All language subtitles for Air.Disasters.S20E07.Runway.in.Sight.1080p.SMIT.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-maldini_track3_[eng]

Go around, captain.

Go around!

NARRATOR: With the
runway in sight,

a passenger jet smashes
down at catastrophic speed.

Why did the crew go off
the end of the runway?

Was there a problem
with the airplane?

Hang on to the son of a bitch!

NARRATOR: A Delta flight crew
battles a deadly storm during

their final approach in Dallas.

They didn't have any idea
of the severity of what

they were about to face.

Speed.

Oh, God.

Go around.

NARRATOR: And tragedy
strikes in San Francisco

when a Boeing 777 lands short.

Hang on.

How could a couple of highly
trained, experienced pilots

simply fly an airplane into
the ground short of the runway?

NARRATOR: Landing is
a routine operation,

but also one of the most
dangerous stages of flight.

Investigators have to determine
what went wrong when the safety

of the runway was in sight.

If you're not prepared to land
the plane, you shouldn't do it.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT:
Ladies and gentlemen,

we are starting our approach.

PILOT: We lost both engines.

[radio chatter]

PILOT: Mayday, mayday.

WOMAN: Brace for impact!

MAN 1: I think I lost one.

MAN 2: Investigation's
starting on the tragedy.

MAN 3: He's gonna crash!

[somber music]

NARRATOR: It's early morning on
the Indonesian island of Java.

A Boeing 737 flies
high overhead.

Visibility, 8 kilometers.

27,000 feet.

27,000.

NARRATOR: The crew
of Garuda Flight 200

is preparing to land.

There are 133 passengers
on board this morning.

They're nearing the
end of a short flight

from the Indonesian capital
of Jakarta 265 miles southeast

to the city of Yogyakarta.

The plane is 15
minutes from touchdown.

OK, when we're cleared, we
approach runway 9, course 088.

NARRATOR: Captain
Muhammad Marwoto Komar has

been with Garuda for 21 years.

Approach flaps
40, auto brake 2.

NARRATOR: As they
near the airport.

He briefs first
officer Gagam Rohmana

on the final steps needed to
get their plane on the ground.

Understood.

Approach briefing complete.

Garuda 200, you'll clear to
approach runway zero niner.

Let me know when you
have the runway in sight.

Gear down.

Gear down.

NARRATOR: They are now less than
3,000 feet above the ground.

The runway is in sight.

Flaps 15.

NARRATOR: But as
the plane descends,

passengers notice
something isn't right.

The plane is going very fast
and is very low to the ground.

Clear to land 2 miles out.

[suspenseful music]

Pull up.

Too low.

Terrain.
- Too low.

Go around, captain.

Go around.

Pull up.

Terrain.
Terrain.

Pull up.

NARRATOR: Passengers are
thrown violently as the plane

bounces a second time.

Even after a third impact,
the plane isn't stopping.

[screaming]

[sirens wailing]

The 737 has come to a stop
in a swampy rice field

off the end of the runway.

But the disaster isn't over.

Inside the burning fuselage,
passengers struggle to get out.

And outside, firefighters battle
to reach the swampy crash site.

If the fuel tanks ignite,
the plane could explode.

you need fire suppression
right there right now.

Because you've got massive
flames at 1,800 degrees,

you've got a lethal situation.

Give me a hand with this.

NARRATOR: With An.

Exit door finally open,
passengers make their escape.

[coughing]

[chatter]

Of the 140 passengers and crew
onboard, 21 people are dead.

Clearly, you knew that people
were not going to survive this.

It's almost a miracle
that so many did survive.

There's a variety
of different scenarios

that go with any kind
of landing accident.

So from the challenges of
an investigator with regard

to trying to piece these
elements back together,

why did the crew go off
the end of the runway.

Were they flying the
approach properly?

Was there a problem
with the airplane?

NARRATOR: At the crash site,
investigators from Indonesia's

National Transportation
Safety Committee, or NTSC,

face the enormous task of
determining what went wrong.

They're joined by members of
the Australian transport Safety

Bureau, including
investigator Alan Stray.

It's good to see you.

What have you got so far?

We have to establish,
where did it touch down,

were there any runway marks,
did it bounce, did it skid?

Looks like they
hit pretty hard.

NARRATOR: Investigators quickly
discover gouges and shattered

pieces of landing
gear on the runway,

clear signs that
the plane slammed

down with unusual force.

The nose wheel digging
in and fracturing

was indicative of a very
hard g-force on that impact.

No skid marks here.

NARRATOR: It's also
clear that the plane

hit the runway more than once.

So 1, 2, 3.

Then off the end of the runway.

NARRATOR: What caused
the pilots to perform

such a dangerous landing?

Investigators need to know what
happened onboard the aircraft.

Thankfully, the plane's flight
recorders are quickly recovered

from the scorched wreckage.

All right.

Let's get these to the lab.

Without that data,
we're screwed.

NARRATOR: While they
wait for the flight data,

investigators look into the
mechanical systems of the 737.

Was there a
mechanical failure?

Looking at the performance
of the aircraft,

was it physically possible
for the aircraft to stop?

The team focuses in on the
systems used during landing,

including the wing flaps.

The flap system on a
modern jetliner like a 737

create greater lift.

And that means that we
can approach an airport

or we can take off from
an airport with a much

lower and safer airspeed.

NARRATOR: They inspect the
mechanical rods, or jackscrews,

that move the flaps.

We measured the screwjack
extension to establish

what the flap setting was.

NARRATOR: What they
find is astonishing.

It doesn't look like the
flaps are all the way out.

NARRATOR: To provide enough lift
on landing, the flaps of a 737

are usually extended step
by step from 0 all the way

to 40 degrees as the plane slows
and descends toward the runway.

However, the jackscrews show a
flap setting of just 5 degrees,

not nearly enough
for a safe landing.

We just could not believe
that the aircraft would have

landed with only 5 degrees.

NARRATOR: Was
there a malfunction

within the flap system that
caused the terrifying landing?

Investigators hope the data
from the flight recorder

will shed some light
on how the plane

was operating before the crash.

We were able to get
information about the flap

settings, the speed on the
approach, the thrust reverser

deployment, the dynamics of the
approach and landing itself.

Pull up the data for the
flaps, would you, please?

There.

The flaps were
set for 5 degrees.

Never more than 5 degrees.

NARRATOR: The data confirms
the flaps were not configured

properly for landing.

To hear an airplane that
has been in an accident

because of overrunning
the runway had

a flap setting of only 5 in
a 737 is very disturbing.

NARRATOR: As they continue
to review the data,

investigators discover
the 737 was coming

in for landing blazingly fast.

Flight 200 hit the ground
at over 250 miles an hour,

more than 100 miles an
hour faster than normal.

We're not stopping!

The speed of the aircraft on
short final and on touchdown

was so excessive, there was
no way it was going to stop.

NARRATOR: But why did the
pilots touch down at such

a catastrophically high speed?

NARRATOR: After a painstaking
data recovery process--

Finally.

NARRATOR: --investigators
in Indonesia

are able to listen to the
cockpit voice recorder

from Garuda Flight 200.

Fortunately, the recorder
specialists at the laboratories

are a tenacious breed, and
they do not give up easily.

NARRATOR: They hope the
recording will help explain why

the pilots failed to configure
the aircraft properly

for landing.

OK.

Let's hear it.

OK, when we're
cleared, we approach

runway nine course 088.

What you're doing is
listening for the atmosphere

and the tone, the ambience,
if you like, in the cockpit.

Approach flaps
40, autobrake 2.

Approach briefing complete.

The captain certainly
doesn't sound stressed.

NARRATOR: Then the first
hint that something's wrong.

Looks like we're not going
to hit the glide slope.

NARRATOR: The plane is
higher than it should be

for this stage of the approach.

Better get down
a little faster.

NARRATOR: To land
smoothly, planes

need to lose enough
speed and altitude

to descend gradually and meet
the runway at a shallow angle.

But Flight 200 is too
high for a steady landing.

He definitely has some work to
do if he hopes to get on track.

Check speed flaps 15.

Flaps 5.

Captain is calling
for flaps 15.

Why is he saying flaps 5?

Flaps 15.

NARRATOR: The captain repeatedly
tells the first officer--

Check speed, flaps 15.

NARRATOR: --to
increase the flaps.

Check speed flaps 15.

NARRATOR: But the
first officer never

moves them past 5 degrees.

OK, first things first.

Why did the first officer
ignore the captain

and leave the plane at flaps 5?

It's very perplexing.

If you've got professional
pilots, we can make mistakes.

But usually that's why we've
got two people up there,

so one catches the other.

NARRATOR: When investigators
revisit the speed

of the landing,
they understand why

the first officer was reluctant
to increase the flap setting.

Way too fast for flaps 15.

NARRATOR: The plane is traveling
35 knots, or a little over 40

miles per hour faster
than is designed

for flaps at 15 degrees.

Wind drag could tear the
flaps right off the wings

if the flaps are
extended past 5 degrees.

The first officer was exactly
right in not putting them down.

But why didn't the first
officer say something,

tell the captain to slow down?

It's very clear that the
co-pilot should have said,

captain, I got the airplane.

But what it tells me here
is that this co-pilot

did not feel that he could
speak up one way or another.

NARRATOR: The captain's
behavior continues

to stun investigators.

Landing checklist
completed, right?

Landing checklist?

There were 15 ground
proximity alerts

and warnings during that
final stage of the approach.

When a crew member hears that,
there should be instant action.

NARRATOR: But
instead of reacting,

the captain becomes fixated
on the landing checklist.

Stray and his team begin
to question the quality

of the crew's training.

Fixation is when we are
focused on completing a task

to the exclusion of other things
that may be going on around us.

NARRATOR: Investigators
theorize that the captain

is completely
fixated on descending

to the proper altitude.

Landing checklist
completed, right?

In the case of a pilot
fixating on a runway,

he or she can blank out
the rest of the advice,

the ground proximity
warning system, everything.

NARRATOR: Pilot training is
designed to combat fixation,

ensuring that pilots in a crisis
situation can break the spell

and take in the
information they need.

Better training
might have helped

the first officer overcome
his reluctance to correct

the captain's mistake.

Well, go around, captain.

Go around.

Go around!

Landing checklist
completed, right?

Without question, if the
captain wasn't going to respond

by going around, which is what
he should have done instantly

on hearing whoop,
whoop, pull up,

the co-pilot should
have said, I've got

it and done the same thing.

NARRATOR: In 2008, Captain
Marwoto Komar faced charges

and was found guilty
of negligence,

but the conviction was
overturned on appeal.

In their final
report, investigators

call for improved pilot training
with added focus on approach

and landing procedures.

In the aftermath of the
Garuda 200 disaster,

the airline overhauls its
training and safety protocols,

and today, it is a safer
airline than it's ever been.

The takeaway is that
the organization has

a responsibility to provide the
pilots with the best available

training, flying the
best available equipment,

and then having a
process to ensure

that even when no one's looking
they're doing the right thing.

NARRATOR: But sometimes
even the best trained pilots

can be taken by
surprise on landing

when faced with an
unpredictable force of nature.

It's a scorching hot day at
Dallas-Fort Worth International

Airport, with the
temperature reaching

101 degrees Fahrenheit.

The intense heat
triggers thunderstorms

that surround the airport.

Delta Airlines Flight 191
heads in for landing at DFW.

Weather, 6,000 scattered,
21,000 scattered.

Visibility, 10.

Temperature, 101.

Wind, calm.

101?

101 degrees.

Yes, sir.

NARRATOR: Captain Ed Connors
and first officer Rudy Price

are two of Delta Airlines'
most experienced pilots.

Second Officer Nick Nassick
is one of Delta's most highly

regarded flight engineers.

They're flying a
six-year-old L1011 TriStar.

There are 152 passengers
and 11 crew members onboard.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are
starting our approach to DFW.

The crew begins their final
descent into the Dallas-Fort

Worth area.

CONTROLLER: Attention
all aircraft listening.

There's a little rain shower
just north of the airport.

NARRATOR: While continuing
with their approach procedures,

First Officer Price
notices the upcoming storm.

We're going to get
our airplane washed.

NARRATOR: Less than six
miles from the runway,

the controller tells the crew
to expect a stiff but manageable

crosswind of up to 15 knots.

CONTROLLER: Winds 090 at 5.

Gusts to 15.

Tower, Delta 191 heavy
out here in the rain.

Feels good.

NARRATOR: First Officer
Price is at the controls.

He realizes the storm is
more than just a little rain.

There's lightning
coming out of that one.

Where?

Right ahead of us.

NARRATOR: 1,000 feet.

I'll call them out to you.

All right.

NARRATOR: One minute
away from landing,

Price carefully guides the
aircraft toward the runway.

Without warning, the intensity
of the storm increases.

Driving rain pounds the L-1011.

All of a sudden, their
airspeed picks up.

Watch your speed.

NARRATOR: Price needs to
slow the plane down so they

don't overshoot the runway.

They're only 600
feet off the ground.

There it is.

NARRATOR: Suddenly, the
plane drops sharply.

It's as though an
invisible force

is pushing it to the ground.

Push it up.

Push it way up.

Way up.
- Way up?

Way up!

[suspenseful music]

NARRATOR: The pilots'
efforts are futile.

One mile short of the runway,
the plane plows into a field,

traveling at more than
200 miles an hour.

At that moment, the controller
catches sight of Delta 191.

He's going to crash!

You have to go around!

[alarm beeping]

They cartwheeled into the
tank in just an instant.

And then of course,
there was a wall of fire.

In the tower, it's just quiet.

And you just sit there
stunned, wishing you could

do anything to take it back.

NARRATOR: When firefighters
and rescue workers arrive,

they discover 27
people have survived.

But Captain Connors, First
Officer Price, and Second

Officer Nassick are killed
along with five other crew

members and a devastating
128 passengers.

I was on a Delta flight
behind that flight.

You could see this horrific
fire and burning wreckage

just out the plane window.

And we came in to the
gate where that plane

was supposed to have come.

And at that time, families
could go to the gates.

It was a sight I
will never forget.

NARRATOR: Investigators from the
National Transportation Safety

Board, or NTSB, arrive
at Dallas-Fort Worth,

determined to find the cause.

One of our field investigators
would have been on scene trying

to locate the flight data
recorder and the cockpit voice

recorder, which is
a very important

part of the investigation.

NARRATOR: Thankfully,
both flight

recorders are recovered
quickly and immediately sent

for analysis.

Investigators hope the data
will reveal what caused

Flight 191 to crash into a water
tank off the end of the runway.

This flight data recorder
gave us several parameters

we didn't have before--

engine power,
longitudinal acceleration.

And those parameters
really enabled us

to do a more in-depth analysis.

NARRATOR: The device also
records external elements

like temperature, wind speed,
altitude, and air pressure.

When they review the
data, investigators

discover an alarming weather
pattern logged on the recorder.

Then it shifts to a downdraft.

NARRATOR: In a
matter of seconds,

the plane is hit with three
strong winds from the front,

above, and then behind.

There you have it.

NARRATOR: Bud Laner immediately
recognizes the weather pattern.

The plane flew
through a microburst.

A microburst is a
violent shaft of air

falling from a storm cloud.

On the day of the crash,
it had been extremely hot,

and hot air rises.

When that hot air meets the
cold, moist air in the storm

clouds, it cools instantly and
rushes violently back to earth.

If you're at the kitchen
sink, and you turn on the water,

and it goes straight down and
splashes out in all directions.

And that's kind of what a
microburst is, except that it

is extremely bad news if
you're an airplane flying

through it at low altitude.

NARRATOR: The plane first
faces a strong headwind,

which lifts the plane skyward.

Then it's hit by a downdraft,
slamming it toward the ground.

Finally, the microburst delivers
its most dangerous punch--

the tailwind.

And you would get a rapid
descent, a loss of lift

and a rapid descent
towards the ground,

and easily crash the airplane.

NARRATOR: It's clear that
the 136 people on Flight 191

are the latest victims of the
intense weather phenomenon.

Unbelievable.

NARRATOR: But one
mystery still remains.

Altimeters?

NARRATOR: How did such
an experienced crew

fall victim to a storm--

We're in good shape.

NARRATOR: --they were
all trained to overcome?

of Flight 191's pilots to
the force of the microburst--

1,000 feet.

NARRATOR: --they uncover
details of a fight to the death.

I'll call them out to you.

All right.

NARRATOR: A fight that the
Delta pilots almost won.

What's your speed?

NARRATOR: The increase in
airspeed from the headwind

prompts First Officer
Price to reduce power

to his engines, power
he'll desperately

need in just a few seconds.

You're going to lose
it all of a sudden.

There it is.

The captain knew
the characteristics

of a microburst.

He'd obviously been
given an introduction

to wind shear and
microburst characteristics

in his flight training.

NARRATOR: But when Connors and
Price are hit with a tailwind,

there is very
little they can do.

Only 500 feet off
the ground, they

have insufficient
speed and altitude

with which to maneuver.

Push it up, way up.

NARRATOR: Then
suddenly the microburst

delivers another blow,
a fierce crosswind

that forces their plane to
bank dangerously to the right.

Hang onto the son of a bitch!

NARRATOR: Combined
with the other winds,

the crew is defenseless.

Toga, toga!

Toga is "take off,
go around" mode,

plus abandon the approach.

We're no longer going to
try to land this airplane.

NARRATOR: The skill and
experience of the pilots

are no match for this
fierce microburst.

It's too big, its winds too
powerful and unpredictable.

Making matters
worse, investigators

discover the storm at
the foot of the runway

arrives virtually unannounced.

Once trained weather
observers see it on the radar,

it's too late to warn
the crew of Delta 191.

It's small.

It's the length of
a runway, roughly.

And it doesn't last very long.

So it's something that
can happen so quickly

that many accidents have
occurred because nobody

knew it was there.

NARRATOR: Investigators conclude
that the Delta crash was caused

by the pilots' decision
to continue their approach

into a storm, a decision that
was made because the crew

wasn't warned about the hazard.

After the crash of Delta
191, the Federal Aviation

Administration installs
terminal Doppler

weather radar at
high risk airports,

including Dallas-Fort Worth.

Doppler radar detects
the direction and speed

of precipitation and wind flow.

Doppler radar, which
is on the ground,

is incredibly effective
in detecting microbursts.

And in fact, it can detect
about 98% of a microburst.

Even though we've learned
a lot of information

from accidents
involving thunderstorms,

things can still go wrong on a
clear and sunny day only feet

from the runway.

Ladies and gentlemen, this
is your captain speaking.

We hope you had a
pleasant flight.

We'll be on the ground
in about 30 minutes.

NARRATOR: Asiana
Flight 214 is nearing

the end of an overnight
flight from Seoul, Korea

to San Francisco.

The Boeing 777 is carrying 291
passengers and 16 crew members.

Is that the Golden Gate?

Captain Lee Kang-Kook takes
in the sights as he guides

the plane toward the airport.

Golden Gate's over there.

That bridge goes to Oakland.

Ah.

OK.

Lee Jeong-Min,
also a captain, is

serving as first officer today.

Runway in sight.

OK.

Gear down, sir.

Gear down.

NARRATOR: In the cabin,
the flight attendants

prepare passengers for landing.

Asiana 214, heavy, runway
28 left, cleared to land.

Landing checklist complete.

Clear to land.

On glide path.

Check.

NARRATOR: The plane is less
than a minute from the runway

when a passenger notices
something alarming.

There's a small pier that
extends out of the runway.

And I'm like, wow.

We're very low.

NARRATOR: In the cockpit--

Speed!

NARRATOR: --a crisis hits.

I've got control.

Oh, God.

Go around!

NARRATOR: The captain pulls up
the nose and tries to climb.

[screaming]

AUTOMATED VOICE: Terrain.
Terrain.

Damn it!

AUTOMATED VOICE: Pull up.

Just wondering how it's going
to end, how it's going to stop,

and when it's going to stop.

Hang on, hang on!

NARRATOR: In the cockpit,
the pilots have survived.

But they have no idea of
the extent of the damage.

The brutal impact has torn the
tail off the body of the plane.

Control, come in.

It's Asiana 214.

Initiating evacuation checklist.

We need help out here.

Asiana 214 Heavy, emergency
vehicles are responding.

[sirens wailing]

WOMAN: Oh my god.

That's scary.

NARRATOR: Eyewitness
video captures

the dramatic scene
as hundreds of people

flee the cabin from
only a few exits.

Come on.

Get out.

NARRATOR: Asiana Flight 214 has
crashed on one of the airport's

busiest runways.

Nearly 50 people are
seriously injured.

Six were thrown out of
the back of the plane

when the tail broke off.

Two of them are dead.

The challenges in the Asiana
214 investigation were myriad.

You would think, oh, OK.

Most everyone survived.

This shouldn't be a
problematic investigation.

But it was.

Transportation Safety Board
quickly pull together a team.

Senior investigator
Bill English leads

the high profile investigation.

Everyone's on standby
as of right now.

So the 777 had been in
service for about 20 years

at the time of this accident.

And this was the first
fatal accident of A777

777 in that entire time.

NARRATOR: The investigators
arrive at the horrific crash

site the following morning.

Before searching the
scorched wreckage,

they equip themselves
with protective gear

to shield them from
the toxic fumes.

OK, here we go.

NARRATOR: For NTSB
investigator Roger Cox,

the hunt for evidence
is worth the risk.

It was a tricky accident site.

We had to be properly garbed
up to make sure that we

weren't affected too much by
the dangerous wreckage that

was there

NARRATOR: Cox gathers
the pilots' charts

and personal effects,
hoping to find clues

about what the pilots were
doing in the final stages

of the flight.

That's everything
I could find.

NARRATOR: Many of the
documents are in Korean.

They'll need to be
translated before they

can be fully analyzed.

Meanwhile, at NTSB headquarters,
photos of the crash zone

provide investigators
with a crucial lead.

Where it impacted on the
rocks of the seawall pretty

much tells us it was too low.

It landed well short of
where it should have.

NARRATOR: The team hopes the
data recovered from the 777's

flight recorders will
help explain why the plane

crashed into the seawall.

We were able to see
all the basic things,

like airspeed, altitude, the
configuration of the airplane.

We were also able to see all
the inputs that the crew made.

NARRATOR: English
carefully plots the data.

Most of it looks
completely normal.

But then he spots
something unexpected.

This is where they
bring it back to idle.

NARRATOR: One minute
before the crash, engine

power suddenly drops to idle.

Right here.

NARRATOR: The sudden change in
power settings makes no sense.

Normally, the last
moments of flight

are when pilots need more
power to overcome drag

from the landing
gear and wind flaps.

And data from
earlier in the flight

shows the engines were
functioning properly.

We could see that the engines
were making proper power all

the way through the approach.

NARRATOR: The question now--

what was the crew
doing to control

engine power in the critical
final moments of flight?

Speed.

How did the pilots
operate the airplane?

Why did they do what they did
that got the airplane too low?

NARRATOR: Investigators
turn their focus squarely

on the actions of the pilots.

Gear down, sir.

NARRATOR: Understanding
every nuance of the cockpit

voice recording is crucial.

They listen as the pilots
prepare for a visual approach

in landing.

Missed approach, 3,000 feet.

Landing checklist complete.

Clear to land.

On glide path.

NARRATOR: They combine what
they hear with the data

from the flight recorder
that shows how the pilots

were manipulating the controls.

This seems a little high.

NARRATOR: As the crew
nears the runway,

the recording hints at
the first sign of trouble.

The rate of descent is too slow.

They risk overshooting
the runway.

I will descend more.

NARRATOR: What the recording
reveals next is stunning.

To speed up the rate
of descent, the captain

switches the autopilot to
flight level change mode.

But he makes a
dangerous mistake.

He made an entry
to the autopilot

that at first actually
made the airplane climb.

Obviously, he didn't
want to do that.

NARRATOR: Instead of
descending, the new mode

instructs the plane to
climb to its preset go

around altitude of 3,000 feet.

The autopilot mode switches
here; starts all the confusion.

The pilot flying is supposed
to actually select things

with the autoflight system
and call out what he's doing,

and the pilot
monitoring is supposed

to verify that the change
has actually occurred.

No call-outs.

How is anyone supposed
to know what he's doing?

NARRATOR: To bring
his plane back down,

the captain immediately pulls
the throttles back to idle,

stripping the plane of crucial
airspeed they need for landing.

It's low.

NARRATOR: Investigators
now understand

how the engines got to idle.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: But why would
an experienced captain

make the mistake of
leaving them there?

Pull up.

Oh, God.

Go round.

NARRATOR: And why
did the crew not

notice they were dangerously
low until it was too late?

Pull up.

NARRATOR: NTSB investigators are
anxious to interview the pilot

who was flying Asiana
Flight 214 when it crashed

onto a San Francisco runway.

I'll try to help if I can.

NARRATOR: The captain
explains he was worried

about landing in San Francisco.

I was a bit nervous.

NARRATOR: On the
day of the crash,

the electronic runway equipment
designed to help guide

pilots in for landing was down.

I thought that was
very unusual coming

from an experienced pilot.

Because no one really
needs an electronic

glide slope on a clear day to
be able to land an airplane.

It's a fundamental skill.

Other pilots are
making that landing.

I thought I should be
able to make it too.

Why did he not ask
the other guy for help?

I think he just didn't
want to admit the weakness.

Slow.

NARRATOR: The captain
tells investigators

he doesn't understand
why the plane didn't

have enough power on landing.

I know I made
some mistakes, but I

was certain that
the autothrottle

would control the speed.

NARRATOR: Like
other modern jets,

the 777 can
automatically increase

or decrease engine
power through a system

known as the autothrottle.

He was confident the
autothrottle was actually going

to take care of speed for him,
that the autothrottles would

wake up, advance the
thrust, and keep them safe.

NARRATOR: But investigators
discover the autothrottle never

corrected the speed.

Oh, go around.

Pull up.

NARRATOR: Did the
critical automated system

fail in flight?

When they conduct an exhaustive
search of the plane's

computerized functions, the team
makes a surprising discovery.

We could see
some strange things

happening with automation
inputs while that airplane

was on short final.

NARRATOR: When they replicate
the sequence of inputs made

by the captain, including
changing the autopilot mode

and then reducing the thrust--

Bingo.

That does it.

NARRATOR: --the unusual
combination of commands

switches off the 777's
autothrottle system,

leaving the engines at idle.

By doing that,
that sent the signal

to the autothrottle system that
he wanted control of the power.

So at that point in
effect, the airplane

was basically just gliding.

NARRATOR: Investigators
finally understand

why the autothrottle did
not re-engage and boost

engine thrust on landing.

Oh, God.

Go around!

NARRATOR: But it doesn't
explain why the captain was so

uncertain about the
autopilot function

and why the crew was
so slow to react.

22,000 hours between them.

You'd think they'd
notice the speed.

NARRATOR: The
translated documents

retrieved from the cockpit
provide some crucial answers.

They reveal that Captain
Lee Kang-Kook was

training on the Boeing 777--

Is that the Golden Gate?

NARRATOR: --after
flying the Airbus

A320, an aircraft with a very
different style of automation.

Check.

He was a little bit stressed
because it was a training

flight, and he was
being monitored

by this more senior pilot.

NARRATOR: But why did the
experienced first officer

wait until it was too
late before taking

control of the plane?

I've got control.

NARRATOR: If he had
intervened sooner--

Positive rate.

NARRATOR: --he would
almost certainly

have prevented the accident.

When they continue looking
through company records,

investigators discover
the first officer

had never before supervised a
training flight like this one.

Slow.

NARRATOR: His
inexperience most likely

led him to wait too long--

Speed.

NARRATOR: --before
taking over the controls.

AUTOMATED VOICE: Terrain.

Pull up.

NARRATOR: In their final report
on the crash of Asiana 214,

investigators list pilot
error as the probable cause.

But they also cite
the complexities

of the automation system
as a contributing factor.

I am not confident that the
majority of pilots, 777 pilots

at the time, would have been
able to predict the modes

that the airplane
would end up in.

NARRATOR: The report calls
for better pilot training,

more intuitive designs
of aircraft automation,

and better cockpit
alarms to warn pilots

if their speed gets too low.

Modern jets are very, very,
very efficient, which means

that they're hard to slow down.

So getting the airplane
on the proper speed

is one of the biggest
challenges that jet pilots face.

NARRATOR: If pilots
aren't prepared

when the runway is in
sight, a routine landing

can quickly become a tragedy.

A stabilized approach
says I know we can make it.

If you're a pilot
and you ever say,

I think we can make it, you
better be doing a go around.

Because those are the last
words I've heard on so

many cockpit voice recordings.