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00:00:02,569 --> 00:00:04,655
NARRATOR: A passenger
plane is obliterated
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00:00:04,738 --> 00:00:06,206
in the California hills.
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00:00:06,540 --> 00:00:08,835
STEVE: There were no
wings, no fuselage.
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00:00:09,309 --> 00:00:12,545
There was no tail section.
There were no aircraft seats.
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00:00:14,114 --> 00:00:16,703
NARRATOR: Hardened steel
is ripped to pieces.
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00:00:17,184 --> 00:00:19,437
DENNIS: This was the worst
damage I've ever seen.
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00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:21,539
NARRATOR: The wreckage
paints a grim picture
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00:00:21,622 --> 00:00:22,673
of the final moments of
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00:00:22,756 --> 00:00:25,392
Pacific Southwest Airlines flight 1771.
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00:00:28,996 --> 00:00:31,408
The plane reached impossibly high speeds.
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00:00:31,532 --> 00:00:32,583
RICHARD:
They told us that it
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actually broke the sound barrier.
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NARRATOR: Passengers
experienced crippling G-forces.
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00:00:38,205 --> 00:00:41,909
DENNIS: We assessed the
impact forces around 5,000 Gs.
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00:00:43,877 --> 00:00:45,629
RICHARD: It would have been
a horrifying experience,
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00:00:45,712 --> 00:00:47,889
the final few seconds of their lives.
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NARRATOR: Whatever brought
down flight 1771,
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00:00:51,518 --> 00:00:53,704
investigators are certain of one thing,
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it was not an accident.
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MAN (over radio):
Mayday, mayday.
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(theme music plays)
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Los Angeles International Airport,
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one of the busiest in the world.
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Every year, 40 million passengers arrive
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and depart through LAX.
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{\an8}At Terminal One, a group of
passengers and crew bound for
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San Francisco are making
their way through security.
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A short while later, they board
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Pacific Southwest Airlines flight 1771.
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ROBERT: Pacific Southwest really
was a, what we'd call a large
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regional airline at the time.
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RAY: Set me up with a
scotch on your way back?
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{\an8}ROBERT: They had service in
about 30 cities all over mostly
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{\an8}the western part of the United States.
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NARRATOR: The flight from
Los Angeles to San Francisco
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is one of the most popular routes
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at Pacific Southwest, also known as PSA.
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Among the 38 passengers are
several PSA employees,
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including the airline's chief pilot.
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ROBERT: It's very common for
airline employees to commute
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between cities for work
and so as people would
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take a bus to work,
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00:02:51,939 --> 00:02:54,469
many airline employees
take a plane to work.
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NARRATOR: Captain Gregg
Lindamood has been flying
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00:02:58,912 --> 00:03:00,848
with PSA for 14 years.
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00:03:01,181 --> 00:03:04,358
The father of three is also
a decorated combat veteran.
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00:03:06,019 --> 00:03:07,354
JAMES: Brakes.
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GREGG: Brakes set.
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JAMES: Flaps up.
Spoilers retracted.
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NARRATOR: First officer James Nunn
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00:03:16,730 --> 00:03:19,366
only joined the
airline the previous spring.
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He's also logged thousands
of hours in the cockpit.
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JAMES: Thrust levers.
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NARRATOR: Today, they're
piloting a British built
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BAE-146 commuter jet.
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With quiet turbo fan engines,
it's designed for short haul
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flights over densely populated areas.
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(airplane noise)
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(airplane noise)
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The flight to San Francisco
will take just over an hour.
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JAMES: So do you know
what you're getting
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the boys for Christmas?
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GREGG: Well it's gonna be
Nintendo and with what it costs,
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I think they can both share it.
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FLIGHT ATTENDANT (off-screen):
Anything to drink guys?
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JAMES: Nah. I'm fine, thanks.
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FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Okay just
holler if you change your mind.
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NARRATOR: Flight 1771 is
cruising at 22,000 feet,
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above the California countryside.
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♪ ♪
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GREGG: Can you ask
them how it's been?
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NARRATOR: Just over
halfway through the flight,
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Captain Lindamood worries
about the mild turbulence.
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JAMES: Center, PSA 1771.
Any reports on the ride ahead?
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We've had a little continuous light chop.
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MAN (over radio): PSA, this
is Rocky Mountain Center.
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It's not too bad.
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00:05:03,871 --> 00:05:05,572
(gunshot).
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00:05:05,906 --> 00:05:07,789
GREGG: Oh my god,
that was a gun.
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00:05:08,609 --> 00:05:09,927
NARRATOR: The crew now has
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00:05:10,010 --> 00:05:11,762
a much bigger problem on its hands.
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00:05:11,845 --> 00:05:13,330
JAMES: Squawk 77, squawk 77.
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We've had a gun fired
onboard the aircraft.
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00:05:16,950 --> 00:05:18,936
CONTROLLER (over radio): Do
you want to go to Monterey?
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Could you make it, Sir?
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NARRATOR: Moments later, flight
1771 falls into a steep dive.
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STEVE: Witnesses caught a
brief glimpse of the aircraft
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as it was plummeting down from the sky.
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WITNESS: It was going
at a high rate of speed.
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Looked like a dart just
diving to the ground.
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(explosion)
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NARRATOR: Flight 1771
crashes into an isolated hill
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280 kilometers northwest of Los Angeles.
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Police get to the crash site,
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and find a 30 ton airliner obliterated.
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{\an8}STEVE: There were no wings.
There were no uh fuselage.
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{\an8}There was no, there was no tail section.
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There were no aircraft seats.
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There was just papers,
papers everywhere and uh
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the strong smell of aviation fuel.
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NARRATOR: It doesn't take
long for Sheriff Steve Bolts
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to reach a grim conclusion.
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No one has survived the crash.
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STEVE: We're making
a frantic search
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throughout this remote cow
pasture looking for survivors
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and we can't even find
deceased human beings,
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much less human beings that had survived.
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NARRATOR: Most catastrophic
aircraft accidents happen
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on takeoff or landing.
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A shallow impact angle can sometimes leave
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large sections of the plane intact,
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00:07:05,092 --> 00:07:08,562
giving passengers and
crew a chance at survival.
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The 43 people aboard flight
1771 had no chance at all.
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This is one of the worst air
disasters in California history.
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INVESTIGATOR: Come
on up here guys.
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NARRATOR: The day after the crash,
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investigators from both
the National Transportation
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Safety Board and the FBI are on the scene.
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INVESTIGATOR: You ever
seen anything like this?
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This is gonna be a long day guys.
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{\an8}RICHARD: We knew that
gunshots had been heard
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{\an8}by the air traffic controllers.
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(gunshots).
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JAMES (over radio):
Squawk 77, squawk 77.
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We've had a gun fired
onboard the aircraft.
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RICHARD: If the reports
of gunshots were accurate
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then I realized immediately that we had
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00:08:01,748 --> 00:08:04,985
crime aboard an aircraft for which the FBI
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00:08:05,118 --> 00:08:06,589
had primary jurisdiction.
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00:08:07,721 --> 00:08:10,369
NARRATOR: But the reports
may not be accurate.
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The pilots and controllers
may have been mistaken.
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Even though speculation
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about the gunman's identity is widespread,
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it's up to the NTSB to
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determine exactly what happened
on Flight 1771.
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00:08:27,741 --> 00:08:29,427
BOB: One of the things
you have to avoid in
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{\an8}accident investigation
is preconceived notions.
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{\an8}For example, most of us never
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00:08:34,748 --> 00:08:37,067
turn on the radio, never watch
television on the way to the
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scene because, even though
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00:08:38,886 --> 00:08:40,971
you might not consciously be aware of it,
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you can get front loaded with
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00:08:43,156 --> 00:08:45,309
information and when you get
there you may subconsciously
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00:08:45,392 --> 00:08:49,162
start looking for things to
substantiate that background
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00:08:49,296 --> 00:08:51,632
so you try to arrive on scene with
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00:08:51,765 --> 00:08:54,835
a totally objective
view of what's going on.
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NARRATOR: While NTSB investigators
try to determine the cause of the crash,
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00:09:00,941 --> 00:09:03,883
law enforcement agents have
questions of their own.
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STEVE: It's establishing who had motive,
establishing who had access,
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00:09:12,553 --> 00:09:16,089
establishing who was the intended victim.
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INVESTIGATOR (off-screen):
Right there.
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They should be somewhere right in there.
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NARRATOR: The FBI is searching
for evidence of a crime,
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00:09:23,597 --> 00:09:26,333
the NTSB for clues about the crash.
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If they can recover the black
boxes they may find both.
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DENNIS: With the total
destruction of the aircraft,
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00:09:34,208 --> 00:09:36,527
{\an8}I mean you had limited
amounts of information that
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00:09:36,610 --> 00:09:38,462
{\an8}you could gather from the wreckage.
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BOB: At this point, the most important
thing is to get the
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00:09:41,215 --> 00:09:44,268
cockpit voice recorder and get
away from the speculation
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00:09:44,351 --> 00:09:47,763
and see what the cockpit voice
recorder tells us factually.
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RICHARD: The flight recorders tell
the tale of what happens to the aircraft.
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They're very important in reconstructing
the events that brought the airplane down.
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INVESTIGATOR: The impact comes in this
way, then the tail.
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00:10:03,103 --> 00:10:05,045
They should be somewhere in here.
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I think that's it.
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00:10:13,013 --> 00:10:15,699
NARRATOR: After hours of searching through
the shattered remains,
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00:10:15,782 --> 00:10:17,684
the effort finally pays off.
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00:10:18,185 --> 00:10:20,597
They recover the plane's two black boxes.
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00:10:21,955 --> 00:10:23,941
DENNIS: The first recorder
that was recovered
171
00:10:24,024 --> 00:10:28,095
was the cockpit
voice recorder and that was recognized
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00:10:28,228 --> 00:10:31,916
by its orange cover and all that
that was still, although badly mangled,
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was still recognizable as a recorder.
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00:10:38,205 --> 00:10:41,725
NARRATOR: The second black box
has suffered even heavier damage.
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00:10:41,808 --> 00:10:44,128
The flight data recorder
captures critical information
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00:10:44,211 --> 00:10:46,153
about the aircraft's performance.
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INVESTIGATOR: What
a mess. What a mess.
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DENNIS: It had been so badly mangled
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00:10:54,888 --> 00:10:57,712
it wasn't recognizable
as a flight data recorder.
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00:10:58,992 --> 00:11:03,345
NARRATOR: Both recorders will be sent to
the NTSB laboratory in Washington.
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00:11:04,598 --> 00:11:09,246
It is far from certain whether the data
they hold can be successfully retrieved.
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00:11:10,904 --> 00:11:15,576
Without it, investigators may never know
what happened on flight 1771.
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00:11:17,010 --> 00:11:19,330
BOB: That's about the first thing you do
when you get on scene,
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find the cockpit voice recorder.
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00:11:21,315 --> 00:11:24,468
You can't over emphasize how
important that was in this case
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00:11:24,551 --> 00:11:26,971
because we had no
airframe left to work with.
187
00:11:27,054 --> 00:11:30,407
We really had no wreckage in
the normal sense of the word.
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NARRATOR: At the NTSB laboratory
in Washington, Dennis Grossi
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00:11:37,197 --> 00:11:41,301
examines flight 1771's badly
damaged cockpit voice recorder.
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00:11:43,103 --> 00:11:45,772
DENNIS: The case itself
was basically crushed.
191
00:11:45,906 --> 00:11:50,377
It was bent in like somebody had grabbed
it and pushed it together like that
192
00:11:50,511 --> 00:11:54,314
uh and this is hardened steel
and we assessed the impact
193
00:11:54,448 --> 00:11:56,683
force as around five thousand Gs,
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00:11:56,817 --> 00:12:01,321
just based on the deformation
of the crash enclosure.
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00:12:02,656 --> 00:12:07,344
NARRATOR: The recorder, the aircraft and
everyone onboard suffered an impact force
196
00:12:07,427 --> 00:12:09,897
five thousand times the force of gravity.
197
00:12:13,767 --> 00:12:17,944
The world's best fighter pilots can handle
a sustained force of nine Gs.
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00:12:21,642 --> 00:12:27,147
In a crash, the human body can sometimes
survive one hundred Gs for a split second.
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00:12:27,981 --> 00:12:31,718
A force fifty times as strong
is difficult to comprehend.
200
00:12:33,353 --> 00:12:35,789
Dennis Grossi knows the immense impact
201
00:12:35,923 --> 00:12:38,242
may have ruined any
chance of hearing the last words
202
00:12:38,325 --> 00:12:41,962
from the cockpit of flight 1771.
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00:12:49,469 --> 00:12:53,591
REPORTER (over TV): No crash investigation
is routine but among the jigsaw puzzle
204
00:12:53,674 --> 00:12:56,109
of pieces from flight 1771, investigators
205
00:12:56,243 --> 00:12:59,947
are looking for something very
different, perhaps a gun.
206
00:13:01,048 --> 00:13:04,135
NARRATOR: Finding the weapon
could help the FBI identify who
207
00:13:04,218 --> 00:13:07,387
might have fired shots
onboard flight 1771.
208
00:13:08,222 --> 00:13:11,992
But for the NTSB, gunfire alone
does not explain this accident.
209
00:13:12,659 --> 00:13:16,063
A bullet should not bring
down a modern commercial jet.
210
00:13:17,030 --> 00:13:19,917
{\an8}BOB: There's a lot of
misconception about decompression
211
00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:23,103
{\an8}and about whether or not a, for example, a
212
00:13:23,237 --> 00:13:25,556
single shot could bring down
an aircraft and if it's,
213
00:13:25,639 --> 00:13:30,404
if it's simply a shot through the fuselage
of the aircraft the answer would be no.
214
00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:35,399
NARRATOR: It takes a much
larger hole in the fuselage
215
00:13:35,482 --> 00:13:38,018
for there to be an
explosive decompression,
216
00:13:38,151 --> 00:13:42,990
the kind of hole that led to one of
the deadliest air disasters of all time.
217
00:13:44,224 --> 00:13:49,429
In 1974, a faulty cargo
door blew off Turkish Airlines flight 981.
218
00:13:50,364 --> 00:13:53,017
The decompression caused
the cabin floor to collapse,
219
00:13:53,100 --> 00:13:55,702
severing the flight control cables.
220
00:13:56,837 --> 00:14:00,107
The crash killed all 346 people onboard.
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00:14:02,342 --> 00:14:04,595
BOB: The aircraft would normally
not come down
222
00:14:04,678 --> 00:14:06,897
just from a bullet
hole with no other implications.
223
00:14:06,980 --> 00:14:10,984
It just wouldn't be enough to cause a,
an explosive decompression,
224
00:14:11,118 --> 00:14:14,883
which is what you almost have to
have to bring the aircraft down.
225
00:14:17,991 --> 00:14:21,045
NARRATOR: If a gunshot didn't bring
the plane down, then investigators,
226
00:14:21,128 --> 00:14:23,163
need to find out what did.
227
00:14:25,299 --> 00:14:27,501
At the NTSB lab in Washington,
228
00:14:27,634 --> 00:14:30,938
work to recover flight 1771's
cockpit voice recording has
229
00:14:31,071 --> 00:14:33,006
produced a surprising result.
230
00:14:34,308 --> 00:14:38,579
Despite suffering huge impact forces,
the audiotape is still intact.
231
00:14:42,649 --> 00:14:45,536
DENNIS (off-screen): All
right, let's give it a listen.
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00:14:45,619 --> 00:14:48,873
NARRATOR: The first 28 minutes of the tape
reveal a routine flight.
233
00:14:48,956 --> 00:14:50,708
GREGG (over recorder): It's
gonna be Nintendo.
234
00:14:50,791 --> 00:14:53,277
NARRATOR: The crew was trying
to find out when the turbulence
235
00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:54,979
they had been flying through would end.
236
00:14:55,062 --> 00:14:56,981
GREGG: Can you ask
them how it's been?
237
00:14:57,064 --> 00:15:00,184
JAMES: Center, PSA 1771.
Any reports on the ride ahead?
238
00:15:00,267 --> 00:15:02,679
We've had a little continuous light chop.
239
00:15:02,803 --> 00:15:05,222
MAN (over radio): PSA, this is
Rocky Mountain Center.
240
00:15:05,305 --> 00:15:06,640
It's not too bad.
241
00:15:07,641 --> 00:15:11,994
{\an8}DENNIS: We hear the flight crew talk,
you know, do their normal procedures.
242
00:15:13,647 --> 00:15:17,589
NARRATOR: But in the final two minutes,
events take a chilling turn.
243
00:15:18,285 --> 00:15:20,285
DENNIS: Sure sounds
like a gunshot.
244
00:15:20,621 --> 00:15:25,259
And then all of a sudden they hear and we
hear on the recording this gunshot.
245
00:15:26,326 --> 00:15:30,281
NARRATOR: The tape confirms what
the pilots had reported, two gunshots.
246
00:15:30,364 --> 00:15:31,798
(gunshots)
247
00:15:31,932 --> 00:15:32,983
GREGG (over recorder):
God. That was a gun.
248
00:15:33,066 --> 00:15:34,418
JAMES (over recorder):
Yeah, I know.
249
00:15:34,501 --> 00:15:36,270
Squawk 77, squawk 77.
250
00:15:36,403 --> 00:15:38,874
We've had a gun fired
onboard the aircraft.
251
00:15:39,072 --> 00:15:42,259
{\an8}RICHARD: It was actually uh a
very sobering moment because
252
00:15:42,342 --> 00:15:47,047
{\an8}we realized that we were listening to
two people communicating with each other,
253
00:15:47,181 --> 00:15:51,418
the pilot and copilot,
uh in a very routine flight
254
00:15:51,552 --> 00:15:54,188
that suddenly became anything but routine.
255
00:15:54,888 --> 00:15:57,712
It was something that one
doesn't quickly forget.
256
00:15:59,526 --> 00:16:01,011
NARRATOR: Investigators listen
257
00:16:01,094 --> 00:16:03,918
as the situation becomes
increasingly disturbing.
258
00:16:05,432 --> 00:16:09,353
RICHARD: The door to the cockpit was heard
to open and a female voice,
259
00:16:09,436 --> 00:16:12,907
presumably the flight attendant,
was heard to say in a voice
260
00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:14,158
that was filled with alarm.
261
00:16:14,241 --> 00:16:15,459
FLIGHT ATTENDANT: There's
a problem captain.
262
00:16:15,542 --> 00:16:18,395
BOB: And we heard a voice, a male voice
which we presumed to be the captain,
263
00:16:18,478 --> 00:16:20,431
saying what's the nature of the problem.
264
00:16:20,514 --> 00:16:21,932
GREGG: What's the problem?
265
00:16:22,015 --> 00:16:23,734
DAVID (off-screen):
I'm the problem.
266
00:16:23,817 --> 00:16:26,787
(gunshots).
267
00:16:27,588 --> 00:16:29,774
NARRATOR: Investigators now
know for certain that the killer
268
00:16:29,857 --> 00:16:32,426
was a man and that he
shot the flight crew.
269
00:16:34,695 --> 00:16:36,847
DENNIS (off-screen): It's always startling
when you hear something like that,
270
00:16:36,930 --> 00:16:39,049
when you hear the commission of a murder.
271
00:16:39,132 --> 00:16:42,135
As accident investigators,
you just don't hear that.
272
00:16:43,036 --> 00:16:45,036
This was a very unusual recording.
273
00:16:46,006 --> 00:16:49,124
NARRATOR: A flight attendant
and both pilots are shot.
274
00:16:49,810 --> 00:16:51,693
DENNIS: That's
five shots so far.
275
00:16:52,613 --> 00:16:56,333
RICHARD (off-screen): And uh then we could
hear the cockpit door shut again
276
00:16:56,416 --> 00:16:59,920
and another final shot, the sixth shot.
277
00:17:00,053 --> 00:17:01,054
(gunshot)
278
00:17:02,022 --> 00:17:05,787
NARRATOR: Before the tape ends, they hear
one last ominous sound.
279
00:17:09,663 --> 00:17:13,134
DENNIS: The plane's in a dive.
The engines are over revving.
280
00:17:13,867 --> 00:17:17,855
BOB: Within about five seconds we
picked up what's called windscreen noise.
281
00:17:17,938 --> 00:17:22,176
In other words, you could
tell that the aircraft was accelerating.
282
00:17:22,676 --> 00:17:25,147
RICHARD: That noise
increased in its pitch.
283
00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:29,433
We learned of course that it was
going into a dive at that point.
284
00:17:29,516 --> 00:17:32,336
NARRATOR: 65 seconds after
the murder of its crew,
285
00:17:32,419 --> 00:17:35,989
flight 1771 smashes into
the California hills.
286
00:17:38,458 --> 00:17:40,678
RICHARD: It helped us to, to understand
what we were investigating,
287
00:17:40,761 --> 00:17:44,531
the heinousness of the crime
that we were investigating.
288
00:17:45,032 --> 00:17:48,738
NARRATOR: The CVR recording changes
the NTSB's role in the case.
289
00:17:51,905 --> 00:17:53,847
DENNIS: Let me
know if I can help.
290
00:17:55,209 --> 00:17:58,412
It just confirms that this
wasn't an accident,
291
00:17:58,545 --> 00:18:00,564
that it was in fact a crime and the FBI
292
00:18:00,647 --> 00:18:04,284
would be taking over the
investigation from here on out.
293
00:18:04,885 --> 00:18:07,271
BOB: The FBI, bear in mind,
knows how to investigate crime.
294
00:18:07,354 --> 00:18:10,107
They don't necessarily know how to
investigate an aircraft accident so we,
295
00:18:10,190 --> 00:18:13,661
we would go ahead and do our
normal investigative procedures
296
00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:16,763
and make that information
available to the FBI.
297
00:18:17,698 --> 00:18:20,300
NARRATOR: The FBI is
investigating a murder.
298
00:18:20,434 --> 00:18:23,904
But solving it is now just
one of their priorities.
299
00:18:24,037 --> 00:18:25,089
GREGG (over recorder):
What's the problem?
300
00:18:25,172 --> 00:18:27,290
MAN (over recorder):
I'm the problem.
301
00:18:27,541 --> 00:18:31,424
NARRATOR: The CVR recording has
highlighted another pressing issue.
302
00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:36,751
RICHARD: Somehow someone managed
to get a gun on that plane.
303
00:18:37,551 --> 00:18:42,257
NARRATOR: A weapon was smuggled through
LAX, one of the world's busiest airports.
304
00:18:42,856 --> 00:18:46,974
Investigators wonder how the shooter
managed to evade airport security.
305
00:18:48,228 --> 00:18:51,993
RICHARD: Let's find out how that
guy got on the plane, all right?
306
00:18:52,199 --> 00:18:57,304
NARRATOR: If the FBI can't find answers
soon, more lives could be at risk.
307
00:19:01,275 --> 00:19:06,647
Two days after the downing of flight 1771,
investigators are still combing through
308
00:19:06,780 --> 00:19:10,717
the wreckage for a piece of evidence
rarely found at a crash site,
309
00:19:13,153 --> 00:19:14,421
a murder weapon.
310
00:19:16,223 --> 00:19:18,709
INVESTIGATOR: That's a hydraulic line,
probably from the main gear.
311
00:19:18,792 --> 00:19:20,878
BOB (off-screen): The search for the gun
was very frustrating because we knew
312
00:19:20,961 --> 00:19:23,681
that that played a major
role in what had happened.
313
00:19:23,764 --> 00:19:27,000
We needed to know for sure
uh that the gun was there.
314
00:19:27,134 --> 00:19:28,769
I mean it's a supposition,
315
00:19:28,936 --> 00:19:30,821
a pretty good supposition
that there's a gun involved.
316
00:19:30,904 --> 00:19:33,657
RICHARD: We weren't sure that,
that we would succeed
317
00:19:33,740 --> 00:19:35,426
because the field of debris was so wide
318
00:19:35,509 --> 00:19:40,113
and the impact had reduced the airplane to
so many small pieces.
319
00:19:42,983 --> 00:19:45,903
NARRATOR: While the search for
the gun continues in California,
320
00:19:45,986 --> 00:19:49,723
NTSB investigators in Washington
try to determine what caused
321
00:19:49,857 --> 00:19:54,661
flight 1771 to go into a sudden
dive after the crew was shot.
322
00:19:57,231 --> 00:20:01,352
Dennis Grossi believes the answer may lie
in the shattered remains of the FDR,
323
00:20:01,435 --> 00:20:03,270
the Flight Data Recorder.
324
00:20:04,805 --> 00:20:07,258
DENNIS (off-screen): The internal magazine
that held the tape was the
325
00:20:07,341 --> 00:20:10,077
only part that was actually recovered.
326
00:20:10,210 --> 00:20:12,813
The rest was, was not recovered.
327
00:20:15,482 --> 00:20:19,653
NARRATOR: Worse still, almost all the tape
that records data is gone,
328
00:20:19,786 --> 00:20:22,904
torn from the machine when
it slammed into the ground.
329
00:20:23,690 --> 00:20:26,410
DENNIS: This was the worst
damage I've ever seen.
330
00:20:26,493 --> 00:20:29,480
NARRATOR: Grossi examines a
critical part of the recorder,
331
00:20:29,563 --> 00:20:32,858
the tape heads that lay down
data onto the magnetic tape.
332
00:20:33,534 --> 00:20:36,970
He finds a tiny piece of
recording tape has survived.
333
00:20:37,938 --> 00:20:40,558
DENNIS (off-screen): The magazine didn't
survive and the tape itself
334
00:20:40,641 --> 00:20:45,445
was destroyed except for about a
six to eight inch piece of tape
335
00:20:45,579 --> 00:20:49,216
that ran around the recording
heads and the capstan.
336
00:20:50,250 --> 00:20:52,736
NARRATOR: With such a short
piece of tape, it's doubtful
337
00:20:52,819 --> 00:20:55,702
there will be any useful
information on it at all.
338
00:21:00,627 --> 00:21:03,314
DENNIS: We worked real hard at
trying to get all the data that
339
00:21:03,397 --> 00:21:05,868
we could off of that little piece of tape.
340
00:21:07,601 --> 00:21:09,687
NARRATOR: Investigators in California
341
00:21:09,770 --> 00:21:12,272
finally find what
they've been hunting for,
342
00:21:13,740 --> 00:21:14,975
the barrel of a gun.
343
00:21:16,777 --> 00:21:20,164
BOB: The gun was found by one of
the FBI agents uh pretty much
344
00:21:20,247 --> 00:21:22,836
in the middle of where
the aircraft impacted.
345
00:21:23,183 --> 00:21:25,269
RICHARD (off-screen): We were very, very
fortunate when we found the gun.
346
00:21:25,352 --> 00:21:28,188
It was an unbelievable stroke of luck.
347
00:21:28,722 --> 00:21:30,374
NARRATOR: It's not just any gun.
348
00:21:30,457 --> 00:21:32,659
It's a 44 caliber Magnum.
349
00:21:34,595 --> 00:21:39,399
RICHARD: The 44 Magnum was considered the
most powerful handgun that you can have.
350
00:21:40,834 --> 00:21:42,853
NARRATOR: But the barrel
alone isn't enough.
351
00:21:42,936 --> 00:21:44,878
They need the rest of the weapon.
352
00:21:52,346 --> 00:21:58,352
Fortunately, they find it, the cylinder
with six spent cartridges.
353
00:21:59,887 --> 00:22:03,474
RICHARD (off-screen): Its
frame was very powerfully constructed so
354
00:22:03,557 --> 00:22:08,495
for it to tear the barrel off just
suggests the power of the crash impact.
355
00:22:11,565 --> 00:22:14,977
NARRATOR: The shattered pistol
leads to a morbid discovery.
356
00:22:16,537 --> 00:22:18,456
BOB (off-screen): When we found
what was left of the gun, there
357
00:22:18,539 --> 00:22:22,598
was a portion of the finger between
the trigger and the trigger guard.
358
00:22:22,809 --> 00:22:25,809
That went back to the FBI
lab at Quantico, Virginia.
359
00:22:27,214 --> 00:22:30,534
NARRATOR: Lab analysis may
help solve a mystery that hangs
360
00:22:30,617 --> 00:22:32,382
over the entire investigation.
361
00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:38,492
The FBI has a weapon,
a crime scene and 42 murder victims.
362
00:22:39,159 --> 00:22:44,498
What's missing is proof of the identity
of the 43rd person onboard, the killer.
363
00:22:45,299 --> 00:22:48,319
RICHARD (over TV): We uh in
our investigation today here at the site
364
00:22:48,402 --> 00:22:53,674
have located a weapon and that
weapon is going to be examined
365
00:22:53,807 --> 00:22:56,777
and of course any
connection between it and the
366
00:22:56,910 --> 00:22:59,780
crime will be more fully developed.
367
00:23:00,914 --> 00:23:03,617
RICHARD: We needed to determine
a motive
368
00:23:03,750 --> 00:23:06,887
for why someone would do such a thing.
369
00:23:07,454 --> 00:23:09,607
Somebody would have had
to fire those gunshots
370
00:23:09,690 --> 00:23:11,808
and there had to be a reason for it.
371
00:23:14,428 --> 00:23:17,664
INVESTIGATOR: It's part of a
seat and part of the frame.
372
00:23:19,233 --> 00:23:21,986
BOB: Really as far as the investigation on
scene,
373
00:23:22,069 --> 00:23:26,640
it's, it's totally NTSB as far as
the kicking the tin if you will
374
00:23:26,773 --> 00:23:31,812
uh but we were able to answer
questions that might arise from
375
00:23:31,945 --> 00:23:33,998
the FBI investigation on the scene.
376
00:23:34,081 --> 00:23:37,501
As I say, they don't have the expertise
to know what to look for
377
00:23:37,584 --> 00:23:41,138
but from the criminal aspects of it,
they certainly know what to ask about.
378
00:23:41,221 --> 00:23:42,573
NARRATOR: At the crash site,
379
00:23:42,656 --> 00:23:45,609
the NTSB has recovered a piece of wreckage
that could help explain
380
00:23:45,692 --> 00:23:51,164
what happened on flight 1771,
a fragment of a passenger seat.
381
00:23:52,266 --> 00:23:55,914
RICHARD: We actually
found a seat that had a bullet hole in it.
382
00:23:56,870 --> 00:24:00,374
NARRATOR: If they can determine exactly
where the seat was located
383
00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:02,609
then PSA's passenger seating records
384
00:24:02,743 --> 00:24:05,496
could give investigators the name
of another one of the victims shot
385
00:24:05,579 --> 00:24:07,214
before the plane went down.
386
00:24:08,282 --> 00:24:10,050
(gunshots)
387
00:24:16,356 --> 00:24:18,559
Dennis Grossi has done all he can
388
00:24:18,759 --> 00:24:21,078
to salvage data from the
small fragment of tape recovered
389
00:24:21,161 --> 00:24:22,926
from the flight data recorder.
390
00:24:23,730 --> 00:24:27,467
DENNIS: I was able to decode
that little strip of tape
391
00:24:27,601 --> 00:24:29,803
and I got the last seconds.
392
00:24:31,772 --> 00:24:35,676
{\an8}NARRATOR: It does contain data,
but only six seconds worth.
393
00:24:40,314 --> 00:24:42,800
Investigators learn that in
its final moments
394
00:24:42,883 --> 00:24:45,102
the aircraft was operating
normally with no
395
00:24:45,185 --> 00:24:48,956
mechanical problems, except for one thing.
396
00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:55,529
Someone had pushed
the control column forward,
397
00:24:56,363 --> 00:24:58,899
forcing the plane into a steep dive.
398
00:25:01,902 --> 00:25:04,608
The aircraft accelerated
to the speed of sound.
399
00:25:05,372 --> 00:25:06,773
(explosion)
400
00:25:06,907 --> 00:25:10,849
BOB: It went from 22,000 feet with cruise
power in all four engines.
401
00:25:14,548 --> 00:25:17,301
NARRATOR: Investigators now
understand why only very small
402
00:25:17,384 --> 00:25:20,149
pieces of wreckage were
found at the crash site.
403
00:25:20,888 --> 00:25:23,641
DENNIS: When the aircraft hit at
such a high speed,
404
00:25:23,724 --> 00:25:28,095
it impacted and basically compressed
the earth and then,
405
00:25:28,228 --> 00:25:31,965
then it released and it blew everything
back out of the hole.
406
00:25:32,766 --> 00:25:34,685
NARRATOR: The heavy impact propelled
407
00:25:34,768 --> 00:25:36,954
some debris straight back
into the air before it
408
00:25:37,037 --> 00:25:38,979
could be singed by the explosion.
409
00:25:39,873 --> 00:25:41,358
DENNIS (off-screen): All the
light material,
410
00:25:41,441 --> 00:25:44,311
all of the paper on the aircraft, any uh,
411
00:25:44,444 --> 00:25:47,098
any of the insulation material
on the aircraft,
412
00:25:47,181 --> 00:25:49,917
all that light stuff got
blown up into the air
413
00:25:50,050 --> 00:25:53,587
and then the wind carried
it for I believe miles.
414
00:25:55,956 --> 00:25:58,375
NARRATOR: The fact that the
plane was forced into a dive
415
00:25:58,458 --> 00:26:02,229
explains why PSA 1771 crashed so quickly.
416
00:26:03,997 --> 00:26:07,409
It also adds even greater urgency to
the FBI investigation.
417
00:26:09,870 --> 00:26:13,224
Since it was almost certainly the killer's
hand on the controls,
418
00:26:13,307 --> 00:26:17,110
this is now the worst mass
murder in California history.
419
00:26:19,479 --> 00:26:24,235
But investigators still don't have enough
evidence to be certain who the killer was,
420
00:26:24,318 --> 00:26:26,119
nor who he was trying to kill.
421
00:26:28,488 --> 00:26:32,018
Was it the work of a madman who
wanted to commit mass murder?
422
00:26:34,928 --> 00:26:39,032
Or, did the killer target one
particular passenger and coldly
423
00:26:39,166 --> 00:26:41,702
sacrifice everyone else on board?
424
00:26:54,414 --> 00:26:57,168
NARRATOR: The FBI investigation
into the onboard shooting
425
00:26:57,251 --> 00:26:59,653
and fatal crash of PSA flight 1771
426
00:26:59,820 --> 00:27:02,489
has uncovered a lapse in security at LAX.
427
00:27:03,223 --> 00:27:06,459
It may explain how a gun was
smuggled onto the aircraft.
428
00:27:07,261 --> 00:27:09,780
RICHARD: Any number of people
in the airport could bypass
429
00:27:09,863 --> 00:27:12,249
{\an8}the security screening that was going on.
430
00:27:12,332 --> 00:27:15,486
{\an8}NARRATOR: Agent Bretzing learns
that airline employees with
431
00:27:15,569 --> 00:27:19,773
valid identification are allowed
to bypass security at LAX.
432
00:27:21,108 --> 00:27:24,244
{\an8}ROBERT: What they had set up
is a bypass
433
00:27:24,378 --> 00:27:26,497
for crew members and airport employees,
434
00:27:26,580 --> 00:27:29,051
actually anybody that
had the proper badge.
435
00:27:29,183 --> 00:27:31,469
You would show your badge and
they would allow you to bypass
436
00:27:31,552 --> 00:27:34,023
both the metal detector
and the X-ray unit.
437
00:27:34,888 --> 00:27:37,491
RICHARD: It was a
big uh loophole.
438
00:27:38,926 --> 00:27:41,378
NARRATOR: Bretzing knows
the killer was a man.
439
00:27:41,461 --> 00:27:44,531
And from flight 1771's passenger manifest,
440
00:27:44,665 --> 00:27:46,717
he can see that there
were four male passengers who
441
00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:51,371
worked for either Pacific Southwest or its
parent airline, US Air.
442
00:27:58,979 --> 00:28:00,862
RICHARD: It's one of these guys.
443
00:28:01,415 --> 00:28:06,520
ROBERT: We suppose that he did in fact
bypass security carrying the weapon.
444
00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:15,679
NARRATOR: Investigators need to
prove conclusively
445
00:28:15,762 --> 00:28:17,764
who smuggled the gun on board.
446
00:28:21,301 --> 00:28:23,270
At the FBI laboratory,
447
00:28:23,570 --> 00:28:27,975
forensic specialists analyze the piece
of skin found in the trigger guard.
448
00:28:31,378 --> 00:28:35,143
A technician is able to get a fingerprint
from the skin fragment.
449
00:28:35,983 --> 00:28:40,621
In search of a match, he compares the
print to those on file for the four male
450
00:28:40,754 --> 00:28:43,284
passengers who could
have bypassed security.
451
00:28:49,296 --> 00:28:50,697
And he finds a match.
452
00:28:51,698 --> 00:28:53,918
RICHARD: There was enough of the
forefinger that they were able
453
00:28:54,001 --> 00:28:57,004
to peel open and then match it.
454
00:28:57,838 --> 00:29:01,191
NARRATOR: Just days after the
crash that claimed 43 lives,
455
00:29:01,275 --> 00:29:04,411
the FBI has positively
identified their killer.
456
00:29:05,245 --> 00:29:08,069
{\an8}BOB: That was a key element
in the investigation.
457
00:29:08,382 --> 00:29:10,324
{\an8}NARRATOR: His name
is David Burke.
458
00:29:14,388 --> 00:29:16,841
RICHARD (off-screen): David
Burke cleaned the airline.
459
00:29:16,924 --> 00:29:19,210
He was one of those employees
who would go in
460
00:29:19,293 --> 00:29:21,812
after it landed
and help clean up the inside.
461
00:29:21,895 --> 00:29:23,714
NARRATOR: Investigators now know
462
00:29:23,797 --> 00:29:27,401
David Burke smuggled
a gun onboard flight 1771.
463
00:29:27,568 --> 00:29:30,370
What they now need to explain is why.
464
00:29:32,406 --> 00:29:34,391
RICHARD: A motive gives
you understanding.
465
00:29:34,474 --> 00:29:37,578
It helps to develop a
full mosaic of the crime.
466
00:29:37,711 --> 00:29:42,749
Knowing the motive you're able to
conclusively determine what happened.
467
00:29:44,318 --> 00:29:46,370
NARRATOR: Day three
at the crash site.
468
00:29:46,453 --> 00:29:49,571
Still sifting through the
strewn remains of the plane,
469
00:29:49,690 --> 00:29:51,308
investigators uncover a bizarre
470
00:29:51,391 --> 00:29:55,229
but telling piece of evidence,
one that points directly to
471
00:29:55,362 --> 00:29:57,598
the motive behind David Burke's crime.
472
00:29:58,799 --> 00:30:03,354
RICHARD: During the search, one of our
people found an air sickness bag and knew
473
00:30:03,437 --> 00:30:06,673
immediately that it was a
pertinent piece to the puzzle.
474
00:30:08,141 --> 00:30:11,671
NARRATOR: Because he pushed the
plane into such a steep dive,
475
00:30:14,081 --> 00:30:17,905
Burke unwittingly ensured that the vital
clue could be discovered.
476
00:30:20,387 --> 00:30:24,892
RICHARD: The uh air sickness bag had
a very ominous message penned on it.
477
00:30:26,493 --> 00:30:30,199
NARRATOR: Burke had written the
unsigned note during the flight.
478
00:30:32,032 --> 00:30:34,738
He expressed a grudge
against a man called Ray.
479
00:30:37,638 --> 00:30:38,839
RICHARD: Hi, Ray.
480
00:30:38,972 --> 00:30:42,476
I think it's sort of ironical
that we end up like this.
481
00:30:43,443 --> 00:30:46,446
I asked for some leniency
for my family, remember?
482
00:30:47,514 --> 00:30:49,850
Well I got none and you'll get none.
483
00:30:51,385 --> 00:30:55,209
That was the message that we recovered
from that air sickness bag.
484
00:30:55,756 --> 00:30:58,309
NARRATOR: The airsickness bag is the
conclusive clue
485
00:30:58,392 --> 00:30:59,643
they've been searching for,
486
00:30:59,726 --> 00:31:02,432
the clue that establishes
David Burke's motive.
487
00:31:12,639 --> 00:31:17,511
The Ray in the note is identified
as airline station manager Ray Thompson.
488
00:31:20,147 --> 00:31:22,950
He worked for PSA's
parent company, US Air.
489
00:31:24,218 --> 00:31:26,987
He was also David Burke's former boss.
490
00:31:28,422 --> 00:31:30,717
RICHARD: Ray Thomson
was the supervisor.
491
00:31:31,825 --> 00:31:35,713
NARRATOR: By now, Bretzing has also
learned that Burke had a troubled history,
492
00:31:35,796 --> 00:31:38,265
both with the company and with the law.
493
00:31:39,933 --> 00:31:42,553
REPORTER (over TV): Burke had
worked for US Air for 14 years,
494
00:31:42,636 --> 00:31:45,578
most of them at the airport in
Rochester, New York.
495
00:31:45,672 --> 00:31:48,308
BOB: Uh there was allegations of,
496
00:31:48,442 --> 00:31:50,761
of criminal activity when
he was back in Rochester.
497
00:31:50,844 --> 00:31:53,030
REPORTER (over TV): Burke was someone they
had watched carefully
498
00:31:53,113 --> 00:31:55,315
for narcotic trafficking and larceny.
499
00:31:55,449 --> 00:31:57,401
NARRATOR: Allegations that
Burke smuggled cocaine
500
00:31:57,484 --> 00:32:00,020
on commercial flights were never proven.
501
00:32:00,988 --> 00:32:03,874
DALE: Well basically he just apparently
stayed one step ahead of us but,
502
00:32:03,957 --> 00:32:05,976
but the bottom line is
that he wasn't charged.
503
00:32:06,059 --> 00:32:08,829
BOB: He moved to the west coast
504
00:32:08,962 --> 00:32:12,216
presumably to kind of get away
from the heat if you would.
505
00:32:12,299 --> 00:32:16,417
{\an8}NARRATOR: But three weeks before the crash
Burke ran into more trouble.
506
00:32:23,610 --> 00:32:26,363
He was fired from the company
after being caught on tape
507
00:32:26,446 --> 00:32:29,183
helping himself to the
in-flight bar proceeds.
508
00:32:30,284 --> 00:32:33,170
RICHARD (off-screen): He had stolen some
money from the fund that the
509
00:32:33,253 --> 00:32:36,456
flight attendants use when
they're making change and
510
00:32:36,590 --> 00:32:39,326
he had stolen what amounted to $69
511
00:32:41,161 --> 00:32:44,103
and this was the straw that
broke the camel's back.
512
00:32:45,265 --> 00:32:50,030
NARRATOR: Three weeks after being fired,
Burke was given an opportunity to appeal.
513
00:32:51,138 --> 00:32:55,315
ROBERT: Mr. Burke had been terminated
several weeks prior to the flight.
514
00:32:56,476 --> 00:32:58,359
RAY: Thanks for
coming in, David.
515
00:32:58,445 --> 00:33:02,533
ROBERT: He then came back for an appeal
hearing on the day of the flight.
516
00:33:02,616 --> 00:33:04,268
RAY: I've reviewed your file.
517
00:33:04,351 --> 00:33:06,763
RICHARD: He was
terminated by Ray Thomson.
518
00:33:07,554 --> 00:33:10,123
RAY: Your appeal
it's been denied.
519
00:33:11,959 --> 00:33:16,380
NARRATOR: Under intense financial pressure
Burke was near the end of his rope.
520
00:33:16,463 --> 00:33:18,249
DAVID: Why you gotta
be such a jerk?
521
00:33:18,332 --> 00:33:22,269
RICHARD: That termination
interview was, was not a, a placid one.
522
00:33:22,870 --> 00:33:27,040
RAY: My decision's
final, Mr. Burke.
523
00:33:28,008 --> 00:33:30,143
DAVID: Thank you very much.
524
00:33:30,611 --> 00:33:32,663
NARRATOR: As he left Thomson's office,
525
00:33:32,746 --> 00:33:35,805
Burke made a remark that
hinted at plans for revenge.
526
00:33:36,183 --> 00:33:40,125
RICHARD: The secretary had said
"David, I hope you have a nice day."
527
00:33:40,220 --> 00:33:45,592
And David Burke, the suspect, paused
at the door, turned to her and said...
528
00:33:45,726 --> 00:33:48,896
DAVID: Oh I plan to
have a very nice day.
529
00:33:49,196 --> 00:33:51,615
BOB (off-screen): When
he was fired he still had his credentials.
530
00:33:51,698 --> 00:33:53,584
You gotta remember, this was 1987.
531
00:33:53,667 --> 00:33:56,550
Security was a whole lot
different than it is now.
532
00:33:59,006 --> 00:34:00,524
RICHARD: What have
you got there?
533
00:34:00,607 --> 00:34:02,359
NARRATOR: Investigators now know
534
00:34:02,442 --> 00:34:04,895
that in the days leading up to
the crash David Burke went from
535
00:34:04,978 --> 00:34:08,882
aggrieved ex-employee to a
man coldly planning murder.
536
00:34:13,554 --> 00:34:15,856
Now they need to find out all they can
537
00:34:15,989 --> 00:34:18,519
about his movements
on the day of the crash.
538
00:34:19,193 --> 00:34:21,958
RICHARD: What can you
tell me about David Burke?
539
00:34:25,766 --> 00:34:27,818
NARRATOR: After his meeting
with Thomson,
540
00:34:27,901 --> 00:34:31,004
he went to his
locker, possibly to get the gun.
541
00:34:33,774 --> 00:34:34,992
RICHARD (off-screen): But he went to
his locker
542
00:34:35,075 --> 00:34:37,546
the day of that flight prior
to the flight.
543
00:34:38,312 --> 00:34:43,183
Whether he retrieved his gun from
the locker or not, we are not, not sure.
544
00:34:45,285 --> 00:34:47,738
NARRATOR: Instead of returning
to the office,
545
00:34:47,821 --> 00:34:51,525
Burke decided to
buy a ticket for flight 1771,
546
00:34:51,658 --> 00:34:54,070
a flight he knew Ray Thomson would be on.
547
00:34:55,095 --> 00:34:57,448
RICHARD: Ray Thomson lived
in San Francisco
548
00:34:57,531 --> 00:34:59,583
and he flew regularly on that flight to
549
00:34:59,666 --> 00:35:02,314
return to San Francisco
at the end of the day.
550
00:35:02,703 --> 00:35:04,488
It was common knowledge
among the employees that
551
00:35:04,571 --> 00:35:07,160
Ray Thomson would be on
that, on that flight.
552
00:35:08,408 --> 00:35:11,896
NARRATOR: Why Burke opted to kill so many
others along with his former boss is
553
00:35:11,979 --> 00:35:14,509
a question that defies
rational explanation.
554
00:35:16,149 --> 00:35:20,320
RICHARD: The average person
certainly would not act with the
555
00:35:20,454 --> 00:35:25,626
rage and the vengeance that had to consume
David Burke prior to this act.
556
00:35:26,460 --> 00:35:28,262
One can only imagine that
557
00:35:28,395 --> 00:35:31,682
there must have been something
else wrong with David Burke.
558
00:35:31,765 --> 00:35:37,304
ROBERT: He just decided to take it out as
an act of revenge against a company
559
00:35:37,437 --> 00:35:41,555
and I don't know that there's any other
motivation we can come up with.
560
00:35:42,309 --> 00:35:46,721
NARRATOR: It's clear Burke's attack
on flight 1771 was meticulously planned.
561
00:35:49,883 --> 00:35:54,555
But exactly how events unfolded once
his rampage began is still uncertain.
562
00:36:02,162 --> 00:36:05,574
NTSB investigators have provided
a big piece of the puzzle.
563
00:36:06,934 --> 00:36:08,586
They've been able to match up
564
00:36:08,669 --> 00:36:10,855
the bullet-punctured seat
fragment with an exact onboard
565
00:36:10,938 --> 00:36:14,208
location, row four, seat C.
566
00:36:17,144 --> 00:36:21,215
Records show that on flight 1771
that seat was unoccupied
567
00:36:22,916 --> 00:36:25,402
but the seat directly
in front of that empty seat,
568
00:36:25,485 --> 00:36:28,655
was occupied, by Ray Thomson.
569
00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:37,231
The finding points to the sheer power
of Burke's 44 caliber handgun.
570
00:36:38,365 --> 00:36:42,202
His first two shots pierced
not one but two airline seats.
571
00:36:42,936 --> 00:36:45,005
(gunshots)
572
00:36:46,039 --> 00:36:48,442
RICHARD: The bullet hole would
have been
573
00:36:48,609 --> 00:36:50,995
uh made as the bullet
passed through Ray Thomson and
574
00:36:51,078 --> 00:36:54,078
then entered that seat and
left a bullet hole there.
575
00:36:54,448 --> 00:36:56,183
(gunshots)
576
00:36:57,618 --> 00:37:00,438
NARRATOR: They now know that
Burke shot at least four people
577
00:37:00,521 --> 00:37:03,690
during his rage-filled assault
on flight 1771,
578
00:37:03,824 --> 00:37:06,627
Ray Thomson and three crew members.
579
00:37:08,228 --> 00:37:10,264
That accounts for five shots,
580
00:37:10,931 --> 00:37:13,734
but investigators
heard six shots on the tape.
581
00:37:14,401 --> 00:37:16,225
They must account for them all.
582
00:37:21,708 --> 00:37:25,473
{\an8}The gunshot sounds were picked up
by a microphone in the cockpit.
583
00:37:27,181 --> 00:37:30,651
(gunshots)
584
00:37:30,784 --> 00:37:33,314
By comparing the sound pattern
of each shot,
585
00:37:33,820 --> 00:37:38,585
investigators can determine if they were
fired the cockpit or the passenger cabin.
586
00:37:42,095 --> 00:37:43,330
(gunshot)
587
00:37:43,463 --> 00:37:47,585
RICHARD: The shots that were fired in
the uh in the plane, not in the cockpit
588
00:37:47,668 --> 00:37:50,492
but in the plane were, were
distinct but muffled.
589
00:37:51,672 --> 00:37:54,024
NARRATOR: Other shots
were louder and clearer,
590
00:37:54,107 --> 00:37:57,343
indicating they were fired
closer to the CVR microphone.
591
00:38:01,114 --> 00:38:04,879
RICHARD: The shots that were fired
in the cockpit were very loud.
592
00:38:05,018 --> 00:38:07,204
We had three shots that were
fired outside the cockpit and
593
00:38:07,287 --> 00:38:09,573
three shots that were
fired inside the cockpit.
594
00:38:09,656 --> 00:38:12,910
{\an8}NARRATOR: Investigators don't know
who was shot with the final bullet,
595
00:38:12,993 --> 00:38:15,111
{\an8}just that it was fired in the cabin.
596
00:38:16,630 --> 00:38:19,817
{\an8}It's enough for them to finally
piece together a picture of the
597
00:38:19,900 --> 00:38:24,037
{\an8}horrific final moments onboard PSA 1771.
598
00:38:27,975 --> 00:38:33,380
♪ ♪
599
00:38:34,181 --> 00:38:35,649
RAY: What the hell?
600
00:38:36,650 --> 00:38:39,603
RICHARD: You can imagine what
Ray Thomson must have thought
601
00:38:39,686 --> 00:38:44,892
as this person whom he had just
terminated a few hours before
602
00:38:45,025 --> 00:38:49,630
{\an8}walks past him in the airline,
hands him this note and then
603
00:38:49,763 --> 00:38:51,932
{\an8}probably goes into the men's room.
604
00:38:52,533 --> 00:38:56,470
And he's reading this note
with its ominous message.
605
00:38:57,671 --> 00:39:01,436
NARRATOR: Next, they hear the sound
of the lavatory door opening.
606
00:39:05,979 --> 00:39:10,101
RICHARD (off-screen): So we're, we're
assuming that he handed Ray the note
607
00:39:10,184 --> 00:39:15,255
went into the restroom where he
took out the gun, came back out,
608
00:39:15,389 --> 00:39:18,389
we heard the door close again
just before the shots.
609
00:39:21,361 --> 00:39:22,796
DAVID: Ray!
610
00:39:22,930 --> 00:39:23,931
(gunshots)
611
00:39:24,398 --> 00:39:29,220
RICHARD: Ray Thomson probably has the most
merciful of all the deaths on that plane.
612
00:39:29,303 --> 00:39:33,357
NARRATOR: In less than a minute,
a routine flight has become a nightmare.
613
00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:34,592
FLIGHT ATTENDANT (off-screen):
There's a problem captain.
614
00:39:34,675 --> 00:39:36,227
GREGG (off-screen):
What's the problem?
615
00:39:36,310 --> 00:39:37,311
(gunshot)
616
00:39:37,444 --> 00:39:38,929
RICHARD (off-screen):
He was very careful.
617
00:39:39,012 --> 00:39:43,550
He had done the planning
this far fairly well and uh we believe he,
618
00:39:43,684 --> 00:39:45,636
he followed through with that plan.
619
00:39:45,719 --> 00:39:47,104
DAVID (off-screen):
I'm the problem.
620
00:39:47,187 --> 00:39:48,622
(gunshots)
621
00:39:49,723 --> 00:39:53,093
(screaming)
622
00:39:53,227 --> 00:39:57,364
RICHARD: It wouldn't take much
knowledge or experience on a
623
00:39:57,497 --> 00:40:01,201
passenger part to know that they
were in deep, deep trouble.
624
00:40:05,472 --> 00:40:06,690
FLIGHT ATTENDANT: There's
a problem captain.
625
00:40:06,773 --> 00:40:07,841
(gunshot)
626
00:40:07,975 --> 00:40:09,727
NARRATOR: After
shooting his former boss
627
00:40:09,810 --> 00:40:12,112
(gunshots)
628
00:40:12,246 --> 00:40:13,747
and three crew members,
629
00:40:14,314 --> 00:40:18,719
David Burke pushed flight 1771 into a dive
and left the cockpit.
630
00:40:20,220 --> 00:40:23,374
The airline's chief pilot was
now the only person onboard who
631
00:40:23,457 --> 00:40:25,634
could pull the plane out of the dive.
632
00:40:26,827 --> 00:40:29,380
RICHARD: An off duty pilot may
have been moving himself forward
633
00:40:29,463 --> 00:40:32,346
to try to render whatever
assistance he could once
634
00:40:32,466 --> 00:40:35,202
he realized something
drastic was happening.
635
00:40:35,736 --> 00:40:36,887
PILOT: What the
hell are you doing?
636
00:40:36,970 --> 00:40:38,422
You gotta let me in there.
637
00:40:38,505 --> 00:40:40,574
Don't do this.
Come on.
638
00:40:40,707 --> 00:40:42,193
NARRATOR: But Burke
had one bullet left.
639
00:40:42,276 --> 00:40:44,276
PILOT: What the
hell are you doing?
640
00:40:44,845 --> 00:40:47,665
RICHARD (off-screen): That may have
accounted for the sixth shot.
641
00:40:47,748 --> 00:40:51,569
There are some who speculate that
David Burke was taking his own life.
642
00:40:51,652 --> 00:40:53,535
The evidence suggests otherwise.
643
00:40:54,154 --> 00:40:57,958
Had David Burke been taking his
own life, the gun would have
644
00:40:58,091 --> 00:41:00,827
fallen from his hand after
he had shot himself.
645
00:41:01,428 --> 00:41:03,914
NARRATOR: But since a fragment
of Burke's fingertip was recovered
646
00:41:03,997 --> 00:41:05,350
from the trigger guard,
647
00:41:05,499 --> 00:41:08,853
Bretzing reasons that the killer
was alive, holding onto the gun,
648
00:41:08,936 --> 00:41:10,938
until the very moment of impact.
649
00:41:11,605 --> 00:41:16,643
(alarms sounding)
650
00:41:17,678 --> 00:41:21,031
RICHARD (off-screen): Alarms
were sounding in the cockpit.
651
00:41:21,248 --> 00:41:25,085
There was increased noise
of the plane plummeting
652
00:41:27,087 --> 00:41:29,206
and just before impact it became silent.
653
00:41:29,289 --> 00:41:32,407
They tell us that it actually
broke the sound barrier.
654
00:41:34,561 --> 00:41:36,914
Of course, it would have been
a horrifying experience,
655
00:41:36,997 --> 00:41:39,174
the final few seconds of their lives.
656
00:41:40,934 --> 00:41:45,539
NARRATOR: One man's rage meant two minutes
of pure terror for 42 people.
657
00:41:48,809 --> 00:41:51,478
(explosion)
658
00:41:57,484 --> 00:42:00,104
REPORTER (over TV): The FBI believes
one man was responsible
659
00:42:00,187 --> 00:42:04,558
for the crash of PSA flight 1771 in
the hills of San Luis Obispo County,
660
00:42:04,691 --> 00:42:07,494
in which all 43 onboard were killed.
661
00:42:07,861 --> 00:42:10,448
RICHARD (over TV): With all of the
evidence that we have recovered here
662
00:42:10,531 --> 00:42:13,901
that we would have more
than sufficient to charge
663
00:42:14,034 --> 00:42:19,373
David Burke with the violation
of the air piracy statute.
664
00:42:20,240 --> 00:42:22,770
NARRATOR: The unprecedented
crime is solved.
665
00:42:23,377 --> 00:42:26,664
But aviation authorities are
left with a troubling question:
666
00:42:26,747 --> 00:42:28,382
Could it happen again?
667
00:42:31,385 --> 00:42:36,390
The tragedy of flight 1771 provoked action
from the Federal Aviation Administration.
668
00:42:37,391 --> 00:42:39,610
The body that regulates
the airline industry
669
00:42:39,693 --> 00:42:42,196
took urgent measures to tighten security.
670
00:42:43,931 --> 00:42:50,270
ROBERT: The FAA came out and, and, uh,
canceled the bypass authority
671
00:42:50,404 --> 00:42:53,774
so therefore air crews and
employees would have to go
672
00:42:53,907 --> 00:42:56,961
through the normal screening,
as any passenger would.
673
00:42:57,044 --> 00:43:01,682
BOB: Now it's uh it's required that, uh,
any employee that leaves an airline,
674
00:43:01,815 --> 00:43:04,502
whether they've been fired or
quit or retired or whatever,
675
00:43:04,585 --> 00:43:07,004
must turn their credentials
in immediately.
676
00:43:07,087 --> 00:43:10,307
Getting on an aircraft with a gun now,
I won't say that it's impossible,
677
00:43:10,390 --> 00:43:13,227
but it's, it's next to impossible.
678
00:43:15,429 --> 00:43:17,515
NARRATOR: But the new measures
would not prevent
679
00:43:17,598 --> 00:43:20,010
the world's deadliest hijacking incident.
680
00:43:23,136 --> 00:43:27,441
The 9/11 attacks would usher in
sweeping new airline security procedures.
681
00:43:28,775 --> 00:43:33,113
ROBERT: After 9/11, several security gaps
were certainly plugged.
682
00:43:34,481 --> 00:43:36,500
NARRATOR: There are now
federal air marshals
683
00:43:36,583 --> 00:43:38,752
onboard many domestic US flights.
684
00:43:40,387 --> 00:43:43,917
ROBERT: These are armed officers
on flights in plain clothes.
685
00:43:44,625 --> 00:43:47,845
NARRATOR: Cockpit doors have
been reinforced with Kevlar and
686
00:43:47,928 --> 00:43:50,364
they stay locked throughout all flights.
687
00:43:51,598 --> 00:43:54,218
ROBERT: The doors are built so that
they're very hard to get through.
688
00:43:54,301 --> 00:43:55,886
They're ballistically sound.
689
00:43:55,969 --> 00:43:59,290
If David Burke was on a plane today,
when he got to the cockpit,
690
00:43:59,373 --> 00:44:03,577
he couldn't have gotten
in with the weapon he had
691
00:44:03,710 --> 00:44:07,614
so he would have been able to
still uh injure or kill people
692
00:44:07,748 --> 00:44:11,043
in the back but he could not
have brought the plane down.
693
00:44:11,485 --> 00:44:16,250
NARRATOR: Finally, many domestic airline
pilots are now allowed to carry firearms.
694
00:44:19,726 --> 00:44:23,530
All of these measures have made
flying safer, but nothing can
695
00:44:23,664 --> 00:44:26,723
completely eliminate the risk
of another David Burke.
696
00:44:28,268 --> 00:44:32,706
ROBERT: Well in my view, aviation security
has been heightened tremendously
697
00:44:34,208 --> 00:44:38,779
but we still have a ways to go
and aviation will always be a target.
698
00:44:45,886 --> 00:44:48,188
(music plays through credits)