Episode 12 (Part 2) - STS-107 (The Columbia Shuttle Disaster)
Inside The Black Box
This is Part 2 of a two-part episode.
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Episode 12 (Part 1) - STS-107 (The Columbia Shuttle Disaster)
Inside The Black Box
In the early morning of 1st February 2003, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Mission Control Centre is a hive of activity.
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Episode 11 - Air France 4590 (The Concorde Disaster)
Inside The Black Box
On the 25th of July 2000 at 4:40pm, Air France Flight 4590 sits on the taxiway of Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris France. Today they will be flying aboard the Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde. The passengers aboard Concorde are embarking on the first stage of a luxurious journey, travelling to New York where they will board the MS Deutschland for a 14 night cruise of the Caribbean. The total complement is 109.
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Episode 10 - Delta Airlines 191
Inside The Black Box
In the early evening of the 2nd of August, 1985, a Lockheed L1011 Tristar is on final approach to land at Dallas Fort Worth Internatonal Airport.
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Episode 9 - American Airlines 965
Inside The Black Box
At 6:30pm on the 20th of December 1995, a Boeing 757-200 sits on the taxiway of Miami International Airport. The 155 passengers and 8 crew members aboard American Airlines flight 965 are growing impatient, eager to begin their journey to Cali, in Colombia.
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Episode 8 - Alaska Airlines 261
Inside The Black Box
On the 21st of January 2000 at 3:50pm, a McDonnel Douglas MD83 flies above the Pacific Ocean, about 25 miles off the Californian coast of the United States.
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Episode 7 - Air France 447
Inside The Black Box
At just after half past 1 in the morning on the 1st of June 2009, An Airbus A330-203 cruises at 35,000 feet above the Southern Atlantic Ocean. On board are 216 passengers and 12 crew members.
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Episode 6 - CHC Helikopter Service 241
Inside The Black Box
It is just after 11am on the 29th of April 2016. An Airbus Helicopters EC225 Super Puma touches down on a helipad in the North Sea. CHC Helikopter Services Flight 241 has just landed on the Gullfaks B Oil and Gas Platform in the Norwegian North Sea, about 80 miles off the Norwegian Coast.
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Episode 5 - USAF Czar 52 (Fairchild B52 Incident)
Inside The Black Box
On the afternoon of the 24th of June, 1994, a crowd has gathered by the runway of the Fairchild Air Force Base in the State of Washington in the United States. The group is here to watch a practice demonstration for the Fairchild Air Force Base Airshow, scheduled to take place the following day.
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Episode 4 - Turkish Airlines 981
Inside The Black Box
On a cool winter morning a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 touches down at Orly International Airport, 7km South of Paris. It is 11am on the 3rd of March 1974.
info_outlineAt just after half past 1 in the morning on the 1st of June 2009, An Airbus A330-203 cruises at 35,000 feet above the Southern Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft departed from Rio de Janeiro at 1030 pm and is about 3 hours into its 10 and a half flight to Paris Charles De Gaulle in France. On board are 216 passengers and 12 crew members. The Airbus has just passed a navigation waypoint known as INTOL which sits about 300 miles off the Brazilian coast. A navigation waypoint is a known reference point with a given set of coordinates and is useful for both the air traffic controllers and pilots to monitor the progress of an aircraft, especially when radar coverage is not available. The captain of the aircraft makes contact with the Atlantico Area Control Centre, responsible for controlling air traffic in this particular region of the Southern Atlantic. The captain advises Atlantico that they have just passed the INTOL waypoint and their next waypoint will be SALPU in about 15 minutes, followed by ORARO 15 minutes after that. The Atlantico controller advises AF447 to contact Dakar, the next area control centre on the aircraft’s journey, after passing a further waypoint, TASIL. The pilots ask the Atlantico Area Control Centre to perform a test on a piece of their radio equipment. With the check successfully completed, the crew are advised to maintain their altitude of 35,000 feet. The captain acknowledges the instruction.
It is the last time anybody will hear from the crew of the Airbus A330. What has begun as a routine flight across the Atlantic Ocean will become one of the most lengthy and complex air accident investigations in history.
You are listening to Inside The Black Box. This is the story of Air France Flight 447.