The Fate of Eastern Airlines Flight 401 (Full Black Box Transcript)

 

I was kind of surprised to find myself feeling nostalgic while watching this video. Then I realized - AHA! I had already made a blog post about this doomed flight, featuring a complete transcript of the black box recording of the crew kerfuffling around with a burned-out light bulb as the plane went down.

The inepititude of these guys floors me: these are the kinds of pilots you DON'T want to have. Laurel and Hardy could have flown this plane better, I think. While the plane heads for doom, they're trying to fix the light with a pair of pliers and a kleenex. Unlike many of these catastrophic cases, there were survivors.

December 29, 1972
Everglades National Park, Florida
Eastern Air Lines, Flight 401
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar1
N310EA

The crew was preoccupied with a landing gear problem and was trying to replace the landing gear light while on autopilot and in a holding pattern. As the captain got up to help, he inadvertently pushed on the yoke releasing the autopilot. With no ground reference and
under nighttime conditions, the aircraft gradually descended until it crashed into the Everglades,18.7 miles west-northwest of Miami killing 100 out of 176 aboard. The failure of the crew to monitor the flight instruments during the final 4 minutes of flight, and to detect a descent
soon enough to prevent impact with the ground.

TWR = Tower
APP = Approach
CAM = Cockpit area mike
CAM 1 = Primarily Captain
CAM 2 = Primarily First Officer
Cam 3 = Primarily Flight Engineer
?? = unknown.
### = expletive
RT = Radio transmission



23.32:52

RT Miami Tower, do you read, Eastern 401? Just turned on final.

23.32:56

TWR Eastern 401 Heavy, continue approach to 9 left.

23.33:00

RT Continue approach, roger.

23.33:00

CAM 3 Continuous ignition. No smoke.

CAM 1 Coming on.

CAM 3 Brake system.

CAM 1 Okay.

CAM 3 Radar.

CAM 1 Up, off.

CAM 3 Hydraulic panels checked.

CAM 2 Thirty-five, thirty three.

CAM 1 Bert, is that handle in?

CAM ???

CAM 3 Engine crossbleeds are open.

23.33:22

CAM ? Gear down.

CAM ? ??

CAM 1 I gotta.

CAM ? ??

23.33:25

CAM 1 I gotta raise it back up.

23.33:47

CAM 1 Now I'm gonna try it down one more time.

CAM 2 All right.

23.33:58

[sound of altitude alert horn]



CAM 2 Right gear.

CAM 2 Well, want to tell 'em we'll take it around and circle around and ... around?

23.34:05

RDO 1 Well ah, tower, this is Eastern, ah, 401. It looks like we're gonna have to circle, we don't have a light on our nose gear yet.

23.34:14

TWR Eastern 401 heavy, roger, pull up, climb straight ahead to two thousand, go back to approach control, one twenty eight six.

23.34:19

CAM 2 Twenty-two degrees.

CAM 2 Twenty-two degrees, gear up

CAM 1 Put power on it first, Bert. That-a-boy.

CAM 1 Leave the ... gear down till we find out what we got.

CAM 2 All right.

CAM 3 You want me to test the lights or not?

CAM 1 Yeah.

CAM ? ... seat back.

CAM 1 Check it.

CAM 2 Uh, Bob, it might be the light. Could you jiggle that, the light?

CAM 3 It's gotta, gotta come out a little bit and then snap in.

CAM ? ??

CAM ? I'll put 'em on.

23.34:21

RT Okay, going up to two thousand, one twenty-eight six.

23.34:58

CAM 2 We're up to two thousand

CAM 2 You want me to fly it, Bob?

CAM 1 What frequency did he want us on, Bert?

CAM 2 One twenty-eight six.

CAM 1 I'll talk to 'em.

CAM 3 It's right ...

CAM 1 Yeah, ...

CAM 3 I can't make it pull out, either.

CAM 1 We got pressure.

CAM 3 Yes sir, all systems.

CAM 1 ??



23.35:09

RDO 1 All right ahh, Approach Control, Eastern 401, we're right over the airport here and climbing to two thousand feet. in fact, we've just

23.35:20

APP Eastern 401, roger. Turn left heading three six zero and maintain two thousand, vectors to 9 Left final.

23.35:28

RT Left three six zero.

23.36:04

CAM 1 Put the ... on autopilot here.

CAM 2 All right.

CAM 1 See if you can get that light out.

CAM 2 All right.

CAM 1 Now push the switches just a ... forward.

CAM 1 Okay.

CAM 1 You got it sideways, then.

CAM ? Naw, I don't think it'll fit.

CAM 1 You gotta turn it one quarter turn to the left.

23.36:27

APP Eastern 401, turn left heading three zero zero.

RT Okay.

23.36:37

RT Three zero zero, Eastern 401.

23.37:08

CAM 1 Hey, hey, get down there and see if that damn nose wheel's down. You better do that.

CAM 2 You got a handkerchief or something so I can get a little better grip on this? Anything I can do with it?

CAM 1 Get down there and see if that, see if that ### thing ...

CAM 2 This won't come out, Bob. If I had a pair of pliers, I could cushion it with that Kleenex.

CAM 3 I can give you pliers but if you force it, you'll break it, just believe me.

CAM 2 Yeah, I'll cushion it with Kleenex.

CAM 3 Oh, we can give you pliers.

23.37:48

APP Eastern, uh, 401 turn left heading two seven zero.

23.37:53

RT Left two seven zero, roger.

23.38:34

CAM 1 To hell with it, to hell with this. Go down and see if it's lined up with the red line. That's all we care. ### around with that ### twenty-cent piece ...

CAM ? ??



23.38:46

RT Eastern 401 I'll go ah, out west just a little further if we can here and, ah, see if we can get this light to come on here.

23.38:54

APP All right, ah, we got you headed westbound there now, Eastern 401.

23.38:56

RT All right.

CAM 1 How much fuel we got left on this ###

CAM ? Fifty two five.

CAM 2 It won't come out, no way.

23.39:37

CAM 1 Did you ever take it out of there?

CAM 2 Huh?

CAM 1 Have you ever taken it out of there?

CAM 2 Hadn't till now.

CAM 1 Put it in the wrong way, huh?

CAM 2 In there looks ... square to me.

CAM ? Can't you get the hole lined up?

CAM ? ??

CAM ? Whatever's wrong?

CAM 1 What's that?

23.40:05

CAM 2 I think that's over the training field.

CAM ? West heading you wanna go left or ...

CAM 2 Naw that's right, we're about to cross Krome Avenue right now.

23.40:17

CAM [Sound of click]

CAM 2 I don't know what the ### holding that ### ...

CAM 2 Always something, we could'a made schedule.

23.40:38

CAM [Sound of altitude alert]




CAM 1 We can tell if that ### is down by looking down at our indices.

CAM 1 I'm sure it's down, there's no way it couldn't help but be.

CAM 2 I'm sure it is.

CAM 1 It freefalls down.

CAM 2 The tests didn't show that the lights worked anyway.

CAM 1 That 's right.

CAM 2 It's a faulty light.

23.41:05

CAM 2 Bob, this ### just won't come out.

CAM 1 All right leave it there.

CAM 3 I don't see it down there.

CAM 1 Huh?

CAM 3 I don't see it.

CAM 1 You can't see that indis ... for the nose wheel ah, there's a place in there you can look and see if they're lined up.

CAM 3 I know, a little like a telescope.

CAM 1 Yeah.

CAM 3 Well ...

CAM 1 It's not lined up?

CAM 3 I can't see it, it's pitch dark and I throw the little light I get ah nothing.

23.41:31

CAM 4 Wheel-well lights on?

CAM 3 Pardon?

CAM 4 Wheel-well lights on?

CAM 3 Yeah wheel well lights always on if the gear's down.

CAM 1 Now try it.

23.41:40

APP Eastern, ah 401 how are things coming along out there?

23.41:44

RT Okay, we'd like to turn around and come, come back in.

CAM 1 Clear on left?

CAM 2 Okay



23.41:47

APP Eastern 401 turn left heading one eight zero.

23.41:50

CAM 1 Huh?

23.41:51

RT One eighty.

23.42:05

CAM 2 We did something to the altitude.

CAM 1 What?

23.42:07

CAM 2 We're still at two thousand right?

23.42:09

CAM 1 Hey, what's happening here?

CAM ?

[Sound of click]

23.42:10

CAM ?

[Sound of six beeps similar to radio altimeter increasing in rate]

23.42:12

[Sound of impact]

"Actually, these conditions don't look very good at all, do they?"

BLOGGER'S NOTE: It's not too reassuring when the pilot of the plane comes on and tells the passengers: "I still can't see very much at the moment. Keep you informed soon as I see something that gives me a clue as to where we are. We're going down in altitude now and it won't be long before we get quite a good view." Little did they know that "quite a good view" meant crashing into the side of Mt. Erebus.

November 28, 1979
Mt. Erebus, Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Air New Zealand, Flight 901
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
ZK-NZP

The aircraft crashed into the slopes of Mt. Erebus while on sightseeing flight to Antarctica.
An incorrect computer-stored flight plan resulted in a navigational error directing the flight
towards Mt. Erebus. Because of overcast, the crew descended below authorized altitude.
Contributing to the accident was the crew's inexperience with flying the Antarctic route.
All 257 aboard killed.

MC = McMurdo Station
CA = Captain
F/O = First Officer
F/E = Flight Engineer
MU = Mulgrew (guide)

12:18 MC We have a low overcast in the area at about 2,000ft and right now we're having some snow, but visibility is still about 40 miles and if you like I can give you an update on where the cloud areas are around the local area.

F/O Yes 901, that would be handy. We'd like to descend and maintain flight level one six zero.

MC Kiwi 901, Mac Center descend and maintain flight level one six zero.

MC 901, this is the forecaster again. It looks like the clear areas around McMurdo area are at approximately between 75 and 100 miles to the northwest of us but right now over McMurdo we have a pretty extensive low overcast. Over.

12:19 F/O Roger, New Zealand 901, thanks.

F/E That'll be round about Cape Bird, wouldn't it?

F/O Right, right.

F/E Got a low overcast over McMurdo.

CA Doesn't sound very promising, does it?

MC Within range of 40 miles of McMurdo we have radar that will, if you desire, let you down to 1,500ft on radar vectors. Over.

F/O Roger, New Zealand 901, that's acceptable.

12:20 CA That's what we want to hear.

12:31 CA I'll have to do an orbit here, I think.

CA Well actually it's clear out here if we get down.

F/E It's not clear on the right-hand side here.

F/O No.

CA If you can get HF contact tell him that we'd like further descent. We have contact with the ground and we could, if necessary, descend doing an orbit.

12:32 F/O We'd like further descent and we could orbit in our present position which is approximately 43 miles north, descending in VMC.

MC Roger Kiwi New Zealand 901, VMC descent is approved and keep Mac Center advised of your altitude.

F/O Roger, New Zealand 901, we're vacating one eight zero. We'll advise level.

12:34 CA Ladies and gentlemen. We're carrying out an orbit and circling our present position and we'll be descending to an altitude below cloud so that we can proceed to McMurdo Sound.
F/E There's Wilson.

12:35 F/O Transponder is now responding.

F/E Still no good on that frequency though?

F/O No.

F/O Roger 901, you are now loud and clear also. We are presently descending through flight level one three zero, VMC, and the intention at the moment is to descend to one zero thousand.
12:36 F/O We've lost him again.

F/O I'll go back to HF, Jim.

CA I've got to stay VMC here so I'll be doing another orbit.

12:38 F/O 901, we briefly had contact on one three four one. We've now lost contact. We're maintaining 10,000ft, presently 34 miles to the north of McMurdo.

CA Tell him we can make a visual descent on a grid of one eight zero and make a visual approach to McMurdo.

12:42 F/O 901, still negative contact on VHF. We are VMC and we'd like to let down on a grid of one eight zero and proceed visually to McMurdo.

MC New Zealand 901, maintain VMC. Keep you advised of your altitude as you approach McMurdo..

CA We're VMC around this way so I'm going to do another turn in.

CA Sorry, haven't got time to talk, but ..

.
MU Ah well, you can't talk if you can't see anything.

12:43 MU There you go. There's some land ahead.

CA I'll arm the nav again.

CA ALT, NAV CAP, IAS hold.

12:44 FO Roger, New Zealand 901, 50 miles north the base was one zero thousand. We are now at 6,000 descending to 2,000 and we're VMC.

12:45 CA We had a message from the Wright Valley and they are clear over there.

MU Oh, good.

CA So if you can get us out over that way...?

MU No trouble.

MU Taylor on the right now.

MU This is Peter Mulgrew speaking again folks. I still can't see very much at the moment. Keep you informed soon as I see something that gives me a clue as to where we are. We're going down in altitude now and it won't be long before we get quite a good view.

12:46 F/E Where's Erebus in relation to us a the moment.

MU Left, about 20 or 25 miles.

F/O Yep, yep.

F/E I'm just thinking of any high ground in the area, that's all.

MU I think it'll be left.

F/E Yes, I reckon about here.

MU Yes ... no, no, I don't really know.

12:47 MU That's the edge.

CA Yes, OK. Probably see further anyway.

F/O It's not too bad.

MU I reckon Bird's through here and Ross Island there. Erebus should be there.

CA Actually, these conditions don't look very good at all, do they?

MU No they don't

.
12:49 MU That looks like the edge of Ross Island there.

F/E I don't like this.

CA Have you got anything from him?

F/O No

CA We're 26 miles north. We'll have to climb out of this.

MU You can see Ross Island? Fine.

F/O You're clear to turn right. There's no high ground if you do a one eighty.

CA No ... negative.

GPWS [Whoop whoop pull up. Whoop whoop]

F/E Five hundred feet.

GPWS [Pull up]

F/E Four hundred feet.

GPWS [Whoop, whoop pull up. Whoop whoop pull up]

CA Go-around power please.

GPWS [Whoop whoop pull -]

[Sound of impact]

"Put it in the wrong way, huh?"

BLOGGER'S NOTE. I will confess these transcripts from actual plane crashes both horrify and infuriate me - not only because they are so tragic, but because they are so - preventable. In this case, idiotic pilots fiddled around with pliers and a piece of kleenex to fix a light, not noticing the autopilot had been accidentally turned off and the plane was headed straight for "impact". The crew had FOUR minutes to correct this problem, but didn't notice it because they were too busy diddling around with the busted light. Quite literally, the plane crashed because no one was flying it. Favorite quote: "We did something to the altitude." "What?" 

December 29, 1972
Everglades National Park, Florida
Eastern Air Lines, Flight 401
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar1
N310EA

The crew was preoccupied with a landing gear problem and was trying to replace the landing
gear light while on autopilot and in a holding pattern. As the captain got up to help, he
inadvertently pushed on the yoke releasing the autopilot. With no ground reference and
under nighttime conditions, the aircraft gradually descended until it crashed into Everglades,
18.7 miles west-northwest of Miami killing 100 out of 176 aboard. The failure of the crew to
monitor the flight instruments during the final 4 minutes of flight, and to detect a descent
soon enough to prevent impact with the ground.

TWR = Tower

APP = Approach
CAM = Cockpit area mike
CAM 1 = Primarily Captain
CAM 2 = Primarily First Officer
Cam 3 = Primarily Flight Engineer
?? = unknown.
### = expletive
RT = Radio transmission

23.32:52	RT	Miami Tower, do you read, Eastern 401? Just turned on final.
23.32:56	TWR	Eastern 401 Heavy, continue approach to 9 left.
23.33:00	RT	Continue approach, roger.
23.33:00	CAM 3	Continuous ignition. No smoke.
	CAM 1	Coming on.
	CAM 3	Brake system.
	CAM 1	Okay.
	CAM 3	Radar.
	CAM 1	Up, off.
	CAM 3	Hydraulic panels checked.
	CAM 2	Thirty-five, thirty three.
	CAM 1	Bert, is that handle in?
	CAM ?	??
	CAM 3	Engine crossbleeds are open.
23.33:22	CAM ?	Gear down.
	CAM ?	??
	CAM 1	I gotta.
	CAM ?	??
23.33:25	CAM 1	I gotta raise it back up.
23.33:47	CAM 1	Now I'm gonna try it down one more time.
	CAM 2	All right.
23.33:58		[sound of altitude alert horn]
	CAM 2	Right gear.
	CAM 2	Well, want to tell 'em we'll take it around and circle around and ... around?
23.34:05	RDO 1	Well ah, tower, this is Eastern, ah, 401. It looks like we're gonna have to  circle, we don't have a light on our nose gear yet.
23.34:14	TWR	Eastern 401 heavy, roger, pull up, climb straight ahead to two thousand, go back to approach control, one twenty eight six.
23.34:19	CAM 2	Twenty-two degrees.
	CAM 2	Twenty-two degrees, gear up
	CAM 1	Put power on it first, Bert. That-a-boy.
	CAM 1	Leave the ... gear down till we find out what we got.
	CAM 2	All right.
	CAM 3	You want me to test the lights or not?
	CAM 1	Yeah.
	CAM ?	... seat back.
	CAM 1	Check it.
	CAM 2	Uh, Bob, it might be the light. Could you jiggle that, the light?
	CAM 3	It's gotta, gotta come out a little bit and then snap in.
	CAM ?	??
	CAM ?	I'll put 'em on.
23.34:21	RT	Okay, going up to two thousand, one twenty-eight six.
23.34:58	CAM 2	We're up to two thousand
	CAM 2	You want me to fly it, Bob?
	CAM 1	What frequency did he want us on, Bert?
	CAM 2	One twenty-eight six.
	CAM 1	I'll talk to 'em.
	CAM 3	It's right ...
	CAM 1	Yeah, ...
	CAM 3	I can't make it pull out, either.
	CAM 1	We got pressure.
	CAM 3	Yes sir, all systems.
	CAM 1	??
23.35:09	RDO 1	All right ahh, Approach Control, Eastern 401, we're right over the airport here and climbing to two thousand feet.in fact, we've just
23.35:20	APP	Eastern 401, roger. Turn left heading three six zero and maintain two thousand, vectors to 9 Left final.
23.35:28	RT	Left three six zero.
23.36:04	CAM 1	Put the ... on autopilot here.
	CAM 2	All right.
	CAM 1	See if you can get that light out.
	CAM 2	All right.
	CAM 1	Now push the switches just a ... forward.
	CAM 1	Okay.
	CAM 1	You got it sideways, then.
	CAM ?	Naw, I don't think it'll fit.
	CAM 1	You gotta turn it one quarter turn to the left.
23.36:27	APP	Eastern 401, turn left heading three zero zero.
	RT	Okay.
23.36:37	RT	Three zero zero, Eastern 401.
23.37:08	CAM 1	Hey, hey, get down there and see if that damn nose wheel's down. You better do that.
	CAM 2	You got a handkerchief or something so I can get a little better grip on this? Anything I can do with it?
	CAM 1	Get down there and see if that, see if that ### thing ...
	CAM 2	This won't come out, Bob. If I had a pair of pliers, I could cushion it with that Kleenex.
	CAM 3	I can give you pliers but if you force it, you'll break it, just believe me.
	CAM 2	Yeah, I'll cushion it with Kleenex.
	CAM 3	Oh, we can give you pliers.
23.37:48	APP	Eastern, uh, 401 turn left heading two seven zero.
23.37:53	RT	Left two seven zero, roger.
23.38:34	CAM 1	To hell with it, to hell with this. Go down and see if it's lined up with  the red line. That's all we care. ### around with that ### twenty-cent piece ...
	CAM ?	??
23.38:46	RT	Eastern 401 I'll go ah, out west just a little further if we can here and,  ah, see if we can get this light to come on here.
23.38:54	APP	All right, ah, we got you headed westbound there now, Eastern 401.
23.38:56	RT	All right.
	CAM 1	How much fuel we got left on this ###
	CAM ?	Fifty two five.
	CAM 2	It won't come out, no way.
23.39:37	CAM 1	Did you ever take it out of there?
	CAM 2	Huh?
	CAM 1	Have you ever taken it out of there?
	CAM 2	Hadn't till now.
	CAM 1	Put it in the wrong way, huh?
	CAM 2	In there looks ... square to me.
	CAM ?	Can't you get the hole lined up?
	CAM ?	??
	CAM ?	Whatever's wrong?
	CAM 1	What's that?
23.40:05	CAM 2	I think that's over the training field.
	CAM ?	West heading you wanna go left or ...
	CAM 2	Naw that's right, we're about to cross Krome Avenue right now.
23.40:17	CAM	[Sound of click]
	CAM 2	I don't know what the ### holding that ### ...
	CAM 2	Always something, we could'a made schedule.
23.40:38	CAM	[Sound of altitude alert]
	CAM 1	We can tell if that ### is down by looking down at our indices.
	CAM 1	I'm sure it's down, there's no way it couldn't help but be.
	CAM 2	I'm sure it is.
	CAM 1	It freefalls down.
	CAM 2	The tests didn't show that the lights worked anyway.
	CAM 1	That 's right.
	CAM 2	It's a faulty light.
23.41:05	CAM 2	Bob, this ### just won't come out.
	CAM 1	All right leave it there.
	CAM 3	I don't see it down there.
	CAM 1	Huh?
	CAM 3	I don't see it.
	CAM 1	You can't see that indis ... for the nose wheel ah, there's a place in there  you can look and see if they're lined up.
	CAM 3	I know, a little like a telescope.
	CAM 1	Yeah.
	CAM 3	Well ...
	CAM 1	It's not lined up?
	CAM 3	I can't see it, it's pitch dark and I throw the little light I get ah nothing.
23.41:31	CAM 4	Wheel-well lights on?
	CAM 3	Pardon?
	CAM 4	Wheel-well lights on?
	CAM 3	Yeah wheel well lights always on if the gear's down.
	CAM 1	Now try it.
23.41:40	APP	Eastern, ah 401 how are things coming along out there?
23.41:44	RT	Okay, we'd like to turn around and come, come back in.
	CAM 1	Clear on left?
	CAM 2	Okay
23.41:47	APP	Eastern 401 turn left heading one eight zero.
23.41:50	CAM 1	Huh?
23.41:51	RT	One eighty.
23.42:05	CAM 2	We did something to the altitude.
	CAM 1	What?
23.42:07	CAM 2	We're still at two thousand right?
23.42:09	CAM 1	Hey, what's happening here?
	CAM ?	[Sound of click]
23.42:10	CAM ?	[Sound of six beeps similar to radio altimeter increasing in rate]
23.42:12		[Sound of impact]

Do ya know what I'm thinkin' about?

September 8, 1994
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
USAir, Flight 427
Boeing B-737-300
N513AU

On a flight from Chicago to Pittsburgh, while on approach, the aircraft went into a sudden nose dive and crashed into a wooded ravine 6 miles northwest of the airport. The accident was caused by a loss of control of the aircraft resulting from the movement of the rudder surface to its blowdown limit or an uncommanded rudder reversal. The rudder surface deflected in a direction opposite to that commanded by the pilots as a result of a jam of the main rudder PCU servo valve secondary slide to the servo valve housing offset from its neutral position and overtravel of the primary slide. All 132 aboard were killed.

CAM-1 = Captain
CAM-2 = First Officer
CAM-3 = Cockpit Area Mike (cabin sounds and flight attendants)
RDO-1 = Radio Communications (Captain)
APP: Pittsburgh Approach

CAM-3: They didn't give us connecting flight information or anything. Do you know what gate we're coming into?

CAM-1: Not yet.

CAM-3: Any idea?

CAM-1: No.

CAM-3: Do ya know what I'm thinkin' about? Pretzels.

CAM-1: Pretzels?

CAM-3: You guys need drinks here?

CAM-1: I could use a glass of somethin', whatever's open, water, uh, water, a juice?

CAM-2: I'll split a, yeah, a water, a juice, whatever's back there. I'll split one with 'im.

CAM-3: Okey-dokey. Do you want me to make you my special fruity juice cocktail?

CAM-1: How fruity is it?

CAM-3: Why don't you just try it?

CAM-2: All right, I'll be a guinea pig.

CAM-3: [Sound similar to cabin door closing]
The crew recieve instructions to reduce speed to 210kts, maintain FL100 and

contact Pittsburgh Approach at 121.25.

CAM-1: Two ten, he said?

CAM-2: Two ten? Oh, I heard two fifty ...

CAM-1: I may have misunderstood him.
Pittsburgh Approach asks Flight 427 to turn left heading 100.

CAM-3: [Sound of cockpit door opening]

CAM-3: Here it is.

CAM-1: All right.

CAM-2: All right. Thank you. Thank you.

CAM-3: I didn't taste 'em, so I don't know if they came out right.

CAM-1: That's good.

CAM-2: That is good.

CAM-3: It's good.

CAM-2: That is different. Be real good with some dark rum in it.

CAM-3: Yeah, right.

APP: USAir 427, Pittsburgh Approach. Heading 160, vector ILS Runway 28 Right final approach course speed 120.

CAM-2: What kind of speed?

RDO-1: We're comin' back to 210 and, uh, one sixty heading, down to ten, USAir 427.

CAM-1: What runway did he say?

CAM-1: It tastes like a...

CAM-2: Good.

CAM-1: There's little grapefruit in it?

CAM-3: No.

CAM-2: Cranberry?

CAM-3: Yeah. You saw that from the color.

CAM-1: Else is in it?

CAM-2: Uh, Sprite?

CAM-3: Diet Sprite.

CAM-2: Huh.

CAM-3: And I guess you could do with Sprite. Probably be a little be

RDO-1: Cleared to six, USAir 427.

CAM-2: Oh, my wife would like that.

CAM-1: Cranberry, orange, and Sprite.

CAM-2: Yeah. I guess we ought to do a preliminary.
Pre-landing checks take place; Approach requests a left turn heading 140, and speed reduction to 190kts.

CAM-3: [Sound similar to flap handle being moved; sound of single chime similar to seat belt chime]

CAM-2: Oops. I didn't kiss 'em goodbye. What was the temperature? Remember?

CAM-1: 75.

CAM-2: 75?

PA: Seatbelts and remain seated for the duration of the flight.

PA: Folks, from the flight deck, we should be on the ground in about ten more minutes. Uh, sunny skies, a little hazy. Temperature ... temperature's, ah, 75 degrees. Wind's out of the west around ten miles per hour. Certainly 'ppreciate you choosing USAir for your travel needs this evening. Hope you enjoyed the flight. Hope you come back and travel with us again. This time we'd like to ask our Flight Attendants please prepare the cabin for arrival. Ask you to check the security of your seatbelts. Thank you.

CAM-3: [Seatbelt chime]

RDO-1 : Did you say Runway 28 Left for USAir 427?

APP: Uh, USAir 427, it'll be 28 Right.

RDO-1: 28 Right, thank you.

CAM-1: 28 Right.

CAM-2: Right, 28 Right. That's what we planned on. Autobrakes on one for it.

CAM-1: Seven for six.

CAM-2: Seven for six.

CAM-1: Boy, they always slow you up so bad here.

CAM-2: That sun is gonna be just like it was takin' off in Cleveland yesterday, too. I'm just gonna close my eyes. [Sound of laughter]. You holler when it looks like we're close. [Sound of laughter]

CAM-1: Okay.
APP: USAir 427, turn left heading one zero zero. Traffic will be one to two o'clock, six miles, northbound Jetstream climbing out of thirty-three for five thousand.

RDO-1: We're looking for the traffic, turning to one zero zero, USAir 427.

CAM-3: [Sound in engines increasing rpms]

CAM-2: Oh, yeah. I see the Jetstream.

CAM-1: Sheez...

CAM-2: zuh?

CAM-3: [Sound of thump; sound like 'clickety-click'; again the thumping sound, but quieter than before]

CAM-1: Whoa ... hang on.

CAM-3: [Sound of increasing rpms in engines; sound of clickety-click; sound of trim wheel turning at autopilot trim speed; sound similar to pilot grunting; sound of wailing horn similar to autopilot disconnect warning]

CAM-1: Hang on.

CAM-2: Oh, Shit.

CAM-1: Hang on. What the hell is this?

CAM-3: [Sound of stick shaker; sound of altitude alert]

CAM-3: Traffic. Traffic.

CAM-1: What the...

CAM-2: Oh...

CAM-1: Oh God, Oh God...

APP: USAir...

RDO-1: 427, emergency!

CAM-2: [Sound of scream]

CAM-1: Pull...

CAM-2: Oh...

CAM-1: Pull... pull...

CAM-2: God...

CAM-1: [Sound of screaming]

CAM-2: No... END OF TAPE.

Back to Last Words

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Pull up! PULL UP!

This is from a truly awful web site called planecrashinfo.com, in which you can read transcripts and even listen to cockpit transmissions that take place during actual plane crashes. Yes, I know it's sick, but it's the kind of thing I've been known to become obsessed with. And compared to my suicide short story, it's downright upbeat.

But be honest for a minute. Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like? This brings you uncomfortably close. Though it's only audio, it's more raw than any so-called "reality" TV I've ever seen. I am haunted by the voice of the radio traffic reporter screaming "hit the water, hit the water!" as her chopper goes down, and the nervous, awkward chatter of the radio hosts as they try to quell their fear that she has been killed. (She has). Now I know that the doomy repetitive sounds of those warning instruments ("WHOOP, WHOOP, PULL! UP! - WHOOP, WHOOP, PULL! UP!") may be the last thing you ever hear.

Some of the pilots' last words are memorable:

I have nothing in front of me.
Mountains!
What's happening?
Goodnight. Goodbye. We perish!
That's it, I'm dead.
No need for that, we are okay, no problem, no problem
It's OK, it's OK, don't hurry, don't hurry
OK, mellow it out, mellow it out
Oh, God. . . flip!
A bit low, bit low, bit low
Hang on. What the hell is this?
Watch it!
We're finished.
Pete, sorry.
Actually, these conditions don't look very good at all, do they?
Amy, I love you.

http://www.planecrashinfo.com/lastwords.htm





I include below an entire transcript from a doomed flight from 1972. The inepititude of these guys floors me: these are the kinds of pilots you DON'T want to have. Laurel and Hardy could have flown this plane better, I think. While the plane heads for doom, they're trying to fix a light with a pair of pliers and a kleenex. Unlike many of these catastrophic cases, there were survivors.

December 29, 1972
Everglades National Park, Florida
Eastern Air Lines, Flight 401
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar1
N310EA

The crew was preoccupied with a landing gear problem and was trying to replace the landing
gear light while on autopilot and in a holding pattern. As the captain got up to help, he
inadvertently pushed on the yoke releasing the autopilot. With no ground reference and
under nighttime conditions, the aircraft gradually descended until it crashed into Everglades,
18.7 miles west-northwest of Miami killing 100 out of 176 aboard. The failure of the crew to
monitor the flight instruments during the final 4 minutes of flight, and to detect a descent
soon enough to prevent impact with the ground.

TWR = Tower
APP = Approach
CAM = Cockpit area mike
CAM 1 = Primarily Captain
CAM 2 = Primarily First Officer
Cam 3 = Primarily Flight Engineer
?? = unknown.
### = expletive
RT = Radio transmission




23.32:52

RT Miami Tower, do you read, Eastern 401? Just turned on final.

23.32:56

TWR Eastern 401 Heavy, continue approach to 9 left.

23.33:00

RT Continue approach, roger.

23.33:00

CAM 3 Continuous ignition. No smoke.

CAM 1 Coming on.

CAM 3 Brake system.

CAM 1 Okay.

CAM 3 Radar.

CAM 1 Up, off.

CAM 3 Hydraulic panels checked.

CAM 2 Thirty-five, thirty three.

CAM 1 Bert, is that handle in?

CAM ???

CAM 3 Engine crossbleeds are open.

23.33:22

CAM ? Gear down.

CAM ? ??

CAM 1 I gotta.

CAM ? ??

23.33:25

CAM 1 I gotta raise it back up.

23.33:47

CAM 1 Now I'm gonna try it down one more time.

CAM 2 All right.

23.33:58

[sound of altitude alert horn]






CAM 2 Right gear.

CAM 2 Well, want to tell 'em we'll take it around and circle around and ... around?

23.34:05

RDO 1 Well ah, tower, this is Eastern, ah, 401. It looks like we're gonna have to circle, we don't have a light on our nose gear yet.

23.34:14

TWR Eastern 401 heavy, roger, pull up, climb straight ahead to two thousand, go back to approach control, one twenty eight six.

23.34:19

CAM 2 Twenty-two degrees.

CAM 2 Twenty-two degrees, gear up

CAM 1 Put power on it first, Bert. That-a-boy.

CAM 1 Leave the ... gear down till we find out what we got.

CAM 2 All right.

CAM 3 You want me to test the lights or not?

CAM 1 Yeah.

CAM ? ... seat back.

CAM 1 Check it.

CAM 2 Uh, Bob, it might be the light. Could you jiggle that, the light?

CAM 3 It's gotta, gotta come out a little bit and then snap in.

CAM ? ??

CAM ? I'll put 'em on.

23.34:21

RT Okay, going up to two thousand, one twenty-eight six.

23.34:58

CAM 2 We're up to two thousand

CAM 2 You want me to fly it, Bob?

CAM 1 What frequency did he want us on, Bert?

CAM 2 One twenty-eight six.

CAM 1 I'll talk to 'em.

CAM 3 It's right ...

CAM 1 Yeah, ...

CAM 3 I can't make it pull out, either.

CAM 1 We got pressure.

CAM 3 Yes sir, all systems.

CAM 1 ??







23.35:09

RDO 1 All right ahh, Approach Control, Eastern 401, we're right over the airport here and climbing to two thousand feet. in fact, we've just

23.35:20

APP Eastern 401, roger. Turn left heading three six zero and maintain two thousand, vectors to 9 Left final.

23.35:28

RT Left three six zero.

23.36:04

CAM 1 Put the ... on autopilot here.

CAM 2 All right.

CAM 1 See if you can get that light out.

CAM 2 All right.

CAM 1 Now push the switches just a ... forward.

CAM 1 Okay.

CAM 1 You got it sideways, then.

CAM ? Naw, I don't think it'll fit.

CAM 1 You gotta turn it one quarter turn to the left.

23.36:27

APP Eastern 401, turn left heading three zero zero.

RT Okay.

23.36:37

RT Three zero zero, Eastern 401.

23.37:08

CAM 1 Hey, hey, get down there and see if that damn nose wheel's down. You better do that.

CAM 2 You got a handkerchief or something so I can get a little better grip on this? Anything I can do with it?

CAM 1 Get down there and see if that, see if that ### thing ...

CAM 2 This won't come out, Bob. If I had a pair of pliers, I could cushion it with that Kleenex.

CAM 3 I can give you pliers but if you force it, you'll break it, just believe me.

CAM 2 Yeah, I'll cushion it with Kleenex.

CAM 3 Oh, we can give you pliers.

23.37:48

APP Eastern, uh, 401 turn left heading two seven zero.

23.37:53

RT Left two seven zero, roger.

23.38:34

CAM 1 To hell with it, to hell with this. Go down and see if it's lined up with the red line. That's all we care. ### around with that ### twenty-cent piece ...

CAM ? ??









23.38:46

RT Eastern 401 I'll go ah, out west just a little further if we can here and, ah, see if we can get this light to come on here.

23.38:54

APP All right, ah, we got you headed westbound there now, Eastern 401.

23.38:56

RT All right.

CAM 1 How much fuel we got left on this ###

CAM ? Fifty two five.

CAM 2 It won't come out, no way.

23.39:37

CAM 1 Did you ever take it out of there?

CAM 2 Huh?

CAM 1 Have you ever taken it out of there?

CAM 2 Hadn't till now.

CAM 1 Put it in the wrong way, huh?

CAM 2 In there looks ... square to me.

CAM ? Can't you get the hole lined up?

CAM ? ??

CAM ? Whatever's wrong?

CAM 1 What's that?

23.40:05

CAM 2 I think that's over the training field.

CAM ? West heading you wanna go left or ...

CAM 2 Naw that's right, we're about to cross Krome Avenue right now.

23.40:17

CAM [Sound of click]

CAM 2 I don't know what the ### holding that ### ...

CAM 2 Always something, we could'a made schedule.

23.40:38

CAM [Sound of altitude alert]







CAM 1 We can tell if that ### is down by looking down at our indices.

CAM 1 I'm sure it's down, there's no way it couldn't help but be.

CAM 2 I'm sure it is.

CAM 1 It freefalls down.

CAM 2 The tests didn't show that the lights worked anyway.

CAM 1 That 's right.

CAM 2 It's a faulty light.

23.41:05

CAM 2 Bob, this ### just won't come out.

CAM 1 All right leave it there.

CAM 3 I don't see it down there.

CAM 1 Huh?

CAM 3 I don't see it.

CAM 1 You can't see that indis ... for the nose wheel ah, there's a place in there you can look and see if they're lined up.

CAM 3 I know, a little like a telescope.

CAM 1 Yeah.

CAM 3 Well ...

CAM 1 It's not lined up?

CAM 3 I can't see it, it's pitch dark and I throw the little light I get ah nothing.

23.41:31

CAM 4 Wheel-well lights on?

CAM 3 Pardon?

CAM 4 Wheel-well lights on?

CAM 3 Yeah wheel well lights always on if the gear's down.

CAM 1 Now try it.

23.41:40

APP Eastern, ah 401 how are things coming along out there?

23.41:44

RT Okay, we'd like to turn around and come, come back in.

CAM 1 Clear on left?

CAM 2 Okay






23.41:47

APP Eastern 401 turn left heading one eight zero.

23.41:50

CAM 1 Huh?

23.41:51

RT One eighty.

23.42:05

CAM 2 We did something to the altitude.

CAM 1 What?

23.42:07

CAM 2 We're still at two thousand right?

23.42:09

CAM 1 Hey, what's happening here?

CAM ?

[Sound of click]

23.42:10

CAM ?

[Sound of six beeps similar to radio altimeter increasing in rate]

23.42:12

[Sound of impact]

The Kicker. There's always a kicker, right? I never plan it that way. I just find I have more to say on the subject. Included on this eerie page is a transcript (no audio, thank God) from the doomed flight that was meant to crash into the White House on Sept. 11, 2001. This is just a fragment of it. (Bracketed lines have been translated from Arabic.)

9:39:11	Ah. Here's the captain. I would like to tell you all to  remain seated. We have a bomb aboard, and we are  going back to the airport, and we have our demands.  So, please remain quiet.
9:39:21	OK. That's 93 calling?
9:39:24	(One moment.)
9:39:34	United 93. I understand you have a bomb on board. Go ahead.
9:39:42	And center exec jet nine fifty-six. That was the  transmission.
9:39:47	OK. Ah. Who called Cleveland?
9:39:52	Executive jet nine fifty-six, did you understand that transmission?
9:39:56	Affirmative. He said that there was a bomb on board.
9:39:58	That was all you got out of it also?
9:40:01	Affirmative.
9:40:03	Roger.
9:40:03	United 93. Go ahead.
9:40:14	United 93. Go ahead.
9:40:17	Ahhh.
9:40:52	(This green knob?)
9:40:54	(Yes, that's the one.)
9:41:05	United 93, do you hear the Cleveland center?
9:41:14	(One moment. One moment.)
9:41:15	Unintelligible.
9:41:56	Oh man.
9:44:18	(This does not work now.)
9:45:13	Turn it off.
9:45:16	(... Seven thousand ...)
9:45:19	(How about we let them in? We let the guys in  now.)
9:45:23	(OK.)
9:45:24	(Should we let the guys in?)
9:45:25	(Inform them, and tell him to talk to the pilot. Bring the pilot back.)
9:45:57	(In the name of Allah. In the name of Allah. I bear witness that there is no other God, but Allah.)
9:47:31	Unintelligible.
9:47:40	(Allah knows.)
9:48:15	Unintelligible.
9:48:38	Set course.
9:49:37	Unintelligible.
9:51:27	Unintelligible.
9:51:35	Unintelligible.
9:52:02	Unintelligible.
9:52:31	Unintelligible.