She Was Sleeping in Seat 8B—Then the Crew Asked, "Is There a Fighter Pilot on Board?" — Transcript

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1. 0:0040 minutes to make Anchorage. 40. Come
2. 0:02on.
3. 0:04[sighs]
4. 0:06>> Military.
5. 0:0840 minutes is plenty. If you run,
6. 0:16[screaming]
7. 0:20>> he's overorrecting
8. 0:22>> who? Whoever's flying,
9. 0:30>> nobody's talking. The captain should be
10. 0:32on the speaker by now.
11. 0:33>> Ladies and gentlemen, this is your porc.
12. 0:36If there is a doctor or a nurse on
13. 0:38board, please press your call button.
14. 0:42>> A doctor for some bumps.
15. 0:45>> Not for bumps. Somebody up front is
16. 0:47hurt.
17. 0:51Oh,
18. 0:54>> ladies and gentlemen, if there is a
19. 0:56pilot on board, any pilot at all, please
20. 0:59press your call button now.
21. 1:12I fly a jet with one seat. If there's an
22. 1:14airline pilot on this plane, that's who
23. 1:16they want. Not me.
24. 1:21>> Somebody will press it. There's always
25. 1:22somebody.
26. 1:31>> Nobody's pressing, Nate. Nobody.
27. 1:34[sighs and gasps]
28. 1:35>> Then there's no airline pilot back
29. 1:37there. They'd have hit the button
30. 1:38already.
31. 1:40Then who do I ask for?
32. 1:44>> Military.
33. 1:45Those guys fly home in a hoodie and
34. 1:47sleep. They won't think you mean them.
35. 1:54And I need somebody who flies by hand
36. 1:56every single day. Say fighter pilot.
37. 2:00>> Nate, you okay?
38. 2:03>> I'm cold.
39. 2:05Things keep going dark on me. I won't
40. 2:08last to Seattle like this. Hurry.
41. 2:15>> Is there a fighter pilot on board or any
42. 2:18military pilot who's flown jets? Please
43. 2:21press your call button now.
44. 2:25[crying]
45. 2:34>> Well, that's you, isn't it?
46. 2:40Sorry. Huh?
47. 2:40>> She's be too sorry. See
48. 2:48>> 8B. You,
49. 2:54>> Lieutenant Commander Aaron Rucker, US
50. 2:56Navy. I fly Super Hawkets.
51. 3:00>> I asked you if you were military.
52. 3:03>> You did.
53. 3:11Captain Albbright stepped out to use the
54. 3:13restroom. We can't leave one pilot alone
55. 3:15up there. So, I went in and sat with
56. 3:17Nate Nate Lewis, our first officer.
57. 3:22>> That's how I got this.
58. 3:25>> The captain came back in and he was
59. 3:28still standing when we hit the
60. 3:29turbulence. He went straight up into the
61. 3:31ceiling. He's out cold on the floor.
62. 3:35What?
63. 3:35>> A nurse from 3C is trying to stop the
64. 3:37bleeding.
65. 3:39>> And your co-pilot?
66. 3:42>> Nate had his lap belt on but not his
67. 3:45shoulder straps. [panting]
68. 3:47It threw him into the side window. His
69. 3:50right arm's broken. [sighs]
70. 3:54>> He's flying with his left.
71. 3:58>> How's he doing? Bad. The nurse says he's
72. 4:02going into shock.
73. 4:04>> Autopilot.
74. 4:06>> He tried twice. It keeps dropping off.
75. 4:12>> Marcus Bell poster. Can you fly this
76. 4:15thing?
77. 4:16>> I'll know in about 10 seconds.
78. 4:30Lewis, look at me. I'm Navy. I'm getting
79. 4:33in the captain's seat. [sighs]
80. 4:36>> Navy. 12 years in the Air Force and the
81. 4:39Navy shows up. Figures.
82. 4:44>> I have the airplane.
83. 4:46>> You have the airplane.
84. 4:53She's way out of trim. She's been
85. 4:55fighting you this whole time.
86. 4:57>> My bad arm. Trim switch is on my right
87. 5:00handle. That's my bad arm. Every time I
88. 5:03let go to reach the backup switches, she
89. 5:05dives.
90. 5:13[sighs]
91. 5:14There. That's [music] better. Now she'll
92. 5:16stay where I put her.
93. 5:22Not your fault, Louis. Stay in that
94. 5:24seat. You're my second set of eyes. You
95. 5:27point, I push.
96. 5:30>> Copy that.
97. 5:31>> He can't stay wedged in here. Help me
98. 5:33get him out to the galley. Careful with
99. 5:35his neck.
100. 5:44>> Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. Seattle Center,
101. 5:46Cascade 442 Heavy. Both pilots are
102. 5:49injured. This is Lieutenant Commander
103. 5:50Aaron Rucker, US Navy at the controls.
104. 5:56>> Cascade 442 Heavy, Seattle Center. Copy
105. 5:58your Mayday. How many people on board?
106. 6:02>> Marcus, how many on board?
107. 6:05>> 210 souls. Counting crew.
108. 6:08>> 210 souls.
109. 6:09>> Copy. Commander, how many hours do you
110. 6:11have in a 767?
111. 6:18Zero hours
112. 6:20[sighs]
113. 6:22>> about 2,000 in hornets.
114. 6:24>> Understood. Stand by. I'm patching in
115. 6:26your company.
116. 6:29>> Cascade 442 heavy. This is Jean Sutter.
117. 6:33I've flown this airplane 31 years. From
118. 6:36here to the gate, I'm sitting right next
119. 6:38to you.
120. 6:40>> What do I call you?
121. 6:44>> [snorts]
122. 6:45>> Aaron or Navy? Either one.
123. 6:49>> Navy it is. How many carrier landings
124. 6:51have you got?
125. 6:52>> 300, give or take. Last one was 4 days
126. 6:55ago.
127. 7:01>> Okay, we'll come back to that. First,
128. 7:04let's get you some help.
129. 7:06>> Look up at the long panel under the
130. 7:08windshield. Three buttons in a row that
131. 7:11say CMD. The left one is yours.
132. 7:16>> That one.
133. 7:20>> Left CMD. It kept dropping off on Lewis,
134. 7:22but I've trimmed her since. Pressing it.
135. 7:32>> It's holding, Jean. It's holding.
136. 7:36>> That's why it wouldn't take before. You
137. 7:38fixed that. Hands in your lap for a
138. 7:40minute. Let her fly.
139. 7:50[panting]
140. 7:52Gan, I've got no auto land up here. The
141. 7:54captain hit the overhead panel when we
142. 7:55dropped.
143. 8:01>> Then whatever he hit up there, it took
144. 8:03auto land with it.
145. 8:06>> It took auto land with it. What does
146. 8:07that mean for me?
147. 8:09>> It means she'll fly herself down to the
148. 8:12bottom of the clouds.
149. 8:14>> The last part, somebody has to fly by
150. 8:16hand. That's you.
151. 8:22>> How low are the clouds in Seattle?
152. 8:24>> 800 ft and rain.
153. 8:31>> They're terrified back there. What do I
154. 8:32tell them?
155. 8:34>> Don't lie to them. Don't tell them it's
156. 8:36fine. Tell them it's handled.
157. 8:42>> Ladies and gentlemen, this is Marcus,
158. 8:44your purser. I'm going to tell you
159. 8:46exactly where we are.
160. 8:49Both of our pilots were hurt in that
161. 8:51turbulence.
162. 8:54A Navy pilot from our cabin is flying
163. 8:56this airplane now, and the autopilot is
164. 8:58helping her. We're on our way down to
165. 9:01Seattle.
166. 9:03I won't tell you it's fine,
167. 9:06but it's handled.
168. 9:09>> That's her.
169. 9:10>> She was sitting right next to me. Slept
170. 9:12the whole way from Dallas.
171. 9:27>> Your captain's breathing. He's got a bad
172. 9:29concussion. He needs a hospital and
173. 9:31soon. Copy. Keep an eye on Lewis for me.
174. 9:39>> Cascade 402 heavy Seattle approach.
175. 9:41Expect the approach to runway 16 left.
176. 9:44Clouds at 800 ft. Light rain. Wind from
177. 9:47the southwest gusting 25.
178. 9:53>> Gene, is there anywhere with better
179. 9:54weather?
180. 9:55>> Everything around Seattle is under the
181. 9:57same clouds. The nearest clear field is
182. 9:5940 minutes away.
183. 10:01The nurse says my captain needs a
184. 10:03hospital soon.
185. 10:06>> Then he doesn't have 40 minutes.
186. 10:08Seattle's got the longest runway around
187. 10:11and an ambulance at the end of it. We're
188. 10:14going to Seattle.
189. 10:17>> Seattle's home anyway.
190. 10:19>> Then let's get you home.
191. 10:26>> Here's the plan. Approach gives you a
192. 10:28heading and an altitude.
193. 10:30>> You dial each one in and push the button
194. 10:33next to it. The auto throttle holds your
195. 10:35speed and I'll give you the numbers.
196. 10:38Then you tune in a radio beam that runs
197. 10:41straight down to the runway and press A.
198. 10:46When she catches that beam, the
199. 10:48autopilot rides it down. At 800 ft, you
200. 10:51come out of the clouds. You click the
201. 10:54autopilot off and you hand fly the last
202. 10:57two miles.
203. 11:01>> Copy.
204. 11:03Dial and push. Tune the beam. A click
205. 11:07off at 800.
206. 11:08>> Cascade 442 heavy. Turn left. Heading
207. 11:11180. Descend and maintain 4,000.
208. 11:18>> Heading 180. She's turning. 4,000. She's
209. 11:21coming down.
210. 11:27Now the beam Lewis reader the frequency
211. 11:30off your chart
212. 11:34110.3
213. 11:43frequency's in. A's pressed.
214. 11:47There's the beam. She's locked on.
215. 11:55>> [sighs]
216. 11:57>> Jean, my body's telling me we're
217. 11:59turning.
218. 12:00>> Your inner ear is a liar. Look at the
219. 12:03little airplane on the screen in front
220. 12:04of you. What's it doing?
221. 12:08>> Wings level.
222. 12:10>> Then believe the screen.
223. 12:12>> Speed
224. 12:14242.
225. 12:20It's 2:20. Lewis. Lewis.
226. 12:26>> I need the nurse now.
227. 12:33He's in shock. He's out.
228. 12:44>> Jean, I've lost my co-pilot. It's just
229. 12:46me now.
230. 12:50Then it's you and me, Navy. Flaps first,
231. 12:53the lever by your right hand. Flaps five
232. 12:56and dial 190.
233. 13:02>> Flaps five,
234. 13:04190.
235. 13:06>> Now, the wheels,
236. 13:09the gear handles on the middle panel,
237. 13:11the one with a little wheel on the end.
238. 13:14>> Pull it out and push it down.
239. 13:24Gear down. Three green.
240. 13:25>> Flaps 20. Dial 160.
241. 13:28>> Flaps 20. 160.
242. 13:31>> Flaps 30, 150. That's your landing
243. 13:33speed.
244. 13:34>> Flaps 30, 150.
245. 13:36>> Ladies and gentlemen, brace positions
246. 13:38now. Feet flat on the floor.
247. 13:43>> Head down against the seat in front of
248. 13:44you. Stay down until this airplane
249. 13:47stops.
250. 13:48>> Heads down. Stay down. Stay down. Heads
251. 13:51down. Stay down.
252. 14:06>> Navy. Last thing. And it's the one that
253. 14:10matters.
254. 14:11>> Or you end up in the water.
255. 14:14Do that here and you'll slam her down so
256. 14:16hard she bounces.
257. 14:19This airplane wants a soft hand.
258. 14:24At 30 ft, ease back and bring the power
259. 14:27to idle. Don't hold her off. Let her
260. 14:30settle. Can you do that?
261. 14:37[snorts]
262. 14:39>> 15 years of muscle memory says no. Then
263. 14:42don't listen to 15 years. Listen to me.
264. 14:46>> Hold your mic button down all the way
265. 14:48in. I want to hear every call out.
266. 14:50[sighs and gasps]
267. 14:53>> Light touch. Small moves. Don't
268. 14:56overcorrect.
269. 14:58>> 1,000
270. 15:02>> 900
271. 15:04850.
272. 15:05Jean, I don't have it. I can't see a
273. 15:07thing.
274. 15:08>> Let her fly. It's there.
275. 15:16Runway in sight.
276. 15:19>> Runway in sight.
277. 15:21>> She's yours, Navy.
278. 15:22>> Click it off.
279. 15:27>> Autopilot's off. I got her.
280. 15:36>> Wind's pushing you. Little corrections.
281. 15:37Little
282. 15:38>> light touch.
283. 15:40Cascade 442 heavy, Seattle tower, runway
284. 15:4316 left. Cleared to land
285. 15:47>> 500
286. 15:53>> 100
287. 16:02>> 50 40.
288. 16:08>> It's not a carrier. Navy flare now.
289. 16:14>> Power's idle.
290. 16:17>> 20 10.
291. 16:29[sighs and panting]
292. 16:30>> Hold it. Don't push. Let her settle.
293. 16:37Speed brake lever left of the throttles
294. 16:39all the way back.
295. 16:40>> Speed brakes.
296. 16:45>> Reversers. Those little levers on the
297. 16:47throttles. Pull them up and back.
298. 16:48>> Reversers.
299. 16:52>> Toes on the top of the pedals. Smooth.
300. 16:55Keep it straight. Keep it straight.
301. 17:09>> [cheering]
302. 17:10[applause]
303. 17:15[cheering]
304. 17:21[sighs]
305. 17:29>> Seattle Tower Cascar 442 heavy.
306. 17:31We're stopped on the runway. Two injured
307. 17:34crew. We need medics at the door.
308. 17:38>> Cascade 442 heavy. Trucks are rolling.
309. 17:40Nice flying, Commander Ruckle. Nice
310. 17:42flying, Commander Rucker.
311. 17:45[clears throat]
312. 17:46>> Welcome home, Navy.
313. 17:55>> Did we land?
314. 18:00We landed.
315. 18:03>> Navy
316. 18:04figures.
317. 18:12>> They're both going to be okay. Both of
318. 18:14them because of you.
319. 18:18>> Honey, I just held the gauze.
320. 18:26or something.
321. 18:28>> I hear your race about your knew.
322. 18:30>> That was you flying the whole way down.
323. 18:34>> Me and a guy on the radio.
324. 18:37>> Told you there's always somebody.
325. 18:42>> You've got a 40-minute connection. If
326. 18:44you run, you'll make it.
327. 18:46>> Anchorage can wait.
328. 18:56>> [applause]
329. 19:02[applause]
330. 19:07>> Thank you, Commander.
331. 19:09>> Thank Jean Sutter and the lady in 3C.
332. 19:27Navy
333. 19:29>> Jane.