Original subtitles

First Officer: I CAN'T GET POWER ON THE ENGINES.

Narrator: A BOEING TRIPLE SEVEN...

Captain: MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

SPEEDBIRD. SPEEDBIRD.

Narrator: ...CRASH-LANDS AT LONDON'S HEATHROW AIRPORT.

Man: JUST A HUGE BANG.

BITS FALLING OFF THE CEILING.

Passengers: FIRE!

Narrator: A COMMERCIAL JET

PLUNGES INTO THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES.

Man: YOU COULD SMELL THE JET FUEL.

YOU COULD SMELL DEATH.

[CRASH]

Narrator: AND A DEVASTATING CRASH

SHATTERS A SCOTTISH VILLAGE.

Man: SCATTERED ALL AROUND WERE BITS OF DEBRIS,

HUMAN TISSUE AS WELL.

Narrator: THREE HORRIFYING DISASTERS

CAPTURE THE WORLD'S ATTENTION.

Man: IT'S A QUESTION OF WHAT EVIDENCE YOU FIND

AND, AND WHICH DIRECTION TO TAKE THE INVESTIGATION.

Narrator: EACH ONE A COMPLETE MYSTERY

THAT HAS INVESTIGATORS STUMPED.

Man: MY FIRST THOUGHT IS, HOW AM I GONNA PULL THIS OFF?

Narrator: CAN THEY FIND THE CLUES THEY NEED

TO SOLVE THESE PUZZLING CASES?

Man: SOME OF THESE EVENTS,

WE CAN FIGURE THEM OUT WITHIN A DAY OR TWO,

BUT OTHERS TAKE YEARS.

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 INTO THIS TRAGEDY...

Man: HE'S GONNA CRASH!

♪

Flight Attendant: HI THERE. GOOD AFTERNOON.

Passenger: GOOD AFTERNOON.

Flight Attendant: IT'S RIGHT THERE.

Narrator: VALUJET FLIGHT 592 ISA SHORT ONE-AND-A-HALF-HOUR TRIP

FROM MIAMI TO ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

Flight Attendant: LET ME HELP YOU WITH THAT.

Narrator: IN COMMAND IS 35-YEAR-OLD CANDALYN KUBECK.

SHE'S AN EXPERIENCED PILOT WITH NEARLY 9,000 FLIGHT HOURS.

Richard Hazen: OKAY.

Narrator: THE FIRST OFFICER IS A FORMER AIR FORCE PILOT,

52-YEAR-OLD RICHARD HAZEN.

Hazen: CLEAR TO START? Candalyn Kubeck: RECEIVED.

Narrator: TODAY'S FLIGHT IS LOADED

WITH ALMOST 4,400 POUNDS OF CARGO,

WHICH INCLUDES PASSENGER LUGGAGE,

VALUJET COMPANY MATERIAL, AND U.S. MAIL.

AFTER THE CREW SIGNS OFF ON THE CARGO,

THE FLIGHT IS READY FOR DEPARTURE.

Hazen: THERE YOU GO.

Controller: CRITTER 592, TAXI TO RUNWAY NINER-LEFT.

Hazen: NINE-LEFT, CRITTER 592.

Narrator: THEY'RE PILOTING A DC-9

WITH MORE THAN 68,000 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME.

Controller: CRITTER 592, RUNWAY NINE-LEFT,

CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF.

Hazen: POWER IS SET.

ROTATE.

Kubeck: GEAR UP.

Narrator: TAKEOFF FROM MIAMI AIRPORT IS NORMAL.

Jerome Chandler: THE SKYWAS RELATIVELY BENIGN THAT DAY,

AND THEY WERE JUSTLOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING HOME.

Narrator: TODAY'S ROUTE TAKES FLIGHT 592 NORTHWEST

OVER THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES

AND THEN STRAIGHT UP TO ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

♪

[BOOM]

Kubeck: WHAT WAS THAT?

Hazen: I DON'T KNOW.

[ALARM]

Kubeck: WE GOT SOME ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.

WE'RE LOSING EVERYTHING.

Narrator: IT'S JUST SIX MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF.

SUDDENLY, THE DC-9 IS IN TROUBLE.

THE CREW FACES A BARRAGE OF FAILURES.

Kubeck: WE NEED TO GO BACK TO MIAMI.

[SNIFFS]

Passenger: DO YOU SMELL SMOKE?

[COUGHING]

Passenger: FIRE!

[ALARM]

FIRE!

Narrator: FLAMES ARE BURNING THROUGH THE CABIN FLOOR.

[COUGHING]

Hazen: SMOKE IN THE CABIN.

Narrator: PASSENGERS ARE IN A DESPERATE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL,

BUT THERE'S NO ESCAPING THE FLAMES.

Chandler: THIS IS HEAVY, POISONOUS SMOKE.

PEOPLE ARE BREATHING IT IN.

[ALARM]

Flight Attendant: WE'RE COMPLETELY ON FIRE!

[ALARM]

Narrator: THE JET PLUMMETS TOWARDS THE GROUND

AT OVER 400 MILES PER HOUR.

[COUGHING]

[ALARM]

FLIGHT 592 HAS CRASHED INTO

ONE OF THE MOST INHOSPITABLE SPOTS ON EARTH,

THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES.

Witness: A LARGE JET AIRCRAFT HAS JUST CRASHED OUT HERE,

LARGE, LIKE AIRLINER SIZE.

YOU NEED TO GET YOUR CHOPPERS IN THE AIR.

Narrator: ALL 110 PEOPLE ABOARD THE FLIGHT ARE DEAD.

NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATORS

FACE ONE OF THE MOST HAZARDOUS ACCIDENT SCENES

THEY'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED...

A SWAMPLAND.

Malcolm Brenner: THE WRECKAGE WAS IN A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT.

IT WASN'T CLEAR AT THAT POINT HOW MUCH WE'D BE ABLE TO,

TO, TO LEARN FROM THE WRECKAGE OR BE ABLE TO RECOVER.

Narrator: LEADING THE TEAM IS VETERAN INVESTIGATOR GREG FEITH.

Greg Feith: ALL RIGHT, LET'S GET TO WORK.

MY FIRST THOUGHT IS, HOW AM I GONNA PULL THIS OFF?

WE'VE DRAWN UP A GRID.

WE'RE GOING TO SCOUR THIS SWAMP QUADRANT BY QUADRANT.

Narrator: WHAT'S LEFT OF THE AIRCRAFT

HAS SUNK INTO THE VAST SWAMP.

Brenner: THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF THE AIRPLANE.

THERE WAS JUST DEBRIS,

VERY LITTLE PRESENT AND NO EVIDENCE OF PASSENGERS.

Narrator: RECOVERY TEAMS CONTINUE TO BATTLE

THE HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT,

LOOKING FOR ANY CLUES THEY CAN FIND.

Paul Toy: YOU'RE TRUDGING THROUGH,

AND YOU'RE IN YOUR WADERS,

AND, UH, YOU'RE STEPPING ON STUFF.

YOU HAVE TO BEND DOWN,

AND YOU HAVE TO PICK IT UP AND SEE WHAT IT IS.

Feith: THERE WERE TIMES WHERE, YOU KNOW,

YOU THINK YOU'RE PICKING UP A WIRE BUNDLE.

YOU'RE PICKING UP THE BACK END OF A SNAKE.

♪

Narrator: WHILE FEITH'S RESCUE TEAM

SCOURS THE DENSE GRASSES OF THE SWAMPLAND,

INVESTIGATORS TURN THEIR ATTENTION

TO THE ONLY LEAD THEY HAVE.

Controller: ROGER, CRITTER 592.

WHAT KIND OF PROBLEM ARE YOU HAVING?

Narrator: THE PILOTS REPORTED SMOKE IN THE CABIN.

Hazen: SMOKE IN THE CABIN.

Narrator: THEY DIG THROUGH FLIGHT 592'S RECORDS,

LOOKING FOR CLUES AS TO WHAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED IT.

THEY LEARN THAT THE FLIGHT WAS DELAYED EARLIER IN THE DAY

DUE TO MINOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS.

IT RAISES CONCERNS THAT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

BROUGHT DOWN THE PLANE.

Brenner: WE WERE LOOKING AT ANY EXPLANATION.

THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A FAULT IN THE WIRING OR A SHORT CIRCUIT,

AND WE REALIZED IT WAS GONNA BE A VERY DIFFICULT INVESTIGATION.

Narrator: WITH THIS NEW LEAD,

NTSB FIRE INVESTIGATOR MERRITT BIRKY

STUDIES CLUMPS OF TANGLED WIRING PULLED FROM THE SWAMP

TO DETERMINE WHETHER A SHORT CIRCUIT

COULD HAVE CAUSED THE IN-FLIGHT FIRE.

WHEN FAULTY WIRING SPARKS A FIRE,

ELECTRICAL ARCING CAUSES THE WIRES TO BURN AND MELT.

Merritt Birky: WHEN WE RECOVERED MORE OF THE ELECTRICAL HARNESS

ON THE PLANE, WE SAW SOME DAMAGE THERE,

BUT IT WASN'T, UH, EVIDENCE OF ELECTRICAL ARCING ON THE WIRE.

Narrator: CAREFUL EXAMINATION RULES OUT FAULTY WIRING

AS A POTENTIAL CAUSE OF THE FIRE.

INVESTIGATORS ARE STILL WITHOUT ANSWERS.

ALL THEY HAVE TO GO ON ARE RANDOM PIECES OF WRECKAGE

THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO FIND IN THE SWAMPLAND.

Birky: SO, WE HAD PARTS COMING IN THAT WERE DAMAGED,

ALMOST ALL LIMITED TO THE CARGO COMPARTMENT.

WE HAD MELTED STRUCTURE COMPONENTS THAT WERE

IN THE OVERHEAD OF THE CARGO COMPARTMENT,

WHICH MADE UP THE FLOOR OF THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT.

Narrator: AS MERRITT BIRKY HUNTS FOR EVIDENCE

OF WHAT STARTED THE FIRE, HE MAKES A CHANCE DISCOVERY.

Birky: IT'S STAINLESS STEEL.

YOU DON'T NORMALLY SEE BURNED STAINLESS STEEL

IN AN IN-FLIGHT FIRE.

Narrator: PLANES ARE MADE OF LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIAL

LIKE ALUMINUM AND TITANIUM, NOT STAINLESS STEEL.

INVESTIGATORS CONCLUDE THAT IF THE STAINLESS STEEL

WASN'T FROM THE PLANE, THEN IT MUST BE FROM THE CARGO.

Brenner: THE OPERATIONS GROUP MORE AND MORE BECAME CONCERNED

ABOUT THE CARGO THAT WAS LOADED ON THE AIRPLANE

AND WHAT POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANCE IT COULD HAVE TO THE ACCIDENT.

Narrator: THEY PULL THE CARGO DOCUMENTATION FOR FLIGHT 592

AND DISCOVER THAT THE PLANE WAS TRANSPORTING

THREE TIRES AND FIVE CARDBOARD BOXES CONTAINING

144 EMPTY STAINLESS STEEL OXYGEN GENERATORS.

OXYGEN GENERATORS ARE SMALL DEVICES INSTALLED

ABOVE THE PASSENGER SEATS OF CERTAIN AIRPLANES.

THEY ARE CONNECTED TO OXYGEN MASKS THAT DROP DOWN

IN THE EVENT OF CABIN DEPRESSURIZATION.

WHEN DEPLOYED, SEVERAL CHEMICALS COMBINE TO CREATE OXYGEN.

THE CHEMICAL REACTION GENERATES A LOT OF HEAT.

THE CANISTERS CAN REACH 500 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

Birky: THESE THINGS GET PRETTY HOT, GREG,

REALLY HOT.

Feith: AN OXYGEN GENERATOR THAT IS NOT MOUNTED

IN ITS PROPER POSITION IN A HEAT SINK CRADLE

IN THE PASSENGER SERVICE UNIT IS, IS LETHAL

BECAUSE IF IT'S ANYWHERE NEAR A COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL,

YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A FIRE.

Narrator: REGULATIONS REQUIRE THAT ALL OXYGEN GENERATORS

REMOVED FROM AN AIRCRAFT BE DEACTIVATED AND EMPTIED

OF VOLATILE CHEMICALS BEFORE TRANSPORTING.

Feith: WE HAD FIVE BOXES OF THESE, OR 144 OF THEM,

THROWN IN A BOX, CARRIED AS CARGO.

THEY'RE SUPPOSEDLY EMPTY.

WHAT DANGER IS THERE CARRYING THEM AS CARGO?

THERE'S NO QUESTION.

THEY'RE CLEARLY LISTED AS EMPTY.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS WONDER WHETHER THE OXYGEN GENERATORS

WERE IMPROPERLY DISMANTLED BEFORE SHIPPING.

Feith: DID THEY HAVE A POTENTIAL FOR CREATING A FIRE,

OR A FIRE SITUATION,

THAT COULD HAVE JEOPARDIZED THE SAFETY OF THIS AIRCRAFT?

Narrator: RECOVERY TEAMS IN THE FIELD CATCH A LUCKY BREAK

AND RECOVER A BATCH OF OXYGEN GENERATORS

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EVERGLADES.

THE DISCOVERY CONFIRMS THEIR HUNCH.

WHILE SOME OF THEM ARE EMPTY...

Feith: THIS ONE'S NEVER EVEN BEEN TRIGGERED.

Narrator: ...MANY OTHERS ARE FULL.

Feith: THE OXYGEN GENERATORS THAT WE HAD FOUND

HAD BEEN DAMAGED.

SOME WERE COMPLETELY FLATTENED.

SOME OF THEM WERE CHARRED AND CRUSHED.

SOME OF THEM STILL HAD THE MATERIAL IN THEM,

BUT THE CASE HAD BEEN DENTED AND, AND DAMAGED.

Narrator: IT NOW SEEMS THAT THE HIGHLY VOLATILE CHEMICALS

WERE SHIPPED ON BOARD VALUJET 592.

HAD THE PILOTS KNOWN WHAT WAS ACTUALLY ON BOARD,

IT'S UNLIKELY THEY WOULD HAVE SIGNED OFF ON THE MANIFEST.

Hazen: THERE YOU GO.

Narrator: BUT TO PROVE THEIR THEORY,

INVESTIGATORS NEED TO FIND OUT HOW THE CANISTERS

GOT ON THE FLIGHT AND HOW THEY MIGHT HAVE IGNITED.

[SCREAMING]

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPECIALIST JIM HENDERSON

JOINS THE INVESTIGATIVE TEAM TO FIGURE OUT

HOW HIGHLY VOLATILE OXYGEN GENERATORS WERE SHIPPED

ON VALUJET FLIGHT 592 AS CARGO.

HE TRACKS DOWN SHIPPING PAPERS AND UNCOVERS A SHOCKING MISTAKE.

THE SHIPPING CLERK MISLABELED THE GENERATORS AS EMPTY,

WHEN IN FACT THEY WERE MERELY PAST THEIR EXPIRATION DATE.

Jim Henderson: DID SOMEONE ACTUALLY THINK

THAT EXPIRED MEANT EMPTY?

THIS WAS A BIG PROBLEM

BECAUSE THESE OXYGEN GENERATORSWEREN'T EMPTY.

THEY HAD EXPIRED, BUT EXPIRATION JUST MEANT

THAT THEY HAD EXCEEDED THEIR SHELF LIFE.

THEY WERE STILL CAPABLE OF GENERATING OXYGEN.

THEY HADN'T BEEN PROPERLY SAFED,

AND THEY HADN'T BEEN PROPERLY PACKAGED,

SO WE WERE REALLY CONCERNED THAT THIS MIGHT BE

EITHER WHAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT OR WHAT MADE THE FIRE WORSE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CONCLUDE THAT AIRPORT WORKERS

LOADED POTENTIALLY FLAMMABLE CARGO ONTO VALUJET 592

BECAUSE OF AN ERROR IN SHIPPING PAPERS.

BUT THE MISTAKE STILL DOESN'T EXPLAIN HOW THE FIRE SPREAD

TO THE REST OF THE PLANE.

THE DC-9'S CARGO HOLD IS AIRTIGHT.

IT'S SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO CONTAIN A FIRE.

BUT IF OXYGEN GENERATORS WERE CREATING THEIR OWN OXYGEN,

COULD THE CARGO HOLD STILL CONTAIN THE FIRE?

Feith: WE KNEW ABOUT THE OXYGEN GENERATORS.

WE KNEW THE POTENTIAL THEY HAD FOR BEING A FIRE SOURCE,

BUT WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW THEIR REAL POTENTIAL

FOR BRINGING DOWN AN AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: AT A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION

FIRE TEST FACILITY...

Feith: OKAY, LET'S DO THIS.

Narrator: ...INVESTIGATORS HOPE TO RECREATE THE FIRE

THAT CONSUMED FLIGHT 592.

Birky: WE PUT FIVE BOXES OF OXYGEN GENERATORS,

PUT THEM ON TOP OF, UH, A TIRE

AND PUT SOME LUGGAGE AROUND THEM.

Feith: ONE MINUTE TO IGNITION.

WE HAD TO TRIGGER ONE OF THE OXYGEN GENERATORS MANUALLY.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS ACTIVATE ONE OF THE GENERATORS

TO SIMULATE A CANISTER BEING JOSTLED IN THE CARGO HOLD

DURING TAKEOFF.

[BEEPING]

Feith: IT MADE AN UNBELIEVABLE NOISE.

IT SOUNDED, IT WAS A HIGH-PITCHED SCREAM.

WE ALL LOOKED AT EACH OTHER, AND WE WERE KIND OF STARTLED.

I MEAN, THE SOUND WAS DEAFENING.

[SCREAMING]

Narrator: TEN MINUTES AFTER IGNITION,

THE CEILING OF THE TEST CARGO CONTAINER

REACHES 2,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

Birky: LORD ALMIGHTY.

Feith: WE HAD A RAGING FIRE, AND NONE OF US HAD EXPECTED

A FIRE TO BE THAT BIG AND THAT HOT,

AND IT WAS JUST AMAZING TO SEE HOW DESTRUCTIVE SOMETHING

THIS LONG AND THAT BIG AROUND COULD BE.

Narrator: THE EXPERIMENT SUPPORTS THE NTSB THEORY.

IMPROPERLY DISMANTLED AND MISLABELED OXYGEN GENERATORS

CAUSED THE CRASH OF VALUJET 592.

EVEN IN AN AIRTIGHT CARGO HOLD,

THE FIRE WOULD HAVE BURNED FIERCELY ENOUGH

TO BRING DOWN THE DC-9.

Feith: IT ONLY TOOK 3 MINUTES AND 42 SECONDS

FOR THE FIRE TO BRING DOWN THE PLANE.

Narrator: THERE WAS NO CHANCE

OF GETTING THE PLANE TO THE GROUND SAFELY.

♪

IN THE WAKE OF THE ACCIDENT,

THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION

GROUNDS VALUJET INDEFINITELY.

THE AIRLINE IS EVENTUALLY SOLD.

THE NTSB RECOMMENDS BETTER TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES

WHO HANDLE OXYGEN GENERATORS.

IT'S THE STUBBORN AND UNRELENTING EFFORTS

OF INVESTIGATORS THAT SOLVES THE CASE OF VALUJET 592.

Bob Benzon: IT WAS KIND OF A SHERLOCK HOLMES-TYPE THING.

THERE'S A PROCESS OF ELIMINATION

TO WINNOW THINGS DOWN TO A CAUSE.

Narrator: BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHT 38 IS NEARING THE END

OF A TEN-AND-A-HALF-HOUR JOURNEY

FROM BEIJING TO LONDON'S HEATHROW AIRPORT.

CAPTAIN PETER BURKILL HAS MADE THIS TRIP MANY TIMES BEFORE.

Peter Burkill: I WAS OPERATING THAT ROUTE A LOT.

IT WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITEFLIGHTS BECAUSE IT WAS DAYLIGHT.

YOU COULD, YOU COULD SEE THE VIEWS

THE WHOLE WAY ALONG THE ROUTE.

Narrator: BURKILL AND FIRST OFFICER JOHN COWARD

BOTH HAVE THOUSANDS OF HOURS UNDER THEIR BELTS

FLYING THE TRIPLE SEVEN.

Burkill: IT'S A JOY TO FLY. SHE HANDLES REALLY WELL.

SHE'S GOT MODERN EQUIPMENT. THE COMPUTERS ARE EASY TO USE.

Narrator: POWERED BY TWO MASSIVE ROLLS-ROYCE ENGINES,

THE BOEING TRIPLE SEVEN

IS ONE OF THE SAFEST PLANES IN THE INDUSTRY.

THE AUTOPILOT IS IN CONTROL

AS THE CREW LINES UP WITH THE RUNWAY.

AT 1,000 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND,

THE PLANE IS BUFFETED BY SOME HIGH WINDS.

Nicholas Harris: JUST A LITTLE TURBULENCE.

Narrator: IT'S THE FIRST WRINKLE IN AN OTHERWISE SMOOTH JOURNEY.

TWO MINUTES BEFORE LANDING,

COWARD TAKES OVER FLYING THE PLANE.

Burkill: YOU HAVE CONTROL?

John Coward: I HAVE CONTROL.

Controller: SPEEDBIRD 38, CLEARED TO LAND 27 LEFT.

Burkill: CLEARED TO LAND 2-7 LEFT, SPEEDBIRD 38.

Narrator: BUT SUDDENLY, THERE'S A PROBLEM.

Coward: I CAN'T GET POWER ON THE ENGINES.

IT'S NOT GIVING ME POWER.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Burkill: WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

I WAS LOOKING AT THE ENGINE INSTRUMENTS,

AND THEY DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME

BECAUSE WE WERE ASKING FOR FULL POWER,

BUT THE ENGINE INSTRUMENTS WERE NOT GIVING US ANY POWER AT ALL.

Narrator: LESS THAN THREE MILES FROM THE RUNWAY...

Coward: WHAT'S GOING ON?

Narrator: ...FLIGHT 38 IS CRIPPLED

IN THE WORST WAY IMAGINABLE.

Coward: WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE DOUBLE ENGINE FAILURE.

Narrator: THE PLANE IS FALLING TOWARDS SOUTHWEST LONDON.

Burkill: THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST MODERN JETS IN THE WORLD.

MAYDAY. MAYDAY.

SPEEDBIRD. SPEEDBIRD.

Narrator: THE PILOTS OF A BOEING TRIPLE SEVEN

NEED TO FIND A WAY TO KEEP THEIR PLANE

FROM CRASH-LANDING IN A LONDON SUBURB,

POTENTIALLY KILLING SCORES OF PEOPLE.

BOTH ENGINES ABOARD BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHT 38 HAVE FAILED.

Burkill: AIRSPEED LOW.

Narrator: THERE ISN'T ENOUGH POWER TO MAKE IT TO THE RUNWAY

AT HEATHROW AIRPORT.

Burkill: I KNEW I HAD ABOUT 15 SECONDS TO MAKE A HUGE DECISION.

I NEEDED TO GET PAST THOSE BUILDINGS.

I NEEDED TO RAISE THE FLAPS.

Narrator: RETRACTING THE FLAPS WILL REDUCE DRAG BUT ALSO LIFT.

THE PLANE WILL FLY FURTHER

BUT DROP FASTER ONTO THE GRASS IN FRONT OF THE RUNWAY.

IT'S A DANGEROUS MOVE,

BUT IT'S CAPTAIN BURKILL'S BEST OPTION FOR SAVING LIVES.

Burkill: IT WAS HARD, VERY HARD.

I REMEMBER THE COUPLE OF IMPACTS AND THE NOISE.

Harris: GOOD GOD!

THE LANDING WAS HARD.

IT WAS JUST A HUGE BANG.

THE NOISE, BITS FALLING OFF THE CEILING.

Narrator: RESCUERS RUSH TO THE SCENE.

MIRACULOUSLY, THERE ISN'T A SINGLE CASUALTY.

STILL, THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 38 IS THE MOST SERIOUS ACCIDENT

AT HEATHROW IN 30 YEARS.

MORE SIGNIFICANTLY, THE TRIPLE SEVEN IS ONE

OF THE WORLD'S MOST MODERN AND RELIABLE JETS.

THE ACCIDENT UNSETTLES THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY.

David Learmount: THE TRIPLE SEVEN IS AS SAFE

AS AN AIRPLANE CAN BE.

IT HAD SUCH A SUPERB SAFETY RECORD.

WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED?

YOU DON'T LIKE NOT KNOWING WHETHER IT MIGHT HAPPEN

TO THE REST OF YOUR FLEET.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS QUICKLY ARRIVE ON THE SCENE.

PHIL SLEIGHT IS THE LEAD ENGINEER FOR BRITAIN'S AAIB,

THE AIR ACCIDENTS INVESTIGATION BRANCH.

Phil Sleight: WHEN YOU FIRST APPROACH

AN ACCIDENT SITE LIKE THIS,

THE FIRST THOUGHT YOU'VE GOT IS, WHERE DO I START?

Narrator: JUST HOURS AFTER THE CRASH,

INVESTIGATORS INTERVIEW THE CREW.

CAPTAIN PETER BURKILL HAS A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT

OF WHAT HAPPENED.

Burkill: WE TRIED TO GIVE THEM MORE POWER MANUALLY,

BUT THERE WAS NOTHING.

Narrator: BURKILL EXPLAINS THAT SOMETHING HAD CAUSED

BOTH OF THE JET'S ROLLS-ROYCE ENGINES

TO ROLL BACK AT THE SAME TIME, ROBBING THE AIRCRAFT OF POWER.

Sleight: WHEN YOU HEAR SOMETHING OF A DOUBLE ENGINE FAILURE,

YOU START LOOKING AT WHAT'S COMMON.

WHAT COULD CAUSE BOTH ENGINES TO FAIL AT THE SAME TIME?

SO, OUR FIRST THOUGHTS WERE THAT IT MAY HAVE RUN OUT OF FUEL.

Narrator: AT THE CRASH SITE,

INVESTIGATORS LOOK AT THE AIRCRAFT'S FUEL LEVELS.

THEY CONFIRM THAT TWO OF THE TANKS DID IN FACT HAVE FUEL.

THE POWER LOSS ON FLIGHT 38

MUST HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY SOMETHING ELSE.

AN EXPLANATION SHOULD BE SIMPLE TO FIND

SINCE EVERY PIECE OF EVIDENCE INVESTIGATORS COULD EVER WANT

IS READILY AVAILABLE.

Sleight: WE WERE QUITE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE AMOUNT OF DATA

THAT WE HAD ON THIS AIRCRAFT

BECAUSE THE AIRCRAFT REMAINED INTACT.

WE WERE ABLE GET LOTS OF DATA FROM THE RECORDERS,

AND ALSO COMPUTERS.

Narrator: THE TRIPLE SEVEN'S ADVANCED COMPUTERS

HANDLE MOST OF THE FLIGHT'S SYSTEMS.

A MASSIVE FAILURE OF THOSE SYSTEMS COULD EXPLAIN

WHY THE ENGINES STOPPED WORKING.

AFTER REVIEWING THE FLIGHT RECORDERS,

INVESTIGATORS RULE OUT COMPUTER FAILURE

AS A FACTOR IN THE CRASH,

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL THE RECORDERS TELL THEM.

Mark Ford: THE TWO MOST SIGNIFICANT PARAMETERS

FROM THE QUICK ACCESS RECORDER WERE THE FUEL METERING VALVES.

BOTH THOSE VALVES INDICATED THAT THEY HAD OPENED

TO THEIR FULLY OPEN POSITION.

Narrator: THE PLANE'S COMPUTERS WERE WORKING,

AND THE FUEL VALVES WERE OPEN,

SO WHY WASN'T THE FUEL REACHING THE ENGINE?

INVESTIGATORS ARE STUMPED.

Learmount: THEY HAD THE PILOTS. THEY HAD THE PASSENGERS.

THEY HAD THE AIRCRAFT.

THEY HAD EVERYTHING THERE, EXCEPT THE THING THAT CAUSED IT.

THAT HAD DISAPPEARED AS IF BY MAGIC.

Narrator: UNABLE TO EXPLAIN WHY BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHT 38

CRASH-LANDED AT HEATHROW, INVESTIGATORS NOW TURN AWAY

FROM THE CLUES THEY HAVE TO THOSE THEY DON'T.

Brian McDermid: PHIL STARTED COMING OUT WITH A MANTRA,

WHICH WAS A QUOTE FROM SHERLOCK HOLMES.

Sleight: WHATEVER IS LEFT, HOWEVER IMPROBABLE,

MUST BE THE CAUSE.

IT HAS TO BE.

IN THIS CASE, WE ALWAYS KEPT COMING BACK TO WHAT'S THERE,

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN THERE THAT'S NOT THERE NOW,

AND WE COME BACK TO ICE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS WONDER IF ICE BUILT UP

IN THE FUEL LINES WHILE FLYING OVER SIBERIA

COULD HAVE CLOGGED THE SYSTEM.

ICE IN THE FUEL LINES HAS LONG BEEN A CONCERN

FOR JETS OF ALL KINDS FLYING IN COLD AIR MASSES.

McDermid: IF YOU HAVE WATER IN THE FUEL,

THEN THAT WATER WILL FREEZE AND FORM ICE CRYSTALS.

Narrator: DECADES AGO, ENGINEERS FOUND AN INGENIOUS WAY

TO DEAL WITH THE ICE FORMING

IN THE FUEL LINES OF PASSENGER JETS.

THE HEART OF THE SYSTEM

IS THE FUEL OIL HEAT EXCHANGER, OR FOHE.

COLD FUEL RUNS THROUGH THIN TUBES, WHICH ARE SURROUNDED

BY THE HOT OIL USED TO LUBRICATE THE ENGINES.

McDermid: THE PURPOSE OF A FUEL HEATER IS TO HEAT THE FUEL UP

TO PREVENT ICING OF THE DELICATE FUEL CONTROL SYSTEM.

Narrator: IF ICE BUILT UP IN THE FUEL LINES

AND SOMEHOW THE FOHE FAILED TO MELT IT,

HOW CAN INVESTIGATORS PROVE IT

IF THE EVIDENCE OF ICE IS NO LONGER PRESENT?

THREE MONTHS AFTER THE CRASH,

BRIAN McDERMID FLIES TO THE BOEING HEADQUARTERS IN SEATTLE

TO TEST WHETHER ICE WAS A KEY FACTOR

IN BRINGING DOWN FLIGHT 38.

FIRST, THEY RECONSTRUCT THE ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM.

THEN THEY REPLICATE THE TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS

THE BOEING TRIPLE SEVEN ENCOUNTERED DURING ITS FLIGHT.

McDermid: WHEN THE TEMPERATURE

GETS TO ABOUT MINUS 20 DEGREES CENTIGRADE,

THEN THOSE ICE CRYSTALS WILL START TO STICK TOGETHER

AND WILL ALSO STICK TO THE INSIDE OF THE PIPES.

Sleight: THERE WAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SURPRISE

AS TO HOW MUCH COULD ACTUALLY GROW.

McDermid: NOW WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE.

Narrator: WHILE INVESTIGATORS CAN PROVE THAT ICE CRYSTALS

LIKELY FORMED DURING THE FLIGHT,

IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN IF IT COULD HAVE TAKEN DOWN THE PLANE.

THE FOHE SHOULD HAVE MELTED IT.

INVESTIGATORS SIMULATE FLIGHT 38'S JOURNEY.

DURING THE LONG VOYAGE FROM BEIJING,

THE AUTOPILOT MAINTAINED CONSTANT SPEED

AND LOW POWER FOR HOURS,

NEVER DEMANDING AN ABRUPT INCREASE IN ENGINE POWER

UNTIL JUST BEFORE THEY REACHED THE RUNWAY.

Sleight: THE APPROACH INTO HEATHROW

WAS QUITE A TURBULENT APPROACH,

AND THE ENGINES WERE DEMANDING VARIOUS LEVELS OF THRUST POWER.

McDermid: THE PROBLEM THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT

IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO REPLICATE,

AND DURING WHAT WAS ONE OF THE LAST TESTS,

WE ACTUALLY MANAGED TO GET ALL THE ELEMENTS TOGETHER.

Narrator: AFTER SIMULATING RUNNING ENGINES

AT CONSTANT SPEED, INVESTIGATORS INCREASE THE POWER,

JUST LIKE THE AUTOPILOT DID AFTER THE PLANE HIT TURBULENCE.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT BREAKS THE CASE WIDE OPEN.

THE SUDDEN DEMAND FOR MORE ENGINE POWER

CAUSES THE FUEL PRESSURE

DOWNSTREAM OF THE FUEL OIL HEAT EXCHANGER

TO DROP DRAMATICALLY.

AND WHEN INVESTIGATORS EXAMINE THIS VITAL COMPONENT...

McDermid: WE THEN SAW THAT ICE HAD FORMED

ACROSS THE FACE OF IT.

Narrator: THE SYSTEM DESIGNED TO MELT THE ICE FAILED.

SOFT ICE THAT HAD FORMED DEEP INSIDE THE FUEL LINES

BROKE FREE WHEN THE PRESSURE WAS ABRUPTLY INCREASED.

THE VARIEGATED DESIGN OF THE INTAKE TUBES

CAUSED THE ICE TO CLOG THE FOHE,

PREVENTING FUEL FROM REACHING THE ENGINES.

McDermid: THE FUEL WILL CONTINUE TO FLOW THROUGH,

BUT THE FLOW RATE IS MUCH LOWER THAN IT SHOULD BE.

Coward: PETE, I CAN'T GET POWER ON THE ENGINES.

IT'S NOT GIVING ME POWER.

Narrator: FACING A THREAT NO ONE KNEW EXISTED...

Burkill: MAYDAY. SPEEDBIRD. SPEEDBIRD.

Narrator: ...THE PILOTS DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE

TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

THE ICE THAT BROUGHT DOWN

ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST SOPHISTICATED AIRPLANES

WAS GONE BY THE TIME INVESTIGATORS SHOWED UP.

Learmount: THE WEIRD THING ABOUT THIS INVESTIGATION

WAS THAT THE CULPRIT HAD FLED THE SCENE.

Narrator: SOON AFTER THE SEATTLE TESTS,

THE ENGINE MAKER, ROLLS-ROYCE,

REDESIGNED THE FUEL OIL HEAT EXCHANGER.

BUT IT'S THE UNRELENTING DILIGENCE OF INVESTIGATORS,

AND A LITTLE INSPIRATION FROM SHERLOCK HOLMES,

THAT SOLVES THIS MYSTERY.

John Nance: SO, THE PHILOSOPHY HERE

IS THAT YOU LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED.

IF THERE'S ANY STONE LEFT UNTURNED,

ANY PIECE OF METAL THAT NEEDS TO BE KICKED OVER,

LOOKED AT, AND ANALYZED, THEN YOUR JOB IS NOT DONE YET.

Narrator: PAN AM FLIGHT 103 IS ON ITS WAY

FROM LONDON TO NEW YORK.

THE JET HAS JUST TAKEN OFF FROM HEATHROW AIRPORT.

MacQuarrie: GOOD EVENING, SCOTTISH.

CLIPPER 103.

WE ARE LEVEL AT 3-1-0.

Controller: 103, YOU ARE IDENTIFIED.

Narrator: MOST OF THE PASSENGERS

ARE AMERICANS ON THEIR WAY HOME FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

THE FIRST PART OF THE TRIP TO THE UNITED STATES

TAKES THE PLANE NORTHWEST UP OVER SCOTLAND,

THEN ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO NEW YORK CITY.

37 MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT, THE PLANE FLIES OVER LOCKERBIE.

IT'S ONE OF SEVERAL SMALL TOWNS IN SCOTLAND

THE PLANE WILL PASS OVER.

MICHAEL GORDON IS CHATTING WITH A FRIEND.

[BOOM]

Michael Gordon: YEAH, HANG ON.

UM, THERE'S SOMETHING ODD OUTSIDE HERE.

I HEARD THIS NOISE, AND THE NOISE SOUNDED LIKE THUNDER,

AND THE NOISE GOT LOUDER AND LOUDER,

AND I COULD HEAR THE NOISE

THEN GOT TO THE STAGE

OF BEING SIMILAR

TO A JET FIGHTER.

AND AT THAT TIME, WE HAD A LOT OF MILITARY AIRCRAFT

PASSING THROUGH THE AREA.

I SAW DARK OBJECTS,

DARK THINGS FALLING FROM THE SKY

AGAINST THE LIGHTS OF LOCKERBIE.

AND THEN I COULD SEE A LONG, THIN BLACK OBJECT,

WHICH HAD A FIRE ON THE UPPER SURFACE, COMING IN,

AND IT WAS MAKING ITS WAY TOWARDS LOCKERBIE.

[CRASH]

[EXPLOSION]

WHEN IT HIT, IT WAS THE MOST HORRENDOUS EXPLOSION.

Narrator: PAN AM FLIGHT 103 HAS FALLEN FROM THE SKY.

LOCKERBIE IS BURNING.

AIR CRASH INVESTIGATORS ARE DISPATCHED TO THE TOWN.

MICK CHARLES IS THE AAIB'S LEAD INSPECTOR.

Mick Charles: ONE OF THE FIRST SITES WE WENT TO

WAS THE SITE OF THE CRATER.

THAT WAS, UH, STILL SMELLING

VERY MUCH OF AVIATION FUEL FOR A START,

AND, UH, SCATTERED ALL AROUND WERE, WERE BITS OF DEBRIS,

AND, IN SOME CASES, HUMAN TISSUE AS WELL.

Narrator: ALL 259 PEOPLE ON THE FLIGHT ARE DEAD.

11 PEOPLE FROM LOCKERBIE HAVE ALSO BEEN KILLED

IN THE DISASTER.

CHARLES IS UNDER INTENSE PRESSURE

TO EXPLAIN WHAT CAUSED THE TRAGEDY.

Charles: YOU'LL BE ORGANIZED INTO GROUPS,

HEADED BY AN AAIB INSPECTOR.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?

THE SOONER WE START, THE BETTER.

IT WAS ALL HEAVING, IT WAS HAPPENING,

THERE WERE LOADS OF PEOPLE,

AND IT WAS, TO SOME EXTENT, CHAOS.

Narrator: BUT FROM THE OUTSET,

THE INVESTIGATION IS WITHOUT LEADS.

THE CRASH OF PAN AM 103 IS A COMPLETE MYSTERY.

♪

Chris Pollard: YOU ALWAYS HAVE THIS,

THIS SENSE OF WANTINGTO GET TO GRIPS WITH WHAT IT IS.

IT WAS QUITE CLEAR THAT WHATEVER IT WAS WAS COLOSSAL.

♪

Narrator: MORE THAN 1,000 POLICE OFFICERS

AND 600 MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY POUR INTO LOCKERBIE TO HELP.

Pollard: AT THE START OF THE INVESTIGATION,

WHAT WE WERE DOING WAS FINDING ALL THE AIRPLANE.

Narrator: FROM THE GROUND,

THE SHEER SCALE OF THE DISASTER IS DIFFICULT TO COMPREHEND.

Charles: CHRIS, THE RAF HAVE OFFERED US A HELICOPTER.

CAN WE USE IT?

Pollard: ABSOLUTELY.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS NEED TO GET A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW

SO THEY CAN LOCATE AND BEGIN TO MAP THE FIELD OF DEBRIS.

WHEN THEY SURVEY THE SITE FROM ABOVE,

THEY'RE SHOCKED BY WHAT THEY FIND.

PIECES OF THE PLANE ARE SCATTERED OVER AN AREA

LARGER THAN ALL OF LONDON.

IT QUICKLY BECOMES CLEAR THAT PAN AM 103 WAS COMING APART

LONG BEFORE IT HIT THE GROUND.

Charles: NORMALLY, YOU'RE SEEING

A FAIRLY CONTAINED ACCIDENT SITE.

IN LOCKERBIE, IT WAS NOTHING LIKE THAT.

THE POLICE HAD IDENTIFIED HALF A DOZEN DISCRETE SITES.

Narrator: A 747 IS MADE UP OF MORE THAN SIX MILLION PARTS.

IN THE MANGLED REMAINS OF THE JET,

INVESTIGATORS NEED TO FIND THE ONE

THAT WILL TELL THEM WHAT HAPPENED.

INSIDE THE PLANE'S SEVERED COCKPIT,

INVESTIGATORS NOTE THE POSITION

OF VARIOUS SWITCHES AND CONTROLS.

THEY FIND THE AUTOPILOT IS ON,

AND THE OXYGEN MASKS ARE STILL STOWED.

Charles: NOTHING AT ALL UNTOWARD FOUND IN THE COCKPIT.

IT WAS...EVERYTHING WAS CONSISTENT WITH CRUISING FLIGHT.

Narrator: WHILE THE PAINSTAKING WORK

OF COLLECTING EVIDENCE CONTINUES,

INVESTIGATORS WONDER IF SABOTAGE COULD BE AT PLAY.

Tom Thurman: CHARLES?

Narrator: TOM THURMAN OF THE FBI

ARRIVES TO HELP THE INVESTIGATION.

IF IT WAS A BOMB,

THERE'S A CHANCE THAT IMPORTANT EVIDENCE CAN BE FOUND.

Thurman: WE WERE LOOKING FOR BLAST DAMAGE

ON THESE PIECES OF METAL,

BUT UNTIL WE FOUND SOMETHING THAT SAID IT WAS A BOMB,

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.

Narrator: ON CHRISTMAS EVE,

JUST THREE DAYS AFTER THE CRASH OF THE PLANE,

THE INVESTIGATION GETS AN ENORMOUS BREAK.

Thurman: MICK CHARLES, HE HAD A BAG

AND HAD A PIECE OF METAL IN THE BAG.

WHAT IS IT?

Charles: WE THINK IT'S A PIECE OF LUGGAGE RAIL.

IT HELPS GUIDE THE CARGO CONTAINERS INTO PLACE.

Narrator: SMALL MARKS ARE IDENTIFIED ON THE METAL,

CRATERS THAT ARE THE TELLTALE SIGNS OF A BOMB.

Thurman: THE HOT GASES OF THE COMBUSTION PROCESS

OF THE EXPLOSION HITS A PIECE OF PARTICULARLY METAL,

AND IT PUTS PITS IN IT, LIKE YOU WOULD TAKE A BLOWTORCH.

Charles: WE WERE VERY SUSPICIOUS THAT IT WAS A BOMB

WHICH HAD CAUSED THIS DESTRUCTION, UM,

BUT WE WERE NOT PREPARED TO SAY ANYTHING

UNTIL WE'D HAD THOSE DETAILS CONFIRMED

BY THE FORENSIC EXPERTS.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS SEND THE LUGGAGE RAIL

TO A BRITISH FORENSICS LAB FOR ANALYSIS.

THE RESULTS ARE CONCLUSIVE.

TRACES OF TWO CHEMICALS USED TO MAKE PLASTIC EXPLOSIVES

ARE FOUND ON THE DEBRIS RECOVERED NEAR LOCKERBIE.

ON DECEMBER THE 28th, JUST SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE CRASH,

AIR CRASH INVESTIGATORS HAVE THEIR PROOF.

Charles: IT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED THAT TWO PARTS

OF THE METAL LUGGAGE PALLET'S FRAMEWORK

SHOW CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE OF A DETONATING HIGH EXPLOSIVE.

Narrator: PAN AM FLIGHT 103 WAS BOMBED.

THE INVESTIGATION TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW URGENCY.

IT FALLS UPON THE FBI TO ANSWER ONE CLEAR QUESTION.

Dick Marquise: OUR MANDATE, UH, WITH REGARD TO LOCKERBIE

WAS FIND OUT WHO DID IT AND PROVE IT, UH,

BECAUSE WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS BRING SOMEONE TO JUSTICE

AND MAKE THEM ANSWER FOR KILLING 270 PEOPLE.

Narrator: THE PAN AM 103 TRAGEDY BECOMES A CRIMINAL CASE,

BUT THE FBI STILL NEEDS THE EXPERTISE OF AAIB INVESTIGATORS

TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY.

FINDING THE BOMB IS ONE THING.

FINDING WHO PLANTED IT IS QUITE ANOTHER.

IT WILL PUSH THE SKILLS OF THE AAIB TEAM TO THE LIMIT.

AAIB ENGINEERS RECONSTRUCT THE HULL

FROM FRAGMENTS OF THE WRECKAGE RETRIEVED FROM THE CRASH SITE.

THEY SOON PINPOINT THE LOCATION OF THE BLAST.

PETER CLAIDEN IS RESPONSIBLE

FOR REASSEMBLING THE CARGO CONTAINERS

THAT WERE DIRECTLY BEHIND THE SHATTER ZONE.

Peter Claiden: THE MAIN GOAL I HAD WAS TO IDENTIFY

THE BAGGAGE CONTAINER THAT CONTAINED THE DEVICE.

Narrator: THE INVESTIGATORS CONCENTRATE

ON THE CARGO CONTAINERS

THAT WERE FOUND IN THE SOUTHERN DEBRIS FIELD,

WRECKAGE THAT WAS EJECTED SHORTLY AFTER THE EXPLOSION.

THE METAL CONTAINER, AVE 4041, IS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST.

IT WAS RESTING IN FRONT OF THE WING,

WHERE THE BLAST DAMAGE IS THE WORST.

Claiden: THE DAMAGE CAUSED TO THE METAL CONTAINER

WAS QUITE SEVERE.

THE DAMAGE TO THE ADJACENT FIBERGLASS CONTAINER,

I THINK YOU MIGHT CALL IT COLLATERAL DAMAGE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CREATE A SIMPLE FRAMEWORK

AND ATTACH THE PIECES OF THE REAL CARGO CONTAINER TO IT.

AS THEY DO IT, IT BECOMES CLEAR.

AVE 4041 CARRIED THE BOMB THAT BROUGHT THE PLANE DOWN.

CLOSELY EXAMINING DAMAGE TO THE FLOOR

AND THE SIDE OF THE CONTAINER, INVESTIGATORS ARE ALSO ABLE

TO PINPOINT THE HEIGHT OF THE BOMB,

WHERE IT WAS IN THE CONTAINER WHEN IT EXPLODED.

Claiden: WHAT THAT SAID TO ME

WAS THAT THE DEVICE WAS PROBABLY IN A SUITCASE,

AND THAT SUITCASE WAS PROBABLY

NOT ON THE FLOOR OF THE CONTAINER.

IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS ONE LEVEL UP.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO LUGGAGE RECORDS,

IT MEANS THE BAG CONTAINING THE BOMB

HAD COME FROM A CONNECTING FLIGHT.

BUT WHOSE SUITCASE WAS IT,

AND AT WHAT POINT WAS IT PUT ON THE PLANE?

INVESTIGATORS HUNT FOR THE SUITCASE

THAT HELD THE BOMB THAT TOOK DOWN PAN AM 103.

STUDYING SMALL PIECES OF WRECKAGE,

BRITISH FORENSIC EXPERTS IDENTIFY THE SUITCASE,

A HARD-SIDED SAMSONITE 4000.

SEVERAL PIECES OF CLOTHING HAVE ALSO BEEN IDENTIFIED

THAT WERE VERY CLOSE TO THE EXPLOSION,

LIKELY IN THE SUITCASE THAT CONCEALED THE BOMB.

MOST OF THESE CLOTHES WERE MADE BY A SINGLE MANUFACTURER

AND WERE ONLY SOLD ON THE TINY ISLAND OF MALTA.

Marquise: SO, MALTA BECAME THE FOCUS OF THE INVESTIGATION

BECAUSE OF THE MANUFACTURE AND EVENTUALLY, UH,

DISTRIBUTION OF SOME OF THE CLOTHING

THAT WAS FOUND AT LOCKERBIE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS FIND THE SHOP IN MALTA

WHERE THE CLOTHES WERE SOLD.

THE OWNER GIVES THEM ANOTHER CLUE.

Marquise: THE KEY THING THAT HE TOLD US

WAS THE PERSON HAD A LIBYAN ACCENT,

SOMETHING WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE EVIDENCE YET

THAT TIED LIBYA TO THE BOMBING.

Narrator: IN 1988, LIBYA WAS REELING

FROM A NUMBER OF CONFRONTATIONS WITH THE AMERICAN MILITARY.

Ronald Reagan: IT WILL NOT SURPRISE ANY OF YOU

TO KNOW THAT IN ADDITION TO IRAN,

WE HAVE IDENTIFIED ANOTHER NATION, LIBYA,

AS DEEPLY INVOLVED IN TERRORISM.

Narrator: THE COUNTRY WAS ISOLATED, AND ITS LEADER,

MUAMMAR KHADDAFFI, AGGRESSIVELY ANTI-AMERICAN.

PERHAPS THE BOMBING OF THE PAN AM FLIGHT

WAS AN ATTACK BY LIBYA AGAINST THE UNITED STATES.

PORING THROUGH BAGGAGE RECORDS FOR THE PAN AM FLIGHT,

POLICE DISCOVER A SUITCASE THAT HAD BEEN CARRIED FROM MALTA

TO FRANKFURT EARLIER THAT DAY.

BAG NUMBER B8849 HAD BEEN SENT THROUGH TO HEATHROW AIRPORT.

IT WAS THEN PLACED ON THE SECOND LEVEL

OF CARGO CONTAINER AVE 4041.

IT WAS THE SAMSONITE CASE

INVESTIGATORS NOW KNOW CARRIED THE BOMB.

MORE THAN A YEAR AFTER THE CRASH,

A NEW DISCOVERY IN LOCKERBIE HELPS INVESTIGATORS.

FORENSIC EXPERTS DISCOVER A CIRCUIT BOARD

AMONG THE CLOTHES THAT CAME FROM MALTA.

Thurman: THIS CIRCUIT BOARD IS HALF THE SIZE OF YOUR THUMBNAIL.

Narrator: THURMAN TAKES THE PHOTO OF THE CIRCUIT BOARD

TO THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY.

Thurman: WAIT A SECOND.

THAT COULD BE THE SAME.

DO YOU HAVE THIS TIMER?

Narrator: SIFTING THROUGH REPORTS ON VARIOUS BOMBINGS,

THURMAN FINDS A MATCH.

Thurman: WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, LITERALLY,

I STARTED GETTING COLD CHILLS.

AND RIGHT NOW AS I TALK ABOUT IT, COLD CHILLS START ON ME,

BECAUSE I CAN, I CAN STILL SEE

THAT MOMENT SO VIVIDLY IN MY MIND

THAT I'M LOOKING AT A CIRCUIT TRACK

THAT'S JUST LIKE WHAT I'M SEEING IN THE PHOTOGRAPH.

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

Narrator: THE TIMER THE CIA HAS

WAS SEIZED IN AFRICA A FEW YEARS EARLIER.

TWO LIBYAN MEN WERE TRYING TO GET IT,

AND SEVERAL POUNDS OF EXPLOSIVES,

PAST AIRPORT SECURITY.

IT'S IDENTICAL TO THE TIMER USED TO BRING DOWN FLIGHT 103.

[EXPLOSION]

Thurman: THIS IS A LONG DELAY TIMER

THAT BROUGHT DOWN THAT AIRCRAFT.

BUT NOW WE WANT TO KNOW, OKAY, WHERE'D THIS COME FROM?

Narrator: IN 1999, 11 YEARS AFTER THE BOMBING,

THEY FINALLY HAVE THE BOMBER.

AT THE TIME OF THE DISASTER,

ABDEL AL-MEGRAHI WAS AN INTELLIGENCE OFFICER

FOR THE LIBYAN GOVERNMENT.

HE'S ARRESTED AND CHARGED.

IN 2001, SCOTTISH JUDGES SENTENCE HIM TO LIFE

FOR THE MURDER OF 270 PEOPLE.

THE HUNT FOR EVIDENCE INVOLVING FBI AGENTS

AND AAIB INVESTIGATORS

BRINGS JUSTICE TO THE CASE.

Marquise: LOCKERBIE WAS A RARE OCCASION

THAT WE FELT HONORED TO BE A PART OF.

EVERYBODY PLAYED SMALL ROLES TO MAKE BIG CONTRIBUTIONS

TO AN OVERALL SUCCESS.

Narrator: WHEN AN AIRLINER BECOMES CRIPPLED

HIGH IN THE SKY...

Burkill: MAYDAY. SPEEDBIRD. SPEEDBIRD.

Narrator: ...WE HEAR STORIES OF HERO PILOTS.

WHEN A PLANE CRASHES,

WE HEAR OF HEROIC RESCUE EFFORTS THAT SAVE LIVES.

BUT THERE ARE OTHER HEROES

AMIDST THE TRAGEDY OF AN AIR DISASTER--

THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO CRACK A CASE AGAINST ALL ODDS

AND WORK TO MAKE SURE IT NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.

Benzon: IF YOU'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A FEW YEARS,

YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE WORK IS,IS PRETTY DARNED IMPORTANT.

YOU CONVINCE YOURSELF THAT YOU ACTUALLY END UP SAVING LIVES.