All language subtitles for Air.Disasters.S20E18.Courage.in.the.Cockpit.1080p.SMIT.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-maldini_track3_[eng]

[music playing]

NARRATOR: An Airbus flight
crew scrambles to keep

their passenger jet in the air.

We're losing an engine.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY:
We had lost one reverse.

We had half the spoilers
on the wings not working.

JOHN NANCE: They never gave up.

Pilots don't give up.

NARRATOR: On United
Airlines Flight 232--

Left.
Left.

Left.

Left.
Left.

Left.
Left.

NARRATOR: The
pilots have lost all

their critical flight controls.

We're turning.
We're turning.

We're turning.

MARY SCHIAVO: They have to be
able to work with each other

to save a plane.

NARRATOR: Over the
Bering Sea, the pilots

stare death in the face--

The whole airplane
was shaking.

NARRATOR: --while they
try to save their jet.

Terrifying emergencies--

All systems are down to zero.

NARRATOR: --shine a light
on three astonishing events.

AL HAYNES: Billion
to one were the odds

that this would happen.

You're never trained for that.

OK, everyone, here we go.

WOMAN: Ladies and gentlemen,
we are starting our approach.

MAN: We lost both engines.

WOMAN: Last couple of notes.

Emergency dispatch.
MAN: Mayday!

Mayday!

WOMAN: Brace for impact!

MAN: Do the last one.

Last two engines stopped.

MAN: She's going to crash!

NARRATOR: United Airlines
Flight 232 has left

Denver, Colorado for Chicago.

Heading home for a few days?

MAN: Yeah.

Be good to get back.

NARRATOR: Today is Children's
Day at United Airlines.

A child's ticket
costs only a penny.

[baby crying]

52 of the 285
passengers are children.

Captain Al Haynes and his
First Officer Bill Records

are former fighter pilots.

Well, it looks like we're
going to make Chicago on time.

BILL RECORDS: The
airplane was trimmed up.

We had enjoyed a cup of
coffee, and weather was good.

And all of a sudden
with a bang, it's

just like being thrown into a
great big tornado of activity.

NARRATOR: First
Officer Bill Records

immediately disengages the
autopilot and takes control.

I have it.

What was that?

AL HAYNES: There was
no alarms at all.

No bells.
No whistles.

No lights flashing.

Just this big explosion.

I've got control.

Check the gauges.

NARRATOR: The pilots struggled
to control the plane.

Captain Al Haynes tries
to figure out the cause.

AL HAYNES: The airplane
was shaking so bad you

couldn't read the instruments.

We've lost the
number two engine.

We're losing hydraulics.

I'm going to shut
number two down.

AL HAYNES: The reason you shut
down the engine when it fails

is you don't know what the
damage is to the engine.

If it kept turning, it
could tear itself apart.

NARRATOR: A dangerous
situation deteriorates.

AL HAYNES: Bill said Al, I
can't control the airplane.

And that's a real
attention-getter.

NARRATOR: The plane
is not responding to

the first officer's commands.

It's banking further and
further to the right.

I've got it, Bill.

NARRATOR: If the pilots can't
find a way to level the plane,

it will soon be upside down.

AL HAYNES: We had the
control wheel as far

as it would go to the left
and as far back in your lap

as it would go.

You can't do that
in flight so there's

something drastically wrong.

NARRATOR: Second Officer Dudley
Dvorak may have the answer.

Dudley, check the gauges.

What's going on back there?

We have no
hydraulic fluid left.

All systems are down to zero.

All three?

That's impossible.

NARRATOR: The plane's hydraulic
system carries the commands

from the pilot's control
column to the aircraft's

control surfaces, such as
the elevators, rudders,

and ailerons.

Without fluids,
pilots cannot move

these crucial flight controls.

If you do not have hydraulics,
you have absolutely no control.

What's it say in the book?

NARRATOR: The DC-10 has three
separate hydraulic systems.

If one fails, the other
two act as backups.

But all three systems
are now drained.

There's nothing in here
for anything like this.

AL HAYNES: A billion
to one were the odds

that this would happen.

You're never trained for that.

NARRATOR: Captain Haynes
has to improvise a solution

or his plane is going down.

BILL RECORDS: Everybody realized
that this was something that we

didn't have a procedure for
so you just kind of grabbed

for whatever was working.

Let's use the engines.

Yeah, why not?

I'm going to pull back
number one about 10%.

You go up on number
three 10% nice and slow.

NARRATOR: By adjusting the power
to the two remaining engines,

the pilots may be able
to level the aircraft.

Easy does it.

OK, that's got it.

NARRATOR: The improvised method
of control levels the plane,

but only for a moment.

The nose is going down.

What's going on here?

NARRATOR: United
Airlines Flight 232

starts to accelerate downwards.

In normal circumstances, pulling
back on the control column

would raise the elevators and
lift the nose of the plane.

We have no elevators.

Let's try 10%.

NARRATOR: The pilots
increase power

to the two forward engines.

AL HAYNES: This is
what you have to do

because the power creates the
lift, and that's what you need.

NARRATOR: The maneuver works.

They pull out of the dive.

That's got it.

Easy.

Easy.

We just dropped 1,000 feet.

OK, we got to land this thing.

Find out where the
hell we are, and get

us to the nearest airport.

This is United 232.

We are declaring an emergency
and requesting a vector

to the nearest airport.

MAN: United 232, you're
heading toward Sioux City.

Would you like to go there?

We'll take Sioux City.

Start getting the cabin ready.

MAN: United 232, radar contact.

Turn left, heading 255.

NARRATOR: The pilots
are unable to use

flight controls so
they turn the plane

by staggering the throttles.

But as the DC-10 begins
to turn, its nose dips.

It accelerates downwards, again.

Haynes and Records
complete the turn,

but they've dropped
another 1,000 feet.

And Sioux City is
still 40 miles away.

I don't think we're going
to make the airport, fellas.

[knocking]

There's a DC-10
instructor on board

who's offering assistance.

OK, let him come up.

Could you come with me?

NARRATOR: Denny
Fitch is a United

Airlines pilot and a flight
instructor for the DC-10.

I transition from a
passenger to a crew member.

And I remember their forearms
and their tendons being tense.

I remember their
knuckles being white.

Now, go forward.

Let it come back
and lead it away.

DENNY FITCH: When
I took it all in,

the immediate fast
conclusion is Denny,

today is the day
you're going to die.

Tell me what you want.

I'll help you.

Take the throttles.

He can stand between
Bill and myself now.

And he can operate the
alternating thrusts

a lot easier than we can.

OK.

Pull back.

Pull back.

Start it down.

DENNY FITCH: And it didn't take
long before I started to sense

the airplane's behavior.

Is this Sioux City
down to the right?

That's Sioux City.

NARRATOR: Their destination
might be in sight,

but with no flight controls, the
crew can't reduce their speed.

AL HAYNES: We had absolutely
no way to control the speed.

There's just nothing
we could do about it.

NARRATOR: Even if they
can line up with a runway,

they still won't be able
to control their landing.

[sirens]

Emergency workers
prepare for the worst.

DENNY FITCH: We were facing
death, all of us were,

and our passengers.

NARRATOR: A crippled
DC-10 is just a few miles

from the airport in
Sioux City, Iowa.

Forward.
Forward.

Forward.

NARRATOR: The plane's
airspeed is the only thing

keeping it in the air.

The pilots have no choice, but
to keep the engine at close

to full power.

Won't this be a fun landing.

[chuckling]

BILL RECORDS: We were
going way too fast.

We had no flaps.

We had no brakes.

And we had no way to
steer the airplane once we

did arrive at the runway.

MAN: Brace.

Brace.

Brace.

NARRATOR: Only 100 feet from
the ground, the nose dips again,

further increasing speed.

Left.
left.

Left.
Left.

Left.

Left.
Left.

Left.

We're turning.
We're turning.

We're turning.

[crashing]

Didn't get it quite right.

And we hit very hard.

[sirens]

NARRATOR: Wreckage is
strewn across the runway

and a nearby cornfield.

BOB MACINTOSH: On the initial
viewing of the aircraft

hitting the ground
and tumbling down

the ground in a huge fireball
and so on and so forth,

we didn't expect
to find survivors.

NARRATOR: Thanks to the pilot's
skill, 185 people survived.

But 111 passengers and
cabin crew are dead.

Compounding the tragedy,
11 are children.

Still inside the
cockpit, 590 feet away

from the rest of the
wreckage, are the pilots.

All have survived.

I was unconscious.

Fortunately, I was
knocked out on impact.

I have absolutely
no recollection

of the crash at all.

BILL RECORDS: I had no idea
what kind of shape I was in.

Whether my legs were
attached, I had no--

I couldn't move my fingers.

I was literally
pinned to the ground.

I was compressed
in the wreckage.

White, hot pain in
my back and my side.

Broken ribs.

Punctured the lung.

I never lost consciousness.

NARRATOR: Investigators from the
National Transportation Safety

Board need to know
why the number two

engine exploded in mid-flight.

And how that led to
the catastrophic loss

of all hydraulics.

Early on, investigators
realized that a vital piece

of the engine is missing.

The fan disk is
such an obvious part

of the front of the engine that
when it's missing, you know it.

NARRATOR: The fan disk is
responsible for bringing air

into the core.

It takes three
months to find it.

It was discovered in
a field approximately

60 miles from the airport.

The massive disk
is broken in two.

How could it break like that?

BOB MACINTOSH: It was
extremely unusual.

And we really wanted to try and
figure out why this thing had,

what we call, burst.

NARRATOR: Investigators closely
examine the fracture points.

It's definitely fatigue.

JIM WILDEY: It was
pretty easy visually

to look at this
to see that there

was a fatigue crack there.

Well, well, well.

NARRATOR: A
microscopic examination

reveals an imperfection
in the titanium

used to make the fan blade.

This flaw caused a crack that
grew larger over 17 years.

A bad batch of titanium?

I'd say so.

NARRATOR: It was only a matter
of time before the disk broke.

I have it.

MAN: What was that?

NARRATOR: When it did,
the fragments destroyed

all three hydraulic systems.

This part was supposed to be
inspected on a regular basis,

and indeed, it was.

But where the crack
was located simply

was extremely
difficult to detect.

NARRATOR: The NTSB
immediately recommends

more thorough inspections
of all engine fan disks.

Given the broad system failure,
it's astonishing that anyone

survived the crash landing.

In terrifying conditions,
the pilots managed

a phenomenal act of flying.

Let's use the engines.

NARRATOR: All four pilots
received the Polaris Award.

It's the highest
civilian aviation

decoration, honoring exceptional
airmanship and heroic actions.

We got the airplane
to the runway,

and that's the most
we could hope for.

Even more than most people
thought we could hope for.

And to say that we were
heroes in doing that, no.

No, we were just fortunate that
the things we tried worked.

JOHN NANCE: Here, they
were all one team,

and they found a way
to do something that

was technically impossible.

It was absolutely
astounding that they

managed to find solutions.

They never gave up.

Pilots don't give up.

We don't do that.

NARRATOR: 21 years later,
an Australian flight crew

will be tested as never before.

Qantas Flight 32
has just finished

refueling at Singapore Airport.

The Airbus A380 is
more than halfway

through a marathon
22-hour flight from London

to Sydney, Australia.

There are 440 passengers
and 29 crew on board.

A former fighter pilot,
Richard de Crespigny,

is one of the few
pilots qualified

to captain an Airbus A380.

Everyone ready for takeoff?

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY:
The A380 is

the latest generation
of innovation,

automation, and excellence.

And it's the largest, most
complex aircraft in the sky.

NARRATOR: First Officer Matt
Hicks's main duty is to monitor

the vast number of
electronic gauges

and computer displays
needed to fly

this state-of-the-art aircraft.

Everything's looking
good here, Richard.

MATT HICKS: The more
automated aircraft get,

it doesn't necessarily
make them easier to fly.

It just makes them
different to fly.

NARRATOR: Today, de
Crespigny's flight skills

are being evaluated by
fellow pilot Dave Evans.

This is an annual
requirement at Qantas.

The A380 is powered by four
massive Rolls-Royce engines.

Each can deliver 72,000
pounds of thrust.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY: They
designed wonderful engines.

Very reliable.

V1.

Rotate.

Autopilot.

On.

Climb out checklist, please.

Autothrust is set.

And ECAM is clear.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY: The
ECAM, or Electronic Centralized

Aircraft Monitor, keeps watch
over all the onboard systems

and alerts the crew to
the slightest malfunction.

The first few minutes in
the air are uneventful.

MARION CARROLL: The
atmosphere in the cabin was--

was perfectly casual.

We were chatting away the whole
time since we were seated.

[crashing sounds]

[alarms]

We're losing an engine.

MARION CARROLL: There
was a loud explosion.

My reaction
immediately, I think,

was oh, my goodness,
maybe this is it.

We've lost number two.

NARRATOR: There's something
wrong with the A380's number

two engine.

Holding 7,500 feet.

NARRATOR: De
Crespigny takes back

control from the autopilot.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY: I
press the Altitude Hold

button, which would
cause the nose to lower,

and the aircraft leveled.

Matt, ECAM actions.

On it.

NARRATOR: Hicks faces a barrage
of error messages on the ECAM.

MATT HICKS: We had to
work our way through it

and build up a
picture of what was

going on with the aeroplane.

Number two's overheating.

NARRATOR: The crisis escalates.

The engine is now in flames.

This plane is in very real
danger of becoming a fireball.

Qantas Flight 32 is
in serious trouble.

Number two is overheating.

NARRATOR: First
Officer Matt Hicks

activates the
emergency extinguishers

inside the burning engine.

Fire number two.

Push button.

Confirmed.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY:
It was stressful.

It was difficult.

The warning's off.

I think the fire's out.

NARRATOR: They've
dealt with one alarm,

but the emergency isn't over.

Failure messages persist.

OK, I've cleared
slate one and two.

What have you got for me now?

Hydraulics.

MATT HICKS: In a
training environment,

you probably only do two or
three consecutive failures.

And in this case,
I think we had 58.

NARRATOR: And that list
of failures is growing.

Degraded pneumatics,
hydraulics, electrics.

Power to the left
wing shut down.

Flaps, slats, and ailerons
are damaged, but operable.

NARRATOR: Captain
de Crespigny needs

to get the A380
back to Singapore

before it's
impossible to fly it.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY: We don't
want to stay one minute more

in the air than we have to.

Singapore, Qantas
32, we require a left

turn back towards Singapore.

MAN: Qantas 32, Singapore,
turn left heading 020.

NARRATOR: Singapore is
about 217 miles away.

The captain needs
more information

on the damaged engine, but it
can't be seen from the cockpit.

Second Officer Matt Johnson
goes back to investigate.

MARION CARROLL: The hole that
was in the wing that had been

made by the explosion seems,
from what I could see,

quite a large hole, like
a couple of feet across.

And all the metal was
jagged and sticking up.

And we could see the stream
of the fuel coming out.

NARRATOR: The A380's wings
are filled with more than 100

tons of highly flammable fuel.

MARION CARROLL: We were
all just wondering,

what was going to happen next?

What can you tell me, Matt?

Number two's blown apart,
cut holes through the wing,

and we're leaking fuel.

NARRATOR: The news
helps explain why

so many systems are failing.

Vital flight controls
run through the wing.

These are likely damaged by
shrapnel from the burst engine.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY: We
had so many checklists--

100 in the air-- that it took
Matt 55 minutes to stabilize

the aircraft so
that this aircraft

situation didn't get worse.

That is unprecedented
in aviation history.

NARRATOR: The pilots are
finally near Singapore.

Dave, I need you to run
the numbers on this landing.

NARRATOR: Check Captain
Dave Evans does the math.

Three engines,
full load, all that.

NARRATOR: He uses the A380
landing software to calculate

how much runway they'll need to
bring the huge plane to a stop.

The computer says
we can't make it.

Runway is too short.

DAVE EVANS: With
the nine failures

that I put into the system
and the surface conditions

in Singapore, at our
maximum landing weight,

I couldn't come
up with an answer.

NARRATOR: The A380 is
weighed down with fuel.

Almost none of the 105 tons
it took on for the flight

to Sydney is used up.

Can we dump some fuel?

That's a good
idea, but we can't.

Fuel transfer pumps are down.

Damn it.

NARRATOR: The heavy
load of flammable fuel

means any landing attempt
will be dangerous.

We were some 40 tons above
our maximum landing weight.

And the heavier
you are, the more

runway and the higher speeds
will be on your approach.

NARRATOR: Evans
first set of numbers

gives him the worst
case scenario.

He tries again with some
more optimistic numbers.

OK, looks like we can do
it with 139 meters to spare.

DAVE EVANS: 139 meters surplus
on a 4,000 meter runway

is a slim margin, but it's
better than a -139 meters.

What do we need for
our approach speed?

166 works.

NARRATOR: Captain
de Crespigny doesn't

know if his plane is capable
of landing with any precision.

OK, let's see what you can do.

NARRATOR: He rolls
the plane carefully

left and right to simulate
lining up with the runway.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY: We
had degraded roll control.

So I knew that we had to
certify the aeroplane ourselves

to fly before we landed.

OK.

NARRATOR: There's
barely enough control

to roll the plane to the right.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY: If the
few flight controls that we have

remaining are working to
their limit, then clearly,

we have very little
margin for maneuvering

when we come in to land.

MAN: Four green,
confirmed gear down

NARRATOR: Qantas
Flight 32 is now

just two minutes from landing.

de Crespigny
adjusts the throttle

so he can land at the slowest
speed possible to make

it easier to stop.

MAN: Air speed low.

Damn, not that slow.

MAN: Air speed low.

NARRATOR: The Airbus is
getting close to stalling.

MAN: Air speed low.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY:
If we sped up 3 knots,

we would run off the runway.

We slow down 1 knot,
we get a speed warning.

NARRATOR: De Crespigny has just
one shot at landing Flight 32.

Everybody ready?

At the end of the day,
it just came down to,

I think, we've
covered everything.

Can anyone think of anything?

No?

OK, let's go and do it.

Confirm Fire
Services standing by.

MAN: Affirmative.

MAN: 100.

NARRATOR: The pilots of Qantas
Flight 32 struggle to guide

their plane toward the runway.

You think about your kids.

You think about your wife.

And that's just what you do.

And then it was game on, again.

MAN: 50.

40.

30.

20.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY:
We had lost one reverse.

We had half the spoilers
on the wings not working.

We had the ailerons not
making a speed brake action.

NARRATOR: If the pilots
can't slow the plane down,

they'll overshoot the runway.

Brakes, brakes, Rich.

Put on the brakes.
Pump them.

Push them.

Brakes.

Full brakes, Rich.

I am!

My feet are flat to the floor.

NARRATOR: The A380 stops
with just 500 feet to spare.

[sirens]

Beautiful.

Welcome to Singapore, guys.

NARRATOR: Despite
an engine exploding,

a massive system failure, and
being weighed down with fuel,

the pilots of Qantas Flight 32
have landed their crippled jet

with no loss of life.

[applause]

MARION CARROLL:
When we finally--

finally walked off
the plane, there

was a great sense of relief.

And I noticed my
legs were shaking,

which I kind of thought,
oh, why are my legs shaking?

I guess, maybe, I
must've been a bit

more nervous than I was aware.

NARRATOR: Safely on the
ground, the flight crew

can finally check
out the engine.

I was shocked.

I'd never seen such
extraordinary damage

to an aeroplane before.

NARRATOR: The Trent 900 is an
increasingly popular engine.

What a disaster.

I've never seen
anything like it.

NARRATOR: It's up to the
Australian Transport Safety

Bureau to find
out what happened.

SIMON GRUMMETT: An
uncontained engine

failure is a pretty rare event.

We knew that this was going
to be a big investigation,

particularly for the ATSB.

NARRATOR: Investigators
examine the engine

that burst into flames.

Oil fire.

NARRATOR: The inside is charred
and covered with soot and oil.

This strongly suggests
there was an oil leak.

Kev, I think we got it.

KEVIN CHAPMAN: At that
point, it was all wow,

this is a really important
moment of the investigation.

NARRATOR: Investigators
determined that a narrow pipe

snapped and released
oil into the area

around the turbine disk.

The broken part is
called a stub pipe.

This nearly
brought down an A380?

Jeez, man.

NARRATOR: Investigators believe
the oil from the broken stub

pipe ignited and burned at more
than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fire number two, push button.

Confirmed.

NARRATOR: The fire damaged
the drive shaft, which allowed

the turbine disk to
spin faster and faster,

until it broke apart.

The internal oil fire
happened so quickly

and accelerated that
the crew had absolutely

no opportunity to
shut down that engine

before the engine failure.

NARRATOR: But what caused
the stub pipe to break,

nearly killing 469 people?

Investigators send
what's left of the pipe

to the engine's
manufacturer, Rolls-Royce.

Engineers make a
startling discovery.

One side of the pipe is
thinner than the other.

That allowed it to break apart,
spray the engine with oil,

and cause a near
catastrophic fire.

SIMON GRUMMETT: It's
no wonder, it cracked.

We're only talking, it was
0.35 millimeters in thickness.

That's a couple of
sheets of paper.

NARRATOR: There are 28
A380s in service with

the same Rolls-Royce engine.

The ATSB calls for a fix.

KEVIN CHAPMAN: As a result
of this investigation,

all engines that had
non-conforming oil feed pipes

have been removed from service.

NARRATOR: Investigators conclude
that Flight 32 ended safely

because the highly-trained
crew responded

quickly and effectively.

[crashing sounds]

Matt, ECAM actions.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY: I'm
truly proud of every one

in the aircraft that day.

And I'm really proud
of the decisions

we made, the way we worked
as a unified, cohesive team.

Dave, I need you to run
the numbers on this landing.

RICHARD DE CRESPIGNY: I
think in every regard,

the Qantas 32 story is one
of aviation's finest hours.

MARY SCHIAVO: What a pilot needs
to deal with the unexpected

is this combination of skill,
training, intelligence.

They aren't just
flying on autopilot.

They're someone who understands
all the systems on their plane.

And by troubleshooting, figuring
out what they might do with one

system to make up for the
loss of another, and that's

a very special skill.

NARRATOR: Eight years before,
that same kind of skill

was pushed to the limit.

Northwest Airlines
Flight 85 is making

its way over the Bering Sea
toward Narita Airport in Japan.

Frank, I'm taking the lasagna.

You get option B.

Does option B
includes starving?

NARRATOR: Captain Frank
Geib is at the controls

of the Boeing 747-400.

He has more than
11,000 flying hours.

You sure, you're not hungry?

NARRATOR: Mike Fagan--
a Vietnam veteran

with 25 years
flying experience--

is the First Officer.

Trust me, I'm good.

NARRATOR: Flight
85 is more than six

hours from landing at Narita.

[crashing sound]

Captain Geib faces a
life and death scenario.

Did we lose an engine?

Do we still have engines?

We still have all engines.

That's not it.

NARRATOR: The lives
of 386 passengers

depend on what the pilots
do in the next few minutes.

Northwest Airlines Flight 85
is on the brink of disaster.

The plane banks
violently to the left.

Captain Geib disconnects
the autopilot

and pulls back on the control
column to level the wings.

Frank, have you got it?

Yeah, I think I've got it.

If it's not the engines, then we
have a problem with the rudder.

NARRATOR: The pilots
have leveled the plane,

but they're still struggling
to maintain control.

[alarm]

The warning system
confirms Geib's suspicion.

MAN: Yaw damper lower.

NARRATOR: The rudder
system isn't responding.

The rudder controls the plane's
left and right movements.

On the 747, there's both
an upper and lower rudder.

For some reason,
the lower rudder is

stuck 17 degrees to the left.

Using the foot pedals,
Geib can barely

control the upper rudder,
which is still functioning.

Anchorage is two
hours behind us.

Call them and
declare an emergency.

We're turning around.

NARRATOR: He needs the rudder
to turn the plane around.

But Captain Geib
can't rush his moves.

MIKE FAGAN: We had no
idea what the problem was.

So Frank was very cautious
on using the rudder, which

means that he had
to use full aileron

to control the aircraft.

P3, get them back.

NARRATOR: Geib calls
on the senior pilots,

Captain John Hanson and First
Officer David Smith, resting

in the flight crew's cabin.

[door opening]

Let's move it.

What's happening?

Lower rudder is hard over
17 degrees to the left.

We don't know why, and
it's not responding.

We don't know what
else is wrong, yet.

JOHN HANSON: Frank was
the junior captain.

I was the senior captain.

And when I saw him
battling the controls,

I decided that I was
going to take over.

NARRATOR: First
Officer Fagan must now

hold the yoke steady as
Captain Geib relinquishes

control of the plane.

I have control.

NARRATOR: Any mishandling
of the controls

could send the plane
into a fatal spin.

JOHN HANSON: I was
pretty appalled

at how much force it took to fly
this big, beautiful airplane.

NARRATOR: Keeping the huge
aircraft level at 35,000 feet

is becoming
increasingly difficult.

JOHN HANSON: The control
wheel was shaking because

the whole airplane was shaking.

NARRATOR: Hanson
decides to descend

to a lower altitude,
where denser

air will provide more lift.

JOHN HANSON: But we
had to be very careful

how we flew this airplane.

The tail might be
coming apart, the rudder

might be just barely
hanging on, or it

could be a hydraulic problem.

Are you ready to do this?

All set.

JOHN DOHERTY: You want to do
it very carefully so they're

handling the controls under
this really unusual circumstance

as carefully and gently and
as delicately as they can.

28,000.

NARRATOR: The pilots get the
plane down to 28,000 feet.

But the physical effort
needed to fly the damaged 747

is taking its toll.

Yeah, my leg's
starting to cramp up.

I'm having a tough time
holding this together.

JOHN HANSON: We were
pushing so hard with our leg

on that rudder pedal
that we could only

do it for about 10 minutes.

You're going to
have to take it.

Are you ready?

I'm ready.

All right.

Nice and easy.

JOHN DOHERTY: They
were facing really,

a very confusing situation.

It was something that they
had never done in training.

Something they'd never
seen in training.

There are going to be
some circumstances where

a pilot is going to
have to figure out

what to do on his or her own.

NARRATOR: The
pilots have managed

to reach Anchorage, Alaska and
slowly descend to 14,000 feet.

Flying gets even more difficult.

MIKE FAGAN: The rudder is
tied to airspeed and altitude.

The lower you get, the
further the rudder goes out.

So then it required more
rudder, more aileron, and that

was physically exhausting.

OK, we can't do this anymore.

Let's use the engines.

Dave, get on the levers.

One and two up.

Three and four down.

NARRATOR: Just like
on United Flight 232,

First Officer David Smith
will stagger the throttles

to help control the plane.

Minutes before
touchdown, the pilots

increased power to
the left engines

while reducing
power to the right.

This uneven thrust should
help keep the plane straight.

I thought if
there's ever going

to be a time that you
fly a perfect approach,

it's got to be this one.

NARRATOR: If the
crew makes a mistake,

there will be no second chance.

With their rudder damaged,
Captain John Hanson

and his crew now need
to land the aircraft.

MAN: Northwest 85 cleared land.

Emergency equipment standing by.

Roger, cleared to land.

Let's make sure we get
it right the first time.

JOHN HANSON: As far as the
missed approach is concerned,

we're not going to do one.

We're just going to do
it right the first time.

We're going to put
it right on the spot.

NARRATOR: On touchdown,
First Officer Fagan

will take the control column.

Captain Hanson will guide the
front wheels with the tiller.

OK, everyone, here we go.

NARRATOR: One false
step and the plane

could come off the runway.

MAN: Touch down in five.

Prepare for Impact.

Brake!
Brake!

Brake!

[landing]

[tires screeching]

You got it?

I got it.

We got it.

[sirens]

Good job, Mike.

Good job, guys.

JOHN HANSON: Every
one in the cockpit

was finally able to exhale.

NARRATOR: Against the
odds, the crew performs

an astounding feat of flying.

All 404 people on board survive.

[applause]

With the emergency
over, controllers

can see what the pilots can't.

MAN: That's quite the
rudder he got there.

Must have been a hell of a ride.

[;laughing]

Oh, yeah, it was
a real joy ride.

NARRATOR: The pilots have
narrowly avoided a fatal crash.

[applause]

Now, the NTSB must find out
what went wrong on Flight 85.

[dripping]

Investigators
immediately discover

a trail of hydraulic
fluid leaking

from the rear of the plane.

The pilot's foot pedals
are linked to the rudder

by a hydraulic power
control module, or PCM.

When the pilot
depresses the pedals,

the PCM adjusts the
hydraulic pressure,

which moves the rudder.

They opened up the
access panels in the tail,

and they noticed that the
end cap on the control module

had separated.

The end cap is a
circular piece about 2

and 1/2 inches in diameter.

And it had completely
fractured all of the way

around its diameter and
had then fallen off.

NARRATOR: Without
the end cap in place,

the internal piston
moved too far,

resulting in a rudder hardover.

The failure of this one
piece of engineering

nearly brought down the plane.

Exhaustive tests can't determine
the cause of the fracture.

CAROLYN DEFORGE: We were very
frustrated when we realized

that all of the
paths we chased down

didn't give you that
aha, eureka moment.

NARRATOR: Nevertheless,
the NTSB recommends

that airlines check the power
control module more frequently.

[music playing]

On Flight 85, the sudden
loss of the lower rudder

would have caused a catastrophe
if not for the quick reactions

of the pilots.

Frank, have you got it?

Yes, I think I've got it.

MIKE FAGAN: If Frank hadn't
reacted the way he had,

we probably would not be
here to tell the story.

NARRATOR: Captain Geib's
actions in the first few seconds

were critical to
saving the plane.

It then took all four pilots
to get the plane to Anchorage

and land it safely.

CAROLYN DEFORGE:
I think this crew

did a phenomenal job in
getting this aircraft back

on the ground.

[rough landing]

[tires screeching]

[sirens]

NARRATOR: In 2003,
the Airline Pilot's

Association honored the crew
of Northwest Airlines Flight

85 for their incredible flying.

We got it.

JOHN HANSON: In this day and
age of automated cockpits,

hand flying is in danger
of becoming a lost art.

We have to remember, as
pilots, that we are there

because of our flying skills.

We had prepared so
well for this thing

that the failure
was not an option.

Your pilot is only as
good as his or her training.

So if you want your pilots to be
superheroes and save the plane,

you have to give them
the best training.

They have to have a lot of
experience, lots of hours

in the air, and they have to
be able to work with each other

to save a plane when
the unthinkable happens.