Air Disasters: Dramatic black box flight recordings

FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: No, no!

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy, is that localizer coming in now?

CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Yeah, we’re on the localizer now, descending.

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Roger, and you want a visual or do you just want to, do you want to shoot the ILS

[instrument landing system] or just shoot a visual?

CAPTAIN TO TOWER: I’ll follow the ILS down and take a visual.

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Roger, Flight 705 heavy, at pilot’s discretion maintain, uh, 2000 and advise when you get the airport in sight.

CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Will advise.

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Okay, you’re three zero, three one miles west of the airport.

CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Thank you, sir.

CAPTAIN TO REAR: You got him down okay? Hey, you put that, you keep him under control. Is he trying to get up? [Sound of hammers being thrown into cockpit]

FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: No!

CAPTAIN TO REAR: You hang in there now! Hey, put that, go back and, hit him on the head, just…[Sounds of struggle from rear of plane]

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy, you’re about twenty-five miles from the airport, and I’ll be making a transmission every thirty to forty seconds just to stay in touch. [Sounds of struggle from rear of plane]

FLIGHT ENGINEER FROM REAR: Stay down!

CAPTAIN TO REAR: If you have to, if you have to put that in his throat, you do it! [Sounds of struggle from rear of plane]

CAPTAIN TO REAR: Is he still down?

FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: Yeah, yeah!

CAPTAIN TO REAR: Is he, is he under control?

FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: I don’t know…

Yeah, he is.

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy, you’re twenty miles from the airport and uh, do you have that fuel and passenger information?

CAPTAIN TO TOWER: I got four on board, 86, uh, 85,000, I think 86,000 in fuel, four souls.

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Roger Express 705 heavy, how many people should security be looking for?

CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Four.

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Yeah, I mean how many involved in the action?

CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Everybody’s been injured, uh, there’s one person that, uh, lost it the, uh, jump-seat passenger’s the one that attacked the crew.

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Okay, thank you. [Sounds of struggle from rear of plane]

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy, verify uh, situation’s still under control.

CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Well, it’s sort of under control.

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Okay, Express 705 heavy, uh, fifteen miles from the airport, about fourteen miles, uh, advise when you get it in sight.

CAPTAIN TO TOWER: I have it in sight.

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy is cleared visual runway 9, Express 705 heavy, the wind is uh, zero three zero at five, cleared to land runway niner. [Sounds of struggle from rear of cockpit]

CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Cleared to land?

CAPTAIN TO REAR: Kill the son of a bitch! Kill him!

Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! [Sounds of groans from first officer in rear of cockpit]

FLIGHT ENGINEER FROM REAR: Jim, Jim, Jim, [sounds of struggle], Jim, help me! [Sounds of struggle, groans from first officer]

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy, you’re about six and a half miles from the threshold, if able, when you get it on the ground, advise when you’re on the ground, uh, I won’t, uh, make any more transmissions to you at this time. [Sounds of struggle from rear of cockpit]

FLIGHT ENGINEER FROM REAR: Stop fighting!

[The captain knows that the fight behind him in the cockpit is not over, and considers putting the aeroplane on autopilot at 7000 feet while he puts an end to the struggle. Instead he chooses to land the aeroplane and switches to runway 36L.]

CAPTAIN TO TOWER: I’m coming around to 36 left.

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Okay, Express 705 heavy, runway 36 left, cleared to land, cleared visual [to runway] 36 left. You are cleared to land, the wind is 050 at 8. [Sounds of struggle from rear of cockpit]

FLIGHT ENGINEER FROM REAR: Ow! Jim, he’s biting me!

FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: Stay down!

[Groans from first officer in rear] [Sounds of struggle in rear of cockpit]

AUTO WARNING HORN: Bank angle, bank angle.

[Groans from first officer in rear]

TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy all of the emergency equipment will be on frequency 121.9.

CAPTAIN TO TOWER: [Two clicks on microphone]

[Sound of struggle in rear]