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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:07,474 --> 00:00:11,244 [downbeat music] 2 00:00:11,244 --> 00:00:13,079 We just lost 1 and 2. 3 00:00:13,079 --> 00:00:16,349 NARRATOR: All four engines shut down on a jet headed 4 00:00:16,349 --> 00:00:17,684 straight for a US suburb. 5 00:00:17,684 --> 00:00:19,419 [suspenseful music] 6 00:00:19,419 --> 00:00:21,254 Takes a few things to make an engine run, and one of them 7 00:00:21,254 --> 00:00:22,255 is fuel. 8 00:00:22,255 --> 00:00:23,623 Everyone, we're about to evacuate the plane. 9 00:00:23,623 --> 00:00:24,691 Remain calm. 10 00:00:24,691 --> 00:00:26,192 [suspenseful music] 11 00:00:26,192 --> 00:00:28,695 NARRATOR: In Japan, a plane catches fire 12 00:00:28,695 --> 00:00:32,665 with all 165 passengers and crew still onboard. 13 00:00:32,665 --> 00:00:34,834 The only time you have too much fuel 14 00:00:34,834 --> 00:00:37,504 onboard the aircraft is when you're on fire. 15 00:00:37,504 --> 00:00:39,506 We just lost an engine! 16 00:00:39,506 --> 00:00:41,241 Hang on. 17 00:00:41,241 --> 00:00:42,475 [suspenseful music] 18 00:00:42,475 --> 00:00:45,645 NARRATOR: And the crew of a 737 is forced to make a crash 19 00:00:45,645 --> 00:00:47,280 landing in the Amazon Jungle. 20 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,583 Something is very, very, very wrong here. 21 00:00:50,583 --> 00:00:52,285 [suspenseful music] 22 00:00:52,285 --> 00:00:55,522 NARRATOR: Three mysterious accidents send investigators 23 00:00:55,522 --> 00:00:56,589 hunting for clues. 24 00:00:56,589 --> 00:01:00,226 [suspenseful music] 25 00:01:00,226 --> 00:01:04,898 Is it possible these tragedies all share the same cause? 26 00:01:04,898 --> 00:01:06,699 WOMAN (VOICEOVER): Ladies and gentlemen, 27 00:01:06,699 --> 00:01:07,901 we are starting our approach. 28 00:01:07,901 --> 00:01:08,802 MAN (VOICEOVER): We lost both engines. 29 00:01:08,802 --> 00:01:10,437 WOMAN (VOICEOVER): --emergency liftoff. 30 00:01:10,437 --> 00:01:11,638 MAN (VOICEOVER): Mayday, mayday. 31 00:01:11,638 --> 00:01:13,406 WOMAN (VOICEOVER): Brace for impact! 32 00:01:13,406 --> 00:01:14,574 [shattering] 33 00:01:14,574 --> 00:01:15,775 MAN (VOICEOVER): I think I lost one. 34 00:01:15,775 --> 00:01:16,910 MAN (VOICEOVER): Investigation starting-- 35 00:01:16,910 --> 00:01:19,245 MAN (VOICEOVER): He's gonna crash! 36 00:01:19,245 --> 00:01:21,815 [air whooshing] 37 00:01:23,383 --> 00:01:26,553 [downbeat music] 38 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:29,823 [air whooshing] 39 00:01:29,823 --> 00:01:32,559 NARRATOR: United Airlines Flight 173 40 00:01:32,559 --> 00:01:36,396 is 22 miles away from Portland International Airport. 41 00:01:36,396 --> 00:01:37,831 [downbeat music] 42 00:01:37,831 --> 00:01:40,633 The 189 passengers onboard are returning 43 00:01:40,633 --> 00:01:43,803 home after the holidays. . 44 00:01:43,803 --> 00:01:47,607 United 173 would like clearance for an approach 45 00:01:47,607 --> 00:01:51,611 into 28 left now. 46 00:01:51,611 --> 00:01:53,279 NARRATOR: Captain Malburn McBroom, 47 00:01:53,279 --> 00:01:55,515 a Second World War veteran, is one of United's 48 00:01:55,515 --> 00:01:57,350 most experienced pilots. 49 00:01:57,350 --> 00:01:58,418 [mid-tempo music] 50 00:01:58,418 --> 00:02:01,754 First Officer Rod Bibby has more than 5,000 hours 51 00:02:01,754 --> 00:02:03,356 flying experience. 52 00:02:03,356 --> 00:02:06,192 [mid-tempo music] 53 00:02:06,192 --> 00:02:07,927 Flight engineer Forrest Mendenhall 54 00:02:07,927 --> 00:02:10,964 is the third crew member. 55 00:02:10,964 --> 00:02:12,165 OK. 56 00:02:12,165 --> 00:02:17,237 NARRATOR: He's tasked with monitoring the DC-8's engines. 57 00:02:17,237 --> 00:02:20,306 The flight began in New York City with a stopover in Denver. 58 00:02:20,306 --> 00:02:21,674 [mid-tempo music] 59 00:02:21,674 --> 00:02:24,310 United 173 heavy. 60 00:02:24,310 --> 00:02:30,283 OK, rollout heading 010 to runway 28 left. 61 00:02:30,283 --> 00:02:32,685 NARRATOR: Air traffic controller Ed Kingrey 62 00:02:32,685 --> 00:02:36,322 clears Flight 173 to land. 63 00:02:36,322 --> 00:02:37,690 [air whooshing] 64 00:02:37,690 --> 00:02:39,492 [suspenseful music] 65 00:02:39,492 --> 00:02:42,362 Suddenly, an alarm sounds in the cockpit. 66 00:02:42,362 --> 00:02:43,730 [beeping] 67 00:02:43,730 --> 00:02:45,365 We're losing an engine. 68 00:02:45,365 --> 00:02:47,333 [rapid beeping] 69 00:02:47,333 --> 00:02:48,334 [suspenseful music] 70 00:02:48,334 --> 00:02:50,503 It's flamed out. 71 00:02:50,503 --> 00:02:52,639 You're going to lose number 3 in a minute, too. 72 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:54,941 [engines whirring] 73 00:02:54,941 --> 00:02:56,943 NARRATOR: Two of the plane's four engines 74 00:02:56,943 --> 00:03:00,246 have just shut down. 75 00:03:00,246 --> 00:03:02,015 You've got to keep them running, Frosty. 76 00:03:02,015 --> 00:03:02,949 Yes sir. 77 00:03:02,949 --> 00:03:04,717 NARRATOR: The engineer struggles to keep 78 00:03:04,717 --> 00:03:06,719 the last two engines running. 79 00:03:06,719 --> 00:03:08,888 [suspenseful music] 80 00:03:08,888 --> 00:03:11,658 How far do you show us in the field? 81 00:03:11,658 --> 00:03:13,359 I'd call it, uh-- 82 00:03:13,359 --> 00:03:16,563 I told him it's 18 flying miles, which would include 83 00:03:16,563 --> 00:03:19,999 the base leg to the final, and then the turn 84 00:03:19,999 --> 00:03:22,702 to final to the end of the runway. 85 00:03:22,702 --> 00:03:25,772 [suspenseful music] 86 00:03:25,772 --> 00:03:28,541 We just lost 1 and 2. 87 00:03:28,541 --> 00:03:30,410 [beeping] 88 00:03:30,410 --> 00:03:33,046 [suspenseful music] 89 00:03:33,046 --> 00:03:38,685 NARRATOR: Flight 173 has now lost all four engines. 90 00:03:38,685 --> 00:03:42,322 [suspenseful music] 91 00:03:42,322 --> 00:03:46,526 With the aircraft dropping by more than 3,000 feet a minute, 92 00:03:46,526 --> 00:03:49,862 Captain McBroom makes a horrifying calculation. 93 00:03:49,862 --> 00:03:53,600 I can't make it. 94 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:55,735 I can't make anything. 95 00:03:55,735 --> 00:03:58,571 OK, declare mayday. 96 00:03:58,571 --> 00:03:59,839 Portland tower, United 173. 97 00:03:59,839 --> 00:04:00,840 Heavy mayday. 98 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:02,842 The engines are flaming out. 99 00:04:02,842 --> 00:04:06,312 [mid-tempo music] 100 00:04:06,312 --> 00:04:08,047 NARRATOR: McBroom needs to find a safe place 101 00:04:08,047 --> 00:04:10,883 to put the aircraft down and try to save 102 00:04:10,883 --> 00:04:12,485 the lives of all onboard. 103 00:04:12,485 --> 00:04:15,755 [mid-tempo music] 104 00:04:17,423 --> 00:04:19,092 ED KINGREY (VOICEOVER): I could see 105 00:04:19,092 --> 00:04:21,628 him coming in from the south, his navigational lights 106 00:04:21,628 --> 00:04:22,662 flashing. 107 00:04:22,662 --> 00:04:24,464 You could tell he was quite low. 108 00:04:24,464 --> 00:04:26,866 [rumbling] 109 00:04:26,866 --> 00:04:28,601 [whimpers] 110 00:04:28,601 --> 00:04:31,404 [suspenseful music] 111 00:04:32,739 --> 00:04:34,941 [crashing] 112 00:04:34,941 --> 00:04:38,077 I saw the bright flash out there and-- 113 00:04:38,077 --> 00:04:41,447 and knew he had gone down. 114 00:04:41,447 --> 00:04:43,750 [suspenseful music] 115 00:04:46,119 --> 00:04:49,522 NARRATOR: The DC-8 has crash-landed in a wooded suburb 116 00:04:49,522 --> 00:04:51,658 in Portland, Oregon. 117 00:04:51,658 --> 00:04:53,726 [downbeat music] 118 00:04:53,726 --> 00:04:55,561 [dog barking] 119 00:04:55,561 --> 00:04:58,598 Eight passengers and two members of the crew are dead. 120 00:04:58,598 --> 00:04:59,832 [dog barking] 121 00:04:59,832 --> 00:05:01,100 [downbeat music] 122 00:05:01,100 --> 00:05:04,604 Incredibly, 179 people survive. 123 00:05:04,604 --> 00:05:07,340 [downbeat music] 124 00:05:09,142 --> 00:05:11,144 REPORTER (VOICEOVER): A United Airlines plane 125 00:05:11,144 --> 00:05:13,846 crashed 5 miles southeast of Portland Airport 126 00:05:13,846 --> 00:05:15,782 in a residential area. 127 00:05:15,782 --> 00:05:16,949 Two homes were hit. 128 00:05:16,949 --> 00:05:18,484 One disintegrated. 129 00:05:18,484 --> 00:05:21,354 [downbeat music] 130 00:05:23,623 --> 00:05:25,725 NARRATOR: Next morning, investigators 131 00:05:25,725 --> 00:05:28,861 from the National Transportation Safety Board are on the scene. 132 00:05:28,861 --> 00:05:33,399 One of the team members is human factor specialist Alan Diehl. 133 00:05:33,399 --> 00:05:34,734 [downbeat music] 134 00:05:34,734 --> 00:05:36,669 [camera clicking] 135 00:05:36,669 --> 00:05:39,739 When I saw how close he'd come to apartment complexes, 136 00:05:39,739 --> 00:05:42,141 I realized this could have been one of the worst 137 00:05:42,141 --> 00:05:43,743 accidents in history. 138 00:05:43,743 --> 00:05:45,912 [downbeat music] 139 00:05:45,912 --> 00:05:48,014 NARRATOR: Investigators hope survivors 140 00:05:48,014 --> 00:05:51,851 can provide some insight into what brought this jet down. 141 00:05:51,851 --> 00:05:55,688 When did you first notice something out of the ordinary 142 00:05:55,688 --> 00:05:57,190 Um-- 143 00:05:57,190 --> 00:05:58,691 NARRATOR: They learned from the passengers 144 00:05:58,691 --> 00:06:01,861 that an hour before the crash, the captain 145 00:06:01,861 --> 00:06:02,795 made an announcement. 146 00:06:02,795 --> 00:06:04,530 [downbeat music] 147 00:06:04,530 --> 00:06:05,498 CAPTIAN (ON INTERCOM): Ladies and gentlemen, 148 00:06:05,498 --> 00:06:07,467 this is your captain speaking. 149 00:06:07,467 --> 00:06:10,703 NARRATOR: The crew were having trouble with the landing gear. 150 00:06:10,703 --> 00:06:12,739 CAPTIAN (ON INTERCOM): We're not sure whether or not 151 00:06:12,739 --> 00:06:14,107 it's working correctly. 152 00:06:14,107 --> 00:06:16,476 We'll be running a few routine checks. 153 00:06:16,476 --> 00:06:20,580 NARRATOR: But something isn't making sense to Diehl. 154 00:06:20,580 --> 00:06:23,783 How does a landing gear problem bring down a plane? 155 00:06:23,783 --> 00:06:26,719 [suspenseful music] 156 00:06:26,719 --> 00:06:29,522 [mid-tempo music] 157 00:06:30,957 --> 00:06:32,725 NARRATOR: At the crash site, the plane's 158 00:06:32,725 --> 00:06:36,229 flight recorders are recovered. 159 00:06:36,229 --> 00:06:37,897 They're sent for analysis to the National 160 00:06:37,897 --> 00:06:41,567 Transportation Safety Board headquarters in Washington. 161 00:06:41,567 --> 00:06:44,570 [downbeat music] 162 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:49,242 While they wait for the flight data, 163 00:06:49,242 --> 00:06:52,545 investigators continue to speak to witnesses, 164 00:06:52,545 --> 00:06:54,914 including Ed Kingrey, the controller who 165 00:06:54,914 --> 00:06:57,617 handled Flight 173's approach. 166 00:06:57,617 --> 00:07:00,653 I cleared them for an approach to runway 28. 167 00:07:00,653 --> 00:07:03,790 I was about to hand them off to the tower controller. 168 00:07:03,790 --> 00:07:04,624 Negative. 169 00:07:04,624 --> 00:07:05,892 We'll stay with you. 170 00:07:05,892 --> 00:07:07,193 We've got a gear problem. 171 00:07:07,193 --> 00:07:08,561 We'll let you know. 172 00:07:08,561 --> 00:07:09,662 ED KINGREY (VOICEOVER): He basically 173 00:07:09,662 --> 00:07:11,631 said he'd stay with me. 174 00:07:11,631 --> 00:07:15,835 That he was having some kind of unsafe gear indication. 175 00:07:15,835 --> 00:07:18,905 NARRATOR: Captain McBroom wanted time to troubleshoot the gear 176 00:07:18,905 --> 00:07:23,242 problem, so Kingrey cleared Flight 173 to fly 177 00:07:23,242 --> 00:07:25,077 a holding pattern south of the airport 178 00:07:25,077 --> 00:07:28,247 over the Portland suburbs. 179 00:07:28,247 --> 00:07:30,817 A holding pattern would basically 180 00:07:30,817 --> 00:07:36,622 give him his own airspace there to do whatever he had to do. 181 00:07:36,622 --> 00:07:38,124 [air whooshing] 182 00:07:38,124 --> 00:07:40,993 NARRATOR: But Flight 173 circled Portland 183 00:07:40,993 --> 00:07:44,664 for an unusually long time. 184 00:07:44,664 --> 00:07:48,634 And they continued circling for about an hour. 185 00:07:48,634 --> 00:07:51,237 NARRATOR: The pilots then made a shocking call 186 00:07:51,237 --> 00:07:53,105 to the Portland tower. 187 00:07:53,105 --> 00:07:57,777 I recall hearing the captain tell the tower-- 188 00:07:57,777 --> 00:07:58,878 them losing engines. 189 00:07:58,878 --> 00:08:00,680 [suspenseful music] 190 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:04,951 There was no indication to me the gravity of the situation. 191 00:08:04,951 --> 00:08:07,019 [suspenseful music] 192 00:08:07,019 --> 00:08:08,688 NARRATOR: What happened during that hour 193 00:08:08,688 --> 00:08:11,290 of circling that turned a landing gear malfunction-- 194 00:08:11,290 --> 00:08:13,993 We've got a gear problem. 195 00:08:13,993 --> 00:08:15,328 We'll let you know 196 00:08:15,328 --> 00:08:17,997 NARRATOR: --into a catastrophic engine failure? 197 00:08:17,997 --> 00:08:19,832 The engines are flaming out. 198 00:08:19,832 --> 00:08:21,300 We're going down. 199 00:08:21,300 --> 00:08:22,235 We're not going to be able to make it to the airport. 200 00:08:22,235 --> 00:08:25,238 I was clearly very interested in, you know, 201 00:08:25,238 --> 00:08:28,908 how a highly experienced captain could fly around 202 00:08:28,908 --> 00:08:31,711 for over an hour inside of the airport, in good weather, 203 00:08:31,711 --> 00:08:35,047 and not put this airplane on the ground safely. 204 00:08:35,047 --> 00:08:37,917 [downbeat music] 205 00:08:37,917 --> 00:08:42,021 NARRATOR: NTSB investigator Dennis Grossi joins the effort 206 00:08:42,021 --> 00:08:43,589 to find out what went wrong. 207 00:08:43,589 --> 00:08:47,159 I was assigned to be the aircraft performance 208 00:08:47,159 --> 00:08:49,128 engineer for this accident. 209 00:08:49,128 --> 00:08:51,564 [downbeat music] 210 00:08:52,732 --> 00:08:53,666 OK. 211 00:08:53,666 --> 00:08:54,533 Let's go. 212 00:08:54,533 --> 00:08:56,168 NARRATOR: If there was a malfunction, 213 00:08:56,168 --> 00:08:58,037 he hopes the cockpit voice recorder picked 214 00:08:58,037 --> 00:08:59,372 up the pilots discussing it. 215 00:08:59,372 --> 00:09:00,907 CAPTIAN (ON RECORDING): Ladies and gentlemen, 216 00:09:00,907 --> 00:09:02,708 this is your captain speaking. 217 00:09:02,708 --> 00:09:05,611 NARRATOR: The recording begins 30 minutes before the crash, 218 00:09:05,611 --> 00:09:07,380 as the pilots circle over Portland. 219 00:09:07,380 --> 00:09:08,514 CAPTIAN (ON RECORDING): --correctly. 220 00:09:08,514 --> 00:09:10,883 Because I've only got this thing to shine down there. 221 00:09:10,883 --> 00:09:12,218 NARRATOR: They hear the flight engineer 222 00:09:12,218 --> 00:09:14,053 leave the cockpit to troubleshoot 223 00:09:14,053 --> 00:09:16,022 the landing gear problem. 224 00:09:16,022 --> 00:09:18,291 [downbeat music] 225 00:09:21,093 --> 00:09:23,729 When the landing gear is lowered, 226 00:09:23,729 --> 00:09:27,199 a small rod pops up in the wing, providing visual confirmation 227 00:09:27,199 --> 00:09:29,735 that the gear is in place. 228 00:09:29,735 --> 00:09:31,971 The flight engineer would be asked by the captain 229 00:09:31,971 --> 00:09:35,041 to go back and check the mechanical indicators for the 230 00:09:35,041 --> 00:09:36,108 position of the landing gear. 231 00:09:36,108 --> 00:09:37,176 Excuse me. 232 00:09:37,176 --> 00:09:38,711 Can I look out the window here? 233 00:09:38,711 --> 00:09:40,379 JOHN COX (VOICEOVER): And he could look over, 234 00:09:40,379 --> 00:09:42,682 and there are tabs that actually come up and go down. 235 00:09:42,682 --> 00:09:47,653 And he could see if the gear was extended and locked. 236 00:09:47,653 --> 00:09:49,655 How's that main gear back there? 237 00:09:49,655 --> 00:09:51,757 Both appear to be down and locked. 238 00:09:51,757 --> 00:09:52,925 [engines whirring] 239 00:09:52,925 --> 00:09:55,361 NARRATOR: Despite his engineer's report, 240 00:09:55,361 --> 00:09:57,964 Captain McBroom still sounds concerned. 241 00:09:57,964 --> 00:09:59,932 [faint beeping] 242 00:09:59,932 --> 00:10:02,668 There's one check we missed. 243 00:10:02,668 --> 00:10:05,071 Checking the gear warning horn. 244 00:10:05,071 --> 00:10:07,940 Uh-- right. 245 00:10:07,940 --> 00:10:09,075 Right. 246 00:10:09,075 --> 00:10:10,876 Right. 247 00:10:10,876 --> 00:10:12,912 Normally, when we see these problems of a gear light 248 00:10:12,912 --> 00:10:15,848 not coming on, it's a light bulb or some minor piece 249 00:10:15,848 --> 00:10:16,983 of circuitry. 250 00:10:16,983 --> 00:10:19,785 NARRATOR: It appears that a minor electrical problem 251 00:10:19,785 --> 00:10:24,090 became a major distraction for Captain McBroom. 252 00:10:24,090 --> 00:10:28,995 But it still doesn't explain why all four engines were out. 253 00:10:28,995 --> 00:10:30,763 [downbeat music] 254 00:10:30,763 --> 00:10:34,400 Then investigators make a shocking discovery. 255 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:35,901 CAPTIAN (ON RECORDING): Losing an engine. 256 00:10:35,901 --> 00:10:36,736 It's flamed out. 257 00:10:36,736 --> 00:10:38,938 Why? 258 00:10:38,938 --> 00:10:40,806 Fuel. 259 00:10:40,806 --> 00:10:41,340 [sighs] 260 00:10:41,340 --> 00:10:42,341 [suspenseful music] 261 00:10:46,012 --> 00:10:49,983 NARRATOR: The cockpit voice recorder from United Flight 173 262 00:10:49,983 --> 00:10:53,119 reveals that the captain is unaware that his plane is 263 00:10:53,119 --> 00:10:56,289 running out of fuel. 264 00:10:56,289 --> 00:10:58,892 He was asking what was causing that, 265 00:10:58,892 --> 00:11:02,328 and he got a very adamant answer saying "Fuel." 266 00:11:02,328 --> 00:11:03,263 Fuel. 267 00:11:03,263 --> 00:11:05,965 As if to say, we've been trying to tell 268 00:11:05,965 --> 00:11:06,966 you about this all along. 269 00:11:06,966 --> 00:11:08,835 Number 2 is empty. 270 00:11:08,835 --> 00:11:10,803 [suspenseful music] 271 00:11:10,803 --> 00:11:13,339 You're going to lose number 3 in a minute, too. 272 00:11:13,339 --> 00:11:16,309 NARRATOR: One by one, fuel starvation 273 00:11:16,309 --> 00:11:18,344 shuts down all the engines, leaving 274 00:11:18,344 --> 00:11:21,014 the DC-8 without any power. 275 00:11:21,014 --> 00:11:23,149 [suspenseful music] 276 00:11:24,083 --> 00:11:26,286 CAPTIAN (ON RECORDING): OK, declare mayday. 277 00:11:26,286 --> 00:11:30,690 How could an experienced crew lose track 278 00:11:30,690 --> 00:11:32,358 of how much fuel they had onboard, 279 00:11:32,358 --> 00:11:35,228 and in fact, run out of fuel when they 280 00:11:35,228 --> 00:11:37,997 were in view of the airport? 281 00:11:37,997 --> 00:11:39,832 [downbeat music] 282 00:11:39,832 --> 00:11:42,001 NARRATOR: Captain McBroom may be the only one 283 00:11:42,001 --> 00:11:45,171 who can provide answers. 284 00:11:45,171 --> 00:11:48,107 He's in the hospital recovering from injury, 285 00:11:48,107 --> 00:11:51,811 but well enough to speak to investigators. 286 00:11:51,811 --> 00:11:56,215 CAPTAIN MCBROOM: I recall seeing the number 1 and number 287 00:11:56,215 --> 00:11:58,217 2 warning lights come on. 288 00:11:58,217 --> 00:12:02,722 But I-- I knew we had fuel. 289 00:12:02,722 --> 00:12:06,826 He was still convinced that somehow the fuel had either 290 00:12:06,826 --> 00:12:10,063 leaked out of the tanks, or the fuel burn was too high, 291 00:12:10,063 --> 00:12:11,197 or the gauges were wrong. 292 00:12:11,197 --> 00:12:13,900 [downbeat music] 293 00:12:13,900 --> 00:12:16,402 NARRATOR: Investigators wonder if the fuel 294 00:12:16,402 --> 00:12:21,240 gauges were malfunctioning and confusing the pilots. 295 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:24,744 To find out, investigators study the transcript of the cockpit 296 00:12:24,744 --> 00:12:27,080 voice recorder, focusing on the pilots' 297 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:28,815 discussion of fuel levels. 298 00:12:28,815 --> 00:12:31,084 The crew discussed how much fuel they had. 299 00:12:31,084 --> 00:12:32,785 We had 5,000 pounds. 300 00:12:32,785 --> 00:12:35,388 You take the data and apply the time factor to it, 301 00:12:35,388 --> 00:12:38,057 and you can figure out how much fuel 302 00:12:38,057 --> 00:12:40,727 they should have had remaining. 303 00:12:40,727 --> 00:12:42,362 5,000. 304 00:12:42,362 --> 00:12:44,230 That's exactly right. 305 00:12:44,230 --> 00:12:46,099 NARRATOR: The team discovers there's 306 00:12:46,099 --> 00:12:48,668 nothing wrong with the gauges. 307 00:12:48,668 --> 00:12:52,739 Flight 173's fuel system was working exactly as it should. 308 00:12:52,739 --> 00:12:54,807 [beeping] 309 00:12:54,807 --> 00:12:57,677 With mechanical failure ruled out, 310 00:12:57,677 --> 00:13:00,780 the team now explores the human factors. 311 00:13:00,780 --> 00:13:04,117 Specifically, Captain McBroom's behavior. 312 00:13:04,117 --> 00:13:05,818 [mid-tempo music] 313 00:13:05,818 --> 00:13:07,286 CAPTIAN (ON RECORDING): How much fuel do you got now? 314 00:13:07,286 --> 00:13:08,921 CAPTIAN (ON RECORDING): 4,000. 4,000. 315 00:13:08,921 --> 00:13:10,156 Any-- 316 00:13:10,156 --> 00:13:12,158 NARRATOR: Investigators played back the cockpit voice recorder 317 00:13:12,158 --> 00:13:15,061 to study his performance. 318 00:13:15,061 --> 00:13:16,829 [downbeat music] 319 00:13:16,829 --> 00:13:18,097 CAPTIAN (ON RECORDING): How much fuel you got now? 320 00:13:18,097 --> 00:13:20,967 NARRATOR: They hear something alarming in the conversation. 321 00:13:20,967 --> 00:13:22,802 [faint beeping] 322 00:13:22,802 --> 00:13:24,337 [downbeat music] 323 00:13:24,337 --> 00:13:26,472 How much fuel we got now? 324 00:13:26,472 --> 00:13:26,906 4,000. 325 00:13:26,906 --> 00:13:28,808 4,000 in each. 326 00:13:28,808 --> 00:13:29,842 Pounds. 327 00:13:29,842 --> 00:13:30,977 [downbeat music] 328 00:13:30,977 --> 00:13:32,712 [faint beeping] 329 00:13:32,712 --> 00:13:35,748 Both the first officer and the second officer 330 00:13:35,748 --> 00:13:38,051 were acutely aware of the fuel status. 331 00:13:38,051 --> 00:13:41,054 NARRATOR: His crewmates tried more than once to alert him 332 00:13:41,054 --> 00:13:44,157 to the fuel situation, but McBroom is focused 333 00:13:44,157 --> 00:13:46,159 on the broken landing gear. 334 00:13:46,159 --> 00:13:51,964 There's one check we missed, checking the gear warning horn. 335 00:13:51,964 --> 00:13:54,300 Uh-- right. 336 00:13:54,300 --> 00:13:55,168 CAPTAIN: Right. 337 00:13:55,168 --> 00:13:57,170 Right. 338 00:13:57,170 --> 00:13:59,238 So how do we do that? 339 00:13:59,238 --> 00:14:01,507 Flying with a very senior captain, 340 00:14:01,507 --> 00:14:04,510 it would be very difficult to challenge 341 00:14:04,510 --> 00:14:08,281 that captain in those days about something like fuel. 342 00:14:08,281 --> 00:14:11,150 [suspenseful music] 343 00:14:11,150 --> 00:14:14,253 The captain was so focused on the gear collapsing 344 00:14:14,253 --> 00:14:16,756 that he lost the big picture. 345 00:14:16,756 --> 00:14:19,292 They lost sight of the real emergency, 346 00:14:19,292 --> 00:14:21,060 which was the lack of fuel. 347 00:14:21,060 --> 00:14:23,529 [downbeat music] 348 00:14:23,529 --> 00:14:25,965 NARRATOR: Captain McBroom's obsession with the landing 349 00:14:25,965 --> 00:14:29,502 gear, along with his crewmates' failure to speak up, 350 00:14:29,502 --> 00:14:32,338 caused the plane to run out of fuel and crash 351 00:14:32,338 --> 00:14:34,173 in the Portland suburb. 352 00:14:34,173 --> 00:14:38,277 After this accident, the National Transportation Safety 353 00:14:38,277 --> 00:14:40,379 Board said flight crew members need to be 354 00:14:40,379 --> 00:14:43,382 better-trained to communicate when they 355 00:14:43,382 --> 00:14:45,184 have safety of flight issues. 356 00:14:45,184 --> 00:14:48,087 [downbeat music] 357 00:14:48,087 --> 00:14:51,023 NARRATOR: In a move that has a lasting impact on airline 358 00:14:51,023 --> 00:14:53,893 safety, the Federal Aviation Administration 359 00:14:53,893 --> 00:14:55,962 adopts a training system developed 360 00:14:55,962 --> 00:15:01,033 by NASA known as Cockpit Resource Management, or CRM. 361 00:15:01,033 --> 00:15:03,836 It teaches captains to listen better, 362 00:15:03,836 --> 00:15:06,205 and it teaches the other members of the flight deck 363 00:15:06,205 --> 00:15:08,074 to be respectfully assertive. 364 00:15:08,074 --> 00:15:10,109 [downbeat music] 365 00:15:10,109 --> 00:15:14,247 NARRATOR: If the crew of Flight 173 had received CRM training, 366 00:15:14,247 --> 00:15:15,581 they might have insisted that Captain 367 00:15:15,581 --> 00:15:18,151 McBroom land immediately. 368 00:15:18,151 --> 00:15:20,253 Not enough. 369 00:15:20,253 --> 00:15:22,922 15 minutes is really going to run us low on fuel here. 370 00:15:22,922 --> 00:15:25,525 NARRATOR: Instead, they expected their captain 371 00:15:25,525 --> 00:15:27,593 to make the right decision. 372 00:15:27,593 --> 00:15:30,496 Had it not been for this investigation, 373 00:15:30,496 --> 00:15:32,165 I'm pretty sure that Crew Resource 374 00:15:32,165 --> 00:15:35,234 Management would have taken place, but at some point 375 00:15:35,234 --> 00:15:36,602 in the future. 376 00:15:36,602 --> 00:15:38,437 And very likely other aircraft would 377 00:15:38,437 --> 00:15:40,273 have crashed in the interim. 378 00:15:40,273 --> 00:15:41,374 [mid-tempo music] 379 00:15:41,374 --> 00:15:43,142 [chatter] 380 00:15:43,142 --> 00:15:47,113 NARRATOR: In 2007, a terrifying explosion reminds investigators 381 00:15:47,113 --> 00:15:50,416 that catastrophic fuel failures don't just happen in the air. 382 00:15:50,416 --> 00:15:52,251 [suspenseful music] 383 00:15:53,252 --> 00:15:55,822 [engines whirring] 384 00:15:58,424 --> 00:16:00,626 [air whooshing] 385 00:16:00,626 --> 00:16:03,496 China Airlines Flight 120 is on final approach 386 00:16:03,496 --> 00:16:05,298 for landing in Okinawa, Japan. 387 00:16:05,298 --> 00:16:06,332 [mid-tempo music] 388 00:16:06,332 --> 00:16:07,867 [intercom dings] 389 00:16:07,867 --> 00:16:09,435 CAPTIAN (ON INTERCOM): Ladies and gentlemen, 390 00:16:09,435 --> 00:16:13,472 we're about to begin our descent into Okinawa Naha Airport. 391 00:16:13,472 --> 00:16:14,874 Please give the flight attendants 392 00:16:14,874 --> 00:16:16,309 your full cooperation as they prepare 393 00:16:16,309 --> 00:16:18,511 the cabin for a landing. 394 00:16:18,511 --> 00:16:21,447 NARRATOR: The captain is 47-year-old You Chien-kou. 395 00:16:21,447 --> 00:16:23,316 [downbeat music] 396 00:16:23,316 --> 00:16:25,184 What's the weather for approach? 397 00:16:25,184 --> 00:16:27,286 Cloud ceiling says 1,000 feet. 398 00:16:27,286 --> 00:16:29,021 Wind's at 8 knots. 399 00:16:29,021 --> 00:16:31,290 NARRATOR: The first officer is 26-year-old Tseng Ta-wei. 400 00:16:31,290 --> 00:16:34,093 [downbeat music] 401 00:16:34,093 --> 00:16:36,495 The pilots have more than 8,500 hours of flight 402 00:16:36,495 --> 00:16:38,364 experience between them. 403 00:16:38,364 --> 00:16:41,000 [engines whirring] 404 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:42,501 [downbeat music] 405 00:16:42,501 --> 00:16:48,241 This morning, there are 157 passengers and 8 crew onboard. 406 00:16:48,241 --> 00:16:51,310 Please put your tray up and fasten your seatbelt. 407 00:16:51,310 --> 00:16:53,212 [engines whirring] 408 00:16:53,212 --> 00:16:56,482 [mid-tempo music] 409 00:16:58,251 --> 00:17:00,620 NARRATOR: The pilots reconfigure their plane as they slow down 410 00:17:00,620 --> 00:17:02,221 and descend for landing. 411 00:17:02,221 --> 00:17:03,489 [mid-tempo music] 412 00:17:03,489 --> 00:17:06,192 Let's go to flaps 25. 413 00:17:06,192 --> 00:17:07,693 Flaps 25. 414 00:17:07,693 --> 00:17:11,364 NARRATOR: They deploy flaps from the wing's back edge, 415 00:17:11,364 --> 00:17:14,267 along with slats from the front edge. 416 00:17:14,267 --> 00:17:17,403 These devices keep the plane airborne at lower speeds. 417 00:17:17,403 --> 00:17:20,006 [downbeat music] 418 00:17:21,173 --> 00:17:23,876 [engines whirring] 419 00:17:25,678 --> 00:17:28,581 MAN (ON RADIO): 30, 20, 10. 420 00:17:28,581 --> 00:17:31,017 [engines whirring] 421 00:17:32,385 --> 00:17:35,388 NARRATOR: It's a textbook landing. 422 00:17:35,388 --> 00:17:36,923 [engines whirring] 423 00:17:38,090 --> 00:17:38,658 Flaps up. 424 00:17:41,994 --> 00:17:43,963 NARRATOR: All that's left for the China Airline 425 00:17:43,963 --> 00:17:46,532 pilots is to park the plane. 426 00:17:46,532 --> 00:17:49,535 [downbeat music] 427 00:17:50,069 --> 00:17:52,371 Engine start levers 428 00:17:52,371 --> 00:17:56,042 Engine start levers cut off. 429 00:17:56,042 --> 00:17:57,543 Seatbelts. 430 00:17:57,543 --> 00:17:59,245 Seatbelts off. 431 00:17:59,245 --> 00:18:00,246 [intercom dings] 432 00:18:00,246 --> 00:18:02,682 [downbeat music] 433 00:18:04,150 --> 00:18:06,552 NARRATOR: Then one passenger notices 434 00:18:06,552 --> 00:18:08,254 that something's not right. 435 00:18:08,254 --> 00:18:11,290 [downbeat music] 436 00:18:11,290 --> 00:18:12,625 [speaking japanese] 437 00:18:12,625 --> 00:18:15,127 [suspenseful music] 438 00:18:15,127 --> 00:18:16,295 [beeping] 439 00:18:16,295 --> 00:18:17,263 Hey, what is this? 440 00:18:17,263 --> 00:18:19,432 [beeping] 441 00:18:19,432 --> 00:18:21,167 What's happening? 442 00:18:21,167 --> 00:18:23,469 NARRATOR: Just when they thought they were safely parked-- 443 00:18:23,469 --> 00:18:26,105 MAN (ON RADIO): Cockpit, ground, number 2 engine fire. 444 00:18:26,105 --> 00:18:27,640 NARRATOR: --a radio call alerts them 445 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:29,575 to a fire in the right engine. 446 00:18:29,575 --> 00:18:32,178 MAN (ON RADIO): DYNASTY 120, we are calling a fire truck. 447 00:18:32,178 --> 00:18:33,012 Remain. 448 00:18:33,012 --> 00:18:33,546 Standby. 449 00:18:33,546 --> 00:18:35,114 [suspenseful music] 450 00:18:35,114 --> 00:18:37,116 [speaking japanese]! 451 00:18:37,116 --> 00:18:40,286 Cabin crew, prepare for evacuation. 452 00:18:40,286 --> 00:18:41,587 Prepare for evacuation. 453 00:18:41,587 --> 00:18:44,056 [suspenseful music] 454 00:18:45,524 --> 00:18:48,294 NARRATOR: Within minutes, the fire engulfs both wings. 455 00:18:48,294 --> 00:18:49,395 [suspenseful music] 456 00:18:49,395 --> 00:18:50,563 [grunts] 457 00:18:52,164 --> 00:18:53,032 No pushing. 458 00:18:53,032 --> 00:18:53,699 No pushing. 459 00:18:53,699 --> 00:18:55,434 Please keep moving forward. 460 00:18:55,434 --> 00:18:57,770 NARRATOR: Flight attendants work to evacuate the passengers 461 00:18:57,770 --> 00:19:00,773 as quickly as possible. 462 00:19:00,773 --> 00:19:03,476 The plane could explode at any moment. 463 00:19:03,476 --> 00:19:04,610 [coughs] 464 00:19:05,811 --> 00:19:07,646 Captain, all passengers are evacuated. 465 00:19:07,646 --> 00:19:09,482 You're the last one. 466 00:19:09,482 --> 00:19:10,449 [coughs] 467 00:19:10,449 --> 00:19:12,818 [suspenseful music] 468 00:19:12,818 --> 00:19:16,188 NARRATOR: But it may be too late for the pilots. 469 00:19:16,188 --> 00:19:18,491 Thick smoke is consuming the cabin, 470 00:19:18,491 --> 00:19:21,427 so they will have to escape through a small cockpit window. 471 00:19:21,427 --> 00:19:22,495 You first. 472 00:19:22,495 --> 00:19:24,063 Sir-- 473 00:19:24,063 --> 00:19:26,465 [chatter] 474 00:19:27,199 --> 00:19:28,334 [screaming] 475 00:19:28,334 --> 00:19:29,168 MAN: Oh. 476 00:19:29,168 --> 00:19:30,202 Whoa! 477 00:19:30,202 --> 00:19:31,337 [clamoring] 478 00:19:31,337 --> 00:19:34,707 [downbeat music] 479 00:19:38,477 --> 00:19:41,647 NARRATOR: Incredibly, both pilots evacuate just in time. 480 00:19:41,647 --> 00:19:43,182 [sirens wailing] 481 00:19:43,182 --> 00:19:45,718 [downbeat music] 482 00:19:45,718 --> 00:19:49,522 All 165 people onboard escape unharmed. 483 00:19:49,522 --> 00:19:52,525 [downbeat music] 484 00:19:52,525 --> 00:19:54,693 I've never heard of any evacuation 485 00:19:54,693 --> 00:19:57,229 where somebody wasn't hurt. 486 00:19:57,229 --> 00:19:59,865 To get this many people off in such a dire circumstance, 487 00:19:59,865 --> 00:20:03,202 in a very short period of time, with no injuries, 488 00:20:03,202 --> 00:20:04,703 is miraculous. 489 00:20:04,703 --> 00:20:06,872 JF JOSEPH: It's highly unusual for an aircraft 490 00:20:06,872 --> 00:20:10,176 to catch fire at that phase of the flight. 491 00:20:10,176 --> 00:20:13,179 So that sparked a great deal of interest. 492 00:20:13,179 --> 00:20:15,347 [radio chatter] 493 00:20:15,347 --> 00:20:17,716 NARRATOR: A team of international air crash 494 00:20:17,716 --> 00:20:19,652 investigators are immediately called in. 495 00:20:19,652 --> 00:20:21,387 [radio chatter] 496 00:20:21,387 --> 00:20:23,522 They need to find the cause before there's 497 00:20:23,522 --> 00:20:25,424 another deadly explosion. 498 00:20:25,424 --> 00:20:27,293 [radio chatter] 499 00:20:27,293 --> 00:20:28,260 [mid-tempo music] 500 00:20:28,260 --> 00:20:31,497 Across the globe, there are more than 5,000 501 00:20:31,497 --> 00:20:34,133 Boeing 737's in service. 502 00:20:34,133 --> 00:20:35,401 [downbeat music] 503 00:20:35,401 --> 00:20:38,604 There's a 737 taking off and landing every 3 504 00:20:38,604 --> 00:20:41,340 or 4 seconds in the world. 505 00:20:41,340 --> 00:20:44,743 NARRATOR: Knowing countless passengers could be at-risk, 506 00:20:44,743 --> 00:20:46,445 investigators raced to figure out 507 00:20:46,445 --> 00:20:49,415 how an airliner that landed safely suddenly 508 00:20:49,415 --> 00:20:51,584 burst into flames. 509 00:20:51,584 --> 00:20:53,419 [mid-tempo music] 510 00:20:53,419 --> 00:20:56,722 OK, let's get to work! 511 00:20:56,722 --> 00:20:59,492 The challenge for investigators 512 00:20:59,492 --> 00:21:03,429 is most of the evidence would be destroyed by the fire. 513 00:21:03,429 --> 00:21:06,932 NARRATOR: While recovery workers collect the scorched wreckage, 514 00:21:06,932 --> 00:21:09,468 the team begins interviewing eyewitnesses. 515 00:21:09,468 --> 00:21:11,804 What did you see? 516 00:21:11,804 --> 00:21:13,739 NARRATOR: A ground worker who saw the explosion 517 00:21:13,739 --> 00:21:16,308 provides a critical detail. 518 00:21:16,308 --> 00:21:19,345 So the ramp worker on the right side of the aircraft 519 00:21:19,345 --> 00:21:22,915 said very distinctly that he saw a liquid running 520 00:21:22,915 --> 00:21:24,783 down the leading edge of the right wing 521 00:21:24,783 --> 00:21:27,319 before the fire broke out. 522 00:21:27,319 --> 00:21:28,821 Thanks. 523 00:21:28,821 --> 00:21:30,456 NARRATOR: The fluid leaking from this part 524 00:21:30,456 --> 00:21:35,294 of the wing of the aircraft can only be one thing. 525 00:21:35,294 --> 00:21:37,696 Jet fuel. 526 00:21:37,696 --> 00:21:44,303 The Boeing 737 holds 4,390 gallons of fuel, much of it 527 00:21:44,303 --> 00:21:48,541 in tanks located inside the plane's two massive wings. 528 00:21:48,541 --> 00:21:52,478 When we figured out that the actual fuel leak had occurred, 529 00:21:52,478 --> 00:21:53,812 it was a breakthrough. 530 00:21:53,812 --> 00:21:55,548 A true breakthrough in the investigation. 531 00:21:55,548 --> 00:21:56,815 [downbeat music] 532 00:21:56,815 --> 00:21:59,552 We know the fuel was leaking. 533 00:21:59,552 --> 00:22:00,619 But from where? 534 00:22:00,619 --> 00:22:03,155 [drill whirring] 535 00:22:04,089 --> 00:22:06,659 NARRATOR: Investigators examine what remains 536 00:22:06,659 --> 00:22:08,661 of the 737's fuel tanks. 537 00:22:08,661 --> 00:22:10,930 [downbeat music] 538 00:22:10,930 --> 00:22:12,831 The tanks are made from aluminum alloy 539 00:22:12,831 --> 00:22:15,301 and should never crack or leak. 540 00:22:15,301 --> 00:22:18,337 [downbeat music] 541 00:22:18,337 --> 00:22:21,674 They use a small camera called a borescope to see 542 00:22:21,674 --> 00:22:23,509 inside the right fuel tank. 543 00:22:23,509 --> 00:22:25,945 [downbeat music] 544 00:22:27,813 --> 00:22:30,583 What it reveals changes the course 545 00:22:30,583 --> 00:22:32,351 of the entire investigation. 546 00:22:32,351 --> 00:22:35,354 [suspenseful music] 547 00:22:35,354 --> 00:22:36,055 Whoa. 548 00:22:36,055 --> 00:22:37,056 Would you look at that? 549 00:22:41,369 --> 00:22:45,340 Airlines Flight 120, investigators find a bolt 550 00:22:45,340 --> 00:22:47,675 lodged in the side of the tank. 551 00:22:47,675 --> 00:22:49,544 All of a sudden, it clears a bell. 552 00:22:49,544 --> 00:22:52,847 We saw this bolt sticking out of the fuel tank itself. 553 00:22:52,847 --> 00:22:54,883 [downbeat music] 554 00:22:54,883 --> 00:22:57,886 NARRATOR: The bolt has ruptured the tank right where the ground 555 00:22:57,886 --> 00:23:00,889 worker spotted leaking fuel. 556 00:23:00,889 --> 00:23:02,390 BOB BENZON: It's hard to describe 557 00:23:02,390 --> 00:23:04,726 how significant this was I mean, this was 558 00:23:04,726 --> 00:23:05,760 the core of the investigation. 559 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:07,395 [downbeat music] 560 00:23:07,395 --> 00:23:08,296 [whirring] 561 00:23:08,296 --> 00:23:08,897 [crackling] 562 00:23:10,398 --> 00:23:13,401 NARRATOR: But where did the bolt come from? 563 00:23:13,401 --> 00:23:15,537 OK. 564 00:23:15,537 --> 00:23:16,571 Got it. 565 00:23:16,571 --> 00:23:20,241 [downbeat music] 566 00:23:22,377 --> 00:23:24,913 NARRATOR: Investigators compare the piece 567 00:23:24,913 --> 00:23:27,782 to schematics of the 737 wing structure 568 00:23:27,782 --> 00:23:29,751 to figure out exactly what it is. 569 00:23:29,751 --> 00:23:32,887 [downbeat music] 570 00:23:35,757 --> 00:23:37,425 They soon get their answer. 571 00:23:37,425 --> 00:23:39,260 [downbeat music] 572 00:23:40,595 --> 00:23:43,665 A downstop assembly. 573 00:23:43,665 --> 00:23:46,801 NARRATOR: The downstop assembly is part of the slot mechanism 574 00:23:46,801 --> 00:23:48,603 on the wing;s leading edge. 575 00:23:48,603 --> 00:23:50,438 Let's go to flaps 25. 576 00:23:50,438 --> 00:23:52,607 Flaps 25. 577 00:23:52,607 --> 00:23:55,777 NARRATOR: Pilots extend flaps and slats during every takeoff 578 00:23:55,777 --> 00:23:56,911 and landing. 579 00:23:56,911 --> 00:23:59,681 [mid-tempo music] 580 00:23:59,681 --> 00:24:01,983 The downstop is fixed to the end of a track 581 00:24:01,983 --> 00:24:04,485 that slides back and forth. 582 00:24:04,485 --> 00:24:08,957 The device prevents the slats from moving too far forward. 583 00:24:08,957 --> 00:24:10,458 We had the assembly. 584 00:24:10,458 --> 00:24:12,460 We knew it punched through the tank. 585 00:24:12,460 --> 00:24:14,429 Our next step was trying to figure out how this 586 00:24:14,429 --> 00:24:15,964 could possibly have occurred. 587 00:24:15,964 --> 00:24:18,800 [mid-tempo music] 588 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:21,769 NARRATOR: When comparing the downstop assembly from Flight 589 00:24:21,769 --> 00:24:23,671 120 to Boeing's schematics-- 590 00:24:23,671 --> 00:24:26,474 [mid-tempo music] 591 00:24:26,474 --> 00:24:29,878 --the team uncovers a vital clue. 592 00:24:29,878 --> 00:24:32,046 BOB BENZON: We decided to count parts. 593 00:24:32,046 --> 00:24:34,949 And lo and behold, a washer was missing. 594 00:24:34,949 --> 00:24:38,653 NARRATOR: There's supposed to be a washer right behind the nut. 595 00:24:38,653 --> 00:24:39,854 MAN: Where is it? 596 00:24:39,854 --> 00:24:42,957 [mid-tempo music] 597 00:24:44,659 --> 00:24:46,961 NARRATOR: Could a single missing washer have 598 00:24:46,961 --> 00:24:48,696 played a role in the accident? 599 00:24:48,696 --> 00:24:50,665 [mid-tempo music] 600 00:24:50,665 --> 00:24:52,066 MAN: All right. 601 00:24:52,066 --> 00:24:53,801 Now let's test it without a washer. 602 00:24:53,801 --> 00:24:55,670 [mid-tempo music] 603 00:24:55,670 --> 00:24:58,573 NARRATOR: The team experiments with the suspicious bolt 604 00:24:58,573 --> 00:25:01,542 from Flight 120 to see how it performs without the washer. 605 00:25:05,013 --> 00:25:06,981 They make a stunning discovery. 606 00:25:06,981 --> 00:25:10,351 [downbeat music] 607 00:25:11,452 --> 00:25:14,489 The small washer is the only thing preventing the unit 608 00:25:14,489 --> 00:25:17,692 from falling out of its mount. 609 00:25:17,692 --> 00:25:21,696 Without the washer it fails. 610 00:25:21,696 --> 00:25:24,499 [downbeat music] 611 00:25:26,100 --> 00:25:28,870 NARRATOR: Investigators need to find out how the part 612 00:25:28,870 --> 00:25:29,671 could have disappeared. 613 00:25:29,671 --> 00:25:31,572 [downbeat music] 614 00:25:31,572 --> 00:25:35,743 We went to China Airlines to ask them to demonstrate how 615 00:25:35,743 --> 00:25:37,879 they do the maintenance work. 616 00:25:37,879 --> 00:25:39,714 [mid-tempo music] 617 00:25:39,714 --> 00:25:42,784 Sometimes, maintenance records don't tell you the true story. 618 00:25:42,784 --> 00:25:44,719 [mid-tempo music] 619 00:25:44,719 --> 00:25:48,056 NARRATOR: They learn a repair was ordered on the downstop 620 00:25:48,056 --> 00:25:51,726 a few weeks before the accident. 621 00:25:51,726 --> 00:25:54,529 A mechanic demonstrates how he performed the repair. 622 00:25:57,198 --> 00:26:02,904 After applying glue, you put the bolt into place. 623 00:26:02,904 --> 00:26:04,472 [mid-tempo music] 624 00:26:04,472 --> 00:26:06,874 NARRATOR: But reaching the downstop's location 625 00:26:06,874 --> 00:26:08,576 proves challenging. 626 00:26:08,576 --> 00:26:12,113 You can imagine that you are under the wing, 627 00:26:12,113 --> 00:26:14,615 and you cannot see it. 628 00:26:14,615 --> 00:26:17,085 [mid-tempo music] 629 00:26:18,052 --> 00:26:20,221 [suspenseful music] 630 00:26:20,221 --> 00:26:20,722 Sorry. 631 00:26:20,722 --> 00:26:22,890 I just dropped it. 632 00:26:22,890 --> 00:26:24,225 Don't worry. 633 00:26:24,225 --> 00:26:25,226 It's-- it's easy to pick up again. 634 00:26:25,226 --> 00:26:27,895 NARRATOR: It's an eye-opening demonstration. 635 00:26:27,895 --> 00:26:30,999 [downbeat music] 636 00:26:30,999 --> 00:26:34,602 It's not very easy for them to confirm 637 00:26:34,602 --> 00:26:40,608 they finished their job and everything is in order there. 638 00:26:40,608 --> 00:26:42,777 NARRATOR: Investigators believe the washer 639 00:26:42,777 --> 00:26:44,879 must have fallen off during the maintenance 640 00:26:44,879 --> 00:26:46,147 procedure in Taiwan. 641 00:26:48,816 --> 00:26:51,919 [suspenseful music] 642 00:26:54,789 --> 00:26:57,792 The sequence of events that led to the devastating fuel fire 643 00:26:57,792 --> 00:27:01,629 in Okinawa is finally clear. 644 00:27:01,629 --> 00:27:02,663 [engines whirring] 645 00:27:02,663 --> 00:27:05,666 Six weeks after the field repair of a downstop-- 646 00:27:05,666 --> 00:27:07,668 Please give the flight attendants 647 00:27:07,668 --> 00:27:09,704 your full cooperation as they prepare the cabin for landing. 648 00:27:09,704 --> 00:27:11,839 NARRATOR: --a descent into Okinawa 649 00:27:11,839 --> 00:27:15,676 requires the pilots to deploy the flaps and slats as usual. 650 00:27:15,676 --> 00:27:17,812 [mid-tempo music] 651 00:27:17,812 --> 00:27:20,581 [engines whirring] 652 00:27:20,581 --> 00:27:23,184 Inside one of the track assemblies on the right wing, 653 00:27:23,184 --> 00:27:25,186 the loosened bolt without a washer 654 00:27:25,186 --> 00:27:27,955 is just barely holding on. 655 00:27:27,955 --> 00:27:28,956 [engines whirring] 656 00:27:28,956 --> 00:27:30,191 [tires screeching] 657 00:27:30,191 --> 00:27:32,126 Touchdown is enough of a jolt to finally 658 00:27:32,126 --> 00:27:33,961 knock it out of its track. 659 00:27:33,961 --> 00:27:36,097 [mid-tempo music] 660 00:27:36,097 --> 00:27:37,665 Flaps up. 661 00:27:37,665 --> 00:27:40,001 NARRATOR: The unsuspecting crew soon 662 00:27:40,001 --> 00:27:42,170 retracts the flaps and slats. 663 00:27:42,170 --> 00:27:44,172 The plane's powerful hydraulics move 664 00:27:44,172 --> 00:27:47,308 the slat track back into place. 665 00:27:47,308 --> 00:27:50,678 But now the downstop bolt is in the way. 666 00:27:50,678 --> 00:27:53,347 The track pushes it to the back, puncturing 667 00:27:53,347 --> 00:27:56,017 the right wing fuel tank and causing thousands 668 00:27:56,017 --> 00:27:58,219 of gallons of fuel to leak. 669 00:27:58,219 --> 00:28:01,189 [mid-tempo music] 670 00:28:03,024 --> 00:28:05,893 After-landing checklist. 671 00:28:05,893 --> 00:28:12,200 NARRATOR: Once the pilots park and shut down the engines, 672 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:14,335 the leaking fuel starts dripping directly 673 00:28:14,335 --> 00:28:18,072 onto the scorching-hot tailpipe, igniting on contact. 674 00:28:18,072 --> 00:28:21,008 [suspenseful music] 675 00:28:23,778 --> 00:28:26,781 In the wake of the China Airlines explosion, 676 00:28:26,781 --> 00:28:30,051 aviation authorities around the world ordered the inspection 677 00:28:30,051 --> 00:28:34,088 of entire fleets of 737's. 678 00:28:34,088 --> 00:28:37,091 In the US alone, 21 planes are found 679 00:28:37,091 --> 00:28:39,760 to have the same defect, all of them 680 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:44,065 at risk of a catastrophic fuel leak and fire. 681 00:28:44,065 --> 00:28:46,734 Boeing takes immediate action. 682 00:28:46,734 --> 00:28:49,270 It redesigns the downstop mechanism 683 00:28:49,270 --> 00:28:52,073 and ensures that the improved part is installed 684 00:28:52,073 --> 00:28:53,407 on each and every plane. 685 00:28:53,407 --> 00:28:56,944 In today's aviation, the failure of any kind 686 00:28:56,944 --> 00:28:59,881 of component part, especially as it relates to a fuel system, 687 00:28:59,881 --> 00:29:02,250 is a rare event. 688 00:29:02,250 --> 00:29:04,652 You stand a better chance of survival 689 00:29:04,652 --> 00:29:07,088 if you have a catastrophic event on the ground. 690 00:29:07,088 --> 00:29:11,025 But as the airplane goes up, so does the risk level. 691 00:29:11,025 --> 00:29:12,360 [muffled speech] 692 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:14,762 NARRATOR: In Brazil, investigators 693 00:29:14,762 --> 00:29:17,265 uncover another fatal problem when 694 00:29:17,265 --> 00:29:19,267 a disastrous fuel failure brings down 695 00:29:19,267 --> 00:29:21,903 a plane in the Amazon Jungle. 696 00:29:21,903 --> 00:29:22,904 [crashing] 697 00:29:26,041 --> 00:29:29,978 Brazil in the late 1980s is a country in transition. 698 00:29:29,978 --> 00:29:32,948 Developing cities are scattered throughout the dense Amazon 699 00:29:32,948 --> 00:29:33,915 Rainforest. 700 00:29:33,915 --> 00:29:36,718 [mid-tempo music] 701 00:29:36,718 --> 00:29:39,955 In Marabá, the crew of Varig Flight 254 702 00:29:39,955 --> 00:29:41,156 is preparing for takeoff. 703 00:29:41,156 --> 00:29:43,124 [mid-tempo music] 704 00:29:43,124 --> 00:29:44,860 [speaking portuguese] 705 00:29:44,860 --> 00:29:47,128 NARRATOR: There are 48 passengers onboard. 706 00:29:47,128 --> 00:29:48,797 MAN (VOICEOVER): Pulling right now. 707 00:29:48,797 --> 00:29:49,364 [engines whirring] 708 00:29:49,364 --> 00:29:50,799 [downbeat music] 709 00:29:50,799 --> 00:29:53,134 NARRATOR: Flight 254 is an hour-long flight 710 00:29:53,134 --> 00:29:56,071 from the mining town of Marabá to Belém near the mouth 711 00:29:56,071 --> 00:29:57,239 of the Amazon River. 712 00:29:57,239 --> 00:30:00,275 [suspenseful music] 713 00:30:00,275 --> 00:30:02,277 The crew dials in a compass heading to guide 714 00:30:02,277 --> 00:30:05,981 them to their destination. 715 00:30:05,981 --> 00:30:08,016 [engines whirring] 716 00:30:08,016 --> 00:30:10,185 Here we go. 717 00:30:10,185 --> 00:30:13,288 [suspenseful music] 718 00:30:14,389 --> 00:30:17,192 NARRATOR: Captain Cézar Garcez is flying the airplane 719 00:30:17,192 --> 00:30:19,327 tonight while first officer Nilson 720 00:30:19,327 --> 00:30:21,863 Zille monitors the instruments. 721 00:30:21,863 --> 00:30:22,697 B1. 722 00:30:25,467 --> 00:30:26,167 Rotate. 723 00:30:26,167 --> 00:30:28,770 [downbeat music] 724 00:30:31,339 --> 00:30:33,241 NARRATOR: The Boeing 737 steadily 725 00:30:33,241 --> 00:30:35,277 climbs to cruising altitude. 726 00:30:35,277 --> 00:30:38,847 [downbeat music] 727 00:30:42,484 --> 00:30:44,920 After 23 minutes, the flight computer 728 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:49,190 tells the captain that they're getting close to Belém. 729 00:30:49,190 --> 00:30:50,058 Looks like we're nearly there. 730 00:30:50,058 --> 00:30:50,892 Mm. 731 00:30:53,061 --> 00:30:56,998 Belém tower, Varig 254 requesting descent. 732 00:30:56,998 --> 00:31:01,369 [downbeat music] 733 00:31:01,369 --> 00:31:06,174 Belém tower, Varig 254. 734 00:31:06,174 --> 00:31:09,110 Belém tower, do you read? 735 00:31:09,110 --> 00:31:12,981 NARRATOR: Strangely, they get no response from the tower. 736 00:31:12,981 --> 00:31:14,182 Let me try. 737 00:31:14,182 --> 00:31:17,886 Belém tower, Varig 254. 738 00:31:17,886 --> 00:31:18,987 Hm. 739 00:31:18,987 --> 00:31:20,188 That's funny. 740 00:31:20,188 --> 00:31:22,424 What? 741 00:31:22,424 --> 00:31:25,393 We're not picking up their beacon either. 742 00:31:25,393 --> 00:31:27,128 NARRATOR: Airports are equipped with very 743 00:31:27,128 --> 00:31:33,001 high-frequency omnidirectional range beacons, or VOR beacons. 744 00:31:33,001 --> 00:31:36,271 Their signal guides incoming aircraft to the runway. 745 00:31:36,271 --> 00:31:38,406 I'll call the tower on HF. 746 00:31:38,406 --> 00:31:41,242 NARRATOR: The captain switches his radio to High Frequency 747 00:31:41,242 --> 00:31:44,045 and tries making contact again. 748 00:31:44,045 --> 00:31:47,549 Belém tower, Varig 254. 749 00:31:47,549 --> 00:31:50,518 NARRATOR: Thankfully, his strategy works. 750 00:31:50,518 --> 00:31:53,188 Varig 254, Belém tower. 751 00:31:53,188 --> 00:31:55,123 Go ahead. 752 00:31:55,123 --> 00:31:57,092 Belém, we're on approach, but we aren't seeing the VOR. 753 00:31:57,092 --> 00:31:58,293 Is the beacon down? 754 00:31:58,293 --> 00:32:00,228 Negative, 254. 755 00:32:00,228 --> 00:32:01,429 Looks like it's on your end. 756 00:32:05,100 --> 00:32:06,401 Understood. 757 00:32:06,401 --> 00:32:08,169 [air whooshing] 758 00:32:08,169 --> 00:32:11,139 NARRATOR: The crew will have to approach Belém without the help 759 00:32:11,139 --> 00:32:12,974 of the VOR signal. 760 00:32:12,974 --> 00:32:15,143 The captain checks his system and calculates 761 00:32:15,143 --> 00:32:17,145 when they'll arrive. 762 00:32:17,145 --> 00:32:19,447 Belém, we're 25 minutes out. 763 00:32:19,447 --> 00:32:22,517 Request to send for final approach. 764 00:32:22,517 --> 00:32:27,122 Varig 254, clear to flight level 200. 765 00:32:27,122 --> 00:32:29,024 [beeping] 766 00:32:29,024 --> 00:32:29,991 [suspenseful music] 767 00:32:29,991 --> 00:32:32,594 NARRATOR: As the plane drops below the clouds, 768 00:32:32,594 --> 00:32:35,463 the captain looks for the lights of Belém. 769 00:32:35,463 --> 00:32:37,298 Where are the lights? 770 00:32:37,298 --> 00:32:39,234 [suspenseful music] 771 00:32:39,234 --> 00:32:43,104 Where is the airport? 772 00:32:43,104 --> 00:32:45,306 NARRATOR: But there's only darkness. 773 00:32:45,306 --> 00:32:47,575 [suspenseful music] 774 00:32:49,310 --> 00:32:50,311 No visible lights, Captain. 775 00:32:52,614 --> 00:32:56,651 NARRATOR: In Belém, the controller's concerned. 776 00:32:56,651 --> 00:33:00,355 Flight 254 should have landed by now. 777 00:33:00,355 --> 00:33:02,490 But he doesn't have a radar, so he has 778 00:33:02,490 --> 00:33:04,292 no way of tracking the plane. 779 00:33:04,292 --> 00:33:07,462 [suspenseful music] 780 00:33:09,230 --> 00:33:12,267 We need to land soon or else we're going to run out of fuel. 781 00:33:12,267 --> 00:33:15,103 I think we're close. 782 00:33:15,103 --> 00:33:17,639 NARRATOR: The captain searches for a local radio signal, 783 00:33:17,639 --> 00:33:21,009 hoping it will guide them toward the city. 784 00:33:21,009 --> 00:33:24,512 Now we can follow the signal towards Belém. 785 00:33:24,512 --> 00:33:27,215 Turning right, heading 165. 786 00:33:27,215 --> 00:33:29,617 [suspenseful music] 787 00:33:33,254 --> 00:33:35,557 [engines whirring] 788 00:33:35,557 --> 00:33:38,026 NARRATOR: After 2 and 1/2 hours in flight, 789 00:33:38,026 --> 00:33:40,995 the captain is confident he's now on-course. 790 00:33:40,995 --> 00:33:44,265 There we go. 791 00:33:44,265 --> 00:33:46,568 We're over the Amazon now. 792 00:33:46,568 --> 00:33:50,238 NARRATOR: Belém is near the mouth of the Amazon. 793 00:33:50,238 --> 00:33:53,241 Following the river should lead the pilots to the city. 794 00:33:53,241 --> 00:33:56,478 [suspenseful music] 795 00:33:56,478 --> 00:33:58,346 But seconds later-- 796 00:33:58,346 --> 00:34:00,548 We've got a fuel warning! 797 00:34:00,548 --> 00:34:04,986 NARRATOR: --Flight 254 is running out of fuel. 798 00:34:04,986 --> 00:34:08,356 The pilots suddenly realized they can't make it to Belém. 799 00:34:08,356 --> 00:34:10,959 Flaps to 2. 800 00:34:10,959 --> 00:34:13,361 We need to do a controlled descent. 801 00:34:13,361 --> 00:34:15,730 [suspenseful music] 802 00:34:15,730 --> 00:34:17,966 NARRATOR: They'll have to make a forced landing 803 00:34:17,966 --> 00:34:20,301 in the dense Amazon Rainforest. 804 00:34:20,301 --> 00:34:23,404 [suspenseful music] 805 00:34:23,404 --> 00:34:25,273 We just lost an engine! 806 00:34:25,273 --> 00:34:27,675 Hang on. 807 00:34:27,675 --> 00:34:29,511 I'm going to put her down. 808 00:34:29,511 --> 00:34:33,248 [suspenseful music] 809 00:34:33,248 --> 00:34:35,683 But there goes the other one! 810 00:34:35,683 --> 00:34:37,685 [suspenseful music] 811 00:34:39,287 --> 00:34:42,290 NARRATOR: The inevitable impact is just seconds away. 812 00:34:42,290 --> 00:34:43,758 Pull up. 813 00:34:43,758 --> 00:34:50,532 Just need to bring us down nice and slow. 814 00:34:50,532 --> 00:34:53,701 [suspenseful music] 815 00:34:58,273 --> 00:35:01,042 [crashing] 816 00:35:03,178 --> 00:35:06,147 [suspenseful music] 817 00:35:06,147 --> 00:35:08,716 [crashing] 818 00:35:14,289 --> 00:35:17,458 [suspenseful music] 819 00:35:19,227 --> 00:35:22,497 NARRATOR: Of the 54 passengers and crew, six die on impact. 820 00:35:25,767 --> 00:35:29,137 Many are badly hurt, including First Officer Zille. 821 00:35:29,137 --> 00:35:31,573 [suspenseful music] 822 00:35:32,373 --> 00:35:35,310 [baby crying] 823 00:35:35,310 --> 00:35:39,047 The captain tends to the wounded while they wait to be rescued. 824 00:35:39,047 --> 00:35:41,149 [grunts] Hello? 825 00:35:41,149 --> 00:35:43,651 NARRATOR: But no one in the outside world 826 00:35:43,651 --> 00:35:46,487 knows where the plane has gone down. 827 00:35:46,487 --> 00:35:47,398 [suspenseful music] 828 00:35:50,667 --> 00:35:54,671 around Belém for Varig Flight 254, 829 00:35:54,671 --> 00:35:59,042 but there's no sign of the missing aircraft. 830 00:35:59,042 --> 00:36:00,511 [downbeat music] 831 00:36:00,511 --> 00:36:02,546 INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER): You get anxious to find the plane 832 00:36:02,546 --> 00:36:06,283 quickly, because people have a better chance of survival 833 00:36:06,283 --> 00:36:08,218 during the first 48 hours. 834 00:36:08,218 --> 00:36:11,455 After that, survivors are more likely to die. 835 00:36:11,455 --> 00:36:13,223 [birds chirping] 836 00:36:13,223 --> 00:36:14,792 [suspenseful music] 837 00:36:14,792 --> 00:36:17,694 NARRATOR: After two nights in the jungle, 838 00:36:17,694 --> 00:36:20,497 a small group sets off to find help. 839 00:36:20,497 --> 00:36:22,766 [suspenseful music] 840 00:36:24,635 --> 00:36:27,337 Hours later, they stumble on a farmhouse. 841 00:36:27,337 --> 00:36:29,773 [suspenseful music] 842 00:36:30,274 --> 00:36:32,342 They found survivors. 843 00:36:32,342 --> 00:36:33,677 [muffled speech] 844 00:36:33,677 --> 00:36:35,712 It's sort of a relief to realize the scenario 845 00:36:35,712 --> 00:36:37,381 is not as tragic. 846 00:36:37,381 --> 00:36:40,317 And there's an urgent desire to get to the location 847 00:36:40,317 --> 00:36:41,518 and start to work. 848 00:36:41,518 --> 00:36:43,487 [mid-tempo music] 849 00:36:43,487 --> 00:36:46,223 Where did you say they are? 850 00:36:46,223 --> 00:36:49,393 NARRATOR: The crash site is nowhere near Belém. 851 00:36:49,393 --> 00:36:53,197 MAN: It came down right here. 852 00:36:53,197 --> 00:36:55,499 NARRATOR: The wreckage of Flight 254 853 00:36:55,499 --> 00:37:00,404 is lying in the Amazon Jungle, nearly 700 miles away. 854 00:37:00,404 --> 00:37:05,209 How on Earth did they get way over there? 855 00:37:05,209 --> 00:37:07,845 No wonder we couldn't spot the beacon. 856 00:37:07,845 --> 00:37:10,881 It's nowhere near the destination. 857 00:37:10,881 --> 00:37:13,717 NARRATOR: Within hours, Brazilian military 858 00:37:13,717 --> 00:37:17,354 reached the remote crash site of Varig 254. 859 00:37:17,354 --> 00:37:20,891 They find 43 survivors. 860 00:37:20,891 --> 00:37:23,427 Five people have died waiting for rescue, 861 00:37:23,427 --> 00:37:25,529 and another dies soon after. 862 00:37:25,529 --> 00:37:28,565 [downbeat music] 863 00:37:29,700 --> 00:37:31,702 Shortly after the rescue efforts, 864 00:37:31,702 --> 00:37:33,904 there's a major breakthrough. 865 00:37:33,904 --> 00:37:37,474 The discovery of the plane's two flight recorders. 866 00:37:37,474 --> 00:37:40,143 Investigators hope they will reveal why Flight 867 00:37:40,143 --> 00:37:43,714 254 was so badly off-course. 868 00:37:43,714 --> 00:37:45,582 DOUGLAS MACHADO: [speaking portuguese] 869 00:37:47,417 --> 00:37:49,419 INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER): We were relying on the two flight data 870 00:37:49,419 --> 00:37:51,188 recorders. 871 00:37:51,188 --> 00:37:53,624 Both pilots were alive, so we thought we were certain to come 872 00:37:53,624 --> 00:37:54,558 to a conclusion. 873 00:37:54,558 --> 00:37:56,593 [speaking portuguese] 874 00:37:56,593 --> 00:37:59,596 [mid-tempo music] 875 00:37:59,596 --> 00:38:02,799 NARRATOR: But when investigators review the flight data, 876 00:38:02,799 --> 00:38:04,768 it paints a confusing picture. 877 00:38:07,771 --> 00:38:10,307 Instead of flying north to Belém, 878 00:38:10,307 --> 00:38:13,610 the plane took off west and flew in the wrong direction 879 00:38:13,610 --> 00:38:15,646 the entire flight. 880 00:38:15,646 --> 00:38:17,714 [suspenseful music] 881 00:38:17,714 --> 00:38:20,317 [speaking portuguese] 882 00:38:20,317 --> 00:38:22,252 INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER): This became a central focus 883 00:38:22,252 --> 00:38:25,289 of the investigation, to know why the aircraft was 884 00:38:25,289 --> 00:38:26,590 so far off-course. 885 00:38:30,427 --> 00:38:33,497 NARRATOR: Investigators wonder if the crew were given 886 00:38:33,497 --> 00:38:37,200 the wrong navigation details. 887 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:40,270 Thankfully, Flight 254's flight plan from the airline 888 00:38:40,270 --> 00:38:43,473 is among the documents recovered from the cockpit. 889 00:38:43,473 --> 00:38:45,275 oh, thanks. 890 00:38:45,275 --> 00:38:47,311 Let's see what this will tell us. 891 00:38:47,311 --> 00:38:49,279 [downbeat music] 892 00:38:50,814 --> 00:38:52,549 I think I know what they did wrong. 893 00:38:52,549 --> 00:38:55,852 [downbeat music] 894 00:38:55,852 --> 00:38:57,554 JOHN COX (VOICEOVER): Their computer flight 895 00:38:57,554 --> 00:39:01,325 plan system has four digits. 896 00:39:01,325 --> 00:39:03,627 This is very, very unusual, as they 897 00:39:03,627 --> 00:39:06,964 almost always have only three. 898 00:39:06,964 --> 00:39:14,471 The numbers "0270" was intended to mean 27.0 degrees. 899 00:39:14,471 --> 00:39:16,640 [suspenseful music] 900 00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:17,975 [speaking portuguese] 901 00:39:17,975 --> 00:39:19,042 INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER): When we noticed that, 902 00:39:19,042 --> 00:39:22,646 it gave us the idea that instead of entering "027," 903 00:39:22,646 --> 00:39:26,283 which was the heading to Belém, he had entered "270." 904 00:39:26,283 --> 00:39:27,851 RONALDO JENKINS (VOICEOVER): [speaking portuguese] 905 00:39:29,486 --> 00:39:33,824 The captain read it as 270 degrees, or due west. 906 00:39:33,824 --> 00:39:35,826 So instead of flying northeast-- 907 00:39:35,826 --> 00:39:40,897 They went west instead, going 270. 908 00:39:40,897 --> 00:39:42,532 He entered the wrong heading. 909 00:39:42,532 --> 00:39:44,568 [downbeat music] 910 00:39:44,568 --> 00:39:47,838 NARRATOR: Flying for more than 3 hours in the wrong direction-- 911 00:39:47,838 --> 00:39:50,007 [suspenseful music] 912 00:39:50,007 --> 00:39:50,974 [whirring] 913 00:39:50,974 --> 00:39:53,677 --investigators suspect the aircraft ran out 914 00:39:53,677 --> 00:39:55,712 of fuel, forcing the crew to make 915 00:39:55,712 --> 00:39:57,447 a crash-landing in the Amazon. 916 00:39:57,447 --> 00:39:59,449 [suspenseful music] 917 00:39:59,449 --> 00:40:01,852 [crashing] 918 00:40:09,426 --> 00:40:12,729 To confirm their suspicions, they call in Captain Garcez 919 00:40:12,729 --> 00:40:15,766 to tell his side of the story. 920 00:40:15,766 --> 00:40:18,935 I'll try to help you. 921 00:40:18,935 --> 00:40:21,038 NARRATOR: Under intense questioning, 922 00:40:21,038 --> 00:40:24,508 he admits he misread the flight plan, 923 00:40:24,508 --> 00:40:27,477 causing the aircraft to fly hundreds of miles off-course. 924 00:40:27,477 --> 00:40:29,813 [downbeat music] 925 00:40:29,813 --> 00:40:32,516 Look, [sighs] it was an honest mistake. 926 00:40:32,516 --> 00:40:35,018 [downbeat music] 927 00:40:36,153 --> 00:40:39,456 NARRATOR: Company records show the airline began printing 928 00:40:39,456 --> 00:40:41,858 their flight plans in a new way while the captain was 929 00:40:41,858 --> 00:40:44,094 on vacation. 930 00:40:44,094 --> 00:40:45,962 It's easy to see how you'd get confused. 931 00:40:45,962 --> 00:40:47,464 [speaking portuguese] 932 00:40:47,464 --> 00:40:49,099 INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER): From that moment on, 933 00:40:49,099 --> 00:40:51,735 the cause, or the basic framework of the accident, 934 00:40:51,735 --> 00:40:53,470 was determined. 935 00:40:53,470 --> 00:40:55,539 NARRATOR: But the First Officer was 936 00:40:55,539 --> 00:40:58,575 also required to enter the heading from their flight plan. 937 00:40:58,575 --> 00:40:59,676 [speaking portuguese] 938 00:40:59,676 --> 00:41:02,479 NARRATOR: Why didn't he catch the captain's mistake? 939 00:41:06,516 --> 00:41:09,653 Aviation psychologist Kathy Mosier provides insight. 940 00:41:09,653 --> 00:41:13,590 The co-pilot, probably after many experiences with captains 941 00:41:13,590 --> 00:41:16,126 who had always done it right and never had to double-check, 942 00:41:16,126 --> 00:41:18,895 just entered what the captain had put in and assumed 943 00:41:18,895 --> 00:41:20,664 that it was the right thing. 944 00:41:20,664 --> 00:41:23,900 So in this case, your safeguard is gone, because the co-pilot 945 00:41:23,900 --> 00:41:26,937 is not cross-checking. 946 00:41:26,937 --> 00:41:28,705 [downbeat music] 947 00:41:28,705 --> 00:41:32,843 The original navigation mistake 948 00:41:32,843 --> 00:41:35,445 was that of the captain. 949 00:41:35,445 --> 00:41:39,549 What is disheartening here is that both pilots 950 00:41:39,549 --> 00:41:41,485 went along with it. 951 00:41:41,485 --> 00:41:43,386 [air whooshing] 952 00:41:43,386 --> 00:41:46,656 NARRATOR: Flight 254 was flying in the wrong direction 953 00:41:46,656 --> 00:41:50,427 from the moment it took off. 954 00:41:50,427 --> 00:41:52,863 Instead of asking for help, the captain 955 00:41:52,863 --> 00:41:57,634 tried to get back on-course using a local radio signal. 956 00:41:57,634 --> 00:42:00,604 He thought he found a station in Belém, 957 00:42:00,604 --> 00:42:04,441 but instead picked up a signal in the opposite direction, 958 00:42:04,441 --> 00:42:07,043 taking them further away from their destination. 959 00:42:07,043 --> 00:42:09,579 [suspenseful music] 960 00:42:09,579 --> 00:42:10,814 [speaking portuguese] 961 00:42:10,814 --> 00:42:12,182 INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER): His pride prevented him from saying 962 00:42:12,182 --> 00:42:14,484 to his colleague, help me. 963 00:42:14,484 --> 00:42:15,385 I'm in trouble. 964 00:42:15,385 --> 00:42:17,020 That would have been a better approach. 965 00:42:17,020 --> 00:42:19,523 NARRATOR: While scanning their radar, 966 00:42:19,523 --> 00:42:21,892 the crew thought they spotted the Amazon River, which 967 00:42:21,892 --> 00:42:23,760 would take them back to Belém. 968 00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:28,865 But the river they saw was the Xingu, more than 600 miles 969 00:42:28,865 --> 00:42:32,169 southwest of Belém. 970 00:42:32,169 --> 00:42:35,705 How can they be so confused for so long? 971 00:42:35,705 --> 00:42:38,441 I think we're close. 972 00:42:38,441 --> 00:42:41,578 NARRATOR: Investigators conclude the crew was in the grip 973 00:42:41,578 --> 00:42:45,148 of what's known as "confirmation bias," the tendency 974 00:42:45,148 --> 00:42:47,083 to favor information that confirms 975 00:42:47,083 --> 00:42:49,586 something we already believe. 976 00:42:49,586 --> 00:42:52,088 When I saw the river, I was sure. 977 00:42:52,088 --> 00:42:53,356 I was sure we were close to Belém. 978 00:42:53,356 --> 00:42:58,228 Just goes to show you anybody can fall into decision traps. 979 00:42:58,228 --> 00:43:02,165 And even experts have to always be on-guard. 980 00:43:02,165 --> 00:43:04,568 NARRATOR: The accident report faults 981 00:43:04,568 --> 00:43:06,770 both pilots for the actions that caused the plane 982 00:43:06,770 --> 00:43:10,740 with 54 people onboard to run out of fuel and crash 983 00:43:10,740 --> 00:43:11,174 in the jungle. 984 00:43:14,711 --> 00:43:17,747 After the crash of Varig 254, the airline 985 00:43:17,747 --> 00:43:20,784 changes their flight plans so the decimal place 986 00:43:20,784 --> 00:43:22,052 is clearly marked. 987 00:43:22,052 --> 00:43:24,988 They also improve pilot training. 988 00:43:24,988 --> 00:43:28,592 Brazil's national radar system is modernized and expanded 989 00:43:28,592 --> 00:43:32,262 to cover the entire country, making it less likely 990 00:43:32,262 --> 00:43:34,631 that a plane would go missing. 991 00:43:34,631 --> 00:43:38,068 Fuel management in-flight is the responsibility 992 00:43:38,068 --> 00:43:39,769 of the pilots in the cockpit. 993 00:43:39,769 --> 00:43:44,274 But you can have those same human errors on the ground. 994 00:43:44,274 --> 00:43:48,945 The big common thread between these three accidents 995 00:43:48,945 --> 00:43:50,914 is the human factor. 996 00:43:50,914 --> 00:43:54,517 It is the responsibility to have not only a knowledge of what 997 00:43:54,517 --> 00:43:57,153 you're doing, but a fundamental understanding, 998 00:43:57,153 --> 00:43:59,789 so that you can execute properly. 999 00:43:59,789 --> 00:44:01,224 [engines whirring] 72325

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