Air Emergency (2003–…): Season 16, Episode 6 - Dangerous Approach - full transcript
Disaster strikes on way to Durango - La Plata Colorado for commuters.
CPT. SILVER: Folks, this
is your captain speaking.
We'll soon be
landing in Durango.
NARRATOR: A commuter
flight over the Rocky Mountains
speeds towards disaster.
[Explosion]
BUTCH: Somewhere out
there in the black of night
was an aircraft
down in our county.
NARRATOR: A desperate search
uncovers twisted wreckage
five miles from the runway.
SUSIE: Half the
people were killed.
MALCOLM: What
are we missing here?
TOM: We were having a
hard time understanding
how the crew impacted so
far short of the airport.
NARRATOR: An unexpected tip-off
points to a
shocking possibility.
MALCOLM: What
exactly did she say?
NARRATOR: One that will rock
the entire airline industry.
JOHN: The best way I would
describe the investigators
was astounded.
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: It's a cold winter's
evening at Stapleton Airport
in Denver, Colorado.
Captain Stephen Silver and
First Officer Ralph Harvey
are just about
ready for takeoff.
CPT. SILVER: Hey.
Everybody seated?
FO. HARVEY: Yep. Everybody's in.
CPT. SILVER: And
all good outside?
FO. HARVEY: The
walk-around was all clear.
NARRATOR:
Trans-Colorado Flight 2286
is a short hop to
Durango-La Plata County Airport
in southern Colorado.
CPT. SILVER: Listen,
when we get to Durango
I'd like to get in the air
again as quickly as possible.
FO. HARVEY:
It shouldn't be a problem.
We won't need to refuel.
NARRATOR: It's the crew's
fourth flight of the day,
and they're running late.
Bad weather has put them
40 minutes behind schedule.
CPT. SILVER:
Let's see what else we can do
to get these folks back on time.
FO. HARVEY: You got it.
BRAD: We're always
running behind it seems like.
You're constantly
trying to get caught back up
because you have
connecting flights.
Passengers want to make these
flights just as we would too
if we were a
passenger in the back.
*
NARRATOR: Tonight, there
are 15 people in the cabin
of the turbo prop commuter
plane, including Susie Welch.
SUSIE: My brother
was sick in California,
and I was there coming
home from visiting him,
and I missed my connection.
So it was a plane that I
wasn't supposed to be on
in the first place.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
you are cleared for takeoff.
NARRATOR: Trans-Colorado
is a small regional carrier
that operates flights
for Continental Airlines.
CPT. SILVER: 2286,
cleared for takeoff. Thank you.
NARRATOR: Captain
Silver is in command.
BRAD: He loved flying. You
know, it was in his blood.
You could see it.
NARRATOR: Brad Howard
flew with Captain Silver
in the late 1980s.
BRAD: Stephen was a very
happy, jovial, energetic pilot.
I enjoyed flying with Steve.
CPT. SILVER: You're handling
flying this leg, right?
FO. HARVEY: You bet.
NARRATOR: First Officer Harvey
will operate the controls
for this flight,
leaving the captain free
to handle radio calls.
FO. HARVEY: Takeoff power.
JOHN: Airline pilots routinely
trade the flying duties.
Part of it is for
the reduction of fatigue
so that one person's
not doing all the work.
But it also divides the jobs up
so that first
officers that will be captains
are gaining experience.
CPT. SILVER: One hundred.
NARRATOR: The captain
keeps an eye on the airspeed
as they accelerate for takeoff.
CPT. SILVER: V1. And rotate.
SUSIE: I was a
little bit apprehensive,
because the weather wasn't
so great before I got on.
But when I got
on I thought, wow.
This is...what was I
worrying about? It's fine.
*
NARRATOR: The crew's
day began in Denver.
After two short hops to
Riverton and Casper, Wyoming,
they circled back to Denver.
Now they're headed for Durango,
a route that takes them over
the southern Rocky Mountains.
BRAD: In fact, just about 20
miles to the north of Durango
is the most
numerous 14,000-foot peaks
within the
continental United States.
CPT. SILVER:
Denver flight watch,
Trans-Colorado Flight 2286.
I'd like the latest weather
for Durango and Cortez please.
AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLER: The latest we have
is indefinite ceiling, obscured
visibility, light snow and fog.
They're still forecasting
moderate icing below 18,000.
CPT. SILVER: Thank you.
BRAD: The mountains
become very obscured quite fast
when a front moves through
and visibility of
course then drops down.
CPT. SILVER:
Nothing we can't handle.
NARRATOR: About 20
minutes from the airport,
the captain and the first
officer review the landing.
CPT. SILVER:
So we're still doing the
straight-in to Runway 2-0, okay?
FO. HARVEY:
Runway 2-0. Sounds good.
CPT. SILVER: Control, we'll
plan on a DME to Runway 2-0.
AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLER: That's approved.
Trans-Colorado 2286
cleared for Runway 2-0 approach
at Durango Airport.
NARRATOR: Like many
small airports in America,
Durango does not have
its own air traffic control.
The controller is in Denver,
more than 200 miles away.
BRAD: Once they
cleared you for that approach,
they basically gave
you the responsibility
to get that
airplane down on the ground.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Radar coverage terminated.
Please report landing by
radio. Have a good night.
CPT. SILVER: Okay.
We're down to 1-4 and
we're cleared for the approach.
2286 Wilco.
NARRATOR: The passengers
should be on the runway
in less than five minutes.
CPT. SILVER: Folks, this
is your captain speaking.
We'll soon be
landing in Durango,
so if you could please
buckle up your seat belts
we should have you
on the ground shortly.
SUSIE: The entire flight
actually was smooth as glass,
like one of the smoothest
flights I've ever had.
There was no cause for
alarm, anything unusual at all.
*
FO. HARVEY: Speed
set. One quarter flaps.
CPT. SILVER: One quarter flaps.
NARRATOR: The pilots work
quickly to prepare for landing.
FO. HARVEY: Gear down.
CPT. SILVER: Gear
down. Three green.
JOHN: They know that they
have a lot of altitude to lose.
They've got a lot of airspeed
to lose, and it also requires
the appropriate use of different
devices on the airplane
to create additional
drag to help it slow down.
FO. HARVEY: Do
you have the runway?
NARRATOR: Something's wrong. The
pilots can't see the runway.
FO. HARVEY: Damn! We're too low!
CPT. SILVER: Pull up!
FO. HARVEY: No! No!
No, no, no! Hold on!
*
SUSIE: [Screaming]
SUSIE: There was
this just big boom.
I thought we just
had a rough landing.
And the plane
began to do a flip.
That's when I thought,
it's happening. We're crashing.
[Passengers screaming]
SUSIE: Help me, Jesus!
[Crash]
*
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
this is Denver.
Please come in.
NARRATOR: The flight to
Durango is now overdue.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
how do you read?
Trans-Colorado
2286, how do you read?
BUTCH: Both Denver and the La
Plata County airport personnel
had tried to contact
the aircraft via radio.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
please come in.
BUTCH: It was pretty
much aircraft was overdue,
and somewhere out
there in the black of night
was an aircraft
down in our county.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
please come in.
[Wind howling]
[Creaking]
SUSIE: Help us!
SUSIE: It was dark
and it was very cold.
And just looking around I could
see that we could be anywhere.
SUSIE: Please! Is
anyone out there?
SUSIE: I just thought
here I am. Lord, help me.
NARRATOR: Susie Welch discovers
that she's not badly injured.
But it's clear other survivors
of the Trans-Colorado crash
are suffering terribly.
SUSIE: We have to get out.
SUSIE: They needed help as
quickly as they could get it,
you know, and we couldn't give
what they needed at the time.
NARRATOR: Susie faces
a difficult decision:
Stay and tend to the injured,
or leave in search of help.
SUSIE: They usually
say stay where you are.
Someone will come and get you.
But we were out in
the middle of nowhere.
We didn't know if
anybody knew anything.
*
BUTCH: The weather wasn't
really good that night at all.
There were snow flurries in the
area and it was extremely cold.
NARRATOR: If the
injured don't get help soon,
they could freeze to death.
SUSIE: Just hang on.
We'll send for help.
[Whimpering]
NARRATOR: Welch and some
other able-bodied passengers
decide to set out on foot.
It may be the best chance
of survival for everyone.
*
SUSIE:
I was thinking: My family.
They don't know where we are.
They have no idea if I'm
even alive. That gets me.
[Wind howling]
BUTCH: We had approximately four
feet of snow on the ground,
which really hampered
our rescue activities.
NARRATOR: After more than an
hour, they catch a lucky break.
They come across a highway.
SUSIE: I saw a semi and a
car and I thought hallelujah.
That was a relief to see that.
NARRATOR: Some
passengers are now safe.
Rescuers go in
search of the others.
BUTCH: We moved emergency
responders and equipment
to that particular
location on US Highway 160,
east of Durango
approximately six miles.
*
It was a remote area
and so it made it difficult
for the emergency
responders to get there.
It took us a long
time to figure out
exactly where the crash was.
NARRATOR: Finally,
rescuers reach the airplane.
Of the 17 people on board,
the crash has killed nine,
including both pilots.
SUSIE:
Half the people were killed,
which is, you know, it's...
of course it's a heart-breaker
for a lot of people.
*
NARRATOR: The next
morning, daylight reveals
the full extent
of the destruction.
TOM: The front of the
aircraft from the wing forward
was fairly well demolished.
The tail was
broken off in parts,
and the good portion of
the left wing was missing.
*
NARRATOR: Tom Haueter
of the National
Transportation Safety Board
now faces a huge task.
TOM: Yeah, left wingtip
right here. Yeah, thanks guys.
NARRATOR: Figuring
out why a commuter plane
slammed into the ground
five miles from the airport.
TOM: We were having a
hard time understanding
how the crew impacted so
far short of the airport.
That was going to be
the big mystery here
to try to understand.
NARRATOR: Sorting
through the wreckage
is like trying to piece
together a giant jigsaw puzzle.
And that's not
the only challenge.
In 1988, planes with
fewer than 20 passengers
are not required to
carry flight recorders.
JOHN: The lack of a
cockpit voice recorder
and digital flight data recorder
makes things much,
much more difficult
because you have to then take
the evidence from the airplane
and then deduce what happened
to lead the
airplane into the ground.
*
TOM: Thank you.
NARRATOR: Haueter
immediately turns his attention
to an obvious
suspect. The weather.
CPT. SILVER:
Denver flight watch,
Trans-Colorado Flight 2286.
I'd like the latest weather
for Durango and Cortez please.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286, Durango.
The latest we have is indefinite
ceiling, obscured visibility,
light snow and fog.
They're still forecasting
moderate icing below 18,000.
NARRATOR: Icing is a
potentially deadly phenomenon
that can occur from 32
down to -4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Super cooled water coats the
surface of an aircraft's wings
and freezes, degrading
aerodynamic performance.
TOM: The biggest problem is it
changes the shape of the wing.
All of a sudden
you start getting,
instead of a
nice rounded edge --
it starts becoming a blunt edge,
and now instead of
the smooth airflow
you get turbulent air flow
and you start
losing lift on the wing.
NARRATOR: That's what happened
to American Eagle Flight 4184.
The plane was en
route to Chicago
when ice build-up on the wings
sent it into a deadly roll.
[Crash]
The crash killed
all 68 people on board.
*
The critical question now:
Did ice on the
wings of Flight 2286
lead to a similar
tragedy on a snowy night
in the Colorado Rockies?
NARRATOR: The descent
to Runway 2-0 in Durango
is over mountainous terrain.
A crew would have had
little time to recover
if ice on the wings
caused a sudden loss of lift.
FO. HARVEY: No! No! No! No!
CPT. SILVER: Pull up!
[Crash]
NARRATOR: Did the
plane's wings ice over?
TOM: Was it the right
temperature range for icing?
NARRATOR: Haueter
studies weather reports
from Durango's airport.
TOM: Normally, icing's a
problem if you have liquid
that's very cold, hits the
airplane and freezes on it.
It has to be raining or drizzle.
TOM: The weather at the airport
was overcast and cloudy,
but the temperature was
negative 24 Fahrenheit.
NARRATOR: It's a dead end.
Temperatures were well below
the minimum required for icing.
TOM: It was so cold that
night there's no liquid water
out there to form on
the airplane, just snow.
And so icing could be
eliminated pretty quickly.
*
NARRATOR: The
location of the crash site,
just five miles from the runway,
suggests another possibility.
FO. HARVEY: One-quarter flaps.
NARRATOR: To prepare
for landing, the pilots
have to extend the plane's flaps
and lower the landing gear.
CPT. SILVER: Gear
down. Three green.
NARRATOR: The increased drag
means the plane needs more power
to maintain lift during the
last few minutes of flight.
*
Investigators wonder: did a
sudden loss of engine power
cause the crash?
TOM: Were they
producing power at impact?
Was there any obvious
problems with the engines
prior to impact?
So you start looking
at everything in detail.
NARRATOR: They check the
position of the engine levers.
TOM: The engine
speed is set for high,
exactly where it should be.
NARRATOR: It seems the
pilots had the right settings.
FO. HARVEY: Speed set.
NARRATOR: What about
the engines themselves?
Did they somehow fail?
NARRATOR: A trained
investigator can find clues
to engine performance by
looking at the propeller blades
and how they bent in the crash.
TOM: The blades were in
position to produce thrust.
And also by rotational damage
they were running at impact.
If they hadn't been running
they would have
been just pulled back.
But you see where they
were actually chopping away
at the ground and the
trees and being pulled forward
when they hit.
TOM: It was
definitely going at full speed.
No fault with the engine.
*
NARRATOR: With no black boxes,
it's difficult to
know where else to look.
JOHN: Accident investigators
very definitely utilize
a process of elimination.
You eliminate the things that
you know that didn't contribute
and then
eventually you'll get to
the three or four or five things
that did contribute to it.
[Phone ringing]
TOM: Haueter here.
NARRATOR: An unexpected call
brings a surprising new lead.
One of the survivors has
made an alarming allegation.
TOM: Really?
FO. HARVEY: Hi. Welcome aboard.
You're down to the left.
Good evening. How are ya? You
are right in the back there.
MALCOLM: One of the
passengers reported
that she thought she smelled
alcohol on the first officer.
The first officer
helped board the passengers.
A very gracious
gentleman by all accounts,
but she was disturbed by that.
*
NARRATOR: The NTSB immediately
adds aviation psychologist
Malcolm Brenner to
the investigative team.
MALCOLM: We were
actually alarmed.
We were very concerned
that alcohol might turn out
to be a factor in this case.
As soon as the team
came back I was launched
I think the next
day almost immediately
to follow up and
see what I could learn
about the first officer.
MALCOLM: Unbelievable.
NARRATOR: A check of the
first officer's driving record
turns up more damning evidence.
MALCOLM: Arrested
twice for drunk driving.
MALCOLM: For us, that
is a major trouble sign.
That would suggest that there
is a serious alcohol issue.
NARRATOR: Lab tests are
ordered to check for alcohol
in the blood and
urine of both pilots.
MALCOLM: Let me know
when you get the results.
CPT. SILVER: You're handling
flying this leg, right?
FO. HARVEY: You bet.
NARRATOR: If the
first officer was impaired
when Flight 2286 left Denver,
that could explain the
aircraft's tragic fate.
*
TOM: So this is the
route from Denver to Durango.
And here is where
they hit the ground.
NARRATOR: While they
wait for lab results,
investigators
examine other evidence.
They hope recordings of
the controller's conversations
and transponder data can help
them build a better picture
of what was
happening in the cockpit.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
climb and maintain
flight level 2-3-0.
CPT. SILVER: Climb and
maintain 2-3-0. Thank you.
NARRATOR:
For most of the flight,
there's no sign of a problem.
TOM: They didn't
provide a mayday, any calls
or any warnings like that.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
cross the Durango one mile, fix
at or above one-four thousand,
cleared for Runway 2-0 approach.
TOM: So now they're here.
CPT. SILVER: Okay.
We're down to one-four
and we're cleared for
the approach, 2286 Wilco.
NARRATOR: But as the
plane approaches Durango,
investigators spot
something very strange.
TOM: They're
dropping really fast.
NARRATOR: Planes usually
descend at a slow, steady rate
of about 1,000 feet per minute.
Flight 2286 is descending
at nearly triple that rate.
TOM: A much faster, much greater
rate of descent approach
than normal, and so
we're kind of wondering
what was happening here.
NARRATOR: Did alcohol impairment
cause the pilot flying
to make a reckless descent?
Was the first
officer flying drunk?
*
NARRATOR: Blood and
urine tests are in.
Technicians have
carefully checked samples
from both pilots.
Despite suspicions raised
by a passenger's tip-off,
the results show no alcohol
in the first officer's blood.
He was not
drinking before the crash.
FO. HARVEY: Hello sir.
MALCOLM: The passenger
must have been mistaken.
Either she smelled
cologne or something else,
but fortunately it turns
out alcohol was not an issue.
And I was relieved to find
out that the first officer
had dealt with that
issue and it did seem to be
in a commendable way.
NARRATOR: What went wrong in the
final minutes of Flight 2286
is still a mystery.
CPT. SILVER: Okay.
We're down to one-four
and we're cleared for
the approach, 2286 Wilco.
NARRATOR: Investigators now
wonder about the instructions
the crew received
from air traffic control.
Were they told
to fly an approach
that was simply too risky
for the conditions that night?
*
[Crash]
The air traffic recording
soon gives
investigators their answer.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
for your approach to Durango
would you rather shoot the ILS
or will the approach to
Runway 2-0 be sufficient?
NARRATOR: The recording
reveals that the controller
did not dictate the
approach to Durango.
Instead, he gave
the crew two options.
The first was to fly an
easy path around the airport
to a runway equipped with
an instrument landing system,
or ILS, that
guides the pilots down.
The second option,
Runway 2-0, has no ILS.
It requires pilots to descend
in a series of steep steps
to avoid
mountains north of Durango.
JOHN: The way that the
air traffic controller
handled the
flight was exemplary.
They offered them the
choice of which runway
and which instrument procedure
that they would like to do
but left the decision,
appropriately, to the captain.
CPT. SILVER: We'll plan
on using the 2-0, thank you.
NARRATOR: For some
reason, the captain chose
to fly the steeper,
more difficult approach.
*
TOM: We have hills
here, here and here.
Why didn't they
take the easy way down?
TOM: These are normally
very, very well-trained pilots,
so what could have been the
factors that occurred here?
*
MALCOLM: Thanks for
coming. Have a seat.
NARRATOR: Malcolm Brenner hopes
other Trans-Colorado pilots
can explain the decision.
MALCOLM: So tell me
about Captain Silver.
What kind of a pilot was he?
NARRATOR: Everyone
agrees that Stephen Silver
was a skilled pilot, but he was
known to want to rush at times.
JOHN: A number of
people noted he tended to push
to keep the airplane on time.
He was a person that
pushed the limit on things
as a personality type.
NARRATOR: There's even a
letter in his file praising him
for his ability to get
in and out of an airport
in just seven minutes.
CPT. SILVER: Listen,
when we get to Durango
I'd like to get in the air
again as quickly as possible.
FO. HARVEY:
It shouldn't be a problem.
We won't need to refuel.
CPT. SILVER:
Let's see what else we can do
to get these folks back on time.
NARRATOR: The
captain's concern over lateness
helps explain his
chosen approach to Durango.
CPT. SILVER:
So we're still doing the
straight into Runway 2-0,
okay?
FO. HARVEY:
Runway 2-0. Sounds good.
CPT. SILVER: Control, we'll
plan on a DME to Runway 2-0.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Cleared
for Runway 2-0 approach.
NARRATOR: Estimates show
that the straight-in approach
to Runway 2-0 saves about
10 minutes of flight time.
MALCOLM: To me, it
seems almost instinctive
that he thought this is his way
to catch up and get in faster.
CPT. SILVER: Folks, this
is your captain speaking.
We'll soon be
landing in Durango.
JOHN: I think that
this captain felt as though
it was his responsibility
to try to get the passengers
where they wanted to go when
they were expected to be there,
and he took that
very personally.
NARRATOR: The information
explains why Captain Silver
chose such a challenging
approach on a snowy night.
But it doesn't
explain the crash.
Other pilots say they often use
the very same runway approach.
JOHN: Professional pilots
do these kinds of approaches
with great regularity.
So I suspect that they were
aware of the challenging nature
of the approach.
*
TOM: Tricky approach.
But lots of pilots say
they did it all the time.
NARRATOR: To try to understand
where things went wrong,
investigators
compare the flight path
pilots are supposed
to follow for Runway 2-0
to the actual
descent of Flight 2286.
What they
discover is astonishing.
TOM: Look at this.
They're way too steep
even for this approach.
NARRATOR: The
comparison reveals that
after opting for a
challenging approach
requiring a steep descent,
the Trans-Colorado
pilots flew in even steeper.
TOM: And here, they're finally
on the right flight path
but they just keep dropping.
It's like they had no
idea of their altitude.
TOM: We don't know
exactly what happened
obviously because we don't
have the recorded information
we do in a modern airplane.
It's quite clear
that the crew descended
below the published approach.
Why exactly, we don't know.
NARRATOR: Investigators wonder
if the plane's altimeters
or any other flight instruments
might have malfunctioned.
TOM: Were there
possibly internal failures?
Do we see anything clogging
the lines that provide pressure
to the instruments? And so you
look at all the connections.
NARRATOR: A thorough
inspection turns up nothing.
TOM: All the control
systems were properly hooked up
and should have been
functional at the time.
We found nothing mechanically
wrong with the aircraft.
NARRATOR: Once again, the
investigation hits a wall.
*
FO. HARVEY: Do
you have the runway?
NARRATOR: There's
still no explanation
for why two trained
airline pilots flew their plane
into a hillside just
short of the Durango airport.
FO. HARVEY: Damn! We're too low!
CPT. SILVER: Pull up!
FO. HARVEY: No! No!
No, no, no! Hold on!
*
NARRATOR: In
Denver, Malcolm Brenner
digs into the qualifications
of the two pilots
on Trans-Colorado Flight 2286.
TOM: People don't normally
go out with the intention
of crashing airplanes.
So what was it in their
training, their background,
something in
their personal history,
anything else that could have
caused them to make this error?
NARRATOR: The file of First
Officer Ralph Harvey, the pilot
who was flying, contains
some disturbing details.
*
MALCOLM:
Tested for captain. Failed.
Proficiency test. Failed.
Instrument flying below average.
NARRATOR: Brenner uncovers
a history of failed tests.
He learns that the first
officer's mediocre flying
actually cost him a job.
JOHN: He was released
from a previous employer
because he failed
to be able to upgrade
in complex
instrument flying conditions.
This particular individual
was very challenged to do this
on a regular
basis and do it well.
CPT. SILVER:
So we're still doing the
straight into Runway 2-0,
okay?
FO. HARVEY:
Runway 2-0. Sounds good.
CPT. SILVER:
Nothing we can't handle?
NARRATOR: Brenner
suspects that flying
the challenging approach to
Durango in limited visibility
was more than the
first officer could manage.
MALCOLM: I think as
long as the weather is good
he would probably be
a very adequate pilot.
His trouble is when things
start to happen very fast
it seems like.
NARRATOR: But there's
another troubling question.
The duties of airline pilots
are usually carefully divided.
FO. HARVEY: Landing lights.
CPT. SILVER: On.
NARRATOR: The first
officer was flying.
FO. HARVEY: Speed set.
NARRATOR: So the
captain should have been
monitoring the instruments
and watching for mistakes.
JOHN: This first
officer had a history
of having some difficulties with
complex instrument procedures
and so this would
be a first officer
that a captain would
want to watch pretty closely.
NARRATOR: It seems Captain
Silver was not watching closely.
The evidence
suggests he never corrected
his first officer's mistakes.
MALCOLM: For some reason,
the captain didn't take over
and save the plane.
I need to know why.
*
NARRATOR: They
contact friends and family,
trying to piece together
what the pilots were doing
in the hours leading
up to their last flight.
They're looking for any
sign of stress or fatigue.
JOHN: Fatigue can be insidious,
and a lot of it depends
on what was the quality of sleep
that he got the night before.
NARRATOR: Brenner learns
that the captain had dinner
with his parents the
night before the crash.
MALCOLM: It looks like
plenty of time to rest.
NARRATOR: As far
as anyone can tell,
Captain Silver spent a
quiet evening with family,
then went home to sleep.
*
CPT. SILVER: What a day.
NARRATOR: Less
than 24 hours later,
he would fail to
correct his first officer's
perilously quick
descent towards Durango.
*
After an
exhaustive investigation,
Brenner and his colleagues
still don't know why.
MALCOLM: What
are we missing here?
TOM: When you find a mechanical
failure it's obvious.
Something fatigued and broke.
And because that part
failed, this happened.
Trying to really understand
why people make mistakes
can be very difficult.
[Phone ringing]
NARRATOR: The case
seems to have hit a dead end.
MALCOLM: Hello?
NARRATOR: Until a phone
call changes everything.
MALCOLM: Yes. What?
What exactly did she say?
MALCOLM: We got a call
from a member of the public.
This was a pilot who said
that he had met with a woman
who he believed was the
fiancee of the captain who died
in the accident.
*
CPT. SILVER: What a day.
NARRATOR: Investigators learn
that on the eve of the crash,
Captain Silver may not
have spent a quiet night alone
after all.
FIANCEE: Time to
have a bit of fun.
CPT. SILVER: Now
you're speaking my language.
NARRATOR: They hear
a story about drug use
and a woman who is alleged to
have made a stunning admission.
FIANCEE: I'm sure glad we buried
him right after the accident.
The night before, we'd
done a bag of cocaine.
We did a bag of cocaine.
*
FIANCEE: Would
you like to go first?
CPT. SILVER: Yeah.
MALCOLM: "Bag of cocaine."
That's the expression she used.
It's enough for a
couple to party all night.
*
MALCOLM: You realize this
is a very serious allegation.
JOHN: The best way I could
describe the investigators
was astounded.
MALCOLM: Thank you.
MALCOLM: It's very disturbing
to have a drug involved.
Cocaine was something that
we hadn't really expected.
MALCOLM: We've got a
new story on the captain.
NARRATOR: The
stunning claim contradicts
what many friends
and family have said
about the dedicated pilot.
TOM: Everything that we received
on the captain of the aircraft
is that he was well
trained, a good pilot,
certainly had all the experience
and there were no issues.
*
NARRATOR: And the captain's
fiancee denies the entire story.
A letter from
her lawyer contends
she wasn't even with the captain
the night before the crash.
JOHN: The
ingestion of these drugs,
you just don't see this
with professional pilots.
*
NARRATOR: Though the captain's
blood has already been analyzed,
the test wasn't sensitive
enough to detect cocaine use.
MALCOLM: The first one
was done by the hospital,
and their testing was
at a very high level.
They were looking
only for overdose.
MALCOLM: Call the lab.
We need to run the
captain's samples again.
MALCOLM: Subsequently,
the specimens were sent
to the toxicology
lab in Oklahoma City.
In that case, they go
down to very sensitive levels.
*
NARRATOR: If the
captain of Flight 2286
really was using cocaine,
the implications for the entire
aviation industry will be huge.
SUSIE: I always thought
pilots were squeaky clean.
I mean, they are
carrying people's lives.
They have people's
lives in their hands.
*
NARRATOR:
Technicians conduct a second
and then a third toxicology test
on blood samples from the
deceased captain of Flight 2286.
MALCOLM: Because of
the seriousness of it,
they wanted to make
sure that there wasn't
laboratory error involved.
NARRATOR: The results
leave no room for doubt.
MALCOLM: They reported that in
the blood there had been cocaine
in the recent past.
*
MALCOLM: He wasn't asleep.
He was up using cocaine.
MALCOLM: If, as
the evidence suggests,
the captain had been partying
all night and had come to work
he probably got
very limited sleep.
He was in withdrawal by
the time of the accident.
And many of the things that are
characteristic of withdrawal,
such as a
slowing of reaction and
a general feeling
of not being well,
would not help him on
this type of approach.
NARRATOR:
Brenner now understands the
shocking chain of errors,
negligence and criminal
behavior that led to the crash.
MALCOLM: This
accident begins with a captain
who was in no shape to fly.
NARRATOR: After a
long night of drug use,
the captain sets off for work.
His first flight of the day is
scheduled to depart at 1:15 pm.
He must report
for duty at 12:30.
Seven hours later,
after three flights,
the twin turbo
prop is running late
and the captain is feeling the
effects of cocaine withdrawal.
CPT. SILVER: Listen,
when we get to Durango
I'd like to get in the air
again as quickly as possible.
FO. HARVEY:
It shouldn't be a problem.
We won't need to refuel.
JOHN: Because of his actions,
his deliberate actions,
he presented himself
for duty not qualified.
And that goes against everything
that professional
pilots are taught.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
for your approach to Durango
would you rather shoot the ILS,
or will the approach to
Runway 2-0 be sufficient?
CPT. SILVER: Control, we'll
plan on a DME to Runway 2-0.
NARRATOR: The
captain's habit of rushing
leads him to
choose a risky approach
when a safer
option is available.
MALCOLM: What a
horrible decision.
In withdrawal he's not half the
pilot he is when he's alert.
NARRATOR: The struggling first
officer is soon overwhelmed
by the difficult approach.
But the captain doesn't notice.
FO. HARVEY: Do
you have the runway?
JOHN: For this individual
to have allowed himself
to fall into this condition --
it's very, very hard
for me to understand.
NARRATOR: With one pilot
struggling at the controls
and the other battling fatigue,
neither is watching
the plane's altitude.
FO. HARVEY: Damn! We're too low!
CPT. SILVER: Pull up!
FO. HARVEY: No! No, no, no, no!
*
[Crash]
*
MALCOLM: Once they lost
track of their altitude,
they didn't have a chance.
NARRATOR: The
NTSB's final report
cites the first
officer's poor flying
and the captain's use of cocaine
as contributing causes of
the Trans-Colorado crash.
The drug revelations make
headlines across the country.
NEWSMAN (Archive): It's
thought to be the first time
that a commercial
pilot involved in a crash
has tested positive for drugs.
BRAD: I was totally naive
to the situation with Steve.
It totally shocked me.
NARRATOR: The FAA soon
implements important changes,
including more frequent
drug testing for pilots.
MALCOLM: As a result of this
accident to a large extent,
drug testing
programs became practical
and they've been
very, very successful.
To my knowledge there
has not been any other case
of drugs involved in
an airline accident.
NARRATOR: The Durango crash
leads to other reforms as well.
Regulations now require black
boxes in all commuter planes,
and any plane
with 10 or more seats
must have a ground
proximity warning device...
AUTOMATION: Pull up.
NARRATOR: ...to alert pilots
if they're flying too low.
MALCOLM: In the
case of this accident,
the Safety Board reconstructed
that a ground proximity device
would have given
warning at least 23 seconds
prior to the collision.
And in aviation that actually
is quite a bit of time.
*
NARRATOR: For
survivors like Susie Welch,
painful memories linger.
But she knows her ordeal
and the terrible loss of life
were not in vain.
SUSIE: Flying is
safer now than it ever was
because they're
making these changes.
And so I think that's...that
makes me really happy. Yeah.
*
is your captain speaking.
We'll soon be
landing in Durango.
NARRATOR: A commuter
flight over the Rocky Mountains
speeds towards disaster.
[Explosion]
BUTCH: Somewhere out
there in the black of night
was an aircraft
down in our county.
NARRATOR: A desperate search
uncovers twisted wreckage
five miles from the runway.
SUSIE: Half the
people were killed.
MALCOLM: What
are we missing here?
TOM: We were having a
hard time understanding
how the crew impacted so
far short of the airport.
NARRATOR: An unexpected tip-off
points to a
shocking possibility.
MALCOLM: What
exactly did she say?
NARRATOR: One that will rock
the entire airline industry.
JOHN: The best way I would
describe the investigators
was astounded.
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: It's a cold winter's
evening at Stapleton Airport
in Denver, Colorado.
Captain Stephen Silver and
First Officer Ralph Harvey
are just about
ready for takeoff.
CPT. SILVER: Hey.
Everybody seated?
FO. HARVEY: Yep. Everybody's in.
CPT. SILVER: And
all good outside?
FO. HARVEY: The
walk-around was all clear.
NARRATOR:
Trans-Colorado Flight 2286
is a short hop to
Durango-La Plata County Airport
in southern Colorado.
CPT. SILVER: Listen,
when we get to Durango
I'd like to get in the air
again as quickly as possible.
FO. HARVEY:
It shouldn't be a problem.
We won't need to refuel.
NARRATOR: It's the crew's
fourth flight of the day,
and they're running late.
Bad weather has put them
40 minutes behind schedule.
CPT. SILVER:
Let's see what else we can do
to get these folks back on time.
FO. HARVEY: You got it.
BRAD: We're always
running behind it seems like.
You're constantly
trying to get caught back up
because you have
connecting flights.
Passengers want to make these
flights just as we would too
if we were a
passenger in the back.
*
NARRATOR: Tonight, there
are 15 people in the cabin
of the turbo prop commuter
plane, including Susie Welch.
SUSIE: My brother
was sick in California,
and I was there coming
home from visiting him,
and I missed my connection.
So it was a plane that I
wasn't supposed to be on
in the first place.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
you are cleared for takeoff.
NARRATOR: Trans-Colorado
is a small regional carrier
that operates flights
for Continental Airlines.
CPT. SILVER: 2286,
cleared for takeoff. Thank you.
NARRATOR: Captain
Silver is in command.
BRAD: He loved flying. You
know, it was in his blood.
You could see it.
NARRATOR: Brad Howard
flew with Captain Silver
in the late 1980s.
BRAD: Stephen was a very
happy, jovial, energetic pilot.
I enjoyed flying with Steve.
CPT. SILVER: You're handling
flying this leg, right?
FO. HARVEY: You bet.
NARRATOR: First Officer Harvey
will operate the controls
for this flight,
leaving the captain free
to handle radio calls.
FO. HARVEY: Takeoff power.
JOHN: Airline pilots routinely
trade the flying duties.
Part of it is for
the reduction of fatigue
so that one person's
not doing all the work.
But it also divides the jobs up
so that first
officers that will be captains
are gaining experience.
CPT. SILVER: One hundred.
NARRATOR: The captain
keeps an eye on the airspeed
as they accelerate for takeoff.
CPT. SILVER: V1. And rotate.
SUSIE: I was a
little bit apprehensive,
because the weather wasn't
so great before I got on.
But when I got
on I thought, wow.
This is...what was I
worrying about? It's fine.
*
NARRATOR: The crew's
day began in Denver.
After two short hops to
Riverton and Casper, Wyoming,
they circled back to Denver.
Now they're headed for Durango,
a route that takes them over
the southern Rocky Mountains.
BRAD: In fact, just about 20
miles to the north of Durango
is the most
numerous 14,000-foot peaks
within the
continental United States.
CPT. SILVER:
Denver flight watch,
Trans-Colorado Flight 2286.
I'd like the latest weather
for Durango and Cortez please.
AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLER: The latest we have
is indefinite ceiling, obscured
visibility, light snow and fog.
They're still forecasting
moderate icing below 18,000.
CPT. SILVER: Thank you.
BRAD: The mountains
become very obscured quite fast
when a front moves through
and visibility of
course then drops down.
CPT. SILVER:
Nothing we can't handle.
NARRATOR: About 20
minutes from the airport,
the captain and the first
officer review the landing.
CPT. SILVER:
So we're still doing the
straight-in to Runway 2-0, okay?
FO. HARVEY:
Runway 2-0. Sounds good.
CPT. SILVER: Control, we'll
plan on a DME to Runway 2-0.
AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLER: That's approved.
Trans-Colorado 2286
cleared for Runway 2-0 approach
at Durango Airport.
NARRATOR: Like many
small airports in America,
Durango does not have
its own air traffic control.
The controller is in Denver,
more than 200 miles away.
BRAD: Once they
cleared you for that approach,
they basically gave
you the responsibility
to get that
airplane down on the ground.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Radar coverage terminated.
Please report landing by
radio. Have a good night.
CPT. SILVER: Okay.
We're down to 1-4 and
we're cleared for the approach.
2286 Wilco.
NARRATOR: The passengers
should be on the runway
in less than five minutes.
CPT. SILVER: Folks, this
is your captain speaking.
We'll soon be
landing in Durango,
so if you could please
buckle up your seat belts
we should have you
on the ground shortly.
SUSIE: The entire flight
actually was smooth as glass,
like one of the smoothest
flights I've ever had.
There was no cause for
alarm, anything unusual at all.
*
FO. HARVEY: Speed
set. One quarter flaps.
CPT. SILVER: One quarter flaps.
NARRATOR: The pilots work
quickly to prepare for landing.
FO. HARVEY: Gear down.
CPT. SILVER: Gear
down. Three green.
JOHN: They know that they
have a lot of altitude to lose.
They've got a lot of airspeed
to lose, and it also requires
the appropriate use of different
devices on the airplane
to create additional
drag to help it slow down.
FO. HARVEY: Do
you have the runway?
NARRATOR: Something's wrong. The
pilots can't see the runway.
FO. HARVEY: Damn! We're too low!
CPT. SILVER: Pull up!
FO. HARVEY: No! No!
No, no, no! Hold on!
*
SUSIE: [Screaming]
SUSIE: There was
this just big boom.
I thought we just
had a rough landing.
And the plane
began to do a flip.
That's when I thought,
it's happening. We're crashing.
[Passengers screaming]
SUSIE: Help me, Jesus!
[Crash]
*
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
this is Denver.
Please come in.
NARRATOR: The flight to
Durango is now overdue.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
how do you read?
Trans-Colorado
2286, how do you read?
BUTCH: Both Denver and the La
Plata County airport personnel
had tried to contact
the aircraft via radio.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
please come in.
BUTCH: It was pretty
much aircraft was overdue,
and somewhere out
there in the black of night
was an aircraft
down in our county.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
please come in.
[Wind howling]
[Creaking]
SUSIE: Help us!
SUSIE: It was dark
and it was very cold.
And just looking around I could
see that we could be anywhere.
SUSIE: Please! Is
anyone out there?
SUSIE: I just thought
here I am. Lord, help me.
NARRATOR: Susie Welch discovers
that she's not badly injured.
But it's clear other survivors
of the Trans-Colorado crash
are suffering terribly.
SUSIE: We have to get out.
SUSIE: They needed help as
quickly as they could get it,
you know, and we couldn't give
what they needed at the time.
NARRATOR: Susie faces
a difficult decision:
Stay and tend to the injured,
or leave in search of help.
SUSIE: They usually
say stay where you are.
Someone will come and get you.
But we were out in
the middle of nowhere.
We didn't know if
anybody knew anything.
*
BUTCH: The weather wasn't
really good that night at all.
There were snow flurries in the
area and it was extremely cold.
NARRATOR: If the
injured don't get help soon,
they could freeze to death.
SUSIE: Just hang on.
We'll send for help.
[Whimpering]
NARRATOR: Welch and some
other able-bodied passengers
decide to set out on foot.
It may be the best chance
of survival for everyone.
*
SUSIE:
I was thinking: My family.
They don't know where we are.
They have no idea if I'm
even alive. That gets me.
[Wind howling]
BUTCH: We had approximately four
feet of snow on the ground,
which really hampered
our rescue activities.
NARRATOR: After more than an
hour, they catch a lucky break.
They come across a highway.
SUSIE: I saw a semi and a
car and I thought hallelujah.
That was a relief to see that.
NARRATOR: Some
passengers are now safe.
Rescuers go in
search of the others.
BUTCH: We moved emergency
responders and equipment
to that particular
location on US Highway 160,
east of Durango
approximately six miles.
*
It was a remote area
and so it made it difficult
for the emergency
responders to get there.
It took us a long
time to figure out
exactly where the crash was.
NARRATOR: Finally,
rescuers reach the airplane.
Of the 17 people on board,
the crash has killed nine,
including both pilots.
SUSIE:
Half the people were killed,
which is, you know, it's...
of course it's a heart-breaker
for a lot of people.
*
NARRATOR: The next
morning, daylight reveals
the full extent
of the destruction.
TOM: The front of the
aircraft from the wing forward
was fairly well demolished.
The tail was
broken off in parts,
and the good portion of
the left wing was missing.
*
NARRATOR: Tom Haueter
of the National
Transportation Safety Board
now faces a huge task.
TOM: Yeah, left wingtip
right here. Yeah, thanks guys.
NARRATOR: Figuring
out why a commuter plane
slammed into the ground
five miles from the airport.
TOM: We were having a
hard time understanding
how the crew impacted so
far short of the airport.
That was going to be
the big mystery here
to try to understand.
NARRATOR: Sorting
through the wreckage
is like trying to piece
together a giant jigsaw puzzle.
And that's not
the only challenge.
In 1988, planes with
fewer than 20 passengers
are not required to
carry flight recorders.
JOHN: The lack of a
cockpit voice recorder
and digital flight data recorder
makes things much,
much more difficult
because you have to then take
the evidence from the airplane
and then deduce what happened
to lead the
airplane into the ground.
*
TOM: Thank you.
NARRATOR: Haueter
immediately turns his attention
to an obvious
suspect. The weather.
CPT. SILVER:
Denver flight watch,
Trans-Colorado Flight 2286.
I'd like the latest weather
for Durango and Cortez please.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286, Durango.
The latest we have is indefinite
ceiling, obscured visibility,
light snow and fog.
They're still forecasting
moderate icing below 18,000.
NARRATOR: Icing is a
potentially deadly phenomenon
that can occur from 32
down to -4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Super cooled water coats the
surface of an aircraft's wings
and freezes, degrading
aerodynamic performance.
TOM: The biggest problem is it
changes the shape of the wing.
All of a sudden
you start getting,
instead of a
nice rounded edge --
it starts becoming a blunt edge,
and now instead of
the smooth airflow
you get turbulent air flow
and you start
losing lift on the wing.
NARRATOR: That's what happened
to American Eagle Flight 4184.
The plane was en
route to Chicago
when ice build-up on the wings
sent it into a deadly roll.
[Crash]
The crash killed
all 68 people on board.
*
The critical question now:
Did ice on the
wings of Flight 2286
lead to a similar
tragedy on a snowy night
in the Colorado Rockies?
NARRATOR: The descent
to Runway 2-0 in Durango
is over mountainous terrain.
A crew would have had
little time to recover
if ice on the wings
caused a sudden loss of lift.
FO. HARVEY: No! No! No! No!
CPT. SILVER: Pull up!
[Crash]
NARRATOR: Did the
plane's wings ice over?
TOM: Was it the right
temperature range for icing?
NARRATOR: Haueter
studies weather reports
from Durango's airport.
TOM: Normally, icing's a
problem if you have liquid
that's very cold, hits the
airplane and freezes on it.
It has to be raining or drizzle.
TOM: The weather at the airport
was overcast and cloudy,
but the temperature was
negative 24 Fahrenheit.
NARRATOR: It's a dead end.
Temperatures were well below
the minimum required for icing.
TOM: It was so cold that
night there's no liquid water
out there to form on
the airplane, just snow.
And so icing could be
eliminated pretty quickly.
*
NARRATOR: The
location of the crash site,
just five miles from the runway,
suggests another possibility.
FO. HARVEY: One-quarter flaps.
NARRATOR: To prepare
for landing, the pilots
have to extend the plane's flaps
and lower the landing gear.
CPT. SILVER: Gear
down. Three green.
NARRATOR: The increased drag
means the plane needs more power
to maintain lift during the
last few minutes of flight.
*
Investigators wonder: did a
sudden loss of engine power
cause the crash?
TOM: Were they
producing power at impact?
Was there any obvious
problems with the engines
prior to impact?
So you start looking
at everything in detail.
NARRATOR: They check the
position of the engine levers.
TOM: The engine
speed is set for high,
exactly where it should be.
NARRATOR: It seems the
pilots had the right settings.
FO. HARVEY: Speed set.
NARRATOR: What about
the engines themselves?
Did they somehow fail?
NARRATOR: A trained
investigator can find clues
to engine performance by
looking at the propeller blades
and how they bent in the crash.
TOM: The blades were in
position to produce thrust.
And also by rotational damage
they were running at impact.
If they hadn't been running
they would have
been just pulled back.
But you see where they
were actually chopping away
at the ground and the
trees and being pulled forward
when they hit.
TOM: It was
definitely going at full speed.
No fault with the engine.
*
NARRATOR: With no black boxes,
it's difficult to
know where else to look.
JOHN: Accident investigators
very definitely utilize
a process of elimination.
You eliminate the things that
you know that didn't contribute
and then
eventually you'll get to
the three or four or five things
that did contribute to it.
[Phone ringing]
TOM: Haueter here.
NARRATOR: An unexpected call
brings a surprising new lead.
One of the survivors has
made an alarming allegation.
TOM: Really?
FO. HARVEY: Hi. Welcome aboard.
You're down to the left.
Good evening. How are ya? You
are right in the back there.
MALCOLM: One of the
passengers reported
that she thought she smelled
alcohol on the first officer.
The first officer
helped board the passengers.
A very gracious
gentleman by all accounts,
but she was disturbed by that.
*
NARRATOR: The NTSB immediately
adds aviation psychologist
Malcolm Brenner to
the investigative team.
MALCOLM: We were
actually alarmed.
We were very concerned
that alcohol might turn out
to be a factor in this case.
As soon as the team
came back I was launched
I think the next
day almost immediately
to follow up and
see what I could learn
about the first officer.
MALCOLM: Unbelievable.
NARRATOR: A check of the
first officer's driving record
turns up more damning evidence.
MALCOLM: Arrested
twice for drunk driving.
MALCOLM: For us, that
is a major trouble sign.
That would suggest that there
is a serious alcohol issue.
NARRATOR: Lab tests are
ordered to check for alcohol
in the blood and
urine of both pilots.
MALCOLM: Let me know
when you get the results.
CPT. SILVER: You're handling
flying this leg, right?
FO. HARVEY: You bet.
NARRATOR: If the
first officer was impaired
when Flight 2286 left Denver,
that could explain the
aircraft's tragic fate.
*
TOM: So this is the
route from Denver to Durango.
And here is where
they hit the ground.
NARRATOR: While they
wait for lab results,
investigators
examine other evidence.
They hope recordings of
the controller's conversations
and transponder data can help
them build a better picture
of what was
happening in the cockpit.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
climb and maintain
flight level 2-3-0.
CPT. SILVER: Climb and
maintain 2-3-0. Thank you.
NARRATOR:
For most of the flight,
there's no sign of a problem.
TOM: They didn't
provide a mayday, any calls
or any warnings like that.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
cross the Durango one mile, fix
at or above one-four thousand,
cleared for Runway 2-0 approach.
TOM: So now they're here.
CPT. SILVER: Okay.
We're down to one-four
and we're cleared for
the approach, 2286 Wilco.
NARRATOR: But as the
plane approaches Durango,
investigators spot
something very strange.
TOM: They're
dropping really fast.
NARRATOR: Planes usually
descend at a slow, steady rate
of about 1,000 feet per minute.
Flight 2286 is descending
at nearly triple that rate.
TOM: A much faster, much greater
rate of descent approach
than normal, and so
we're kind of wondering
what was happening here.
NARRATOR: Did alcohol impairment
cause the pilot flying
to make a reckless descent?
Was the first
officer flying drunk?
*
NARRATOR: Blood and
urine tests are in.
Technicians have
carefully checked samples
from both pilots.
Despite suspicions raised
by a passenger's tip-off,
the results show no alcohol
in the first officer's blood.
He was not
drinking before the crash.
FO. HARVEY: Hello sir.
MALCOLM: The passenger
must have been mistaken.
Either she smelled
cologne or something else,
but fortunately it turns
out alcohol was not an issue.
And I was relieved to find
out that the first officer
had dealt with that
issue and it did seem to be
in a commendable way.
NARRATOR: What went wrong in the
final minutes of Flight 2286
is still a mystery.
CPT. SILVER: Okay.
We're down to one-four
and we're cleared for
the approach, 2286 Wilco.
NARRATOR: Investigators now
wonder about the instructions
the crew received
from air traffic control.
Were they told
to fly an approach
that was simply too risky
for the conditions that night?
*
[Crash]
The air traffic recording
soon gives
investigators their answer.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
for your approach to Durango
would you rather shoot the ILS
or will the approach to
Runway 2-0 be sufficient?
NARRATOR: The recording
reveals that the controller
did not dictate the
approach to Durango.
Instead, he gave
the crew two options.
The first was to fly an
easy path around the airport
to a runway equipped with
an instrument landing system,
or ILS, that
guides the pilots down.
The second option,
Runway 2-0, has no ILS.
It requires pilots to descend
in a series of steep steps
to avoid
mountains north of Durango.
JOHN: The way that the
air traffic controller
handled the
flight was exemplary.
They offered them the
choice of which runway
and which instrument procedure
that they would like to do
but left the decision,
appropriately, to the captain.
CPT. SILVER: We'll plan
on using the 2-0, thank you.
NARRATOR: For some
reason, the captain chose
to fly the steeper,
more difficult approach.
*
TOM: We have hills
here, here and here.
Why didn't they
take the easy way down?
TOM: These are normally
very, very well-trained pilots,
so what could have been the
factors that occurred here?
*
MALCOLM: Thanks for
coming. Have a seat.
NARRATOR: Malcolm Brenner hopes
other Trans-Colorado pilots
can explain the decision.
MALCOLM: So tell me
about Captain Silver.
What kind of a pilot was he?
NARRATOR: Everyone
agrees that Stephen Silver
was a skilled pilot, but he was
known to want to rush at times.
JOHN: A number of
people noted he tended to push
to keep the airplane on time.
He was a person that
pushed the limit on things
as a personality type.
NARRATOR: There's even a
letter in his file praising him
for his ability to get
in and out of an airport
in just seven minutes.
CPT. SILVER: Listen,
when we get to Durango
I'd like to get in the air
again as quickly as possible.
FO. HARVEY:
It shouldn't be a problem.
We won't need to refuel.
CPT. SILVER:
Let's see what else we can do
to get these folks back on time.
NARRATOR: The
captain's concern over lateness
helps explain his
chosen approach to Durango.
CPT. SILVER:
So we're still doing the
straight into Runway 2-0,
okay?
FO. HARVEY:
Runway 2-0. Sounds good.
CPT. SILVER: Control, we'll
plan on a DME to Runway 2-0.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Cleared
for Runway 2-0 approach.
NARRATOR: Estimates show
that the straight-in approach
to Runway 2-0 saves about
10 minutes of flight time.
MALCOLM: To me, it
seems almost instinctive
that he thought this is his way
to catch up and get in faster.
CPT. SILVER: Folks, this
is your captain speaking.
We'll soon be
landing in Durango.
JOHN: I think that
this captain felt as though
it was his responsibility
to try to get the passengers
where they wanted to go when
they were expected to be there,
and he took that
very personally.
NARRATOR: The information
explains why Captain Silver
chose such a challenging
approach on a snowy night.
But it doesn't
explain the crash.
Other pilots say they often use
the very same runway approach.
JOHN: Professional pilots
do these kinds of approaches
with great regularity.
So I suspect that they were
aware of the challenging nature
of the approach.
*
TOM: Tricky approach.
But lots of pilots say
they did it all the time.
NARRATOR: To try to understand
where things went wrong,
investigators
compare the flight path
pilots are supposed
to follow for Runway 2-0
to the actual
descent of Flight 2286.
What they
discover is astonishing.
TOM: Look at this.
They're way too steep
even for this approach.
NARRATOR: The
comparison reveals that
after opting for a
challenging approach
requiring a steep descent,
the Trans-Colorado
pilots flew in even steeper.
TOM: And here, they're finally
on the right flight path
but they just keep dropping.
It's like they had no
idea of their altitude.
TOM: We don't know
exactly what happened
obviously because we don't
have the recorded information
we do in a modern airplane.
It's quite clear
that the crew descended
below the published approach.
Why exactly, we don't know.
NARRATOR: Investigators wonder
if the plane's altimeters
or any other flight instruments
might have malfunctioned.
TOM: Were there
possibly internal failures?
Do we see anything clogging
the lines that provide pressure
to the instruments? And so you
look at all the connections.
NARRATOR: A thorough
inspection turns up nothing.
TOM: All the control
systems were properly hooked up
and should have been
functional at the time.
We found nothing mechanically
wrong with the aircraft.
NARRATOR: Once again, the
investigation hits a wall.
*
FO. HARVEY: Do
you have the runway?
NARRATOR: There's
still no explanation
for why two trained
airline pilots flew their plane
into a hillside just
short of the Durango airport.
FO. HARVEY: Damn! We're too low!
CPT. SILVER: Pull up!
FO. HARVEY: No! No!
No, no, no! Hold on!
*
NARRATOR: In
Denver, Malcolm Brenner
digs into the qualifications
of the two pilots
on Trans-Colorado Flight 2286.
TOM: People don't normally
go out with the intention
of crashing airplanes.
So what was it in their
training, their background,
something in
their personal history,
anything else that could have
caused them to make this error?
NARRATOR: The file of First
Officer Ralph Harvey, the pilot
who was flying, contains
some disturbing details.
*
MALCOLM:
Tested for captain. Failed.
Proficiency test. Failed.
Instrument flying below average.
NARRATOR: Brenner uncovers
a history of failed tests.
He learns that the first
officer's mediocre flying
actually cost him a job.
JOHN: He was released
from a previous employer
because he failed
to be able to upgrade
in complex
instrument flying conditions.
This particular individual
was very challenged to do this
on a regular
basis and do it well.
CPT. SILVER:
So we're still doing the
straight into Runway 2-0,
okay?
FO. HARVEY:
Runway 2-0. Sounds good.
CPT. SILVER:
Nothing we can't handle?
NARRATOR: Brenner
suspects that flying
the challenging approach to
Durango in limited visibility
was more than the
first officer could manage.
MALCOLM: I think as
long as the weather is good
he would probably be
a very adequate pilot.
His trouble is when things
start to happen very fast
it seems like.
NARRATOR: But there's
another troubling question.
The duties of airline pilots
are usually carefully divided.
FO. HARVEY: Landing lights.
CPT. SILVER: On.
NARRATOR: The first
officer was flying.
FO. HARVEY: Speed set.
NARRATOR: So the
captain should have been
monitoring the instruments
and watching for mistakes.
JOHN: This first
officer had a history
of having some difficulties with
complex instrument procedures
and so this would
be a first officer
that a captain would
want to watch pretty closely.
NARRATOR: It seems Captain
Silver was not watching closely.
The evidence
suggests he never corrected
his first officer's mistakes.
MALCOLM: For some reason,
the captain didn't take over
and save the plane.
I need to know why.
*
NARRATOR: They
contact friends and family,
trying to piece together
what the pilots were doing
in the hours leading
up to their last flight.
They're looking for any
sign of stress or fatigue.
JOHN: Fatigue can be insidious,
and a lot of it depends
on what was the quality of sleep
that he got the night before.
NARRATOR: Brenner learns
that the captain had dinner
with his parents the
night before the crash.
MALCOLM: It looks like
plenty of time to rest.
NARRATOR: As far
as anyone can tell,
Captain Silver spent a
quiet evening with family,
then went home to sleep.
*
CPT. SILVER: What a day.
NARRATOR: Less
than 24 hours later,
he would fail to
correct his first officer's
perilously quick
descent towards Durango.
*
After an
exhaustive investigation,
Brenner and his colleagues
still don't know why.
MALCOLM: What
are we missing here?
TOM: When you find a mechanical
failure it's obvious.
Something fatigued and broke.
And because that part
failed, this happened.
Trying to really understand
why people make mistakes
can be very difficult.
[Phone ringing]
NARRATOR: The case
seems to have hit a dead end.
MALCOLM: Hello?
NARRATOR: Until a phone
call changes everything.
MALCOLM: Yes. What?
What exactly did she say?
MALCOLM: We got a call
from a member of the public.
This was a pilot who said
that he had met with a woman
who he believed was the
fiancee of the captain who died
in the accident.
*
CPT. SILVER: What a day.
NARRATOR: Investigators learn
that on the eve of the crash,
Captain Silver may not
have spent a quiet night alone
after all.
FIANCEE: Time to
have a bit of fun.
CPT. SILVER: Now
you're speaking my language.
NARRATOR: They hear
a story about drug use
and a woman who is alleged to
have made a stunning admission.
FIANCEE: I'm sure glad we buried
him right after the accident.
The night before, we'd
done a bag of cocaine.
We did a bag of cocaine.
*
FIANCEE: Would
you like to go first?
CPT. SILVER: Yeah.
MALCOLM: "Bag of cocaine."
That's the expression she used.
It's enough for a
couple to party all night.
*
MALCOLM: You realize this
is a very serious allegation.
JOHN: The best way I could
describe the investigators
was astounded.
MALCOLM: Thank you.
MALCOLM: It's very disturbing
to have a drug involved.
Cocaine was something that
we hadn't really expected.
MALCOLM: We've got a
new story on the captain.
NARRATOR: The
stunning claim contradicts
what many friends
and family have said
about the dedicated pilot.
TOM: Everything that we received
on the captain of the aircraft
is that he was well
trained, a good pilot,
certainly had all the experience
and there were no issues.
*
NARRATOR: And the captain's
fiancee denies the entire story.
A letter from
her lawyer contends
she wasn't even with the captain
the night before the crash.
JOHN: The
ingestion of these drugs,
you just don't see this
with professional pilots.
*
NARRATOR: Though the captain's
blood has already been analyzed,
the test wasn't sensitive
enough to detect cocaine use.
MALCOLM: The first one
was done by the hospital,
and their testing was
at a very high level.
They were looking
only for overdose.
MALCOLM: Call the lab.
We need to run the
captain's samples again.
MALCOLM: Subsequently,
the specimens were sent
to the toxicology
lab in Oklahoma City.
In that case, they go
down to very sensitive levels.
*
NARRATOR: If the
captain of Flight 2286
really was using cocaine,
the implications for the entire
aviation industry will be huge.
SUSIE: I always thought
pilots were squeaky clean.
I mean, they are
carrying people's lives.
They have people's
lives in their hands.
*
NARRATOR:
Technicians conduct a second
and then a third toxicology test
on blood samples from the
deceased captain of Flight 2286.
MALCOLM: Because of
the seriousness of it,
they wanted to make
sure that there wasn't
laboratory error involved.
NARRATOR: The results
leave no room for doubt.
MALCOLM: They reported that in
the blood there had been cocaine
in the recent past.
*
MALCOLM: He wasn't asleep.
He was up using cocaine.
MALCOLM: If, as
the evidence suggests,
the captain had been partying
all night and had come to work
he probably got
very limited sleep.
He was in withdrawal by
the time of the accident.
And many of the things that are
characteristic of withdrawal,
such as a
slowing of reaction and
a general feeling
of not being well,
would not help him on
this type of approach.
NARRATOR:
Brenner now understands the
shocking chain of errors,
negligence and criminal
behavior that led to the crash.
MALCOLM: This
accident begins with a captain
who was in no shape to fly.
NARRATOR: After a
long night of drug use,
the captain sets off for work.
His first flight of the day is
scheduled to depart at 1:15 pm.
He must report
for duty at 12:30.
Seven hours later,
after three flights,
the twin turbo
prop is running late
and the captain is feeling the
effects of cocaine withdrawal.
CPT. SILVER: Listen,
when we get to Durango
I'd like to get in the air
again as quickly as possible.
FO. HARVEY:
It shouldn't be a problem.
We won't need to refuel.
JOHN: Because of his actions,
his deliberate actions,
he presented himself
for duty not qualified.
And that goes against everything
that professional
pilots are taught.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER:
Trans-Colorado 2286,
for your approach to Durango
would you rather shoot the ILS,
or will the approach to
Runway 2-0 be sufficient?
CPT. SILVER: Control, we'll
plan on a DME to Runway 2-0.
NARRATOR: The
captain's habit of rushing
leads him to
choose a risky approach
when a safer
option is available.
MALCOLM: What a
horrible decision.
In withdrawal he's not half the
pilot he is when he's alert.
NARRATOR: The struggling first
officer is soon overwhelmed
by the difficult approach.
But the captain doesn't notice.
FO. HARVEY: Do
you have the runway?
JOHN: For this individual
to have allowed himself
to fall into this condition --
it's very, very hard
for me to understand.
NARRATOR: With one pilot
struggling at the controls
and the other battling fatigue,
neither is watching
the plane's altitude.
FO. HARVEY: Damn! We're too low!
CPT. SILVER: Pull up!
FO. HARVEY: No! No, no, no, no!
*
[Crash]
*
MALCOLM: Once they lost
track of their altitude,
they didn't have a chance.
NARRATOR: The
NTSB's final report
cites the first
officer's poor flying
and the captain's use of cocaine
as contributing causes of
the Trans-Colorado crash.
The drug revelations make
headlines across the country.
NEWSMAN (Archive): It's
thought to be the first time
that a commercial
pilot involved in a crash
has tested positive for drugs.
BRAD: I was totally naive
to the situation with Steve.
It totally shocked me.
NARRATOR: The FAA soon
implements important changes,
including more frequent
drug testing for pilots.
MALCOLM: As a result of this
accident to a large extent,
drug testing
programs became practical
and they've been
very, very successful.
To my knowledge there
has not been any other case
of drugs involved in
an airline accident.
NARRATOR: The Durango crash
leads to other reforms as well.
Regulations now require black
boxes in all commuter planes,
and any plane
with 10 or more seats
must have a ground
proximity warning device...
AUTOMATION: Pull up.
NARRATOR: ...to alert pilots
if they're flying too low.
MALCOLM: In the
case of this accident,
the Safety Board reconstructed
that a ground proximity device
would have given
warning at least 23 seconds
prior to the collision.
And in aviation that actually
is quite a bit of time.
*
NARRATOR: For
survivors like Susie Welch,
painful memories linger.
But she knows her ordeal
and the terrible loss of life
were not in vain.
SUSIE: Flying is
safer now than it ever was
because they're
making these changes.
And so I think that's...that
makes me really happy. Yeah.
*