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00:00an airbus flight crew scrambles to keep their passenger jet in the air we're losing an engine
00:07we had lost one reverse we had half the spoilers on the wings not working they never gave up
00:14pilots don't give up on united airlines flight 232 the pilots have lost all their critical flight
00:23controls we're turning we're turning we're turning they have to be able to work with each other to
00:28save a plane over the Bering Sea pilots stare death in the face the whole airplane was shaking
00:34while they try to save their jet terrifying emergencies all systems are down to zero
00:41shine a light on three astonishing events billion to one with the odds of this would happen you're
00:47never trained for that okay everyone here we go
00:58United Airlines flight 232 has left Denver Colorado for Chicago
01:26heading home for a few days yeah good to get back today is children's day at United Airlines a
01:35child's ticket costs only a penny 52 of the 285 passengers are children
01:42captain Al Haynes and his first officer bill records are former fighter pilots
01:50looks like we're gonna make Chicago on time the airplane was trimmed up we'd enjoyed a cup of coffee
02:00and weather was good
02:09and all of a sudden with the bang system like being thrown into a great big tornado of activity
02:15first officer bill records immediately disengages the autopilot and takes control
02:22I have it what was that there was no alarms at all no bells no whistles no lights flashing just this
02:30big explosion I've got control check the gates the pilots struggle to control the plane captain Al
02:37Haynes tries to figure out the cause the airplane was shaking so bad you couldn't read the instruments
02:43we lost the number two engine
02:45we're losing hydraulics
02:52let's shut number two down
02:55the reason you shut down the engine when it fails is you don't know what the damage is to the engine
03:01if it kept turning it could tear itself apart
03:04a dangerous situation deteriorates
03:07bill said Al I can't control the airplane and that's a real attention getter
03:12the plane is not responding to the first officer's commands it's banking further and further to the right
03:19I've got it bill
03:23if the pilots can't find a way to level the plane it will soon be upside down
03:27we had the control wheel as far as it go to the left and as far back on your lap as it go
03:32you can't do that in flight so there's something drastically wrong
03:37second officer Dudley Dvorak may have the answer
03:42Dudley check the cages what's going on back there
03:46you have no hydraulic fluid left all systems are down to zero
03:49all three
03:52that's impossible
03:53the plane's hydraulic system carries the commands from the pilot's control column
04:00to the aircraft's control surfaces such as the elevators rudders and ailerons
04:05without fluids
04:07pilots cannot move these crucial flight controls
04:10if you do not have hydraulics
04:13you have absolutely no control
04:15what's the say in the book
04:18the DC-10 has three separate hydraulic systems
04:21if one fails the other two act as backups
04:25but all three systems are now drained
04:29there's nothing in here for anything like this
04:32a billion to one
04:36with the odds that this would happen
04:37you're never trained for that
04:38Captain Haynes has to improvise a solution
04:42or his plane is going down
04:44everybody realized that this was something that we didn't have a procedure for
04:49so you just kind of grab for whatever's working
04:52let's use the engines
04:54yeah why not
04:56I'm going to pull back number one about 10%
05:03and you go up on number three 10%
05:05nice and slow
05:07by adjusting the power to the two remaining engines
05:11the pilots may be able to level the aircraft
05:14easy does it
05:24okay
05:28that's got it
05:30the improvised method of control levels the plane
05:34but only for a moment
05:37the nose is going down
05:41what's going on here
05:43United Airlines flight 232 starts to accelerate downwards
05:48in normal circumstances
05:51pulling back on the control column would raise the elevators
05:54and lift the nose of the plane
05:56we have no elevators
05:58let's try 10%
06:04the pilots increase power to the two forward engines
06:09this is what you have to do
06:12because the power creates a lift
06:14and that's what you need
06:15the maneuver works
06:22they pull out of the dive
06:24and it's got it
06:26easy
06:28easy
06:29we just dropped a thousand feet
06:33okay we gotta land this thing
06:38find out where the hell we are
06:39and get us to the nearest airport
06:40this is United 232
06:43we are declaring an emergency
06:45and requesting a vector to the nearest airport
06:47United 232
06:48you're heading towards Sioux City
06:50would you like to go there?
06:51we'll take Sioux City
06:52start getting the cabin ready
06:54United 232 radar contact
07:00turn left heading 255
07:03the pilots are unable to use flight controls
07:08so they turn the plane by staggering the throttles
07:12but as the DC-10 begins to turn
07:16its nose dips
07:17it accelerates downwards again
07:20Haynes and records complete the turn
07:30but they've dropped another thousand feet
07:33and Sioux City is still 40 miles away
07:36I don't think we're gonna make the airport fellas
07:39there's a DC-10 instructor on board
07:58who's offering assistance
07:59okay
08:04let them come up
08:05did you come with me?
08:12Denny Fitch
08:13is a United Airlines pilot
08:15and a flight instructor
08:16for the DC-10
08:17I transitioned
08:19from a passenger
08:21to a crew member
08:23and I remember their forearms
08:27and their tendons being tense
08:28I remember their knuckles being white
08:30now go forward
08:32let it come back
08:33and lead it away
08:33when I took it all in
08:35the immediate
08:36fast conclusion is
08:38Denny
08:40today is the day
08:43you're gonna die
08:44tell me what you want
08:48I'll help you
08:48take the throttles
08:52he can stand between
08:54Bill and myself now
08:55and he can operate
08:57the alternating thrust
08:59a lot easier than we can
09:00okay
09:03pull back
09:10pull back
09:11start it down
09:15and
09:17it didn't take long
09:18before
09:19I started to sense
09:22the airplane's behavior
09:23is this Sioux City
09:25down to the right
09:26that's Sioux City
09:29their destination
09:31might be in sight
09:32but with no flight controls
09:34the crew
09:35can't reduce their speed
09:36we had absolutely
09:38no way to control the speed
09:39there's just nothing
09:39we can do about it
09:40even if they can line up
09:42with the runway
09:43they still won't be able
09:45to control their landing
09:46emergency workers
09:49prepare for the worst
09:51we were facing
10:00death
10:01all of us were
10:03and our passengers
10:04a crippled DC-10
10:15is just a few miles
10:16from the airport
10:17in Sioux City, Iowa
10:18forward forward forward
10:24the plane's airspeed
10:26is the only thing
10:27keeping it in the air
10:28the pilots have no choice
10:30but to keep the engine
10:32at close to full power
10:33won't this be a fun landing
10:35we were going way too fast
10:39we had no flaps
10:40we had no brakes
10:41and we had no way
10:43to steer the airplane
10:44once we did arrive
10:46at the runway
10:46brace, brace, brace
10:50only a hundred feet
10:52from the ground
10:53the nose dips again
10:54further increasing speed
10:56left, left, left, left, left, left
10:59we're turning, we're turning, we're turning
11:02didn't get it quite right
11:21and
11:22we hit very hard
11:27wreckage
11:38wreckage is strewn
11:39across the runway
11:40and a nearby cornfield
11:42on the initial viewing
11:45of the aircraft
11:46hitting the ground
11:48and tumbling down
11:49the ground
11:49and a huge fireball
11:50and so on and so forth
11:51we didn't expect
11:52to find survivors
11:53thanks to the pilot's skill
11:56185 people survived
11:59but 111 passengers
12:04and cabin crew
12:05are dead
12:06compounding the tragedy
12:0811 are children
12:09still inside the cockpit
12:12590 feet away
12:14from the rest of the wreckage
12:15are the pilots
12:16all have survived
12:18I was unconscious
12:19fortunately
12:21I was knocked out
12:23on impact
12:23I have absolutely
12:24no recollection
12:25of the crash at all
12:26I had no idea
12:27what kind of shape
12:29I was in
12:29whether my legs
12:32were attached
12:32I had no
12:33I couldn't move
12:34my fingers
12:35I was literally
12:35pinned to the
12:36to the ground
12:37I was compressed
12:39in the wreckage
12:40the white hot
12:43pain in my back
12:44and my side
12:45broken ribs
12:47punctured the lung
12:48I never lost
12:49consciousness
12:49investigators
12:55investigators from the
12:55national transportation
12:56safety board
12:57need to know why
12:59the number two
13:00engine exploded
13:01in mid-flight
13:02and how that led
13:03to the catastrophic
13:04loss of all hydraulics
13:06early on
13:09investigators realized
13:11that a vital piece
13:12of the engine
13:12is missing
13:13the fan disc
13:16is such an obvious
13:18part of the front
13:19of the engine
13:20that when it's
13:21missing
13:21you know it
13:22the fan disc
13:25is responsible
13:25for bringing air
13:26into the core
13:27it takes three months
13:31to find it
13:31it was discovered
13:33in a field
13:33approximately 60 miles
13:35from the airport
13:36the massive disc
13:45is broken in two
13:46how could it break
13:51like that
13:52it was extremely
13:53unusual
13:53and we really
13:54wanted to
13:55try and figure out
13:56why this thing
13:57had what we call
13:58burst
13:58investigators
14:00closely examined
14:02the fracture points
14:03it's definitely
14:06fatigue
14:07it was pretty
14:08easy to
14:09visually
14:09to look at this
14:10to see that
14:11there was a fatigue
14:11crack there
14:12well well well
14:18a microscopic
14:20examination
14:21reveals an
14:22imperfection
14:23in the titanium
14:23used to make
14:24the fan blade
14:25this floor
14:28caused a crack
14:29that grew
14:29larger
14:30over 17
14:31years
14:32a bad
14:33batch of
14:33titanium
14:34I'd say so
14:36it was only
14:39a matter of
14:40time before
14:40the disc
14:41broke
14:41I have it
14:46what was that
14:47when it did
14:49the fragments
14:50destroyed all
14:51three hydraulic
14:52systems
14:52this part
14:54was supposed to
14:55be inspected
14:55on a regular
14:56basis
14:57and indeed
14:57it was
14:58but where
14:59the crack
15:00was located
15:01simply was
15:02extremely difficult
15:04to detect
15:05the NTSB
15:07immediately
15:08recommends more
15:09thorough inspections
15:10of all engine
15:11fan discs
15:12given the broad
15:14system failure
15:15it's astonishing
15:16that anyone
15:17survived the
15:18crash landing
15:19in terrifying
15:21conditions
15:21the pilots
15:23managed a
15:23phenomenal
15:24act of
15:24flying
15:25let's use
15:26the engines
15:26all four
15:29pilots
15:29received the
15:30Polaris
15:31award
15:31it's the
15:32highest
15:32civilian
15:33aviation
15:34decoration
15:34honoring
15:35exceptional
15:36airmanship
15:36and heroic
15:37actions
15:38we got the
15:40airplane to
15:40the runway
15:40that's the
15:42most we could
15:42hope for
15:43even more than
15:43most people
15:44thought we could
15:44hope for
15:44and to say
15:46that we were
15:46heroes in
15:46doing that
15:47no we were
15:48just fortunate
15:49that the
15:49things we
15:50tried worked
15:50here they
15:51were all
15:52one team
15:53and they
15:54found a
15:54way to do
15:55something that
15:55was technically
15:56impossible
15:57it was
15:58absolutely
15:58astounding
15:59that they
16:00managed to
16:00find solutions
16:01they never
16:02gave up
16:02pilots
16:02don't give
16:03up
16:03we don't
16:04do that
16:0421 years
16:07later an
16:08Australian
16:09flight crew
16:09will be
16:10tested as
16:10never before
16:11Qantas
16:13flight 32
16:14has just
16:15finished refueling
16:16at Singapore
16:16airport
16:17the Airbus
16:19A380
16:19is more
16:20than halfway
16:21through a
16:21marathon
16:2222 hour
16:23flight
16:23from London
16:24to Sydney
16:25Australia
16:26there are
16:27440 passengers
16:29and 29
16:30crew on
16:31board
16:31a former
16:33fighter pilot
16:33Richard
16:34de Krapney
16:35is one
16:35of the few
16:36pilots
16:36qualified
16:37to captain
16:38an Airbus
16:38A380
16:39everyone ready
16:40for takeoff
16:41the A380
16:42is the latest
16:43generation
16:44of innovation
16:46automation
16:47and excellence
16:47and it's
16:49the largest
16:50most complex
16:51aircraft in
16:51the sky
16:52first officer
16:56Matt Hicks
16:57main duty
16:57is to monitor
16:58the vast number
16:59of electronic
17:00gauges
17:00and computer
17:01displays
17:02needed to
17:03fly this
17:03state-of-the-art
17:04aircraft
17:05everything's
17:06looking good
17:06here
17:07Richard
17:07the more
17:08automated
17:08aircraft
17:09get
17:09it doesn't
17:10necessarily
17:10make them
17:11easier to
17:12fly
17:12just makes
17:13them
17:13different
17:13to fly
17:14today
17:16de Krapney's
17:17flight skills
17:17are being
17:18evaluated
17:18by fellow
17:19pilot
17:20Dave Evans
17:20this is an
17:21annual
17:22requirement
17:22at Qantas
17:23the A380
17:28is powered
17:28by four
17:29massive
17:29Rolls Royce
17:30engines
17:31each can
17:32deliver
17:3272,000
17:33pounds
17:34of thrust
17:35they design
17:39wonderful
17:39engines
17:40very reliable
17:40V-1
17:41rotor
17:43autopilot
17:52on
17:55climate
18:00checklist
18:00please
18:01autothrust
18:03is set
18:03and
18:04e-cam
18:06is clear
18:06the
18:07e-cam
18:08or
18:09electronic
18:09centralized
18:10aircraft
18:10monitor
18:11keeps
18:11watch
18:12over
18:12all
18:12the
18:13onboard
18:13systems
18:14and
18:14alerts
18:15the
18:15crew
18:15to
18:15the
18:15slightest
18:16malfunction
18:16the
18:19first few
18:20minutes
18:20in the
18:20air
18:20are
18:21uneventful
18:21the
18:23atmosphere
18:23in the
18:24cabin
18:24was
18:24perfectly
18:25casual
18:26we were
18:28chatting
18:28away
18:29the whole
18:29time
18:29since
18:29we
18:30were
18:30seated
18:31we're
18:42losing
18:42an
18:42engine
18:43there was
18:46a loud
18:46explosion
18:47my reaction
18:48immediately
18:49I think
18:49was
18:50oh my
18:51goodness
18:51maybe
18:52this is
18:52it
18:52we've
18:55lost
18:55number
18:55two
18:55there's
18:56something
18:56wrong
18:57with
18:57the
18:57a380's
18:58number
18:58two
18:59engine
18:59holding
19:007400
19:01feet
19:01de
19:02crepenie
19:03takes
19:03back
19:03control
19:04from
19:04the
19:04autopilot
19:05I
19:07press
19:07the
19:07altitude
19:08hold
19:08button
19:08which
19:08will
19:09cause
19:09the
19:09nose
19:09to
19:10lower
19:10and
19:10the
19:10aircraft
19:11level
19:11man
19:13e-cam
19:13actions
19:13on
19:14Hicks
19:17faces
19:17a barrage
19:18of error
19:19messages
19:19on
19:19the
19:19e-cam
19:20we
19:24had
19:24to
19:25work
19:25our
19:25way
19:25through
19:25and
19:26build
19:26up
19:26a
19:26picture
19:26of
19:26what
19:27was
19:27going
19:28on
19:28with
19:28the
19:28aeroplane
19:28number
19:32two
19:32is
19:32overheating
19:33the
19:36crisis
19:36escalates
19:37the
19:38engine
19:38is
19:38now
19:39in
19:39flames
19:39this
19:44plane
19:44is
19:44in
19:45very
19:45real
19:45danger
19:46of
19:46becoming
19:47a
19:47fireball
19:48quantus
19:55flight
19:5532
19:55is
19:56in
19:56serious
19:57trouble
19:57number
19:59two
19:59is
19:59overheating
20:00first
20:00officer
20:01matt
20:01hicks
20:01activates
20:02the
20:02emergency
20:03extinguishers
20:04inside
20:04the
20:05burning
20:05engine
20:05fire
20:06number
20:06two
20:07push
20:07button
20:07confirmed
20:09it
20:13was
20:14stressful
20:14it
20:16was
20:16difficult
20:16warnings
20:21off
20:21think
20:22the
20:22fire
20:22is
20:22out
20:22they've
20:23dealt
20:23with
20:24one
20:24alarm
20:24but
20:25the
20:25emergency
20:26isn't
20:26over
20:26failure
20:27messages
20:28persist
20:29okay
20:34I've
20:35cleared
20:35slat
20:35one
20:35and
20:36two
20:36what have
20:37you got
20:37for me
20:38now
20:38hydraulics
20:39in a
20:41training
20:42environment
20:42you probably
20:43only do
20:44two or
20:44three consecutive
20:45failures
20:46and in this
20:47case I think
20:48we had 58
20:48and that list
20:51of failures
20:52is growing
20:52degraded pneumatics
20:59hydraulics
21:00electrics
21:01power to the
21:02left wing
21:02shut down
21:03flaps
21:04slats
21:05and ailerons
21:07are damaged
21:07but offerable
21:08captain
21:09de krapney
21:09needs to get
21:10the a380
21:11back to
21:11singapore
21:12before it's
21:12impossible
21:13to fly it
21:14we don't want
21:15to stay one
21:16minute more
21:16in the air
21:17than we have
21:18to
21:18singapore
21:19minus 32
21:20we require
21:21left turn
21:22back towards
21:23singapore
21:23minus 32
21:25singapore
21:26turn left
21:27heading
21:27zero
21:27two
21:28zero
21:28singapore
21:30is about
21:30217 miles
21:32away
21:32the captain
21:34needs more
21:35information
21:35on the damaged
21:36engine
21:36but it can't
21:38be seen
21:38from the
21:39cockpit
21:39second officer
21:42matt johnson
21:43goes back
21:43to investigate
21:44the hole
21:51that was in
21:51the wing
21:51that had been
21:52made by the
21:53explosion
21:53seemed from
21:55what I could
21:55see quite a
21:56large hole
21:57like for a
21:57couple of
21:58feet across
21:58and all the
21:59metal was
21:59jagged and
22:00sticking up
22:01and we could
22:02see the stream
22:03of the fuel
22:03coming out
22:04the A380's
22:06wings are
22:06filled with
22:07more than
22:07100 tons
22:08of highly
22:09flammable fuel
22:10we were all
22:11just wondering
22:11what was going
22:12to happen
22:12next
22:12what can you
22:15tell me
22:16mark
22:16number two
22:17is blown
22:17apart
22:17cut all
22:18through the
22:18wing
22:18and we'll
22:19leak in
22:19fuel
22:19the
22:23the news
22:23helps explain
22:24why so
22:24many systems
22:25are failing
22:26vital flight
22:28controls run
22:29through the
22:29wing
22:29these are
22:30likely damaged
22:31by shrapnel
22:32from the
22:32burst engine
22:33we had so
22:34many checklists
22:35100 in the
22:36air
22:36that it took
22:37matt 55
22:37minutes to
22:38stabilize the
22:39aircraft so
22:40that this
22:40aircraft
22:40situation
22:41didn't get
22:42worse
22:42that is
22:43unprecedented
22:44in aviation
22:45history
22:45the pilots
22:47are finally
22:48near
22:48singapore
22:49dave
22:52i need you
22:53to run
22:53the numbers
22:53on this
22:53landing
22:54check captain
22:55dave evans
22:56does the
22:56math
22:57three engines
22:57full load
22:58all that
22:59he uses
23:00the a380
23:01landing software
23:02to calculate
23:02how much
23:03runway
23:03they'll need
23:04to bring
23:04the huge
23:05plane
23:05to a stop
23:06the computer
23:09says we
23:10can't make
23:10it
23:10runway's
23:11too short
23:12with the
23:13nine failures
23:14that i'd
23:15put into
23:15the system
23:16and the
23:16surface
23:17conditions
23:17in singapore
23:18at our
23:20maximum
23:20landing weight
23:21i couldn't
23:22come up
23:23with an
23:23answer
23:23the a380
23:25is weighed
23:26down with
23:26fuel
23:27almost none
23:28of the
23:28105 tons
23:30it took
23:30on for
23:31the flight
23:31to sydney
23:31is used
23:32up
23:32can we
23:34dump
23:34some fuel
23:34no it's
23:35a good
23:35idea but
23:36we can't
23:36fuel
23:37transfer
23:37pumps
23:37are down
23:38damn it
23:39the heavy
23:41load of
23:42flammable
23:42fuel means
23:43any landing
23:43attempt
23:44will be
23:44dangerous
23:45we were
23:47some 40
23:48tons above
23:48our maximum
23:49landing weight
23:50and the
23:50heavier you
23:51are the
23:52more runway
23:53and the
23:53higher speeds
23:54will be
23:54on your
23:55approach
23:55evans
23:56first set
23:57of numbers
23:57gives him
23:58the worst
23:58case scenario
23:59he tries
24:00again with
24:01some more
24:01optimistic
24:02numbers
24:03okay
24:06looks like
24:07we can
24:08do it
24:08with 139
24:10meters
24:10to spend
24:11139
24:12meters
24:12surplus
24:13on a
24:134000
24:14meter
24:14runway
24:15is
24:16a slim
24:16margin
24:17but it's
24:18better than
24:18a minus
24:19139
24:20meters
24:20what do we
24:21need for
24:21our approach
24:22speed
24:22166
24:24works
24:25captain
24:26de crepeny
24:26doesn't know
24:27if his plane
24:28is capable
24:28of landing
24:29with any
24:29precision
24:30okay
24:32let's see
24:33what you
24:33can do
24:33he rolls
24:35the plane
24:35carefully
24:36left and
24:36right
24:37to simulate
24:38lining up
24:38with a
24:39runway
24:39we had
24:40degraded
24:40roll
24:41control
24:41so i
24:43knew that
24:43we had
24:44to certify
24:44the
24:44aeroplane
24:45ourselves
24:45to fly
24:46before we
24:46landed
24:47okay
24:48there's
24:49barely
24:49enough
24:49control
24:50to roll
24:51the plane
24:51to the
24:51right
24:52if the
24:57few flight
24:58controls
24:58that we
24:59have
24:59remaining
24:59are working
25:00to the
25:00limit
25:01then clearly
25:02we have
25:02very little
25:03margin
25:03for maneuvering
25:04when we
25:04come
25:05to land
25:05fall green
25:13confirm
25:14gear down
25:15quantus
25:16flight
25:1632
25:17is now
25:17just
25:18two
25:18minutes
25:18from
25:19landing
25:19de crepeny
25:22adjusts
25:22the throttle
25:23so he
25:24can land
25:24at the
25:24slowest
25:25speed
25:25possible
25:26to make
25:26it
25:26easier
25:27to stop
25:27the airbus
25:34is getting
25:34close to
25:35stalling
25:36we
25:39sped up
25:39three knots
25:39we would run
25:40off the runway
25:40we slow down
25:41one knot
25:42we get a
25:42speed warning
25:43de crepeny
25:44has just
25:45one shot
25:46at landing
25:46flight
25:4732
25:47everybody
25:50ready
25:51at the end
25:52of the day
25:53it just
25:53came down
25:53to I
25:54think
25:54we've
25:54covered
25:54everything
25:55can anyone
25:55think
25:55of anything
25:56no
26:00ok
26:00let's
26:01go
26:01and do
26:01it
26:02confirm fire
26:10services
26:10standing
26:10by
26:11affirmative
26:12100
26:14the
26:16pilots
26:16of
26:16quantus
26:17flight
26:1732
26:17struggle
26:18to
26:18guide
26:19their
26:19plane
26:19towards
26:20the
26:20runway
26:20you
26:21think
26:21about
26:22your
26:22kids
26:22you
26:22think
26:22about
26:22your
26:23wife
26:23and
26:24that's
26:25just
26:25what
26:26you
26:26do
26:26and
26:26then
26:27it was
26:27game
26:28on
26:28again
26:2850
26:3040
26:3130
26:3220
26:345
26:36we
26:40had
26:40lost
26:40one
26:41reverse
26:41we
26:41had
26:41half
26:42the
26:42spoilers
26:42on
26:42the
26:42wings
26:43not
26:43working
26:43we
26:44had
26:44the
26:44ailerons
26:44not
26:45making
26:45a
26:45speed
26:45brake
26:46action
26:46if
26:48the
26:48pilots
26:48can't
26:49slow
26:49the
26:49plane
26:49down
26:50they'll
26:50overshoot
26:51the
26:51runway
26:52brakes
26:54brakes
26:54rich
26:55put
26:55on
26:55the
26:55brakes
26:56pump
26:56them
26:56push
26:57them
26:57brakes
26:58full
26:58brakes
26:58my feet
27:00are flat
27:00to the
27:00floor
27:01the
27:12a380
27:13stops
27:14with
27:14just
27:15500
27:15feet
27:16to
27:16spare
27:17beautiful
27:21welcome
27:24to
27:24singapore
27:24guys
27:25despite
27:28an
27:28engine
27:28exploding
27:29a
27:30massive
27:30system
27:31failure
27:31and
27:32being
27:32weighed
27:32down
27:33with
27:33fuel
27:33the
27:34pilots
27:34of
27:34Qantas
27:35flight
27:3532
27:36have
27:36landed
27:36their
27:37crippled
27:37jet
27:37with
27:38no
27:38loss
27:38of
27:39life
27:39when
27:44we
27:44finally
27:45finally
27:46walked
27:46off
27:47the
27:47plane
27:47there
27:49was
27:49a
27:49great
27:50sense
27:50of
27:50relief
27:50and
27:51I
27:51noticed
27:51my
27:51legs
27:51were
27:52shaking
27:52which
27:53I
27:53thought
27:53oh
27:54why
27:54my legs
27:54shaking
27:55I
27:55guess
27:56maybe
27:56I
27:56must
27:57have
27:57been
27:57a bit
27:57more
27:57nervous
27:58than
27:58I
27:58was
27:58aware
27:58safely
28:00on the
28:01ground
28:01the
28:02flight
28:02crew
28:02can
28:02finally
28:03check
28:03out
28:03the
28:04engine
28:04I
28:09was
28:09shocked
28:09I
28:09had
28:09never
28:10seen
28:10such
28:10extraordinary
28:11damage
28:11to an
28:12airplane
28:12before
28:13the
28:14Trent
28:14900
28:15is
28:15an
28:15increasingly
28:16popular
28:16engine
28:17what
28:17a
28:18disaster
28:18I've
28:20never
28:20seen
28:20anything
28:21like
28:21it
28:21it's
28:22up
28:22to
28:22the
28:22Australian
28:23Transport Safety Bureau
28:24to find out what happened
28:26an uncontained engine fire is a pretty rare event
28:29we knew that this was going to be a big investigation particularly for the ATSB
28:33investigators examined the engine that burst into flames
28:37oil fire
28:39the inside is charred and covered with soot and oil
28:46this strongly suggests there was an oil leak
28:49Kev
28:50I think we got it
28:52at that point
28:53at that point
28:54it was
28:55it was
28:56oh wow
28:56this is
28:57this is a really important moment of the investigation
29:00investigators determined that a narrow pipe snapped and released oil into the area around
29:06the turbine disc
29:07the broken part is called a stub pipe
29:10this nearly brought down an A380
29:13jeez man
29:16investigators believe the oil from the broken stub pipe ignited
29:21and burned at more than 1800 degrees fahrenheit
29:26fire number two
29:27push button
29:28confirm
29:29the fire damaged the drive shaft
29:32which allowed the turbine disc to spin faster and faster
29:36until it broke apart
29:37the internal oil fire
29:43happened so quickly
29:44and accelerated
29:45that
29:46the crew had absolutely no opportunity to shut down that engine before the engine failure
29:52but what caused the stub pipe to break
29:56nearly killing 469 people
29:59investigators send what's left of the pipe to the engine's manufacturer rolls-royce
30:06engineers make a startling discovery
30:11one side of the pipe is thinner than the other
30:17that allowed it to break apart
30:19spray the engine with oil
30:21and cause a near catastrophic fire
30:24it's no wonder it cracked
30:26we're only talking it was 0.35 millimeters in thickness
30:30it's a couple of sheets of paper
30:32there are 20 A380s in service with the same rolls-royce engine
30:39the ATSB calls for a fix
30:46as a result of this investigation
30:48all engines that had non-conforming oil feed pipes have been removed from service
30:53investigators conclude that flight 32 ended safely
30:57because the highly trained crew responded quickly and effectively
31:02Matt, ECM actions
31:09I'm truly proud of everyone in the aircraft that day
31:14and I'm really proud of the decisions we made
31:16the way we worked as a unified cohesive team
31:20Dave, I need you to run the numbers on this landing
31:25I think in every regard the Qantas 32 story
31:27is one of aviation's finest hours
31:31what a pilot needs to deal with the unexpected
31:38is this combination of skill
31:41training, intelligence
31:44you know they aren't just flying an autopilot
31:47they're someone who understands all the systems on their plane
31:51and by troubleshooting figure out what they might do
31:55with one system to make up for the loss of another
31:57and that's a very special skill
32:008 years before
32:02that same kind of skill was pushed to the limit
32:06Northwest Airlines Flight 85 is making its way over the Bering Sea
32:12towards Narita Airport in Japan
32:14Frank, I'm taking the lasagna
32:17you get option B
32:18does option B include starving?
32:22Captain Frank Geeb is at the controls of the Boeing 747-400
32:26he has more than 11,000 flying hours
32:29be sure you're not hungry
32:32Mike Fagan, a Vietnam veteran with 25 years flying experience
32:37is the first officer
32:39trust me, I'm good
32:40flight 85 is more than 6 hours from landing at Narita
32:45Captain Geeb faces a life and death scenario
32:56do we lose an engine?
32:59do we still have engines?
33:01we still have all engines, that's not it
33:03the lives of 386 passengers depend on what the pilots do in the next few minutes
33:09Northwest Airlines Flight 85 is on the brink of disaster
33:17the plane banks violently to the left
33:21Captain Geeb disconnects the autopilot
33:26and pulls back on the control column to level the wings
33:30Frank, have you got it?
33:32yeah, I think I've got it
33:34if it's not the engines
33:37then we have a problem with the rudder
33:38the pilots have levelled the plane
33:41but they're still struggling to maintain control
33:43the warning system confirms Geeb's suspicion
33:48the rudder system isn't responding
33:53the rudder controls the plane's left and right movements
33:58on the 747 there's both an upper and lower rudder
34:02for some reason
34:04the lower rudder is stuck 17 degrees to the left
34:08using the foot pedals
34:11Geeb can barely control the upper rudder
34:14which is still functioning
34:15Anchorage is 2 hours behind us
34:17call them and declare an emergency
34:20we're turning around
34:21he needs the rudder to turn the plane around
34:26but Captain Geeb can't rush his moves
34:29we had no idea what the problem was
34:32so Frank was very cautious on using the rudder
34:35which means that he had to use full aileron
34:37to control the aircraft
34:39P3, get them back
34:45Geeb calls on the senior pilots
34:48Captain John Hansen and First Officer David Smith
34:51resting in the flight crew's cabin
34:53let's move it
34:55what's happening
34:58lower rudder
34:59is hard over 17 degrees to the left
35:03we don't know why
35:05and it's not responding
35:06we don't know what else is wrong yet
35:08Frank was the junior captain
35:12I was the senior captain
35:13and when I saw him battling the controls
35:17I decided that I was going to take over
35:21First Officer Fagan must now hold the yoke steady
35:25as Captain Geeb relinquishes control of the plane
35:28I have control
35:30any mishandling of the controls could send the plane into a fatal spin
35:35I was pretty appalled at how much force it took to fly this big beautiful airplane
35:48keeping the huge aircraft level at 35,000 feet is becoming increasingly difficult
35:55Hansen decides to descend to a lower altitude where denser air will provide more lift
36:06we had to be very careful how we flew this airplane
36:10the tail might be coming apart
36:12the rudder might be just barely hanging on or it could be a hydraulic problem
36:17you ready to do this
36:19all set
36:20you want to do it very carefully so they're handling the controls under this really unusual circumstance as carefully and gently and as delicately as they can
36:31the pilots get the plane down to 28,000 feet
36:34the pilots get the plane down to 28,000 feet
36:38but the physical effort needed to fly the damaged 747 is taking its toll
36:43we were pushing so hard with our leg on that rudder pedal that we could only do it for about 10 minutes
36:55you're gonna have to take it
36:58are you ready?
37:00I'm ready
37:01all right
37:02nice and easy
37:04they were facing really a very confusing situation
37:15it was something that they had never done in training
37:17something they had never seen in training
37:19there are going to be some circumstances where a pilot is going to have to figure out what to do on his or her own
37:25the pilots have managed to reach Anchorage, Alaska and slowly descend to 14,000 feet
37:31flying gets even more difficult
37:35the rudder is tied to airspeed and altitude
37:39the lower you get the further the rudder goes out
37:42so then it required more rudder, more aileron
37:45and that was physically exhausting
37:48okay we can't do this anymore
37:52let's use the engines
37:54okay get on the levers
37:56one and two up, three and four down
37:58just like on United Flight 232
38:01first officer David Smith will stagger the throttles to help control the plane
38:07minutes before touchdown
38:10the pilots increase power to the left engines
38:13while reducing power to the right
38:15this uneven thrust should help keep the plane straight
38:19I thought if there's ever going to be a time that you fly
38:33a perfect approach
38:35it's got to be this one
38:36if the crew makes a mistake
38:39there will be no second chance
38:41with their rudder damaged
38:51Captain John Hansen and his crew now need to land the aircraft
38:55Northwest 85 cleared to land
38:58emergency equipment standing by
39:00Roger, cleared to land
39:03let's make sure we get it right the first time
39:05as far as the missed approach is concerned
39:07we're not going to do one
39:08we're just going to do it right the first time
39:12we can put it right on the spot
39:13on touchdown
39:16first officer Fagan will take the control column
39:18Captain Hansen will guide the front wheels with the tiller
39:22okay everyone, here we go
39:23one full step and the plane could come off the runway
39:28touchdown in five
39:30prepare for impact
39:31break, break, break
39:34you got it?
39:46I got it
39:46we got it
39:56good job Mike
40:03good job guys
40:05everyone in the cockpit was finally able to exhale
40:10against the odds
40:12the crew performs an astounding feat of flying
40:15all 404 people on board survive
40:19with the emergency over
40:23controllers can see what the pilots can't
40:25that's quite the rudder you got there
40:28must have been a hell of a ride
40:29oh yeah, it was a real joy ride
40:33the pilots have narrowly avoided a fatal crash
40:38now the NTSB must find out what went wrong on flight 85
40:45investigators immediately discover a trail of hydraulic fluid
40:52leaking from the rear of the plane
40:54the pilot's foot pedals are linked to the rudder by a hydraulic power control module or PCM
41:04when the pilot depresses the pedals
41:07the PCM adjusts the hydraulic pressure which moves the rudder
41:11they opened up the access panels in the tail
41:15and they noticed that the end cap on the control module had separated
41:21the end cap is a circular piece about two and a half inches in diameter
41:27and it had completely fractured all of the way around its diameter and had then fallen off
41:33without the end cap in place the internal piston moved too far resulting in a rudder hardover
41:40the failure of this one piece of engineering nearly brought down the plane
41:46exhaustive tests can't determine the cause of the fracture
41:53we were very frustrated when we realized that all of the paths we chased down didn't give you that aha eureka moment
42:02nevertheless the NTSB recommends that airlines check the power control module more frequently
42:10on flight 85 the sudden loss of the lower rudder would have caused a catastrophe
42:21if not for the quick reactions of the pilots
42:24Frank you got it yeah I think I've got it
42:27if Frank hadn't reacted the way he had we probably would not be here to tell the story
42:33Captain Geeb's actions in the first few seconds were critical to saving the plane
42:38it then took all four pilots to get the plane to Anchorage and land it safely
42:43I think this crew did a phenomenal job in getting this aircraft back on the ground
42:47in 2003 the airline pilots association honored the crew of Northwest Airlines flight 85 for their incredible flying
43:04we got it
43:06in this day and age of automated cockpits hand flying is in danger of becoming a lost art
43:17we have to remember as pilots that we are there because of our flying skills
43:26we had prepared so well for this thing that the failure was not an option
43:30your pilot is only as good as his or her training
43:34so if you want your pilots to be superheroes and save the plane
43:39you have to give them the best training
43:41they have to have a lot of experience lots of hours in the air
43:44and they have to be able to work with each other to save a plane when the unthinkable happens
43:51you
43:55you