Films about the plane crash.

Suburb of New York. 1990.

      25 January 1990 year. Air traffic controllers throughout the United States closely monitored the progress of a large thunderstorm front.

Meteorologist: Close cyclone formed in the Great Lakes region and moved from there to the east, fast approaching New York. It closed to aviation entire northeast United States.

            Due to the deteriorating weather, the risk of accidents during takeoff and landing of aircraft has increased significantly. Flights were transferred or canceled. But despite the bad weather, due to the high workload of the Washington airport, air traffic controllers asked their colleagues from New York to take as many passenger flights as possible. In fact, the flight control center forced the dispatchers to accept the number of flights beyond the safe side. Many aircraft already in the air and they had to be planted.

Expert: Shortly before the departure of the company's pilots Medellin "Avianca"I had been warned about the worsening weather.

            After a few hours, however, dense fog and low clouds completely obscured the runway. Aircraft acceptance conditions Airport "Kennedy" deteriorated significantly.

            At this time in Colombia, tickets were registered for Avianca’s 52 flight (Boeing 707-321B), Who flew to New York. Flight engineer Mathias Maya controlled refueling aircraft. 36 tons of fuel would be enough and on a long flight, and to perform additional preplant maneuvering. Exactly at 15: 00 52 flight company «Avianca» departed from Medellin with a full supply of fuel on board. Total for this flight in the US have been reported 158 passengers and crew members.

            In the evening, weather conditions around the John F. Kennedy Airport became critical. Due to the heavy congestion of the runways, the planes circled in the sky for a long time. Unable to change the flight route, foreign aircraft were forced to wait in line for a landing. At an altitude of 1500 feet, the wind reached the force of a hurricane. Air traffic controllers made desperate efforts to control the movement of aircraft in the sky over New York. At that time, the airport had only one landing strip for receiving arriving aircraft. An increasing number of aircraft accumulated over New York. Everyone was waiting for their turn. But the flight crew did not know about this 52. The pilots did not even sent inquiries about the state of the weather in the vicinity of airports in New York and Boston.

Judge: I can not imagine how the people responsible for the lives of more than a hundred passengers can be flown without specifying the weather situation.

Accident 1990 year.

            Meanwhile, the plane entered the airspace near Norfolk. Less than 40 minutes away from New York. The 50-year-old aircraft captain, Loreano Calides, was a very experienced pilot, but his poor English skills let him down. Therefore, all communication with air traffic control was carried out by the 28 year old co-pilot Maurissio Clatso. The third crew member was flight engineer Matias Maiano.

Expert: It was a highly skilled crew. They are not the first time carried out a flight to New York on the company's aircraft "Avianca».

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            Not far from Norfolk, the crew faced the first difficulties. According to the dispatcher, they had to make a circle over the Atlantic Ocean in anticipation of landing. The crew still did not know about a serious deterioration in the airport zone. The fuel supply would be enough for another 2 flight hour.

            The region in the northeastern United States is one of the most congested in the world for air transport. The flow of aircraft is divided into three branches. Then they are distributed to different airports. That night, the 52 flight was under the control of six controllers. Each of them made every effort so that he sat safely at his destination.

            While ground services attempted to land some planes, the 52 flight flew along the coast of Virginia. Finally, he was given a course in New York. However, new troubles were coming. When approaching the airport, the weather was not just bad, but threatening. By the time the plane had already exhausted the reserves of fuel and flight flew on standby. Pilots consider the possibility to land in Boston. They appealed to the dispatcher. He began to ask for Boston, but was distracted by another plane, and I forgot about the request flight 52. Fuels remained at 89 minutes. The situation is deteriorating by the minute.

Passenger: As soon as the flight was delayed, I began to worry. People around also started to get nervous.

            Finally, the controllers gave the long-awaited permission to land. The pilots hoped to enter the lane the first time. However, not everyone was able to do it that evening. When approaching the airport followed by a landing landing. The plane was not given the right to land, and the crew continued to wait.

Judge: Actually, the plane made three times prelanding maneuver around the airport. It could not affect the well-being of the crew. They used to fly from point "A" to point "B" instead of laps on the stadium.

            The last 40 minutes of flight began. By that time, the pilots were in a state of complete apathy. When the dispatcher asked for another lap over the airport, the crew began to get nervous. According to their calculations, the fuel was running out. Realizing this, ground services set the course for the airport. However, there was still an 4 aircraft in front of them. The dispatcher in charge of the approach of the aircraft transferred the 52 board to the control of the dispatcher from the Kennedy airport tower. Surprisingly, he did not say anything about a colleague empty tanks of the aircraft.

Suburb of New York. 1990.

Expert: Nobody warned the dispatcher that the plane was running out of fuel. So he just gave confirmation to the crew to transfer them for landing at the airport. The dispatcher was preparing to put board 52 in line, like other aircraft.

            At a height of 500 feet above the ground there was a very strong gusty wind. Due to the lack of fuel, it was necessary to ideally go to the landing. The crew was just waiting for permission. The fuel remained on the 18 minutes. Fuel remained so little that the co-pilot until the last delayed the release of the chassis to avoid stopping the engines.

Expert: It is extremely important that the plane landed on the first call. On the record of negotiations hear the captain argued with the first pilot, fully open flaps. The aircraft braked too quickly.

            It was then that the flight engineer should have been informed that the fuel remained for one run. But he did not. There was a kilometer 4 to the strip, and only 10 minutes of fuel. Suddenly, the plane hit severe turbulence. The rate suddenly dropped to 40 nodes. Wind literally pressed to the ground plane. The pilots sought out the eyes of the runway, but there was only fog. Onboard computer began to issue a warning about the dangerous proximity of the earth. Pilots to increase engine power and went to climb. They missed. We needed a second run. The captain started very nervous. The situation was critical.

Expert: While flight 52 unfolded over the airport and again to stand in line to land, the number of aircraft in the air has increased dramatically.

            The crew relied on the air traffic controller instructions for everything. They had to make a U-turn and take the line again. The plane was down and was flying just in the last liters of fuel. Unfortunately, the pilots lost sight of that time approach and the approach it would take at least 15 minutes. They did not have that time. When the plane carried prelanding maneuver inside the bulb began to flicker. The engine did not have enough power. A few seconds later they decayed.

Passenger: When switched off the engine, I asked the woman sitting next to me to shake his hand in farewell. I knew that we would soon perish.

            The dispatcher gave the aircraft full emergency priority, but he was already falling with inoperative engines. Before the band remained 15 kilometers. After 6,5 hours after departure from Colombia, the Avianca 52 flight disappeared from radar screens. The plane crashed in a small town near New York City.

            Immediately began a rescue operation. It was facilitated by the fact that the fire did not start at the crash site. Even before the arrival of emergency services, local residents began to help the victims to get out. The cockpit was torn away from the main part of the aircraft from a terrible blow. She lay in the courtyard of a residential building, in 80 feet from where she fell.

Passenger: I saw the fireman, who climbed onto the wing. He shouted to the others, that there is someone alive. So me and saved.

Boeing 707 disaster.

            To the crash site were pulled 37 fire brigades from the entire county of Nassau. In total, the rescue operation managed to save 85 people. The only survivor of the crash crew member, the senior steward appeared. While rescuers were searching for survivors, investigators searched for flight recorders. After graduating rescue they immediately launched an investigation.

Investigator: To our surprise, the body of the aircraft is practically not injured.

            Investigating the cause of death of the aircraft, the experts quickly discovered the first important evidence of what happened.

Investigator: It was found that at the time of the crash all its engine is not running. None of the turbine does not rotate.

            The experts examined the fuel tanks and found only a few gallons of fuel in them. It became clear why the engines stopped. It was necessary to find the culprit in the incident. Who was responsible for the airliner running out of fuel? In the laboratory of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), experts deciphered the data of the "black boxes". Information from them could shed light on the cause of the disaster.

Investigator: When in Washington we opened the container with the device, it turned out that he had been removed from a tape recording of the last flight. Someone deliberately made so that the information about the flight did not get into our hands. Just cut a piece of tape.

            As a result, the experts had to rely only on the record from the pilot's cabin, which the crew negotiated with the air traffic controllers. The captain of the aircraft often asked the first pilot to repeat or explain to him the meaning of the information coming on board. Unfortunately, not everything depended on the crew.

Judge: Did the decision of the captain himself fully to develop fuel? No. He found himself in a similar situation the fault of air traffic controller.

            From the recording data it was clear what efforts the crew made to land the plane in zero visibility conditions. It was reported to the pilots that a strong gusty wind was blowing at an altitude of 1500 feet. However, no one warned them that the same situation developed at 300 feet. The crew of the 52 flight fell into a trap. They had no chance to cope with turbulence near the ground. Paradoxically, the Avianca 52 flight became a kind of record holder in the number of survivors in the crash.

Boeing 707 crash - 1990.

            Subsequently, after the publication of the results of the investigation, criticism from the trade union of dispatchers fell upon the investigators. They believed that the experts only accused the ground staff. It was announced that pilots are not properly informed about the situation dispatchers on board. In consequence of the controllers were unable to make a decision that is consistent with current events.

            The final conclusion of the expert commission indicated that there were no errors in the actions of the air traffic controllers who had taken the plane to land. Survivors in the accident regarded it as an insult. Ground services won the case. In response, Avianca sued the US air safety service. The case was won, and the American side paid 40 millions of dollars to the victims of the disaster and their relatives.

            It is a pity, but the collapse happened because of the banal failure to understand the seriousness of the situation and the lack of proper cooperation of all services.

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