Original subtitles

Narrator: AN MD-11 SPEEDS TOWARDS A RUNWAY IN JAPAN.

Pilot: YEE-HAW! RIDE 'EM COWBOY.

Man: CLEARLY IT WAS A WILD RIDE ON APPROACH.

Narrator: A CHALLENGING LANDING BECOMES A DISASTER.

Controller: THERE'S A CRASH ON 34-LEFT, AND THERE'S FIRE.

Narrator: A CATASTROPHE CAUGHT ON TAPE.

Man: THERE WAS SECURITY CAMERA VIDEO OF THE CRASH SEQUENCE.

Narrator: BUT EVEN MORE SHOCKING...

Man: HE HITS THE RUNWAY HARD ENOUGH TO BOUNCE.

Narrator: IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED.

Man: THE INDUSTRY THOUGHT THAT THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN DEALT WITH.

Man: WE'RE MISSING SOMETHING HERE.

Man: PEOPLE WERE SURPRISED WHEN NARITA HAPPENED.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS NEED TO FIGURE OUT

WHY THIS DEADLY PROBLEM HAS STRUCK AGAIN.

Pilot: FIRE!

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: FEDEX FLIGHT 14 IS ON FINAL APPROACH

TO NEWARK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

Controller: BE ADVISED,

SURFACE WINDS 2-5-0 DEGREES AT FIVE KNOTS.

Narrator: THE BOEING MD-11 IS A STRETCH VERSION OF THE DC-10,

IDEAL FOR HAULING CARGO.

FLIGHT 14 IS SECONDS FROM THE NEWARK RUNWAY--

A LANDING THAT WILL HAVE MAJOR REPERCUSSIONS FOR YEARS TO COME.

Altimeter: 50...40...

Robert Benzon: THE FLIGHT DOWN TO ABOUT 50 FEET OFF THE GROUND

WAS PERFECTLY NORMAL.

Altimeter: 20...

Narrator: NOW THE PLANE IS DROPPING TOO QUICKLY.

IT HITS HARD AND BOUNCES.

CATASTROPHE STRIKES AS THE RIGHT WING HITS THE GROUND.

AMAZINGLY, NO ONE ON THE GROUND IS KILLED.

Benzon: WE WERE ELATED VERY EARLY ON TO FIND OUT

THAT THE PEOPLE ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT ESCAPED

WITH VERY, VERY MINOR INJURIES.

Narrator: A VIOLENT CRASH

AT ONE OF THE BUSIEST AIRPORTS IN THE UNITED STATES

COULD EASILY HAVE LED TO A FATAL TRAGEDY.

IT DEMANDS A FULL INVESTIGATION.

THE NTSB'S BOB BENZON LEADS THE TEAM.

A DESIGN QUIRK OF THE MD-11 IMMEDIATELY GRABS HIS ATTENTION.

TO SAVE ON FUEL, ENGINEERS GAVE THE JET

AN UNUSUALLY SMALL TAIL THAT REDUCES DRAG.

Benzon: DURING THE INVESTIGATION,

IT BECAME APPARENT TO US THAT THE MD-11 HAD DESIGN FEATURES,

IF YOU WILL, THAT MADE IT SOMEWHAT MORE DIFFICULT TO LAND.

Narrator: THE PLANE'S SMALL TAIL SURFACE

MAKES THE MD-11 TEND TO PITCH UP.

THE SOLUTION IS TO FLY FASTER TO INCREASE AIRFLOW OVER THE TAIL.

THE MD-11 LANDS FASTER THAN ANY OTHER AIRLINER ON EARTH.

TO LIFT THE TAIL AND PUSH THE NOSE DOWN,

IT NEEDS TO COME IN AT MORE THAN 175 MILES AN HOUR.

ONLY A FIGHTER JET HITS THE GROUND FASTER.

Bill Bramble: ON SHORT FINAL AT HIGH APPROACH SPEEDS,

EVENTS ARE SOMEWHAT COMPRESSED,

SO GOOD REACTION TIME, GOOD REFLEXES ARE IMPORTANT.

Narrator: BENZON EVENTUALLY CONCLUDES THAT PILOT ERROR

IS TO BLAME FOR THE FIERY CRASH AT NEWARK.

Benzon: THE WINGS WERE ROCKING

A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THEY SHOULD HAVE,

AND HE BOUNCED THE FIRST LANDING.

Narrator: THE PILOTS THEN PUSH THE NOSE DOWN,

MAKING THE SECOND IMPACT EVEN WORSE.

Benzon: THIS WAS A VERY, VERY HARD TOUCHDOWN

THE SECOND TIME AROUND,

DESTROYING THE LANDING GEAR ON THAT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT.

SO IT WAS A VERY QUICK COMBINATION OF MINOR ERRORS

THAT KIND OF SNOWBALLED INTO AN ACCIDENT.

Narrator: IN HIS FINAL REPORT ON THE CRASH AT NEWARK,

BENZON CALLS FOR BETTER PILOT TRAINING.

THE RESULT?

AN IMPROVED TECHNIQUE

FOR RECOVERING FROM BOUNCED LANDINGS.

MD-11 PILOTS LEARN HOW TO USE THEIR THROTTLES

TO BRING THE PLANE BACK TO THE GROUND GENTLY.

Paul Misencik: ADD A LITTLE POWER TO MAINTAIN A LANDING ATTITUDE

AND ADD A LITTLE BIT OF POWER

AND THEN JUST GENTLY LET THE THING COME

BACK DOWN TO THE RUNWAY.

Narrator: THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY MOVES ON FROM THE NEWARK CRASH,

CONFIDENT THAT AN IMPORTANT LESSON HAS BEEN LEARNED.

ALMOST 12 YEARS LATER...

Controller: NIPPON CARGO 37, RUNWAY 34-LEFT, CLEARED TO LAND.

Narrator: THE MD-11 IS STILL A POPULAR WORKHORSE

FOR FLYING CARGO.

FEDEX RELIES ON THE PLANE TO HAUL MILLIONS OF TON OF FREIGHT

IN AND OUT OF CRUCIAL HUBS LIKE TOKYO'S NARITA AIRPORT,

ONE OF THE BUSIEST AIRPORTS IN THE WORLD.

Donald Wilson: FLYING CARGO WENT FROM BEING KIND OF ON THE LOWER RUNGS

OF THE AVIATION PROFESSIONAL LADDER, IF YOU WILL,

TO BEING AT THE TOP

BECAUSE IT WAS DEPENDABLE, IT WAS GOOD, IT PAID THE SAME.

PLUS, THE OTHER BENEFITS OF,

WHILE THERE'S PRESSURE ALWAYS TO BE AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE,

THE FREIGHT SELDOM COMPLAINS ITSELF.

Kevin Mosley: NARITA TOWER, FEDEX 80.

13 MILES FOR 34-LEFT.

Narrator: 54-YEAR-OLD KEVIN MOSLEY IS THE CAPTAIN ON FEDEX FLIGHT 80.

HIS FIRST OFFICER IS 49-YEAR-OLD ANTHONY PINO.

THE TWO VETERAN PILOTS

ARE SECOND IN LINE TO LAND AT NARITA.

Controller: FEDEX 80, NARITA TOWER.

ON RUNWAY 34-LEFT.

CONTINUE APPROACH.

Mosley: FEDEX 80, ROGER.

Wilson: WITHIN THAT LAST 200 MILES OR SO

BEFORE YOU'RE GONNA LAND,

A PILOT WOULD START THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE CONDITIONS ARE,

RECHECK THE WEATHER,

START PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO OTHER TRAFFIC.

Narrator: AFTER AN OVERNIGHT FLIGHT FROM GUANGZHOU, CHINA,

THE CREW IS LESS THAN 10 MINUTES FROM TOUCHING DOWN

ON NARITA'S MAIN RUNWAY.

TODAY, FIRST OFFICER PINO IS FLYING THE PLANE,

WHILE THE CAPTAIN MONITORS THE INSTRUMENTS.

Anthony Pino: ALL RIGHT.

LET'S BEGIN THE BEFORE-LANDING CHECKLIST.

Mosley: GOT IT.

LANDING LIGHTS ON.

Controller: FEDEX 80, SURFACE WIND IS 320 AT 28 KNOTS.

Narrator: SEVEN MINUTES FROM LANDING,

THE CONTROLLER GIVES THE CREW AN UPDATE

ABOUT THE WIND CONDITIONS ON THE RUNWAY.

Mosley: OKAY. COPY THAT.

Narrator: THE PILOTS ARE IN THE MIDST OF THEIR APPROACH,

A CRUCIAL TIME IN ANY FLIGHT.

THE CREW MUST PERFORM DOZENS OF STEPS

TO LOSE ALTITUDE AND DROP ABOUT 400 MILES AN HOUR OF AIRSPEED

BEFORE THEY TOUCH DOWN.

IT'S A VERY BUSY TIME IN THE COCKPIT.

Benzon: THE PILOT'S GOT A ZILLION THINGS

GOING THROUGH HIS HEAD.

HIS EYEBALLS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE,

MAKING SURE THAT THE PROPOSED LANDING IS GOING FINE.

Narrator: ON THIS FLIGHT, THE PILOTS HAVE

AN ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE TO CONTEND WITH--POWERFUL WINDS.

Pino: ANY THOUGHTS ON LANDING SPEED?

Mosley: LET'S ADD 10 KNOTS, MAKE IT 164 KNOTS.

Narrator: THEY NEED TO COME IN FASTER THAN USUAL

TO COMBAT THE GUSTY CONDITIONS.

Wilson: IF YOU HAVE GUSTS, THEN YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT

THAT IT WILL AFFECT AND CHANGE

THE LIFT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AIRPLANE

AS WELL AS THE SPEED OF THE AIRPLANE.

Pino: LANDING GEAR.

Mosley: GEAR DOWN.

FOUR GREEN.

Altimeter: 500...

Mosley: OH, YEAH.

CLEARED TO LAND 34-LEFT.

STABLE.

Pino: SHEEE.

Wilson: YOU'RE REALLY WORKING IF YOU'RE THE PILOT FLYING

ON A REALLY GUSTY, WINDY DAY.

Narrator: THE PLANE IS DROPPING 13 FEET PER SECOND.

Altimeter: 50...40...30...

Narrator: IT WILL BE ON THE GROUND IN LESS THAN FIVE SECONDS.

Altimeter: 20.

Narrator: WITHOUT WARNING,

THE MD-11 IS UPSIDE DOWN IN FLAMES.

Controller: THERE'S A CRASH ON 34-LEFT, AND THERE'S FIRE.

Narrator: FIRE CREWS RACE TO THE RUNWAY,

WHERE A MASSIVE BLAZE HAS ENGULFED THE COCKPIT

OF FEDEX FLIGHT 80.

IT'S THE BIGGEST AIR DISASTER THE TOKYO AIRPORT HAS EVER SEEN.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS MUST NOW REDIRECT INCOMING FLIGHTS

AWAY FROM THE BURNING DEBRIS.

IT TAKES ALMOST HALF AN HOUR FOR FIREFIGHTERS

TO DOUSE THE FLAMES SURROUNDING THE COCKPIT.

BY THE TIME RESCUERS GET INSIDE, IT'S TOO LATE FOR THE PILOTS.

TWO PEOPLE ARE DEAD,

AND ANOTHER MD-11 LIES BURNING AT THE SIDE OF A RUNWAY.

Masaru Chiba, translated: THE FIRST THING I NOTICED

WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE

WAS THAT THE PIECES OF THE AIRCRAFT

WERE SCATTERED ACROSS A WIDE AREA.

Narrator: THIS IS THE FIRST FATAL ACCIDENT

IN NARITA AIRPORT'S 31-YEAR HISTORY.

MASARU CHIBA OF THE JAPAN TRANSPORT SAFETY BOARD

TAKES CHARGE OF THE INVESTIGATION.

Chiba: WHEN WE SAW THE ACCIDENT SITE,

MORE THAN HALF THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN COMPLETELY BURNED.

SO I WAS AT A LOSS AT FIRST

TO DECIDE WHERE WE SHOULD START THE INVESTIGATION.

Narrator: THE AVIATION WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW

WHY THIS MD-11 LANDING WENT SO WRONG.

HAVE THE LESSONS FROM NEWARK BEEN FORGOTTEN?

OR IS THIS AN ENTIRELY NEW PROBLEM?

TWO PEOPLE ARE DEAD

AND THE REMAINS OF AN MD-11 CARGO PLANE

LIE SMOLDERING AT NARITA AIRPORT.

INVESTIGATORS EXAMINE THE RUNWAY,

SEARCHING FOR CLUES THAT MIGHT REVEAL

HOW THIS LANDING WENT SO WRONG.

Chiba: I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

WHERE THE PLANE FIRST TOUCHED DOWN.

THERE WERE VERY CLEAR TRACES FROM THE TIRES.

THEREFORE, THE INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE GROUND

WAS THE PLACE WHERE THERE WERE CLEAR TIRE MARKS.

LOOK AT ALL THIS RUBBER.

THIS IS WHERE THEY FIRST TOUCHED DOWN.

Narrator: THE MARKS REVEAL

WHERE THE PLANE FIRST SLAMMED ONTO THE RUNWAY.

Chiba: THE SECOND CONTACT WAS WITH THE NOSE GEAR,

AND WE FOUND PIECES OF THE FRONT WHEEL

NEAR THE AREA WHERE IT HIT.

Narrator: THEY ALSO SHOW THE PLANE HIT THE RUNWAY

MORE THAN ONCE.

Chiba: AND THIS IS WHERE THEY FINALLY CAME DOWN.

EXTREMELY HARD, BY THE LOOKS OF IT.

THE THIRD AREA THAT THE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN

HAD A LOT OF SPILLED FUEL

AND A BIG PORTION OF THE AIRCRAFT'S REMAINS.

SO WE CONCLUDED THAT THERE WERE THREE CONTACT ZONES

WHERE THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE GROUND.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CATCH AN EARLY BREAK.

THOUGH IT'S EXTREMELY RARE FOR A PLANE CRASH

TO BE CAUGHT ON VIDEO,

IT'S HAPPENED HERE.

AN AIRPORT SURVEILLANCE CAMERA CONFIRMS CHIBA'S THEORY

ABOUT THE VIOLENT LANDING.

FLIGHT 80 BOUNCED TWICE BEFORE FINALLY SLAMMING INTO THE RUNWAY

AND FLIPPING OVER IN FLAMES.

Chiba: I ALSO SAW THE PICTURES FROM THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS.

I WAS CONVINCED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HIT THREE TIMES.

I'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT BEFORE.

Narrator: THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THIS ACCIDENT

AND THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 14 IN NEWARK ARE VERY DISTURBING.

INVESTIGATORS FACE IMMEDIATE PRESSURE TO FIGURE OUT

EXACTLY WHO OR WHAT IS TO BLAME THIS TIME.

Bramble: IT HAD BEEN 10 YEARS

SINCE THE LAST ACCIDENT INVOLVING AN MD-11,

AND WHEN NARITA OCCURRED IT WAS CLEAR

THAT THE PROBLEM OF THESE TYPES OF MD-11 ACCIDENTS

HAD NOT BEEN SOLVED.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS INTERVIEW THE TOWER CONTROLLERS

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MOMENTS LEADING UP TO THE CRASH.

THEY HEAR THAT PILOTS LANDING AHEAD OF FLIGHT 80

REPORTED VERY TURBULENT CONDITIONS

ON APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY.

Pilot: NARITA TOWER, BE ADVISED,

WE HIT SOME WIND SHEAR ON FINAL JUST BELOW 2,000.

Chiba: THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED RIGHT AFTER A COLD FRONT HAD PASSED,

SO IT WAS VERY WINDY.

THE PILOT OF THE PREVIOUS FLIGHT ACTUALLY REPORTED

THEY EXPERIENCED WIND SHEAR DURING THEIR FLIGHT.

Narrator: WIND SHEAR IS THE TERM PILOTS USE

TO DESCRIBE DANGEROUSLY SHIFTING WINDS.

Wilson: THAT'S A REALLY RAPID CHANGE

IN THE DIRECTION OR VELOCITY OF WIND,

AND IT CAN REALLY AFFECT THE FLYING CHARACTERISTICS

OF THE AIRPLANE.

Narrator: STRONG WIND SHEAR CAN PUSH A PLANE VIOLENTLY UP OR DOWN,

CAUSING IT TO LOSE LIFT.

NEAR A RUNWAY, IT CAN BE FATAL.

IN 1985, DELTA AIRLINES FLIGHT 191

HIT WIND SHEAR WHILE LANDING AT DALLAS-FORT WORTH AIRPORT.

137 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN THE CRASH.

AFTER THAT ACCIDENT, AIRPORTS INSTALLED DOPPLER RADAR,

WHICH CAN DETECT WIND SHEAR ON RUNWAYS

AND WARN PILOTS WHEN LANDING MIGHT BE DANGEROUS.

CONTROLLERS AT NARITA WERE RELYING ON THAT TECHNOLOGY

AS FEDEX FLIGHT 80 CAME IN FOR ITS LANDING.

Controller: RUNWAY 34-LEFT, WIND SHEAR ON FINAL.

Mosley: IT'S GONNA BE A BUMPY ONE.

Pino: ALL OVER IT.

Narrator: THE CONTROLLER TELLS INVESTIGATORS

HE WARNED THE FEDEX CREW TO BE ON GUARD FOR WIND SHEAR.

WHAT INVESTIGATORS NEED NOW IS MORE DETAILED WIND ANALYSIS

FROM SENSORS AROUND THE AIRPORT,

BUT COLLECTING THE DATA WILL TAKE SOME TIME.

THEY'LL HAVE TO WAIT TO FIND OUT

JUST HOW DANGEROUS THE WIND CONDITIONS WERE

DURING FLIGHT 80'S FATAL LANDING.

MEANWHILE, A RECOVERY TEAM HAS MADE A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH.

THEY'VE PULLED THE BLACK BOXES FROM THE SCORCHED WRECKAGE.

THE DATA ON THE RECORDERS COULD EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED

IN THE LAST FEW MOMENTS OF THE MD-11 LANDING--

UNLESS THAT DATA HAS BEEN DESTROYED BY FIRE.

Chiba: THESE ARE A LOT MORE DAMAGED THAN I THOUGHT THEY'D BE.

I HOPE THEY CAN GET SOMETHING OUT OF THESE.

IT WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED.

IT WAS EXPOSED TO EXTREMELY HIGH HEAT.

LET'S GET THEM PACKING.

WE WANTED TO BE ABSOLUTELY SURE WE WOULD GET THE DATA,

SO WE ASSIGNED AN INVESTIGATOR

TO TAKE THE RECORDERS TO THE UNITED STATES.

Narrator: THE BLACK BOXES ARE ON THE NEXT FLIGHT

TO WASHINGTON, D.C.,

WHERE NTSB EXPERTS WILL TRY TO RECOVER THE CRITICAL DATA.

WHILE INVESTIGATORS WAIT FOR NEWS FROM WASHINGTON,

THEY CONSIDER ANOTHER POSSIBILITY--

THAT FLIGHT 80 WAS THROWN OFF BALANCE

BY THE LOAD IT WAS CARRYING.

Chiba: WHAT IF THE CARGO SHIFTED AT THE LAST MINUTE?

Benzon: THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS THAT CAN AFFECT THE CARGO AIRCRAFT

DURING TAKEOFFS OR LANDINGS.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PILOTS ALWAYS FEAR IS SHIFTING CARGO.

Narrator: FEDEX FLIGHT 80 WAS CARRYING MORE THAN 50 TONS OF CARGO,

DELIVERIES LARGE AND SMALL.

LOADING CARGO IS AN EXACT SCIENCE,

DISTRIBUTING WEIGHT IN A WAY

THAT DOES NOT UNBALANCE THE AIRCRAFT.

THAT'S ESPECIALLY TRUE IN THE ALREADY TEMPERAMENTAL MD-11.

THE FASTENERS THAT HOLD THE CARGO IN PLACE

HAVE SURVIVED THE FIRE.

THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THEY FAILED.

Chiba: THEY LOOK FINE.

LET'S CHECK OUT THE OTHERS.

AS FAR AS I COULD TELL FROM THE REMAINS OF THE CARGO,

THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF THE CARGO SHIFTING

EITHER TO THE FRONT OF THE PLANE OR TO THE BACK OF THE PLANE.

Narrator: BUT IF THE CARGO DIDN'T SHIFT,

WHAT CAUSED FLIGHT 80 TO CRASH ON LANDING, KILLING TWO PILOTS?

MASARU CHIBA STUDIES DOPPLER RADAR RECORDS

OF THE WIND SPEEDS ON RUNWAY 34.

ANY SIGN OF WIND SHEAR IN THE MOMENTS BEFORE THE CRASH

COULD BE THE LEAD HE'S BEEN WAITING FOR.

BUT IT'S ANOTHER DEAD END.

Chiba: NO WIND SHEAR ON RUNWAY 34-LEFT WHEN THEY WERE TOUCHING DOWN.

AFTER EXAMINING DATA ABOUT THE AIR CURRENTS

BEFORE AND AFTER THE ACCIDENT,

IT SEEMED VERY UNLIKELY THAT WIND SHEAR

COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS ACCIDENT.

Narrator: WHILE INVESTIGATORS IN JAPAN STRUGGLE FOR A SOLID LEAD,

THERE'S BETTER NEWS FROM WASHINGTON.

NTSB TECHNICIANS HAVE RECOVERED THE SOUNDS

CAPTURED BY FLIGHT 80'S DAMAGED COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER.

THEY EXPECT TO RECOVER THE FLIGHT DATA SOON AS WELL.

Misencik: FLIGHT RECORDERS ARE VERY ROBUST INSTRUMENTS.

THEY'RE DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF G-FORCE

AND, UH, OR HEAT.

Chiba: AH, MR. MISENCIK. WELCOME ABOARD.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

MY NAME IS MASARU CHIBA.

Narrator: BECAUSE THE PLANE IS AMERICAN MADE,

PAUL MISENCIK OF THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD

JOINS THE TEAM IN JAPAN.

Paul Misencik: WE HAD THE EXPERTISE

THAT COULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE JAPANESE INVESTIGATION

AS FAR AS PROCEDURES,

WHAT TYPE OF REGULATIONS THE CREW WAS FLYING UNDER,

AND WE COULD DO AN AWFUL LOT

OF THE FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATIVE ACTIVITIES

HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, WHICH IS WHAT WE DID.

Chiba: OKAY, THIS WAY, PLEASE.

Narrator: FLIGHT 80'S COCKPIT RECORDING

IS NOW IN THE HANDS OF INVESTIGATORS,

BUT WILL IT TELL THEM WHY THE PILOTS

COULDN'T GET THEIR PLANE SAFELY ON THE GROUND?

Chiba: LET'S HEAR THE ENTIRE APPROACH FROM...

FROM FIRST CONTACT WITH NARITA AT 6:41.

Mosley: NARITA TOWER, FEDEX 80.

13 MILES FOR 34-LEFT.

Controller: FEDEX 80, NARITA TOWER ON RUNWAY 34-LEFT.

CONTINUE APPROACH.

Mosley: FEDEX 80, ROGER.

Pino: ALL RIGHT. LET'S BEGIN THE BEFORE-LANDING CHECKLIST.

Mosley: GOT IT.

Chiba: SO FAR SO GOOD.

Narrator: THE APPROACH TO NARITA IS TEXTBOOK.

Pino: LANDING GEAR.

Mosley: GEAR DOWN.

WINDS ARE 320.

MAXIMUM AT 34 KNOTS.

Chiba: OKAY. STOP FOR A SECOND.

WINDS...

320.

MAXIMUM 34.

IT'S RIGHT IN THEIR FACE.

Narrator: THE RECORDING REVEALS THE CREW WAS FLYING

INTO A STRONG HEADWIND,

BUT IT WASN'T DANGEROUS ENOUGH TO EXPLAIN THE CRASH.

Chiba: OKAY. LET'S GO ON.

Altimeter: 1,000...

Mosley: YEE-HAW! RIDE 'EM COWBOY!

Wilson: DON'T LET THE AIRPLANE FLY YOU, YOU FLY THE AIRPLANE,

AND ON A GUSTY, BLUSTERY DAY,

THAT'S IN FACT WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO.

Altimeter: 500...

Narrator: DESPITE THE BUMPY RIDE,

THE PILOTS DON'T SEEM VERY CONCERNED.

Mosley: CLEARED TO LAND, 34-LEFT.

STABLE.

Pino: SHEEE.

Wilson: STABLE APPROACH IS ONE OF THE CALL-OUTS

THAT MORE AND MORE CARRIERS

HAVE PUT INTO THEIR OPERATION SPECIFICATIONS

THAT YOU CALL OUT,

BECAUSE GENERALLY THAT'S A PRETTY WELL UNDERSTOOD THING.

IF YOU'RE STABLE, YOU CAN LAND.

Pino: SHEEE.

Chiba: ONE MINUTE FROM THE RUNWAY, AND THEY'RE JOKING.

SEEMS LIKE THERE'S NOTHING WRONG.

FROM THE RECORDING, WE CAN TELL

THAT THEY WERE REALLY RELAXED AND TEASING EACH OTHER.

I THINK WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT THE AIR CURRENTS WERE SO ROUGH

THAT IT FELT LIKE THEY WERE IN A RODEO,

RIDING AN UNTAMED HORSE, LIKE COWBOYS.

Narrator: THEN, AN AUTOMATED VOICE FROM THE ALTIMETER

GIVES INVESTIGATORS AN IMPORTANT CLUE.

Altimeter: 40...30... 20...10...

Misencik: THAT LAST PART AGAIN, PLEASE.

Altimeter: 50...40...30... 20...10...

Misencik: IT SHOULD SLOW DOWN.

50, 40, 30...

20...

10.

THE PILOT, IN MAKING AN APPROACH,

HE CAN JUDGE HIS RATE OF DESCENT

BY THE CADENCE OF THOSE CALL-OUTS.

LIKE NORMALLY YOU'LL HAVE 100 FEET, 50, 30,

AND AS YOU GET DOWN TO 10 FEET

THEY'LL EVEN SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE.

Altimeter: 20...10...

Wilson: IF IT'S CALLING THEM VERY QUICKLY,

YOU'RE GOING, YOU'RE SINKING TOO RAPIDLY.

Narrator: THE RECORDING TELLS INVESTIGATORS

THE PLANE'S DESCENT DIDN'T SLOW DOWN WHEN IT SHOULD HAVE,

BUT INSTEAD CONTINUED DROPPING AT A RAPID RATE.

IT EXPLAINS THE HARD LANDING, BUT NOT THE CRASH.

ANOTHER CRITICAL QUESTION REMAINS.

WHY DIDN'T THE PILOTS SLOW THEIR DESCENT?

UNTIL THEY CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION,

INVESTIGATORS WON'T KNOW THE FULL STORY

BEHIND THE CRASH OF FEDEX FLIGHT 80.

WHILE THEY PREPARE THE FEDEX 80 FLIGHT DATA FOR ANALYSIS,

INVESTIGATORS IN TOKYO FOLLOW A NEW LEAD.

Chiba: LET'S SEE WHAT THESE CAN TELL US.

Narrator: A SECOND SECURITY CAMERA

CAPTURED A SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS DURING THE DEADLY TOUCHDOWN.

THE CAMERA WAS SET TO RECORD FOUR IMAGES PER SECOND.

WITH LUCK, ONE OF THEM MIGHT REVEAL

WHY THE LANDING WENT SO WRONG.

Chiba: WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE PHOTOGRAPHS,

WE COULD TELL VERY CLEARLY

HOW THE AIRCRAFT CAME INTO THE RUNWAY.

THE SURVEILLANCE PHOTOS WERE MORE HELPFUL AND ACCURATE

THAN INTERVIEWING HUNDREDS OF WITNESSES.

30 FEET OFF THE GROUND, LOOKS LIKE HE'S STRAIGHT AND LEVEL.

STABLE.

STABLE.

20 FEET AND STILL STABLE.

Wilson: YOU WANT THE AIRPLANE POINTED DOWN THE RUNWAY

WHEN YOU TOUCH DOWN,

AND YOU WANT THE WINGS AS LEVEL AS YOU CAN HAVE THEM.

THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING TO ACCOMPLISH.

Chiba: EVERYTHING LOOKS FINE, BUT IN A SPLIT SECOND

HE HITS THE RUNWAY HARD ENOUGH TO BOUNCE.

Narrator: THE PHOTOS CAPTURE IN DETAIL WHAT HAPPENED ON RUNWAY 34-LEFT

BUT SHED LITTLE LIGHT ON WHY IT HAPPENED.

Chiba: WE'RE MISSING SOMETHING HERE.

Narrator: THEY TURN TO THE INFORMATION FROM THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER.

Chiba: ALL RIGHT. WHAT DOES THE DATA TELL US?

Narrator: THEY HOPE IT WILL REVEAL WHAT THE PILOTS DID

DURING THE FINAL MOMENTS OF THE LANDING.

Chiba: 40 FEET, 30 FEET.

STRANGE.

IT'S PRACTICALLY LEVEL.

HE SHOULD BE NOSE UP HERE.

Narrator: 30 FEET FROM THE GROUND,

THE PILOTS SHOULD PULL THE NOSE UP A FEW DEGREES

TO SLOW THE DESCENT AND HELP THE PLANE FLOAT TO THE GROUND.

IT'S CALLED FLARING THE PLANE.

Wilson: STARTING TO PULL BACK ON THE CONTROL COLUMN

TO START TO FLARE THE AIRPLANE, TO START TO ARREST ITS DESCENT

SO THAT YOU HAVE ONE CONTINUAL MOTION OF POWER

COMING OFF OF THE AIRPLANE.

Narrator: 25 FEET FROM THE GROUND,

THE PILOT STILL HADN'T DONE THAT.

Chiba: HE STARTS THE FLARE HERE,

BUT IT'S ONLY TWO SECONDS FROM TOUCHDOWN.

HE'S TOO LATE.

Narrator: THE PILOTS FINALLY START TO FLARE AT 20 FEET--

SO LATE THEY'RE STILL PULLING UP WHEN THEY SLAM INTO THE GROUND.

Chiba: THAT EXPLAINS WHY THEY WERE DROPPING SO FAST.

Narrator: A PROPERLY TIMED FLARE HELPS ENSURE A SMOOTH LANDING.

BY DELAYING THE FLARE, THE PILOTS WERE DESCENDING

MUCH MORE QUICKLY THAN THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

Chiba: THEY BEGAN THE FLARE AT 20 FEET.

THAT'S WHEN THINGS STARTED GOING WRONG.

TWO SECONDS FROM TOUCHDOWN HE'S ALREADY BEHIND THE GAME.

LET'S SEE HOW HE GOT THERE.

Misencik: SO IT WAS A, IT WAS A HIGH SINK RATE,

AND WE WERE WONDERING WHY A PILOT WOULD, UH,

WOULD ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN.

Altimeter: 1,000...

Narrator: IN SEARCH OF AN ANSWER,

INVESTIGATORS SCRUTINIZE AN EARLIER PART OF THE FLIGHT,

THE LAST 1,000 FEET OF THE LANDING.

Pino: SHEEE.

Chiba: THIS IS WHERE THINGS START TO GET HAIRY.

RIGHT UP, LEFT DOWN,

RIGHT UP, LEFT UP.

Mosley: YEE-HAW! RIDE 'EM COWBOY.

Bramble: THEY WERE WORKING HARD

TO ADJUST FOR THE CHANGING HEADWINDS

AND RISING AND SINKING OF THE AIRPLANE

WITH THE TURBULENCE THAT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.

Mosley: STABLE.

Pino: SHEEE.

Wilson: IF YOU HAVE A REALLY STRONG HEADWIND

ON THE AIRPLANE BLOWING RIGHT ON,

RIGHT DOWN THE RUNWAY TOWARD THE AIRPLANE

AND THAT WIND SUDDENLY DIMINISHES GREATLY,

THE AIRPLANE HAS A TENDENCY TO FEEL

LIKE IT'S FALLING OUT FROM UNDER YOU.

IT'S LOST SOME OF THAT AIRFLOW THAT'S GOING OVER THE WING.

Narrator: THE MD-11 IS HEADING FOR THE RUNWAY

AT ALMOST 200 MILES AN HOUR AND DROPPING AT 13 FEET PER SECOND.

PINO HAS HIS HANDS FULL

TRYING TO KEEP HIS PLANE PROPERLY POSITIONED FOR LANDING.

Altimeter: 100...

Chiba: JUST WHEN THEY NEED POWER, THE ENGINES GO TO IDLE.

Altimeter: 50...

Narrator: AT 50 FEET, THE SITUATION GETS MUCH WORSE.

THE MD-11'S AUTO THROTTLES

ARE DESIGNED TO GO TO IDLE AUTOMATICALLY AT 50 FEET.

THE SYSTEM WORKS WELL ON CALM DAYS,

BUT THIS TIME THE DECREASE IN POWER

MAKES THE PLANE DROP EVEN FASTER.

Misencik: WHEN THEY HAD A HIGH SINK RATE,

THEY NEEDED POWER RIGHT AT 50 FEET,

AND THEY DIDN'T APPLY IT.

Narrator: BECAUSE OF THE POWERFUL WINDS,

PINO SHOULD HAVE ADDED MORE THRUST

TO KEEP THE LANDING ON TRACK.

Altimeter: 30...

Narrator: PINO REACTS LESS THAN A SECOND TOO LATE.

HE PULLS THE NOSE UP TO BEGIN HIS FLARE,

BUT THE PLANE IS FALLING TOO FAST.

Misencik: IN WINDY, GUSTY CONDITIONS,

IT'S INCUMBENT ON THE PILOT TO GUARD HIS THROTTLES

AND TO OVERRIDE THE AUTO THROTTLES

TO MAKE SURE THAT HE HAS THE ADEQUATE POWER COMPONENT

TO CONTROL HIS RATE OF DESCENT TO THE RUNWAY.

Narrator: JUST LIKE IN THE NEWARK ACCIDENT,

FLIGHT 80 HITS THE RUNWAY

WHILE DROPPING TWICE AS FAST AS RECOMMENDED.

Chiba: THEY BOTH BOTCHED THE FLARE.

THEY BOTH HIT HARD.

TSUGI.

Misencik: IF A PILOT IS LATE WITH HIS FLARE,

JUST LIKE ISAAC NEWTON SAYS, EVERY ACTION HAS A REACTION.

YOU'RE GONNA HIT THE RUNWAY,

AND YOU'RE GONNA BOUNCE BACK OFF THE RUNWAY.

THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENED IN SEVERAL OF THESE MD-11s

WHERE ONE WING WOULD SHEAR OFF

AND THE OTHER WING WOULD FLY UP OVER THE TOP

AND TURN THE AIRPLANE INVERTED.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS IN JAPAN LEARN THAT BOTH MOSLEY AND PINO

RECEIVED THE BOUNCE RECOVERY TRAINING

THAT BENZON RECOMMENDED AFTER THE NEWARK ACCIDENT.

Misencik: LOOKS LIKE THEY HAD THE PROPER TRAINING.

Chiba: SO HOW DID THEY GET THE LANDING SO WRONG?

Narrator: THE FATAL DESCENT ONTO RUNWAY 34-LEFT

REMAINS A MYSTERY.

INVESTIGATORS DIG INTO THE BACKGROUND

OF THE TWO PILOTS WHO DIED ON FEDEX FLIGHT 80.

Wilson: FEDEX DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE

THAT ARE NEW TO THE FLYING BUSINESS.

THEY JUST DON'T MAKE THE CUT.

Narrator: BEFORE WORKING FOR FEDEX,

CAPTAIN MOSLEY FLEW F-4s FOR THE U.S. MARINES.

ONLY THE BEST PILOTS ARE EVEN CONSIDERED FOR THE JOB.

AS A CIVILIAN PILOT, HE HAD FLOWN MORE THAN 8,000 HOURS.

BUT CAPTAIN MOSLEY HAD ONLY RECENTLY RETURNED TO FLYING...

Chiba: SICK LEAVE.

Narrator: ...AFTER AN EXTENDED SICK LEAVE FOR A BAD BACK.

Chiba: FIRST OFFICER PINO WAS HARDLY A ROOKIE.

Narrator: ANTHONY PINO WAS A VETERAN OF THE FIRST GULF WAR.

HE SERVED WITH THE U.S. AIR FORCE FOR 23 YEARS,

FLYING C-5 TRANSPORTS, ONE OF THE LARGEST PLANES EVER BUILT.

Misencik: NOBODY HAD ANYTHING BAD TO SAY

ABOUT EITHER OF THESE PILOTS.

THEY TRAINED WELL.

THEY NEVER FAILED A PROFICIENCY CHECK.

Narrator: BUT INVESTIGATORS DO FIND ONE SIGNIFICANT DETAIL

IN FIRST OFFICER PINO'S RECORD.

HE HAD TO BE RECERTIFIED TO LAND MD-11s ON A SIMULATOR

JUST SIX WEEKS BEFORE.

Chiba: LOTS OF HOURS.

NOT SO MANY LANDINGS.

Misencik: WE FOUND OUT THAT HE HAD WITHIN THE PREVIOUS SIX MONTHS

VERY FEW, VERY FEW ACTUAL LANDINGS.

Narrator: LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN LANDING

HAS LED TO TRAGEDY IN THE PAST.

JUST A MONTH EARLIER, A TURKISH AIRLINES 737

WAS ON APPROACH TO AMSTERDAM'S SCHIPHOL AIRPORT.

THE PILOT FLYING WAS AN INEXPERIENCED TRAINEE.

HE FAILED TO RECOGNIZE

A CRITICAL CHANGE IN THROTTLE SETTINGS

BROUGHT ON BY A MALFUNCTIONING ALTIMETER.

THE PLANE LOST POWER AND SLAMMED INTO THE GROUND,

KILLING NINE OF THE 135 PEOPLE ON BOARD.

AT FEDEX, PINO USUALLY FLEW AS THE RELIEF PILOT,

TAKING THE CONTROLS ONLY IN THE MIDDLE OF LONG HAUL FLIGHTS.

IT'S A ROLE THAT CALLS FOR VERY FEW LANDINGS.

Bramble: THE PILOT WHO WAS FLYING THIS AIRPLANE

ONLY HAD ABOUT 73 LANDINGS IN THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS,

WHICH AVERAGES OUT TO ABOUT TWO AND A HALF LANDINGS A MONTH.

TWO AND A HALF LANDINGS A MONTH.

THAT'S NOT A LOT OF LANDING PRACTICE.

Chiba: THE FIRST BOUNCE THROWS THE PLANE BACK IN THE AIR.

HE GETS 10 FEET OFF THE GROUND AND BRINGS HIS NOSE DOWN.

HE HITS THE GROUND FOR THE SECOND TIME HERE.

HE CONTINUES TO PUSH HIS CONTROLS FORWARD,

PUSHING DOWN THE NOSE.

HE'S MAKING THINGS WORSE HERE.

SECOND BOUNCE SENDS THEM 16 FEET BACK IN THE AIR,

AND THE THIRD TOUCHDOWN IS LETHAL.

Mosley: FIRE!

Chiba: OKAY, A RUSTY FIRST OFFICER

AND A CAPTAIN WITH A BAD BACK.

THERE MUST BE MORE TO IT THAN THAT.

GO AHEAD.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS RETURN TO THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDING

AND LISTEN FOR OTHER FACTORS THAT MIGHT HAVE COME INTO PLAY.

Pino: OH, IT'LL BE GOOD TO GET SOME REAL SLEEP.

Narrator: THEY HEAR A CRITICAL CLUE--

A REMARK MADE 45 MINUTES BEFORE THE CATASTROPHIC LANDING.

Pino: I AM EXHAUSTED.

Mosley: OH, YEAH. GONNA SLEEP LIKE A BABY.

Pino: JUST KEEP AN EYE ON ME, WOULD YA?

IF I SUDDENLY GET REALLY QUIET, SAY SOMETHING,

ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE CLOSE TO FLARE.

Bramble: IT WAS CLEAR FROM LISTENING TO THE CREW

THAT THEY WERE TIRED DURING THE APPROACH.

Chiba: SO THEY WERE TIRED AFTER FLYING ALL NIGHT LONG.

LET'S FIND OUT JUST HOW TIRED THEY WERE.

Bramble: RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT FATIGUE CAN DECREASE PERFORMANCE

IN WAYS SIMILAR TO ALCOHOL INTOXICATION.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS LEARN THAT OVER THE PAST 10 DAYS

THE TWO MEN FLEW 38 1/2 HOURS,

TRAVELED ALMOST 11,000 MILES AND CROSSED EIGHT TIME ZONES.

THEIR WEEK STARTS IN ANCHORAGE...

A FLIGHT TO NARITA ...

THEN FROM TOKYO TO GUANGZHOU, CHINA...

TO MALAYSIA... THEN TO THE PHILIPPINES...

BACK TO GUANGZHOU.

AND THE FINAL LEG--

AN OVERNIGHT FLIGHT BACK TO NARITA.

Wilson: BECAUSE YOU'VE LONG HAUL FLOWN

AND NOW YOU'RE ARRIVING SOMEWHERE

AT EIGHT O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING

AND IT FEELS LIKE EIGHT O'CLOCK AT NIGHT TO YOUR BODY.

Misencik: SO HOW MUCH SLEEPING DID THEY DO BETWEEN FLIGHTS?

Bramble: WE CAN USUALLY BUILD A TIMELINE

THAT GIVES US A BETTER IDEA

OF HOW MUCH SLEEP THE PILOT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO OBTAIN

AND WHAT THEIR SCHEDULE WAS LIKE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS LEARN WHAT THEY CAN

ABOUT THE TWO PILOTS' ACTIVITIES

IN THE DAYS LEADING TO THE CRASH.

THEY STUDY THEIR COMPUTER RECORDS,

CONTACT FRIENDS AND FAMILY,

AND INTERVIEW HOTEL EMPLOYEES ABOUT THEIR COMINGS AND GOINGS.

Bramble: THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE WANT TO KNOW

ARE WHEN WERE THE PILOTS AWAKE, WHEN WERE THEY WORKING,

WHEN WERE THEY SLEEPING,

AND KIND OF WHAT OTHER GENERAL KINDS OF ACTIVITIES

WERE THEY ENGAGED IN.

Narrator: THEY EVEN GO THROUGH RECEIPTS AND KEY CARD INFORMATION

TO HELP PAINT A DETAILED PICTURE

OF WHEN THE PILOTS WERE MOST LIKELY SLEEPING.

BRAMBLE DISCOVERS THAT IN THE PAST 24 HOURS,

CAPTAIN MOSLEY HAD NO MORE

THAN FOUR HOURS AND 38 MINUTES OF STRAIGHT SLEEP.

FIRST OFFICER PINO LIKELY EVEN HAD LESS--

JUST THREE HOURS AND 17 MINUTES.

Bramble: WELL, YOU'D LIKE TO SEE PILOTS RECEIVING

ABOUT EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP

IN A CONSOLIDATED FASHION PER NIGHT.

THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO BE FULLY RESTED

AND PERFORM OPTIMALLY.

Misencik: NEITHER ONE GOT CLOSE TO EIGHT HOURS STRAIGHT.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO REGULATIONS,

THERE WAS ENOUGH REST TIME BUILT INTO THEIR SCHEDULE.

BUT AIRLINES CAN'T DICTATE HOW PILOTS USE THAT TIME

OR FORCE THEIR PILOTS TO SLEEP.

Pino: OH, IT'LL BE GOOD TO GET SOME REAL SLEEP.

I AM EXHAUSTED.

Mosley: OH, YEAH.

GONNA SLEEP LIKE A BABY.

Misencik: THESE PEOPLE WERE NOT HITTING ON ALL CYLINDERS.

Mosley: YEE-HAW! RIDE 'EM COWBOY.

Misencik: THEIR REACTION TIMES WERE A LITTLE SLOWER.

Mosley: OH, YEAH.

Bramble: YOU'D EXPECT TO SEE LAPSES IN PERFORMANCE

AND DELAYS IN RESPONSE.

Pino: SHEEE.

Wilson: IT'S A MENTAL FATIGUE THAT SETS IN THAT--

AND THAT'S THE INSIDIOUS PART.

YOU KNOW MUCH FASTER WHEN YOUR BODY'S TIRED

THAN YOU DO WHEN YOUR MIND IS TIRED.

Altimeter: 50...40... 30...20...

Narrator: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TIME

WHEN PINO SHOULD HAVE FLARED AND WHEN HE ACTUALLY DID

IS MINISCULE.

HE WAS .7 SECONDS LATE.

THAT FRACTION OF A SECOND COST TWO MEN THEIR LIVES.

Bramble: INCREASED REACTION TIME IS A KIND OF PERFORMANCE DEFICIT

THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH FATIGUE.

SO THAT COULD EXPLAIN THE PILOT'S DELAYED FLARE.

Narrator: BUT BOUNCED LANDINGS ARE COMMON IN COMMERCIAL AVIATION

AND RARELY CAUSE A CRASH.

IN FACT, THE FEDEX PLANE BOUNCED

DURING TWO OF ITS PREVIOUS 60 LANDINGS.

Chiba: BOUNCING AN AIRCRAFT IS SOMETHING THAT OFTEN HAPPENS.

BOUNCING IS NOT RARE.

BUT EVEN SO IT DOESN'T USUALLY CAUSE A FIERY CRASH.

Narrator: SO WHAT MADE THIS BOUNCED LANDING SO DEADLY?

THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE FATIGUE COULD WELL HAVE BEEN A FACTOR,

INVESTIGATORS SUSPECT THERE'S MORE TO THE STORY.

Mosley: FIRE! OH, GOD!

Chiba: CAN YOU RUN THEM ALL TOGETHER NOW?

Narrator: THE INVESTIGATIVE TEAM

COMBINES THE SEQUENCE OF STILLS CAPTURED ON THE RUNWAY

TO CREATE A REVEALING PORTRAIT OF FLIGHT 80'S DEADLY LANDING.

IT LEADS MASARU CHIBA TO A STARK REALIZATION

ABOUT THE FEDEX PILOTS.

Chiba: LOOKS LIKE THEY IGNORED WHAT THEY WERE TAUGHT

ABOUT BOUNCE RECOVERY.

Narrator: IN AN MD-11 FLIGHT SIMULATOR,

A SENIOR FEDEX PILOT DEMONSTRATES

THE STANDARD PROCEDURE FOR RECOVERING FROM A BOUNCE.

ESTABLISH A 7.5-DEGREE NOSE-UP ATTITUDE

AND INCREASE THRUST.

Chiba: ARE WE READY?

Wilson: I THINK MOST PILOTS AT THAT LEVEL ARE SKILLED ENOUGH

TO EFFECTIVELY HANDLE THE BOUNCE.

Chiba: SO IF IT'S THAT EASY, WHY DID THEY DO THE OPPOSITE?

Narrator: FLIGHT DATA SHOWS PINO DID THE OPPOSITE

OF WHAT HE WAS TRAINED TO DO.

INSTEAD OF LIFTING THE NOSE UP AFTER THE FIRST BOUNCE

HE PUSHED HIS COLUMN FORWARD,

DRIVING THE NOSE OF HIS PLANE INTO THE GROUND.

THAT MISTAKE BOUNCED THE PLANE AGAIN, 16 FEET INTO THE AIR.

Misencik: AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS

THAT WE REALLY TRIED TO WRAP OUR MINDS AROUND

WAS WHAT WOULD CAUSE A PILOT WHO HAD BOUNCED

TO PUSH THE NOSE OVER BACK DOWN TOWARD THE RUNWAY.

Narrator: 12 SECONDS LATER,

THE PLANE IS UPSIDE DOWN AND IN FLAMES.

Mosley: FIRE! OH, GOD!

Narrator: THE MD-11 IS A STRETCH VERSION OF THE DC-10.

INVESTIGATORS WONDER IF THE EXTRA LENGTH

COULD HAVE BEEN A FACTOR IN THE CRASH.

Chiba: I WONDER WHAT THE PILOTS COULD SEE FROM THAT COCKPIT.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS ASK BOEING TO CREATE A SIMULATION

OF WHAT THE PILOTS WOULD HAVE SEEN FROM THE COCKPIT.

Chiba: HERE'S WHERE THEY FLARE.

THEY GO BACK IN THE AIR RIGHT HERE.

Narrator: AS THE MAIN LANDING GEAR BOUNCES UPWARD,

THE PLANE PIVOTS, SO THE NOSE DOESN'T ACTUALLY GO UP AT ALL.

FOR THE PILOTS IN THE COCKPIT, IT'S A VISUAL DECEPTION.

Chiba: THEY HAD NO IDEA THEY HAD BOUNCED.

HERE'S WHERE THEY SEE THE RUNWAY AGAIN, BUT IT'S TOO LATE.

Wilson: YOU'VE GOT A LONGER AMOUNT OF AIRPLANE

IN FRONT OF THE WHEELS,

SO YOU CAN GET A FALSE SENSE OF WHERE YOU ARE

IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE GROUND

BECAUSE THESE JET AIRCRAFT LAND WITH THE NOSE UP.

Narrator: THE DISCOVERY HELPS EXPLAIN WHY PINO PUSHED HIS COLUMN FORWARD.

HE LIKELY BELIEVED HIS MAIN LANDING GEAR

WAS ON THE GROUND.

Wilson: YOU WANT TO GET THAT NOSE DOWN AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN

BECAUSE YOU WANT THAT AIRPLANE FIRMLY PLANTED ON THE GROUND.

Bramble: THIS APPROACH WENT VERY QUICKLY

FROM WHAT WAS A CHALLENGING BUT RELATIVELY NORMAL APPROACH

TO A DISASTROUS SITUATION IN A VERY SHORT SPAN OF TIME.

Misencik: THERE'S REALLY NOT ONE GOLDEN NUGGET

THAT, UH, THAT SAID AH-HA,

THIS IS WHAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT.

IN MOST CASES IT'S A CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF A NUMBER OF FACTORS.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS NOW BELIEVE THAT A PILOT

SUFFERING FROM FATIGUE AND BATTLING STRONG WINDS

FLARED HIS PLANE A SPLIT SECOND TOO LATE,

BRINGING IT TO THE RUNWAY TOO FAST.

THE STRETCH DESIGN OF THE MD-11 PREVENTED THE PILOT

FROM REALIZING HE'D BOUNCED THE LANDING,

LEADING HIM TO THE FATAL MISTAKE OF PUSHING DOWN THE NOSE.

Chiba: THIS ACCIDENT BEGAN WITH A VERY SMALL ERROR.

THE RESPONSE TO THAT LED TO ANOTHER ERROR,

AND THE RESPONSE TO THAT WORSENED THE SITUATION.

IT WAS A SNOWBALL EFFECT.

THE SITUATION GOT WORSE AND WORSE.

Narrator: IN THE WAKE OF THE ACCIDENT,

INVESTIGATORS MAKE SEVERAL KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

TO PREVENT A SIMILAR CATASTROPHE.

THEY SUGGEST THAT MANUFACTURERS INSTALL A LIGHT

IN THE MD-11 COCKPIT

TO TELL THE PILOTS IF THEIR WHEELS ARE ON THE GROUND.

Chiba: WE LEARNED THAT IN LONG AIRCRAFT

IT'S VERY HARD TO KNOW WHETHER THE PLANE IS BOUNCING OR NOT.

SO THEY INSTALLED A SYSTEM TO LET THE PILOTS KNOW

IF THE PLANE HAS BOUNCED.

Narrator: THEY ALSO RECOMMEND THAT PILOTS BE READY

TO OVERRIDE THEIR AUTO THROTTLES

TO MAINTAIN SPEED THROUGHOUT THE APPROACH.

Misencik: AND IF THE THROTTLES AREN'T DOING

WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO DO

OR YOU WANT THEM TO DO SOMETHING ELSE,

YOUR HAND IS RIGHT THERE TO APPLY WHATEVER POWER YOU NEED.

Narrator: MOST IMPORTANTLY, THEY RECOMMEND THAT PILOTS

BE TRAINED TO GO AROUND

EVERY TIME THEY BOUNCE A LANDING.

Wilson: WE'VE MOVED MORE AND MORE TOWARD A MINDSET

OF LOOK, LET'S GO AROUND AND COME BACK

AND DO IT ANOTHER TIME.

LET'S DON'T TAKE THE CHANCE.

IT IS NONETHELESS TRAGIC THAT IT TOOK THE LOSS OF AN AIRCRAFT

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THE LOSS OF A CREW

TO ARRIVE AT THAT KIND OF CONCLUSION.