Original subtitles

[Airplane Engine Droning]

[Narrator] US-Bangla Airlines Flight 211

struggles on approach to Kathmandu airport.

It's very dangerous, and the visibility's low in that area.

[Basanta] The plane was flying close to the ground.

[Airplane Engine Droning]

-[Automation] Sink rate. -Sir! Sir!

-[Dramatic Music] -[Airplane Thudding]

[Narrator] 51 people are killed.

Investigators try to determine

if there was something wrong with the plane.

Take a look at these inputs. They're so extreme.

[Narrator] Or with the pilots.

I want a bloody written explanation

when I come back to Dhaka!

[Suspenseful Music]

[F.A.] Ladies and gentlemen, we are starting our approach.

[Pilot] We lost both engines!

[Flight Attendant] The mask over your nose.

Emergency descent.

-Mayday, mayday. -Brace for impact!

[Dramatic Music]

[Man] It's gonna crash!

[Airplane Engine Droning]

[Narrator] US-Bangla Flight 211

cruises above the Himalayas.

Captain Abid Sultan is at the controls.

He has more than 5,000 flying hours.

Request for descent.

Yes, it's time.

[Narrator] First Officer Prithula Rashid

is a newcomer to US-Bangla Airlines.

At age 25, she has less than 400 hours of flying time.

Kathmandu. BS 2-1-1, request descent.

[Air Control] BS 2-1-1, Kathmandu Approach.

Descend to flight level one six zero.

Kathmandu, BS 2-1-1. Flight level one six zero.

Good.

[Airplane Engine Droning]

[Narrator] Their destination is Kathmandu Airport in Nepal.

There are 67 passengers and two cabin attendants on board.

Basanta Bohora, a Nepalese travel agent,

is returning from a business trip in Bangladesh.

[Basanta] We went to a travel agency award ceremony

for three or four days.

Ten top agencies were sponsored by US-Bangla,

and we went to receive an award.

We attended the event and then returned home.

[Narrator] It's a 90-minute flight

from Dhaka to Kathmandu.

[Dramatic Music]

[Sylvia Wrigley] Kathmandu Airport is in

the foothills of the Himalayas.

It's on high ground and although it's in a valley,

it's on very uneven ground.

Pilots consider it to be one of the most

challenging airports in the world.

[Narrator] The crew is flying a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400.

It's a small plane and it has low operational costs

and is very popular with small airlines

who are looking to keep their costs down.

[Air Control] Kathmandu, BS 2-1-1.

Descend to 13,500 feet and hold over Guras.

BS 2-1-1, descend 13,500 feet.

Hold at Guras.

[Narrator] BS 211 is six minutes ahead of schedule.

The controller gives the crew instructions

to go into a holding pattern

when they get to their next navigation point.

Do you remember how to enter a hold?

[Prithula] NAV page.

Maneuver.

Very good.

The captain was extremely experienced and an instructor.

He had flown in and out of Kathmandu repeatedly.

He knew the route.

He knew the plane better than anyone at that airline.

I'm looking forward to getting home.

[Basanta] The flight was absolutely normal.

Some were reading newspapers.

Others were talking to each other.

[Dramatic Music]

[Narrator] BS 211 is now 20 miles from Kathmandu.

First Officer Rashid makes contact

with Air Traffic Control at the airport.

Kathmandu Tower, BS 2-1-1, finals. Runway zero-two.

BS 2-1-1, tower. Wind 8 knots.

Runway zero-two, continue approach.

[Narrator] BS 211 is on final approach to runway zero-two.

Tribhuvan International Airport

has one 10,000-foot airstrip.

Planes approaching the airport from the south

land on runway zero-two

and from the north on runway 2-0.

The two runway references are based on

in which direction you are using the runway.

Obviously, you do not want planes

coming and going in both directions.

[Narrator] The aircraft is now three miles

from runway zero-two.

BS 2-1-1, wind 2-20 degrees,

runway zero-two, clear to land.

Clear to land, BanglaStar 2-1-1.

[Suspenseful Music]

[Narrator] But BS 211 isn't ready to land.

Have you seen the runway?

No, not yet.

No problem. It will be in front.

BS 2-1-1, you were given landing clearance

to runway zero-two.

Affirmative, ma'am.

BS 2-1-1, you are going towards runway 2-0.

[Narrator] BS 211 has over-flown the entire runway

and is now headed north towards the mountains.

I think we are going to runway zero-two.

[Narrator] Concerned by what he's seeing,

the Supervising Controller steps in to assist Flight 211.

Okay, BanglaStar 2-1-1, runway 2-0, clear to land.

[Narrator] Kathmandu air traffic control

redirects BS 2-1-1 to turn left and land on runway 2-0.

Can you see the runway?

Everything is all set up, but we're not seeing the runway.

[Prithula] No runway yet.

That means the runway is to our right.

[Airplane Engine Droning]

[Basanta] At the time, the plane was flying

close to the ground.

We realized something was wrong.

[Narrator] To complicate matters, there's another plane

two miles out on final approach to the runway.

Buddha 2-8-2, descend to target altitude, runway zero-two.

Clear to land.

[Buddha 282 Pilot] Runway zero-two, clear to land,

descend to altitude, Buddha 2-8-2.

[Suspenseful Music]

What is he doing?

BS 2-1-1, traffic at final zero-two at two miles.

[Narrator] The controller warns BS 211

about the inbound plane.

[Wrigley] It's one runway.

It's a single piece of real estate.

And obviously what you can't have is both directions

of the runway functioning at once.

It's a head on collision.

BS 2-1-1, do not proceed towards runway 2-0.

Traffic is on short final, runway zero-two.

Clear to hold your present position.

[Abid] Copied. Let us know, sir, once the aircraft lands.

[Narrator] The inbound plane lands on runway zero-two.

[Man] BS 2-1-1, runway is clear to land,

either runway 0-2 or 2-0.

Sir, we would like to land runway 2-0.

[Man] Okay, runway 2-0, clear to land.

Wind 2-7-0 degrees, 6 knots.

Copied. Clear to land.

[Narrator] But the plane isn't lining up with the runway.

[Dramatic Music]

BanglaStar 2-1-1, turn right. You have the runway to land.

Confirm you have the runway in sight.

Negative. Where is the runway?

Sir, runway. Runway, three o'clock.

Affirmative, we have runway in sight.

Request clear to land, sir.

BS 2-1-1 cleared to land.

[Airplane Engine Droning]

He's lining up for the taxiway.

BS 2-1-1, that is not the runway, over.

That's not the runway.

BS 2-1-1, that is not the runway, I say again.

[Narrator] The pilots make a last-minute adjustment

to try to line up their plane with the runway.

[Wrigley] He's passed the threshold, and at that point,

the controllers are certainly clear

that there is something wrong.

We have the runway in sight.

Oh my God, sir.

[Narrator] But the airplane is headed directly

for the control tower instead.

US-Bangla Airlines Flight 211 flies wildly off course

towards the control tower in Kathmandu.

They think that this plane is flying into them.

The air traffic controllers duck.

The captain swerves straight past them

and directly over the passenger terminal

before turning again.

He's flying this Dash 8 twin propeller plane

like it's a fighter jet.

[Narrator] The pilots of US-Bangla 211

struggle desperately to get their plane

safely on the ground.

[Automation] Bank angle. Sink rate.

[Basanta] We felt scared. We were praying to God.

[Alarm Wailing]

Sir! Sir!

[Automation] Sink rate. Sink rate.

[Wrigley] He manages to almost line up with the runway,

and he touches one wheel on the runway

about a third or half of the way down.

I saw the aircraft skid off the runway.

[Basanta] People were thrown around violently

inside the plane.

[Airplane Thudding]

[Ominous Music]

[Explosion Booming]

[Narrator] US-Bangla 211 bursts into flames

440 meters from the runway.

Firefighter Sagar Rayamajhi witnesses the entire crash.

[Sagar Rayamajhi]

[Siren Wailing]

Our fire trucks were immediately on the crash site.

[Basanta] People who were conscious

started crying and screaming.

We headed towards a hole where the light was coming from.

I fell on the ground after walking

a few steps away from the plane.

[Narrator] Not everyone is so fortunate.

49 people are dead, including both pilots.

[Somber Music]

At a Kathmandu hospital,

family and friends wait for news of their loved ones.

Of the 22 passengers who survived,

two die in hospital.

A multi-national commission is formed

to investigate the tragedy.

It consists of delegates from Nepal, Bangladesh,

and Canada, representing the Canadian manufacturer

of the Dash 8, Bombardier.

[Suspenseful Music]

Let's see what the wreckage can tell us.

It looks like the plane veered off the runway,

kept going for a while, hit this berm,

then flipped upside down.

[Narrator] What caused the plane to veer off the runway?

Was there a mechanical issue with the aircraft?

Hard to tell what was and wasn't working.

[Sunil Pradahan] The aircraft was broken into two pieces.

[Narrator] The team gets a lucky break.

Yeah. Good work!

[Narrator] The aircraft's flight data recorder

and cockpit voice recorder have survived the fire.

They're sent to Ottawa for analysis

by the Canadian Transportation Safety Board.

With no solid leads,

investigators try to get some clues

from the survivors.

Was there anything unusual about the flight?

No, everything seemed fine until we were supposed to land.

Then things started to feel different.

[Basanta] When I looked outside the window,

I could see people and houses close by.

This made me feel that the flight

was really close to the ground.

Did the pilot provide any updates on what was happening?

None. As we got closer to landing, things got worse.

-We hit the ground hard. -[Passengers Screaming]

Skidded off the runway.

Thank you.

[Narrator] The survivor's account leaves investigators

wondering why BS 211 was flying so erratically.

Were the pilots dealing with engine failure

or some other mechanical issue?

Cue up the recording to just before the plane landed.

[Suspenseful Music]

[Narrator] Investigators review video footage

of the final seconds of Flight 211.

Well, there were several CCTV security cameras

which captured different angles

of the aircraft during approach.

[Suspenseful Music]

Wow. He almost flies right into the control tower.

[Narrator] Another security camera

captures the final moments of BS 211.

They're coming in fast.

The plane is banking to the right.

They touch down more than halfway down the runway.

The right landing gear first, then the left.

[Capt. Salahuddin Rahmataullah]

[Narrator] The CCTV footage confirms

the survivor's account that the plane

was flying erratically before it crashed.

Play it from the top again.

[Narrator] The video is examined more carefully

for evidence of a mechanical failure.

[Suspenseful Music]

The props were working.

[Narrator] The team quickly rules out engine failure.

It's hard to tell from this

if there was a flight control issue.

[Narrator] Investigators are no closer to solving

the mystery of BS 211.

I wonder what the controllers can tell us?

[Narrator] Investigators turn to air traffic controllers

at Kathmandu Airport

to determine if US-Bangla Flight 211

was struggling with a flight control issue.

Did the crew report any mechanical problems?

Quite the opposite.

The captain seemed very calm as we offered assistance.

We have the runway in sight.

The crew never sounded any alarm,

never said to the ATC that they were having

any mechanical problem with the aircraft.

Walk me through what happened.

We cleared the plane to land on runway zero-two

but noticed the plane had passed the runway threshold

and was flying parallel to the runway.

[Dramatic Music]

BS 2-1-1, you were given landing clearance

to runway zero-two.

[Abid] Affirmative, ma'am.

BS 2-1-1, you are going towards runway 2-0.

But instead of turning left and landing,

they flew towards the mountains and turned right.

What is he doing?

The next thing we knew

[Airplane Engine Droning]

they flew right past the tower.

We thought maybe they were lost.

Talking to the controllers, we could find out that

the pilot was totally confused as to where he was.

He was not sure about his position.

Can you see the runway?

Everything is all set-up but we're not seeing the runway.

[Narrator] Even though the crew didn't report

a control problem,

investigators still can't rule it out.

Thank you.

[Narrator] Were both pilots disorientated, lost,

as they made the final approach?

Let's have a look.

[Narrator] The team examines the charts the pilots used

for their approach into Kathmandu.

The Jeppesen chart looks fine.

What about the Arrival Route Chart?

No issues with this one either.

[Narrator] Investigators determine that the pilots

had the most recent navigation charts for their approach.

If the charts didn't lead them astray, then what did?

At this point, we're a few weeks into the investigation,

and we're still not sure what really

went wrong in that flight.

And we were very anxious to get our hands

on CVR and the FDR.

Pull up the data.

[Narrator] BS 211's flight data recorder

is ready for analysis.

Will it reveal if the pilots

were in control of their aircraft?

These are the inputs the captain made

to the control column,

and these are the actual movements of

the flight controls.

[Narrator] Investigators compare the captain's inputs

to the actual movements of the plane's flight controls.

They make an important discovery.

They're identical.

The plane was doing everything

the captain commanded it to do.

The flight data recorder did not indicate

any malfunction in the aircraft.

So we definitely could rule out any flight control problem.

Let's see later in the flight.

[Suspenseful Music]

Take a look at these inputs. They're so extreme.

[Automation] Bank angle, bank angle. Sink rate.

[Narrator] The data shows Captain Sultan

was making some severe inputs to his control column

near the end of the flight.

[Plane Engine Droning]

This coincides with the survivor's account

of what happened.

His maneuvering at low level was completely unorthodox.

[Automation] Sink rate. Bank angle, bank angle.

[Narrator] If there wasn't a flight control problem,

why was the captain flying the plane so erratically?

This is the flight path the plane was supposed to take.

[Narrator] To better understand exactly what the plane

was doing as it approached the airport,

investigators compile the heading data

and chart the exact course of the plane.

And this is the flight path they actually took.

[Narrator] What the data shows is astonishing.

It looks like they drifted way off course.

And flew loops very close to the mountains.

[Deo]

[Suspenseful Music]

It looks like their trouble started right here,

17 miles out when they arrived at Guras waypoint.

[Narrator] Pilots navigate by following a series

of waypoints, or GPS locations, along their flight path.

Guras is the last waypoint into Kathmandu Airport.

[Narrator] Investigators dig deeper into the FDR data

to understand why BS 211 drifted off course at Guras.

They programmed the Flight Management System

for a holding pattern over Guras, here.

[Narrator] The FDR data reveals that the crew

pre-programmed a holding pattern

about 34 miles before reaching Guras.

And when they reach Guras, it looks like

they start their holding pattern.

Right here.

[Narrator] But the heading data shows the crew

didn't complete their holding pattern.

The question is: Why?

We need to know what was going on in that cockpit.

[Suspenseful Music]

[Narrator] The team turns to the cockpit voice recorder

and focuses on what happened as the plane approached Guras.

Let's pick it up where they're descending.

[Air Control] Kathmandu, BS 2-1-1.

Descend to 13,500 feet and hold over Guras.

BS 2-1-1. Descend 13,500 feet, hold at Guras.

Do you remember how to enter a hold?

We need to be on the NAV page. Then press Maneuver.

[Prithula] NAV page. Maneuver.

Good.

And then enter the inbound course for Guras.

Very good.

They get their instructions to hold

once they arrive at Guras.

They program it into the Flight Management System.

Nothing unusual at this point.

Keep going.

[Air Control] BS 2-1-1, Kathmandu Approach.

Descend to 11,500 feet. Clear for VOR.

Approach on runway 0-2.

BS 2-1-1, descend to 11,500 feet.

Clear for VOR. Runway 0-2.

As they're still about three miles out

from the Guras waypoint,

the approach controller contacts them to say

they no longer have to hold at Guras.

Right here, this is where they should have

canceled their hold.

[Wrigley] For some reason,

the flight crew didn't cancel the hold.

And this is a critical phase of flight.

Keep going.

[Narrator] What investigators hear next

is even more troubling.

[Abid] Where is my cigarette? Help me find the thing.

Do you know where I've dropped it?

It could catch fire.

The captain is smoking in the cockpit?

In the middle of one of the most

challenging approaches on Earth

and this guy is fumbling around for a cigarette?

[Suspenseful Music]

[Airplane Engine Droning]

[Narrator] US-Bangla Flight 211

is on approach to Kathmandu Airport.

Sir, we're heading into cloud.

[Narrator] When the captain breaks

standard operating procedures.

A cockpit is not a place for a cigarette

at the best of times.

And so now they're both distracted.

And he's saying, "But it might burn."

Well, you know, yes, that's one good reason

not to drop your cigarette in a cockpit.

He's so distracted he forgets to cancel the hold.

Continue.

[Suspenseful Music]

[Narrator] Could this have anything to do with why

the flight drifted off course at waypoint Guras?

Kathmandu, Bangla 2-1-1 overhead Guras at 11,500.

[Air Control] Roger.

[Plane Engine Droning]

BS 2-1-1, are you holding over Guras?

[Narrator] The controller notices that BS 211

is holding when it should be continuing its approach.

Sir, we're holding.

Tell them we are continuing our approach.

We are continuing approach.

Heading mode on.

Stop, they finally cancel their hold

when the approach controller catches the error.

He then puts the plane into heading mode.

[Narrator] Heading mode steers the aircraft

towards a specific heading selected by the pilot.

It's an instruction to the autopilot

to follow whatever heading that the captain sets.

It is up to him to ensure

that they are flying towards the runway.

In heading mode, the plane is more susceptible

to the weather conditions.

He's introduced a serious manual element.

[Rahmatullah]

Maybe the wind blew him off course?

[Pradhan] Now we had to

consider the role of the weather

in the demise of US-Bangla 211.

It was a bit hazy that day.

[Narrator] Investigators examine meteorological records

for the day BS 211 crash landed at Kathmandu Airport.

Runway visibility was still seven kilometers.

It says here the winds were strong from the west,

up to 27 knots.

They're in heading mode. The winds are from the west.

The plane isn't correcting for the winds.

-So they drift off course. -Exactly.

[Narrator] The pilots are looking ahead,

but the runway is now off to their left.

[Rahmatullah]

Have you seen the runway?

No runway yet.

They never saw the runway and just kept on flying.

Do the Before Landing Checklist.

[Narrator] The crew configures the plane for landing.

Landing Gear.

[Abid] Down three green.

[Alarm Buzzing]

The captain called down three green,

confirming the landing gear was down.

And moments later, a warning sounds

indicating the landing gear is up.

The captain says nothing about it.

[Alarm Buzzing]

The landing gear was not down.

The landing gear unsafe warning was sounding in the cockpit.

I don't know how they could have ignored the warning.

[Alarm Buzzing]

[Dramatic Music]

[Main Investigator] Then, he circles around

the other end of the runway,

narrowly misses the control tower

and tries to make a near impossible landing.

[Pradhan]

[Alarm Wailing]

Sir! Sir!

-[Airplane Engine Droning] -[Dramatic Music]

[Narrator] What could have led the captain

to fly this reckless approach?

It seems that he tries to land the plane no matter what.

The captain was a fighter pilot for ten years

with the Bangladesh Air Force.

[Narrator] Investigators delve into

Captain Abid Sultan's background

and discover that he was a highly experienced pilot.

He flew into Kathmandu regularly.

He joined US-Bangla in 2015,

and he was not just a pilot and a captain there,

he was also their check pilot.

That means it was his job to do check rides

for all the other pilots to ensure

that they understood the Dash 8.

[Narrator] With no clear answers as to why Captain Sultan

bungled his approach, investigators return to earlier

in the CVR recording for answers.

Play it from earlier in the flight.

[Operations] BS 2-8-7, please confirm onboard fuel.

Operations, 2-1-1.

[Operations] BS 2-1-1, go ahead sir.

Why the hell do you need onboard fuel?

Why do you ask me the onboard fuel?

Tell me the reason you want to do with onboard fuel.

I want a bloody written explanation

when I come back to Dhaka!

[Suspenseful Music]

[Narrator] The captain's vocal pitch and language

indicate he was extremely agitated and stressed.

He blows up and wants to know why they're talking to him

and why they're asking him this question.

Well, they weren't.

[Operations] BS 2-1-1,

the request is for BS 2-8-7.

Safe flight, sir.

Don't talk to me about a safe flight.

Don't talk to me unless I call you!

He overheard a message and misheard

who they were talking to.

But he lost his temper and blew up.

[Rahmatullah]

Why is the captain so agitated?

Lamia was the worst trained pilot at US-Bangla.

But now she's with another airline.

[Narrator] Investigators now hear signs

of an emotionally disturbed captain.

She's bad mouthing US-Bangla instructors, including me.

[Pradhan]

She accused him of not being a good instructor

and not being very competent enough to teach.

It's clear the captain's distraught

about the accusations.

But this guy's a professional.

[Narrator] Could a complaint from a former colleague

have affected Sultan to the point that

he crashed the plane?

I've been weeping, crying.

Where did I go wrong?

[Sullen Music]

He's trying to clear his name with the first officer,

who is uncomfortable with the whole conversation.

He is having some kind of mental breakdown

and she is not in a position to say,

"You aren't safe to fly. We should turn around."

[Narrator] That's not all investigators discover.

According to this, the captain submitted his resignation

the day before his fatal flight.

The day before?

[Narrator] It's now clear to the team that Captain Sultan

was emotionally unstable.

[Narrator] Digging deeper into the captain's

military records, investigators come across

some disturbing information.

In 1993, the Bangladesh Air Force

discharges him due to depression.

This depression had been the cause of him being

forcibly retired from the military.

He didn't leave.

He was declared unfit to fly.

A decade later, he starts flying commercially.

[Deo]

[Narrator] Was the airline aware

of the captain's medical history?

There's no mention of depression

in his entire time with the airlines.

How is it the airline didn't know?

[Suspenseful Music]

Get this. The mental health reports were self-reported.

Self-reported?

[Wrigley] US-Bangla had no idea

that the captain had this history,

or that he'd ever been banned from flying.

They were relying on him to report his own mental health.

[Narrator] Did the captain's troubled state of mind

ultimately lead to the fatal crash landing

of US-Bangla Flight 211?

[Suspenseful Music]

[Abid] What's my next source of income?

[Narrator] Investigators continue listening

to Flight 211's cockpit voice recorder.

Do I need to cry like this?

No, no, sir.

Look at me.

It's my fault that I haven't been able to train you.

[Narrator] The team hears evidence of a man

who was desperate to salvage his reputation.

Do you know that I didn't sleep the entire night?

I cried a lot.

To top it all off, the captain was sleep deprived.

We have a clear sign that this is a pilot

who should not be flying a plane.

He's clearly fatigued, he has not had

the requisite number of hours of sleep and rest

that he should have had before the flight.

It is his duty to tell US-Bangla to contact operations

and say, "I am not going to be able to fly this plane."

[Narrator] Investigators finally have a clear picture

of what happened onboard BS 211.

Lamia was the worst trained pilot at US-Bangla.

But now she's with another airline.

[Narrator] A seasoned pilot with a history of depression

was emotionally distraught

after having his competence questioned.

She's bad mouthing US-Bangla instructors, including me.

[Pradhan]

[Narrator] Suffering from fatigue.

Do you know that I didn't sleep the entire night?

I cried a lot.

[Narrator] He begins his approach into one of

the most challenging airports in the world.

[Airplane Engine Droning]

The captain manages to hold the flight together until...

[Abid] Where is my cigarette?

[Narrator] He breaks standard operating procedure

at a critical moment.

It could catch fire.

[Narrator] The distraction causes the captain

to mismanage the approach.

Sir, we are heading into cloud.

[Narrator] Consumed by his need to prove

to the First Officer that he's a good pilot...

Can you see the runway?

Everything is all set up, but we're not seeing the runway.

[Narrator] The captain ignores the warning signs

that he's not ready for a safe landing.

Landing Gear.

Down three green.

[Alarm Buzzing]

[Narrator] Instead of calling for a go around,

the disoriented captain flies the plane in circles,

and tries to make an impossible landing.

BS 2-1-1, that is not the runway.

-[Dramatic Music] -[Airplane Engine Droning]

[Automation] Bank angle. Bank angle.

We have the runway in sight.

[Automation] Sink rate. Sink rate.

He was maneuvering at low level,

flying around the airfield like some sort of Top Gun pilot.

It was absolutely reckless.

[Dramatic Music]

There is no longer piloting going on.

He attempted to land the plane

as an act of sheer desperation.

Sir! Sir!

[Airplane Thudding]

[Airplane Thudding]

[Explosion Booming]

[Suspenseful Music]

[Rahmatullah]

[Narrator] Investigators recommend that pilots

who have been grounded for medical reasons

be given thorough physical and psychological examinations

before their license can be renewed.

[Basanta] When I remember that day,

I always think that I am lucky to have survived.

Many people died so I thank God.

I'm still scared when I think of that day.

But, yes, I feel lucky.