj. 42 00:02:22,609 --> 00:02:25,786 A terminal that can handle 80,000 passengers at a time. 43 00:02:27,548 --> 00:02:30,250 {\an8}Today, in blistering desert heat, 44 00:02:30,384 --> 00:02:32,853 {\an8}Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 45 00:02:32,986 --> 00:02:35,986 prepares to take a group of Nigerian pilgrims home. 46 00:02:38,992 --> 00:02:43,931 For most Westerners, a Hajj flight would seem almost surreal. 47 00:02:48,335 --> 00:02:53,106 {\an8}These are very, uh, poor pilgrims from villages in Nigeria. 48 00:02:56,243 --> 00:02:59,008 They've never been on a plane for the most part. 49 00:02:59,279 --> 00:03:01,949 The whole cultural difference is amazing. 50 00:03:02,082 --> 00:03:04,301 I mean, there's stories told about some of those pilgrims 51 00:03:04,384 --> 00:03:05,736 getting into the airplanes 52 00:03:05,819 --> 00:03:07,838 and actually trying to light their barbeques 53 00:03:07,921 --> 00:03:09,073 to cook meals on the flights, 54 00:03:09,156 --> 00:03:12,098 uh, not realizing that of course you can't do that. 55 00:03:13,260 --> 00:03:17,197 NARRATOR: The 247 passengers are onboard a DC-8 56 00:03:17,364 --> 00:03:21,068 that will be heading west across Africa to Sokoto, Nigeria. 57 00:03:21,869 --> 00:03:25,399 It's a charter flight operated by Canadian airline Nationair. 58 00:03:27,207 --> 00:03:31,311 The DC-8 was the primary aircraft for Nationair. 59 00:03:34,047 --> 00:03:37,985 {\an8}It was reliable, sturdy and served us very well 60 00:03:38,118 --> 00:03:40,587 {\an8}in operations throughout the world. 61 00:03:41,488 --> 00:03:45,726 Nationair was a scrappy little start-up airline based in Montreal. 62 00:03:45,859 --> 00:03:51,064 And it started by taking people on vacations to sunny destinations 63 00:03:51,231 --> 00:03:54,034 during the winter and it grew very rapidly. 64 00:03:56,170 --> 00:04:00,874 And then had this very unusual, uh, offshore charter business 65 00:04:01,041 --> 00:04:04,878 uh, which is what brought them to, uh, Jeddah and Saudi Arabia. 66 00:04:05,946 --> 00:04:08,866 NARRATOR: By offering unconventional flights that most other airlines 67 00:04:08,949 --> 00:04:10,484 would never consider, 68 00:04:10,617 --> 00:04:13,838 Nationair is giving its competition a run for their money. 69 00:04:13,921 --> 00:04:16,274 Sir, you have to take your seat, please. 70 00:04:19,059 --> 00:04:23,059 NARRATOR: Captain William Allan is a former Canadian Air Force pilot. 71 00:04:24,932 --> 00:04:27,638 He has more than 20 years of flying experience. 72 00:04:30,537 --> 00:04:33,832 First Officer Kent Davidge will be at the controls today, 73 00:04:34,808 --> 00:04:37,344 piloting Flight 2120 out of Jeddah. 74 00:04:40,314 --> 00:04:42,609 Let's close her up and get out of here. 75 00:04:46,253 --> 00:04:47,487 Heading four. 76 00:04:51,592 --> 00:04:53,416 We got number four way up here. 77 00:04:57,564 --> 00:04:58,899 Okay. Starting one. 78 00:05:00,734 --> 00:05:01,786 NARRATOR: Victor Fehr. 79 00:05:01,869 --> 00:05:03,281 I'll turn on the AirCon. 80 00:05:04,238 --> 00:05:06,768 NARRATOR: Is the engineer on today's flight. 81 00:05:10,310 --> 00:05:13,369 There are two other Nationair employees on the plane, 82 00:05:14,915 --> 00:05:16,817 lead mechanic Jean-Paul Philippe 83 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,189 and project manager Aldo Tettamanti. 84 00:05:23,223 --> 00:05:25,859 Mr. Tettamanti was sent to Jeddah 85 00:05:25,993 --> 00:05:29,530 {\an8}by our planning department to primarily provide 86 00:05:29,663 --> 00:05:31,765 logistical, administrative support. 87 00:05:33,634 --> 00:05:36,870 NARRATOR: Flight 2120 must taxi five kilometers 88 00:05:37,004 --> 00:05:40,641 across the sprawling airfield to get to its takeoff position. 89 00:05:44,144 --> 00:05:45,345 Flight controls. 90 00:05:52,586 --> 00:05:53,687 Check. 91 00:05:55,255 --> 00:05:56,690 It's a long way around. 92 00:05:56,823 --> 00:05:57,824 Yup. 93 00:05:59,693 --> 00:06:01,695 Good morning Nigerian 2120. 94 00:06:01,828 --> 00:06:05,399 Cleared for takeoff, uh, three-four-left. 95 00:06:06,466 --> 00:06:08,735 NARRATOR: At 8:26 a.m. 96 00:06:08,869 --> 00:06:10,904 it's already 30 degrees outside. 97 00:06:17,811 --> 00:06:19,246 Runway's clear. 98 00:06:19,379 --> 00:06:20,781 DAVIDGE: All engines. 99 00:06:21,348 --> 00:06:22,701 Okay. You have control. 100 00:06:25,185 --> 00:06:26,353 I have control. 101 00:06:29,022 --> 00:06:30,257 Stable. 102 00:06:31,291 --> 00:06:32,559 Brakes released. 103 00:06:36,530 --> 00:06:37,531 Set Max Thrust. 104 00:06:39,366 --> 00:06:40,567 Max Thrust. 105 00:06:41,835 --> 00:06:44,718 NARRATOR: Davidge powers the DC-8 down the runway. 106 00:06:46,073 --> 00:06:47,779 So early in the takeoff roll. 107 00:06:48,375 --> 00:06:49,376 (THUDDING) 108 00:06:50,010 --> 00:06:52,746 They hear a loud sound in the cockpit. 109 00:06:53,247 --> 00:06:55,616 And he flight engineer says. 110 00:06:55,749 --> 00:06:57,184 What's that? 111 00:06:57,584 --> 00:07:00,820 NARRATOR: The instruments show no indication of trouble. 112 00:07:01,021 --> 00:07:02,669 They continue to accelerate. 113 00:07:03,190 --> 00:07:05,259 80 knots. 90 knots now. 114 00:07:05,392 --> 00:07:06,994 DAVIDGE: 90 knots. Check. 115 00:07:15,502 --> 00:07:16,797 It's sort of a shimmy. 116 00:07:17,604 --> 00:07:20,546 Like if you're riding on one of those thingamajigs. 117 00:07:21,241 --> 00:07:22,242 V-one. 118 00:07:22,409 --> 00:07:24,495 NARRATOR: V-one is the speed at which pilots can no longer 119 00:07:24,578 --> 00:07:26,097 safely abandon their takeoff. 120 00:07:26,180 --> 00:07:27,447 ALLAN: Rotate. 121 00:07:32,319 --> 00:07:33,320 Positive rate. 122 00:07:34,688 --> 00:07:35,789 Gear up. 123 00:07:37,491 --> 00:07:40,494 CONTROLLER: (OVER RADIO) Nigerian 2120 airborne. 124 00:07:43,230 --> 00:07:44,398 Two-nine. 125 00:07:44,998 --> 00:07:48,702 Flight 2120 is now climbing through 1500 feet. 126 00:07:56,243 --> 00:07:59,538 The plane has been in the air for one-and-a-half minutes. 127 00:08:00,047 --> 00:08:01,849 (ALARM BEEPING) 128 00:08:01,982 --> 00:08:04,041 We've got four low pressure lights. 129 00:08:05,085 --> 00:08:06,220 What have we got? 130 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:08,272 FEHR: We've got four low pressure lights. 131 00:08:08,355 --> 00:08:09,356 ALLAN: Yeah. 132 00:08:10,891 --> 00:08:12,891 We might be losing pressurization. 133 00:08:13,727 --> 00:08:15,551 Pressurization is uncontrolled. 134 00:08:16,663 --> 00:08:18,415 NARRATOR: The instruments indicate that the plane 135 00:08:18,498 --> 00:08:20,334 isn't pressurizing properly. 136 00:08:24,304 --> 00:08:26,607 But, in the cabin, nothing seems wrong. 137 00:08:31,745 --> 00:08:34,147 - Level off. - DAVIDGE: Okay. 138 00:08:38,485 --> 00:08:40,521 Uh, Nationair 2120. 139 00:08:40,654 --> 00:08:43,874 We'd like to just level off at 2000 feet, if that's okay? 140 00:08:43,957 --> 00:08:46,546 We're having a slight pressurization problem. 141 00:08:47,060 --> 00:08:50,181 NARRATOR: In the tower the controller has his hands full. 142 00:08:50,264 --> 00:08:52,799 An odd coincidence is creating confusion. 143 00:08:52,933 --> 00:08:56,336 Another plane is reporting the exact same problem. 144 00:08:58,105 --> 00:08:59,306 Say call sign. 145 00:08:59,439 --> 00:09:01,725 The controller thought he was talking to one aircraft 146 00:09:01,808 --> 00:09:03,610 with a pressurization problem. 147 00:09:03,744 --> 00:09:05,329 When, in fact, there were two aircrafts 148 00:09:05,412 --> 00:09:08,236 reporting pressurization problems simultaneously. 149 00:09:08,482 --> 00:09:11,852 I'd just like to level off at, uh, 2000 feet. 150 00:09:12,286 --> 00:09:13,637 I've got a spoiler light. 151 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,191 NARRATOR: Wing spoilers reduce lift when planes are landing. 152 00:09:17,324 --> 00:09:19,376 Since the crew hasn't deployed them, 153 00:09:19,459 --> 00:09:21,989 the light points to yet another malfunction. 154 00:09:22,396 --> 00:09:23,664 Gear unsafe light! 155 00:09:24,932 --> 00:09:27,467 Uh, you, you can descend to 3000 feet. 156 00:09:27,901 --> 00:09:29,520 NARRATOR: The controller believes he's talking 157 00:09:29,603 --> 00:09:30,955 to the other distressed plane, 158 00:09:31,038 --> 00:09:32,940 a Saudi Arabian aircraft. 159 00:09:33,373 --> 00:09:36,410 Fly heading, uh, 160. 160 00:09:37,511 --> 00:09:40,041 NARRATOR: Nationair is flying at 2400 feet. 161 00:09:41,048 --> 00:09:44,017 Descending to 3000 doesn't make sense. 162 00:09:44,885 --> 00:09:49,756 There's so much confusion going on between the tower and these two aircraft. 163 00:09:50,390 --> 00:09:53,327 They're making a bad situation even worse. 164 00:09:54,628 --> 00:09:57,981 NARRATOR: Allan thinks the controller wants him to climb. 165 00:09:58,699 --> 00:10:02,135 Heading 130 and understand you want us up to 3000 feet. 166 00:10:02,269 --> 00:10:07,074 That's affirmative. Fly heading 160, heading 160. 167 00:10:09,610 --> 00:10:11,316 We're losing hydraulics here. 168 00:10:12,112 --> 00:10:16,250 The loss of uh hydraulics has significant implications 169 00:10:16,383 --> 00:10:18,051 in controlling the aircraft. 170 00:10:19,486 --> 00:10:22,956 Okay 160. And we're losing our hydraulics here. 171 00:10:23,090 --> 00:10:26,010 WILLIAM: You revert to what is called manual control 172 00:10:26,093 --> 00:10:29,863 and, uh, it's already difficult with hydraulic assist 173 00:10:29,997 --> 00:10:32,149 but manual control is even more difficult. 174 00:10:32,232 --> 00:10:35,291 We're gonna need to, uh, come back to Jeddah to land. 175 00:10:35,469 --> 00:10:39,106 NARRATOR: Flight 2120 is 13 kilometers from the airport 176 00:10:39,239 --> 00:10:40,424 and flying away from it. 177 00:10:40,507 --> 00:10:43,331 Roger. Understand you're going to land in Jeddah. 178 00:10:45,979 --> 00:10:47,298 NARRATOR: To get back on the ground, 179 00:10:47,381 --> 00:10:49,867 the crew will have to make a wide left turn. 180 00:10:49,950 --> 00:10:52,236 It will take them further away from the airport, 181 00:10:52,319 --> 00:10:54,721 before bringing them back over the city, 182 00:10:54,855 --> 00:10:56,444 to line up with the runway. 183 00:11:01,862 --> 00:11:04,274 In the cabin, the first signs of trouble. 184 00:11:15,943 --> 00:11:17,477 Smoke. I smell smoke. 185 00:11:17,611 --> 00:11:18,996 - JEAN-PAUL: Where? - Back there. 186 00:11:19,079 --> 00:11:20,280 I'll take a look. 187 00:11:22,316 --> 00:11:26,003 NARRATOR: The Nationair mechanic is about to discover the terrifying truth 188 00:11:26,086 --> 00:11:30,090 behind Flight 2120's mysterious mechanical failures. 189 00:11:33,293 --> 00:11:36,363 NARRATOR: Amid growing confusion in the cockpit, 190 00:11:36,496 --> 00:11:38,532 the pilots of Flight 2120 191 00:11:38,665 --> 00:11:41,489 still don't know that there's smoke in the cabin. 192 00:11:42,202 --> 00:11:45,356 {\an8}All they're dealing with is just all the alarm bells going off 193 00:11:45,439 --> 00:11:48,893 to indicate that equipment is failing left, right and center. 194 00:11:48,976 --> 00:11:50,795 NARRATOR: But mechanic Jean-Paul Philippe 195 00:11:50,878 --> 00:11:52,996 realizes they're in serious trouble. 196 00:11:53,847 --> 00:11:58,652 An onboard fire has the potential to consume the entire aircraft in seconds. 197 00:12:01,255 --> 00:12:03,079 The air brake thing just broke. 198 00:12:03,991 --> 00:12:05,639 We've got a flap slot light. 199 00:12:07,294 --> 00:12:09,780 NARRATOR: Less than 3 minutes after takeoff, 200 00:12:09,863 --> 00:12:12,511 passengers begin to notice something's wrong. 201 00:12:16,703 --> 00:12:19,306 Okay, sir, we have a problem. 202 00:12:19,439 --> 00:12:21,525 We're leveling here right at the moment. 203 00:12:21,608 --> 00:12:24,111 Level off right now. Right now! Level off! 204 00:12:25,612 --> 00:12:27,201 DAVIDGE: We're level three. 205 00:12:27,915 --> 00:12:32,033 NARRATOR: The controller still believes he's talking to another plane. 206 00:12:32,119 --> 00:12:33,737 Yeah, I will give you further instructions. 207 00:12:33,820 --> 00:12:36,023 Descend right now to 3000 feet. 208 00:12:37,324 --> 00:12:40,266 NARRATOR: Jeddah airport is now 20 kilometers away. 209 00:12:42,029 --> 00:12:44,281 With the heaviest smoke at the back of the plane, 210 00:12:44,364 --> 00:12:47,334 passengers rush forward, desperate for air. 211 00:12:51,605 --> 00:12:53,540 Okay leveling at 3000 feet 212 00:12:53,674 --> 00:12:55,159 and if you could give us a heading back toward the runway? 213 00:12:55,242 --> 00:12:57,578 We're declaring an emergency. 214 00:12:57,711 --> 00:12:58,896 We'll advise you of the problem. 215 00:12:58,979 --> 00:13:00,698 We're declaring an emergency at this time. 216 00:13:00,781 --> 00:13:04,218 Roger. Confirm you would like to be runway 16. 217 00:13:04,518 --> 00:13:06,386 Uh, no, 34 would be better. 218 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:08,706 We're gonna need time to get ready for the landing. 219 00:13:08,789 --> 00:13:11,942 So we have confusion between the two planes and the tower. 220 00:13:12,025 --> 00:13:15,729 We have, unbeknownst to the pilot and the crew in the cockpit, 221 00:13:15,863 --> 00:13:19,800 smoke billowing into the passengers', uh, seat area. 222 00:13:20,834 --> 00:13:22,019 There's smoke in the back. 223 00:13:22,102 --> 00:13:23,237 Real bad. 224 00:13:24,505 --> 00:13:27,324 Yeah we're heading back. We've got a hydraulic problem. Okay. 225 00:13:27,407 --> 00:13:32,012 This is the first indication that the pilot has of anything going on 226 00:13:32,145 --> 00:13:33,531 in the back of the plane. 227 00:13:33,614 --> 00:13:34,698 Should I tell the passengers? 228 00:13:34,781 --> 00:13:37,664 Yeah. Just tell them we'll be returning to Jeddah. 229 00:13:38,352 --> 00:13:40,471 They think they've got a hydraulic problem. 230 00:13:40,554 --> 00:13:43,257 Now they have to grapple with this blaze 231 00:13:43,390 --> 00:13:46,332 that is spreading through the rear of the aircraft. 232 00:13:50,998 --> 00:13:53,967 So things are rapidly spinning out of control. 233 00:13:56,203 --> 00:13:59,851 Okay let's get squared away and see what we've got here please. 234 00:14:01,909 --> 00:14:03,627 NARRATOR: In the cabin, it's becoming almost 235 00:14:03,710 --> 00:14:05,245 impossible to breath. 236 00:14:07,347 --> 00:14:09,783 And Jeddah is still 19 kilometers away. 237 00:14:10,484 --> 00:14:12,014 We've lost all hydraulics. 238 00:14:13,754 --> 00:14:17,741 NARRATOR: The odds on making it back to the airport are getting slimmer. 239 00:14:17,824 --> 00:14:19,993 Damn it! I've got no ailerons! 240 00:14:21,094 --> 00:14:24,506 NARRATOR: Davidge can't steer the plane with no hydraulics. 241 00:14:26,233 --> 00:14:27,668 Hang on, I've got it. 242 00:14:28,602 --> 00:14:31,422 NARRATOR: Captain Allan struggles with his control column. 243 00:14:31,505 --> 00:14:33,623 But it too could fail at any moment. 244 00:14:35,309 --> 00:14:38,015 Let's get lined up before things get any worse. 245 00:14:39,012 --> 00:14:42,399 ALLAN: Okay, so we're at 2000 feet now declaring an emergency. 246 00:14:42,482 --> 00:14:44,952 We are having flight control problems. 247 00:14:45,085 --> 00:14:47,791 Uh, Roger. Roger. I thought you were Saudi 738. 248 00:14:48,422 --> 00:14:51,742 NARRATOR: Only now does the controller realize that the troubled aircraft 249 00:14:51,825 --> 00:14:53,360 is the Nationair flight. 250 00:14:54,628 --> 00:14:57,831 Uh, turn left, right now heading 080. 251 00:14:57,965 --> 00:14:59,766 Expect runway three-four-left. 252 00:15:01,134 --> 00:15:03,899 By this time, it's pandemonium inside the cabin. 253 00:15:05,906 --> 00:15:09,076 The passengers are being engulfed by flames. 254 00:15:10,944 --> 00:15:14,681 And bodies are starting to fall from the aircraft fuselage. 255 00:15:17,584 --> 00:15:19,403 NARRATOR: The plane is right over Jeddah, 256 00:15:19,486 --> 00:15:21,075 a city of 2 million people. 257 00:15:21,922 --> 00:15:25,443 The bodies were falling out of the aircraft 11 miles from the airport. 258 00:15:25,526 --> 00:15:27,111 Okay, sir, we're having trouble turning. 259 00:15:27,194 --> 00:15:29,013 We are having flight control problems. 260 00:15:29,096 --> 00:15:33,333 We can try to turn left but we are having flight control problems. 261 00:15:33,467 --> 00:15:37,571 {\an8}In the situation, uh, it would have madecertainly controlling 262 00:15:37,704 --> 00:15:41,241 {\an8}the aircraft for approaching landing very, very difficult. 263 00:15:43,143 --> 00:15:44,578 How much further? 264 00:15:44,711 --> 00:15:47,080 Ten miles. 1700 feet. 265 00:15:48,982 --> 00:15:52,603 NARRATOR: Choking for air, some passengers try to open the doors. 266 00:15:52,686 --> 00:15:54,488 At this speed it's impossible. 267 00:15:54,788 --> 00:15:56,259 FLIGHT ATTENDANT: No! No! 268 00:15:58,091 --> 00:16:01,862 Jeddah 2120 cleared to land runway three-four, uh, left. 269 00:16:01,995 --> 00:16:05,584 ALLAN: Okay. We're coming straight in. We'll land on the left. 270 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:08,486 Require emergency vehicles immediately. 271 00:16:08,569 --> 00:16:11,338 We have a fire. We will be ground evacuating. 272 00:16:12,105 --> 00:16:14,775 Jeddah 2120 clear to land any runway. 273 00:16:14,908 --> 00:16:16,143 Clear to land. 274 00:16:18,078 --> 00:16:19,663 There it is! It's two miles out! 275 00:16:19,746 --> 00:16:22,082 Alright. Let's get on the ground. 276 00:16:24,785 --> 00:16:28,355 I've lost elevators. Christ I have no control. 277 00:16:30,190 --> 00:16:31,525 Landing gear down. 278 00:16:41,869 --> 00:16:43,120 PILOT: (OVER RADIO) Saudi Air 738. 279 00:16:43,203 --> 00:16:46,909 Nigeria Airlines is down just short of runway three-four-center. 280 00:16:53,647 --> 00:16:57,134 NARRATOR: The fiery explosion, and sudden impact with the ground, 281 00:16:57,217 --> 00:17:00,220 has all but obliterated Flight 2120. 282 00:17:04,958 --> 00:17:06,410 REPORTER: (OVER TV) A trail of blackened debris 283 00:17:06,493 --> 00:17:09,547 stained the desert half a mile short of Jeddah's main airport. 284 00:17:09,630 --> 00:17:13,219 Little was left of the DC-8; such was the force of the impact. 285 00:17:17,037 --> 00:17:21,141 NARRATOR: 247 passengers and 14 crew are dead. 286 00:17:21,275 --> 00:17:24,845 This is the worst accident ever for a Canadian airline 287 00:17:27,581 --> 00:17:30,651 and the deadliest crash of a DC-8 in history. 288 00:17:38,058 --> 00:17:39,927 One day after the crash, 289 00:17:40,060 --> 00:17:43,163 a team of Canadian investigators arrives in Jeddah. 290 00:17:43,630 --> 00:17:46,630 They'll be joining the official Saudi investigation. 291 00:17:48,769 --> 00:17:52,539 They now must figure out how a DC-8 bound for Nigeria. 292 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:57,444 Nigerian 2120 airborne two-nine. 293 00:17:59,012 --> 00:18:02,566 NARRATOR: Ended up in pieces just ten minutes after taking off. 294 00:18:02,649 --> 00:18:04,585 Has anything been removed? 295 00:18:05,118 --> 00:18:07,538 We'd heard that there'd been an onboard fire 296 00:18:07,621 --> 00:18:09,563 but really little more than that, 297 00:18:09,656 --> 00:18:13,794 uh, beyond the fact that all the 261 souls onboard 298 00:18:13,927 --> 00:18:15,633 had perished in the accident. 299 00:18:15,762 --> 00:18:18,115 NARRATOR: Bill Taylor is the Transportation Safety Board 300 00:18:18,198 --> 00:18:20,267 of Canada's technical expert. 301 00:18:20,801 --> 00:18:25,772 BILL: My first view of the crash site was, uh, one of astonishment really 302 00:18:25,906 --> 00:18:29,443 {\an8}at the spread of the debris, the severity of the breakup. 303 00:18:29,877 --> 00:18:34,047 Usually, there's some indication of recognizable parts of the aircraft, 304 00:18:34,181 --> 00:18:38,064 but, uh, there was virtually nothing to identify it as an aircraft. 305 00:18:40,187 --> 00:18:42,482 I can't even tell what most of this is. 306 00:18:43,490 --> 00:18:47,761 It was critical for us to know what happened as quickly as possible, 307 00:18:47,895 --> 00:18:51,148 because we're carrying millions of people all over the world. 308 00:18:51,231 --> 00:18:54,067 And so we wanted to know if we had a problem. 309 00:18:54,368 --> 00:18:57,404 Do we have a problem with our operation, 310 00:18:57,538 --> 00:18:59,186 our equipment, our aircraft? 311 00:19:03,110 --> 00:19:04,161 RON: The thing that impacts you 312 00:19:04,244 --> 00:19:08,115 {\an8}is when you're dealing with 247 passengers 313 00:19:08,248 --> 00:19:10,017 {\an8}and 14 crew all dead. 314 00:19:10,350 --> 00:19:12,586 {\an8}That's, that gets your attention. 315 00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:15,856 And the fact that something as big as a DC-8 316 00:19:15,989 --> 00:19:18,142 is now lying there in a zillion pieces, 317 00:19:18,225 --> 00:19:21,628 all burned. Yeah. It has an effect. 318 00:19:28,001 --> 00:19:30,554 BILL: I was responsible for performing a site survey 319 00:19:30,637 --> 00:19:34,508 which identified the location of the major parts of the wreckage. 320 00:19:35,976 --> 00:19:39,947 And searching for evidence of the source of the onboard fire. 321 00:19:40,647 --> 00:19:42,399 NARRATOR: By mapping the spread of the debris. 322 00:19:42,482 --> 00:19:43,483 Left, left, left. 323 00:19:43,650 --> 00:19:44,969 NARRATOR: The investigators begin to get a picture 324 00:19:45,052 --> 00:19:47,972 of what happened to the DC-8 at the moment of impact. 325 00:19:48,055 --> 00:19:50,958 BILL: The fuel sprayed out in a, in a V-shape, 326 00:19:51,091 --> 00:19:54,628 and instantaneous, uh, fire over that area. 327 00:19:54,761 --> 00:19:58,432 Obviously what had happened, as the aircraft hit the ground 328 00:19:58,565 --> 00:20:02,636 with a severe down motion, it ruptured all of the fuel tanks. 329 00:20:09,943 --> 00:20:12,897 NARRATOR: The main wreckage sprawls across a stretch of desert 330 00:20:12,980 --> 00:20:16,183 400 meters long and 200 meters wide. 331 00:20:18,318 --> 00:20:21,172 A body was found 11 miles back from the crash site. 332 00:20:21,255 --> 00:20:24,625 So the crash site actually starts 11 miles back. 333 00:20:24,758 --> 00:20:28,829 So it's like 12 miles of things falling out of the airplane 334 00:20:28,962 --> 00:20:31,257 and people falling out of the airplane. 335 00:20:33,901 --> 00:20:40,107 We did see that whole sections of seats were melted and charred, 336 00:20:41,475 --> 00:20:45,279 and, uh, obviously had people in them when they fell. 337 00:20:48,482 --> 00:20:50,584 And everybody was, uh... 338 00:20:53,921 --> 00:20:55,556 very bad injuries. 339 00:20:55,689 --> 00:20:57,337 Let's just leave it at that. 340 00:21:01,562 --> 00:21:04,315 NARRATOR: The most important question for investigators 341 00:21:04,398 --> 00:21:06,222 is, "Where did the fire start?" 342 00:21:07,034 --> 00:21:10,337 But with so much of the plane so badly burned, 343 00:21:10,470 --> 00:21:13,294 it will be hard to plot the progress of the fire. 344 00:21:13,507 --> 00:21:16,894 They need to distinguish between pieces that burned in the air 345 00:21:16,977 --> 00:21:19,448 from those that caught fire on the ground. 346 00:21:20,848 --> 00:21:25,619 Damage from an in-flight fire is, uh, usually considerably 347 00:21:25,752 --> 00:21:29,489 greater than ground fire because of the extra heat 348 00:21:29,623 --> 00:21:32,109 developed from the air flow giving the blow torch effect. 349 00:21:32,192 --> 00:21:35,212 And, uh the effect on the metal is to heat it to the point 350 00:21:35,295 --> 00:21:37,598 where, uh, it's almost molten, 351 00:21:37,731 --> 00:21:41,335 whereas in a post-crash fire, it's an even coating, 352 00:21:41,468 --> 00:21:45,906 and, uh, any material that melts drips straight down. 353 00:21:48,408 --> 00:21:50,327 NARRATOR: The wreckage from the front of the plane 354 00:21:50,410 --> 00:21:52,746 shows the least amount of fire damage. 355 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,586 Remnants from the centre fuselage are the most severely burned. 356 00:21:56,683 --> 00:22:01,088 This indicates that the fire likely began in the plane's mid-section. 357 00:22:02,523 --> 00:22:05,526 The center fuel cell had been penetrated by the fire 358 00:22:05,659 --> 00:22:07,912 because there was one part of that wall 359 00:22:07,995 --> 00:22:11,584 that you could see a clear burn-through pattern in the wall. 360 00:22:13,834 --> 00:22:17,070 We found that the, uh, tail section of the airplane 361 00:22:17,204 --> 00:22:19,339 was covered with molten aluminum, 362 00:22:19,473 --> 00:22:22,609 indicating that the, uh, air stream had brought 363 00:22:23,277 --> 00:22:25,296 parts of the melting airplane back. 364 00:22:25,379 --> 00:22:28,265 NARRATOR: It's clear the fire grew hot enough to melt the fuselage 365 00:22:28,348 --> 00:22:30,231 before the plane hit the ground. 366 00:22:30,617 --> 00:22:34,021 But how the fire started is still a mystery. 367 00:22:35,856 --> 00:22:38,504 Let's get all these pieces back to the hangar. 368 00:22:43,130 --> 00:22:45,149 NARRATOR: The Saudi government provides a hangar 369 00:22:45,232 --> 00:22:49,585 for the investigators to conduct a more in-depth analysis of the wreckage. 370 00:22:52,606 --> 00:22:54,058 The lead investigator on the case 371 00:22:54,141 --> 00:22:57,211 is the Transportation Safety Board's Ron Coleman. 372 00:22:58,879 --> 00:23:02,433 The Saudis didn't have the expertise on the ground, or in the area, 373 00:23:02,516 --> 00:23:05,586 and hadn't done any major accident investigations 374 00:23:05,719 --> 00:23:06,920 that I was aware of. 375 00:23:07,988 --> 00:23:11,942 And also, they didn't have any engineering lab capability and we did. 376 00:23:12,025 --> 00:23:15,195 So they opted to let us do that work for them. 377 00:23:18,232 --> 00:23:19,984 Let's put together what we can. 378 00:23:20,067 --> 00:23:24,538 We knew that parts of the airplane had melted and part of the cabin 379 00:23:26,006 --> 00:23:28,675 had burned away underneath the passengers. 380 00:23:30,644 --> 00:23:34,468 We know that aluminum melts at 1100 degrees Celsius approximately. 381 00:23:36,550 --> 00:23:39,419 So this thing would have been like a torch. 382 00:23:48,161 --> 00:23:50,848 NARRATOR: Before investigators can reach any conclusions 383 00:23:50,931 --> 00:23:52,633 about what caused the crash, 384 00:23:52,766 --> 00:23:55,369 Nationair puts forward a theory of its own. 385 00:23:56,336 --> 00:24:00,674 Early on Nationair claimed that a foreign object, a hunk of metal, 386 00:24:00,807 --> 00:24:03,076 had been on the tarmac at Jeddah. 387 00:24:03,644 --> 00:24:05,830 NARRATOR: Nationair makes that claim after learning remnants 388 00:24:05,913 --> 00:24:08,315 of blown tires were found on the runway. 389 00:24:09,683 --> 00:24:14,254 However, the Saudi aviation authorities said there was no evidence 390 00:24:14,388 --> 00:24:17,291 of any foreign object on the tarmac, 391 00:24:17,424 --> 00:24:20,327 uh, at any time before or after the crash. 392 00:24:21,061 --> 00:24:24,248 NARRATOR: Canadian investigators now face two very different, 393 00:24:24,331 --> 00:24:26,567 but equally disturbing, possibilities. 394 00:24:27,334 --> 00:24:31,923 Either Nationair is rushing to judgment about why one of its planes went down, 395 00:24:32,039 --> 00:24:36,310 or the Saudi aviation authority is attempting a cover-up. 396 00:24:43,584 --> 00:24:47,004 NARRATOR: Examining the remains of Flight 2120's landing gear, 397 00:24:47,087 --> 00:24:49,590 investigators discover that the wheels 398 00:24:49,723 --> 00:24:52,143 may have had something to do with the crash. 399 00:24:52,226 --> 00:24:54,756 One of the left wheel-rims shows clear signs 400 00:24:54,862 --> 00:24:57,215 of having been scraped along the runway. 401 00:24:58,365 --> 00:25:00,251 BILL: This is the, uh, number two wheel 402 00:25:00,334 --> 00:25:03,421 that was recovered from the, uh, from the accident site. 403 00:25:03,504 --> 00:25:08,442 You can see here, the area where the, uh, wheel was ground down. 404 00:25:10,677 --> 00:25:12,613 {\an8}You can imagine the kind of heat 405 00:25:12,746 --> 00:25:14,031 {\an8}that that would generate 406 00:25:14,114 --> 00:25:16,483 {\an8}running along the runway scraping off. 407 00:25:19,887 --> 00:25:21,272 NARRATOR: At the crash site, 408 00:25:21,355 --> 00:25:23,532 Bill Taylor makes a chance discovery. 409 00:25:23,924 --> 00:25:27,042 It adds an unexpected new layer to the investigation. 410 00:25:27,961 --> 00:25:32,199 I noticed a piece of paper blowing across the, uh, the site. 411 00:25:33,500 --> 00:25:37,054 Picked it up and I could see there was handwritten notes on this paper. 412 00:25:37,137 --> 00:25:41,041 {\an8}And it turned out to be part of the A-flight inspection checklist. 413 00:25:41,608 --> 00:25:45,079 {\an8}Uh, and it was the actual page that recorded tire pressures. 414 00:25:46,313 --> 00:25:47,347 Hey. 415 00:25:47,481 --> 00:25:49,633 NARRATOR: The maintenance checklist shows that the tires 416 00:25:49,716 --> 00:25:51,658 were inflated to normal pressure. 417 00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:56,440 What is not normal is that there are two different colors of ink, 418 00:25:56,523 --> 00:25:58,994 with a second entry written over the first. 419 00:26:03,730 --> 00:26:05,532 It was apparent that, uh, 420 00:26:05,966 --> 00:26:08,731 that the numbers had been changed at some point. 421 00:26:09,603 --> 00:26:11,021 RON: It didn't look right. 422 00:26:11,104 --> 00:26:13,974 We recommended that we send it to the RCMP 423 00:26:14,141 --> 00:26:17,094 for them to look at it and see if it had been altered, the document, 424 00:26:17,177 --> 00:26:20,647 because there is a law in the aviation industry 425 00:26:20,781 --> 00:26:23,584 that no document shall be altered. 426 00:26:23,717 --> 00:26:26,053 And this one looked suspect. 427 00:26:30,257 --> 00:26:32,510 NARRATOR: The plane's flight data recorder 428 00:26:32,593 --> 00:26:34,011 and the cockpit voice recorder 429 00:26:34,094 --> 00:26:35,395 have been recovered. 430 00:26:36,663 --> 00:26:40,551 Though it's far from certain whether any data has survived the intense heat, 431 00:26:40,634 --> 00:26:42,002 and heavy impact. 432 00:26:43,504 --> 00:26:47,916 We packaged them and transported them back to the Canadian lab for analysis. 433 00:26:50,210 --> 00:26:53,497 NARRATOR: Tire tracks on the runway offer some intriguing clues 434 00:26:53,580 --> 00:26:55,916 about what happened to Flight 2120. 435 00:26:57,251 --> 00:27:00,621 Left main landing gear had been leaving marks, 436 00:27:00,754 --> 00:27:02,206 rubber marks, to begin with. 437 00:27:02,289 --> 00:27:04,591 So this is the outer left wheel. 438 00:27:04,725 --> 00:27:06,310 BILL: These continued for some distance 439 00:27:06,393 --> 00:27:11,265 and then we could see where the inboard front tire 440 00:27:11,398 --> 00:27:15,335 of the left landing gear had lost its tire. 441 00:27:15,469 --> 00:27:18,422 In other words, the tire had blown and the wheel had come down 442 00:27:18,505 --> 00:27:20,211 into contact with the runway. 443 00:27:21,675 --> 00:27:25,629 NARRATOR: From rubber marks on the runway, Taylor concludes that the aircraft 444 00:27:25,712 --> 00:27:30,317 blew two adjacent tires, both from the left main landing gear. 445 00:27:35,522 --> 00:27:36,557 What's that? 446 00:27:37,090 --> 00:27:38,876 NARRATOR: It's an important discovery. 447 00:27:38,959 --> 00:27:41,695 But they still don't know why the tires burst, 448 00:27:41,828 --> 00:27:44,887 nor how that could have led to the catastrophic fire. 449 00:27:45,866 --> 00:27:47,984 Let's spread it out see what's what. 450 00:27:48,468 --> 00:27:52,704 NARRATOR: Investigators next examine pieces of tire found on the runway. 451 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:57,010 They're looking for any signs of a defect, or heavy tire wear. 452 00:27:58,912 --> 00:28:01,432 BILL: Visual examination found that the, uh, 453 00:28:01,515 --> 00:28:04,535 the tires had sufficient tread to continue in service. 454 00:28:04,618 --> 00:28:08,288 Uh, they were worn but, uh, still pretty good shape. 455 00:28:09,356 --> 00:28:12,009 NARRATOR: The discovery supports Nationair's claim. 456 00:28:12,092 --> 00:28:14,361 It's possible that the DC-8 did, 457 00:28:14,494 --> 00:28:18,024 in fact, hit something on the runway that caused a puncture. 458 00:28:19,032 --> 00:28:24,271 {\an8}Press releases at the time, uh, provided by the president of the company 459 00:28:25,439 --> 00:28:29,322 stated that the cause of the tire failure was debris on the runway. 460 00:28:30,611 --> 00:28:32,496 NARRATOR: Even with two blown tires. 461 00:28:32,579 --> 00:28:33,614 Positive rate. 462 00:28:33,747 --> 00:28:35,916 NARRATOR: Flight 2120 got airborne. 463 00:28:37,317 --> 00:28:39,970 The connection between the blown tires and the calamity 464 00:28:40,053 --> 00:28:42,524 that consumed the plane still isn't clear. 465 00:28:43,924 --> 00:28:47,630 Okay let's get squared away and see what we've got here, please. 466 00:28:54,902 --> 00:28:57,961 NARRATOR: In Ottawa, the Transportation Safety Board 467 00:28:58,071 --> 00:29:00,483 has salvaged the cockpit voice recording. 468 00:29:01,375 --> 00:29:04,711 But instead of solving the mystery it only adds to it. 469 00:29:10,117 --> 00:29:11,218 FEHR: What's that? 470 00:29:11,785 --> 00:29:13,304 We've got a flat tire, you figure? 471 00:29:13,387 --> 00:29:15,940 NARRATOR: The voice recorder confirms that the crew suspected 472 00:29:16,023 --> 00:29:17,457 they had a blown tire. 473 00:29:17,591 --> 00:29:20,121 ALLAN: You're not leaning on the brakes, eh? 474 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:22,429 The pilot flying is the only one 475 00:29:22,563 --> 00:29:25,116 that has his feet on the rudder pedals on the takeoff. 476 00:29:25,199 --> 00:29:27,685 The rudder pedals are also the brake pedals. 477 00:29:27,768 --> 00:29:29,002 No. I'm not. 478 00:29:29,136 --> 00:29:30,821 I got my feet on the bottom of the rudder. 479 00:29:30,904 --> 00:29:33,858 It can happen from time to time that you touch the brakes either 480 00:29:33,941 --> 00:29:37,377 for directional control or inadvertently. 481 00:29:37,811 --> 00:29:39,997 And I assume that, that's what the captain thought 482 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,375 that he might have inadvertently touched the brake pedal. 483 00:29:43,517 --> 00:29:47,037 NARRATOR: Its common for pilots to take off with blown tires. 484 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:51,238 It's considered less dangerous than aborting a takeoff at high speeds. 485 00:29:53,460 --> 00:29:56,313 Tire failures at the time were not an uncommon event, 486 00:29:56,396 --> 00:29:57,531 nor are they today. 487 00:29:57,664 --> 00:30:00,634 You takeoff successfully, continue on route 488 00:30:00,767 --> 00:30:03,354 and land at destination without adverse consequences. 489 00:30:03,437 --> 00:30:04,922 ALLAN: Okay we're leveling at 3000 feet 490 00:30:05,005 --> 00:30:06,657 and if you could give us a heading back toward the runway? 491 00:30:06,740 --> 00:30:09,760 NARRATOR: The Nationair crew finally does declare an emergency. 492 00:30:09,843 --> 00:30:11,549 We're declaring an emergency. 493 00:30:11,645 --> 00:30:12,997 We'll advise you of the problem. 494 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:15,551 We're declaring an emergency at this time. 495 00:30:15,816 --> 00:30:17,935 NARRATOR: It's then, that the air traffic controller 496 00:30:18,018 --> 00:30:19,254 realizes his mistake. 497 00:30:20,687 --> 00:30:23,423 Roger. Roger. I thought you were Saudi 738. 498 00:30:23,557 --> 00:30:26,844 LARRY: There was another flight coming inbound that was having problems 499 00:30:26,927 --> 00:30:30,247 {\an8}the air traffic controller thought that he was talking to the other aircraft. 500 00:30:30,330 --> 00:30:31,682 CONTROLLER: (OVER RADIO) Roger. Confirm you would like to... 501 00:30:31,765 --> 00:30:35,753 NARRATOR: Investigators wonder if that confusion contributed to the disaster 502 00:30:35,836 --> 00:30:38,089 by delaying the DC-8's return to Jeddah. 503 00:30:38,172 --> 00:30:39,873 Uh, no, 34 would be better. 504 00:30:40,007 --> 00:30:42,026 We're gonna need time to get ready for the landing. 505 00:30:42,109 --> 00:30:45,396 {\an8}NARRATOR: But after studying air traffic communication transcripts 506 00:30:45,479 --> 00:30:47,098 {\an8}and analyzing the flight path, 507 00:30:47,181 --> 00:30:51,534 {\an8}they determine that the mix up did not add any time to the return journey. 508 00:30:51,685 --> 00:30:54,004 As it turns out, this didn't have any effect 509 00:30:54,087 --> 00:30:56,499 on the eventual crashing of the aircraft. 510 00:31:00,227 --> 00:31:01,979 NARRATOR: The question remains; 511 00:31:02,062 --> 00:31:05,265 could a blown tire have somehow led to an intense fire 512 00:31:05,399 --> 00:31:08,341 that took down a commercial aircraft in 10 minutes? 513 00:31:11,171 --> 00:31:14,241 At the Royal Canadian Mounted Police forensics lab, 514 00:31:14,374 --> 00:31:17,610 technicians have analyzed the Nationair maintenance log. 515 00:31:19,580 --> 00:31:22,816 Tests reveal two layers of ink on the log entries. 516 00:31:24,618 --> 00:31:27,955 {\an8}The readings for the tire pressure were written over. 517 00:31:28,088 --> 00:31:30,891 {\an8}And the actual readings that were underneath, 518 00:31:31,024 --> 00:31:33,460 {\an8}uh, showed 20 to 30 PSI 519 00:31:33,594 --> 00:31:38,098 below the required levels to operate the plane and tires safely. 520 00:31:38,565 --> 00:31:41,018 So the only conclusion that you could make from that 521 00:31:41,101 --> 00:31:43,160 is that the entries were falsified. 522 00:31:43,437 --> 00:31:45,790 Tell me what the plan was for the tires. 523 00:31:47,841 --> 00:31:49,927 NARRATOR: With this troubling new information, 524 00:31:50,010 --> 00:31:51,762 investigators now turn their attention 525 00:31:51,845 --> 00:31:54,551 to the mechanics who last worked on the plane. 526 00:31:56,984 --> 00:31:59,553 They learn that four days before the crash, 527 00:31:59,686 --> 00:32:01,275 at a stop in Ghana, Africa, 528 00:32:01,388 --> 00:32:03,474 mechanics wanted to change the tires. 529 00:32:03,557 --> 00:32:06,969 The tread was beginning to wear, and the pressure was low. 530 00:32:14,535 --> 00:32:16,854 The investigative team wants to learn more 531 00:32:16,937 --> 00:32:20,107 about how Nationair managed day-to-day maintenance. 532 00:32:21,475 --> 00:32:25,212 Bill Taylor is joined by operations expert Larry Vance. 533 00:32:27,581 --> 00:32:30,784 What we did was look at all the operational issues. 534 00:32:33,086 --> 00:32:35,204 And, uh, we looked at human factors; 535 00:32:35,322 --> 00:32:39,499 basically, everything that had to do with the operation of the aircraft. 536 00:32:41,929 --> 00:32:44,381 You're not going to believe what I just found. 537 00:32:44,464 --> 00:32:49,053 {\an8}NARRATOR: Taylor uncovers evidence that the tire change was never carried out. 538 00:32:49,203 --> 00:32:53,440 {\an8}A fax from the Nationair project manager in Jeddah ordered it stopped 539 00:32:53,574 --> 00:32:55,692 so the plane could stay on schedule. 540 00:32:56,777 --> 00:33:01,381 LARRY: They had a facsimile come in from the project manager. 541 00:33:01,815 --> 00:33:03,992 Forget it. They want us to get going. 542 00:33:04,685 --> 00:33:06,270 LARRY: Saying that some of their passengers 543 00:33:06,353 --> 00:33:08,648 were being given off to other carriers, 544 00:33:09,857 --> 00:33:12,975 which put some pressure on them to abandon their plan 545 00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:14,396 to change the wheels. 546 00:33:14,494 --> 00:33:17,248 It was felt it would have caused a greater delay. 547 00:33:17,331 --> 00:33:19,533 So the fax came in and said, 548 00:33:20,234 --> 00:33:23,070 "Stop the tire change. We're way behind. 549 00:33:23,203 --> 00:33:24,805 We may lose the contract. 550 00:33:25,205 --> 00:33:27,107 Load everybody up and get back." 551 00:33:27,407 --> 00:33:28,475 And so they did. 552 00:33:28,609 --> 00:33:29,904 They stopped the work. 553 00:33:32,813 --> 00:33:35,048 Because Nationair is go, go, go, go, 554 00:33:35,182 --> 00:33:39,006 nobody wants to deal with anything that could delay the departure. 555 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:43,908 NARRATOR: Rather than top-up the tires, a mechanic altered the log 556 00:33:43,991 --> 00:33:46,756 to make it seem like the tire pressure was fine. 557 00:33:48,962 --> 00:33:52,216 LARRY: There's no indication that they ever added pressure 558 00:33:52,299 --> 00:33:54,518 to the tires to actually inflate them to that. 559 00:33:54,601 --> 00:33:57,072 They just simply made the books look right. 560 00:33:59,406 --> 00:34:02,193 NARRATOR: Three days later, the plane landed in Jeddah 561 00:34:02,276 --> 00:34:04,378 with the same under-inflated tires. 562 00:34:08,882 --> 00:34:10,884 At 5 a.m. the following morning, 563 00:34:11,018 --> 00:34:13,554 the crew arrived for pre-flight checks. 564 00:34:19,693 --> 00:34:21,795 20 minutes before takeoff, 565 00:34:21,929 --> 00:34:24,198 lead mechanic Jean-Paul Philippe 566 00:34:24,331 --> 00:34:26,900 finally decided to get the tires topped up. 567 00:34:28,268 --> 00:34:29,887 He had waited for quite a long time. 568 00:34:29,970 --> 00:34:31,956 I believe the passengers were onboard, 569 00:34:32,039 --> 00:34:33,907 and the baggage was onboard. 570 00:34:34,041 --> 00:34:35,793 Basically the flight was ready to leave 571 00:34:35,876 --> 00:34:38,262 when he finally decided it was the right thing to do 572 00:34:38,345 --> 00:34:39,757 to try and get nitrogen. 573 00:34:40,747 --> 00:34:42,549 All the tanks are empty. 574 00:34:43,817 --> 00:34:47,821 NARRATOR: Aircraft tires are inflated with nitrogen not air. 575 00:34:47,955 --> 00:34:50,174 Nitrogen does not expand as much as air. 576 00:34:50,257 --> 00:34:51,925 It's also less flammable. 577 00:34:55,162 --> 00:34:59,199 He actually made an attempt to find nitrogen to top the tires up. 578 00:34:59,333 --> 00:35:01,752 Listen, I just, I just need to top up two tires. 579 00:35:01,835 --> 00:35:03,070 That's it. 580 00:35:03,704 --> 00:35:05,756 NARRATOR: Philippe asked another airline to help. 581 00:35:05,839 --> 00:35:07,975 I just need to top-up two tires. 582 00:35:09,510 --> 00:35:11,896 They had nitrogen bottles but they were empty. 583 00:35:11,979 --> 00:35:13,450 That didn't go very well. 584 00:35:14,147 --> 00:35:17,067 It was reported to us that the project manager just simply said, 585 00:35:17,150 --> 00:35:19,470 "Forget it. We're not going to get nitrogen. 586 00:35:19,553 --> 00:35:21,505 We're gonna go without topping-up the tires." 587 00:35:21,588 --> 00:35:22,706 And away they went. 588 00:35:27,194 --> 00:35:30,077 He's not a commercial pilot or a trained mechanic. 589 00:35:31,532 --> 00:35:33,350 NARRATOR: Investigators now conclude 590 00:35:33,433 --> 00:35:35,719 that the project manager's lack of experience 591 00:35:35,802 --> 00:35:38,038 was a critical factor in the accident. 592 00:35:38,939 --> 00:35:41,645 LARRY: He was making operational-type decisions 593 00:35:42,509 --> 00:35:44,811 on behalf of, or instead of, 594 00:35:44,945 --> 00:35:48,165 some of the people who should have been making the decisions themselves, 595 00:35:48,248 --> 00:35:50,835 and putting a stop to things like allowing the aircraft 596 00:35:50,918 --> 00:35:52,920 to fly with under-inflated tires. 597 00:35:53,053 --> 00:35:54,701 Oh let me guess. We gotta go. 598 00:35:55,122 --> 00:35:57,791 It was something new and was to have, uh, 599 00:35:57,925 --> 00:36:00,794 actually assisted us in being better prepared 600 00:36:00,928 --> 00:36:02,646 and operating more effectively. 601 00:36:02,729 --> 00:36:06,500 In hindsight, the irony is the reverse actually happened, 602 00:36:06,633 --> 00:36:09,803 that additional pressure was put on the crews. 603 00:36:10,304 --> 00:36:13,941 Any decision to takeoff with an unworthy airplane, 604 00:36:14,074 --> 00:36:15,475 or tires that were low, 605 00:36:15,609 --> 00:36:18,129 ultimately should have been communicated to the captain, 606 00:36:18,212 --> 00:36:21,031 because the captain is the person that's responsible 607 00:36:21,114 --> 00:36:23,644 for the safety of the airplane and the crew. 608 00:36:23,984 --> 00:36:25,636 NARRATOR: But that didn't happen. 609 00:36:25,719 --> 00:36:29,790 No one in the cockpit was likely aware the tires were under inflated 610 00:36:29,923 --> 00:36:31,024 before take-off. 611 00:36:32,926 --> 00:36:34,845 WILLIAM: I don't think that this flight engineer 612 00:36:34,928 --> 00:36:39,700 would find it significant to see the values on the tire pressures, 613 00:36:39,967 --> 00:36:43,737 uh, were changed as that is not an unusual occurrence 614 00:36:43,871 --> 00:36:45,105 on a journey log. 615 00:36:45,239 --> 00:36:49,142 Incorrect values are added and they're changed or fixed. 616 00:36:51,578 --> 00:36:55,315 NARRATOR: Before it crashed, claiming 261 lives, 617 00:36:55,449 --> 00:36:57,435 the same plane took off and landed 618 00:36:57,518 --> 00:37:00,287 seven times with the under-inflated tires. 619 00:37:02,155 --> 00:37:04,341 Records show that the plane's loaded weight 620 00:37:04,424 --> 00:37:06,483 was about the same for each flight. 621 00:37:07,594 --> 00:37:11,265 So why did the tires blow on July 11th at Jeddah? 622 00:37:13,267 --> 00:37:15,150 How long is that taxiway anyway? 623 00:37:15,302 --> 00:37:18,456 NARRATOR: Investigators suspect the answer relates to the sheer size 624 00:37:18,539 --> 00:37:22,042 of the airport combined with extreme desert temperatures. 625 00:37:23,043 --> 00:37:26,691 It was something like 11 minutes of taxiing with several turns. 626 00:37:26,813 --> 00:37:30,519 So it was a long taxi before they even started the takeoff run. 627 00:37:32,152 --> 00:37:34,421 They taxied for five kilometers. 628 00:37:36,089 --> 00:37:38,913 The tire must have been burning up on the tarmac. 629 00:37:42,162 --> 00:37:46,515 NARRATOR: The DC-8's main landing gear consists of a left and right bogie, 630 00:37:46,600 --> 00:37:48,001 each with four wheels. 631 00:37:48,135 --> 00:37:50,704 Uniform tire pressure is important. 632 00:37:50,838 --> 00:37:53,924 It ensures the weight of the plane is distributed evenly 633 00:37:54,007 --> 00:37:55,809 betweenall 8 wheels. 634 00:37:56,743 --> 00:37:58,863 When you have an under-inflated tire, 635 00:37:58,946 --> 00:38:03,750 that total weight then is distributed over the remaining wheels. 636 00:38:04,751 --> 00:38:08,355 It would be felt on the axle-mate of the low pressure tire. 637 00:38:12,426 --> 00:38:15,429 We calculated, using our weight and balance figures, 638 00:38:15,562 --> 00:38:18,866 that the pressure for that day would have been 183 PSI. 639 00:38:18,999 --> 00:38:21,969 It's pretty clear from the RCMP investigation 640 00:38:22,102 --> 00:38:25,472 that one of the tires was 155 PSI. 641 00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:30,605 NARRATOR: That's 28 Pounds per square inch below the safe level. 642 00:38:31,378 --> 00:38:34,084 Added to that; the effects of a long taxi run, 643 00:38:34,548 --> 00:38:36,517 on a scorchingly hot taxiway. 644 00:38:38,752 --> 00:38:43,156 During taxi, there's an opportune time for tires to heat, 645 00:38:43,290 --> 00:38:45,938 and particularly tires that are under-inflated 646 00:38:46,059 --> 00:38:48,061 to heat up, flex and so on. 647 00:38:50,397 --> 00:38:53,339 When you get over-deflection, or excessive bending, 648 00:38:53,467 --> 00:38:55,402 in that area, it generates heat. 649 00:38:55,536 --> 00:38:57,304 If you generated enough heat, 650 00:38:57,437 --> 00:39:01,208 uh, the nylon begins to melt and pulls apart. 651 00:39:01,341 --> 00:39:02,676 The tire blows. 652 00:39:09,516 --> 00:39:10,517 What's that? 653 00:39:10,651 --> 00:39:12,736 NARRATOR: The first tire to burst was not the low one, 654 00:39:12,819 --> 00:39:14,438 but the one right beside it. 655 00:39:14,521 --> 00:39:15,622 90 knots now. 656 00:39:15,756 --> 00:39:18,175 NARRATOR: The under-inflated tire blew next. 657 00:39:18,258 --> 00:39:19,964 The wheel rim hit the runway. 658 00:39:20,594 --> 00:39:24,364 And when that started to drag and wear down the runway, 659 00:39:24,798 --> 00:39:26,200 it got super hot. 660 00:39:26,767 --> 00:39:29,553 NARRATOR: Hot enough to ignite the rubber tires. 661 00:39:29,636 --> 00:39:32,284 The crew took the fire into the air with them, 662 00:39:32,372 --> 00:39:34,372 and it quickly consumed the plane. 663 00:39:34,975 --> 00:39:38,763 So as soon as this aircraft took off and they retracted the landing gear 664 00:39:38,846 --> 00:39:40,464 there was basically no surviving. 665 00:39:40,547 --> 00:39:41,615 Gear up. 666 00:39:45,285 --> 00:39:46,991 The fire was going to spread. 667 00:39:48,455 --> 00:39:50,624 There's smoke in the back. Real bad. 668 00:39:51,058 --> 00:39:52,176 They were gonna crash. 669 00:39:52,259 --> 00:39:54,848 Just tell them, we'll be returning to Jeddah. 670 00:40:07,407 --> 00:40:10,310 It's all over, ten seconds after they lift off. 671 00:40:11,645 --> 00:40:15,782 When the aircraft got airborne, positive rate, the gear up, 672 00:40:15,916 --> 00:40:18,622 and the gear went into the wheel wells on fire. 673 00:40:19,887 --> 00:40:24,224 Unfortunately, the DC-8 did not have any heat or fire indication 674 00:40:24,358 --> 00:40:27,194 to tell the crew that they had a problem 675 00:40:27,327 --> 00:40:30,464 with the landing gear in the wheel well area. 676 00:40:32,533 --> 00:40:34,239 The fire begins in this tire. 677 00:40:35,169 --> 00:40:38,189 NARRATOR: Investigators now know where the fire started, 678 00:40:38,272 --> 00:40:40,474 and why it spread so quickly. 679 00:40:41,508 --> 00:40:43,977 The left wheel well burns first. 680 00:40:44,611 --> 00:40:48,749 Using the remnants of the tire and perhaps hydraulic fluid as the fuel, 681 00:40:48,882 --> 00:40:52,019 this fire continued to burn in the wheel well. 682 00:40:52,352 --> 00:40:54,352 We might be losing pressurization. 683 00:40:55,255 --> 00:40:57,079 Pressurization is uncontrolled. 684 00:40:57,658 --> 00:41:02,029 Next, this bundle of wires, the wiring from the spoiler line. 685 00:41:03,330 --> 00:41:04,801 I've got a spoiler light. 686 00:41:06,099 --> 00:41:07,629 The fire's spreading fast. 687 00:41:08,035 --> 00:41:11,305 It's reached here, the main hydraulic line. 688 00:41:12,272 --> 00:41:13,978 We're losing hydraulics here. 689 00:41:14,508 --> 00:41:18,912 By now, the fire's reached the very top of the wheel well. 690 00:41:19,546 --> 00:41:22,516 It's eating through the emergency wheel brake. 691 00:41:23,851 --> 00:41:25,675 The air brake thing just broke. 692 00:41:27,187 --> 00:41:30,952 Then the fire hits the right wheel well and this bundle of wires. 693 00:41:31,525 --> 00:41:33,525 It shorts out the flap slot light. 694 00:41:34,194 --> 00:41:35,913 RON: We have electrical wires. 695 00:41:35,996 --> 00:41:38,899 We have hydraulic fluid. All highly flammable. 696 00:41:39,566 --> 00:41:40,785 We've got a flap slot light. 697 00:41:40,868 --> 00:41:44,705 And you've got the air rushing at you at 240 knots. 698 00:41:45,772 --> 00:41:47,949 Now the fire breaches the wheel well, 699 00:41:49,443 --> 00:41:51,561 making its way up towards the cabin, 700 00:41:54,615 --> 00:41:58,380 burning through the aileron controls on the first officer's side. 701 00:41:59,052 --> 00:42:01,488 Damn it! I've got no ailerons! 702 00:42:03,257 --> 00:42:06,660 Clearly a fire in the wheel well is a very dangerous thing 703 00:42:06,793 --> 00:42:08,962 because of what's in the wheel well. 704 00:42:09,496 --> 00:42:11,649 This is the way the airplanes have been designed 705 00:42:11,732 --> 00:42:14,168 and they function fairly well 706 00:42:14,301 --> 00:42:17,184 until something like this happens and we find out, 707 00:42:17,271 --> 00:42:20,541 oh, perhaps that wasn't a very good place to put this. 708 00:42:22,342 --> 00:42:25,166 Once it's burned through the main fuel tank here, 709 00:42:26,647 --> 00:42:27,648 it's all over. 710 00:42:31,018 --> 00:42:35,722 He had no idea as to what would ensue when he lowered that landing gear. 711 00:42:36,223 --> 00:42:37,624 Landing gear down. 712 00:42:38,992 --> 00:42:42,462 The fire had compromised the structure to the point 713 00:42:42,596 --> 00:42:45,773 where when this action of lowering the gear took place, 714 00:42:46,366 --> 00:42:48,202 it destroyed the airframe. 715 00:42:53,707 --> 00:42:55,409 (EXPLOSION) 716 00:43:07,020 --> 00:43:08,472 REPORTER: (OVER TV) The official accident report 717 00:43:08,555 --> 00:43:12,893 {\an8}issued almost two years after the crash found the DC-8 was unfit to fly. 718 00:43:13,927 --> 00:43:17,081 {\an8}I don't believe that the people who were making the decisions 719 00:43:17,164 --> 00:43:19,099 had in their heads 720 00:43:19,399 --> 00:43:22,458 that this was a hazardous thing that they were doing. 721 00:43:22,603 --> 00:43:25,839 NARRATOR: The report lists several causes for the crash, 722 00:43:25,939 --> 00:43:29,193 {\an8}including the lack of fire prevention equipment in the wheel wells, 723 00:43:29,276 --> 00:43:33,013 {\an8}and the decision to release the plane with under-inflated tires. 724 00:43:33,514 --> 00:43:37,251 {\an8}The mechanics working on this aircraft were not fully aware 725 00:43:37,384 --> 00:43:40,787 of the hazards involved in low tire pressures. 726 00:43:42,789 --> 00:43:46,477 NARRATOR: A number of critical changes came about after this accident. 727 00:43:46,560 --> 00:43:50,514 Smoke, fire and temperature sensors in the wheel wells are now mandatory 728 00:43:50,597 --> 00:43:52,032 on all modern aircraft. 729 00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:55,502 Most critically, all crews are trained 730 00:43:55,636 --> 00:43:58,225 on the importance of properly inflated tires. 731 00:43:58,605 --> 00:44:00,908 Forget it. They want us to get going. 732 00:44:04,411 --> 00:44:09,082 NARRATOR: The accident was a major factor in the collapse of Nationair in 1993. 733 00:44:10,484 --> 00:44:13,404 The accident I think was probably the beginning of the end. 734 00:44:13,487 --> 00:44:18,358 Uh, our emphasis of production over protection, 735 00:44:18,492 --> 00:44:22,930 uh, really identified the main weakness in the company. 736 00:44:24,064 --> 00:44:25,888 Let me guess. Look, we gotta go. 737 00:44:27,835 --> 00:44:31,789 ANDREW: You can only pressure your people to cut corners so many times, 738 00:44:31,872 --> 00:44:37,044 and put pressure on them to, uh, keep to schedule so many times, 739 00:44:37,177 --> 00:44:40,914 and put dollars ahead of safety so many times 740 00:44:41,048 --> 00:44:45,586 before something will go terribly wrong like it did in this Nationair crash.