Original subtitles

Woman: TAXI!

Narrator: ON THE BUSY STREETS OF MEXICO CITY,

PEOPLE FLEE FOR THEIR LIVES.

Woman: I HAD THE TIME TO TURN AROUND,

AND I STARTED RUNNING AWAY FROM IT.

AND I REMEMBER THINKING THAT, WELL, THIS IS IT.

Narrator: AN OUT-OF-CONTROL JET

SETS THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT ON FIRE.

Man: IT WAS A DISASTER.

Narrator: THE PRESIDENT'S RIGHT-HAND MAN IS KILLED IN THE CRASH.

Man: A MAJOR POLITICAL FIGURE FOR THE FUTURE IN MEXICO.

Narrator: IN A NATION AT WAR WITH DRUG CARTELS...

Man: THERE WAS A LOT OF NARCO TRAFFICKING GOING ON,

A LOT OF DRUG CULTURE.

Narrator: IT SEEMS THE VIOLENCE HAS REACHED

A TERRIFYING NEW LEVEL.

Man: OH, MY GOD!

Man: IT WAS A NATURAL QUESTION--

WAS THIS AN ASSASSINATION?

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: NOVEMBER 4, 2008.

A LEARJET 45 IS CRUISING OVER CENTRAL MEXICO.

Controller: VICTOR MIKE CHARLIE, RADAR CONTACT.

DESCEND TO 2-0-0.

Alvaro Sanchez: 2-0-0, MIKE CHARLIE.

Narrator: ALVARO SANCHEZ AND MARTIN OLIVA

ARE AT THE CONTROLS.

BOTH PILOTS ARE CAPTAINS,

BUT TONIGHT CAPTAIN OLIVA IS FLYING THE PLANE.

Martin Oliva: I'LL START SETTING 250, ALVARO. OKAY?

Sanchez: SOUNDS RIGHT TO ME.

Narrator: THE FLIGHT IS A SPECIAL GOVERNMENT CHARTER.

Juan Camilo Mouriño: WE MUST BE GETTING CLOSE.

Narrator: THE COUNTRY'S INTERIOR MINISTER AND HIS ENTOURAGE

ARE FLYING TO MEXICO CITY.

Mouriño: WE HAVE A FEW MINUTES. SHOW ME THAT REPORT.

Narrator: JUAN CAMILO MOURIÑO IS JUST 37 YEARS OLD

AND ALREADY A RISING STAR ON THE MEXICAN POLITICAL SCENE.

Ioan Grillo: ANYBODY WHO BECOMES INTERIOR SECRETARY

HAS BECOME A VERY IMPORTANT FIGURE IN MEXICAN POLITICS.

HE WAS CONSIDERED A PERSONAL FRIEND

OF PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON.

Narrator: THE POLITICIANS ARE ON THEIR WAY BACK TO THE CAPITAL

AFTER A DAY OF TALKS AIMED AT COMBATING

THE NATION'S SKYROCKETING RATE OF VIOLENT CRIME.

Grillo: 2008 WAS A KEY YEAR

IN TERMS OF DRUG-RELATED VIOLENCE IN MEXICO,

A YEAR OF MAJOR ESCALATION,

AND WE SAW A TIME WHERE PEOPLE BEGAN TO GET VERY WORRIED

ABOUT WHERE THIS COULD GO.

Narrator: THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT HAS CHARTERED A LEARJET 45

FOR THE FLIGHT.

IT'S A HIGH PERFORMANCE AIRCRAFT THAT'S ALSO ECONOMICAL TO FLY.

Controller: VICTOR MIKE CHARLIE,

DESCEND TO 1-5 THOUSAND FEET, ALTIMETER 30-24.

Sanchez: 1-5 THOUSAND WITH 30-24, MIKE CHARLIE.

Luis Pru: WHEN BOMBARDIER DESIGNED THIS AIRPLANE,

THEY DESIGNED IT FROM THE GROUND UP

AND MADE IT A LOT MORE EFFICIENT.

IT'S SAFER. IT'S EASY TO FLY.

IT'S VERY USER-FRIENDLY, IF YOU WILL.

Sanchez: A THOUSAND FEET UNTIL WE LEVEL OFF.

Oliva: THANKS, ALVARO.

Narrator: AS THE LEARJET NEARS THE OUTSKIRTS OF MEXICO CITY,

THE PILOTS PREPARE TO LAND.

Sanchez: LANDING LIGHTS.

YEP.

CHECKED.

Narrator: THE CREW CAN SEE THE AIRCRAFT AHEAD OF THEM

ON THE APPROACH ROUTE.

Sanchez: LOOK.

Oliva: YEAH.

THEY'RE ALL LINED UP IN FRONT OF US.

JUST IN TIME FOR RUSH HOUR.

Jeff Wise: IF YOU'VE EVER LOOKED OUT INTO THE SKY

FROM THE APPROACH END OF AN AIRPORT,

YOU SEE IT LOOKS LIKE A STRING OF CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.

EACH LIGHT IS A PLANE LINED UP ONE AFTER THE OTHER

COMING IN IN A VERY STEADY, ORDERLY APPROACH.

Pru: IT'S A BUSY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

IT'S THE MAIN AIRPORT FOR MEXICO CITY,

WHICH IS A HUGE CITY,

SO YOU HAVE TRAFFIC FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD COMING IN THERE.

Controller: VICTOR MIKE CHARLIE, REDUCE YOUR SPEED TO 180 KNOTS.

Sanchez: REDUCING SPEED TO 180, MIKE CHARLIE.

Narrator: THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER ASKS THE LEARJET CREW

TO SLOW DOWN TO MAINTAIN THEIR POSITION

IN THE LINEUP OF PLANES.

Pru: THE APPROACH INTO MEXICO CITY REQUIRES A TURN

THAT'S GREATER THAN 90 DEGREES.

THINGS ARE COMING AT YOU FAST.

ATC TELLING YOU TO, YOU KNOW, TURN THIS HEADING,

MAINTAIN THIS SPEED, SLOW DOWN TO THIS SPEED.

Oliva: SHOULD I PULL THE NOSE UP?

Sanchez: NO. LEAVE IT. LEAVE IT FOR NOW.

Narrator: TONIGHT, ALVARO SANCHEZ IS SERVING

AS SOMETHING OF A MENTOR.

Oliva: BUT WE'RE ABOUT TO LEVEL OFF, RIGHT?

Sanchez: YES.

Narrator: HE'S MORE EXPERIENCED IN THE LEARJET

THAN CAPTAIN OLIVA.

Oliva: THERE. SPEED STABILIZED.

Sanchez: OKAY.

Narrator: THIS IS ONE OF THE BUSIEST AND MOST CRITICAL STAGES

OF ANY FLIGHT.

Sanchez: FLAPS DOWN.

Narrator: SANCHEZ EXTENDS THE FLAPS

SO HE CAN FURTHER REDUCE THEIR SPEED.

Pru: HERE ATC IS SEQUENCING YOU,

AND THEY'RE BASICALLY TELLING YOU WHERE TO GO,

HOW FAST TO GO, HOW HIGH TO GO, HOW LOW TO GO

IN ORDER TO SEQUENCE THE TRAFFIC INTO THE AIRPORT.

Oliva: GIVE ME 8-800, PLEASE.

Sanchez: 8-800.

Wise: THEY'RE ABOUT 5 1/2 MILES AWAY

RIGHT OVER THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN MEXICO CITY.

Narrator: BELOW THEM, MEXICO CITY IS A SPRAWLING METROPOLIS

OF 20 MILLION PEOPLE,

WITH SOME OF THE WORST TRAFFIC IN THE WORLD.

A SEA OF CARS FILLS THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT.

Mouriño: OH, MY GOD!

Wise: ALL OF A SUDDEN, CHAOS.

THEY'RE FLOWN UPSIDE DOWN

AND THEY'RE HURTLING TOWARDS THE GROUND.

SCREAMS, PANDEMONIUM, SHEER TERROR.

Narrator: WITHOUT WARNING, THE LEARJET

GOES INTO A STEEP DIVE AND PLUMMETS TOWARD THE GROUND.

Oliva: WHAT DO WE DO?

ALVARO!

Sanchez: GIVE IT TO ME. GIVE IT TO ME!

Narrator: THE FIRST OFFICER CALLS FOR CONTROL OF THE PLANE.

Oliva: IT'S YOURS, ALVARO.

Narrator: HE HAULS HIS CONTROL COLUMN BACK,

TRYING TO PULL THE PLANE OUT OF THE DIVE.

ULRIKA BJORKSTAM IS IN THE STREET BELOW,

WAITING FOR A CAB.

Ulrika Bjorkstam: ALL OF A SUDDEN I SAW THIS PLANE

FLYING LIKE REALLY LOW.

I HAD THE TIME TO TURN AROUND,

AND I STARTED RUNNING AWAY FROM IT,

BUT OF COURSE THE PLANE WAS A LITTLE BIT FASTER

THAN WHAT I WAS.

Wise: THEY AREN'T MUCH HIGHER

THAN THE SKYSCRAPERS IN DOWNTOWN.

THEY CAN READ THE SIGNS ON THE BUILDINGS.

THEY CAN SEE THE PEOPLE WALKING ON THE STREETS.

Bjorkstam: I REMEMBER THINKING THAT, WELL, THIS IS IT.

THIS IS IT FOR ME.

Oliva: NO, ALVARO!

ALVARO!

Narrator: LEARJET VICTOR MIKE CHARLIE

HAS DEVASTATED MEXICO CITY'S FINANCIAL DISTRICT.

Wise: IT WAS A DISASTER.

WITNESSES SAID THAT THE FLAMES

REACHED HIGHER THAN THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS.

Narrator: NONE OF THE NINE PEOPLE ON BOARD HAVE SURVIVED.

THE CRASH HAS ALSO KILLED SEVEN PEOPLE ON THE GROUND

AND INJURED DOZENS MORE.

ULRIKA BJORKSTAM HAS BEEN KNOCKED SENSELESS BY THE BLAST

AND SCORCHED BY THE FLAMES.

Bjorkstam: I WAS QUITE BADLY BURNED

AND, UH, IT WAS ALMOST AS IF I HEARD A VOICE IN MY HEAD.

IT WAS THIS ONE THOUGHT THAT I HAD THAT I,

I NEED TO GET UP NOW IF I'M EVER GONNA GET UP.

I JUST REMEMBER LIKE A LOT OF EXPLOSIONS, CARS EXPLODING,

AND THERE WAS THIS MAN RUNNING TOWARDS ME

AND ASKING ME, LIKE, WHAT WAS THAT?

WHAT HAPPENED? WAS IT A BOMB?

NO, IT WAS A PLANE.

Narrator: MEXICO CITY IS IN CHAOS

AS CREWS BATTLE TO CONTROL THE FIRE.

THE SUDDEN LOSS OF THE INTERIOR MINISTER

LEAVES THE COUNTRY IN SHOCK

AND THE GOVERNMENT FACING A POTENTIAL CRISIS.

THERE'S IMMEDIATE SPECULATION

THAT THE CRASH IS RELATED TO MEXICO'S WAR ON DRUGS.

Grillo: THIS HAPPENED IN A YEAR

WHEN THERE'D BEEN INTENSE CONFRONTATIONS

BETWEEN DRUG CARTELS AND POLICE,

WHEN DRUG CARTEL ASSASSINS HAD BEEN MURDERING OFFICIALS

IN THEIR OWN HOMES.

Narrator: ADDING TO THE SPECULATION

IS THE FACT THAT MEXICO'S DRUG CZAR,

JOSE LUIS SANTIAGO VASCONCELOS, WAS ALSO ON BOARD.

Grillo: HE WAS ON THE FRONT LINE

OF THE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST DRUG CARTELS,

WHICH ARE VERY POWERFUL IN MEXICO,

SO A VERY IMPORTANT JOB, A VERY HIGH-PRESSURE JOB.

Wise: THIS CRASH HAD HUGE IMPLICATIONS

FOR MEXICAN POLITICS.

THERE WERE IMPORTANT PEOPLE ON THIS PLANE,

SO IT WAS A NATURAL QUESTION-- WAS THIS AN ASSASSINATION?

Narrator: THE MORNING AFTER THE LEARJET

SLAMS INTO THE HEART OF MEXICO CITY,

INVESTIGATORS BEGIN THEIR WORK

AT WHAT MAY WELL BE A CRIME SCENE.

ONE OF THE HIGH-RANKING POLITICIANS ON BOARD,

JOSE LUIS SANTIAGO VASCONCELOS, HAS BEEN A TARGET IN THE PAST.

Grillo: HE HAD SAID THERE'D BEEN THREATS AGAINST HIM,

AND THEY DISCOVERED A PLOT TO TRY AND KILL HIM.

Narrator: HAVE THE CARTELS FINALLY SUCCEEDED?

IF SO, IT WOULD MARK A DANGEROUS ESCALATION

IN THEIR WAR AGAINST THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT.

Grillo: THIS IS REALLY CONCERNING.

THIS IS NO LONGER SIMPLY A CRIMINAL PROBLEM.

IT'S STARTING TO BECOME A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE,

AND THERE WAS MUCH FEAR ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

Narrator: DESPERATE TO QUELL PUBLIC ANXIETY,

MEXICO ASKS FOR HELP FROM THE UNITED STATES.

THEY CALL IN THE FBI

AND THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD.

THE NTSB'S JOE SEDOR KNOWS THIS IS AN ASSIGNMENT LIKE NO OTHER.

Joe Sedor: AS SOON AS WE HEARD THAT THERE WAS

WHAT WE WOULD SAY THE EQUIVALENT

OF THE MEXICAN VICE PRESIDENT ON BOARD,

I KNEW THAT IT WAS GONNA BE A VERY POLITICAL INVESTIGATION

AND WOULD REQUIRE A LOT OF POLITICS,

A LOT OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS,

MORE THAN EVEN JUST THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF THINGS.

JOE SEDOR, NTSB.

Narrator: AMID THE CHAOS OF THE CRASH SITE,

SEDOR'S FIRST JOB IS TO TRY TO IDENTIFY

ALL THE AIRCRAFT DEBRIS.

Sedor: ALL RIGHT, IF YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY SURE

IT'S FROM THE PLANE, IT GOES OVER THERE, OKAY?

EVERYTHING ELSE I WANT HERE.

Narrator: IT'S A MONUMENTAL TASK.

WITH SO MUCH DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS, CARS

AND THE CITY ITSELF,

ISOLATING WRECKAGE FROM THE LEARJET

IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE.

Wise: THIS PLANE CRASHED INTO RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC

IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S

BIGGEST, BUSIEST CITIES.

THERE'S WRECKAGE EVERYWHERE. THERE'S DEBRIS.

IS IT A CAR? IS IT A PLANE?

WHO KNOWS? I MEAN, IT'S JUST A MESS.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS MAKE AN EARLY BREAKTHROUGH.

THEY RECOVER THE PLANE'S FLIGHT DATA RECORDER.

IF IT SURVIVED THE FIRE,

IT COULD HOLD CRUCIAL CLUES ABOUT WHAT WENT WRONG.

Sedor: WE CAN GLEAN OUT A LOT OF INFORMATION

FROM THE RECORDINGS FROM AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL,

FROM THE IMPACT, FROM RADAR,

BUT TO GET SOME VERY SPECIFIC INFORMATION

WE WOULD REALLY WANT THAT FLIGHT DATA RECORDER

TO TELL US WHAT THE FLIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS.

THAT'S GREAT.

ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO, ALL RIGHT?

IT'S GOTTA BE NEARBY. LET'S KEEP LOOKING.

Narrator: BUT THE SECOND BLACK BOX,

THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER, IS STILL MISSING.

INVESTIGATORS NEED TO FIND IT, AND FAST.

FACED WITH THE SUSPICIOUS DEATHS

OF TWO KEY MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT,

PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON HIMSELF

IS WATCHING THEIR EVERY MOVE.

Sedor: IN FACT, I BRIEFED THE PRESIDENT OF MEXICO,

PRESIDENT CALDERON, AT LEAST THREE OR FOUR TIMES.

I WAS DEALING WITH HIS AIDE, HIS PERSONAL AIDE,

ON A DAILY BASIS, IF NOT HOURLY BASIS.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE WANTED TO PROVE

WAS THAT THIS WAS NOT A,

EITHER A DRUG HIT OR A POLITICAL ASSASSINATION.

Grillo: PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON WAS VERY VESTED IN THIS CASE.

SO THE PRESSURE ON THE INVESTIGATORS DOING THIS

WAS ABSOLUTELY IMMENSE.

THEY HAD TO GET ANSWERS.

THEY HAD TO GET THEM SOON.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS INTENSIFY THEIR SEARCH

FOR THE MISSING VOICE RECORDER.

Sedor: ALL RIGHT, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR,

BUT BEAR IN MIND IT MIGHT NOT BE ORANGE ANYMORE.

WITH A FIRE LIKE THAT, THIS THING COULD BE BURNT BLACK.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO. SPREAD OUT.

WE GOT PHOTOS DOWN

SO THAT EVERYBODY WOULD KNOW WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE,

AND WE HAD TO TELL THEM, NOW, THESE ARE ORANGE PHOTOS,

BUT THEY COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM BROWN TO BLACK

TO BEING CRUMPLED UP.

Narrator: WHILE AIRCRAFT INVESTIGATORS COMB THROUGH THE WRECKAGE,

THE FBI BEGINS TESTING FOR EXPLOSIVE RESIDUE,

EVIDENCE THAT A BOMB DOWNED THE PLANE.

BUT WITH SO MUCH DEBRIS TO TEST,

GETTING A DEFINITIVE ANSWER WON'T BE EASY.

AN INTENSIVE SEARCH FOR THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER

TURNS UP NOTHING...

UNTIL AN OVERLOOKED PIECE OF BLACKENED DEBRIS

SUDDENLY CATCHES AN INVESTIGATOR'S EYE.

Sedor: IT WAS INTERESTING 'CAUSE WE HAD BEEN WALKING OVER THE CVR

THE ENTIRE TIME WE WERE ON SCENE,

BUT BECAUSE IT WAS A BROWNISH BLACK

AND IT WAS ON ITS SIDE, I BELIEVE,

THAT WE JUST DIDN'T IDENTIFY IT INITIALLY.

LET'S SEE WHAT WE GOT HERE.

UH!

I MUST HAVE WALKED OVER THIS TEN TIMES.

Narrator: MEXICAN INVESTIGATORS WILL ACCOMPANY THE BOXES

TO WASHINGTON, D.C.,

WHERE EXPERTS AT THE NTSB WILL DO THEIR BEST

TO RECOVER THE CRUCIAL DATA.

Sedor: THEY DO NOT HAVE THE RECORDER LABS AVAILABLE

LIKE WE HAVE HERE IN THE NTSB,

AND SO THEY WERE VERY OPEN TO THE FACT

THAT AS SOON AS THEY FOUND IT IT WAS A GIVEN

THAT THEY WERE GONNA BE COMING TO WASHINGTON, D.C.

WHOA. WHAT HAVE WE GOT HERE?

Narrator: BACK AT THE CRASH SITE,

A WING EMBEDDED IN THE ROOF OF A CAR

IS ONE OF DOZENS OF PIECES OF WRECKAGE SEDOR NEEDS TO CHART.

Sedor: IT'S THE RIGHT SIDE.

IT'S THE RIGHT WINGTIP.

Narrator: HE WANTS TO KNOW IF THE PLANE CAME DOWN IN ONE PIECE

OR IF IT BROKE APART IN MID FLIGHT,

SOMETHING THAT WOULD POINT STRONGLY TO A BOMB.

Sedor: WELL, THIS IS THE NOSE.

YEAH, THE WHOLE PLANE'S HERE.

THERE'S NO WAY IT BLEW APART IN THE AIR.

SO WE HAD THE LEFT WINGTIP,

BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER

AND THE VERTICAL STABILIZER.

THIS TOLD US THAT THE WHOLE AIRCRAFT

HAD MADE IT TO THE ACCIDENT SITE, AS WE SAY.

Wise: THE FACT THAT THE DEBRIS

WAS SO TIGHTLY CLUSTERED TOGETHER ON THE GROUND

REALLY WAS STRONG EVIDENCE

AGAINST THE NOTION OF AN INFLIGHT EXPLOSION.

Narrator: MEXICAN AND U.S. INVESTIGATORS

BREATHE A COLLECTIVE SIGH OF RELIEF.

FBI TEST RESULTS CONFIRM THE FINDING.

Sedor: YEAH, I GOTTA GO. ALL RIGHT, BYE.

Narrator: THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF A BOMB.

Sedor: WHEN THE FBI TOOK SAMPLES

AROUND VARIOUS PARTS OF THE AIRCRAFT,

AND EVEN, I BELIEVE, EVEN ON PARKED CARS AND IN THE BUILDING,

THEY FOUND NO TRACE OF ANY EXPLOSIVE DEVICE.

Narrator: BUT THE WAY THE WRECKAGE HAS FALLEN

DOES PROVIDE A PUZZLING DETAIL ABOUT HOW THE PLANE CAME DOWN.

Sedor: IT LOOKS LIKE THE PLANE WAS HEADING WEST

WHEN THEY HIT THE GROUND,

FLYING AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT THAT WAY.

SO WHY ARE THEY FLYING THE WRONG WAY?

WE KNEW THAT HE WAS COMING INTO MEXICO CITY,

AND THE FIRST THING THAT WE NOTICED

WAS THAT THE AIRCRAFT WHEN IT STRUCK THE GROUND

WAS ACTUALLY MOVING AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT.

Narrator: THE LEARJET CRASHED INTO THE HEART OF MEXICO CITY

AT THE HEIGHT OF RUSH HOUR.

INVESTIGATORS HOPE TO FIND SOMEBODY WHO SAW SOMETHING

THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN THE ODD FLIGHT PATH.

Man: SO YOU DIDN'T SEE IT IN THE AIR AT ALL?

Narrator: BUT THEY'RE OUT OF LUCK.

WITNESSES CAN ONLY DESCRIBE THE MOMENT OF IMPACT

AND THE TERRIFYING AFTERMATH.

Bjorkstam: NOBODY KNEW WHAT HAD HAPPENED

AND WHAT, WHAT IT WAS THAT EXPLODED 'CAUSE IT WAS...

THERE WERE SEVERAL EXPLOSIONS, I THINK,

MAYBE TWO FROM THE PLANE AND THEN OF COURSE ALL THE CARS.

IT WAS A VERY CHAOTIC SITUATION,

A LOT OF PANIC IN PEOPLE'S MINDS,

LIKE WHAT'S GOING ON?

Narrator: NO ONE CAN TELL INVESTIGATORS ANYTHING

ABOUT HOW THE PLANE WAS FLYING

BEFORE IT SUDDENLY CHANGED DIRECTION AND CRASHED.

Sedor: HOW WE SAY IT WITH INVESTIGATORS

IS THE ACCIDENT DIDN'T HAPPEN HERE.

THIS WAS THE RESULT.

THE IMPACT WITH THE GROUND WAS THE RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT,

WHICH OCCURRED AT ALTITUDE, AND BECAUSE OF THAT

WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE ANY WITNESSES

TO THAT PART OF THE FLIGHT.

Narrator: IT'S A DISAPPOINTING SETBACK FOR INVESTIGATORS,

ONE THAT ONLY INCREASES THE PRESSURE

TO EXPLAIN THE MYSTERIOUS CRASH IN THE MEXICAN CAPITAL.

AT A STATE FUNERAL, THE MEXICAN PRESIDENT

HONORS THE VICTIMS OF AN AIR DISASTER

THAT SET MEXICO CITY ABLAZE AND SHOOK THE NATION TO ITS CORE.

Grillo: PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON

LOST A GOOD FRIEND AND A PROTEGE

AS WELL AS HIS NUMBER TWO IN THE GOVERNMENT.

Narrator: THE SOMBER MOMENT IS A REMINDER

THAT THERE IS STILL NO EXPLANATION

FOR THE CRASH THAT KILLED 16 PEOPLE.

FOR THOSE WHO SURVIVED,

IT'S A REMINDER OF HOW LUCKY THEY ARE.

Bjorkstam: I FELT GUILTY OF BEING ALIVE

BECAUSE SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE GOT KILLED,

AND IT COULD HAVE BEEN ME,

SO WHY DID I SURVIVE AND NOT THE REST OF THE PEOPLE

WHO WERE NEXT TO ME ON THE STREET?

Narrator: AT THE NTSB LAB IN WASHINGTON, D.C.,

ALL EYES ARE ON THE PLANE'S FLIGHT DATA RECORDER, OR FDR.

IT COULD HOLD VITAL CLUES, DATA THAT WILL EXPLAIN

EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST MOMENTS OF THE FLIGHT.

Wise: FLIGHT DATA RECORDERS CAN HOLD

UP TO SEVERAL THOUSAND STREAMS OF DATA AT ANY TIME.

THIS INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM CONTROL INPUTS,

CONTROL SURFACES, SPEED, TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE,

PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING

AN INVESTIGATOR WOULD WANT TO LOOK AT.

Narrator: TECHNICIANS MANAGE TO DOWNLOAD ALL THE DATA.

BUT INVESTIGATORS QUICKLY REALIZE

IT WON'T BE ANY HELP IN SOLVING THE CRASH.

THE INFORMATION IS MORE THAN TWO YEARS OLD.

THE RECORDER STOPPED WORKING

LONG BEFORE THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT.

Sedor: IT WAS VERY DISAPPOINTING NEWS TO HEAR

THAT WE DID NOT HAVE ANY OF THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT RECORDED.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS NEED A NEW STRATEGY

IF THEY HOPE EVER TO UNDERSTAND

WHY THE LEARJET ENDED UP FLYING THE WRONG WAY.

THEY TURN TO SECURITY CAMERAS MOUNTED

IN AND AROUND MEXICO CITY'S FINANCIAL DISTRICT.

Wise: ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES

OF AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT FOR INVESTIGATORS

IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CAMERAS AROUND.

Sedor: YEAH, ONE OF THESE CAMERAS MUST HAVE BEEN LOOKING

IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

WE JUST BASICALLY SAID FIND EVERY AND ALL VIDEO

THAT, THAT IS AVAILABLE FROM EVERY BUILDING AROUND.

Narrator: IT'S A LONG SHOT, BUT THERE'S A CHANCE A CAMERA

MAY HAVE CAPTURED IMAGES OF THE LEARJET IN FLIGHT.

Sedor: WITNESSES AND THEIR MEMORY ARE GOOD, BUT THEY'RE NOT EXACT.

VIDEO, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US,

ESPECIALLY IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY FDR DATA.

NEXT.

Narrator: SEDOR HOPES THE GAMBLE WILL PAY OFF.

HE SCANS THROUGH THE VIDEO FRAME BY FRAME,

FOCUSING ON THE CRITICAL SECONDS JUST BEFORE THE CRASH.

Sedor: NEXT.

Narrator: MOST OF THE CAMERAS ARE AIMED AT THE GROUND.

Sedor: NEXT.

Narrator: TOO LOW TO SHOW THE PLANE.

Sedor: AND IT WOULD BE, YEP, OKAY, THERE'S THE FLASH.

THERE'S THE AIRCRAFT HITTING, AND IT WAS, AGAIN,

WE WERE SAYING THAT'S NOT THE ACCIDENT.

WE NEED TO KEEP LOOKING.

Narrator: FINALLY, A LUCKY BREAK.

Sedor: OH, HELLO THERE.

Narrator: A CAMERA FROM A ROOFTOP HELICOPTER PAD

HAS CAPTURED A SHORT GLIMPSE OF THE FLIGHT JUST BEFORE IMPACT.

Sedor: CAN WE ENHANCE THIS ONE?

YOU SEE THE STREAK OF THE AIRCRAFT GOING DOWN,

AND WE'RE LIKE, HEY, WE GOT SOMETHING HERE.

Narrator: THE VIDEO REVEALS THAT THE PLANE WENT

INTO AN EXTREMELY STEEP DIVE AND REVERSED COURSE IN MIDAIR...

BUT IT DOESN'T REVEAL WHAT CAUSED THE PLANE

TO SUDDENLY CHANGE DIRECTION.

Sedor: SO ONE MINUTE THEY'RE UNDER CONTROL

HEADING TOWARDS THE AIRPORT,

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY'RE IN A DIVE

HEADING AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW YOU TURN AROUND THAT FAST.

WE KNEW IT WAS COMING IN IN THIS DIRECTION,

AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THEN THE NEXT THING WE KNOW

IT'S GOING IN THIS DIRECTION.

HOW DOES IT GET THERE?

AN AIRPLANE CAN'T JUST AUTOMATICALLY TURN IN FLIGHT

AND GO DOWN,

SO WE HAD TO DETERMINE WHAT WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE TO HAPPEN

IN ORDER TO GET THAT AIRPLANE IN THAT, IN THAT POSITION.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS WONDER IF THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG

WITH THE PLANE'S CONTROL SURFACES.

Man: I GUESS IF THE SPOILERS WERE TO FAIL

JUST ON ONE SIDE, THAT COULD FLIP IT.

Narrator: THE RUDDER, AILERONS AND SPOILERS

CONTROL THE AIRCRAFT'S MOVEMENT THROUGH THE AIR.

A MALFUNCTION IN ONE OF THEM

MIGHT HAVE THROWN THE LEARJET OUT OF CONTROL.

Sedor: IF YOU HAVE A SPOILER

THAT COMES UP ON ONE WING AND NOT THE OTHER,

IT CAN CREATE A ROLLING MOMENT THAT WOULD CAUSE AN UPSET.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CHECK THE MECHANISM

THAT MOVES THE SPOILERS.

Sedor: THEY ARE HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED,

SO WAS THERE HYDRAULIC PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRCRAFT?

Man: THE SPOILERS WERE RETRACTED.

SO THAT'S NOT IT.

Narrator: THERE'S NO SIGN OF ANY MALFUNCTION,

AND NONE OF THE PLANE'S SPOILERS WERE DEPLOYED AT IMPACT.

THEY COULDN'T HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM.

ONE BY ONE, INVESTIGATORS CAREFULLY EXAMINE

EVERY CONTROL SURFACE ON THE PLANE.

THEY ALL CHECK OUT.

Sedor: WE HAD NO EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST

THAT THIS WAS A MECHANICAL FAILURE IN THE AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: IT'S ANOTHER DEAD END.

INVESTIGATORS ARE NO CLOSER TO UNDERSTANDING

WHY A GOVERNMENT-CHARTERED LEARJET

SUDDENLY VEERED OFF COURSE AND SLAMMED INTO MEXICO CITY.

Mouriño: OH, MY GOD!

Oliva: ALVARO, WHAT DO WE DO? ALVARO!

Narrator: FACING CONSTANT PRESSURE

FROM THE HIGHEST LEVELS IN THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT,

INVESTIGATORS ARE RUNNING OUT OF LEADS.

THEY TURN TO WHAT MAY BE THEIR LAST HOPE

OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT BROUGHT DOWN THE LEARJET--

THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER.

Wise: THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER DOESN'T JUST GIVE YOU VOICES,

IT GIVES YOU ALARMS, IT GIVES YOU WIND SOUND,

ANY OTHER RELEVANT AUDIO CUE THAT CAN HELP YOU FIGURE OUT

WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT CRUCIAL MOMENT OF THE FLIGHT.

Mouriño: WE HAVE A FEW MINUTES. SHOW ME THAT REPORT.

Narrator: DESPITE SOME DAMAGE FROM FIRE AND IMPACT FORCES,

TECHNICIANS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RECOVER THE RECORDED DATA.

Sedor: WE KNEW WE DIDN'T HAVE FDR.

WE WERE GLAD TO HEAR, THOUGH, THAT THE CVR, UH, DID WORK

AND THAT THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT HAD BEEN CAPTURED.

ALL RIGHT, I THINK WE'VE WAITED LONG ENOUGH.

LET'S HEAR IT.

Controller: VICTOR MIKE CHARLIE, REDUCE YOUR SPEED TO 180 KNOTS.

Sanchez: REDUCING SPEED TO 180, MIKE CHARLIE.

Sedor: BECAUSE IT'S A SMALL AIRCRAFT,

WE COULD HEAR NOT JUST ALL THE SOUNDS THAT WERE IN THE COCKPIT,

BUT WE COULD ALSO HEAR THE, THE SOUNDS IN THE CABIN.

Mouriño: WE MUST BE GETTING CLOSE.

Narrator: AS THEY LISTEN TO THE MOMENTS JUST BEFORE THE CRASH,

THEY HEAR NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

Oliva: SHOULD I PULL THE NOSE UP?

Sanchez: NO, LEAVE IT. LEAVE IT FOR NOW.

Sedor: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IT DID REASSURE US

IS THAT THERE WAS NOT AN INTENTIONAL ACT

THAT BROUGHT DOWN THE AIRCRAFT.

THERE WAS NO SOUNDS SIMILAR TO A STRUGGLE.

THERE WAS NO SOUNDS OF AN EXPLOSIVE DEVICE,

AND SO THAT HELPED CLOSE THE BOOK

ON THAT ASPECT OF THE INVESTIGATION.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY OF WHAT DID CAUSE THE CRASH PERSISTS.

Sanchez: FLAPS DOWN.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS LISTEN

AS THE PILOTS DESCEND TOWARD THE RUNWAY.

Sanchez: LOOK.

Oliva: YEAH.

THEY'RE ALL LINED UP IN FRONT OF US.

Narrator: ALL SEEMS WELL UNTIL...

Oliva: TURBULENCE FROM THAT THING.

Sanchez: OH, MAN.

Sedor: ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS THAT WE DID HEAR

WAS THAT THE FLIGHT CREW DID MENTION, UH, TURBULENCE.

Oliva: WHAT THE HELL? ALVARO!

Sedor: ALL RIGHT, IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S WHERE THE TROUBLE STARTS.

WHERE ARE WE AT?

14 SECONDS BEFORE HITTING THE GROUND.

Narrator: IT SEEMS THE LEARJET HIT A PATCH

OF VIOLENTLY UNSTABLE AIR.

Mouriño: OH, MY GOD!

Wise: ALL OF A SUDDEN, BOOM.

THEY'RE UPSIDE DOWN PLUMMETING TOWARDS THE GROUND.

Oliva: ALVARO!

WHAT DO WE DO?

ALVARO!

Narrator: WITHOUT THE FLIGHT DATA,

THE VOICE RECORDING LEAVES INVESTIGATORS

WITH ONLY A PARTIAL PICTURE.

Sedor: WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT EACH OF THESE PILOTS

WAS THINKING AT THE TIME.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT CONTROL INPUTS WERE BEING MADE,

BUT IT SHOWS THAT THERE WAS THAT CONFUSION FACTOR IN THE COCKPIT

OF WHAT TO DO, HOW TO RECOVER THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE UPSET.

THEY DON'T SEEM TO KNOW WHAT HIT 'EM.

Oliva: ALVARO! WHAT DO WE DO? ALVARO!

Sanchez: GIVE IT TO ME! GIVE IT TO ME!

Pru: YOU KNOW, HEARING THAT SOUND AND, YOU KNOW,

PUTTING MYSELF IN THEIR PLACE

AND KNOWING WHAT THAT OUTCOME IS GONNA BE,

IT'S GOTTA BE HORRIBLE.

Oliva: IT'S YOURS, ALVARO.

Wise: THEY TRIED TO PULL OUT. IT WASN'T ENOUGH.

THEY HAD SO LITTLE TIME, THEY HAD SO LITTLE ALTITUDE.

Oliva: NO!

Sedor: WE HAD A NORMAL FLIGHT COMING IN,

AND THEN WE HAD A LOSS OF CONTROL RELATIVELY QUICK.

THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY MECHANICAL FAILURE.

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?

WAKE TURBULENCE?

SO WE HAD TO REALLY LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITY

OF A WAKE TURBULENCE EVENT.

Narrator: WAKE TURBULENCE FORMS

WHEN THE LOW PRESSURE AIR ABOVE THE WING

DRAWS HIGH PRESSURE AIR UPWARD,

CREATING A SWIRLING VORTEX

THAT TRAILS BEHIND THE AIRCRAFT AS IT FLIES.

Wise: AS A PLANE FLIES ALONG, EACH OF ITS WINGTIPS

IS GENERATING A TINY HORIZONTAL TORNADO CALLED A WINGTIP VORTEX.

Narrator: THE POWERFUL VORTICES CAN LINGER IN THE AIR

FOR MINUTES AT A TIME,

CREATING AN INVISIBLE HAZARD FOR OTHER AIRCRAFT.

Wise: WHEN A SMALLER PLANE FLIES

INTO THESE ROTATING COLUMNS OF AIR AT LOW ALTITUDE,

IT CAN SPIN OUT OF CONTROL

AND CRASH INTO THE GROUND WITHIN SECONDS.

Narrator: IT'S RECOMMENDED THAT AIRCRAFT FLYING ON THE SAME FLIGHT PATH

SHOULD STAY ABOUT FIVE MILES APART AT ALL TIMES.

IF THEY GET TOO CLOSE, IT CAN BE DEADLY.

PERHAPS WAKE TURBULENCE CAN EXPLAIN WHAT KNOCKED

THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT LEARJET OUT OF THE SKY.

INVESTIGATORS NEED TO KNOW MORE

ABOUT THE AIRCRAFT'S APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY.

THEY SPEAK TO THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER ON DUTY THAT NIGHT.

Wise: ONE OF AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER'S MOST CRUCIAL JOBS

IS TO SEPARATE THOSE INBOUND PLANES,

TO KEEP THEM A SAFE DISTANCE APART

SO THEY DON'T GET INTO EACH OTHER'S WAKE TURBULENCE.

Narrator: THE CONTROLLER TELLS THEM

HE WAS BUSY THAT EVENING HANDLING A LOT OF TRAFFIC.

Controller: VICTOR MIKE CHARLIE, REDUCE YOUR SPEED TO 180 KNOTS.

Wise: IMAGINE IT'S RUSH HOUR.

PLANES ARE STACKED UP COMING IN FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

THIS IS THE CRUNCH TIME.

THIS IS WHEN THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS

REALLY EARN THEIR PAY.

Controller: VICTOR MIKE CHARLIE,

PLEASE TURN RIGHT AND MAINTAIN 220 KNOTS.

Narrator: AROUND 6:30 PM,

THE CONTROLLER SLOTTED THE CHARTERED LEARJET

IN BEHIND A MUCH LARGER AIRCRAFT.

A BOEING 767 WAS FLYING ITS APPROACH

DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE LEAR 45.

Oliva: JUST IN TIME FOR RUSH HOUR.

Sanchez: UH-HUH.

Narrator: BUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM.

THE LEAR 45 WASN'T HITTING THE SPEEDS NEEDED

TO HOLD ITS POSITION IN THE LINEUP.

Sedor: WHAT A CONTROLLER DOES

IS TELL EACH AIRCRAFT HOW FAST THEY SHOULD BE GOING,

IF THEY SHOULD SPEED UP, IF THEY SHOULD SLOW DOWN,

AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR PILOTS

TO ACTUALLY COMPLY WITH EACH OF THOSE REQUESTS

IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THAT SEPARATION.

Controller: VICTOR MIKE CHARLIE, ARE YOU AT 220 KNOTS?

Narrator: THE CONTROLLER HAD TO REMIND THE CREW

TO SPEED UP TO 220 KNOTS

WHEN THEY JOINED THE LINE OF LANDING PLANES.

Oliva: INCREASING SPEED.

Sanchez: INCREASING SPEED RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: JUST A FEW MINUTES LATER,

THE LEARJET 45 WAS DESCENDING TOO QUICKLY.

Controller: FIRST THEY WERE GOING TOO SLOW.

THEN THEY WERE GOING TOO FAST.

Narrator: IT SEEMS THE CREW WASN'T PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION

TO THE CONTROLLER'S INSTRUCTIONS.

COULD THAT EXPLAIN THE CRASH?

DID CARELESSNESS ON THE PART OF THE PILOTS

LEAD TO A FATAL ERROR IN THE COCKPIT?

Oliva: WHAT THE HELL?

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS NEED TO KNOW

EXACTLY HOW CLOSE THE LEARJET CAME TO THE 767.

THEY ANALYZE DATA FROM THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL RADAR

IN THE FINAL MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT

AND MAKE A SURPRISING DISCOVERY.

Man: SEPARATION IS NOT IDEAL, BUT IT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM.

Narrator: IT SEEMS THE LEARJET NEVER GOT CLOSE ENOUGH

TO HIT THE 767'S WAKE.

Sedor: THEY GOT CLOSE TO THE PRECEDING 767,

BUT IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT WAS, OH, OKAY,

THEY GOT WITHIN A MILE.

THEY WERE STILL ABOUT FOUR MILES AWAY FROM THE 767.

IT WASN'T ANYTHING THAT WAS VERY APPARENT

THAT A WAKE TURBULENCE ENCOUNTER WOULD HAVE CAUSED THIS ACCIDENT.

SO WE HAD TO GO BACK AND DO A LOT MORE WORK

IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS PARTICULAR DAY

AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME

THAT 767 WAKE TURBULENCE AFFECTED THE LEAR 45.

Oliva: WHAT THE HELL?

TURBULENCE FROM THAT THING.

Sanchez: OH, MAN.

Oliva: ALVARO! WHAT DO WE DO?

Narrator: CONFLICTING EVIDENCE HAS BROUGHT THE LEAR 45 CRASH INVESTIGATION

TO A SURPRISING IMPASSE.

WHILE THE COCKPIT RECORDING

POINTS TO WAKE TURBULENCE AS THE CULPRIT,

RADAR DATA SUGGESTS THE GOVERNMENT JET

WAS NEVER CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE PLANE IN FRONT

FOR WAKE TURBULENCE TO BE ANY PROBLEM.

TO TRY TO RESOLVE THE CONFLICT,

INVESTIGATORS TAKE AN UNUSUAL STEP.

THEY DOWNLOAD THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER

FROM THE BOEING 767 THAT WAS FLYING AHEAD OF THE LEARJET.

IF SOMETHING WAS CAUSING THE 767

TO PRODUCE MORE WAKE TURBULENCE THAN USUAL,

THE PLANE'S FLIGHT DATA SHOULD TELL THEM.

Wise: THE DATA FROM THAT PRECEDING PLANE'S FLIGHT DATA RECORDER,

THE SPEED, THE FLAP SETTINGS, WOULD GIVE A GOOD CLUE

AS TO WHAT KIND OF WAKE TURBULENCE

THAT PLANE WOULD BE PUTTING OUT.

Narrator: BUT THE DATA REVEALS NOTHING UNEXPECTED.

IT SEEMS THE 767 WAS GENERATING

A NORMAL AMOUNT OF WAKE TURBULENCE.

INVESTIGATORS ARE MISSING A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE.

THEN, THEY FACTOR IN SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

ABOUT THE WEATHER THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Sedor: ONE ASPECT OF WAKE VORTICES

IS TO UNDERSTAND THE WEATHER,

THE CURRENT WEATHER THAT'S GOING ON.

Narrator: THEY LEARN THAT THE 767'S WAKE VORTICES

WOULD HAVE LINGERED FOR LONGER THAN USUAL,

PUTTING THE LEARJET IN LETHAL DANGER.

THE REASON?

EXTREMELY CALM WEATHER.

THE WIND WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO DISPERSE THEM.

Wise: NORMALLY YOU THINK OF CALM AIR, CLEAR SKIES,

NO WIND, GREAT CONDITIONS FOR FLYING.

ACTUALLY, CALM AIR IS WORSE FOR WINGTIP VORTICES.

BECAUSE THE WIND DOESN'T BREAK THEM UP

AND CHOP THEM UP INTO INNOCENT PIECES,

THEIR DANGER REMAINS POTENT.

Sedor: WE HAD A CALM ATMOSPHERE.

WE HAD A HEAVY AIRCRAFT IN FRONT,

WE HAD A LIGHT AIRCRAFT BEHIND.

ALL THE CIRCUMSTANCES CAME TOGETHER

TO HAVE THAT TRAILING LEAR 45 HAVE AN ENCOUNTER

WITH THE WAKE TURBULENCE OF THE 767.

Narrator: THE CREW COULD SEE THE 767 AHEAD OF THEM.

Sanchez: HE'S STARTING TO TURN.

Oliva: SO HE'S FIVE MILES FROM US.

Narrator: BUT THEY MISTAKENLY THOUGHT THEY WERE STILL A SAFE DISTANCE AWAY.

Wise: WHEN YOU LOOK OUT YOUR COCKPIT WINDOW,

YOU SEE THIS TINY DOT AHEAD OF YOU.

IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL JUST BY EYEBALLING IT

HOW CLOSE THAT PLANE IN FRONT OF YOU REALLY IS.

Narrator: LIKE A SLEDGEHAMMER FROM ABOVE, THE WAKE TURBULENCE

SLAMMED INTO THE SMALLER PLANE, FLIPPING IT OVER.

Wise: IT'S THIS POWERFUL FORCE,

BUT YOU DON'T KNOW THAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO HIT IT

UNTIL YOU'RE ALREADY IN IT.

Narrator: THIS EXPLAINS THE MID-AIR CHANGE OF DIRECTION.

Sedor: THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED AROUND INTO SORT OF A BARREL ROLL,

AND THEN AS IT WAS COMING AROUND THEY WERE PULLING OUT,

AND IF THEY WOULD HAVE HAD

ANOTHER MAYBE A THOUSAND FEET OR A COUPLE THOUSAND FEET,

THEY COULD HAVE ACTUALLY RECOVERED THE AIRCRAFT.

Oliva: NO, ALVARO!

Pru: YOU KNOW, AT THAT POINT

THEY'RE ALONG FOR THE RIDE, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TIME.

YOU DON'T HAVE TIME.

YOU BARELY HAVE TIME TO REALIZE THAT YOU'RE GONNA DIE.

Narrator: SEVERE WAKE TURBULENCE ON A CALM DAY

NOW APPEARS TO BE THE LIKELY CAUSE OF THE CRASH.

BUT SOMETHING DOESN'T SIT RIGHT WITH INVESTIGATORS.

THEY WONDER WHY A CREW

ENTRUSTED WITH FLYING TOP GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

DIDN'T USE MORE CAUTION,

ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE CALM WINDS THAT EVENING.

Wise: ONCE THE INVESTIGATORS REALIZED

THAT IT MOSTLY LIKELY WAS A CASE OF WAKE TURBULENCE,

THE BIG QUESTION WAS

HOW DID IT CREEP UP ON THE PLANE IN FRONT OF IT

CLOSE ENOUGH THAT IT HIT THAT WAKE TURBULENCE?

Narrator: THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL DESCENT

IS REDUCING THE PLANE'S SPEED AND ALTITUDE

IN A CONTROLLED WAY.

Wise: WHEN YOU'RE COMING INTO A BUSY AIRPORT

AT PEAK RUSH HOUR TIME,

YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF ROOM FOR ERROR.

YOU CAN'T SCREW UP.

YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

Man: THE 767 IS COMING DOWN NICE AND STEADY.

NOW LOOK AT THE LEAR.

Narrator: THE COMPARISON OF THE 767'S FINAL DESCENT

WITH THAT OF THE LEAR 45

REVEALS TWO DIFFERENT PILOTING TECHNIQUES.

Oliva: SHOULD I PULL THE NOSE UP?

Sanchez: NO, LEAVE IT. LEAVE IT FOR NOW.

Man: THEY ARE USING A STEPPED APPROACH.

Narrator: THE LEARJET DESCENDS UNEVENLY IN A SERIES OF STEPS,

SPEEDING DOWNWARD TO LOSE ALTITUDE,

THEN LEVELING OFF TO SLOW DOWN.

THE 767 AHEAD OF THEM IS DESCENDING

ON A STEADY SLOPE TOWARDS THE RUNWAY.

Wise: IF A PILOT'S REALLY IN CONTROL OF HIS AIRPLANE,

HE CAN LOSE ALTITUDE AND LOSE SPEED AT THE SAME TIME.

IF HE'S NOT REALLY IN CONTROL, HE'LL FOCUS ON ONE OR THE OTHER.

Narrator: THE LEARJET PILOTS DIDN'T SUCCESSFULLY CONTROL

EITHER THEIR SPEED OR THEIR ALTITUDE.

Oliva: THERE. SPEED'S STABILIZED.

Sanchez: OKAY.

Narrator: THEY FLEW TOO FAST TOWARD THE PLANE AHEAD

AND DROPPED DOWN TOO FAR.

Sanchez: FLAPS DOWN.

Narrator: RIGHT INTO THE DEADLY VORTEX.

Sedor: IF THEY HAD STEPPED DOWN AND MAINTAINED THE AIRSPEEDS

THAT WERE REQUESTED OF THEM BY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL,

THEN THIS APPROACH WOULD HAVE GONE WITHOUT A HITCH.

Mouriño: OH, MY GOD!

Wise: IF YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL,

IF YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR SPEED,

THINGS CAN GET BEYOND YOUR CONTROL VERY QUICKLY.

Oliva: WHAT DO WE DO, ALVARO?

Man: LET'S HEAR IT AGAIN, PLEASE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS NEED TO KNOW

HOW COULD THE CREW COULD HAVE MADE

SUCH A CRITICAL PILOTING ERROR.

THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER POINTS THEM TO THE ANSWER.

Oliva: NOW WE'RE GOING TO PUT IN THE VERTICAL NAV ALL THE WAY?

Sanchez: UH-HUH.

Oliva: ENTER 1-2 THOUSAND.

Narrator: THEY HEAR SOMETHING UNSETTLING

FROM EARLY IN THE FLIGHT.

Sanchez: 1-2 THOUSAND.

IT WON'T LET ME.

IT DOESN'T INDICATE IT, EITHER.

IT HAS TO BE.

Narrator: THE PILOTS DON'T SEEM TO KNOW HOW TO OPERATE

THE LEARJET'S FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.

Sanchez: THAT'S WEIRD.

Narrator: IT'S THE SYSTEM THAT CONTROLS

MOST OF THE AIRCRAFT'S CRITICAL FUNCTIONS.

Wise: IT'S REALLY STRIKING HOW THEY SEEM CONFUSED

BY THE CONTROLS OF THEIR AIRPLANE.

THESE GUYS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT KNOB DOES WHAT,

WHAT DIAL MEANS WHAT.

IT'S LIKE GUYS WHO ARE JUST UNBOXING A VCR

AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PROGRAM IT.

Man: OKAY. I'VE HEARD ENOUGH.

Narrator: FOR INVESTIGATORS,

THE DISCOVERY RAISES A TROUBLING NEW ISSUE.

Man: WHAT KIND OF PILOTS DON'T KNOW HOW TO PROGRAM THEIR PLANE?

Sedor: ALL RIGHT, LET'S SEE WHAT WE HAVE ON THESE TWO.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS DIG INTO THE WORK RECORDS

OF THE TWO LEARJET PILOTS.

THEY'RE LOOKING FOR ANYTHING THAT COULD ACCOUNT

FOR THE PILOTS' LACK OF PROFICIENCY IN THE COCKPIT.

Sedor: WHAT THE HELL?

Narrator: THEY COME ACROSS DISCREPANCIES

IN THE PILOTS' CERTIFICATION FOR THE AIRCRAFT.

Sedor: MISSING SIGNATURES.

Wise: WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PAPERWORK

FOR THE TYPE CERTIFICATION FOR THE LEARJET 45

FOR BOTH THE PILOT AND THE CO-PILOT,

THERE WERE SIGNATURES MISSING, THERE WERE FORMS MISSING.

IT SEEMED THAT SOMETHING WAS VERY FISHY

ABOUT HOW THESE GUYS GOT THEIR TYPE CERTIFICATION.

Narrator: WHEN THEY TRY TO TRACK DOWN

CAPTAIN OLIVA'S FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR...

Sedor: LET ME GUESS.

NO SIGN OF THE INSTRUCTOR.

Narrator: THEY FIND NO PROOF THAT ANY TRAINING TOOK PLACE.

Sedor: WE WERE VERY SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING

AT SUCH A HIGH LEVEL IN THE GOVERNMENT

WHERE IT'S NOT THE PRESIDENT

BUT IT'S THE EQUIVALENT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

THAT'S FLYING AROUND WITH PILOTS

THAT HAVE VERY QUESTIONABLE TRAINING AND BACKGROUNDS.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS DIG FOR FURTHER IRREGULARITIES.

THEY STUDY CAPTAIN OLIVA'S LOGBOOK

WHERE HE KEPT A RECORD OF ALL HIS FLIGHTS.

Sedor: CAN YOU CALL THE FLIGHT SCHOOL?

Narrator: THEY CONTACT THE FLIGHT SCHOOL WHERE CAPTAIN OLIVA TRAINED.

THEY LEARN THAT MANY OF THE TRAINING FLIGHTS

HE CLAIMED TO HAVE MADE NEVER TOOK PLACE.

Sedor: THE FLIGHT SCHOOL THAT PROVIDED THAT INFORMATION

DEFINITELY FOUND THAT THERE WERE SOME ISSUES

WITH HIS COMMAND OF THE AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS REACH A SHOCKING CONCLUSION.

THE PILOT IN COMMAND OF A MEXICAN GOVERNMENT LEARJET

WAS A FRAUD.

Wise: IT'S PRETTY MIND-BOGGLING

THAT A PILOT WOULD FAKE HIS OWN CREDENTIALS.

THIS IS A PLANE THAT YOU'RE FLYING.

YOU'RE IN IT. YOUR LIFE IS AT STAKE, TOO.

YOU'D THINK YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE THE PROPER CREDENTIALS

TO FLY AN AIRPLANE.

Sedor: THESE GUYS WERE TOTALLY FAKING IT.

Narrator: THE TRUTH ABOUT ALVARO SANCHEZ AND HIS QUALIFICATIONS

IS EQUALLY SHOCKING.

HIS CLAIMS TO BE A MEMBER OF A LEARJET 45 TRAINING TEAM

AND AN INSTRUCTOR ARE ALSO PROVED FALSE.

Wise: THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO CLEARLY WERE ENAMORED

OF THE CONVENIENCE OF CUTTING CORNERS,

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SOME CORRUPTION SOMEHOW

TO FLY A PLANE THAT THEY HAD NO BUSINESS BEING IN,

LET ALONE FLYING.

Mouriño: WE MUST BE GETTING CLOSE.

Narrator: IT WAS THEIR OWN FRAUD AND DECEPTION

THAT ULTIMATELY LED THE PILOTS

INTO A SITUATION THEY SIMPLY COULDN'T HANDLE.

Oliva: SHOULD I PULL THE NOSE UP?

Sanchez: NO, LEAVE IT. LEAVE IT FOR NOW.

Narrator: THEY FOUND THEMSELVES PILOTING A POWERFUL JET

THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO CONTROL

DURING A DEMANDING DESCENT IN HIGH-RISK CONDITIONS.

IT ALL ADDED UP TO A FATAL OUTCOME.

Pru: IT'S HIGHLY IRRESPONSIBLE.

IT'S IRRESPONSIBLE BECAUSE AT THAT POINT

YOU'RE PUTTING YOURSELF IN DANGER,

YOU'RE PUTTING THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE FLYING,

YOU'RE PUTTING THEM IN DANGER.

YOU'RE VIOLATING THEIR TRUST.

Narrator: IN THE AFTERMATH,

MEXICAN AUTHORITIES SUSPEND THE LICENSES

OF THE TWO FLIGHT SCHOOLS

SUSPECTED OF ISSUING FALSE TRAINING DOCUMENTS

TO THE LEARJET PILOTS.

Sedor: SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS ACCIDENT

WAS TO HAVE MORE OVERSIGHT AUTHORITY

FOR THESE TYPE OF FLIGHTS

BECAUSE THERE IS A NEED

FOR THESE IMPORTANT POLITICAL PERSONS

TO HAVE THE BEST POSSIBLE FLIGHT CREWS,

THE BEST POSSIBLE AIRCRAFT,

THE BEST POSSIBLE OPERATION THERE IS

IN ORDER TO HAVE SAFE FLIGHTS.

Wise: THIS JOB MIGHT HAVE SEEMED LIKE A REALLY APPEALING ONE,

TO FLY AROUND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY.

THAT MIGHT HAVE MADE THEM FEEL LIKE IT WAS WORTH IT

TO CUT CORNERS ON THEIR TRAINING AND THEIR CREDENTIALS,

BUT IT WAS A HEAVY PRICE TO PAY.