Original subtitles

Man: We're in real trouble.

Woman: Why? What's happening?

Narrator: Moments after takeoff...

Man: The aircraft began to shake and rattle.

Pilot: We're going down, Larry. Larry: I know it!

Narrator: A 737 plunges into the frozen Potomac River.

Man: I thought I was going to die in that airplane that day.

Narrator: A Washington news team captures breathtaking video.

Man: It's not fair.

This woman's gonna die right in front of us.

Narrator: The images shock the Nation.

With limited evidence to go on...

Man: That don't seem right.

Man: The recorder doesn't tell you anything about the engines.

Man: Forward.

Narrator: Investigators need to try something new.

Man: Come up. Forward.

Man: Lose the crew voices.

Narrator: They turn to an ingenious plan

to solve the mystery of Air Florida flight 90.

Man: He should have trusted his instincts.

Flight Attendant: Ladies and gentlemen, we are starting our approach.

Pilot: We lost both engines!

Flight Attendant: Put the mask over your nose.

Emergency descent.

Pilot: Mayday, mayday.

Flight Attendant: Brace for impact!

Controller: I think I lost one.

Man: Investigation starting...

Man: He's gonna crash!

Narrator: January the 13th, 1982.

Planes at Washington's National Airport are snowed in.

Bob Macintosh: The weather conditions

that day in Washington, D.C.,

and particularly out at National Airport

were very difficult.

It was snowing, and it was cold.

It was down around 24 degrees Fahrenheit.

It was a rather miserable day,

and as the day progressed, the snow increased.

Narrator: It's 2:15 p.m.

The 74 passengers on board Air Florida flight 90

should be in the air by now.

But their plane is still at the gate.

Man: We should have rebooked when we saw the weather.

Woman: We might still make it.

Narrator: Joe Stiley is a businessman and private pilot.

He and his secretary Nikki Felch

are traveling to Florida on business.

Joe Stiley: By and large,

everybody realized that it was one of those days.

It was a snowy day.

The chances of getting out were 50/50, maybe.

Narrator: Airport crews are working to clear the snow.

For now, no one takes off or lands.

Richard Marchi: You know, in Washington,

National Airport only has one runway.

And so they don't have the option

of removing snow on one runway while they're using the other

and then switching back and forth the way many airports do.

When they need to close the one runway,

the airport's closed.

Narrator: Flight 90 is commanded by Captain Larry Wheaton.

Larry Wheaton: 60 degrees in Tampa,

and we're stuck in a snowstorm.

Man: Definitely be good to get home.

Narrator: His First Officer is Roger Pettit.

Florida is home for both men.

Macintosh: We know passengers hate delays.

They just hate them.

Well, the pilots hate them, too.

And the air traffic system hates them

because it's just a massive inconvenience for everyone.

Narrator: Also on board, Bert Hamilton,

a purchasing manager from Maryland.

He's heading to Tampa on business.

Priscilla Tirado is moving to Florida

to start a new life with her husband Jose

and their infant son.

Stiley: It's just de-icing fluid.

Felch: I guess we need it.

Narrator: 2:45 p.m.

The plane gets de-iced.

If they can keep their wings clear of snow and ice,

the pilots should be able to take off

as soon as the airport re-opens.

After an hour and a quarter...

Controller: Tower.

Narrator: National Airport finally reopens.

Controller: Reopening now. Copy that.

Ok. Showtime.

Narrator: Controllers now face a massive logistical puzzle.

Controller: Eastern 1-3-3, taxi into position and hold.

Pilot: Eastern 1-3-3 position and hold.

Narrator: There are more than 20 planes

waiting to take off or land.

Marchi: There would have been a lot of people talking at once

trying to figure out, you know, when am I going to get released,

when am I going to go?

Controller: 1-6-2-5, turn left, taxi, and hold.

Winds are 0-1-0 at 1-0.

Macintosh: That's the kind of thing

that creates a lot of anxiety in the air traffic control tower.

Pilot: 804, are we clear to land?

Controller: Stand by, please, 804.

Marchi: You've got 40 or 50 airplanes on the ground,

and they're all trying to be the first one out.

Controller: Eastern 1-5-5-1, keep it at reduced...

Macintosh: That puts an extra strain

on both the ground handling folks

and also up in the control tower.

Controller: Ok, palm 90, you'll be following in line

behind apple DC-9.

Roger Pettit: Palm 90.

Behind that apple, I guess.

Narrator: Captain Wheaton will take off

behind a New York Air DC-9.

As the Air Florida 737 taxis to the runway,

Flight Attendant Kelly Duncan makes a final cabin check.

Controller: Apple 5-8 cleared for takeoff.

Traffic's three south of the runway.

Pilot: Apple 58 takeoff.

Pettit: I think we might get to go here in a minute.

Ought to get to work.

Stabilizer trim set at 5.3.

Wheaton: Set.

Pettit: EPR all the way to 2-0-4.

Wheaton: Set.

Controller: 556 cleared to land.

Pilot: Cleared to land 556.

Controller: Palm 90 taxi into position

and be ready for an immediate takeoff.

Pettit: Palm 90.

Wheaton: Ladies and gentlemen,

we've just been cleared on the runway for takeoff.

Flight Attendants, please be seated.

Stiley: We got something over the loudspeaker from the crew

indicating that we were scheduled for departure.

Felch: I thought we might never get out of here.

Controller: Palm 90 cleared for takeoff.

Pettit: Palm 90 cleared for takeoff.

Wheaton: Your throttles. Pettit: Ok.

Narrator: Today, First Officer Pettit

will be flying the plane.

Captain Wheaton will monitor their instruments.

The engines spool up quickly.

Wheaton: Ooh.

Whoo! Really cold here. Real cold.

Narrator: The plane soon has enough power

to accelerate down the runway.

They can't get airborne until they reach takeoff speed--

139 knots.

Pettit: Look at that thing.

That don't seem right. Does it?

Wheaton: Yes, it is. There's 80.

Pettit: Oh. Maybe it is right.

Wheaton: 120.

Narrator: Joe Stiley is a pilot

who's familiar with this airport.

He can tell that something's wrong.

Stiley: I got real nervous about halfway down the runway.

Wheaton: V-1.

Narrator: When the plane lifts off,

Stiley's sense of doom gets worse.

Stiley: When we got airborne, almost instantly it was clear

that that aircraft was not flying normally.

And I turned to Nikki and I said...

We're in real trouble.

Felch: Why? What's happening?

Stiley: All of the dishes, cups, glasses that were in the galley

started to rattle, shake, and make a very loud noise.

And the aircraft began to shake and rattle.

Narrator: The stick shaker activates,

warning the pilots the plane is losing lift.

Wheaton: Easy!

Narrator: Captain Wheaton urges Pettit

to push the nose of the plane down--

a key step for regaining lift.

Wheaton: Forward. Forward.

Narrator: Joe Stiley prepares for the worst.

Stiley: Just do what I do.

I put my head down,

and I saw people around me staring at me,

and then a couple of them took the example that I gave.

Wheaton: Come on. Forward. Forward.

Barely climb.

Narrator: Less than a minute after takeoff,

Air Florida flight 90 is falling to the ground.

Stiley: Stay down. Keep your head down.

Narrator: The crew increases engine power,

but it's too late.

Pettit: Larry! We're going down, Larry!

Wheaton: I know it!

Narrator: The plane hits a bridge

over the Potomac River.

Stiley: It felt like almost like we rotated 90 degrees,

like we were in a somersault or something like that.

And then we hit the water.

And that was a real, real impact,

much greater than the one with the bridge.

And I felt myself blacking out.

I thought I was gonna die in that airplane that day.

Narrator: Air Florida flight 90 is sinking beneath the ice

of Washington's Potomac River.

Stiley: When I regained consciousness,

I was actually sitting upright in my seat

and the water was starting to come into my mouth and nose.

I had a broken foot, broken ankle on both sides.

So I got my leg loose,

then I did the same thing to Nikki's right leg.

I got her out. She had a similar problem.

And I just pulled her by the hand

and started heading aft

and went over the seats behind me.

Narrator: Of the 79 people on board,

six escape from the shattered wreckage

and reach the surface.

Stiley: I knew I was out of the aircraft

when it ceased to be totally black.

Narrator: The plane has left a trail of destruction

on Washington's 14th street Bridge.

Four people were killed in their cars.

Four more were seriously injured

as the 737 slid from the bridge into the river below.

The fate of the passengers and crew is still unknown.

Word of the disaster

soon reaches news cameraman Chester Panzer.

Chester Panzer: The assignment desk

called on the radio and said,

"we heard something about a small plane crash

at National Airport."

Man on radio: Come in, Chester. Are you there?

There's been a crash at National Airport.

We want you to check it out.

Panzer: I started speeding down the highway.

Narrator: By the time panzer arrives at the crash site,

rescue teams are already at work,

including a helicopter from the U.S. Park Police.

Panzer: We grabbed our gear out of the trunk.

We could hear a helicopter faintly in the distance...

Connected our umbilical cable for the camera

to the recording deck.

We could see a flashing light.

And I started rolling.

And the first thing I saw

was someone being loaded into an ambulance.

Narrator: It's Burt Hamilton,

the purchasing manager from Maryland.

He's the first passenger rescued from the Potomac River.

The rest of the survivors are still battling the icy waters.

Flight Attendant Kelly Duncan reaches for the rescue line.

Beside her, wearing a life vest, is secretary Nikki Felch.

Priscilla Tirado has lost her baby

and can see no sign of her husband.

She clings to businessman and private pilot Joe Stiley.

Stiley: Once I surfaced there, I looked around,

and that airplane was gone,

except for this little piece of it that I was holding on to.

Narrator: Barely visible to the camera

is one last survivor,

Arland Williams.

He's badly tangled in the wreckage

and urges the others to take the lifeline first.

Stiley: There was a fellow

who was strapped into his seat right in front of us

who couldn't get out

because a bunch of cables and things like that

had gotten around him,

and he was just wired in place there.

And then I turned to Nikki and I said,

"I'm all broken up, and I know I can't swim.

My legs aren't working."

Panzer: There was a big gaping hole in the ice

with big cracks,

and it looked like someone had taken a baseball

and thrown it through a window.

Stiley: I looked up,

and there were probably, it seemed like 10,000 people

up on that bridge and along the sides of it,

looking at us.

And we were out there freezing to death.

All those people standing up there,

and nobody could do anything.

Narrator: The river is near freezing

and filled with thick ice.

It's too dangerous for rescuers to enter the water.

Panzer keeps rolling

as the helicopter lifts a second person from the river.

It's Flight Attendant Kelly Duncan.

Panzer: She was holding on,

and the helicopter was just flying her in.

Narrator: In the numbing cold,

Joe Stiley does his best to help two other passengers,

Nikki Felch and Priscilla Tirado.

Stiley: I had Priscilla in kind of an arm lock on this side.

And I had Nikki on this side.

But this arm wasn't working very well.

And the helicopter began to pull us away into the water.

I lost Nikki almost instantly

because this whole arm just was dysfunctional.

And I had Priscilla under that arm

for about halfway across the river,

and we started running into the broken ice.

I was coming up into those ice packs,

one pack after another,

and all my ribs ended up being broken.

At some point during that, I lost my grip on Priscilla

and left her laying there on top of a block of ice.

Narrator: Joe is pulled to safety,

but Priscilla Tirado is now stranded and alone.

The helicopter drops Priscilla a life ring.

Stiley: I watched her be towed off.

I saw her lose her grip on the lifeline.

Panzer: That's when it hit me

that this woman was going to drown in front of me.

She was in the open water,

and she's being pushed under the water

by the helicopter wash.

Narrator: Then one bystander decides to take action.

Panzer: He didn't think about how cold the water was,

didn't think what it would do to him.

Narrator: It's a Federal Government employee

named Lenny Skutnik.

Panzer: He really was a hero

in that he had enough guts to do it

and just didn't think about the consequences.

Stiley: Lenny reacted.

Nobody else did.

They were probably all standing around.

I wanted to react, but I couldn't.

Narrator: Skutnik's bravery saves Priscilla's life.

But her husband and baby are among the dead.

Panzer: And the paramedic

reaches out and grabs Nikki Felch

and just grabs a hold of her,

hoists her up onto the skid the best he can.

And he's not even secured into the helicopter.

He's basically balancing himself,

so that's pretty amazing.

Narrator: It's now been 45 minutes

since flight 90 plunged into the icy river--

too long for anyone to survive in the freezing water.

Panzer: Nikki Felch was the last one

to be pulled out of the water.

Narrator: Only five people make it out alive.

Police Officer: We'll have a press conference later.

The press has to move back now, too.

Narrator: Within hours,

NTSB Investigators are on the job.

As they begin their work,

much of Washington is paralyzed by the fierce winter storm.

They immediately wonder

if the bad weather could have caused the devastating accident.

John Macidull: Of course the weather was a consideration

because people were getting laid off from work early in D.C.,

and I was one of them that day.

I went across that same bridge about an hour before.

I made a comment in my carpool and said, "was that an airplane?

Who's flying in this weather?" Was my comment at the time.

Narrator: Flight 90 has crashed

less than a mile from the runway.

The location tells investigators

the plane didn't gain much altitude,

but little else.

Macidull: All we knew

was that it seemed to have hit in a flat attitude,

which would indicate some problem with control.

But we didn't know what exactly caused it.

Narrator: At the airport,

they gather as much information as they can...

Controller: It was quite a day.

It was snowing pretty hard at times.

Narrator: About how the weather affected the flight.

Controller: So we were closed for about an hour and a quarter

while they cleared the snow off the runway.

Macidull: The first thing you look at is the weather.

Environmental conditions

are always one of the prime considerations

when looking at initial causes of any accident.

Narrator: Investigators learn

that flight 90 was delayed for more than an hour

while the airport was closed.

Wheaton: 60 degrees in Tampa, and we're stuck in a snowstorm.

Pettit: Definitely be good to get home.

Narrator: If ice and snow

built up on flight 90's wings during the delay,

it could have prevented the plane from climbing.

Ice and snow

can interrupt the flow of air over the plane's wings,

decreasing lift.

Macintosh: The importance of de-icing the aircraft

is very paramount.

Even a small amount of contamination

can affect the performance of a wing,

whether it's a light aircraft or a heavy aircraft.

Narrator: They examine de-icing records

from the day of the crash.

Macintosh: They were very, very interested

in how efficient that de-icing had been.

Narrator: Air Florida's procedures

called for a powerful de-icing solution--

one designed for very cold days.

Marchi: Basically what happens is that the de-icing fluid

dissolves the snow and ice sort of into a mixture.

So when it's first put on at sort of full strength,

it's doing quite a good job.

Narrator: Records reveal

that the de-icing fluid sprayed on flight 90

was not full strength.

Macintosh: They homed in

on the issue of the equipment itself,

the mixture that was used,

the procedures that were followed.

Narrator: De-icing fluid has to be adjusted

according to the outside temperature.

Stiley: It's just de-icing fluid.

Narrator: If the mixture wasn't strong enough,

it might have allowed ice to re-form on the wings.

Macintosh: Do you want to pass me that weather data, please?

Narrator: Investigators study temperatures

recorded at the airport during the long shutdown.

They find that the fluid used should have worked.

Macintosh: We figured they'd go right behind...

Narrator: Though it wasn't full strength,

the mixture was strong enough

for the temperatures recorded on the day of the crash.

Macintosh: It's sloppy work,

but it shouldn't have caused the crash.

Other aircraft did depart,

which means that things were successful

in other...in other jet ways.

What was wrong with this particular aircraft

that caused a crash?

Narrator: Investigators need hard evidence

to figure out what brought down Air Florida flight 90.

But most of it is still underwater.

Macintosh: In this case, the wreckage was in the river,

and the river was a murky one.

It was a frozen one.

Consequently, the recovery was extremely difficult.

The tail came up, other pieces came up,

but it's an exhausting process.

Engines are knocked loose from the aircraft,

and parts are here and there and scattered.

So it's quite difficult to put everything together.

Narrator: A week after the crash,

investigators get a break.

Flight 90's black box flight recorders

have been recovered from the bottom of the river,

and they appear to be undamaged.

In 1982,

the flight data recorder, or FDR,

captures only a handful of parameters

about the performance of the plane.

But it's enough to give NTSB Investigator John Macidull

a vital clue.

Macidull: Let me know when that's ready.

It told us the altitude and the time.

And so you knew how long it rolled down the runway

before it lifted off.

Narrator: Flight 90 takes 45 seconds to get airborne--

15 seconds longer than usual.

Macidull: The takeoff was very slow.

Pettit: That don't seem right. Does it?

Macintosh: It took a long time to accelerate.

Macidull: It's got to be something about their engine power.

Narrator: The plane eventually had enough power

to reach lift-off speed.

Wheaton: V-1.

Narrator: But it did not have enough power to climb.

Macintosh: It didn't climb in a normal way.

So obviously there was something wrong

with the amount of the power.

Narrator: It's an intriguing clue.

But the FDR doesn't have enough information

to reveal what the problem was.

Macidull: The recorder doesn't tell you anything about the engines,

or what their rpm is or what they're doing.

Narrator: Macidull hopes the cockpit voice recorder

will provide some answers.

Recording of Pettit: Boy, this is bad.

It's probably the worst snow I've seen.

Narrator: The pilots of flight 90

comment on the wintry conditions

as they taxi in line behind a DC-9.

Pettit: It's been a while since we were de-iced.

Wheaton: Tell you what...

My windshield will be de-iced. Don't know about my wing.

Narrator: Macidull listens as Wheaton and Pettit

discuss removing ice from their plane's wings.

Pettit: All we really need is the inside of the wings anyway.

The wingtips are gonna shuck all that other stuff.

Narrator: They know that returning to the gate

to be de-iced again would mean another long delay.

Macintosh: If you have to leave the line,

you're gonna come back and have to rejoin a big line

of aircraft awaiting departure,

so that's one of the issues that weighs on a captain's decision

as to whether to depart the line-up or not.

Wheaton: Gonna get your wing now.

Narrator: It seems the captain comes up

with an unconventional strategy to de-ice

without losing his place in line.

He maneuvers his plane into the exhaust

streaming from the DC-9 in front of them.

Macintosh: They pulled up in back of another aircraft,

a DC-9,

thinking that they might be able to warm up and blow off

their aircraft.

Narrator: The DC-9's engines

expel a 60-mile-an-hour blast of 300-degree heat.

Pettit: Did they get yours?

Can you see your wingtip?

Wheaton: I got a little bit on mine.

Pettit: A little?

This wing's got about a quarter to a half an inch on it,

all the way.

Narrator: It's a disturbing conversation--

one that suggests these pilots were experimenting

with an unofficial procedure.

But so far, Macidull has heard nothing

that explains a loss of engine power.

Wheaton: Your throttles. Pettit: Ok.

Narrator: Then he hears something chilling.

Pettit: Whoa.

Look at that thing.

Narrator: While the plane is speeding down the runway,

the first officer tells the captain

that he suspects there's a problem.

Pettit: That don't seem right. Does it?

Wheaton: Yes, it is. There's 80.

Narrator: But the captain convinces him nothing is wrong.

Pettit: Ah. Maybe it is right.

Macidull: I think he felt

that they weren't accelerating very quickly.

You can feel acceleration in your back.

You know, when you're an experienced pilot, you know,

you've done this a thousand times.

And if you're not moving as quickly as...

It's really a feel thing. Something's not right.

Yeah.

He should have trusted his instincts.

Yeah, let me hear that again.

Narrator: Investigators wonder

if the pilots made any other mistakes.

Controller: Palm 90 taxi into position

and be ready for an immediate takeoff.

Pettit: I think we might get to go here in a minute.

Ought to get to work.

Narrator: The amount of power or thrust needed for takeoff

is different for every flight.

It has to be adjusted for the weight of the plane,

the length of the runway, and the weather conditions.

Pettit: Stabilizer trim set at 5.3.

Wheaton: Set.

Narrator: Investigators hear the first officer

set a target or bug to remind him what that amount is.

Pettit: EPR all the way to 2-0-4.

Wheaton: Set.

Narrator: Perhaps the first officer

set his target too low for the plane's takeoff weight.

If he did,

it could explain why the plane gained speed so slowly.

Wheaton: V-1.

Narrator: And why it didn't have enough power to climb.

Macidull: The engines could have been running,

but not with enough power or thrust to maintain the airspeed

required to get the lift that you needed

to stay off the ground.

Narrator: The weight of the plane

was recorded before the flight.

Investigators use this to calculate

how much power flight 90 needed to get safely off the ground.

Macidull: Everything checks out.

They weren't overweight.

Come on. I've got an idea.

Narrator: With little data from the FDR,

Macidull comes up with an unusual way

to analyze the power coming from flight 90's engines.

Macidull: I don't recall it ever being used in any other accident

or available for any other accident.

Narrator: He hopes to figure out

how much power the engines were providing

by analyzing the sound they made.

Jet engines contain turbines that make different sounds

depending on how quickly they're spinning.

When the engine needs more power,

the turbine spins faster

and the frequency of the sound changes.

Macidull: You ready to go?

Man: Yeah.

Narrator: The sound of flight 90's engines

should tell Macidull how much power they were generating.

And thanks to the unique design of the 737,

with its engines mounted close to the cockpit,

he already has a recording of the sound he needs.

Macidull: It's unique in that the sound of the engines

is recorded in the background on the cockpit voice recorder.

Narrator: They play back the cockpit voice recorder

in a soundproof room.

Wheaton: 120.

V-1.

Macintosh: In this case,

those engines immediately under the wings

and slightly forward of the wings

allowed them to get good,

if I could use the word, "voice prints"

on the sounds that were coming from the engines.

Wheaton: Easy!

Macidull: We did a digital sound analysis

of the cockpit voice recorder

which can eliminate all other noises

except that frequency of the engines

on the cockpit voice recorder.

Macidull: Can you take the stick shaker out?

Wheaton: Forward. Forward.

Come up.

Macidull: Lose the crew voices.

Wheaton: Forward. Forward.

Narrator: The technician eliminates

the other sounds in the cockpit one by one,

until all that's left is the sound of the engines.

Macintosh: It's a pretty scientific and detailed issue

to look at blade passing frequencies

and outside noise

and compare it to a normal takeoff,

but all this was done

by the flight recorder specialists and technicians.

Macidull: Can you turn that up a bit?

Narrator: The results are dramatic.

Macidull: Those engines sure ain't at full power.

The sound analysis indicated

that the engines were running at a speed

that would produce about 70% power.

What this means, basically,

is that the aircraft was taking off

with about one and a half engines.

Narrator: Investigators now know that the Boeing 737's engines

weren't running at full power during takeoff.

What they don't know is why.

A key piece of wreckage may hold the answer.

It's the engine pressure ratio gauge, or EPR,

which is connected to a sensor at the front of the engine.

It measures the increasing pressure

of air passing through the engine to calculate thrust.

Wheaton: You have throttles. Pettit: Ok.

Narrator: The gauge tells pilots

when they have enough power to climb.

If it was malfunctioning,

it might have given the crew a faulty reading.

Macidull: It's a real-time physical indicator of thrust.

Narrator: The first officer had doubts about the EPR gauge.

Pettit: Wow, look at that thing.

That don't seem right. Does it?

Narrator: But the captain made the mistake

of focusing only on his speed.

Wheaton: Yes, it is. There's 80.

Pettit: Ah. Maybe it is right.

Narrator: A close examination of the EPR gauge

reveals something strange.

Macidull: That can't be right.

Narrator: The needle of the gauge

is frozen in its final position,

and it's displaying an impossible reading.

Macidull: They indicated the engines were producing

more power than the engines were capable of producing.

That was a huge red flag.

Wheaton: You have throttles.

Narrator: It now seems likely

that the gauge was showing the wrong reading

throughout the short flight.

The question is why?

Macidull: The pilots were seeing more power

than they were getting.

So what would have caused that?

Here, at 2.9...

Narrator: Investigators begin to suspect that the weather

may have played a role in the accident after all.

They focus on the EPR sensor at the front of the engine.

If the tiny sensor was blocked with ice and snow,

it might have sent incorrect data to the cockpit.

Macidull: I think we're gonna need another plane.

Narrator: Macidull has no hard evidence

that the sensor was blocked,

but he decides to follow a hunch.

Macidull: I got ahold of another 737

because I already suspected the engine pressure ratio gauges.

Narrator: He uses a piece of tape

to simulate the effect of ice blocking the engine sensor.

He recreates the actions of the pilots

on the day of the flight.

Macidull: Ok. Start her up.

Narrator: And he records the sound of the engines

from inside the cockpit.

Macidull: Keep throttling up.

Narrator: He increases power

until the engine gauges match the target

set by the crew of flight 90.

Macidull: Got it.

Narrator: Blocking the sensors on the test flight

should create the same reduction in engine performance

as on flight 90.

Both engines should sound identical.

Macidull: Ok. Let's see what we've got.

Narrator: Macidull compares the sound of his test flight

to the engine noise captured during flight 90's takeoff.

Macidull: That's a perfect match.

I concluded that both engines were blocked with something,

probably ice.

But they were blocked.

And the pilots were reading what was required for engine thrust,

but that's not what they were getting.

Narrator: Investigators are convinced:

The crew failed to give the engines more power

because the iced-over sensor led them to believe

they already had enough.

By the time they realized their mistake,

there was no way to stop the crash.

Macidull: They did apply full power,

but that was only about five seconds before impact.

It was too late.

Narrator: The 737 has an engine anti-icing system

that uses heat to keep the sensor clear of ice.

Pettit: Stabilizer trim set at 5.3.

Wheaton: Set.

Pettit: EPR all the way to 2-0-4.

Wheaton: Set.

Pettit: Anti-ice.

Wheaton: Off.

Ladies and gentlemen,

we've just been cleared on the runway for takeoff.

Macidull: Unbelievable.

One of the worst snowstorms,

and they have their anti-ice turned off.

Macintosh: The investigators found that to be astounding--

that they had replied to anti-ice, engine anti-ice,

with a rote answer of "off"

and that both people accepted that.

Narrator: It seems the two Florida-based pilots

were following their usual warm-weather routine.

Wheaton: Off.

Macintosh: They were in the Florida mindset.

They weren't in the cold weather scenario mindset at that moment

when that callout and reply were made in the cockpit.

Narrator: But Macidull still has a question.

A 737 is designed to take off with just one working engine.

Even with the reduced power,

flight 90 should have been able to get off the ground.

Macidull: There was still a problem

because the aircraft was designed

to take off with one engine

after it reaches a certain speed,

which it did.

So there had to be something besides the engine power.

Narrator: Investigators study the pilots' records.

They learn Captain Wheaton has a history of mistakes.

Macintosh: Hmm. What have we here?

Captain Wheaton--

look at all the unsatisfactorys.

Narrator: He's been reported more than once

for failing to follow procedures,

especially during takeoffs and landings.

Macintosh: "Unsatisfactory adherence to regulations,

checklist usage pre-flight unsatisfactory,

flight procedures unsatisfactory."

Narrator: The captain's history of poor decision-making

helps explain his unusual maneuver on the taxiway...

Wheaton: I'm gonna get your wing now.

Narrator: Using the exhaust of a nearby plane

to try to blow snow off their wings.

The results are disastrous.

Macintosh: What they really did

was get some warm air on a part of the leading edge of the wing,

and any snow that was clinging to it

ran back as water and re-froze as ice.

Pettit: Did they get yours? Can you see your wingtip?

Wheaton: I got a little bit on mine.

Pettit: A little?

This wing's got about a quarter to a half an inch on it,

all the way.

Macintosh: Consequently,

they did a lot more harm to their aircraft.

Narrator: Investigators believe the ice on the wings

degraded the plane's performance only slightly.

When combined with low engine power, though,

it was enough to rob the pilots

of the lift they needed to climb.

The only remaining question:

Why was the crew willing to take such a dangerous risk?

Pettit: It's been a while since we were de-iced.

Wheaton: I'll tell you what.

My windshield will be de-iced. Don't know about my wing.

Narrator: Investigators believe the inexperienced pilots

may have underestimated the dangers they were facing.

Macidull: They were... They were Florida.

Neither pilot was really used to flying in snow

or, you know, winter time conditions.

Pettit: All we really need is the inside of the wings anyway.

The wingtips are going to shuck all that other stuff.

Macintosh: The captain had--

I think it was eight takeoffs in that kind of weather.

The first officer,

who was going to make the takeoff as the pilot flying,

had two experiences.

So, regarding the ability of the flight crew

to understand all the ramifications

of the existing environmental conditions,

they were literally unqualified.

Narrator: The pilots' poor judgment and inexperience

proved to be a deadly combination

when they confronted the vicious snowstorm in Washington.

Macintosh: The captain knew things were wrong.

He didn't want to stay there in Washington.

He wanted to get out of town.

Wheaton: V-1.

Narrator: The NTSB's John Macidull

has uncovered the precise sequence of errors

that led to the fatal crash.

Wheaton: You have throttles.

Pettit: Ok.

Narrator: Pettit begins pushing the thrust levers forward,

aiming for the target of 2.04 EPR.

Because the EPR sensors are blocked with ice,

the gauge shoots up quickly

and gives the crew a false reading.

Pettit: Oh.

Wheaton: Ooh.

Narrator: The Air Florida pilots

are unaccustomed to winter flight.

Wheaton: Really cold here. Real cold.

Narrator: And attribute the unusual engine behavior

to the cold.

Macintosh: We hear the co-pilot articulating concern.

Pettit: Look at that thing.

That don't seem right. Does it?

Macintosh: And yet it's not acted upon by the captain.

Wheaton: Yes, it is. There's 80.

Marchi: The captain should probably have said,

"hey, wait a minute. Let's abort this takeoff,

and let's figure out what's wrong with these engines."

Wheaton: V-1.

Narrator: Seconds after liftoff, the stick shaker activates,

warning the pilots that they are losing lift

and beginning to stall.

Wheaton: Easy.

Narrator: The first officer tries to regain lift.

Wheaton: Forward. Forward.

Narrator: But with ice on his wings,

it's impossible to recover.

Macidull: If they had applied power about ten seconds earlier,

they could have flown through it.

Pettit: We're going down, Larry. Wheaton: I know it!

Macintosh: The accident occurred

because of accumulation of numerous decisions

that were made by this particular flight crew.

Stiley: It became apparent

that whoever was flying that airplane

wasn't doing it properly,

and I knew that halfway down that runway.

And I thought, "what a shame,

because we're all gonna get killed,"

and most of us did.

Narrator: On January 13, 1982,

a series of errors by the pilots of Air Florida flight 90

left 78 dead, five survivors...

And one hero.

For his brave rescue of Priscilla Tirado,

Lenny Skutnik is honored

during President Ronald Reagan's State of the Union address

and is given a standing ovation from congress.

In honor of the man who died during the rescue,

Washington's 14th street Bridge is renamed

the Arland d. Williams, Jr. Memorial Bridge.

The Air Florida disaster was a wake-up call

for better flight safety in winter conditions.

Macintosh: There were so many things that the pilot community

was able to learn from this accident.

Marchi: After the Air Florida accident,

you simply do not take off

if you have any contaminant on your wings.

It's almost unheard of to try that.

Narrator: In the aftermath of this accident,

northern airports around the world

improve de-icing facilities

so that pilots can de-ice near the runway,

just before takeoff.

Powerful technology now clears runways faster,

helping airports avoid long delays

after a heavy snowfall.

Marchi: Today we've got this new multi-function equipment

that's got brooms and blowers and plows

all in one big million-dollar piece of equipment.

Narrator: Since the Air Florida disaster,

pilots and regulators better understand

the risk of winter flight.

Macintosh: Unfortunately it took the Air Florida accident

to bring a lot of focus on this issue.

Icing has been with us since Lindbergh,

who iced up as he went across the Atlantic.

And it will continue to be with us

as we proceed in the future.