Original subtitles

Narrator: INTERNATIONAL AIR CRASH INVESTIGATIONS

DEPEND ON TEAMWORK.

Investigator: LET'S SEE WHAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH.

Man: IT DOES NOT ADVANCE SAFETY TO GET THE WRONG CAUSE.

Narrator: SOMETIMES THE INVESTIGATORS DISAGREE.

Man: TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE

LISTENING TO THE SAME VOICE RECORDING

MIGHT COME UP WITH TWO DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS.

Investigator: THEY DIDN'T WANT THE PLANE TO LAND.

Narrator: STAKES RAMP UP WHEN THE VICTIMS ARE HIGH PROFILE.

A CRASH KILLS THE PRESIDENT OF POLAND.

WAS IT SABOTAGE?

Man: CONSPIRACY THEORIES SPRUNG UP IMMEDIATELY.

Man: THEREFORE YOU HAVE NO EVIDENCE OF TERRORISM!

Narrator: ON THE EAST COAST OF CANADA...

First Officer: AIRSPEED!

Narrator: ...U.S. MILITARY PERSONNEL DIE IN A FIERY BLAZE.

Man: CRASH INVESTIGATORS ARE ALWAYS UNDER PRESSURE

TO COME UP WITH AN ANSWER SOONER THAN THEY WOULD LIKE.

Narrator: THE CRASH OF A FLIGHT

CARRYING THE MANCHESTER UNITED SOCCER TEAM...

Captain: CHRIST! WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT!

Narrator: ...SPARKS AN INTERNATIONAL DISPUTE.

Man: IT'S NONSENSE.

Narrator: POLITICAL AND PUBLIC PRESSURES

COMPLICATE THE PROCESS.

Man: THIS INVESTIGATION APPEARS TO INVOLVE A COVER-UP.

Man: FINALLY I HAVE TO DECIDE, WHOSE EXPERTS DO I TRUST?

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!

♪

Narrator: A LIGHT SNOW FALLS ON MUNICH AIRPORT, WEST GERMANY.

A BRITISH EUROPEAN AIRWAYS AIRSPEED AMBASSADOR

WAITS ON THE TARMAC.

THE LUXURIOUS TWIN-ENGINE AIRCRAFT IS ALSO KNOWN

AS THE ELIZABETHAN.

THE CAPTAIN IS 36-YEAR-OLD JAMES THAIN.

HE'S A FORMER RAF PILOT WITH AN IMPECCABLE SERVICE RECORD.

James Thain: HAPPILY.

Narrator: 38-YEAR-OLD CO-PILOT KENNETH RAYMENT

IS A WORLD WAR II ACE.

THEY'RE BRINGING HOME

AN EXTRAORDINARY GROUP OF PASSENGERS,

THE MANCHESTER UNITED SOCCER TEAM.

IN THE 1950s,

THEY ARE SOME OF THE MOST FAMOUS SPORTSMEN ON THE PLANET.

Announcer: ONLY THE DAY BEFORE, THEY HAD MET RED STAR

IN BELGRADE IN THEIR EUROPEAN CUP TIE.

Stephen Morrin: MANCHESTER UNITED IS PROBABLY

THE MOST PREMIER TEAM, MOST FAMOUS TEAM

THIS COUNTRY HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE.

Narrator: HARRY GREGG IS THE TEAM'S STAR GOALKEEPER.

Harry Gregg: WE WERE A YOUNG AND WONDERFUL TEAM,

WHICH I AM VERY PROUD TO HAVE BEEN PART OF.

Narrator: AFTER QUALIFYING FOR THE EUROPEAN CUP SEMIFINAL,

THE 17 PLAYERS ARE AMONG THE 38 PASSENGERS

HEADING BACK TO THE UK.

Thain: MUNICH, 609 ZULU UNIFORM, I AM READY TO TAKE OFF.

Controller: B-LINE 609, UH, YOUR CLEARANCE EXPIRES AT 3-1.

THE TIME NOW IS 3-0.

CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF, RIGHT TURN OUT.

Thain: THANK YOU. ROLLING.

Narrator: WITH THE TEMPERATURE HOVERING

AROUND THE FREEZING MARK AND THE SNOW CONTINUING TO FALL,

THAIN STARTS HIS TAKEOFF RUN.

Controller: FULL POWER.

Thain: FULL POWER.

Gregg: I HAD BEEN READING A BOOK

THAT ONE OF THE LADS HAD PASSED TO ME.

I WAS READING THAT,

AND WE STARTED OFF DOWN THE RUNWAY,

AND I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW.

NO BIG DEAL AT ALL.

Thain: TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES OKAY.

90.

100.

Narrator: THEY'RE NOT GETTING ENOUGH THRUST.

THE PLANE CAN'T TAKE OFF.

Kenneth Rayment: ABANDON TAKEOFF.

Gregg: ALL OF A SUDDEN,

I WATCHED THE WHEELS LOCK AND UNLOCK,

AND THE PLANE STARTED TO SPIN.

WE STOPPED SLIGHTLY SIDE-ON.

Rayment: SORRY ABOUT THAT. ENGINE FLUCTUATING.

Thain: 609, WE ARE ABANDONING THE TAKEOFF.

Controller: TOWER, PLEASE SAY AGAIN.

Thain: WE ARE ABANDONING THE TAKEOFF.

MAY WE BACKTRACK? OVER.

Rayment: ENGINE BOOSTING.

Thain: I WOULD THINK SO, YES.

Morrin: UH, THE PROBLEM WAS A BOOST SURGE,

AND IT HAPPENED WITH THAT PARTICULAR ENGINE

ON THAT PARTICULAR AIRCRAFT.

IT WAS A BRISTOL CENTAURUS ENGINE.

IT WAS PRONE TO DOING THIS,

ESPECIALLY AT AIRPORTS WHICH ARE AT HIGH ALTITUDES,

AND ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WAS

THAT THE THRUSTS SOMETIMES OPENED TOO FAST.

Thain: HI THERE.

WE'VE BEEN GETTING A BOOST SURGE IN THE PORT ENGINE.

Steve Moss: THEY RECEIVED AN EXPLANATION

THAT THIS WAS A FAIRLY COMMON PHENOMENON

WHEN OPERATING THE ELIZABETHAN FROM MUNICH

BECAUSE OF THE HIGH ALTITUDE,

THAT IT WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT

AND THEY WERE GIVEN ADVICE

WHEN ADVANCING THE THROTTLES IF THEY GOT THE SURGING

WAS TO JUST RETARD THE SURGING ENGINE SLIGHTLY, REDUCE POWER,

AND THEN TAKE IT UP AGAIN TO FULL POWER MORE SLOWLY.

Thain: WINGS?

STILL LOOK GOOD.

NO NEED TO DE-ICE.

Narrator: WITH NO CHANGE IN THE WEATHER CONDITIONS,

THAIN AND RAYMENT TRY AGAIN.

Thain: MUNICH TOWER, B-LINE 609 ZULU UNIFORM.

I'M READY TO TAXI. OVER.

Narrator: THE RUNWAY IS OVER A MILE LONG.

EVEN WITH THEIR PLAN FOR A GRADUAL ACCELERATION,

THE ELIZABETHAN SHOULD BE ABLE TO LIFT OFF

JUST PAST THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILE.

Morrin: BOTH ENGINES SOUND AN EVEN NOTE,

AND WE'RE GOING DOWN THE RUNWAY NOW FOR A TAKEOFF.

EVERYTHING SEEMS OKAY.

Thain: 105.

V-1.

Narrator: VELOCITY-ONE IS THE POINT OF NO RETURN.

THE PLANE IS MOVING TOO FAST TO STOP

BUT NOT FAST ENOUGH YET TO TAKE OFF.

Morrin: RAYMENT NOW IS WAITING.

HE'S ANTICIPATING NOW THAIN TO CALL OUT 119 KNOTS,

WHICH IS V-2.

Narrator: AT 119 KNOTS, THE PLANE CAN BECOME AIRBORNE.

BUT SOMETHING GOES WRONG.

THEY SUDDENLY LOSE SPEED.

Thain: CHRIST! WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT!

♪

Gregg: DARKNESS AND DAYLIGHT AND SPARKS AND THUMPS AND SMACKS,

AND YOU CAN'T DESCRIBE IT.

[EXPLOSION]

AND THEN IT WAS JUST COMPLETE AND TOTAL DARKNESS.

I THOUGHT I WAS DEAD.

Narrator: THE ELIZABETHAN HAS CRASHED THROUGH A FENCE,

HITTING A HOUSE AND A FUEL SHED

300 YARDS BEYOND THE END OF THE RUNWAY.

Thain: OUT! EVERYONE OUT! NOW! IT'S GOING TO EXPLODE!

Narrator: COMING TO HIS SENSES,

HARRY GREGG CRAWLS OUT OF THE WRECKAGE.

WITHIN MINUTES OF THE CRASH,

HELP BEGINS TO ARRIVE FROM THE AIRPORT AND NEARBY FARMS.

TWO GERMAN RESCUERS CLIMB UP ON THE WING

AND FREE KENNETH RAYMENT FROM THE WRECKAGE.

HE'S BADLY INJURED.

21 PEOPLE ARE DEAD.

TEN ARE MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYERS AND STAFF.

MANY MORE PASSENGERS ARE GRAVELY INJURED.

MANCHESTER UNITED, ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST SOCCER TEAMS,

IS DEVASTATED.

Gregg: IT WAS A WONDERFUL THING THAT SADLY WENT WRONG.

Narrator: SIX HOURS AFTER THE CRASH,

WITH THE PRESS CONVERGING ON THE SCENE,

GERMANY'S CHIEF ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR,

HANS REICHEL, BEGINS HIS HUNT FOR ANSWERS.

Moss: OF COURSE, UPPERMOST IN HIS MIND

WAS THE POSSIBILITY OF ICE ON THE WINGS,

SO HE WENT LOOKING FOR THAT AND, SURE ENOUGH, HE FOUND IT.

Narrator: ICE ON THE WING WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE PLANE

FROM GAINING ENOUGH LIFT TO GET AIRBORNE AT TAKEOFF SPEED.

Hans Reichel: THE WRECKED AIRCRAFT WAS COVERED

BY A LAYER OF SNOW ABOUT EIGHT CENTIMETERS THICK.

Narrator: REICHEL FINDS THE ONLY SURFACES FREE OF ICE

ARE NEAR THE ENGINES.

HE ASSUMES THE ENTIRE WING WAS COATED IN ICE BEFORE THE CRASH

AND THAT, DURING THE TAKEOFF ATTEMPT,

THE PROPELLERS BLEW AWAY THE ICE BEHIND THEM.

AS THE INVESTIGATION DEVELOPS,

CO-PILOT KEVIN RAYMENT DIES FROM HIS INJURIES...

...LEAVING PILOT JAMES THAIN TO FACE

THE OFFICIAL GERMAN INQUIRY INTO THE CRASH ON HIS OWN.

Reichel: SHALL I BEGIN?

Moss: THE GERMAN INVESTIGATION,

STRAIGHTAWAY IT SEEMED TO BE INTO THIS ADVERSARIAL ROLE

OF SOMEBODY BEING ON TRIAL AND HAVING TO PROVE HIS INNOCENCE.

Narrator: HANS REICHEL DRAWS ON WITNESS TESTIMONY

OF SNOW ON THE WINGS

AND THAIN'S OWN ACCOUNT THAT HE DID NOT DE-ICE.

Thain: AND WINGS?

STILL LOOK GOOD.

NO NEED TO DE-ICE.

Narrator: JAMES THAIN EXPLAINS THAT THE TEMPERATURE

THE AFTERNOON OF THE CRASH

HOVERED AROUND THE FREEZING MARK.

Morrin: THAIN SAW THE WATER

ACTUALLY DRIPPING OFF THE LEADING EDGE,

SO HE KNEW THE SNOW WAS ACTUALLY MELTING,

SO OBVIOUSLY THAT CONVINCED HIM AGAIN

THAT IT JUST DIDN'T REQUIRE DE-ICING.

Narrator: BUT THEN HANS REICHEL

PRESENTS A CONTROVERSIAL PIECE OF EVIDENCE,

A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN THE DAY OF THE CRASH.

Moss: IT APPEARED TO SHOW A WHITE AREA,

UM, ON THE TOP OF THE WINGS,

WHICH CERTAINLY WAS INTERPRETED AS BEING A LAYER OF SNOW OR ICE.

Narrator: EVERY OTHER AIRCRAFT THAT LEFT MUNICH THAT DAY

WAS DE-ICED, BUT NOT THE ELIZABETHAN.

FOR INVESTIGATOR HANS REICHEL, THE CREW'S FAILURE TO DE-ICE

IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.

Reichel: APART FROM THIS ICING,

I COULD FIND NOTHING WHICH MIGHT HAVE BEEN A CAUSE

FOR THE ACCIDENT OR TO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO IT.

[SPEAKING GERMAN]

Narrator: IN MARCH 1959, A YEAR AFTER THE TRAGEDY AT MUNICH,

THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT RELEASES ITS OFFICIAL REPORT.

IT LAYS THE FULL BLAME ON CAPTAIN JAMES THAIN.

Sebuda Thain: ICE.

ICE ON THE WINGS, WHICH THEY SAY WAS THERE BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.

SIMPLE.

Morrin: AND THEY SAID, "CAPTAIN THAIN,

HE'S THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATHS OF 23 PEOPLE

AND DECIMATING THE MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL TEAM."

THAT IS ONE HELL OF A BURDEN TO TAKE ON.

Gregg: HE WAS DEFINITELY BADLY TREATED.

HE WAS MADE THE SCAPEGOAT.

Narrator: BUT CAPTAIN THAIN IS CERTAIN

ICE ON THE WINGS DID NOT CAUSE THE CRASH.

HE LAUNCHES HIS OWN INVESTIGATION.

Sebuda Thain: I CAN REMEMBER MUM AND DAD

SITTING UP FOR ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT TALKING ABOUT THIS

BECAUSE DAD WAS CONVINCED

THAT THERE HAD BEEN SOME EXTERNAL FORCE

THAT HAD AFFECTED THE TAKEOFF RUN.

Narrator: IN 1959,

THERE ARE NO FLIGHT DATA OR COCKPIT VOICE RECORDERS.

THAIN'S CO-PILOT HAS DIED.

NUMEROUS WITNESSES BACK UP

THE OFFICIAL GERMAN REPORT CONDEMNING HIM.

THE ODDS AGAINST THAIN SEEM ABSOLUTELY INSURMOUNTABLE.

BLAMED BY GERMAN AUTHORITIES FOR A TERRIBLE CRASH,

CAPTAIN JAMES THAIN FIGHTS TO CLEAR HIS NAME.

Sebuda Thain: DAD WAS A MAN OF GREAT INTEGRITY AND FORTITUDE,

AND HE WAS DETERMINED THAT HE WOULD MAKE SURE

THAT HE FOUND THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.

Narrator: THAIN SUSPECTS THE REAL CAUSE OF THE CRASH

MIGHT BE SLUSH ON THE RUNWAY.

HE DISCOVERS THAT NINE YEARS EARLIER

A TRANS-CANADA AIRLINES PLANE

FAILED TO TAKE OFF ON A SLUSHY VANCOUVER RUNWAY.

Moss: THEY DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND

THAT AS LITTLE AS FIVE CENTIMETERS OF SLUSH

COULD REALLY ADVERSELY AFFECT

THE AIRCRAFT'S ABILITY TO REACH TAKEOFF SPEED.

♪

Terry Townshend: SO, IMAGINE YOU'RE DRIVING

ON A DRY ROAD DURING THE WINTER

AND YOU SUDDENLY ENTER AN AREA OF SLUSH.

IMMEDIATELY YOU'RE GONNA NOTICE

RESISTANCE ON THE VEHICLE FROM THE SLUSH,

AND THE SAME THING HAPPENS ON THE AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: THAIN BELIEVES OTHER PLANES

DIDN'T HAVE A SLUSH PROBLEM THAT DAY

BECAUSE THEY TOOK OFF ON THE FIRST TWO-THIRDS OF THE RUNWAY.

HE HAD TO ACCELERATE MORE SLOWLY

TO COMPENSATE FOR A BOOST PRESSURE PROBLEM.

BECAUSE OF THIS,

THE PLANE REACHED THE UNUSED PART OF THE RUNWAY

WITH DEEP SLUSH.

Townshend: IT TAKES MORE POWER TO OVERCOME THAT SLUSH.

Narrator: IN THE COURSE OF THAIN'S RESEARCH,

BURIED EVIDENCE COMES TO LIGHT.

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS FROM THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS

ALSO SUPPORT THE SLUSH THEORY.

Controller: B-LINE 609,

UH, YOUR CLEARANCE EXPIRES AT 3-1.

THE TIME NOW IS 3-0.

Moss: THE MOST CRUCIAL EYEWITNESSES

SAW THE AIRCRAFT START THE TAKEOFF RUN AS NORMAL.

ABOUT HALFWAY DOWN THE RUNWAY, THEY SAW THE NOSE LIFT,

WHICH WOULD BE STANDARD PROCEDURE,

BUT THEN, UNUSUALLY, THEY SAW IT GO BACK DOWN ONTO THE RUNWAY,

WHICH, OF COURSE, SHOULD NOT HAPPEN.

Narrator: THEN CAPTAIN THAIN UNCOVERS ANOTHER SHOCKING LAPSE.

Thain: WE QUITE FORTUITOUSLY CAME ACROSS A WITNESS

WHO HAD MADE AN INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE

IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ACCIDENT.

Narrator: KARL HEINZ SEFFER WAS AMONG THE FIRST AT THE SCENE.

HE SAYS HE SAW NO ICE ON THE WINGS.

Thain: BUT WHEN THIS REPORT WAS READ OUT

TO THE FIRST GERMAN COMMISSION, ONLY PART OF IT WAS READ OUT.

THAT PART WHICH INCLUDED THE EVIDENCE

THAT HE COULDN'T FIND ANY ICE WAS LEFT OUT.

Narrator: THAIN SUBMITS THE NEW EVIDENCE

TO THE GERMAN AUTHORITIES,

BUT THEY REFUSE TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION.

Reichel: IT'S NONSENSE.

Narrator: IN 1961, BEA OFFICIALLY FIRES THAIN.

Sebuda Thain: WELL, THEY SACKED HIM,

AND HE WAS DEVASTATED BY THIS.

Narrator: THAIN BECOMES MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER

TO CLEAR HIS NAME.

HE APPEALS TO THE GERMAN AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS

TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION.

IN 1965, THE GERMANS AGREE.

Thain: THIS IS THE, UH, REPORT HERE

THAT I GAVE TO THE GERMAN AUTHORITIES.

WELL, THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

THE AIRCRAFT RAN INTO A POOL OF SLUSH AND/OR WATER

DURING THE TAKEOFF RUN.

Sebuda Thain: INITIALLY WITH THE SECOND GERMAN INQUIRY,

IT WAS FELT THAT, YES, THERE COULD BE A GLIMMER OF HOPE.

Narrator: BUT ONCE AGAIN,

THE GERMANS DISCOUNT THAIN'S SLUSH THEORY

AND TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CRASH.

THAIN'S HOPES FOR VINDICATION SEEM CRUSHED FOREVER.

THEN, IN 1967, PRIME MINISTER HAROLD WILSON

SETS OFF A MEDIA FRENZY WHEN HE SAYS HE BELIEVES

JAMES THAIN WAS A VICTIM OF INJUSTICE.

IN 1968, BRITISH INVESTIGATORS RE-OPEN THE CASE

AND CHALLENGE THE GERMAN CONCLUSION.

A PHOTOGRAPH THE GERMANS CLAIMED SHOWED ICE ON THE WINGS

IS EXAMINED BY THE BRITISH TEAM.

Sebuda Thain: A NEW PICTURE WAS TAKEN

FROM THE ORIGINAL NEGATIVE,

WHICH SHOWED CLEARLY THE MARKINGS ON THE AIRCRAFT,

SO THERE COULDN'T HAVE BEEN ICE.

Narrator: BRITISH THINKING IS BACKED UP BY A STAR WITNESS--

REINHARDT MEYER, A PILOT WHO WAS FIRST ON THE SCENE OF THE CRASH.

Morrin: IT TURNED OUT WHEN HE WAS CALLED TO GIVE EVIDENCE,

UH, HE SAID, WELL, I SPOKE TO REICHEL PERSONALLY FACE TO FACE

AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED, THAT I'D GONE TO THE AIRCRAFT.

I'D LOOKED FOR ICE IMMEDIATELY AFTER,

WITHIN MINUTES OF THE CRASH, AND I FOUND NO ICE,

JUST MELTING SNOW ONLY, AND THAT WAS IT.

SO, EVERYONE WAS ASTONISHED AT THIS.

Narrator: REICHEL HAS NO EXPLANATION

FOR THE GLARING OMISSION.

Morrin: SLUSH ON THE RUNWAY

IS GOING TO BE THE GERMAN AIRPORT AUTHORITY'S FAULT,

AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO ACCEPT THAT.

Narrator: IN MARCH 1969...

Thain: GOOD NEWS.

Narrator: ...THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT

ACCEPTS THE SLUSH THEORY

AND FORMALLY CLEARS JAMES THAIN.

Thain: WELL, OF COURSE, MY FAMILY ARE VERY PLEASED, INDEED.

Narrator: BUT BEA DOES NOT GIVE HIM HIS JOB BACK.

CAPTAIN THAIN NEVER FLIES AGAIN.

IN GERMANY, HANS REICHEL AND THE AVIATION AUTHORITIES

NEVER EXONERATE HIM.

Sebuda Thain: I THINK THERE WAS A HUGE AMOUNT

OF STRESS AND STRAIN AND TENSION,

AND HE DIED A YOUNG MAN.

HE WAS 54.

Narrator: THAIN'S REFUSAL TO ACCEPT A FLAWED REPORT

EVENTUALLY LED TO A GREATER UNDERSTANDING

OF THE DEADLY EFFECTS OF SLUSH ON RUNWAYS.

Moss: THE PROBLEM IS TACKLED NOW,

AND I WOULD SUGGEST IT WAS PROBABLY A DIRECT RESULT

OF, UH, THE MUNICH ACCIDENT.

AIRPORT AUTHORITIES APPROACH THE PROBLEM VERY, VERY DIFFERENTLY.

John Griffin: WATCH THE TREES!

Narrator: WHEN A PLANE CARRYING U.S. SOLDIERS CRASHES IN CANADA,

INVESTIGATORS ARGUE OVER THE CAUSE.

WAS IT BAD WEATHER, OR WERE TERRORIST FORCES AT WORK?

David McNair: THEREFORE YOU HAVE NO EVIDENCE OF TERRORISM.

THIS PROVES NOTHING.

♪

Narrator: ARROW AIR FLIGHT 1285IS NEARING THE END

OF A 6,200-MILE JOURNEYFROM EGYPT TO THE UNITED STATES.

ON BOARD ARE 8 CREW MEMBERS AND 248 PASSENGERS.

MOST OF THEM ARE U.S. SOLDIERS

WITH THE FAMED 101st AIRBORNE DIVISION,

THE SCREAMING EAGLES.

THE SOLDIERS HAVE BEEN ON A PEACEKEEPING MISSION

IN THE SINAI FOR FIVE AND A HALF MONTHS.

THEY'RE HEADING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

THE MILITARY HAS HIRED

THE CIVILIAN CHARTER CARRIER ARROW AIR

TO TAKE THE SOLDIERS TO FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY.

THE DOUGLAS DC-8 LANDS TO REFUEL IN BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES

AT GANDER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA.

Griffin: OKAY, GUYS.

I'D LIKE TO BE REFUELED, CHECKED,

AND WHEELS UP IN 90 MINUTES.

John Connelly: ROGER THAT.

Narrator: CAPTAIN JOHN GRIFFIN HAS BEEN AN ARROW AIR PILOT

FOR FOUR YEARS.

FIRST OFFICER JOHN CONNELLY WILL BE AT THE CONTROLS

WHEN FLIGHT 1285 LEAVES GANDER.

Connelly: WE'RE GOOD TO GO.

Controller: BIG A 9-5-0, YOU ARE CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF.

Narrator: WITH LIGHT SNOW COMING DOWN,

THE DC-8 ACCELERATES TO TAKEOFF SPEED.

Griffin: 80 KNOTS.

Connelly: CHECK.

Griffin: V-1.

ROTATE.

Narrator: ARROW AIR 1285 LIFTS OFF FROM GANDER AIRPORT

AT 6:46 A.M.,

BUT JUST SECONDS LATER...

Connelly: SHE'S FLYING LIKE A PIG.

Griffin: WATCH YOUR ALTITUDE! PULL UP.

Connelly: COME ON, AIRSPEED!

AIRSPEED!

Griffin: WATCH THE TREES!

[SCREAMING]

[SCREAMING]

[EXPLOSION]

Narrator: THE CRASH HAS CLAIMED THE LIVES

OF ALL 256 PEOPLE ON BOARD.

INVESTIGATORS DAVID McNAIR AND PETER BOAG

OF THE CANADIAN AVIATION SAFETY BOARD, OR CASB,

ARRIVE TO A SCENE OF COMPLETE DEVASTATION.

McNair: THE SIGHTS AND SMELLS, IT'S ALWAYS UNPLEASANT,

BUT YOU JUST HAVE TO, YOU HAVE TO DO IT.

IT'S PART OF YOUR JOB.

Narrator: THEY WONDER IF THE WEATHER PLAYED A PART

IN THE CRASH.

McNair: DURING THE TIME, THE FORECAST WAS FOR ICING.

Narrator: THEY DISCOVER THAT

DESPITE THE FREEZING TEMPERATURES...

McNair: DID YOU SEE THE FLIGHT ENGINEER INSPECT THE AIRCRAFT?

Narrator: ...THE CREW OF FLIGHT 1285 HAD NOT DE-ICED THE WINGS

BEFORE TAKING OFF.

COULD ICE HAVE CAUSED THE CRASH?

Peter Boag: HEY, THERE WERE TWO OTHER TAKEOFFS THIS MORNING.

ONE DE-ICED, ONE DIDN'T.

McNair: AND THEY TOOK OFF WITHIN TWO HOURS OF EACH OTHER.

Narrator: AT THIS POINT, IT'S HARD TO SAY

WHETHER ICE PLAYED ANY ROLE IN THIS CRASH.

INVESTIGATORS TURN TO THE PLANE'S BLACK BOXES FOR ANSWERS,

BUT THEY HIT A DEAD END.

THE COCKPIT RECORDER WAS MALFUNCTIONING

AND FAILED TO RECORD THE CREW'S CONVERSATIONS.

McNair: WITH THE ABSENCE OF COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER,

WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE CREW WAS DOING

OR WHAT THEY WERE FACING.

Narrator: THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER IS AN OLD DESIGN

PROVIDING LITTLE INFORMATION.

McNair: THE RECORDER FOR THE ARROW AIR ACCIDENT

WAS EXTREMELY LIMITED.

WE WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE FIRST OF ALL, SPEED,

A LITTLE BIT OF ALTITUDE, AND HEADING OF THE AIRCRAFT.

THERE WAS NO INDICATION ON THERE OF ENGINE POWER,

BANK ANGLE, UH, PITCH ANGLE.

Narrator: THEN, WITH THE INVESTIGATION ONLY HOURS OLD,

IT TAKES A DRASTIC TURN.

AN OVERSEAS U.S. CONSULATE

RECEIVES WORD FROM A TERRORIST GROUP

CLAIMING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CRASH.

DID A BOMB TAKE DOWN FLIGHT 1285?

A ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE FORENSICS LAB

TESTS PIECES OF THE WRECKAGE FOR BOMB RESIDUE.

THEY FIND NO TRACES.

THE TEAM ALSO SEARCHES FOR ANY FALLEN DEBRIS

BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND THE POINT OF IMPACT.

McNair: IF THE AIRCRAFT HAD EXPLODED

BEFORE IT HIT THE TREES,

ONE WOULD EXPECT SOMETHING WOULD COME OFF THE AIRCRAFT,

AND WE WOULD HAVE FOUND IT.

WE DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING, NOTHING AT ALL.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS DISMISS THE TERRORISM ANGLE

AND TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE FLIGHT DATA.

SOMETHING UNUSUAL CATCHES THEIR EYE.

LIFTOFF HAPPENED 1,000 FEET, OR 4 SECONDS,

AFTER IT SHOULD HAVE.

McNair: 4,300 FEET, 100 KNOTS.

6,300 FEET, 144 KNOTS.

Boag: THEY SHOULD BE LIFTING OFF NOW.

McNair: 167 KNOTS.

Boag: AN EXTRA THOUSAND FEET TO GET OFF THE GROUND.

McNair: WHY'D IT TAKE THEM SO LONG?

Narrator: WHAT DELAYED THE LIFTOFF?

Griffin: V-1.

Narrator: WAS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE PLANE?

Griffin: ROTATE.

Narrator: OR ARE THE INVESTIGATORS

LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE?

DETERMINED TO FIND OUT

WHY ARROW AIR 1285 WAS SO SLOW TO TAKE OFF,

INVESTIGATORS TURN THEIR ATTENTION

TO THE WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT.

Griffin: IT'S 101,000 POUNDS FOR FUEL.

PASSENGERS AND CARGO UNCHANGED.

Narrator: THE CREW HAD CALCULATED

THAT EACH PASSENGER PLUS THEIR BAGGAGE

WOULD WEIGH 170 POUNDS,

BUT THIS WAS NO COMMERCIAL FLIGHT.

ALL 256 PASSENGERS WERE ADULTS,

ALMOST ALL OF THEM LARGE MEN HAULING MILITARY GEAR.

McNair: WE ESTIMATED THAT THE MORE REALISTIC WEIGHT

WOULD HAVE BEEN 220 POUNDS PER PASSENGER.

THAT INCLUDES THE PASSENGER, EVERYTHING THEY WERE CARRYING,

AND, UH, AND THE EQUIPMENT THEY HAD.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS ESTIMATE THE WEIGHT

AT MORE THAN 54,000 POUNDS.

THAT'S 12,000 POUNDS HEAVIER

THAN THE WEIGHT RECORDED ON THE LOAD SHEET.

McNair: IT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE.

Narrator: BUT THIS PLANE HAD BEEN FLYING

WITH THAT WEIGHT ALL NIGHT, TAKING OFF FROM CAIRO,

THEN FROM COLOGNE WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS.

WHAT WAS IT ABOUT GANDER THAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE?

McNair: OKAY. THIS HAS TO BE IT.

ICE AND WEIGHT.

WHY DIDN'T IT FLY? WE HAD TWO POWERFUL REASONS.

ONE WAS WEIGHT.

THE OTHER WAS EVEN PROBABLY MORE POWERFUL

IS A SMALL AMOUNT OF ICE CONTAMINATION ON THE AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CAN ONLY THEORIZE.

NO ONE IN GANDER SAW THE ICE ON THE WINGS.

THAT'S ONE PROBLEM.

BUT NOW THEY MUST CONFRONT ANOTHER.

SOME COLLEAGUES AT THE CANADIAN AIR SAFETY BOARD

ARE RAISING SERIOUS DOUBTS ABOUT THE FINDINGS.

ONE OF THOSE WITH QUESTIONS

IS BOARD MEMBER AND AVIATION EXPERT LES FILOTAS.

Les Filotas: THEY SAID THE AIRCRAFT,

I BELIEVE THAT THE EXACT PHRASE WAS

"DESTROYED BY A FUEL-FED FIRE."

[EXPLOSION]

THE EARLY REPORTS, EVERYBODY WHO WAS AROUND THERE

MENTIONED THE MASSIVE EXPLOSION AND THE MUSHROOM CLOUD.

Narrator: FILOTAS JOINS THOSE SPECULATING

THAT ARROW AIR FLIGHT 1285 WAS THE VICTIM OF A TERRORIST PLOT.

FILOTAS POINTS TO PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE TO BOLSTER HIS CASE.

Filotas: MANY PHOTOS THAT SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT, UH,

THERE WAS SOME KIND OF AN EXPLOSION ON BOARD.

Narrator: ANOTHER KEY PIECE OF INFORMATION FOR FILOTAS

COMES FROM AUTOPSIES OF SOME OF THE VICTIMS

THAT INDICATE THERE WERE EXTREMELY HIGH LEVELS

OF CARBON MONOXIDE IN THEIR BLOOD.

Filotas: SO, IF THEY HAVE

COMBUSTION PRODUCTS IN THEIR LUNGS,

THE NATURAL INFERENCE IS THAT THEY MUST HAVE

BREATHED IN SOME COMBUSTION PRODUCTS BEFORE THE CRASH.

Griffin: WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?

SMOKE!

SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT! SMOKE!

Narrator: BUT THE LEAD INVESTIGATORS

DISMISS THE SABOTAGE THEORIES.

THE EXTREME INTENSITY OF THE FIRE

COULD HAVE CAUSED THE ABNORMALLY HIGH LEVEL OF CARBON MONOXIDE

IN THE VICTIMS' BLOOD.

McNair: IT'S GOT NOTHING.

WE HAD NO INDICATION THAT TERRORISM WAS A PLAYER,

BUT WE DID HAVE A LOT OF INDICATION

THAT THERE WAS AN AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE PROBLEM

AND THERE WERE ICING PROBLEMS.

AS PART OF THE INVESTIGATION,

WE DID A LOT OF RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF ICE ON AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: USING A WIND TUNNEL,

INVESTIGATORS SPRAY A WING WITH ICE

TO SEE HOW THAT AFFECTS THE LIFT.

THE RESULTS ARE STARTLING.

McNair: JUST A SMALL AMOUNT, SAY THE SIZE OF SOME SANDPAPER,

IF THAT'S THE TYPE OF SURFACE YOU HAVE,

IT CAN SERIOUSLY DEGRADE A LARGE AIRCRAFT.

THAT WAS A SURPRISE TO ME.

Griffin: WATCH YOUR ALTITUDE. PULL UP.

Connelly: COME ON, AIRSPEED.

AIRSPEED!

McNair: IF YOU TAKE ONE OF THE FACTORS OUT,

IF YOU TAKE THE ICE OUT AND HAVE THE SAME WEIGHT,

MAYBE YOU DON'T HAVE THE ACCIDENT.

IF YOU TAKE OUT THE HEAVY WEIGHT AND STILL HAVE THE ICING,

MAYBE YOU WON'T HAVE THE ACCIDENT,

BUT IF YOU HAVE THEM COMBINED TOGETHER, YOU HAVE THE ACCIDENT.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE THEY HAVE A CONVINCING REPORT

THAT EXPLAINS THE COMPLEX CAUSE OF THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 1285.

McNAIR: ICE AND WEIGHT.

Narrator: BUT FOUR OF THE NINE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD

DISAGREE WITH THE REPORT'S CONCLUSION.

THE DISSENTERS TAKE THE UNPRECEDENTED STEP

OF RELEASING THEIR OWN MINORITY REPORT,

CITING AN ONBOARD EXPLOSION AS THE CAUSE.

Filotas: IT'S IMPOSSIBLE THAT ICE WOULD HAVE BEEN A FACTOR.

IT DOES NOT ADVANCE SAFETY

TO GET THE WRONG CAUSE OF AN ACCIDENT.

McNair: THE FACT THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF CONTROVERSY

AROUND THIS INVESTIGATION WAS VERY UNFORTUNATE

BECAUSE BASICALLY IT TOOK AWAY FROM THE SAFETY MESSAGE.

A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE A HARD TIME BELIEVING

THAT A LITTLE TINY BIT OF ICE ON A LARGE WING

WILL HAVE A BIG EFFECT, BUT IT DOES.

Narrator: THE OFFICIAL REPORT STILL STANDS,

BUT TO THIS DAY,

THE TWO SIDES DISAGREE ABOUT THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH.

Wesley Wark: IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, OF COURSE,

WHAT WE HAD WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY OUTCOME,

WHERE YOU HAVE A MAJORITY AND A MINORITY REPORT

WHICH ARE DEEPLY DIVERGENT,

WHICH RAISE VERY DIFFERENT KINDSOF PICTURES

ABOUT WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THIS CRASH WOULD BE.

Narrator: IT'S LIKELY THE CONTROVERSY

WILL NEVER BE RESOLVED.

Phil Derner: I THINK THAT IF

THERE IS A DEBATE, THERE IS

ALWAYS GOING TO BE A DEBATE.

A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT

QUESTION A LOT OF THESE THEORIES

WILL NEVER ULTIMATELY BE SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS.

Arkadiusz Protasiuk: CONTINUING OUR APPROACH.

IF WE'RE UNSUCCESSFUL, WE'LL GO AROUND ON AUTOPILOT.

Narrator: SOMETIMES, THE IMMEDIATE CAUSE OF A CRASH

IS NOT THE ONLY THING IN DISPUTE.

Todd Curtis: THE PILOT MADE

DECISIONS OR TOOK ACTIONS

BASED ON A LOT OF OTHER

THINGS THAT HAPPENED.

Controller: I JUST DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BRING HIM IN.

IT MAKES NO SENSE RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: IT BECOMES A QUESTION OF WHO IS ULTIMATELY TO BLAME?

Curtis: AND TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE

LISTENING TO THE SAME VOICE RECORDING

MIGHT COME UP WITH TWO DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS.

Investigator: THEY DIDN'T WANT THE PLANE TO LAND.

FLYING FROM POLAND TO RUSSIA,

POLISH AIR FORCE FLIGHT 101 IS CARRYING 89 PASSENGERS,

INCLUDING POLISH PRESIDENT LECH KACZYNSKI.

THE PASSENGERS ARE ON THEIR WAY

TO MARK A GRIM AND CONTROVERSIAL EVENT.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Jerzy Miller, translated: THIS ANNIVERSARY WAS

ON APRIL THE 10th.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

IT WAS A GREAT POLISH TRAGEDY--

THE MURDER OF POLISH SOLDIERS IN WORLD WAR II BY STALIN.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Narrator: IN 1940, STALINIST FORCES

MARCHED 22,000 POLISH OFFICERS AND INTELLECTUALS

INTO RUSSIA'S KATYN FOREST TO BE EXECUTED.

Konstanty Gebert: FOR THE FIRST TIME,

THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT WAS ACKNOWLEDGING

THE CRIME COMMITTED

AND THE PAIN THAT THE POLES STILL FEEL FOR THAT CRIME.

Narrator: BY VISITING A MEMORIAL NEAR THE SITE OF THE MASSACRE,

THE POLISH PRESIDENT IS TAKING AN IMPORTANT STEP

TOWARDS RECONCILIATION.

A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY LIES ON THE SHOULDERS

OF CAPTAIN ARKADIUSZ PROTASIUK

AND HIS CREW OF ELITE MILITARY AIRMEN

FROM POLAND'S SPECIAL AVIATION REGIMENT.

THEY'RE FLYING A TUPOLEV TU-154M,

AN EXTREMELY POPULAR RUSSIAN-BUILT PLANE.

Protasiuk: THROTTLE DOWN.

Narrator: ONE HOUR INTO THEIR FLIGHT FROM WARSAW,

JUST AFTER 10:00,

THE PLANE BEGINS TO DESCEND TO SMOLENSK, RUSSIA.

Protasiuk: POLISH 101.

GOOD MORNING.

Controller: POLISH 101, ACKNOWLEDGE.

POLISH AIR FORCE, WE HAVE FOG.

VISIBILITY IS 400 METERS.

Protasiuk: UNDERSTOOD.

POLISH AIR FORCE 101.

HEAVY FOG. VISIBILITY'S ONLY 400 METERS.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Sergey Yakimov, translated: THE FOG WAS SO DENSE,

NOTHING WAS VISIBLE.

YOU COULDN'T SEE YOUR HAND IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE

OR THE PERSON STANDING NEXT TO YOU.

Narrator: SMOLENSK AIR BASE DOESN'T HAVE THE EQUIPMENT

NEEDED FOR A RADIO-GUIDED LANDING.

THE PILOTS WILL FIRST HAVE TO DESCEND TO 300 FEET,

THEN LOOK FOR THE RUNWAY.

ONCE THEY SPOT IT, THEY WILL HAVE TO LAND MANUALLY.

CAPTAIN PROTASIUK TAKES HIS PLANE LOWER

TO GET A FIRSTHAND LOOK AT THE LANDING CONDITIONS.

BUT AS THEY GET CLOSER, THE FOG GETS EVEN THICKER.

Controller: APPROACHING OUTER MARKER.

ON COURSE AND ON GLIDE SLOPE.

Narrator: AS THEY DESCEND,

SUDDENLY A GROUND WARNING SOUNDS.

Computer: TERRAIN. TERRAIN. PULL UP.

Navigator: 100 METERS.

Computer: TERRAIN. PULL UP.

Navigator: 90 METERS.

Computer: PULL UP.

Narrator: THE CAPTAIN DECIDES TO ABORT THE LANDING.

Navigator: 40.

Narrator: HE NEEDS TO CLIMB, BUT IT'S A STRUGGLE.

Navigator: 20.

♪

Narrator: NO ONE ON BOARD FLIGHT 101 HAS SURVIVED.

ONE OF THE DARKEST DAYS IN POLISH HISTORY,

A DAY THAT WAS TO HAVE BEEN COMMEMORATED

BY THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF,

WILL NOW BE REMEMBERED FOR YET ANOTHER TRAGEDY.

NEWS OF THE POLISH PRESIDENT'S DEATH ON RUSSIAN SOIL

STUNS ALL OF POLAND.

Gebert: BECAUSE OF THE DEEPLY HOSTILE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN POLAND AND RUSSIA,

CONSPIRACY THEORIES SPRUNG UP IMMEDIATELY.

Narrator: MANY POLES ARE CONVINCED

THE WORLD HAS JUST WITNESSED AN ASSASSINATION,

A TARGETED KILLING ORCHESTRATED

BY PRESIDENT KACZYNSKI'S POLITICAL ADVERSARIES.

RUSSIAN AIR ACCIDENT INVESTIGATORS

ARRIVE AT THE CRASH SITE.

THEY ARE MEMBERS OF THE INTERSTATE AVIATION COMMITTEE,

KNOWN AS THE MAK.

Investigator: WE NEED TO MAP EVERY QUADRANT.

Gebert: IT'S NOT EVERY DAY

THAT THEY HAVE TO INVESTIGATE A PLANE CRASH

AND IT'S A MATTER OF TOP POLITICAL IMPORTANCE.

Narrator: AT THE CRASH SITE,

THE EVIDENCE IS POINTING IN A DIRECTION

THAT WILL NOT SIT WELL WITH THE POLES.

Investigator: WHY WOULD THEY EVEN TRY TO LAND IN THIS FOG?

Narrator: SOME CLAIM THE POLISH PILOTS SHOULD NOT HAVE TRIED

TO LAND IN THE HEAVY FOG.

THE SUGGESTION RAISES ANGER IN POLAND.

Gebert: FOR THE PARTISANS OF THE CONSPIRACY THEORY,

IT WAS JUST ANOTHER RUSSIAN WHITEWASH.

Narrator: THE POLISH GOVERNMENT SENDS THEIR OWN INVESTIGATORS

TO WORK ALONGSIDE THE RUSSIANS.

Polish Investigator: WHAT HAVE YOU GOT SO FAR?

Narrator: THEY LAUNCH A PAINSTAKING SEARCH

FOR ANY EVIDENCE THAT THE FLIGHT

MAY HAVE BEEN BROUGHT DOWN BY ASSASSINS.

CAREFUL ANALYSIS BY RUSSIAN AND POLISH EXPERTS COMES UP EMPTY.

THEY FIND NO EXPLOSIVE RESIDUE ON THE WRECKAGE

AND NO SIGN THAT THE PLANE WAS SHOT DOWN.

FOR NOW, INVESTIGATORS ON BOTH SIDES AGREE--

THE CRASH IS A TRAGIC ACCIDENT, NOT A POLITICAL ASSASSINATION.

BUT WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE ACCIDENT?

INVESTIGATORS EXAMINE THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER

TO SEARCH FOR ANY SIGN OF ONBOARD MECHANICAL FAILURE.

Russian Investigator: IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYTHING WAS FUNCTIONING.

Narrator: FLIGHT DATA CONFIRMS

THAT UNTIL THE MOMENT THE PLANE STRUCK THE FIRST TREE,

THERE WAS NO MALFUNCTION WHATSOEVER.

Russian Investigator: WE'LL SEND YOU A COPY OF THE DATA.

Narrator: IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE THE INITIAL SPECULATION

FROM THE RUSSIAN TEAM IS TRUE.

Protasiuk: HEAVY FOG, VISIBILITY IS ONLY 400 METERS.

Narrator: THE POLISH PILOTS MAY BE AT FAULT.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Miller: ONLY BY COMBINING ALL THE PARAMETERS

COULD WE ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.

DID THE CREW FOLLOW PROCEDURES?

WAS THE PLANE WORKING PROPERLY TO THE END?

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Narrator: BOTH TEAMS TURN THEIR ATTENTION

TO THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER.

Protasiuk: MR. DIRECTOR, FOG HAS ROLLED IN,

AND THE CONDITIONS WE HAVE RIGHT NOW,

WE'LL NOT BE ABLE TO LAND.

Russian Investigator: WHO IS HE TALKING TO?

Narrator: IT'S DEFINITELY NOT A CREW MEMBER.

Protasiuk: MR. DIRECTOR, THE FOG HAS ROLLED IN.

THE CONDITIONS WE HAVE RIGHT NOW,

WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LAND.

WE'LL MAKE AN ATTEMPT, BUT IT PROBABLY WON'T WORK.

Mariusz Kazana: THEN WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

Narrator: POLISH INVESTIGATORS RECOGNIZE

THE VOICE IN THE COCKPIT.

Polish Investigator: IT SOUNDS LIKE KAZANA,

THE DIRECTOR OF PROTOCOL.

Russian Investigator: WHAT HE IS DOING IN THE COCKPIT?

Narrator: PROTOCOL DIRECTOR MARIUSZ KAZANA NEEDS TO KNOW

IF THE PLANE WILL LAND ON TIME.

Kazana: SIR, I HAVE SOME NEWS FROM THE COCKPIT.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Wieslaw Jedynak, translated: WE COULD HEAR VOICES OF PEOPLE

WHO WERE DEFINITELY NOT CREW MEMBERS,

AND THIS MEANT THAT THE COCKPITWAS ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE

WHO WERE NOT PART OF THE FLIGHT CREW.

Narrator: SAFETY RULES FORBID VISITORS IN THE COCKPIT

AT KEY POINTS IN THE FLIGHT.

Jedynak: THERE'S A RULE THAT BELOW A CERTAIN ALTITUDE,

PILOTS SHOULD BE ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF THE PLANE

SO THEY CAN CONCENTRATE ON THEIR TASKS.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Narrator: IT NOW APPEARS THE PRESENCE

OF SO MANY TOP OFFICIALS ON BOARD

INFLUENCED THE DECISION TO LAND.

Maciej Lasek, translated: WE DESCRIBE IT

AS INDIRECT PRESSURE,

THE PRESSURE RESULTING FROM THE WEIGHT OF THE TASK

AND THE MISSION THE AIRCREW WAS COMPLETING.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Protasiuk: MR. DIRECTOR, THE FOG HAS ROLLED IN.

WE'LL MAKE AN ATTEMPT, BUT IT PROBABLY WON'T WORK.

Narrator: THOUGH PROTASIUK KNEW THE LANDING WAS RISKY,

HE MAY HAVE WANTED TO SHOW HIS PASSENGERS

THAT HE WAS WILLING TO TRY.

NO ONE WANTS TO DISAPPOINT A PRESIDENT.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Lasek: TO BE CLEAR, THIS PERSON DID NOT GIVE ANY INSTRUCTIONS,

BUT JUST HIS PRESENCE IN THE COCKPIT

INTERRUPTED THE WORK FLOW,

THE DECISION-MAKING, AND COMMUNICATION AMONG THE CREW.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Controller: TURN ON YOUR LANDING LIGHTS.

Protasiuk: LIGHTS ON.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS UNCOVER ANOTHER PUZZLING MOMENT

IN THE COCKPIT.

Computer: TERRAIN. PULL UP.

Narrator: THEY HEAR A WARNING

THAT THE PLANE IS DANGEROUSLY LOW,

BUT, STRANGELY, THE PILOTS DON'T SEEM TO REACT TO IT.

Protasiuk: YOU CAN'T SEE A THING.

Computer: TERRAIN. TERRAIN.

Polish Investigator: WHY AREN'T THEY CONCERNED

ABOUT THEIR ALTITUDE?

Russian Investigator: THEY SHOULD BE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS COMPARE THE PLANE'S INTENDED FLIGHT PATH

TO THE ALTITUDES CALLED OUT BY THE NAVIGATOR.

Computer: TERRAIN. PULL UP.

Navigator: 40.

30.

20.

Computer: TERRAIN.

Russian Investigator: STOP.

Navigator: 40.

Narrator: JUST AFTER THE NAVIGATOR CALLS OUT 20 METERS...

Navigator: 20.

[CRASH]

Narrator: ...THE UNMISTAKABLE SOUND

OF THE PLANE HITTING THE FIRST TREE.

Russian Investigator: 20 METERS?

Polish Investigator: THEY HIT THE TREE AT 11 METERS, NOT 20.

Narrator: SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT.

THE NAVIGATOR IS CALLING OUT 20 METERS,

BUT THE PLANE IS ONLY 11 METERS FROM THE GROUND.

Russian Investigator: THEY DIDN'T KNOW THEIR ALTITUDE.

Narrator: WHY DIDN'T THE CREW KNOW HOW LOW THEY WERE FLYING?

POLISH INVESTIGATORS WONDER

IF THERE WAS AN ALTIMETER MALFUNCTION ON FLIGHT 101.

Polish Investigator: WHAT HAPPENS HERE?

Narrator: WHAT THEY DISCOVER IS SHOCKING.

Russian Investigator: SOMEONE RESET THE ALTIMETER.

Narrator: ONE OF THE ALTIMETERS WAS RESET

AND WOULD NOW GIVE INCORRECT ALTITUDE READINGS.

♪

Polish Investigator: WHY WOULD A PILOT DO THAT?

Narrator: POLISH INVESTIGATORS TAKE THEIR QUESTIONS TO PILOTS

FROM THE SAME SPECIAL REGIMENT THAT FLEW THE PRESIDENT.

Polish Investigator: YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU ACTUALLY

CHANGE THE ALTIMETER TO THE WRONG SETTING?

Narrator: THEY FIND OUT PILOTS

SOMETIMES RESET THE BAROMETRIC ALTIMETER

TO SILENCE THE CONSTANT WARNINGS

OF THE TERRAIN ALTITUDE WARNING SYSTEM, OR TAWS.

Computer: SINK RATE. PULL UP.

Polish Investigator: START PLAYBACK.

Navigator: 90 METERS.

Polish Investigator: STOP PLAYBACK.

HE WAS USING HIS RADIO ALTIMETER.

Narrator: INSTEAD, THE CREW WAS RELYING ON THE RADIO ALTIMETER.

IT USES RADIO WAVES TO MEASURE

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PLANE AND THE GROUND BELOW.

BUT THE TERRAIN NEAR SMOLENSK AIR BASE IS UNEVEN.

PLANES HAVE TO FLY OVER A VALLEY TO REACH IT.

Polish Investigator: LOOK WHAT HAPPENS HERE.

Narrator: WHEN THE RADIO ALTIMETER READ 100 METERS,

THE AIR FORCE JET WAS NOT 100 METERS ABOVE THE AIRPORT.

IT WAS 100 METERS FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE VALLEY.

THE RADIO ALTIMETER WAS GIVING THEM MISLEADING INFORMATION.

Navigator: 30.

20.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Lasek: USING THE RADIO ALTIMETER AT THIS EARLY STAGE OF APPROACH

IS A SERIOUS MISTAKE.

Narrator: BOTH SIDES AGREE THE POLISH CREW

MISHANDLED THE APPROACH,

BUT POLISH INVESTIGATORS ARGUE

THAT RUSSIA SHOULD BEAR SOME OF THE BLAME.

Controller: APPROACHING OUTER MARKER.

ON COURSE AND ON GLIDE SLOPE.

Narrator: POLISH INVESTIGATORS FOCUS ON THE ROLE

PLAYED BY RUSSIAN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL.

Controller: POLISH AIR FORCE, ARE YOU AT 500 METERS?

Protasiuk: WE ARE AT 500 METERS.

Controller: I JUST DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BRING HIM IN.

IT MAKES NO SENSE RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: BEFORE THE PRESIDENT'S PLANE REACHED THE AIRPORT,

THE RUSSIAN CONTROLLERS KNEW THE FOG

WOULD MAKE LANDING A VERY HIGH RISK,

BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO TURN THE JET AWAY.

Controller: WE HAVE TO FIND AN ALTERNATE FOR THE POLES.

WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE WEATHER.

Polish Investigator: THEY DIDN'T WANT THE PLANE TO LAND.

Narrator: THE CONTROLLER WAS WAITING FOR CAPTAIN PROTASIUK

TO MAKE THE DECISION NOT TO LAND.

Controller: WE DO NOT HAVE LANDING CONDITIONS.

Protasiuk: CONTINUING OUR APPROACH.

IF WE'RE UNSUCCESSFUL, WE'LL GO AROUND ON AUTOPILOT.

Controller: IT'S HIS CALL. LET THEM CONTINUE ON THEIR OWN.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Lasek: I THINK THAT THE SAME INDIRECT PRESSURE

THAT WAS EXPERIENCED BY THE CAPTAIN OF THE TU-154 AIRCRAFT

WAS SHARED BY THE ATC CONTROLLERS

BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THIS FLIGHT.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Narrator: POLISH INVESTIGATORS PRODUCE A SEPARATE REPORT

CRITICIZING THE SMOLENSK AIRPORT FOR NOT TURNING AWAY THE PLANE

AND FOR NOT BEING PROPERLY EQUIPPED.

IN TURN, THE RUSSIANS DISPUTE THE REPORT'S CONCLUSIONS.

THIS FAILURE TO REACH A CONSENSUS ONLY FUELS SUSPICION

THAT THE PRESIDENT OF POLAND WAS ASSASSINATED.

Gebert: YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE DESPERATELY

TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED,

AND THEY ARE GIVEN INFORMATION THEY'RE NOT QUALIFIED TO ASSESS.

I MEAN, I'M NOT QUALIFIED

TO ASSESS INFORMATION OF THE RUSSIAN

OR OF THE POLISH COMMISSION OR OF THE COUNTER EXPERTS.

I'M NOT AN EXPERT.

SO, FINALLY I HAVE TO DECIDE WHOSE EXPERTS DO I TRUST?

Narrator: AND PERHAPS NO OFFICIAL REPORT

COULD EVER SATISFY THE CRITICS

ON EITHER SIDE OF THE RUSSIAN/POLISH DIVIDE.

Miller: EVERY ACCIDENT MUST TEACH US A LESSON.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

UNFORTUNATELY, LEARNING THAT LESSON

HAS COME AT A VERY HIGH COST.

[SPEAKING POLISH]

Derner: SOMETIMES THERE ARE POLITICAL DIFFERENCES

AND OTHER CHALLENGES,

BUT ULTIMATELY, THEORETICALLY, EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME TEAM.

EVERYONE WANTS SAFER SKIES.

♪