JAG (1995–2005): Season 6, Episode 4 - Flight Risk - full transcript
Harm and Bud investigate a crash of an F-14 Tomcat while it leaves a civilian upgrade facility. The inquiry exposes a number of irregularities at the outside firm. In a court-martial Mac prosecutes the Naval quality-assurance officer at the plant, and Harm and Bud defend him. Mic, now a civilian lawyer in Washington, represents the contractor, which blames the crash on pilot error. Rep. Bobbi Latham conducts a congressional investigation into wasteful military overspending, including some of the activities of the vendor involved here. Renee introduces a new TV commercial for Bobbi's campaign for reelection, and the admiral tries hard to provide a happy birthday to Sydney.
( thunder crashing)
Let's put it up on-line.
Welcome to sunny
California, gentlemen.
I was starting to think
we wouldn't be
seeing you tonight.
We were having
the same thought, sir,
along about Point Mugu.
And Pax River and
Oceana and North Island.
It's a mess out there, sir.
At least you won't have
to wait on your plane.
Upgrade was finished
three days ago.
You sure you don't want
to bunk down for the night?
No, thank you, sir.
Got a little waitress
waiting for me
at the Barefoot Bar.
( chuckles): Wouldn't
want to ruin her evening.
Got your John Hancocks.
That's one fully upgraded F-14
officially released
to the U.S. Navy.
Say hi to China Lake for me.
You got it.
Will do, sir.
Wind sweep automatic.
Check.
Flaps down.
Check.
Tower, this is Navy Jet 2-3-4-8
ready for takeoff.
TOWER: Roger
that, Navy Jet 2-3-4-8.
You're clear for takeoff.
Cartwright!
What the hell is this?!
I found it in the cockpit.
Hey, I don't leave my
tools anywhere, Bob.
Guess the screwdriver
fairy must've left it there, huh?
Herskovitz borrowed that.
Look, I had a buddy once; some
idiot left a wrench in the cockpit,
flew up while he
was doing a loop
and hit him the face.
( loud boom)
Man, that thunder's
getting close.
( sirens blaring)
Bob, that was the plane
going to China Lake!
Oh, college catalog, Tiner?
You cruising for coeds?
I'm taking some courses, Gunny.
Looking for ways to
make myself more valuable
around the office.
Oh, they have a major
in alphabetical order?
Maybe improve
your filing skills?
I'm thinking about finishing
up my bachelor's degree,
then going to law school.
Wiggin's file?
Has the meeting started yet?
The Admiral went up
five minutes ago, ma'am.
Hmm, five minutes
and 12 seconds.
You owe me a buck.
Mick, what are you doing here?
You're three hours
early for lunch.
Yeah, but who's counting?
Okay. You want
to come back later?
Maybe wait downstairs?
CHEDWIDDEN:: All right,
now that we're all here,
we'll get started.
First up is the F-14 crash
at Frohl Technologies,
which was in the midst
of a third-party
aircraft upgrade.
Rabb, you and Lieutenant
Roberts will handle the investigation
with the assistance of the
Frohl Tech representative.
You're the Frohl
Tech representative?
My firm's on retainer.
Who would've thought we'd all
be working together again so soon?
Yeah, who'd have thought?
Well, good to see you, sir.
"Mic's" fine, mate.
Admiral, do we have
the aircraft's
heads-up-display recorder?
No, it was burned up
with all the rest.
Preliminary reports
are inconclusive,
but they're leaning
toward pilot error.
I see it had been raining, sir.
Now, Commander
Urquizu was a good stick...
Second in his class at Top
Gun, 40 missions over Kosovo.
It'd take more than a
little rain to trip him up.
Well, he had more
than a little rain, mate.
They'd been ferrying
planes back and forth
for three straight days...
Brumby, I'm sure your
employers would love to blame
two aviators rather than
a faulty hardware upgrade,
but I think it's a little
premature to be...
CHEGWIDDEN: Well...
looks like you two guys are
going to save the government
a lot of time and money.
How's that, sir?
Have a debate instead
of an investigation.
I should've thought
of that years ago.
Sarah, what's the matter?
What's the matter?
"Surprise! I moved to America."
"Surprise! You're my
new brunch date, babe."
"Surprise! We're
working together."
You made me
look stupid in there.
I didn't feel like discussing
business last night.
Or this morning.
You should've warned me.
I didn't want to mix
business with pleasure.
Cut back on the surprises, Mic,
or there won't be
any more pleasure.
No worries. Won't happen again.
You're all invited
to a sneak preview
of my latest project...
The reelection
of Congresswoman Bobbi Latham.
TV ANNOUNCER: When
Congresswoman Bobbi Latham learned
there wasn't enough money to buy
Michigan students their
own textbooks, she said "no."
When she learned the
Pentagon wanted 40 billion dollars
for the flawed Spyglass
surveillance system,
she said "no."
Now she's leading
the fight against
wasteful military spending.
Our current prosperity
should be an opportunity
to build our schools
and our cities,
not to throw money
away on unneeded
and overpriced weapons
and military hardware.
I'll work for you, the
people of Michigan.
ANNOUNCER: Paid for by the
Committee for Reelection of Bobbi Latham.
On second thought,
maybe you're not
my target audience.
Renée.
Excuse me.
Thank God none of
you live in Michigan.
What?
Oh, lunch is off?
Oh, no, no. Let me guess.
Zimbabwe in five hours?
Well, you're close.
San Diego in four.
Oh. Oh, that's good, Harm.
The sooner you tell
your mother, the better.
Oh...
Renée, Mom's in Europe.
A-A-And... Look,
I'm not even so sure
I'm going to tell her.
I mean, what am I'm going say?
"Hey, Mom, Russia was great.
"I-I got to ride
in a helicopter.
"Oh, by the way, when
Dad was a POW there,
"he lived with a woman;
"they had a son.
"I met him, real nice guy.
So how was your trip?"
Did I ever tell you the story
about my old actress
roommate in L.A.?
She had this fiancée.
And one day, he
decides he's had it.
He is moving back to Indiana.
Or Idaho... well, it
was of those "I" states.
Anyway, he wants
her to marry him
and to come with.
So she asks me, is she
a good enough actress
that she should stay in L.A.
instead of going and being
with the man she loves?
Okay, well, she was the
worst actress I had ever seen.
But I didn't want
to hurt her feelings
and so, I lied
and she stayed.
And he married somebody else.
And the last I heard,
she is still living in
that same apartment.
Look, your mom was tough
enough to raise you on her own.
She's not going to break.
And for all you know,
she might actually
be happy that your dad
found a little bit of
joy after all of his pain.
Let's have lunch.
You can drive me to the
airport afterwards, okay?
Uh, yeah.
MAN: It's a big contract, sir,
upgrading 130 F-14 Deltas
and F-14 Echoes on a deadline.
I've been the NAVPRO in
charge of quality assurance
since the project started.
ROBERTS: What
are they doing exactly?
New turbine blades, automatic
flight control systems...
You name it, Lieutenant.
Tell me about the night
of the crash, Commander.
I never should've
let those guys go.
They were just plain beat.
Anything else make you
question their fitness to fly?
The younger one, Berke,
he was pretty anxious
about getting home.
What about the aircraft?
The work was done.
Checked by Frohl Tech;
double-checked by me.
And by him. Wilson! Test pilot.
They're investigating.
Too bad about those boys.
Yes, it is.
You checked out
their plane, correct?
Six to eight times.
A functional test flight
after each job was done
and then, uh,
prior to pickup, a
full-card test flight.
Two full hours.
That's the drill.
What do you fly, Commander?
14s.
Or I used to.
Man, it's a shame to have
you on the ground, then.
You ever get the
itch, we'll take one up.
Well, if you can find the time.
You fly every aircraft
half a dozen times, huh?
BRUMBY: Asked and
answered, Counselor.
My FCF card's on file.
I'll be here, you got
any more questions.
Thanks.
Yeah, I worked on that plane.
It's all in the report.
Well, I'd like to hear firsthand
exactly what you did on it.
Turbine shroud, blade
upgrades, like all the others.
That one also needed a
mainmount brake assembly.
RABB: And everything was fine?
Looked okay to me.
And to Holtsford
and the test pilot.
Oh, Wilson. Yeah, he
doesn't seem the type
to let anything slide.
Wilson? Yeah, that's
an understatement.
You know what pilots
use for birth control?
Yeah, their personalities.
What's the difference between
a pilot and a jet engine?
Jet engine stops
whining when it lands.
Look, I feel real bad
about what happened.
So what are you
doing to this one?
Replacing the
heads-up-display computer.
RABB: Our HUD, it
sometimes jitters so bad,
we shut it off in mid-flight.
Yeah, we removed and replaced
a lot HUDs for that reason.
Oh, yeah?
RABB: Where's the CSD?
CARTWRIGHT: How's that?
You're missing a CSD.
CHEGWIDDEN: What's a CSD?
RABB: Constant Speed Drive, sir.
It supplies electrical
power to the aircraft.
A bad CSD could account
for the loss of control
that caused the crash, sir.
An upgraded F-14 was
due for pickup, but it had
a faulty CSD, sir.
Commander Holtsford pulled
a replacement
from the mishap 14.
Well, what did he
replace that one with?
A CSD from another aircraft
that had just come in,
but without
cannibalization paperwork,
test procedures or inspection.
He lied to us, sir, and
he's probably responsible
for the death of
those two aviators.
Dereliction of
duty, at least, sir.
Maybe negligent homicide.
All right.
Inform the Convening Authority
that a court-martial's in order.
Aye, sir.
Aye, sir.
Bud, see if Holtsford's records
have come in from BUPERS.
On it, sir.
LATHAM: Commander Rabb.
Congresswoman
Latham, I didn't realize
I was on your
whistle-stop tour, ma'am.
You are.
I've come for any
report you picked up
in the Frohl Tech investigation.
Now, what makes you
think I would give you files
from an active case?
We're investigating a naval
officer assigned to Frohl Tech.
Lieutenant Commander
Bob Holtsford.
His attorney's been
in contact with me.
I'm holding a congressional
hearing on waste and fraud
at Frohl Tech.
Lieutenant Commander
Holtsford has agreed to testify.
In exchange, I'm giving him
full immunity from prosecution.
RABB: Immunity?!
You can't do that, Bobbi.
I'm going to nail this guy.
Is that an order, Commander?
Look, Holtsford is
probably responsible
for the death of two good
men, and he needs to pay for it.
No, no, no. What he needs
to do is help me expose
the waste and
incompetence at Frohl Tech.
Ah, ha-ha.
This isn't about
this case at all, is it?
Frohl Tech has a contract
to the Spyglass project...
Your big campaign issue.
For good reason. It's
a $40 billion waste.
Don't make speeches to me.
If there wasn't an election
there wouldn't be a hearing.
( shuts door) I didn't
want your subordinates
hearing me call you an ass.
Holtsford didn't
set up the system
that caused that plane
to crash, Frohl Tech did.
Let us convict him, then you
can have him as a witness.
A witness of what,
conditions at Leavenworth?
You know he's not going
to talk without immunity!
It's the best way.
This is the quickest way.
The best way is to nail
Frohl Tech and Holtsford.
Oh, come on. Listen.
You've done this
a thousand times.
This is the battle we
lose to win the war.
This is not my war.
How many Frohl Tech planes
are supposed to fall
out of the sky before it is?
Holtsford has his immunity.
The papers are signed.
Fine.
But I'm going to be there.
( knocking) Enter!
You wanted to see me, sir?
Oh, yeah. Come on in.
Have a seat.
Um...
Dr. Walden's son, Danny,
mentioned that her
birthday was coming up.
So, I thought that...
I'd love to see
what you got her, sir.
Well, if you insist.
That's... a really
big book, sir.
The Complete Works
of Shakespeare.
She said she wanted
to make it her mission
to read all the classics
she missed out on
as a premed student.
Um...
permission to speak freely, sir?
Sure.
While this gift is
very thoughtful, um...
it might be a little
too thoughtful.
Maybe something...
more romantic, like, um...
cooking her a
candlelight dinner...
More romantic?
"If I could write the
beauty of your eyes
"and in fresh numbers,
number all your graces...
"The age to come
would say, 'This poet lies.
Such heavenly touches
ne'er touched earthly faces.'"
Sir, please disregard
everything I just said.
Bobbi, Commander Rabb,
great to see you again.
Congressman Porter.
Afraid you're up here
on a fool's errand.
Which would make me the fool?
Oh, she's fantastic.
( laughing)
Wish our party had ten like her.
But this time she's taken off
after a good and valuable
corporate citizen, I'm afraid.
Mm. Valuable to
Congressman Porter.
You see, Frohl
Tech's in his district
and its people are major
campaign contributors.
Legal contributions
from a company that helps
keep American strong and free.
Do you know what Spyglass
will do, Commander, unless
Congressman Latham manages
to use this hearing to kill it?
I'm aware of it, Congressman.
Oh, it's going to change
air warfare forever.
Satellites...
that can read the
label on Castro's cigar
deployable to any target area,
all sending real-time data
to our bomber pilots
so those pilots can
tell the difference
between a school bus and a tank
without exposing themselves.
If it worked, which it doesn't.
You know, she even
opposed spending the money
to build a prototype?
Because once you've
spent the first few billion,
it just never stops.
Why don't we go hear what the
gentleman has to say, shall we?
Hmm?
Woman: My client
agreed to testify
at a public hearing only.
LATHAM: We're entitled
to interview him first
so we know what to expect.
There's got to be some limit.
There is... When
we've heard enough.
I've got my immunity
in here, too, right?
LATHAM: As long
as you tell the truth.
That's why I'm here.
I thought you were here
to avoid a court-martial
and a jail sentence.
I did exactly what
Frohl Tech expected.
Go on.
They never had enough manpower
to upgrade 130
F-14s in 18 months,
so they had to cut corners,
and they made that
clear to everybody.
Oh, they sent out a memo...
"Don't fix the planes"?
No, but they hired
inexperienced mechanics.
I've seen personnel that didn't
know which panels to remove
for pre-flight.
If this is so widespread,
why don't we have planes
crashing left and right?
Why can the only crash
that's occurred up till now
be traced directly to you?
'Cause up until now
they're been lucky.
Frohl Tech has one
message for its employees:
"Those aircraft go out
the door, or you do."
They have too few
personnel. Too many aircraft.
There's only one way
to meet those quotas...
Cannibalize parts,
falsify reports,
gun deck inspection
so that Frohl Tech
can fulfill this job
and get the next one.
Why didn't you say
something, Commander?
That's why you were there...
To look out for
the Navy's interest.
I've been passed over
twice for Commander, sir.
I'm out of the Navy next year.
Frohl Tech offered
me a good-paying job.
All I had to do was make sure
those aircraft got out
the door on... on time.
ChEGWIDDEN: The next time
that we go out to lunch,
we have to go someplace that
has vertebrates on the menu.
( laughing)
A.J., where is your
sense of adventure?
Well, yeah, my dear Dr. Walden,
when I was a Navy SEAL,
I've eaten bugs and bark,
but at least I could
tell which was which.
( laughing)
Oh, by the way,
don't make any plans
for your birthday.
My birthday?
Are we doing something?
Um...
Rooms have been reserved,
maitre d's have been bribed,
and opera glasses
have been purcha...
Oh! Did I say opera glasses?
I'm afraid you did.
It sounds wonderful, A.J.
( elevator doors opening)
Hello, Harm.
Ma'am.
Sir.
I'll call you.
Okay.
Commander Rabb,
your Moscow Herald, sir.
Oh, thanks, Tony.
Any good news, Commander?
Caviar crop is
up, ruble is down.
So are casualties in Chechnya.
Any word from Sergei?
No, not for two weeks.
He's still flying air recon.
( laughing)
They reopen the Lindbergh case?
Worse.
Three Navy divers
stole 80 lobsters
from underwater traps.
One of Singer's
cases. She's out sick.
Sounds tough. Hope you crack it.
Have you tried buttering
up the judge, ma'am?
One more word from either of you
and I'm bringing you
both up on charges.
Uh-oh, she's reaching
her boiling point.
Sir, it's going to be
justifiable homicide.
Gentlemen, we maintain a
harassment-free workplace.
Colonel, I expect a Marine
to have a tougher shell.
Commander, you just
came from debriefing
Lieutenant Commander Holtsford?
Yes, sir. The man's despicable.
But if half of what
he says is true, sir...
So is Frohl Tech.
Yes, sir.
My office.
Aye, aye, sir.
So, what's the problem?
You got stock in Frohl Tech?
No, sir.
Admiral, if Frohl Tech is
responsible for the crash
of that F-14, sir, they
should be held responsible...
Well, it's... it's...
It's just that...
my investigation
started this ball rolling.
Did a good job.
Sir, if Spyglass works,
it could save a lot of lives.
If this hearing makes
Frohl Tech look bad,
they could lose their funding.
Have a seat.
Uh, we don't make procurement
policy here, Commander.
That's at the Pentagon.
Well, I...
Sir, I just feel that
we need to consider
the consequences of our action.
Well, it's hard to know the
consequence of any action.
( sighs)
You know, if they'd have
had Spyglass 30 years ago...
It might've saved your father.
It could've saved
a lot of lives.
Hmm.
Or maybe not.
So what do you want to do?
LATHAM: Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford
would you please describe
the working atmosphere
at Frohl Tech?
HOLTSFORD: It was
very high pressure, ma'am.
Finish the contract on time.
Avoid the late-completion
penalty at all costs.
LATHAM: Even at
the cost of safety?
I heard a lot of talk about
time and money, ma'am.
Not too much about safety.
But you went along with this...
depraved attitude because
you wanted a job, hmm?
Yes, sir, that's right.
Who did you speak
to about this job?
Was it the head of Frohl
Tech's aeronautics division?
Jim Hepperly?
No, sir.
He didn't like to
get his suit messy.
Nobody ever saw
him, including me.
Mr. Porter, you
will get your turn.
I believe I should take my
turn now, Madam Chairwoman.
I think not, Mr. Congressman.
I have important new
information that bears directly
on this witness's testimony.
LATHAM: Well, if you would
only let this witness test...
This witness doesn't
deserve to testify.
LATHAM: You,
sir, are out of order!
PORTER: Madam Chairwoman, he is!
Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford...
did you know that Jim Hepperly
kept a tape
machine in his office?
HOLTSFORD: You heard
I'm testifying in that hearing?
Gonna put me through
the ringer, I guess.
Man: I imagine so.
HOLTSFORD: Could
be tough for you, too.
MAN: What are you talking about?
HOLTSFORD: I
figured my testimony's
going to have a big
effect on Frohl Tech
one way or the other.
MAN: Just say what
you came to say.
HOLTSFORD: I came
to say that what I say...
is up to you.
You've got $40 billion
riding on my testimony.
What's it worth
for me to deliver...
the right testimony?
MAN: Get the hell
out of my office!
( click)
We'll take a recess.
( gavel bangs)
LATHAM: Well, how bad is it?
"Extremely bad"
tells me nothing.
Oh. That is extremely bad.
All right, cancel the Shriners
and get me on Larry King.
My opponent already
has his press release out.
I was either the
accomplice or the dupe
for a lying extortionist
and he doesn't know if the
voters should be more concerned
about having an
unethical congresswoman
or a stupid one.
You just canceled the
hearing half an hour ago.
Welcome to the Beltway.
Harm, look, I'm sorry about
the way things turned out.
It was all for nothing.
You're backing off Frohl Tech?
Backing off?
Try wind-sprinting away.
You know that Holtsford's
accusations are true.
Frohl Tech is responsible
for the crash of the F-14.
It doesn't matter.
If Holtsford said
it, it doesn't count
but his immunity still does,
so I don't get Frohl Tech
and you don't get him.
I don't know about that, Bobbi.
When Porter asked Holtsford,
if he'd ever spoke to
Jim Hepperly about a job,
he said nobody ever saw
Hepperly, including him.
Well, he obviously saw him
when he went to his office
to shake him down.
Well, after extortion and
negligent double homicide,
what's a little hyperbole?
He was under oath.
It's perjury.
Making his immunity
null and void.
Congratulations, Commander.
You got your little fish.
Nice job, Commander.
Looks like we got a
court-martial on our hands after all.
Thank you, sir.
Now, the first
thing we got to do
is get you back to Frohl Tech
so you can pick
up where you left off
before Congresswoman Latham
ambushed us.
If Colonel MacKenzie's
through with her
lobster poachers, she can
defend Commander Holtsford.
Actually, sir, I'd like to
defend Commander Holtsford.
I've spoken to the Commander.
He's accepted my offer, sir.
I'm sure Colonel MacKenzie
would be more than
happy to prosecute.
They say hearing's
the first thing to go.
Sir, I don't like him,
and I certainly
don't respect him.
But as you're very
fond of saying, Admiral,
"Everybody deserves
a vigorous defense."
I see.
Well...
Am I correct in assuming that
the name Frohl Technologies
might come up at some point
in your... vigorous defense?
Well, there's a
strong possibility, sir.
Commander, this court-
martial is being convened
for the purpose of
establishing guilt or innocence
of Lieutenant Commander
Holtsford, period.
There are other venues to
expose corporate misdeeds...
Congressional
hearings, 60 Minutes...
Understood, sir.
Commander, a defense attorney
must have his client's interest
and only his
client's interest...
in mind.
Am I clear?
Absolutely, Admiral.
( quietly): Good.
( intercom buzzing)
Yes?
TINER: Danny
Walden to see you, sir.
Send him in.
That'll be all, Commander.
Thank you, sir.
( door opening)
Hello!
Hey, there.
What are you doing in the
neighborhood? ( door closes)
Well, I'm here to enlist.
No, not really. I'm
just kidding. Oh.
Um, no, actually, it's, uh,
it's about, uh, your plans
for my mom's birthday.
Oh. Uh, well, here, have a seat.
Um, she didn't want
to say anything, but, uh
we have this thing where
we go to have dinner
at the Willard Hotel every year.
It's, uh, something we
used to do with my dad.
Oh. Oh, no problem.
I'll, uh, just make our
date for another night.
Well, no, I have a better idea.
Why don't, uh, you
join us at the Willard?
That'd be my pleasure.
Great.
RABB: Last time I was
here, Mr. Cartwright,
you were working on an
aircraft with a missing CSD.
CARTWRIGHT:
Temporarily. It was replaced.
RABB: You said then that, uh,
used parts were
often swapped around.
CARTWRIGHT: Well, yeah.
Sometimes Bob Holtsford
would tell people
to do stuff like that.
Always Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford.
Never anybody else?
Not that I know of.
You were the mechanic
Lieutenant Commander Holtsford
had remove the CSD
from the mishap aircraft.
It was my second day on the job.
Navy guy tells me to
do something, I do it.
You been asked to do
anything like that again?
Nope.
Seen anybody else
do anything like that?
Nope.
What about sign off on
work that hasn't been done?
Nope.
Except, of course,
for Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford, right?
Oh, yeah. Him.
You're doing a good
job cleaning this place up.
Did I?
Yeah, it's almost
a total whitewash.
Though you may
have missed one spot.
That crater out there.
You fill that in yet?
Hey, Commander, you
still turning over rocks?
Ah, the worms have a lawyer.
I'm calling it a day.
Unless you've
seen anything sloppy
in the upgrade program.
Rabb, everything looks
beautiful from 20,000 feet.
Yeah, right.
So, is your offer still
good from the last time?
You want to go up?
It's either that
or watch Shamu eat
fish guts for lunch.
Got one they just
finished working on.
Their air crew won't be here
till tomorrow.
( chuckles)
( jet engine roaring)
Oh, man, it's good
to get out of the office.
This is my office.
( engine whining)
Oh, damn, son, you fly like
you never been out of the cockpit.
RABB: What do you say we
take her out over the water?
No time.
Got to be back by 4:00.
You got to be somewhere?
WILSON: No. Frohl Tech
closes down the airstrip
at 1600 sharp.
Why, you can't take it
back a few minutes late?
Do that, and they
fine me 500 bucks.
RABB: Ouch!
WILSON: Never
have, and never will.
What are you doing?!
Nothing. That was an
un-commanded pitch.
We have CSD contamination.
CSD? Pitch stabilization system!
RABB: Cutting it!
No good!
Cutting all stab systems!
WILSON: Switching...
to emergency hydraulic control!
Too late to eject!
Two-and-a-half negative "Gs!"
Master reset!
No good!
WILSON: Those damn
idiots keep doing this.
Phew!
Holy cow.
You faked it.
WILSON: You son of a...
When we land, you run.
And you'd better be fast.
Now you know how they felt.
You could have killed us.
So, how'd it feel
knowing you were going to die
because those
idiots keep doing this?
I can't help you.
You know what's going
on down there, Wilson.
I won't testify.
They'd never let me fly again.
Flying is my life, boy.
All right.
But you tell me where
to look for what I need.
It's a fishing
expedition, Your Honor,
intended to harass and
embarrass my client.
On behalf of Frohl Technologies
I move to quash the
defense subpoena.
JUDGE: Producing maintenance
planning and budget documents
would harass and
embarrass your client?
Well, first of all,
it'll take a boxcar
to haul them all to Washington.
And that's embarrassing?
It's harassing.
And second, those
documents contain trade secrets
classified data and insight
into Frohl Tech's
competitive bidding
for government contracts,
the disclosure of which
will be an unfair boon
to its competitors.
Certainly the
interest of justice
would override any commercial
considerations, ma'am.
MacKenzie: What
interest of justice?
There's no indication
how any of this is relevant
to the guilt or innocence of
Lieutenant Commander Holtsford,
which reinforces
the company's claim
that the subpoena
is solely intended
to harass and
embarrass Frohl Tech.
I grant it would be embarrassing
to be found complicit
in the crash of the F-14
that killed Commander
Urquizu and Lieutenant Burke.
A budget document's
going to tell you that?
RABB: It indicates
that Frohl Tech
wouldn't or couldn't
run the upgrade program
with an acceptable standard
of care and safety... yes.
Your Honor, nothing contained
in any kind of document
would absolve Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford
of responsibility
for his own actions.
There's been no allegation
that anyone from
Frohl Tech management
was even present
when the defendant
ordered the installation
of untested, used parts
in the aircraft that crashed.
I believe it's customary
in a tag team situation
to slap your teammate's
hand before switching.
Exactly what are you
looking for at Frohl
Tech, Commander Rabb?
Ma'am, I intend to show
that the company
created an atmosphere
where negligence was the norm,
and that it coerced
its employees...
Including Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford...
Into placing productivity
before safety.
Your Honor...
It doesn't fly, Commander.
Short of a gun being
pointed at his head
the defendant is still
responsible for his own actions.
The motion to quash
the subpoena is granted.
We will continue with the trial
of Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford
alone.
MacKENZIE: See you tonight?
Yeah, 8:30.
You got it.
Discussing strategy?
Yeah, he wants
Italian, I want Chinese.
Oh, do what he wants.
Why should outside the
courtroom be any different?
Excuse me?
You're walking the Frohl Tech
party line, Mac.
Making a scapegoat
out of Holtsford.
I'm supposed to
make him a scapegoat.
I'm prosecuting him, remember?
You should work on
your good loser skills.
A little premature, Counselor.
Gunny.
Sir.
Gunny, I've been thinking
more about this law school stuff.
Whatever you put
your mind to, Tiner.
It's not that, Gunny.
It's... when I first
joined the Navy,
I thought I'd be seeing action.
Being a lawyer, it's too calm
too peaceful.
Calm and peaceful?
Just look at this office.
No conflict, no confrontation.
Everybody's so... pleasant.
Tiner, it would be a crime
to deprive the legal world
of your uncanny
powers of observation.
Thank you, Gunny.
I finished the final upgrade
on that aircraft on the 24th.
But it still didn't have a CSD.
Lieutenant Commander
Holtsford told me
to pull one out of a plane
that had just come in.
I refused.
I said we should
order a new one.
What did Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford say?
That that would take too long.
And we couldn't afford to wait.
What happened next?
I don't know exactly.
I was working the night shift.
When I left at midnight,
there still wasn't a
CSD in that aircraft.
But when I got in the
next afternoon at 3:00,
there must've been
one because Wilson
was just taking
off for a test flight.
( sotto voce): 3:00?
MacKENZIE: And to your knowledge,
there were no CSDs in stock anywhere?
CARTWRIGHT: That's correct.
( whispering): Do
we still have a card
for Wilson's test flight?
MacKENZIE: So the only
place it could've come from
would be another plane?
CARTWRIGHT: Yes, ma'am.
It's in here, sir.
Reports taking off at 1505
and doing a full card test flight.
The whole checklist.
Yeah, you know
how long that takes?
I don't, sir.
Two hours.
( phone ringing through)
Jack Wilson here.
( on phone): Wilson,
it's Commander Rabb.
I've been expecting to
hear from you, Commander.
I need you here.
I already bought
my plane ticket.
WILSON: I'll testify, but it
means I'll never fly again.
Wilson: I signed off on
the full card test flight,
but I did not do the full
post-maintenance checklist.
Did you check the CSD?
No.
Seemed to be working.
Plane was flying.
What about the
emergency generator?
No.
I only checked the
major primary systems.
The emergency generator
should have kicked in
when the CSD failed, correct?
That's right.
Why didn't you check everything
you were supposed
to check, Mr. Wilson?
'Cause I didn't take
off till after 3:00.
Frohl Tech closes the
airstrip at 4:00 sharp.
RABB: But even when an aircraft
was due for pick up
and needed to be tested?
That's right.
They don't care about
aircraft at Frohl Tech.
They care about money.
How do you know that?
They overscheduled
me that day, ma'am.
They overschedule
me a lot of days.
I had three test flights to
complete, starting at noon.
No way I could finish by
4:00. Everybody knew that.
But still they shut
down the damn strip.
The aircraft that
crashed took off at night.
After 4:00 p.m.
They always open up the
strip to meet a delivery deadline
to avoid paying a penalty.
I don't care about money.
I just wanted to keep on flying.
The defense renews its request
for the production of
maintenance, planning
and budget records from
Frohl Technologies, ma'am.
No objections, Your Honor.
So ordered.
MAN: Right this way,
ma'am. ( mellow jazz playing)
WOMAN: Thank you very much.
Here you are, ma'am.
Thank you.
( patrons chattering)
( sighs) Maybe he
got stuck in traffic.
He has a cell phone
which he's not answering.
Could be out of range.
45 minutes.
It isn't like him.
You know, you're right.
He's a big boy.
Let's just enjoy ourselves.
He gets here when he gets here.
I'll drink to that.
You know, Henry Clay
brought this recipe for mint juleps
from Kentucky in 1850.
I've never tried it.
You know, until last year,
Danny would only order
the burger and fries.
You know I think that's the
special on the menu tonight.
Let's go find him.
Did you have to
subpoena everything?
RABB: Yean, I should
have just demanded
the "criminally
negligent policies" files.
ROBERTS: I think I
found something, sir.
The employees are complaining...
RABB: "because
they... they disbanded
the commissary softball team"?
Never mind.
Orders for drill bits.
Employee's dental records.
Division managers'
expense accounts.
They swamped us.
The old lawyers' trick.
So we go back to the judge
with a Motion to Compel
a more specific
production of records.
Who ordered the pizza?
What are you doing here?
I should ask you the same.
I'm an officer of the
court out for the truth.
My compliments on
your client's filing system.
It looks like it's
somewhere between
Dewey decimal and chaos theory.
( chuckles) Well, things
are much less orderly
in the private sector.
I was at corporate headquarters
when they were
pulling this material.
Yeah, you help them
mix it and stir it, Brumby?
As a matter of fact, yeah.
The whole top corporate
echelon was there helping out.
But even with all that help,
one file still accidentally
fell behind a desk.
Luckily, I found it.
"Report Costs and Benefits
F-14 Upgrade Program
Risk-Reward Analysis."
Thanks, pal.
Just doing my job.
As an officer of the court.
What is it?
RABB: "Due to the
necessity of underbidding
"the original F-14 manufacturer,
"this program must be
considered a 'loss leader'...
"one we lose money on as
we expand into a new area
of Pentagon procurement."
Just some dry accounting stuff.
"Nevertheless,
"we can limit our
downside exposure
"by limiting the parameters
of our infrastructure support.
"By tightly controlling
man-hours and parts expended,
"we can hold our losses
to a tolerable level.
"While this would
increase the risk
"of catastrophic
aircraft incident,
"it would be less expensive
to compensate the government
"for one or two such losses
than to raise our
standards of service."
Two pilots lives are worth less
than doing the job right?
They calculated that?
LATHAM: I love Washington.
You don't get this
with a pizza in Detroit.
Danny?
Danny...
What are you guys doing here?
What are we?
What are you doing here?
Dinner at the Willard, remember?
Well, I-I thought maybe
you guys wanted to be alone.
And that's why you
didn't answer the phone?
I turn off the ringer
when I do my homework.
Next time you decide
to be thoughtful,
be a little more thoughtful
and pick up a phone.
I'm, I'm sorry, you guys.
I didn't ruin your
night or anything, did I?
( door opens)
( women chattering in distance)
Woman: Just you
wait till you have a son,
then you'll know.
Boys are always running off.
I couldn't keep
track of him then.
You can't keep track
of him now. ( laughing)
I'm lucky if I see him
one night a month.
Mom!
Hi. Hi.
Hey.
Well, I hope I'm not too late
for the showing of
the bathtub photos.
Well, I wouldn't show those
pictures to your mother.
I thought you were in Europe.
I was.
Can't I stop by on my way home
and say hello to
my favorite son?
Your only son.
Frank gave me a diamond
in Venice, and we
renewed our wedding vows.
That was really quite romantic.
Maybe you should ask
Frank where he got the ring.
( Trish laughs)
Well, Trish, it was
wonderful meeting you.
Oh, you don't
have to go, do you?
Yes, I do.
I'm sorry.
You don't have to go.
Yes, I do.
You hang tough, Sailor, okay?
She keeping you on your toes?
Well, she's doing her best.
You know, Harm, I
haven't talked to you
since you came back
from Cuba or Russia.
I-I've been meaning to
talk to you about the trip.
Yeah, I can't wait to hear
about your meeting with Castro.
Oh, yeah, yeah, well,
that was interesting.
I-I meant, uh, Russia.
Ah, Russia. Hmm.
You know, Harm, after
you came back that last time
when you told me you had
proof your father was dead,
I grieved again
after all those years.
Oh, I'm so sorry, Mom, I...
No...
something good happened.
It helped me move on.
You see, I've always
held myself back a little.
One last sliver
waiting for your father.
But now, that's all in the past.
I've accepted it.
So, my life is better.
Thank you.
( glasses clinking)
( water bubbling)
Whoops!
Well, you can tell me all
about Russia over dinner.
Hmm. Yeah.
It was uneventful really.
Nothing important happened.
It's all over the
front page, Harm.
Congresswoman Latham, the
smoking gun Frohl Tech memo.
Good. That doesn't
change anything about
Lieutenant Commander Holtsford.
He's still guilty.
Well, a little less
than he used to be.
Willful dereliction,
six months' hard labor.
Negligent homicide. Two years.
18 months.
Deal.
TV ANNOUNCER: Congressional
hearing on the safety practices
stemming from an F-14
brass at an Oceanside facility
in July.
While admitting no guilt,
Frohl Tech accepted
additional supervision
of its F-14 upgrade program
and received a $10 million
fine and a public reprimand.
Meanwhile, it and the Pentagon
both pledged continued support
for the proposed
Spyglass project...
$10 million dollars.
It's a traffic ticket.
You did what you could,
Harm. Life goes on.
Well, for some, it does.
I'm on my way to
a memorial service
for Commander Urquizu
and Lieutenant Berke.
You busy?
No.
Let's put it up on-line.
Welcome to sunny
California, gentlemen.
I was starting to think
we wouldn't be
seeing you tonight.
We were having
the same thought, sir,
along about Point Mugu.
And Pax River and
Oceana and North Island.
It's a mess out there, sir.
At least you won't have
to wait on your plane.
Upgrade was finished
three days ago.
You sure you don't want
to bunk down for the night?
No, thank you, sir.
Got a little waitress
waiting for me
at the Barefoot Bar.
( chuckles): Wouldn't
want to ruin her evening.
Got your John Hancocks.
That's one fully upgraded F-14
officially released
to the U.S. Navy.
Say hi to China Lake for me.
You got it.
Will do, sir.
Wind sweep automatic.
Check.
Flaps down.
Check.
Tower, this is Navy Jet 2-3-4-8
ready for takeoff.
TOWER: Roger
that, Navy Jet 2-3-4-8.
You're clear for takeoff.
Cartwright!
What the hell is this?!
I found it in the cockpit.
Hey, I don't leave my
tools anywhere, Bob.
Guess the screwdriver
fairy must've left it there, huh?
Herskovitz borrowed that.
Look, I had a buddy once; some
idiot left a wrench in the cockpit,
flew up while he
was doing a loop
and hit him the face.
( loud boom)
Man, that thunder's
getting close.
( sirens blaring)
Bob, that was the plane
going to China Lake!
Oh, college catalog, Tiner?
You cruising for coeds?
I'm taking some courses, Gunny.
Looking for ways to
make myself more valuable
around the office.
Oh, they have a major
in alphabetical order?
Maybe improve
your filing skills?
I'm thinking about finishing
up my bachelor's degree,
then going to law school.
Wiggin's file?
Has the meeting started yet?
The Admiral went up
five minutes ago, ma'am.
Hmm, five minutes
and 12 seconds.
You owe me a buck.
Mick, what are you doing here?
You're three hours
early for lunch.
Yeah, but who's counting?
Okay. You want
to come back later?
Maybe wait downstairs?
CHEDWIDDEN:: All right,
now that we're all here,
we'll get started.
First up is the F-14 crash
at Frohl Technologies,
which was in the midst
of a third-party
aircraft upgrade.
Rabb, you and Lieutenant
Roberts will handle the investigation
with the assistance of the
Frohl Tech representative.
You're the Frohl
Tech representative?
My firm's on retainer.
Who would've thought we'd all
be working together again so soon?
Yeah, who'd have thought?
Well, good to see you, sir.
"Mic's" fine, mate.
Admiral, do we have
the aircraft's
heads-up-display recorder?
No, it was burned up
with all the rest.
Preliminary reports
are inconclusive,
but they're leaning
toward pilot error.
I see it had been raining, sir.
Now, Commander
Urquizu was a good stick...
Second in his class at Top
Gun, 40 missions over Kosovo.
It'd take more than a
little rain to trip him up.
Well, he had more
than a little rain, mate.
They'd been ferrying
planes back and forth
for three straight days...
Brumby, I'm sure your
employers would love to blame
two aviators rather than
a faulty hardware upgrade,
but I think it's a little
premature to be...
CHEGWIDDEN: Well...
looks like you two guys are
going to save the government
a lot of time and money.
How's that, sir?
Have a debate instead
of an investigation.
I should've thought
of that years ago.
Sarah, what's the matter?
What's the matter?
"Surprise! I moved to America."
"Surprise! You're my
new brunch date, babe."
"Surprise! We're
working together."
You made me
look stupid in there.
I didn't feel like discussing
business last night.
Or this morning.
You should've warned me.
I didn't want to mix
business with pleasure.
Cut back on the surprises, Mic,
or there won't be
any more pleasure.
No worries. Won't happen again.
You're all invited
to a sneak preview
of my latest project...
The reelection
of Congresswoman Bobbi Latham.
TV ANNOUNCER: When
Congresswoman Bobbi Latham learned
there wasn't enough money to buy
Michigan students their
own textbooks, she said "no."
When she learned the
Pentagon wanted 40 billion dollars
for the flawed Spyglass
surveillance system,
she said "no."
Now she's leading
the fight against
wasteful military spending.
Our current prosperity
should be an opportunity
to build our schools
and our cities,
not to throw money
away on unneeded
and overpriced weapons
and military hardware.
I'll work for you, the
people of Michigan.
ANNOUNCER: Paid for by the
Committee for Reelection of Bobbi Latham.
On second thought,
maybe you're not
my target audience.
Renée.
Excuse me.
Thank God none of
you live in Michigan.
What?
Oh, lunch is off?
Oh, no, no. Let me guess.
Zimbabwe in five hours?
Well, you're close.
San Diego in four.
Oh. Oh, that's good, Harm.
The sooner you tell
your mother, the better.
Oh...
Renée, Mom's in Europe.
A-A-And... Look,
I'm not even so sure
I'm going to tell her.
I mean, what am I'm going say?
"Hey, Mom, Russia was great.
"I-I got to ride
in a helicopter.
"Oh, by the way, when
Dad was a POW there,
"he lived with a woman;
"they had a son.
"I met him, real nice guy.
So how was your trip?"
Did I ever tell you the story
about my old actress
roommate in L.A.?
She had this fiancée.
And one day, he
decides he's had it.
He is moving back to Indiana.
Or Idaho... well, it
was of those "I" states.
Anyway, he wants
her to marry him
and to come with.
So she asks me, is she
a good enough actress
that she should stay in L.A.
instead of going and being
with the man she loves?
Okay, well, she was the
worst actress I had ever seen.
But I didn't want
to hurt her feelings
and so, I lied
and she stayed.
And he married somebody else.
And the last I heard,
she is still living in
that same apartment.
Look, your mom was tough
enough to raise you on her own.
She's not going to break.
And for all you know,
she might actually
be happy that your dad
found a little bit of
joy after all of his pain.
Let's have lunch.
You can drive me to the
airport afterwards, okay?
Uh, yeah.
MAN: It's a big contract, sir,
upgrading 130 F-14 Deltas
and F-14 Echoes on a deadline.
I've been the NAVPRO in
charge of quality assurance
since the project started.
ROBERTS: What
are they doing exactly?
New turbine blades, automatic
flight control systems...
You name it, Lieutenant.
Tell me about the night
of the crash, Commander.
I never should've
let those guys go.
They were just plain beat.
Anything else make you
question their fitness to fly?
The younger one, Berke,
he was pretty anxious
about getting home.
What about the aircraft?
The work was done.
Checked by Frohl Tech;
double-checked by me.
And by him. Wilson! Test pilot.
They're investigating.
Too bad about those boys.
Yes, it is.
You checked out
their plane, correct?
Six to eight times.
A functional test flight
after each job was done
and then, uh,
prior to pickup, a
full-card test flight.
Two full hours.
That's the drill.
What do you fly, Commander?
14s.
Or I used to.
Man, it's a shame to have
you on the ground, then.
You ever get the
itch, we'll take one up.
Well, if you can find the time.
You fly every aircraft
half a dozen times, huh?
BRUMBY: Asked and
answered, Counselor.
My FCF card's on file.
I'll be here, you got
any more questions.
Thanks.
Yeah, I worked on that plane.
It's all in the report.
Well, I'd like to hear firsthand
exactly what you did on it.
Turbine shroud, blade
upgrades, like all the others.
That one also needed a
mainmount brake assembly.
RABB: And everything was fine?
Looked okay to me.
And to Holtsford
and the test pilot.
Oh, Wilson. Yeah, he
doesn't seem the type
to let anything slide.
Wilson? Yeah, that's
an understatement.
You know what pilots
use for birth control?
Yeah, their personalities.
What's the difference between
a pilot and a jet engine?
Jet engine stops
whining when it lands.
Look, I feel real bad
about what happened.
So what are you
doing to this one?
Replacing the
heads-up-display computer.
RABB: Our HUD, it
sometimes jitters so bad,
we shut it off in mid-flight.
Yeah, we removed and replaced
a lot HUDs for that reason.
Oh, yeah?
RABB: Where's the CSD?
CARTWRIGHT: How's that?
You're missing a CSD.
CHEGWIDDEN: What's a CSD?
RABB: Constant Speed Drive, sir.
It supplies electrical
power to the aircraft.
A bad CSD could account
for the loss of control
that caused the crash, sir.
An upgraded F-14 was
due for pickup, but it had
a faulty CSD, sir.
Commander Holtsford pulled
a replacement
from the mishap 14.
Well, what did he
replace that one with?
A CSD from another aircraft
that had just come in,
but without
cannibalization paperwork,
test procedures or inspection.
He lied to us, sir, and
he's probably responsible
for the death of
those two aviators.
Dereliction of
duty, at least, sir.
Maybe negligent homicide.
All right.
Inform the Convening Authority
that a court-martial's in order.
Aye, sir.
Aye, sir.
Bud, see if Holtsford's records
have come in from BUPERS.
On it, sir.
LATHAM: Commander Rabb.
Congresswoman
Latham, I didn't realize
I was on your
whistle-stop tour, ma'am.
You are.
I've come for any
report you picked up
in the Frohl Tech investigation.
Now, what makes you
think I would give you files
from an active case?
We're investigating a naval
officer assigned to Frohl Tech.
Lieutenant Commander
Bob Holtsford.
His attorney's been
in contact with me.
I'm holding a congressional
hearing on waste and fraud
at Frohl Tech.
Lieutenant Commander
Holtsford has agreed to testify.
In exchange, I'm giving him
full immunity from prosecution.
RABB: Immunity?!
You can't do that, Bobbi.
I'm going to nail this guy.
Is that an order, Commander?
Look, Holtsford is
probably responsible
for the death of two good
men, and he needs to pay for it.
No, no, no. What he needs
to do is help me expose
the waste and
incompetence at Frohl Tech.
Ah, ha-ha.
This isn't about
this case at all, is it?
Frohl Tech has a contract
to the Spyglass project...
Your big campaign issue.
For good reason. It's
a $40 billion waste.
Don't make speeches to me.
If there wasn't an election
there wouldn't be a hearing.
( shuts door) I didn't
want your subordinates
hearing me call you an ass.
Holtsford didn't
set up the system
that caused that plane
to crash, Frohl Tech did.
Let us convict him, then you
can have him as a witness.
A witness of what,
conditions at Leavenworth?
You know he's not going
to talk without immunity!
It's the best way.
This is the quickest way.
The best way is to nail
Frohl Tech and Holtsford.
Oh, come on. Listen.
You've done this
a thousand times.
This is the battle we
lose to win the war.
This is not my war.
How many Frohl Tech planes
are supposed to fall
out of the sky before it is?
Holtsford has his immunity.
The papers are signed.
Fine.
But I'm going to be there.
( knocking) Enter!
You wanted to see me, sir?
Oh, yeah. Come on in.
Have a seat.
Um...
Dr. Walden's son, Danny,
mentioned that her
birthday was coming up.
So, I thought that...
I'd love to see
what you got her, sir.
Well, if you insist.
That's... a really
big book, sir.
The Complete Works
of Shakespeare.
She said she wanted
to make it her mission
to read all the classics
she missed out on
as a premed student.
Um...
permission to speak freely, sir?
Sure.
While this gift is
very thoughtful, um...
it might be a little
too thoughtful.
Maybe something...
more romantic, like, um...
cooking her a
candlelight dinner...
More romantic?
"If I could write the
beauty of your eyes
"and in fresh numbers,
number all your graces...
"The age to come
would say, 'This poet lies.
Such heavenly touches
ne'er touched earthly faces.'"
Sir, please disregard
everything I just said.
Bobbi, Commander Rabb,
great to see you again.
Congressman Porter.
Afraid you're up here
on a fool's errand.
Which would make me the fool?
Oh, she's fantastic.
( laughing)
Wish our party had ten like her.
But this time she's taken off
after a good and valuable
corporate citizen, I'm afraid.
Mm. Valuable to
Congressman Porter.
You see, Frohl
Tech's in his district
and its people are major
campaign contributors.
Legal contributions
from a company that helps
keep American strong and free.
Do you know what Spyglass
will do, Commander, unless
Congressman Latham manages
to use this hearing to kill it?
I'm aware of it, Congressman.
Oh, it's going to change
air warfare forever.
Satellites...
that can read the
label on Castro's cigar
deployable to any target area,
all sending real-time data
to our bomber pilots
so those pilots can
tell the difference
between a school bus and a tank
without exposing themselves.
If it worked, which it doesn't.
You know, she even
opposed spending the money
to build a prototype?
Because once you've
spent the first few billion,
it just never stops.
Why don't we go hear what the
gentleman has to say, shall we?
Hmm?
Woman: My client
agreed to testify
at a public hearing only.
LATHAM: We're entitled
to interview him first
so we know what to expect.
There's got to be some limit.
There is... When
we've heard enough.
I've got my immunity
in here, too, right?
LATHAM: As long
as you tell the truth.
That's why I'm here.
I thought you were here
to avoid a court-martial
and a jail sentence.
I did exactly what
Frohl Tech expected.
Go on.
They never had enough manpower
to upgrade 130
F-14s in 18 months,
so they had to cut corners,
and they made that
clear to everybody.
Oh, they sent out a memo...
"Don't fix the planes"?
No, but they hired
inexperienced mechanics.
I've seen personnel that didn't
know which panels to remove
for pre-flight.
If this is so widespread,
why don't we have planes
crashing left and right?
Why can the only crash
that's occurred up till now
be traced directly to you?
'Cause up until now
they're been lucky.
Frohl Tech has one
message for its employees:
"Those aircraft go out
the door, or you do."
They have too few
personnel. Too many aircraft.
There's only one way
to meet those quotas...
Cannibalize parts,
falsify reports,
gun deck inspection
so that Frohl Tech
can fulfill this job
and get the next one.
Why didn't you say
something, Commander?
That's why you were there...
To look out for
the Navy's interest.
I've been passed over
twice for Commander, sir.
I'm out of the Navy next year.
Frohl Tech offered
me a good-paying job.
All I had to do was make sure
those aircraft got out
the door on... on time.
ChEGWIDDEN: The next time
that we go out to lunch,
we have to go someplace that
has vertebrates on the menu.
( laughing)
A.J., where is your
sense of adventure?
Well, yeah, my dear Dr. Walden,
when I was a Navy SEAL,
I've eaten bugs and bark,
but at least I could
tell which was which.
( laughing)
Oh, by the way,
don't make any plans
for your birthday.
My birthday?
Are we doing something?
Um...
Rooms have been reserved,
maitre d's have been bribed,
and opera glasses
have been purcha...
Oh! Did I say opera glasses?
I'm afraid you did.
It sounds wonderful, A.J.
( elevator doors opening)
Hello, Harm.
Ma'am.
Sir.
I'll call you.
Okay.
Commander Rabb,
your Moscow Herald, sir.
Oh, thanks, Tony.
Any good news, Commander?
Caviar crop is
up, ruble is down.
So are casualties in Chechnya.
Any word from Sergei?
No, not for two weeks.
He's still flying air recon.
( laughing)
They reopen the Lindbergh case?
Worse.
Three Navy divers
stole 80 lobsters
from underwater traps.
One of Singer's
cases. She's out sick.
Sounds tough. Hope you crack it.
Have you tried buttering
up the judge, ma'am?
One more word from either of you
and I'm bringing you
both up on charges.
Uh-oh, she's reaching
her boiling point.
Sir, it's going to be
justifiable homicide.
Gentlemen, we maintain a
harassment-free workplace.
Colonel, I expect a Marine
to have a tougher shell.
Commander, you just
came from debriefing
Lieutenant Commander Holtsford?
Yes, sir. The man's despicable.
But if half of what
he says is true, sir...
So is Frohl Tech.
Yes, sir.
My office.
Aye, aye, sir.
So, what's the problem?
You got stock in Frohl Tech?
No, sir.
Admiral, if Frohl Tech is
responsible for the crash
of that F-14, sir, they
should be held responsible...
Well, it's... it's...
It's just that...
my investigation
started this ball rolling.
Did a good job.
Sir, if Spyglass works,
it could save a lot of lives.
If this hearing makes
Frohl Tech look bad,
they could lose their funding.
Have a seat.
Uh, we don't make procurement
policy here, Commander.
That's at the Pentagon.
Well, I...
Sir, I just feel that
we need to consider
the consequences of our action.
Well, it's hard to know the
consequence of any action.
( sighs)
You know, if they'd have
had Spyglass 30 years ago...
It might've saved your father.
It could've saved
a lot of lives.
Hmm.
Or maybe not.
So what do you want to do?
LATHAM: Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford
would you please describe
the working atmosphere
at Frohl Tech?
HOLTSFORD: It was
very high pressure, ma'am.
Finish the contract on time.
Avoid the late-completion
penalty at all costs.
LATHAM: Even at
the cost of safety?
I heard a lot of talk about
time and money, ma'am.
Not too much about safety.
But you went along with this...
depraved attitude because
you wanted a job, hmm?
Yes, sir, that's right.
Who did you speak
to about this job?
Was it the head of Frohl
Tech's aeronautics division?
Jim Hepperly?
No, sir.
He didn't like to
get his suit messy.
Nobody ever saw
him, including me.
Mr. Porter, you
will get your turn.
I believe I should take my
turn now, Madam Chairwoman.
I think not, Mr. Congressman.
I have important new
information that bears directly
on this witness's testimony.
LATHAM: Well, if you would
only let this witness test...
This witness doesn't
deserve to testify.
LATHAM: You,
sir, are out of order!
PORTER: Madam Chairwoman, he is!
Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford...
did you know that Jim Hepperly
kept a tape
machine in his office?
HOLTSFORD: You heard
I'm testifying in that hearing?
Gonna put me through
the ringer, I guess.
Man: I imagine so.
HOLTSFORD: Could
be tough for you, too.
MAN: What are you talking about?
HOLTSFORD: I
figured my testimony's
going to have a big
effect on Frohl Tech
one way or the other.
MAN: Just say what
you came to say.
HOLTSFORD: I came
to say that what I say...
is up to you.
You've got $40 billion
riding on my testimony.
What's it worth
for me to deliver...
the right testimony?
MAN: Get the hell
out of my office!
( click)
We'll take a recess.
( gavel bangs)
LATHAM: Well, how bad is it?
"Extremely bad"
tells me nothing.
Oh. That is extremely bad.
All right, cancel the Shriners
and get me on Larry King.
My opponent already
has his press release out.
I was either the
accomplice or the dupe
for a lying extortionist
and he doesn't know if the
voters should be more concerned
about having an
unethical congresswoman
or a stupid one.
You just canceled the
hearing half an hour ago.
Welcome to the Beltway.
Harm, look, I'm sorry about
the way things turned out.
It was all for nothing.
You're backing off Frohl Tech?
Backing off?
Try wind-sprinting away.
You know that Holtsford's
accusations are true.
Frohl Tech is responsible
for the crash of the F-14.
It doesn't matter.
If Holtsford said
it, it doesn't count
but his immunity still does,
so I don't get Frohl Tech
and you don't get him.
I don't know about that, Bobbi.
When Porter asked Holtsford,
if he'd ever spoke to
Jim Hepperly about a job,
he said nobody ever saw
Hepperly, including him.
Well, he obviously saw him
when he went to his office
to shake him down.
Well, after extortion and
negligent double homicide,
what's a little hyperbole?
He was under oath.
It's perjury.
Making his immunity
null and void.
Congratulations, Commander.
You got your little fish.
Nice job, Commander.
Looks like we got a
court-martial on our hands after all.
Thank you, sir.
Now, the first
thing we got to do
is get you back to Frohl Tech
so you can pick
up where you left off
before Congresswoman Latham
ambushed us.
If Colonel MacKenzie's
through with her
lobster poachers, she can
defend Commander Holtsford.
Actually, sir, I'd like to
defend Commander Holtsford.
I've spoken to the Commander.
He's accepted my offer, sir.
I'm sure Colonel MacKenzie
would be more than
happy to prosecute.
They say hearing's
the first thing to go.
Sir, I don't like him,
and I certainly
don't respect him.
But as you're very
fond of saying, Admiral,
"Everybody deserves
a vigorous defense."
I see.
Well...
Am I correct in assuming that
the name Frohl Technologies
might come up at some point
in your... vigorous defense?
Well, there's a
strong possibility, sir.
Commander, this court-
martial is being convened
for the purpose of
establishing guilt or innocence
of Lieutenant Commander
Holtsford, period.
There are other venues to
expose corporate misdeeds...
Congressional
hearings, 60 Minutes...
Understood, sir.
Commander, a defense attorney
must have his client's interest
and only his
client's interest...
in mind.
Am I clear?
Absolutely, Admiral.
( quietly): Good.
( intercom buzzing)
Yes?
TINER: Danny
Walden to see you, sir.
Send him in.
That'll be all, Commander.
Thank you, sir.
( door opening)
Hello!
Hey, there.
What are you doing in the
neighborhood? ( door closes)
Well, I'm here to enlist.
No, not really. I'm
just kidding. Oh.
Um, no, actually, it's, uh,
it's about, uh, your plans
for my mom's birthday.
Oh. Uh, well, here, have a seat.
Um, she didn't want
to say anything, but, uh
we have this thing where
we go to have dinner
at the Willard Hotel every year.
It's, uh, something we
used to do with my dad.
Oh. Oh, no problem.
I'll, uh, just make our
date for another night.
Well, no, I have a better idea.
Why don't, uh, you
join us at the Willard?
That'd be my pleasure.
Great.
RABB: Last time I was
here, Mr. Cartwright,
you were working on an
aircraft with a missing CSD.
CARTWRIGHT:
Temporarily. It was replaced.
RABB: You said then that, uh,
used parts were
often swapped around.
CARTWRIGHT: Well, yeah.
Sometimes Bob Holtsford
would tell people
to do stuff like that.
Always Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford.
Never anybody else?
Not that I know of.
You were the mechanic
Lieutenant Commander Holtsford
had remove the CSD
from the mishap aircraft.
It was my second day on the job.
Navy guy tells me to
do something, I do it.
You been asked to do
anything like that again?
Nope.
Seen anybody else
do anything like that?
Nope.
What about sign off on
work that hasn't been done?
Nope.
Except, of course,
for Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford, right?
Oh, yeah. Him.
You're doing a good
job cleaning this place up.
Did I?
Yeah, it's almost
a total whitewash.
Though you may
have missed one spot.
That crater out there.
You fill that in yet?
Hey, Commander, you
still turning over rocks?
Ah, the worms have a lawyer.
I'm calling it a day.
Unless you've
seen anything sloppy
in the upgrade program.
Rabb, everything looks
beautiful from 20,000 feet.
Yeah, right.
So, is your offer still
good from the last time?
You want to go up?
It's either that
or watch Shamu eat
fish guts for lunch.
Got one they just
finished working on.
Their air crew won't be here
till tomorrow.
( chuckles)
( jet engine roaring)
Oh, man, it's good
to get out of the office.
This is my office.
( engine whining)
Oh, damn, son, you fly like
you never been out of the cockpit.
RABB: What do you say we
take her out over the water?
No time.
Got to be back by 4:00.
You got to be somewhere?
WILSON: No. Frohl Tech
closes down the airstrip
at 1600 sharp.
Why, you can't take it
back a few minutes late?
Do that, and they
fine me 500 bucks.
RABB: Ouch!
WILSON: Never
have, and never will.
What are you doing?!
Nothing. That was an
un-commanded pitch.
We have CSD contamination.
CSD? Pitch stabilization system!
RABB: Cutting it!
No good!
Cutting all stab systems!
WILSON: Switching...
to emergency hydraulic control!
Too late to eject!
Two-and-a-half negative "Gs!"
Master reset!
No good!
WILSON: Those damn
idiots keep doing this.
Phew!
Holy cow.
You faked it.
WILSON: You son of a...
When we land, you run.
And you'd better be fast.
Now you know how they felt.
You could have killed us.
So, how'd it feel
knowing you were going to die
because those
idiots keep doing this?
I can't help you.
You know what's going
on down there, Wilson.
I won't testify.
They'd never let me fly again.
Flying is my life, boy.
All right.
But you tell me where
to look for what I need.
It's a fishing
expedition, Your Honor,
intended to harass and
embarrass my client.
On behalf of Frohl Technologies
I move to quash the
defense subpoena.
JUDGE: Producing maintenance
planning and budget documents
would harass and
embarrass your client?
Well, first of all,
it'll take a boxcar
to haul them all to Washington.
And that's embarrassing?
It's harassing.
And second, those
documents contain trade secrets
classified data and insight
into Frohl Tech's
competitive bidding
for government contracts,
the disclosure of which
will be an unfair boon
to its competitors.
Certainly the
interest of justice
would override any commercial
considerations, ma'am.
MacKenzie: What
interest of justice?
There's no indication
how any of this is relevant
to the guilt or innocence of
Lieutenant Commander Holtsford,
which reinforces
the company's claim
that the subpoena
is solely intended
to harass and
embarrass Frohl Tech.
I grant it would be embarrassing
to be found complicit
in the crash of the F-14
that killed Commander
Urquizu and Lieutenant Burke.
A budget document's
going to tell you that?
RABB: It indicates
that Frohl Tech
wouldn't or couldn't
run the upgrade program
with an acceptable standard
of care and safety... yes.
Your Honor, nothing contained
in any kind of document
would absolve Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford
of responsibility
for his own actions.
There's been no allegation
that anyone from
Frohl Tech management
was even present
when the defendant
ordered the installation
of untested, used parts
in the aircraft that crashed.
I believe it's customary
in a tag team situation
to slap your teammate's
hand before switching.
Exactly what are you
looking for at Frohl
Tech, Commander Rabb?
Ma'am, I intend to show
that the company
created an atmosphere
where negligence was the norm,
and that it coerced
its employees...
Including Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford...
Into placing productivity
before safety.
Your Honor...
It doesn't fly, Commander.
Short of a gun being
pointed at his head
the defendant is still
responsible for his own actions.
The motion to quash
the subpoena is granted.
We will continue with the trial
of Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford
alone.
MacKENZIE: See you tonight?
Yeah, 8:30.
You got it.
Discussing strategy?
Yeah, he wants
Italian, I want Chinese.
Oh, do what he wants.
Why should outside the
courtroom be any different?
Excuse me?
You're walking the Frohl Tech
party line, Mac.
Making a scapegoat
out of Holtsford.
I'm supposed to
make him a scapegoat.
I'm prosecuting him, remember?
You should work on
your good loser skills.
A little premature, Counselor.
Gunny.
Sir.
Gunny, I've been thinking
more about this law school stuff.
Whatever you put
your mind to, Tiner.
It's not that, Gunny.
It's... when I first
joined the Navy,
I thought I'd be seeing action.
Being a lawyer, it's too calm
too peaceful.
Calm and peaceful?
Just look at this office.
No conflict, no confrontation.
Everybody's so... pleasant.
Tiner, it would be a crime
to deprive the legal world
of your uncanny
powers of observation.
Thank you, Gunny.
I finished the final upgrade
on that aircraft on the 24th.
But it still didn't have a CSD.
Lieutenant Commander
Holtsford told me
to pull one out of a plane
that had just come in.
I refused.
I said we should
order a new one.
What did Lieutenant
Commander Holtsford say?
That that would take too long.
And we couldn't afford to wait.
What happened next?
I don't know exactly.
I was working the night shift.
When I left at midnight,
there still wasn't a
CSD in that aircraft.
But when I got in the
next afternoon at 3:00,
there must've been
one because Wilson
was just taking
off for a test flight.
( sotto voce): 3:00?
MacKENZIE: And to your knowledge,
there were no CSDs in stock anywhere?
CARTWRIGHT: That's correct.
( whispering): Do
we still have a card
for Wilson's test flight?
MacKENZIE: So the only
place it could've come from
would be another plane?
CARTWRIGHT: Yes, ma'am.
It's in here, sir.
Reports taking off at 1505
and doing a full card test flight.
The whole checklist.
Yeah, you know
how long that takes?
I don't, sir.
Two hours.
( phone ringing through)
Jack Wilson here.
( on phone): Wilson,
it's Commander Rabb.
I've been expecting to
hear from you, Commander.
I need you here.
I already bought
my plane ticket.
WILSON: I'll testify, but it
means I'll never fly again.
Wilson: I signed off on
the full card test flight,
but I did not do the full
post-maintenance checklist.
Did you check the CSD?
No.
Seemed to be working.
Plane was flying.
What about the
emergency generator?
No.
I only checked the
major primary systems.
The emergency generator
should have kicked in
when the CSD failed, correct?
That's right.
Why didn't you check everything
you were supposed
to check, Mr. Wilson?
'Cause I didn't take
off till after 3:00.
Frohl Tech closes the
airstrip at 4:00 sharp.
RABB: But even when an aircraft
was due for pick up
and needed to be tested?
That's right.
They don't care about
aircraft at Frohl Tech.
They care about money.
How do you know that?
They overscheduled
me that day, ma'am.
They overschedule
me a lot of days.
I had three test flights to
complete, starting at noon.
No way I could finish by
4:00. Everybody knew that.
But still they shut
down the damn strip.
The aircraft that
crashed took off at night.
After 4:00 p.m.
They always open up the
strip to meet a delivery deadline
to avoid paying a penalty.
I don't care about money.
I just wanted to keep on flying.
The defense renews its request
for the production of
maintenance, planning
and budget records from
Frohl Technologies, ma'am.
No objections, Your Honor.
So ordered.
MAN: Right this way,
ma'am. ( mellow jazz playing)
WOMAN: Thank you very much.
Here you are, ma'am.
Thank you.
( patrons chattering)
( sighs) Maybe he
got stuck in traffic.
He has a cell phone
which he's not answering.
Could be out of range.
45 minutes.
It isn't like him.
You know, you're right.
He's a big boy.
Let's just enjoy ourselves.
He gets here when he gets here.
I'll drink to that.
You know, Henry Clay
brought this recipe for mint juleps
from Kentucky in 1850.
I've never tried it.
You know, until last year,
Danny would only order
the burger and fries.
You know I think that's the
special on the menu tonight.
Let's go find him.
Did you have to
subpoena everything?
RABB: Yean, I should
have just demanded
the "criminally
negligent policies" files.
ROBERTS: I think I
found something, sir.
The employees are complaining...
RABB: "because
they... they disbanded
the commissary softball team"?
Never mind.
Orders for drill bits.
Employee's dental records.
Division managers'
expense accounts.
They swamped us.
The old lawyers' trick.
So we go back to the judge
with a Motion to Compel
a more specific
production of records.
Who ordered the pizza?
What are you doing here?
I should ask you the same.
I'm an officer of the
court out for the truth.
My compliments on
your client's filing system.
It looks like it's
somewhere between
Dewey decimal and chaos theory.
( chuckles) Well, things
are much less orderly
in the private sector.
I was at corporate headquarters
when they were
pulling this material.
Yeah, you help them
mix it and stir it, Brumby?
As a matter of fact, yeah.
The whole top corporate
echelon was there helping out.
But even with all that help,
one file still accidentally
fell behind a desk.
Luckily, I found it.
"Report Costs and Benefits
F-14 Upgrade Program
Risk-Reward Analysis."
Thanks, pal.
Just doing my job.
As an officer of the court.
What is it?
RABB: "Due to the
necessity of underbidding
"the original F-14 manufacturer,
"this program must be
considered a 'loss leader'...
"one we lose money on as
we expand into a new area
of Pentagon procurement."
Just some dry accounting stuff.
"Nevertheless,
"we can limit our
downside exposure
"by limiting the parameters
of our infrastructure support.
"By tightly controlling
man-hours and parts expended,
"we can hold our losses
to a tolerable level.
"While this would
increase the risk
"of catastrophic
aircraft incident,
"it would be less expensive
to compensate the government
"for one or two such losses
than to raise our
standards of service."
Two pilots lives are worth less
than doing the job right?
They calculated that?
LATHAM: I love Washington.
You don't get this
with a pizza in Detroit.
Danny?
Danny...
What are you guys doing here?
What are we?
What are you doing here?
Dinner at the Willard, remember?
Well, I-I thought maybe
you guys wanted to be alone.
And that's why you
didn't answer the phone?
I turn off the ringer
when I do my homework.
Next time you decide
to be thoughtful,
be a little more thoughtful
and pick up a phone.
I'm, I'm sorry, you guys.
I didn't ruin your
night or anything, did I?
( door opens)
( women chattering in distance)
Woman: Just you
wait till you have a son,
then you'll know.
Boys are always running off.
I couldn't keep
track of him then.
You can't keep track
of him now. ( laughing)
I'm lucky if I see him
one night a month.
Mom!
Hi. Hi.
Hey.
Well, I hope I'm not too late
for the showing of
the bathtub photos.
Well, I wouldn't show those
pictures to your mother.
I thought you were in Europe.
I was.
Can't I stop by on my way home
and say hello to
my favorite son?
Your only son.
Frank gave me a diamond
in Venice, and we
renewed our wedding vows.
That was really quite romantic.
Maybe you should ask
Frank where he got the ring.
( Trish laughs)
Well, Trish, it was
wonderful meeting you.
Oh, you don't
have to go, do you?
Yes, I do.
I'm sorry.
You don't have to go.
Yes, I do.
You hang tough, Sailor, okay?
She keeping you on your toes?
Well, she's doing her best.
You know, Harm, I
haven't talked to you
since you came back
from Cuba or Russia.
I-I've been meaning to
talk to you about the trip.
Yeah, I can't wait to hear
about your meeting with Castro.
Oh, yeah, yeah, well,
that was interesting.
I-I meant, uh, Russia.
Ah, Russia. Hmm.
You know, Harm, after
you came back that last time
when you told me you had
proof your father was dead,
I grieved again
after all those years.
Oh, I'm so sorry, Mom, I...
No...
something good happened.
It helped me move on.
You see, I've always
held myself back a little.
One last sliver
waiting for your father.
But now, that's all in the past.
I've accepted it.
So, my life is better.
Thank you.
( glasses clinking)
( water bubbling)
Whoops!
Well, you can tell me all
about Russia over dinner.
Hmm. Yeah.
It was uneventful really.
Nothing important happened.
It's all over the
front page, Harm.
Congresswoman Latham, the
smoking gun Frohl Tech memo.
Good. That doesn't
change anything about
Lieutenant Commander Holtsford.
He's still guilty.
Well, a little less
than he used to be.
Willful dereliction,
six months' hard labor.
Negligent homicide. Two years.
18 months.
Deal.
TV ANNOUNCER: Congressional
hearing on the safety practices
stemming from an F-14
brass at an Oceanside facility
in July.
While admitting no guilt,
Frohl Tech accepted
additional supervision
of its F-14 upgrade program
and received a $10 million
fine and a public reprimand.
Meanwhile, it and the Pentagon
both pledged continued support
for the proposed
Spyglass project...
$10 million dollars.
It's a traffic ticket.
You did what you could,
Harm. Life goes on.
Well, for some, it does.
I'm on my way to
a memorial service
for Commander Urquizu
and Lieutenant Berke.
You busy?
No.