critical systems failures. the plane begins to lose altitude. within a minute, they had lost several critical systems. they lost the radio contact. and very soon after that, we lost the transponder. inside the cockpit, a nightmare scenario is unfolding. fire has breached the ceiling, dripping molten aluminum on to the flight deck. they lose control of the plane and plunge into the ocean at 345 miles an hour. the impact is enormous. there are no survivors. the plane shatters and only small traces remain floating on the surface. the rest disappears into the atlantic. it is clearly now not a rescue mission but a recovery mission. puzzled by the tragedy, investigators are eager to retrieve the wreckage. we knew if we found the source of that in-flight fire
to the wing. but moments after the exit doors are open, the plane explodes into flames. when this additional oxygen entered the cabin, with the fire burning, it ignited that smoke. there were flames leaking out of the door and into the air probably six to ten feet in the air. it looked like an inferno. there were flames leaping out the doors. there was smoke all around it. and that s when we knew that we needed to get off the wing because i knew that fuel was in those wing tanks. so i knew that we needed to get off. as passengers evacuate captain cameron stays in the cockpit, relying on the tank of compressed air that supplies his oxygen mask, he begins shutting down the aircraft. but before he can finish the air runs out. i couldn t breath. so i tore the mask off and opened the window.
sentence, but going against industry norms to forge the piece of metal that fell to the ground. i don t think that piece of metal brought the airplane down. i think it played a factor in the cause of the accident, but i don t think it was the sole responsible cause of the accident. even before the verdict, the aviation industry agrees on drastic safety changes. debris on the runway is now seen as an even greater threat to aircraft. manufacturers begin producing burst resistant tires and fuel tanks are reinforced. but for the concorde it was the beginning of the end. three years after the crash, the aircraft is retired. for many people, this plane was something. it was a symbol. and they lost something with the end of the concorde story. coming up moments after takeoff, fire erupts inside the cabin of a dc-9.
already burnt up pretty much in the sky. may 11th, 1996, valujet flight 592 has just taken off from miami bound for atlanta, georgia. six minutes after takeoff, the pilots hear a loud noise from inside the body of the plane. seconds later, the electrical systems fail. the first officer radios air traffic control. need immediate return to miami. jesse fisher is on duty. his voice was very calm. very in control. he didn t sound urgent. while the pilots are assessing the electrical failure, smoke has started to come up through the floors of the cabin. what kind of problem are you having? smoke in the cockpit smoke in the cabin. roger. the smoke moves into the flight deck. the airplane finally levels off and begins a turn and the
evidence of arcing on the left and right lavatory feeder wires which come up through holes in the floor boards. the arc starts a fire that ignites the lavatory walls. the fire spreads, consuming vital electrical systems. making it almost impossible for captain cameron to control the aircraft. became suddenly very hard it fly. it was nose heavy because the stabilizer trim had failed. his arms would have been very, very, very tired by the time he got on the ground. he had expended a lot of physical energy just to keep control of the airplane. he did a really good job. he is a seriously good aviator. air canada says the plane met all existing safety standards. the question now is whether the standards should be made tougher? with extensive evidence of the craft and details from the flight crew and passengers, they learned lessons.