All language subtitles for Air.Disasters.S04E12.Seconds.to.Survive.1080p.PMTP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-maldini_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR: A plane
crash in the Andes--

EDUARDO ORTIZ: It was a
challenge to get to the site.

NARRATOR: --pushes rescuers
and investigators to the limit.

You guys OK to keep going?

ORANGEL LOZADA:

INTERPRETER: We were at an
altitude of 14,000 feet.

NARRATOR: The location
of the crash is baffling.

The aircraft was not in
the route normally taken.

NARRATOR: How did two pilots
familiar with the route--

-

GARANITO GOMEZ: Denis, Denis!

DENIS QUINTAL: We're
at 074, aren't we?

NARRATOR: --become so lost--

EDUARDO ORTIZ: It was
far away to the north.

NARRATOR: --that they flew
straight into a mountain.

WILLIAM DUGARTE:

INTERPRETER: It was
incredible to hear them talk

the way they were talking.

What a piece of junk.

Ladies and gentlemen, we
are starting our approach.

We lost both engines.

- Put the mask over your nose.
- Emergency descent.

Mayday, Mayday.

Brace for impact!

I think I lost one.

Investigations
started in the tragedy.

He's going to crash!

NARRATOR: Mérida
Airport, Venezuela.

On February 21, 2008,
the crew of Santa

Bárbara Airlines Flight
518 arrives for the last

flight of the day.

Hello, sir.

Welcome aboard.

Yeah, so I told them upstairs
that the standard operating

procedures in this
place are all wrong.

NARRATOR: Captain
Aldino Garanito Gomez

is a senior pilot
and flight instructor

for the airline with over
5,000 hours in the air.

So I'm going to give
the chief of operations

my manuals next week.

The captain's
first officer today

is one of his closest friends.

DENIS QUINTAL: Yeah, well,
sure things can get better.

Relax.

GARANITO GOMEZ: Mm-hmm.

NARRATOR: Denis
Ferreira Quintal

has over 2,000 flying hours.

There are 43 passengers
in the cabin,

including 11-year-old
Eisber Quintero Herrera

and his father, Alexander.

WILLIAM DUGARTE:

INTERPRETER: Alexander was
the mayor of Mucuchíes,

a town in the state of Mérida.

He was going to a meeting
of his political party

because he was running
for governor of the state.

NARRATOR: Today,
they'll be flying

an ATR 42 twin turboprop.

The aircraft is popular
with regional airlines.

Carlos Hopkins is
a Venezuelan pilot

who knows the plane well.

INTERPRETER: It's an
excellent airplane.

What we say in Venezuela
is that they're

like a battle horse.

They're very
dependable airplanes.

NARRATOR: The flight
prepares to depart.

For your information,
an Avior B190

checked in 2
minutes ago directly

over Lagunillas Station.

NARRATOR: The tower
warns captain Garanito

Gomez that another
plane is coming

in to land from the west.

Roger, Avior via Lagunillas.

Start up clearance
received and doors closing.

NARRATOR: The single runway
at Mérida Airport can only

handle one plane at a time.

If Flight 518 doesn't
get off the ground soon,

it will have to
postpone takeoff

until after the other
plane has landed.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Roger, clear for takeoff.

OK, we're ready to go.

You can have
control if you want.

NARRATOR: This afternoon,
First Officer Ferreira Quintal

is handling the flying.

GARANITO GOMEZ: 70 knots.

NARRATOR: The captain
monitors the instruments.

V1 and rotate.

Gear up.

Check.

We're up.

NARRATOR: Flight 518 is
bound for Venezuela's

capital, Caracas.

The airline operates
this 90-minute flight

three times daily.

Navigating the mountainous
terrain around Mérida

demands a lot from pilots.

EDUARDO ORTIZ: Mérida Airport
is in the middle of a valley

in a high elevation
sector of Venezuela, where

the Andean mountains finish.

There's only one way to get in
and only one way to get out.

NARRATOR: The official flight
plan takes plains southwest

through a river valley
so they can gain height

before looping
back to the north

and over the mountains
towards Caracas.

Avior 1116, traffic
airborne right now.

GARANITO GOMEZ (ON
RADIO): Roger, 116 inbound

over Lagunillas.

NARRATOR: The crew
of the inbound plane

reports their position.

Roger, for your
information, we'll stay close

to the northern mountains.

Give you guys some room.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Roger, my friend.

In that case, we'll keep closer
to the southern mountains.

NARRATOR: The two crews
must fly carefully to avoid

the mountains and each other.

MANUEL PUERTA:

INTERPRETER: The captain
had vast experience

operating at this airport.

He probably had more than
1,000 landings there.

Climbing through
6 to 7,000 feet.

Eh, same crap as the other day.

If you want, you can
start to turn, Denis.

Turning now.

NARRATOR: Flight
518 turns left as it

climbs out of the valley.

GARANITO GOMEZ: Yeah,
this way is better.

Let's keep this
heading, OK, Denis?

NARRATOR: As they climb,
the crew must continually

adjust their course.

Denis, a bit
more to the right.

To the right?

Yeah, get to 067.

NARRATOR: Then 6
minutes into the flight,

something begins to go wrong.

An alarm is sounding a warning
that the plane is dangerously

close to the ground.

EDUARDO ORTIZ: The ground
proximity warning system

just gave out a warning
to the pilots indicating

that the terrain was
coming in front of them

in a very rapid way.

GARANITO GOMEZ: Denis, Denis!

DENIS QUINTAL: We're
at 074, aren't we?

NARRATOR: The captain
takes control of the plane.

Denis.
Denis, I have it.

I have it.

NARRATOR: The passengers
are unaware of the growing

danger, while in the
cockpit, confusion mounts.

AUTOMATED VOICE:
Too low terrain.

Too low terrain.

Aldino!

Hold on.

Hold on.

Easy, Denis, easy.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Santa
Bárbara 518, do you copy?

Santa Bárbara 518,
please respond.

NARRATOR: 15 minutes
later, Flight 518 hasn't

checked in as scheduled.

Flight 518 is missing.

43 passengers on board.

NARRATOR: The news that a
plane has gone missing spreads

quickly in the small town.

WILLIAM DUGARTE:

INTERPRETER: We had hope
that if the plane did crash,

it crashed in a place that
allowed for some survivors.

There was a feeling
of optimism.

NARRATOR: As daylight
fades at Mérida Airport,

a search and rescue team
gets ready to launch.

Orangel Lozada joins
the team in Mérida.

ORANGEL LOZADA:

INTERPRETER: Initially,
we got information

about the aircraft.

We also asked how many
people were on board.

From that moment, we
started to prepare ourselves

both mentally and
physically for the rescue

of possible survivors.

NARRATOR: When a
flight goes missing,

rescuers often use a
plane's radar track

to pinpoint its last
position, but Mérida

Airport has no radar.

The rescuers don't know
where to find Flight 518.

OK, we don't have a
last known position.

So the search radius here
is going to be large, OK?

NARRATOR: With no
other clues to follow,

they start their search by air.

Following the plane's
intended route,

they discover something.

ORANGEL LOZADA:

INTERPRETER: The search
was done by helicopter.

We discovered that the plane
wasn't on the planned route.

NARRATOR: Due to the
captain's excellent reputation

as a pilot, rumors began to
spread that the missing plane

may not have crashed at all.

CARLOS HOPKINS:

INTERPRETER: Once I learned
that the crew is headed

by Captain Aldino Garanito,
first thing I thought

is that they had been hijacked.

That airplane was really
missing because the airplane

was hijacked.

NARRATOR: Then comes
distressing news

from high in the Andes.

Mountain villagers
have reported a plane

crash 6 miles from Mérida.

There's no word
about any survivors.

ORANGEL LOZADA:

INTERPRETER: Until we
arrive at the site,

we cannot give up hope.

NARRATOR: If any
passengers are still alive,

they're now in a new
fight for survival,

against the elements.

The morning after the crash of
Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight

518, rescuers
carried by helicopter

arrive at Los Conejos, a
remote Andes mountain top.

The air is thin.

The temperature near freezing.

Let's leave our
gear over there,

and we're going to need
a shelter to keep warm.

ORANGEL LOZADA:

INTERPRETER: There was a
lot of fog and it was cold.

We were at an altitude
of 14,000 feet.

NARRATOR: The thin
air makes even

the slightest physical
exertion a huge effort.

ORANGEL LOZADA:

INTERPRETER: The
location, the altitude,

and the site of impact are
contrary to human physiology.

So the work doubles or triples.

NARRATOR: Hope of finding
survivors in the wreckage

fades quickly.

The crash has killed
all 46 people on board.

ORANGEL LOZADA:

INTERPRETER: These are
images that are imprinted

on your memory for life.

But in this kind of work,
you have to know how

to get through it and move on.

NARRATOR: Meanwhile
at Mérida Airport,

investigators from
Venezuela's Aviation

Accident Investigation Board
begin setting up a base.

It will take time
before they can

get to the remote crash site.

So what exactly
is the crash site?

NARRATOR: It's their
task to figure out why

Flight 518 ended in tragedy.

OK, you have a
team already there?

MANUEL PUERTA:

INTERPRETER: One of the things
we wondered the most was why

the aircraft ended
up in that location

since it was not on
the route that they

should have been following
when they left the airport.

NARRATOR: Controllers in the
tower provide some insight.

We're trying to
figure out why they

weren't on the official route.

Oh, because they were
flying observatorio.

It's not an official route,
but everyone flies it.

NARRATOR: Investigators
learn that instead of flying

the usual loop
around the valley,

Flight 518 was taking a popular
but unofficial shortcut.

It's known as
observatorio because it

passes over an
astronomical observatory.

EDUARDO ORTIZ: It was normal
common practice to do it

direct over the observatory.

And there was only
one reason, time.

INTERPRETER: Following
the established procedure

took them at least 10 or 15
minutes longer of flight time.

This departure route
via the observatory

allowed them to save that time.

For the company,
it means a lot, 15

minutes of fuel in this case.

NARRATOR: Though
unofficial, the shortcut

is so common the tower
cleared them for the route.

518 airborne.

Contact me again when
you cross observatory.

This way is better.

NARRATOR: It's now clear
why the plane was not found

along the official route.

Keep this heading, OK, Denis?

OK.

NARRATOR: But the
discovery still

doesn't explain why the
plane crashed at Los Conejos.

That location isn't
along the official

or the unofficial flight path.

What are they
doing over there?

EDUARDO ORTIZ: The
aircraft was not

in the route normally taken
to go over the observatory.

It was far away to the north.

So that was
something that raised

a concern and the initial
step of the investigation.

NARRATOR: Only rescue
workers have reached

the top of Los Conejos.

It's up to them to
continue the difficult task

of sorting through the debris.

You guys OK to keep going?

NARRATOR: The search
and rescue mission

is now a recovery effort,
and the team is struggling.

INTERPRETER: We prepare for
all kinds of situations,

but this case in
particular was much

more difficult than others.

It pushed us almost to the
limit of our preparation.

NARRATOR: The tragedy hits
home as remains are brought

down from the mountain.

ORANGEL LOZADA:

INTERPRETER: There had
never been such a large

plane crash in Mérida before.

It touched the entire city.

WILLIAM DUGARTE:

INTERPRETER: It
was also shocking

because Eisber was
an 11-year-old boy,

and that news was
some of the hardest

that we ever
received as a family.

NARRATOR: Investigators
know the pilot

set out to fly over the
mountaintop observatory.

They know the plane veered off
course with tragic results,

but they don't know why.

Was it pilot error, a
mechanical problem, poor

weather, or something else?

The answers may lie in the
wreckage thousands of feet

above sea level, but so far
the investigators haven't

been able to get near it.

Before they can ascend to such
a dangerously high altitude,

they must first pass
a physical exam.

ORANGEL LOZADA:

INTERPRETER: The situation
was quite extreme.

There were some people that
suffered from disorientation.

So you had to be very careful
with the people in your team.

I'm OK?

I'm ready.

Let's get up there.

I'm on my way.

NARRATOR: Finally, air
crash investigators

are able to join the
rescuers at the crash site.

Their first priority is to
learn as much as they can

from the wreckage.

Left wing, 35.

NARRATOR: They hope that
the pattern of debris

can tell them something
about how the plane was

flying in the final moments.

So it slid up on its belly.

EDUARDO ORTIZ: The debris path
showed that the aircraft hit

the ground in a kind
of an upward trajectory

and not direct
against the mountain

because the debris
hit the ground

and started a slight slope up.

As a matter of fact, some
parts of the aircraft

and some bodies were
found a little bit higher

from the point of impact.

MANUEL PUERTA:

INTERPRETER: That shows that
the aircraft was climbing

at the moment of impact.

AUTOMATED VOICE:
Too low terrain.

Too low terrain.

Denis, Denis, I have it.

I have it.

NARRATOR:
Investigators conclude

that the pilots
of Flight 518 must

have put their
plane into a climb

before they hit the mountain.

Aldino!

Hold on.

Hold on.

Easy, Denis, easy.

NARRATOR: Investigators
realize the pilots

were desperately trying
to get over the mountain.

So it merely cleared the top.

NARRATOR: They came tragically
close to succeeding.

The site of the crash where
the aircraft hit the mountain,

it was about 300 meters to
the top of the mountain.

NARRATOR: Rescuers
have recovered Flight

518's two flight recorders.

Good.

NARRATOR: The flight data
recorder and the cockpit voice

recorder capture
important details of what

the pilots did and said--

We need to get these down
the mountain right away.

NARRATOR: --but it will take
time to recover the data.

MANUEL PUERTA:

INTERPRETER: Since Venezuela
doesn't have a laboratory

for analyzing black
boxes, we contacted

the French government
through the manufacturer

of the aircraft and they
offered to give us support

in analyzing both recorders.

NARRATOR: Investigators wonder
if a problem with either

of the plane's two
turboprop engines

might explain the crash.

Maybe they had an engine
failure and just lost power

and didn't have enough power
to go over the mountain

and crashed.

NARRATOR: The engines
themselves are too badly

damaged to provide any clues--

It's completely melted.

NARRATOR: --but the propeller
blades do tell a story.

MANUEL PUERTA:

INTERPRETER: We were
able to determine

by the damage to the propellers
that they were rotating

at the time of impact.

NARRATOR: The way
they're bent reveals

that the blades were
spinning normally

when they hit the ground.

Clear evidence that the
engines were working

at the time of the crash.

The engine were
burning and turning.

NARRATOR: Instruments
from the cockpit

are brought down from the
mountain for analysis.

MANUEL PUERTA:

INTERPRETER: We recovered
instruments like the altimeter

and the airspeed
indicators, and they

had remained in
optimal condition

for post-crash analysis.

NARRATOR: The instruments
confirm the plane was

under control just
before the crash,

but they hold few other clues.

So far, everything
points to a plane

that was operating normally.

EDUARDO ORTIZ: There
was no malfunctions.

Everything was working
well, and they just

crashed against the mountain.

NARRATOR: Why that
happened remains

a baffling question for the
Venezuelan investigators.

The search for
answers takes them

to Paris to the French
accident investigation

authority, the BEA.

Technicians download
data from the flight

data recorder or FDR.

It reveals that
the doomed plane

hit the mountain just 6 minutes
and 47 seconds after takeoff.

If a mechanical
failure was to blame,

the FDR should have
a record of it.

What is this?

NARRATOR: But investigators
face a huge problem.

Certain information
simply isn't there.

MANUEL PUERTA:

INTERPRETER: The data we
obtained from the aircraft's

flight recorder was good.

However, certain
parameters were missing.

NARRATOR: Strangely, the FDR
lacks any navigational data.

MANUEL PUERTA:

INTERPRETER: The information
on the aircraft's

position and course
wasn't being sent

to the flight data recorder.

NARRATOR: It's a
major setback, one

that puts even more
pressure on investigators

to find the answers for
the mourning families.

WILLIAM DUGARTE:

INTERPRETER: When you find
yourself a victim of an air

disaster for the
first time, you really

feel angry and powerless.

The accident could
have been avoided.

You want to know
why it happened.

NARRATOR: They need
to piece together

some of the missing
flight data,

and come up with an
unorthodox way of doing it.

Tell me when
you're ready, OK?

NARRATOR: They
try to figure out

the movements of the plane.

Eh, same crap
as the other day.

If you want, you can
start to turn, Denis.

Turning now.

NARRATOR: Investigators are
able to study every movement

of the control
column, the one thing

that was properly recorded.

MANUEL PUERTA:

INTERPRETER: This
allowed us to establish

the aircraft's altitude
at the moment of impact.

And it also helped
us recreate the path

that the aircraft took from
the moment of its departure.

Pitch up 10 degrees.

NARRATOR: Step by step, they
pieced together the flight.

Left, 15 degrees now.

NARRATOR: The recreation shows
that the plane was flying

normally as it flew
away from the airport,

but then it began
to veer off course.

You see?

Right here.

This is when it
went off course.

NARRATOR: The finding confirms
that there was a problem

with navigation,
but investigators

can't be sure if
that was due to pilot

error or mechanical failure.

EDUARDO ORTIZ:
Apparently, they continued

turning more than they needed.

And instead of heading to
the observatory, that's

an east heading, they
turned to the north

directly to the mountain.

Aldino!

Hold on.

Go ahead, please.

NARRATOR: With no hard answers
from the flight data recorder,

investigators in
Venezuela consider

some conversations captured
on the cockpit voice recorder.

They focus in on the last
moments of the short flight

hoping to hear something
that might explain why

the plane veered off course.

GARANITO GOMEZ (ON
SPEAKER): Yeah, get to 067.

NARRATOR: The pilots discuss
their compass heading.

AUTOMATED VOICE: Windshear.

Low terrain.

Denis, Denis!

We're at 074, aren't we?

MANUEL PUERTA:

INTERPRETER: It was
evident that there

was a panic among the crew.

The co-pilot started to
worry about the position

and heading that they
were on at that moment.

NARRATOR: What
investigators hear

next provides a disturbing
glimpse into the flight's

final seconds.

DENIS QUINTAL (ON SPEAKER):
Damn, Aldino, we're at 318.

NARRATOR: The pilots
couldn't agree

on where they were headed.

They have no idea
where they are.

NARRATOR: It's a key finding
in the investigation.

Aldino!

NARRATOR: A clearer picture
of the flight's final moments

is slowly emerging.

Aldino!

Hold on.

NARRATOR: Investigators
now know the pilots were

in control of the aircraft--

Hold on.

Easy, Denis, easy.

NARRATOR: --but the
question remains, why

were they so badly off course?

Investigators
scrutinize every word

of the cockpit voice
recorder from Santa

Bárbara Airlines Flight 518.

OK.

NARRATOR: The recording
begins as soon as the plane's

battery is turned on.

They're surprised
to hear the pilots

start the engines before asking
the tower for permission.

DENIS QUINTAL (ON SPEAKER):
Mérida Tower, good afternoon.

Santa Bárbara 518 requesting
a start up and clearance

for our flight to Maiquetía.

EDUARDO ORTIZ:
One of the pilots

was asking for authorization
for engine start.

The other pilot was already
starting the engines.

NARRATOR: But what they don't
hear is truly surprising.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
For your information,

an Avior B190
checked in 2 minutes

ago directly over
Lagunillas Station.

Roger, Avior via Lagunillas.

Start up clearance
received and doors closing.

NARRATOR: There's no
sound of the pilots

running through their
pre-flight checks.

They're skipping
a lot of steps here.

NARRATOR: Getting a passenger
plane off the ground

requires dozens of small steps.

Missing any one of
those could be deadly.

That's why pilots are
trained to follow checklists.

CARLOS HOPKINS:

INTERPRETER: On
those checklists,

you confirm that all parameters
are within normal range

to avoid failure
during the flight.

Not only do you
activate the engines,

you activate the propellers,
brakes, spoilers.

Various different
systems must be

verified when making a flight.

NARRATOR: This would
not be the first time

that failing to complete a
checklist ended in tragedy.

In 1987, Northwest Airlines'
Flight 255 crashed in Detroit

after the crew failed to
configure the plane properly

for takeoff.

The pilots missed a
single crucial step on

their pre-takeoff checklist.

More than 10 years later,
American Airlines Flight 1420

careened off the runway
while trying to land

in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Investigators later found
that the crew didn't complete

a checklist that would
have reminded them to arm

their brakes and spoilers.

CARLOS HOPKINS:

INTERPRETER:
Pre-flight checklists

can be completed without
a problem in 5 minutes.

Do your checklist.

Not to is to play
Russian roulette.

DENIS QUINTAL (ON SPEAKER):
Roger, Avior via Lagunillas.

Start up clearance
received and doors closing.

NARRATOR: The
Santa Bárbara crew

is clearly rushing through
their takeoff procedure.

Then as the pilots are
taxiing to the runway--

Ah, these gyros
are messed up again.

NARRATOR: --the captain
tells his first officer

that the plane's motion
sensors are not functioning.

The motion sensors or
gyros are a critical part

of the aircraft's
navigation system.

They keep track of
the plane's position

as it moves through the sky.

Despite the equipment
problem, the crew carries on.

V1 and rotate.

NARRATOR: The plane lifts
off less than 3 minutes

after it started to taxi.

Now that's a first.

NARRATOR: Venezuelan
investigators

wonder if missing a step
in one of the checklists

could have affected the
plane's navigation system.

The Attitude Heading
Reference System or AHRS

gives pilots
critical information

they need to fly the plane.

Let me see that.

EDUARDO ORTIZ: The AHRS
is a system developed

to reduce the complexity
of the navigation

system of the aircraft, the
attitude of the aircraft,

the bank and the heading.

They combine everything
into one unit that

gives all that information.

Those right here.

Denis, a bit
more to the right.

To the right?

Yeah, get to 067.

NARRATOR: An inoperative
navigation system

could explain why Flight
518 took a deadly turn

toward the mountains.

The question now is
how a hurried take off

could lead to such a
dangerous malfunction.

Let me see those specs again.

Gracias.

NARRATOR: To find
out, investigators

travel to Santa
Bárbara Airlines

Headquarters in Caracas.

They want to see what happens
to the navigation system

when procedures are rushed.

OK, let's try one.

NARRATOR: Did recklessness
cause a failure?

MANUEL PUERTA:

INTERPRETER: We
decided to conduct

tests in a similar
aircraft to the one

that was in the accident.

We wanted to
understand how the AHR

system was working
when the crew

took off from Mérida Airport.

NARRATOR: First, investigators
try starting the plane using

all the correct procedures.

Battery?

On.

NARRATOR: They run
all the checklists.

Flaps lever?

Check.

Levers?

Check.

NARRATOR: They time how long
it takes for the navigation

system to come to life.

3 minutes.

EDUARDO ORTIZ: The system needs
an initializations process.

And the process begins when
you turn the battery switch on.

You have to wait
around 3 minutes

to synchronize and stabilize
the gyros and everything.

And the aircraft must be still
without any kind of movement.

OK.

Now let's try it that way.

NARRATOR: Investigators
also recreate the procedure

used on the day of the crash.

Battery.

EDUARDO ORTIZ: Due
to their hurry,

they started engines
and immediately started

taxiing to the runway in use.

And doing that,
they forgot to check

their flight instruments.

They started moving now.

NARRATOR: The test
confirms that Flight

518's hurried takeoff left
the navigation system offline.

Less than 30 seconds,
that's all they had to wait.

70 knots.

V1 and rotate.

NARRATOR: They took off
with no accurate way

to track the direction
they were flying.

EDUARDO ORTIZ: If they
would have checked that,

they would have noticed that
the 3 minutes waiting time

had not passed and they
had their-- their screens

blank without any
navigational information.

INTERPRETER: All the conditions
for the accident to occur

existed on the ground.

They were created
on the ground.

NARRATOR: Investigators
now know why flight 518's

navigation system
wasn't working,

but the pilots were extremely
familiar with the terrain

and should have been able
to see the mountain in time

to avoid it.

Mérida Airport is a
visual airport, isn't it?

Mm-hmm.

NARRATOR: At Mérida
Airport, planes operate

under visual flight rules.

Pilots look out the window
to watch for any obstacles

in their path.

Why didn't it work this time?

EDUARDO ORTIZ: It's
curious because they've

done that route many times.

INTERPRETER: All of
us flew that route,

and Aldino, especially,
was one of the ones

who flew it the most.

GARANITO GOMEZ: Climbing
through 6 to 7,000 feet.

We're visual.

NARRATOR: Investigators
study weather records

from the day of the crash.

They learn there were thick
clouds in the plane's path

when it reached 10,000 feet.

Definitely not clear
sailing up there.

OK.

All right.

Now, they would have
entered the clouds

when they got to 10,000 feet.

So that would be around here.

NARRATOR: It's exactly
the point where Flight

518 began to veer off course.

Well, look at that.

NARRATOR: Once the pilots
flew into the clouds,

it was impossible for them
to see where they were going.

INTERPRETER: Evidently, once in
the air, they entered a cloud

and became disoriented.

Denis, it's a bit
more to the right.

WILLIAM DUGARTE:

INTERPRETER: The alarm
started to sound.

That indicated that
they were near land.

They didn't have the slightest
idea where that mountain was.

It was the final straw.

EDUARDO ORTIZ: You
start to think,

why did this experienced pilot
in a place where he goes more

often than the
majority of the pilots

get into this situation?

GARANITO GOMEZ (ON
SPEAKER): These gyros

are messed up again.

NARRATOR: The CVR
points to the reason

for the pilot's blunder.

Oh, crap, Aldino.

Yeah, we can't see anything.

We'll have to reset
it during flight.

What a piece of junk.

DENIS QUINTAL: We'll go visual.

NARRATOR: They believe they
could reset their instrument

during the flight.

We'll take off in the dark.

The conversation reveals
they'd done it before.

Same thing happened
last time and we

had to take off like this.

NARRATOR: But this time,
their luck didn't hold.

INTERPRETER: It's
practically impossible

to maintain a flight
straight and level

enough for the gyroscopes
to synchronize in the air.

NARRATOR: A tiny
sound on the CVR

also suggests that the
pilots had an unconventional

strategy for navigating while
they waited for the system

to reboot.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

What was that sound?

Can I hear it again?

GARANITO GOMEZ:
Turn a bit more.

See if this works and
keep it right there.

I think he's using
a standby compass.

NARRATOR: Instead of relying
on their electronic systems,

the captain needed to use an
old-fashioned magnetic compass

to plot their course.

CARLOS HOPKINS:

INTERPRETER: We would be
going back to the '30s era

flying with the
basic instruments.

NARRATOR: The pilot's
reliance in the compass

suggests he was extremely
confident in his abilities,

maybe too confident.

INTERPRETER: In a way,
that excess of confidence

on the part of the captain
led him to skip certain steps

in the procedures.

What do you want?

Turn to the right.

- Aldino, take that way.
- Damn it, Denis.

Aldino, turn around.

We're going down.

EDUARDO ORTIZ:
The only reference

they had was the compass.

And at that moment,
they started

to worry trying to
find the correct path

or route without the
basic instruments

that they normally have.

DENIS QUINTAL (ON
SPEAKER): Aldino!

GARANITO GOMEZ (ON
SPEAKER) : Hold on.

Hold on.

Easy, Denis, easy.

They were flying blind.

NARRATOR: It is now clear
that a dangerous combination

of failed instruments
and poor decisions

caused the crash of Flight 518.

The only remaining question
is, what pushed the pilots

to take such great risks?

Now that investigators
have pieced together

what happened
during the flight,

they want to focus on
what happened before it.

I need to know what
these guys were thinking.

NARRATOR: They start to
examine what the pilots did

prior to boarding Flight 518.

Do you remember what
time they were here?

You know, the problem
with this company

is that they don't listen
to their employees.

When the pilots
arrived to Mérida, they

decided to go to the terminal.

High enough so that
when you stand up--

NARRATOR: They learn
the pilots left

the plane in-between
flights to relax

over coffee in the terminal.

The good friends got to
talking and lost track of time.

The passenger department
sent the passengers

on board without having
the pilots at the aircraft.

You cannot have the
passengers embark

until at least there's one
pilot aboard of the aircraft.

Oh, Denis, come on.

It's late.

We got to go.

NARRATOR: From this moment
on, the pilots are rushing

to get back on schedule.

INTERPRETER: In aviation,
rushing doesn't end well.

It never ends well.

NARRATOR: The pilots entered
the cockpit just 7 minutes

before their scheduled
takeoff and 1/2 an hour

after the last passenger
boarded the plane.

INTERPRETER: To
do it faster means

you're doing it too rushed.

Something can happen.

Something can fail.

GARANITO GOMEZ: Yeah,
we can't see anything.

We'll have to reset
it during flight.

What a piece of junk.

DENIS QUINTAL: We'll go visual.

Same thing
happened last night

and we had to
take off this way.

NARRATOR: The
pilots make a rash

decision to take off quickly.

They know the area
well, and it's

not the first time they've
flown without the instrument.

CARLOS HOPKINS:

INTERPRETER: The worst
risk and the worst

mistake that a
pilot can make is

to feel confident in a flight.

No two flights are the same.

All they needed was
a little more time.

NARRATOR: The
pilots of Flight 518

only had to wait another
28 seconds before moving,

and their navigation system
would have worked perfectly.

GARANITO GOMEZ: Denis, Denis!

DENIS QUINTAL: We're
at 074, aren't we?

NARRATOR: Instead, they hoped
to troubleshoot the problem

in the air while they navigated
without the vital piece

of equipment.

Damn, Aldino.

We're at 318.

This didn't have to happen.

NARRATOR: Soon after
the crash of Flight 518,

Venezuelan authorities
decide Mérida

Airport is just too dangerous.

They close it to
commercial traffic.

INTERPRETER: Without a
doubt, the investigation

helped public awareness
and promoted change

within the aviation community.

I am 100% sure
that this prevented

other accidents in Venezuela.

NARRATOR: The lesson
from this crash is clear,

rushing puts everyone at risk.

EDUARDO ORTIZ: Once you start
doing things the wrong way

without following
procedures, you

start getting rid of
those safety nets,

and you become vulnerable.

So that's-- that's
the rules of the game.

Follow the procedures.