Original subtitles

Folks, this is your captain speaking.

We'll soon be landing in Durango.

NARRATOR: A commuter flight over the Rocky Mountains

speeds towards disaster.

Somewhere out there in the black of night

was an aircraft down in our county.

NARRATOR: A desperate search uncovers twisted wreckage

five miles from the runway.

Half the people were killed.

What are we missing here?

We're having a hard time understanding

how the true impact is so far short of the airport.

NARRATOR: An unexpected tip-off points

to a shocking possibility.

What exactly did she say?

NARRATOR: One that will rock the entire airline industry.

The best way I could describe the investigators

was astounding.

NARRATOR: It's a cold winter's evening at Stapleton

Airport in Denver, Colorado.

Captain Stephen Silver and First Officer Ralph Harvey are

just about ready for takeoff.

Hey, everybody seated?

Yeah everybody's in.

No good outside?

Walk-around was all clear.

NARRATOR: Trans-Colorado Flight 2286

is a short hop to Durango-La Plata County

Airport in Southern Colorado.

Listen, when we get to Durango,

I'd like to get in the air again as quickly as possible.

It shouldn't be the problem.

We won't need to refuel.

NARRATOR: It's the crew's fourth flight of the day,

and they're running late.

Bad weather has put them 40 minutes behind schedule.

Let's see what else we could do to get

these folks back on time.

You got it.

We're always running behind it seems like.

You're constantly trying to get caught back up.

Because you have connecting flights,

passengers want to make these flights, just as we would

to if we were a passenger in the back.

NARRATOR: Tonight, there are 15 people

in the cabin of the turboprop commuter plane,

including Susie Welch.

My brother was sick in California.

And I was there, coming home from visiting him.

And I missed my connection.

So it was a plane that I wasn't supposed

to be on in the first place.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Trans-Colorado 2286,

you are cleared for takeoff.

NARRATOR: Trans-Colorado is a small regional carrier

that operates flights for Continental Airlines.

2286, cleared for takeoff.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: Captain Silver is in command.

He loved life.

And it was in his blood.

You could see it.

NARRATOR: Brad Howard flew with Captain Silver

in the late 1980s.

Steve was a very happy, jovial, energetic pilot.

I enjoyed flying with Steve.

You're handling flying this leg, right?

You bet.

NARRATOR: First Officer Harvey will operate the controls

for this flight, leaving the captain

free to handle radio calls.

Take off power.

Airline pilots routinely trade the flying duties.

Part of it is for the reduction of fatigue,

so that one person is not doing all the work.

But it also divides the jobs up,

so that first officers that will be captains

are gaining experience.

100.

NARRATOR: The captain keeps an eye on the airspeed

as they accelerate for takeoff.

V1.

And rotate.

I was a little bit apprehensive

because the weather wasn't so great before I got on.

But when I got on, I thought, wow,

what was I worrying about?

It's fine.

NARRATOR: The crew's day began in Denver.

After two short hops to Riverton and Casper, Wyoming,

they circled back to Denver.

Now they're headed for Durango, a route

that takes them over the Southern Rocky Mountains.

In fact, just about 20 miles to the north of Durango is

the most numerous 14,000-foot peaks within

the continental United States.

Denver Flight Watch, Trans-Colorado Flight 2286.

I'd like the latest weather for Durango and Cortez, please.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: The latest we

have is indefinite ceiling, obscured visibility,

light snow and fog.

They're still forecasting moderate icing below 18,000.

Thank you.

The mountains come very obscured quite fast

when a front moves through.

And visibility, of course, then drops down.

Nothing we can't handle.

NARRATOR: About 20 minutes from the airport,

the captain and the first officer review the landing.

So we're still doing this straight into runway two

zero, OK?

Runway two zero, sounds good.

Control, we'll plan it on a DME to runaway two zero.

That's approved.

Trans-Colorado 2286 cleared for runway two zero approach

at Durango Airport.

NARRATOR: Like many small airports in America,

Durango does not have its own air traffic control.

The controller is in Denver, more than 200 miles away.

Once they cleared you for that approach,

they basically gave you the responsibility

to get that airplane down on the ground.

Radar coverage terminated.

Please report landing by radio.

Have a good night.

OK.

We're down to one four, and we're

cleared for the approach.

2286, we'll go.

NARRATOR: The passengers should be on the runway

in less than 5 minutes.

STEPHEN SILVER: Folks, this is your captain speaking.

We'll soon be landing in Durango.

So if you could please buckle up your seatbelts,

we should have you on the ground shortly.

The entire flight actually was smooth as glass.

It's like one of the smoothest flights I've ever had.

There was no cause for alarm, anything unusual at all.

Speed set.

One quarter flaps.

One quarter flaps.

NARRATOR: The pilots work quickly

to prepare for landing.

Gear it out.

Gear it out.

Three green.

They know that they have a lot of altitude

to lose, they got a lot of airspeed to lose.

And it also requires the appropriate use

of different devices on the airplane

to create additional drag to help it slow down.

Do you have the runway?

NARRATOR: Something's wrong.

The pilots can't see the runway.

Damn.

We're too low.

Pull up.

No, no, no, no, no.

Hold on.

There was this just big boom.

I thought we just had a rough landing.

And the plane began to do a flip.

That's when I thought it's happening.

We're crashing.

Help me, Jesus.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Trans-Colorado 2286,

this is Denver.

Please come in.

NARRATOR: The flight to Durango is now overdue.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Trans-Colorado 2286,

how do you read?

Trans-Colorado 2286, how do you read?

Both Denver and the La Plata County Airport personnel

had tried to contact the aircraft via radio.

Trans-Colorado 2286, please come in.

It was pretty much aircraft was overdue.

And somewhere out there in the black at night

was an aircraft down in our county.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Trans-Colorado 2286, please

come in.

It was dark, and it was a very cold.

And just looking around, I could

see that we could be anywhere.

Please.

Is anyone out there?

I just thought, here I am.

Lord, help me.

NARRATOR: Susie Welch discovers that she's not badly injured.

But it's clear other survivors of the Trans-Colorado crash

are suffering terribly.

We have to get out.

They needed help as quickly as they could get it.

We couldn't give what they needed at the time.

NARRATOR: Susie faces a difficult decision.

Stay and tend to the injured or leave in search of help.

They usually say stay where you are.

Someone will come and get you.

But we were out in the middle of nowhere.

We didn't know if anybody knew anything.

The weather wasn't really good that night at all.

There were snow flurries in the area,

and it was extremely cold.

NARRATOR: If the injured don't get help soon,

they could freeze to death.

Just hang on.

We'll send for help.

NARRATOR: Welch and some other able-bodied passengers

decide to set out on foot.

It may be the best chance of survival for everyone.

I was thinking, my family, they don't know where we are.

They have no idea if I'm even alive.

That gets me.

We had approximately 4 feet of snow

on the ground, which really hampered

our rescue activities.

NARRATOR: After more than an hour,

they catch a lucky break.

They come across a highway.

I saw a semi and a car.

And I thought, hallelujah.

That was a relief to see that.

NARRATOR: Some passengers are now safe.

Rescuers go in search of the others.

We moved emergency responders and equipment

to that particular location on US

Highway 160, east of Durango, approximately six miles.

It was a remote area.

And so it made it difficult for the emergency

responders to get there.

It took us a long time to figure out

exactly where the crash was.

NARRATOR: Finally, rescuers reached the airplane.

Of the 17 people on board, the crashes killed

nine, including both pilots.

Half the people were killed, which

is, of course, it's a heartbreaker

for a lot of people.

NARRATOR: The next morning, daylight

reveals the full extent of the destruction.

The front of the aircraft from the wing forward

was fairly well-demolished.

The tail was broken off in parts,

and the good portion of the left wing was missing.

NARRATOR: Tom Hauter of the National Transportation Safety

Board now faces a huge task.

Yeah.

Left wing tip right here.

Yeah.

Thanks, guys.

NARRATOR: Figuring out why a commuter

plane slammed into the ground five miles from the airport.

We were having a hard time understanding

how the crew impact is so far short of the airport.

That was going to be the big mystery

here to try to understand.

NARRATOR: Sorting through the wreckage

is like trying to piece together

a giant jigsaw puzzle.

And that's not the only challenge.

In 1988, planes with fewer than 20 passengers

are not required to carry flight recorders.

The lack of a cockpit voice recorder and digital flight

data recorder makes things much, much more difficult

because you have to then take the evidence from the airplane

and then deduce what happened to lead

the airplane into the ground.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: Hauter immediately turns his attention

to an obvious suspect.

The weather.

STEPHEN SILVER: Denver Flight Watch Tarns-Colorado Flight

2286, I'd like the latest weather for Durango

and Cortez, please.

Trans-Colorado 2286, Durango, the latest we have

is indefinite ceiling, obscured visibility,

light snow, and fog.

They're still forecasting moderate icing below 18,000.

NARRATOR: Icing is a potentially deadly

phenomenon that can occur from 32 down

to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Supercooled water coats the surface

of an aircraft's wings and freezes,

degrading aerodynamic performance.

The biggest problem is it changes the shape of the wing.

All of a sudden, you start getting,

instead of a nice, rounded edge,

it starts becoming a blunt edge.

And now, instead of the smooth airflow,

you get turbulent airflow, and you

start losing lift on the wing.

NARRATOR: That's what happened to American Eagle Flight 4184.

The plane was en route to Chicago

when ice buildup on the wings sent it into a deadly roll.

The crash killed all 68 people on board.

The critical question now, did ice on the wings of Flight

2286 lead to a similar tragedy on a snowy night

in the Colorado Rockies?

The descent to runway two zero in Durango

is over mountainous terrain.

A crew would have had little time

to recover if ice on the wings caused a sudden loss of lift.

No, no.

No, no.

Pull up

NARRATOR: Did the plane's wings ice over?

Is it the right temperature range for icing?

NARRATOR: Hauter studies weather

reports from Durango Airport.

Normally, icing is a problem if you

have a liquid that's very cold, hits the airplane,

and freezes on it.

It has to be raining or drizzle.

The weather at the airport was overcast cloudy,

but the temperature was negative 24 Fahrenheit.

NARRATOR: It's a dead end.

Temperatures were well below the minimum

required for icing.

It was so cold that night, there's

no liquid water out there that just form on the airplane.

Just snow.

And so icing could be eliminated pretty quickly.

NARRATOR: The location of the crash site,

just five miles from the runway,

suggests another possibility.

One quarter flaps.

NARRATOR: To prepare for landing,

the pilots have to extend the plane's flaps

and lower the landing gear.

Gear down.

Three green.

NARRATOR: The increased drag means the plane needs

more power to maintain lift during the last few minutes

of flight.

Investigators wonder, did a sudden loss of engine power

caused the crash?

Were they producing power at impact?

Was there any obvious problems with the engines

prior to impact?

So you start looking at everything in detail.

NARRATOR: They check the position of the engine levers.

The engine speed is set for high,

exactly where it should be.

NARRATOR: It seems the pilots had the right settings.

Speed set.

NARRATOR: What about the engines themselves?

Did they somehow fail?

A trained investigator can find clues to engine performance

by looking at the propeller blades and how

they bent in the crash.

The blades that are in opposition produce thrust.

And also by rotational damage, they were running that impact.

If they hadn't been running, even just pulled back.

But you can see that they're actually chopping away

at the ground and trees and being

pulled forward when they hit.

It was definitely going at full speed.

No fault with the engine.

NARRATOR: With no black boxes, it's difficult to know

where else to look.

Accident investigators very definitely utilize

a process of elimination.

You eliminate the things that you

know that didn't contribute.

And then eventually, you get two,

to three, or four, or five things

that did contribute to it.

Hauter here.

NARRATOR: An unexpected call brings a surprising new lead.

One of the survivors has made an alarming allegation.

Really?

Hi.

Welcome aboard.

You're down to the left.

Good evening.

How are you?

You are right in the back there.

NARRATOR: One of the passengers reported

that she thought she smelled alcohol on the first officer.

The first officer helped board the passengers.

Very gracious gentleman by all accounts,

but she was disturbed by that.

NARRATOR: The NTSB immediately adds

aviation psychologist Malcolm Brenner

to the investigative team.

We were actually alarmed.

We were very concerned that alcohol might turn out

to be a factor in this case.

As soon as the team came back, I

was launched I think the next day almost immediately

to follow up and see what I could

learn about the first officer.

Unbelievable.

NARRATOR: A check of the first officer's

driving record turns up more damning evidence.

Arrested twice for drunk driving.

For us, that is a major trouble sign.

That would suggest that there is a serious alcohol issue.

NARRATOR: Lab tests are ordered to check

for alcohol in the blood and urine of both pilots.

Let me know when you get the results.

You're handling flying this leg, right?

You bet.

NARRATOR: If the first officer was impaired when Flight

2286 left Denver, that could explain

the aircraft's tragic fate.

So this is the route from Denver to Durango.

And here is where they hit the ground.

NARRATOR: While they wait for lab results,

investigators examine other evidence.

They hope recordings of the controller's conversations

and transponder data can help them

build a better picture of what was happening in the cockpit.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Trans-Colorado 2286,

climb and maintain flight level 230.

STEPHEN SILVER: Climb and maintain 230.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: For most of the flight,

there's no sign of a problem.

They didn't provide a mayday, any calls, or any warnings

like that.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Trans-Colorado

2286, across the Durango, one mile,

fixed at or above 1 4,000.

Cleared for runway two zero approach.

So now they're here.

STEPHEN SILVER: OK.

We're down to 1 4.

And we're cleared for the approach.

2286, we'll go.

NARRATOR: But as the plane approaches

Durango, investigators spot something very strange.

They're dropping really fast.

NARRATOR: Planes usually descend

at a slow, steady rate of about 1,000 feet per minute.

Flight 2286 is descending at nearly triple that rate.

A much faster, much greater rate of descent approach

than normal.

And so we're sort of wondering what was happening here.

NARRATOR: Did alcohol impairment

caused the pilot flying to make a reckless descent?

Was the first officer flying drunk?

Blood and urine tests are in.

Technicians have carefully checked

samples from both pilots.

Despite suspicions raised by a passenger's tip-off,

the results show no alcohol in the first officer's blood.

He was not drinking before the crash.

Hello, sir.

The passenger must have been mistaken.

Either she smelled cologne or something else.

But fortunately, it turns out alcohol was not an issue.

And I was relieved to find out that the first officer

had dealt with that issue.

And it did seem to be in a commendable way.

NARRATOR: What went wrong in the final minutes

of Flight 2286 is still a mystery.

OK.

We're down to 1 4, and we're cleared with approach.

2286, we'll go.

NARRATOR: Investigators now wonder about the instructions

the crew received from air traffic control.

Were they told to fly an approach

that was simply too risky for the conditions that night?

The air traffic recording soon gives

investigators their answer.

Trans-Colorado 2286, for your approach to Durango,

would you rather shoot the ILS, or will the approach to runway

two zero be sufficient?

NARRATOR: The recording reveals that the controller did not

dictate the approach to Durango.

Instead, he gave the crew two options.

The first was to fly an easy path around the airport

to a runway equipped with an instrument

landing system or ILS that guides the pilots down.

The second option, runway two zero, has no ILS.

It requires pilots to descend in a series of steep steps

to avoid mountains north of Durango.

The way that the air traffic controller handled

the flight was exemplary.

They offered them the choice of which runway

and which instrument procedure that they would like to do,

but left the decision appropriately to the captain.

We'll plan on using the two zero.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: For some reason, the captain

chose to fly the steeper, more difficult approach.

We have hills here, here, and here.

Why didn't they take the easy way down?

These are normally very, very well trained pilots.

So what could have been the factors that occurred here?

Thanks for coming.

Have a seat.

NARRATOR: Malcolm Brenner hopes other Trans-Colorado pilots

can explain the decision.

So tell me about Captain Silver.

What kind of a pilot was he?

NARRATOR: Everyone agrees that Stephen

Silver was a skilled pilot.

But he was known to want a rush at times.

A number of people noted he tended to push

to keep the airplane on time.

He was a person that pushed the limit on things

as a personality type.

NARRATOR: There's even a letter in his file

praising him for his ability to get in and out of an airport

in just 7 minutes.

Listen.

When we get to Durango, I'd like to get in the air

again as quickly as possible.

It shouldn't be a problem.

We won't need to refuel.

Let's see what else we could do to get

these folks back on time.

NARRATOR: The captain's concern over lateness

helps explain his chosen approach to Durango.

So we're still doing this straight into runway two

zero, OK?

Runway two zero.

Sounds good.

Control, we're planning on a DME to runway two zero.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Cleared for runway two zero approach.

NARRATOR: Estimates show that the straight in approach

to runway two zero saves about 10 minutes of flight time.

To me, it seems almost instinctive

that he thought this is his way to catch up and get in faster.

Folks, this is your captain speaking.

We'll soon be landing in Durango.

I think what this captain felt as though it was

his responsibility to try to get

the passengers where they wanted to go,

when they were expected to be there.

And he took that very personally.

NARRATOR: The information explains why Captain silver

chose such a challenging approach on a snowy night,

but it doesn't explain the crash.

Other pilots say they often use the very same runway approach.

Professional pilots do these kinds of approaches

with great regularity.

So I suspect that they were aware of the challenging

nature of the approach.

Tricky approach.

But lots of pilots say they did it all the time.

NARRATOR: To try to understand where things went wrong,

investigators compare the flight path pilots are

supposed to follow for runway two zero to the actual descent

of Flight 2286.

What they discover is astonishing.

Look at this.

They're way too steep, even for this approach.

NARRATOR: The comparison reveals

that after opting for a challenging approach requiring

a steep descent, the Trans-Colorado pilots

flew in even steeper.

And here, they're finally on the right flight path.

But they just keep dropping.

It's like they had no idea of their altitude.

We don't know exactly what happened obviously because we

don't have the recorded information

we do in a modern airplane.

It's quite clear that the crew descended

below the published approach.

Why exactly, we don't know.

NARRATOR: Investigators wonder if the plane's

altimeters or any other flight instruments

might have malfunctioned.

Was it possibly internal failures?

Do we see anything clogging the lines that provide

pressure to the instruments?

And so you look at all the connections.

NARRATOR: A thorough inspection turns up nothing.

All the control systems were properly hooked up

and should have been functional at the time.

We found nothing mechanically wrong with the aircraft.

NARRATOR: Once again, the investigation hits a wall.

Do you have the runway?

NARRATOR: There's still no explanation

for why two trained airline pilots flew

their plane into a hillside just

short of the Durango airport.

Damn.

We're too low.

Pull up.

No, no, no, no, no.

Hold on.

NARRATOR: In Denver, Malcolm Brenner

digs into the qualifications of the two pilots

on Trans-Colorado flight 2286.

People don't normally go out with an intention

of crashing airplanes.

So what was it in their training, their background,

something in their personal history,

anything else that could have caused

them to make this error?

NARRATOR: The file the First Officer Ralph

Harvey, the pilot who was flying,

contained some disturbing details.

Tested for captain, failed.

Proficiency test, failed.

Instrument flying, below average.

NARRATOR: Brenner uncovers a history of failed tests.

He learns that the first officer's mediocre flying

actually cost him a job.

He was released from a previous employer

because he failed to be able to upgrade in complex instrument

flying conditions.

This particular individual was very

challenged to do this on a regular basis and do it well.

So we're still doing this straight into runway two

zero, OK?

Runway two zero, sounds good.

Nothing we can't handle.

NARRATOR: Brenner suspects that flying the challenging

approach to Durango and limited visibility

was more than the first officer could manage.

I think as long as the weather is good,

he would probably be a very adequate pilot.

His trouble is when things start to happen

very fast it seems like.

NARRATOR: But there's another troubling question.

The duties of airline pilots are usually carefully divided.

Landing lights.

On.

NARRATOR: The first officer was flying.

Speed set.

NARRATOR: So the captain should have

been monitoring the instruments and watching for mistakes.

This first officer had a history

of having some difficulties with complex

instrument procedures.

And so this would be a first officer that a captain would

want to watch pretty closely.

NARRATOR: It seems Captain Silver

was not watching closely.

The evidence suggests he never corrected

his first officer's mistakes.

For some reason, the captain didn't

take over and save the plane.

I need to know why.

NARRATOR: They contact friends and family, trying

to piece together what the pilots were doing in the hours

leading up to their last flight.

They're looking for any sign of stress or fatigue.

Fatigue can be insidious.

And a lot of it depends on what was the quality of sleep

that he got the night before.

NARRATOR: Brenner learns that the captain

had dinner with his parents the night before the crash.

Looks like plenty of time to rest.

NARRATOR: As far as anyone can tell,

Captain Silver spent a quiet evening with family,

then went home to sleep.

What a day.

NARRATOR: Less than 24 hours later, he

would fail to correct his first officer's perilously

quick descent towards Durango.

After an exhaustive investigation,

Brenner and his colleagues still don't know why.

What are we missing here?

When you find a mechanical failure, it's obvious.

Something fatigued and broke.

And because that part failed, this happened.

Trying to really understand why people make mistakes

can be very difficult.

NARRATOR: The case seems to have hit a dead end.

Hello.

NARRATOR: Until a phone call changes everything.

Yes.

What?

What exactly did she say?

We got a call from a member of the public.

This was a pilot who said that he had met with a woman who he

believed was the fiancee of the captain who

died in the accident.

What a day.

NARRATOR: Investigators learn that on the eve of the crash,

Captain Silver may not have spent

a quiet night alone after all.

Time to have a bit of fun.

Now you're speaking my language.

NARRATOR: They hear a story about drug use

and a woman who is alleged to have

made a stunning admission.

I'm sure glad to be buried and right after the accident.

The night before, we'd done a bag of cocaine.

We did a bag of cocaine.

Would you like to go first?

Yeah.

Bag of cocaine.

That's the expression she used.

It's enough for a couple to party all night.

You realize this is a very serious allegation?

The best way I could describe the investigators

was astounded.

Thank you.

It's very disturbing to have a drug involved.

Cocaine was something that we hadn't really expected.

We've got a new story on the captain.

NARRATOR: The stunning claim contradicts

what many friends and family have said

about the dedicated pilot.

Everything that we received on the captain of the aircraft

is that he was well trained, a good pilot,

certainly had all the experience,

and there were no issues.

NARRATOR: And the captain's fiancee

denies the entire story.

A letter from her lawyer contends

she wasn't even with the captain

the night before the crash.

The ingestion of these drugs, you just don't see

this with professional pilots.

NARRATOR: Though the captain's blood has already

been analyzed, the test wasn't sensitive enough

to detect cocaine use.

The first one was done by the hospital.

And their testing was at a very high level.

They were looking only for overdose.

Call the lab.

We need to run the captain samples again.

Subsequently, the specimens were sent to the toxicology

lab in Oklahoma City.

In that case, they go down to very sensitive levels.

NARRATOR: If the captain of Flight 2286

really was using cocaine, the implications

for the entire aviation industry will be huge.

I always thought pilots were squeaky clean.

I mean, they are carrying people's lives.

They have people's lives in their hands.

NARRATOR: Technicians conduct a second and then

a third toxicology test on blood samples

from the deceased captain of Flight 2286.

Because of the seriousness of it,

they wanted to make sure that there wasn't

laboratory error involved.

NARRATOR: The results leave no room for doubt.

They reported that in the blood,

there had been cocaine in the recent past.

He wasn't asleep.

He was up using cocaine.

If, as the evidence suggests, the captain

had been partying all night and had come to work,

he probably got very limited sleep.

He was in withdrawal by the time of the accident.

And many of the things that are characteristic of withdrawal,

such as a slowing of reaction and a general feeling

of not being well, would not help

him on this type of approach.

NARRATOR: Brenner now understands the shocking chain

of errors, negligence, and criminal behavior

that led to the crash.

This accident begins with a captain

who was in no shape to fly.

NARRATOR: After a long night of drug use,

the captain sets off for work.

His first flight of the day is scheduled

to depart at 1:15 PM.

He must report for duty at 12:30.

Seven hours later, after three flights,

the twin turboprop is running late.

And the captain is feeling the effects of cocaine withdrawal.

Listen, when we get to Durango,

I'd like to get in the air again as quickly as possible.

It shouldn't be a problem.

We won't need to refuel.

Because of his actions, his deliberate actions,

he presented himself for duty not qualified.

And that goes against everything

that professional pilots are taught.

Trans-Colorado 2286.

For your approach to Durango, would you rather

shoot the ILS, or would the approach to runway two zero

be sufficient?

Control, we'll plan on a DME to runway two zero.

NARRATOR: The captain's habit of rushing

leads him to choose a risky approach when

a safer option is available.

What a horrible decision.

In withdrawal, he's not half the pilot

he is when he's alert.

NARRATOR: The struggling first officer

is soon overwhelmed by the difficult approach.

But the captain doesn't notice.

Do you have the runway?

For this individual to have allowed himself

to fall into this condition is very, very

hard for me to understand.

NARRATOR: With one pilot struggling at the controls

and the other battling fatigue, neither is

watching the plane's altitude.

Damn.

We're too low.

Pull up.

No, no, no, no, no.

Once he lost track of their altitude,

they didn't have a chance.

NARRATOR: The NTSB final report cites the first officer's

poor flying and the captain's use

of cocaine as contributing causes

of the Trans-Colorado crash.

The drug revelations make headlines across the country.

It's thought to be the first time

that a commercial pilot involved in a crash

has tested positive for drugs.

I was totally naive to the situation with Steve.

It totally shocked me.

NARRATOR: The FAA soon implements

important changes, including more frequent drug

testing for pilots.

As a result of this accident, to a large extent,

drug testing programs became practical.

And they've been very, very successful.

To my knowledge, there has not been

any other case of drugs involved

in an airline accident.

NARRATOR: The Durango crash leads to other reforms

as well.

Regulations now require black boxes in all commuter planes.

And any plane with 10 or more seats

must have a ground proximity warning device.

WARNING DEVICE: Pull up.

NARRATOR: To alert pilots if they're flying too low.

In the case of this accident, the Safety Board

reconstructed that a ground proximity device would

have given warning at least 23 seconds

prior to the collision.

And in aviation, that actually is quite a bit of time.

NARRATOR: For survivors like Susie Welch,

painful memories linger.

But she knows her ordeal and the terrible loss of life

were not in vain.

Flying is safer now than it ever was because they're

making these changes.

And so I think that makes me really happy.

Yeah.