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A Single Mother Pilot Was Fired for an Unauthorized Landing—Then Her Passengers’ Families Arrived — Transcript

by Men Family Revenge · 2,107 words · 432 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00Smoothest air I've seen all month,
0:02Captain.
0:03>> Don't say it out loud, Dev.
0:08My aircraft!
0:10Left engine fire.
0:12>> Throttle idle.
0:19>> Tyrell, the engine is on fire.
0:22>> Look at me, baby. Just look at me.
0:27>> Stay seated, seat belts tight. Your
0:29pilots are handling it.
0:37>> Handle pulled, bottle one away.
0:39>> Give it 10 seconds.
0:45>> Fire's out. But the fuel's draining,
0:47Captain. We have [music] a leak.
0:49>> And the controls are heavy. Hydraulics.
0:53Salt Lake Center, [music] Halcyon 417,
0:55mayday, mayday, mayday. Left engine
0:56failure, fuel leak, hydraulic
0:58>> Halcyon 417, mayday received. Billings,
1:0012 miles. Turn left, heading 140.
1:05>> At this leak rate, we have 15 [music]
1:06minutes of fuel. Billings is 22 minutes
1:08away.
1:09>> Then Billings isn't an airport.
1:11It's a wish.
1:12>> Harlan County airfield, 28 miles, 10:00.
1:16>> Runway 5,200 ft, [music] closed for
1:18repaving.
1:19>> I read the notice.
1:21Closed is still concrete.
1:22>> Center, anything closer than Billings?
1:25417, Harlan County County is closed for
1:27construction. Barricades and heavy
1:29equipment on the runway. I cannot clear
1:31you to land there.
1:32>> Understood.
1:34Ma'am, this cooler holds a donor heart.
1:36It has under 2 hours. A man in Denver
1:39dies without it.
1:40>> I'll tell the Captain, Doctor.
1:43>> Mr. Lockridge, 417 declared mayday. Left
1:45engine failure. Which engine number?
1:47316, sir.
1:49Get me the company frequency.
1:52Captain Branvold, Conrad Lockridge,
1:53flight operations.
1:55Continue to Billings. We have a team in
1:57a hangar waiting.
1:59My number say otherwise.
2:01>> Mr. Lockridge, we're leaking fuel and
2:02hydraulics. Billings is beyond our
2:04range.
2:05>> That engine does not leave Halcyon
2:06hands, Captain. Billings, that's an
2:08order.
2:09>> Captain, Mr. Lockridge hired me. He
2:10signed my training file. If we disobey
2:13>> Then ask yourself why a man worries
2:14about an engine.
2:15>> More than 142 people.
2:17>> I don't know.
2:18>> Neither do I, yet.
2:19>> If this is the last video
2:22>> Put the phone down, son. Hold the lady's
2:24hand.
2:26>> Thank you, dear. Promise me we still go
2:28to Maui.
2:30>> Next week.
2:31Mrs. Washington, I promise.
2:3711 minutes of fuel.
2:40>> 11 minutes.
2:41That's the number that matters.
2:46>> Gideon, the engine 3165 the bulletin 7
2:49inspection history goes missing tonight.
2:52>> Sir, I flagged that blade four times.
2:54Missing. Understood?
2:55>> My father flew for Halcyon.
2:57He warned them a blade like that would
2:59crack. They called it pilot error.
3:02>> Warren Branvold?
3:03>> They ended his career. They won't end
3:05this.
3:06Dev, we're landing at Harlan.
3:09>> Captain, if we disobey flight ops, we're
3:11finished.
3:13>> Careers are for people who live to
3:14retire.
3:15Salt Lake Center, Halcyon 417 is landing
3:18at Harlan County runway 27 [music] under
3:20pilot in command emergency
3:21>> 417, I cannot clear you.
3:23>> Understood. Then please clear everyone
3:24else.
3:25>> Good luck.
3:25>> She's left our frequency, sir. She's
3:27landing at Harlan.
3:30>> Get Sloan Ravenscroft on the phone. Now.
3:32Pilot error. Unauthorized landing. Draft
3:35the statement.
3:36>> Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain
3:37Branvold. We've lost an engine and will
3:39land at an airfield about 7 minutes
3:41ahead.
3:43Your crew will prepare you. Please trust
3:45us. Sir, I need strong hands at this
3:47exit. Can you do it?
3:49>> Ma'am, I was built for it.
3:54>> The passenger in 7 carries a donor
3:56heart. Under 2 hours. Then we land
3:58smooth and fast. Get everyone braced.
4:01Cabins ready.
4:03>> If this story is holding your heart, tap
4:06like, subscribe, and tell us where in
4:08the world you're watching from.
4:10Now, let's see if Captain Tessa can
4:11bring them down.
4:15That is no sightseeing flight.
4:23>> Cal, a jet's in trouble heading for the
4:24old strip.
4:25>> Lottie, the runway's full of paving
4:27equipment.
4:28>> Then we move it. Every truck, every
4:30tractor. Harlan volunteers, roll!
4:34>> Captain, the runway is blocked. Paver,
4:36trucks, barrels.
4:39>> Then somebody down there had better be
4:40fast.
4:44>> Lottie, that's a 100-ton airplane.
4:46>> Then drive faster.
4:52Chain it! Pull!
4:54>> Everybody off the pavement.
5:00>> 4 minutes.
5:01>> Gear by gravity. Do it.
5:04>> Three green. Gear down.
5:05>> Flaps 20.
5:10Brace. Brace. Heads down. Stay down.
5:17>> Brace. Heads down.
5:19>> Harlan Unicom, Lottie Hargrove.
5:23>> Runway's clear, mostly. Wind west at 12.
5:26Bring her in, Captain.
5:27>> Just land it, honey.
5:30Harlan Unicom, Halcyon 417.
5:33>> We hear you. Thank you. Who is that?
5:35>> An angel with a radio.
5:38>> 800.
5:40500, gusting.
5:44>> Steady. Steady.
6:08>> 100
6:08>> 100?
6:1150
6:12>> Come on, old girl.
6:21Brakes are soft. [music]
6:22>> Dev, reverse right.
6:24Right, reverse.
6:40We landed.
6:42>> We're not done.
6:45Evacuation checklist. Evacuate.
6:50Unbuckle and get out.
6:56Leave everything. [music]
6:58This way.
7:11>> Easy, ma'am. I've got you.
7:14>> Young man
7:17Young man, you have wonderful arms.
7:21Doctor, what's in the cooler?
7:22>> A heart. It must fly within 90 minutes.
7:25>> Cal, call the air ambulance.
7:27>> Billings flight is wheels up now.
7:30>> Cabin's clear, Captain. Then out,
7:33everyone. [music]
7:34No
7:41>> I don't even know your name.
7:43>> Tessa
7:47>> [music]
7:50>> You just bought a stranger 40 more
7:52years.
7:53>> Go. Save him.
7:59>> They'll fire us.
8:00>> They'll try.
8:01>> I'm sorry I hesitated.
8:03>> You flew.
8:05That's what counts.
8:09My husband flew crop dusters. Said a
8:11pilot wears two things, wings and a
8:13conscience. My father said [music] the
8:15same, "Honey, you've got both."
8:18>> Halcyon says the captain disobeyed
8:20direct instructions and is under
8:21investigation.
8:23>> That's a lie.
8:24>> [music]
8:24>> We were there.
8:30Halcyon is deeply grateful you're safe.
8:33Please accept these travel credits.
8:34>> And sign this release.
8:36>> A release from what?
8:38>> From
8:39>> Dear, you filmed it.
8:41>> Keep your credits.
8:50>> Chin up.
8:53>> It's up.
8:58Captain, you're suspended pending
8:59investigation. You disobeyed flight
9:02operations.
9:03>> I obeyed the sky.
9:05And you'll answer for the airframe.
9:10>> You're your father's daughter.
9:11>> My father told the truth.
9:13>> And look where it got him.
9:21>> Come home, sweetheart.
9:22Your father left something for you.
9:24>> I'm coming, Mom.
9:31>> You look just like him after the Fargo
9:32landing.
9:34>> Mom, what did he leave?
9:41He told me never to open it unless the
9:43sky repeated itself.
9:49Same engine family, same crack. Dad
9:51wrote bulletin seven.
9:54Conrad Lockridge signed his termination.
9:5620 years ago. I
9:58Dad knew that blade would break. They
10:00buried it and it broke over my head.
10:03>> Then don't let them bury it again.
10:06>> Sources say the captain's father was
10:08also dismissed [music] from Halcyon
10:10>> in disgrace.
10:12He's leaking Dad's story.
10:14He's afraid.
10:16>> Beta,
10:18your father drove a taxi 20 years
10:20so you could look any man in the eye.
10:23>> Ji.
10:24>> Do right.
10:26>> A rogue pilot.
10:28A simple story.
10:29>> The NTSB has the recorders.
10:32>> Then make sure nothing is added to the
10:34story. [music]
10:36This fracture is old fatigue.
10:39That crack grew for months.
10:41>> Somebody knew.
10:44>> That's my next [music] question.
10:49Nobody touches this aircraft. Take it
10:51anyway.
10:51>> Sir, that's obstruction.
10:58>> Your father would say,
11:00"Pilot, the storm doesn't care if you're
11:02scared."
11:03I'm calling a lawyer. Hearing in 9 days.
11:06Their case, you disobeyed, risked lives,
11:08damaged an airfield. We need proof.
11:11>> My father's box and a witness inside.
11:16>> Ms. Castellanos,
11:18I'm the mechanic who flagged Bullet N7.
11:22>> Mr. Ferraro, I've been hoping you'd
11:23call.
11:25Sign here, First Officer. It says the
11:27captain overrode your advice.
11:29>> Captain by next spring. [music]
11:32Give me the pen.
11:44>> He's 29 and scared. [music]
11:47Don't hate him.
11:48He'll be their star witness.
11:50Then we'll have [music] to win anyway.
11:54>> Halcyon wants us silent.
11:56>> I say we testify.
11:58>> I'll bring cookies and a subpoena.
12:00I've got the video.
12:02>> [laughter]
12:03>> Resign quietly and receive severance.
12:07I wore this uniform for 20 years for the
12:08passengers, not the company. I'm not
12:11resigning. I'm testifying.
12:13>> They want to bill the county for the
12:14runway.
12:15>> What do we tell them?
12:17>> Put it on my tab.
12:20I've got tractors.
12:23>> Delete the July dispatch memo and the
12:25deferral list. Sir,
12:28that's not a request.
12:33Original logs,
12:35photos,
12:36four warnings I wrote. They fired me
12:38this morning.
12:39>> Thank you.
12:40>> I'm scared.
12:40>> So was I. Look how that ended.
12:44He'd be proud of you. Bring his voice
12:47into that room.
12:53>> A mechanic, a dispatcher, a pilot with a
12:56family grudge.
12:59>> Nobody believes the little people. The
13:01panel is waiting.
13:03Nobody came. We have the truth.
13:14>> This board will determine whether
13:16Captain Brandvold acted recklessly.
13:19Ms. Ravenscroft, your opening.
13:23>> A captain defied her airline, landed a
13:25jet on a closed airfield, and nearly
13:28destroyed a hundred million-dollar
13:29aircraft. Call it courage if you like.
13:32The law calls it reckless.
13:34Captain Brandvold didn't defy safety.
13:36She defied a man who feared what an
13:38engine would reveal.
13:41>> I begged her to continue to Billings. We
13:43had crews, fuel, a hangar.
13:46>> She chose a wheat field. [music]
13:48>> Did you instruct her? Repeatedly.
13:51>> First Officer Malhotra, did Captain
13:54Brandvold ignore a direct order?
13:57>> Yes.
14:02>> How much fuel did you have when Mr.
14:04Lockridge gave that order?
14:05>> 11 minutes.
14:06>> [music]
14:06>> And Billings?
14:08>> 22 minutes away.
14:10>> Could you have reached Billings?
14:13Objection.
14:15Overruled.
14:16>> Answer. No.
14:21>> Engine 316 passed every inspection.
14:23[music]
14:26No defect.
14:28Spotless.
14:31Captain, your father was fired by this
14:33airline. Isn't this revenge?
14:35>> My father was fired for telling the
14:37truth. I landed because I had 11
14:39minutes.
14:40He warned them that blade would crack.
14:43They called it pilot error. 20 years
14:44later it cracked over Montana. I won't
14:47pretend that didn't cross my mind. But I
14:48landed because 142 people were
14:50breathing. Do you have proof of any
14:52defect?
14:55The defense calls Gideon Ferraro.
15:03>> Gideon Ferraro, chief mechanic, 26
15:05years. I wrote four warnings on that
15:08engine.
15:09Service bulletin seven required a blade
15:11replacement in March. Mr. Lockridge
15:13deferred it to keep 11 jets flying.
15:15>> Then he ordered my file missing.
15:16>> Objection.
15:16>> A disgruntled employee, fired yesterday.
15:18Doesn't change the
15:19>> Unverified copies, Madam Chair.
15:22Is there an original source?
15:31>> Dispatch records show Mr. Lockridge's
15:33July memo deferring the inspection.
15:35I was ordered to delete them.
15:37I copied them instead.
15:39NTSB preliminary finding.
15:42Fatigue fracture. Months old.
15:44>> incident?
15:45>> In the 2004 incident, same blade design,
15:47[music]
15:48same defect.
15:49>> Mr. Lockridge, you signed Captain Warren
15:52Brandhold's termination in 2004,
15:54correct?
15:55>> A routine personnel matter.
15:59That engine does not leave Halcyon
16:01hands, Captain Billings.
16:05>> That's an order.
16:07Is that your voice, Mr. Lockridge?
16:10>> Taken out of context.
16:12The context is a captain telling you she
16:14was out of range and you saying saying
16:16the engine mattered more.
16:22>> Who are these people?
16:25>> Her passengers, ma'am.
16:42>> I have flown for 20 years.
16:44I have never seen a captain tell
16:46passengers the truth in the worst moment
16:48of their lives.
16:50She did.
16:51>> Ma'am, I'm no lawyer. I dragged a paving
16:54machine off that runway with my tractor.
16:57That captain landed 40 ft from my wheat.
17:00That's skill.
17:03>> A man named Bernard Alvarez is alive
17:05today because that heart arrived in
17:07time.
17:08Billings would have killed him.
17:11>> Madam Chair, I request to correct my
17:13statement.
17:14>> Sit down.
17:15>> Captain Branvold saved my life.
17:19I won't repay her with a lie.
17:21>> You lied to me.
17:24>> Madam Chair, I withdraw from
17:26representing Mr. Lockridge.
17:32>> This board finds Captain Branvold acted
17:35within her authority as pilot in command
17:37and Halcyon's maintenance and Mr.
17:38Lockridge's conduct are referred for
17:40criminal investigation.
17:51>> [applause]
17:58>> Your father's smiling. [music]
18:00Captain, Halcyon reinstates you and
18:03First Officer Malhotra. Your father's
18:05record is cleared and we're adopting the
18:06Branvold rule. No one may overrule a
18:08captain's emergency authority.
18:10>> Director of safety now.
18:14First order,
18:15nobody flies a cracked blade again.
18:20They told me I had weeks.
18:23You gave me years.
18:26Coffee sometime? On the ground.
18:28>> I'd like that.
18:30>> [laughter]
18:40>> County voted.
18:42Harlan stays open as an emergency field.
18:45>> My husband carved [music] this. He'd
18:46want you to have it.
18:55Mayday, Harlan County. Landed safe.
18:57[music]
18:58They listened this time.
19:02>> Same flight number, son.
19:05>> Is it smooth, dear?
19:07>> Captain says smooth as silk.
19:17Denver Tower, Halcyon 417, ready for
19:19departure.
19:20>> Halcyon 417, cleared for takeoff.
19:23>> This time, with permission. [music]
19:30Dad, we made it home.

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