On 6 November 2002, the pilots of Luxair Flight 9642 accidentally set the propellers into reverse pitch while attempting to land at Luxembourg Findel Airport in heavy fog. The aircraft loses control and crashes into a field short of the airport. 20 of the 22 people on board are killed.
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00:01Descending into heavy fog above Luxembourg.
00:05What the hell is that?
00:07Something goes disastrously wrong on Luxair Flight 9642.
00:12The airplane was impossible to recover.
00:1720 of the 22 people on board are killed.
00:21A lot of people died that day.
00:23It was an accident. It was hard to understand.
00:26I can't find anything wrong with either engine.
00:28But when investigators analyze unusual sounds from the cockpit...
00:34It's a match?
00:35Mm-hmm.
00:36They hear the pilots do something which should be impossible.
00:40It's not supposed to happen.
00:42There's supposed to be things that prevent it from happening.
00:44So it's not as foolproof as we thought.
00:51Mayday, mayday.
00:53It's just before 10 in the morning at Luxembourg's International Airport.
01:07A layer of fog blankets the runway, preventing planes from landing.
01:12Cargo Lux 778, maintain runway heading until Lutax, then use zone navigation.
01:18Luxair 403, enter Diekirchhold, flight level 60.
01:21I will vect you later for ILS approach.
01:22Controllers are busy putting planes into a holding pattern while waiting for the fog to clear.
01:32Luxair 4452, enter Diekirchhold, flight level 90.
01:35QNH is 1023.
01:36Luxair 8362, descend level 80 to enter Diekirchhold.
01:38Current RVR is 250.
01:39There are three planes circling.
01:40I will vect you later for ILS approach.
01:41I will vect you later for ILS approach.
01:42Controllers are busy putting planes into a holding pattern while waiting for the fog to clear.
01:45Luxair 4452, enter Diekirchhold, flight level 90.
01:48QNH is 1023.
01:50Luxair 8362, descend level 80 to enter Diekirchhold.
01:53Current RVR is 250.
01:54There are three planes circling 16 miles north of the airport at a position known as Diekirch.
02:09In a situation with low visibility, lots of holding, lots of aircraft having different requirements,
02:18the level of stress is fairly high.
02:21Focus is really important.
02:23Got to concentrate on everything that you're doing.
02:27Luxair 9642, enter Diekirchhold, flight level 90.
02:32It will vect you later for ILS approach on runway 24.
02:37That's all understood, Luxair 9642.
02:41One of the planes being directed to the holding pattern is Luxair Flight 9642.
02:47The plane is a Fokker 50 turboprop heading to Luxembourg from Berlin.
02:53The Fokker 50 was a great performing aircraft overall.
02:57It's a commuter airplane to be flown in Europe.
03:00We flew the aircraft day and night in all weather conditions.
03:04There are 19 passengers on the flight.
03:08Most are German business officials travelling to Luxembourg.
03:12The first officer on this morning's flight is 32-year-old John Arendt.
03:19I'll brief the folks.
03:22Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
03:24Unfortunately, the fog in Luxembourg is so dense that at the moment we cannot land.
03:29So we'll have to wait a little bit for an improvement.
03:33We will proceed to a holding pattern while we wait for the weather to clear.
03:38We'll keep you updated as soon as we have some news.
03:44The captain is 26-year-old Claude Perkus.
03:48And Luxair 9642 is reducing speed to 160.
03:55Roger, 9642.
03:58The crew navigates towards the holding area north of the airport.
04:03What time can we hold till?
04:05How much fuel will we need?
04:07Uh...
04:09550...
04:11700.
04:13No.
04:14We'll need 850 when we leave the hold.
04:16No.
04:17We need fuel to reach till our alternate plus 20 minutes reserved.
04:21So we'll still need 600 kilos.
04:23Yes, but I want to keep...
04:25Luxair 9642.
04:26Descend to 3000 feet on 1023.
04:29Turn left heading 130.
04:31Luxair 9642.
04:33Before they reach the holding point, the crew receives instructions to turn towards the airport and begin descent.
04:42Is that for us?
04:43Yes.
04:44Uh...
04:45Descend to 3000 feet and say again the heading.
04:48130.
04:50Left heading 130.
04:53Luxair 9642.
04:56What kind of crap is that?
04:58The new instruction takes the crew by surprise.
05:01If you suddenly get startled that you are now number one and turning left and descending for your approach as number one, this can put you in a situation which would add to your workload.
05:16Let's see RVR now.
05:19I don't know.
05:20Should we check with dispatch?
05:21Yes.
05:22RVR is runway visual range.
05:27It's the minimum visibility on the runway required by a landing aircraft.
05:32For the Luxair Fokker, that distance is 300 meters or 984 feet.
05:39If the runway visual range is below 300 meters, you are not allowed to start the approach or to land the aircraft.
05:47Dispatch 9642.
05:48What's the current RVR?
05:49Uh...
05:50275.
05:51275 meters.
05:52What do we do now?
05:53I...
05:54Don't know.
05:55If they don't have that visibility, they go around and probably get vectored for another approach unless the RVR is too low, then they're going to be vectored to the holding pattern that decurs.
06:11So, are we holding or is this for an approach?
06:13It's for an approach.
06:15Luxair 9642.
06:17Turn right heading 220.
06:18Cleared for approach.
06:20Right heading 220 and cleared for approach 9642.
06:28Tell them if at echo we don't have 300 meters, we'll do a go around and enter the hold.
06:33The pilots come up with a compromise.
06:35They'll continue their approach, but if runway visibility doesn't improve, they'll abort and join the holding pattern.
06:44We need 300 meters for the approach.
06:479642, copied.
06:49Continue your approach.
06:50I'll keep you advised.
06:54Passengers still believe they're headed for an extended hold.
06:57Speed 95, 105, 109.
07:08Landing altitude?
07:10275 meters.
07:12Set.
07:14The flight is now only five miles from the runway, and there's no word that visibility has improved.
07:20Captain Pukis makes his decision.
07:23Okay, we'll do a go around.
07:25Missed approach.
07:27Ground idle stop off.
07:33Luxair 9642.
07:35RVR is 300 meters.
07:37But before the crew can execute a go around, the controller issues a last minute update to runway conditions.
07:439642 continuing approach.
07:46The visibility now meets the Fokker's minimum requirements. The crew's plans have changed again.
07:58Things change rather quickly for a flight crew when they're doing an approach, which requires really precise coordination among the crew members to make sure that everything goes smoothly and that they're stabilized on the approach.
08:09Four miles from the airport, flight 9642 is at an altitude of 1500 feet.
08:19Flaps?
08:22Uh, we are flapsed in.
08:269642, you are cleared to land. Wind 180 degrees, 5 knots.
08:34Uh, gear down?
08:35Yeah.
08:37Cleared to land.
08:389642.
08:42The flight is now two minutes from landing in Luxembourg.
08:53What the hell is that?
08:56Something has gone wrong with the engines.
08:58Oh.
09:07Now, at less than 500 feet, flight 9642 plummets towards the ground.
09:13Brain. Brain.
09:15Oh.
09:18Pull, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull!
09:22The airplane suddenly went into a rapid and uncontrollable descent in a very low altitude, which was impossible to recover.
09:30It's impossible to recover.
09:469-6-4-2 Luxembourg.
09:49Luxair, 9-6-4-2 Luxembourg.
09:54Luxair, 9-6-4-2 Luxembourg.
09:56Do you read?
10:01We have a possible crash of a Fokker F-50 on final approach to runway 27.
10:07Please, stand by.
10:08The wreckage is located two miles east of the airfield.
10:20Of the 22 people on board, only two survived the crash, including Captain Perkus.
10:27This is Luxembourg's deadliest aviation disaster.
10:30This accident is serious because it was a loss of life. A lot of people died that day. And it was an accident that was hard to understand.
10:40Investigators will need to examine the wreckage of flight 9-6-4-2 to determine why a landing at a modern, well-equipped airport went so terribly wrong.
10:52The tail hits here. The left wing scrapes some trees. And then the plane skids across the road.
11:06The wreckage tells investigators that flight 9-6-4-2 hit the ground in a nose-up position.
11:14The initial hypothesis would be that, in fact, they were trying to avoid the ground when the aircraft hit the ground.
11:22Engine failure, wind shear, mechanical issue.
11:27The debris pattern leaves investigators with a few obvious possibilities.
11:33Aircrafts don't crash short of runways. Do they have false indications?
11:37Were the engines running? So there are lots of things you have to initially think about.
11:43As they gather wreckage from the accident site, investigators wonder if the controller can provide any insight into the flight's final minutes.
11:53Anything unusual? Out of the ordinary?
11:57The whole day was out of the ordinary.
11:59The controller explains that the weather prevented planes from landing, forcing them into a hole.
12:05And that includes flight 9-6-4-2?
12:11At first, yes.
12:15Luxair 9-6-4-2, enter Decurch hold, flight level 9-0.
12:21But before they reach the hold, the weather cleared.
12:24Luxair 9-6-4-2, descend to 3,000 feet on 1-0-2-3, turn left heading 1-3-0.
12:30He also states that because of its position, flight 9-6-4-2 was the first plane directed to the airport when the weather began to clear.
12:42They needed 300 meters of visibility to land, which we got at 10-05. So I cleared them to land.
12:51Even though they were heading for the holding pattern, the controller saw an opportunity.
12:55They were in an ideal position to the final approach fix at also the Luxembourg airport.
13:04And then?
13:06That's the last we spoke.
13:08No emergency call?
13:10No. Nothing.
13:11The controller can't explain why the Fokker ended up hitting the ground two miles from the airport.
13:23From air traffic control standpoint, there was nothing in the communication between the aircraft and air traffic to indicate that there was any problem whatsoever with the aircraft at all.
13:33Only Captain Puckus can answer why the Fokker went down short of the runway, but he's been hospitalized and is in a coma.
13:42Investigators will need to piece together the final minutes of the flight without him.
13:47With the captain not being available, the objective evidence, the physical evidence, talks to you.
13:52They begin by studying the engine components for any signs of failure.
13:59They look like they're in pretty good shape.
14:03Engines normally hold the aircraft in the air and they fly towards the runway.
14:10So I would suggest something happened to the engines that they didn't make it to the runway in the first place.
14:16No fire. No damage to any components. The rotors are fine. Fuel lines are intact. Intake is clear. Pumps and PCUs all check out.
14:30I can't find anything wrong with either engine.
14:33The state of the engines is puzzling. If both were in good working order, what could have caused the flight to fall from the sky just short of the runway?
14:43This is where they're turned for the approach.
14:50Investigators use Luxembourg's radar data to recreate Flight 9642's flight path.
14:58Seven minutes to impact.
15:00They're at 9,000 feet when they're cleared for the approach.
15:03Now he descends even more steeply and at 7,000 feet per minute.
15:08They're only four miles away from the runway. Fifteen seconds later, they hit the ground.
15:17Here's the glide slope.
15:21Whoa.
15:23When investigators compare the plane's descent with the recommended descent, they see that the flight was 300 feet too high throughout the final stages of its approach.
15:34That explains why they were in such a hurry to lose altitude.
15:40300 feet above the glide slope.
15:45This is a real problem because you now try to descend the aircraft, slow down the aircraft and configure everything at the same time, which is nearly impossible.
15:55Why did the pilots allow their plane to get into such a difficult situation?
16:02Not a good idea to be rushing under approach at all, especially in low RVR. Dangerous, actually.
16:12Heavy fog. It'd be a hard landing.
16:14The team listens to Flight 9642's Cockpit Voice Recording, or CVR, for clues that can explain the pilot's dangerous predicament.
16:27Okay, they know the weather's going to be an issue.
16:30I'll call dispatch.
16:31Dispatch, good morning.
16:349642.
16:369642, good morning.
16:38How's the weather at the moment?
16:40RVR is 250 at the moment.
16:42If it doesn't get better, you will be diverted to Saarbrookan.
16:46Okay, thank you.
16:48Oh no, I will not go to Saarbrookan.
16:51I'm with you.
16:53Wind 110, 4 knots, expect ILS approach.
16:57Runway 27, transition level 6, 0.
17:00He does not want to divert.
17:08Luxair 9, 6, 4, 2.
17:11Enter Decurch Hold, flight level 9 or 0.
17:14They're being directed into the holding pattern.
17:19That's all understood, Luxair 9, 6, 4, 2.
17:23No, we need fuel to reach to our alternate plus 20 minutes reserved,
17:27so we'll still need 600 kilos.
17:30Okay, good.
17:32They want to make sure there's enough fuel to reach their alternate.
17:35Yes, but I want to keep...
17:37Luxair 9, 6, 4, 2.
17:39Descend to 3,000 feet on 1, 0, 2, 3.
17:42Turn left heading 1, 3, 0.
17:45And then they're hit with a new plan.
17:46Is that for us?
17:56Yes.
17:58The recording reveals that the pilots were surprised by the instruction to begin their approach.
18:05What kind of crap is that?
18:06They were not happy about the change of plans.
18:11The sudden change meant that instead of proceeding to the hold, the pilots quickly initiated a left turn and began a steady descent towards the runway, all while configuring their plane for landing.
18:26So the crew were forced to rush themselves down to the final approach fix.
18:37The rushed approach now becomes the focus of the investigation.
18:42Luxair 9, 6, 4, 2. Turn right heading 2, 2, 0. Cleared for approach.
18:48Okay, they're starting their approach.
18:51For a low visibility approach, properly briefed and performed, it's very structured, organized and standardized.
19:01So each pilot knows exactly which task they have to do at which time.
19:06Should we switch the seatbelt sign on?
19:09Yes. Yes, not a bad idea.
19:15Localizer captured.
19:17Check.
19:19Missed approach heading.
19:21They're not running a checklist.
19:23They're just throwing out random steps.
19:26Over the next few minutes, investigators hear several clear indications that the pilots are improvising this unexpected approach.
19:35You must be fully established, which means gear down, flaps extended, landing checklist completed, speed and altitude all at the correct spot.
19:46Hey, are we at the beacon yet?
19:48You should have it dialed in by now.
19:50I can use the DME instead.
19:52Yeah, yeah, yeah.
19:54Even basic steps, such as configuring the navigation system, aren't performed.
20:00Flying an aircraft is about a precise following of certain steps at certain times.
20:08It's starting on an approach involving all the crew members.
20:11It's about detailed planning.
20:17They're skipping steps and improvising the procedures.
20:20The change of plans caught them by surprise.
20:22They're racing against the clock.
20:35They started to rush themselves in a quite high workload environment, trying to get the airplane down and doing the approach briefing all at once, which was quite tricky to achieve.
20:50Did the rushed approach result in the pilots being too high as they neared the runway?
20:58They're getting closer and closer to the airport.
21:01At three and a half miles out, they should be at 2,500 feet, but they're at 3,000 instead.
21:08Flaps?
21:16Uh, we are flapsed in.
21:189-6-4-2, you are clear to land.
21:21Instead of managing their altitude and speed, they're rushing to get their plane properly configured.
21:28Speed and altitude control is actually important for every approach, but especially for a low visibility approach,
21:35where you have to be established much earlier than on a normal approach.
21:43So why all the confusion?
21:45It can't just be the last minute approach.
21:47I don't think they thought they'd be able to land.
21:49Have a look.
21:52RVR, RVR, RVR.
21:56The cockpit recording makes it clear to investigators that the crew didn't think they'd have the required visibility to make the landing.
22:06Let's see RVR now.
22:08I don't know. Should we check with dispatch?
22:10Yes.
22:12They're told they have a visual range of 275 meters, but they need 300 minimum to land.
22:18You're not sure how to proceed.
22:22Tell them if at echo we don't have 300 meters, we'll do a go around and enter the hold.
22:25Their plan is to do a go around if the visibility hasn't increased by the time they get to the outer marker here.
22:36The auto marker can be seen as a decision or a cutoff point.
22:42Once you pass the auto marker, the RVR must be at the required minimum.
22:46But as soon as they get to the outer marker, they get the magic words.
22:52300 meters.
22:56Luxair 9642. RVR is 300 meters. You are clear to land. Wind 180 degrees, 5 knots.
23:04But they're too high and need to lose altitude fast.
23:09The CVR explains why the pilots ended up above their target altitude.
23:14They were rushed into the approach and fixated on the poor runway visibility.
23:18Okay. So how does that lead to a crash 35 seconds later?
23:279642, you are clear to land.
23:31Uh, gear down?
23:32Yeah.
23:34Clear to land, 9642.
23:40And done.
23:43What the hell was that?
23:45Oh, .
23:48Terrain. Terrain.
23:51What just happened?
23:53In the last few seconds of the CVR recording, there was a loud noise.
23:58Crew was startled by this.
24:00What happened in those last 20 seconds?
24:04And what was that noise we heard?
24:05What was that noise we heard?
24:13What the hell was that?
24:21Investigators hope the Flight Data Recorder, or FDR, can solve the mystery of what went wrong in Flight 9642's final seconds.
24:30Okay, cruising along at 3,000 feet and 160 knots.
24:35Then they start to descend, go flaps 10, and accelerate rapidly towards the ground.
24:42Let's see what the engines were doing.
24:46What's happening here?
24:48Turbine RPMs drop.
24:51The torque drops down to zero.
24:54Looks like he's gone down below flight idle into ground mode.
24:56Ground mode changes the angle of the propellers so they can move the plane forward while it's on the ground.
25:06It's never used in the air.
25:09But then, turbine RPM spikes, fuel flow and torque increase.
25:17All while the altitude starts to plunge.
25:20Could they have gone into beta mode?
25:22Beta mode is basically reverse thrust.
25:26The propellers are positioned to move air forward instead of back.
25:32It's used to help stop the plane after it touches down.
25:36If you would put the power levers into beta mode in the air, this could lead to loss of control where recovery might not be possible.
25:48Did the pilots of flight 9642 put their engines into reverse?
25:54And if so, why?
25:56Can we hear the last 20 seconds of that CVR again?
25:57And done.
25:58What the hell is that?
26:00Oh, .
26:02It's the propellers going into reverse.
26:04Investigators now have an explanation for the deafening sound on the CVR.
26:21This is almost like hitting the brakes.
26:26The aircraft would immediately dive into a rapid and uncontrollable descent.
26:32How could the engines end up going into ground mode and then into reverse, beta mode?
26:39How's that even possible?
26:40The turboprop airplane, like the F-50, it had a lot of safety features that would prevent the propeller from going into beta range in flight.
26:54Before a plane can be put into reverse mode, the thrust levers must first pass through ground mode.
27:01A lock prevents this from happening.
27:05Pilots can switch the lock off in flight to prepare for landing.
27:12Ground idle stop off.
27:14First officer Arendt performed that step as part of his descent and approach checklist.
27:19With the lock disabled, pilots can lift the ground range selector and move the thrust levers to ground mode after landing to help slow the plane.
27:30But instead, the data reveals that the engines went into ground mode 25 seconds before the plane crashed.
27:43Did they do it on purpose?
27:45The question is, how did they get there?
27:48Did the crew select it?
27:49Did they do it deliberately?
27:51Was it something bad that happened?
27:53The safety defenses didn't work?
27:54These are all things that have to be looked at.
27:58Okay, we're recording.
28:00Let's start with the taxi lights.
28:05To find out if the crew intentionally put the plane into ground mode before they were on the ground,
28:10they record a number of different sounds in the cockpit of another Fokker 50.
28:21Every switch has a sound attached to it.
28:25Okay, let's try flaps to 10.
28:28And now the ground range selector.
28:47And that does it.
28:49And this can be forensically analyzed and filtered out.
28:54You compare that to what you find from the cockpit voice recorder.
28:59These three sounds were picked up on the CVR.
29:02Let's start with this.
29:04We were able to confirm that this sound is the taxi lights being switched on.
29:09Test recording confirms that's the flap handle being moved to flaps 10 position.
29:29Then there's this.
29:34We compared it to the sound recorded on the test plane.
29:36It's a match.
29:39The audio analysis confirms that Captain Pukkes deliberately lifted the ground range selector
29:46and moved his throttle to ground mode while the plane was making its approach to the airport.
29:51The key element found in the sound spectrum study was the power lever was in fact moved below the flight idle gate.
29:58And this was something that meant the pilot had to do it.
30:00Okay.
30:04So we know he did this on purpose.
30:07Why?
30:09There is no maneuver or procedure asking the pilots to actually lift the ground range selector in flight
30:19and pull the power levers below flight idle.
30:21It's a prohibited non-standard procedure and should never be done by the pilots.
30:29What could have prompted the pilots to put their engines into ground mode?
30:33He's five miles away from the airport when he decides to land, but he's 300 feet above the glide slope and his speed is 165 knots.
30:44If he wants to get down to the glide slope, he needs to descend rapidly, but his speed is already quite fast.
30:49So instead, he slams on the brakes.
30:55Once the power levers are in ground idle, this will produce extra drag on the propellers, reducing the speed and also allowing the aircraft to descend at the same time.
31:06Luxair 9642, RVR is 300 meters.
31:13Investigators believe that when the crew is told that runway visibility has improved, Captain Pukas moved his engines to ground mode to quickly reduce speed and lose altitude.
31:24Not sure that'll do it.
31:319642, continuing approach.
31:35Flaps?
31:37They should have made a better decision and go around, reposition and fly a proper approach or divert to the alternate and not forcing it in.
31:47Okay, we can explain putting the engines into ground mode.
31:51But reverse?
31:52What the hell is that?
32:04Oh, ****.
32:10So the lock is only released when the plane is on the ground.
32:14Investigators know the pilots of Luxair flight 9642 put their plane into ground mode before landing.
32:23But it doesn't explain why the throttles were moved further back to reverse while they were still hundreds of feet in the air.
32:30Should be impossible to do.
32:32To get to that range in flight, it's not supposed to happen.
32:37There's supposed to be two things that prevent it from happening.
32:39An electrical lock prevents the power levers from being moved into reverse in flight.
32:46Once the plane is on the ground and the wheels are spinning at at least 20 miles an hour, a signal is sent to an electrical switch that releases the flight idle stop and allows the throttles to move to the reverse position.
33:01This system is only meant to be used on the ground and that's why they have a lot of protections to make that only the possibility that it's going to happen.
33:08Could the lock have somehow failed?
33:10The mechanical stop is installed so that the pilots can, under no circumstances, physically move the power levers beyond ground idle.
33:23So no reverse thrust possible.
33:29Investigators study the components that make up the locking system.
33:34The anti-skid system checks out, the wheel speed relays are fine and there's nothing wrong with the lock switch.
33:40Investigators also check the anti-skid sensors which measure wheel speed, the computer that receives those signals and the switch controlling the lock.
33:54Everything seemed to check out normally.
33:57It shouldn't unlock unless the wheels are spinning.
34:01So what went wrong?
34:02Investigators scrutinize the electrical lock system that should have prevented flight 9642 from going into reverse.
34:12Anything in the maintenance record?
34:13There's this.
34:16They discover an incident that happened 14 years earlier.
34:22Power lever setting below flight idle possible in flight.
34:28In 1988, the flight idle stop disengaged inadvertently on another Fokker 50.
34:39So it's not as foolproof as we thought.
34:42The system design was actually well designed by Fokker but they knew the system had a problem.
34:49When the landing gear is lowered, an electrical pulse could be sent to activate the plane's anti-skid control unit.
34:58That sends out a false indication that the plane is on the ground.
35:03Just enough to unlock the flight idle stop.
35:08This particular pulse in the anti-skid control unit could in fact allow the power levers to go back into the beta range.
35:15At the time, Fokker said the chance of an inadvertent unlocking due to the glitch was extremely unlikely.
35:22These three conditions must be met for the stop to unlock.
35:30Gear down, the left and right gear locks releasing at precisely the same instant, and the power levers below flight idle.
35:38A lot of components had to line up in very great precision to make it happen.
35:44The perfect storm of bad things happening together.
35:47Could they have triggered the glitch?
35:49Investigators returned to the voice recording and flight data to determine if a short-lived electrical anomaly allowed the engines to go into reverse while in flight.
35:59We know from the sound analysis, the click that we heard on the CVR is the ground range selector being lifted.
36:10Approximately 30 seconds before impact, the captain moves his power levers below flight idle.
36:15Okay, so condition one is met.
36:21The first officer lowers the landing gear 13 seconds later and they unlock at the exact same time.
36:26Now that the conditions to trigger the glitch have been met, for the next 16 seconds, the levers can be moved to reverse.
36:34The aircraft thinks it's on the ground and it will go into reverse in flight.
36:40And just three seconds later, the propellers go into reverse.
36:46That's it.
36:53Ground idle stop off.
36:55They believe that in an effort to lose altitude quickly, the pilots of flight 9642 unknowingly triggered the electrical anomaly that allowed them to put their engines into reverse.
37:10The sequence of events begins with the captain moving the throttles to ground mode to reduce speed and altitude.
37:19Not sure that'll do it.
37:219642, continuing approach.
37:24The maneuver doesn't have the desired effect.
37:27The plane is still too high.
37:32Flaps?
37:33We are flapsed in.
37:35The crew extends the flaps to reduce speed even further.
37:39Then...
37:43Gear down?
37:45Yeah.
37:46As Captain Pukas keeps his throttles pulled as far back as they can go, the first officer lowers the landing gear, unaware it will trigger the conditions to unlock reverse.
37:57What the hell is that?!
38:00What the hell is that?!
38:02There will be a loud bang, a O-ball, everybody will hear that in the cockpit and in the cabin.
38:09There will be an immense increase in tracks, so you will literally feel your body shifting and shaking.
38:16Captain Pukas doesn't even realize what's happened.
38:25Pum, pum, pum, pum, pum, pum!
38:28Once the landing gear was selected by the first officer, suddenly both engines went into full reverse.
38:39It was too late to recover.
38:4325 seconds after the throttle is inadvertently moved to reverse, the plane crashes, resulting in 20 deaths.
38:55If Fokker knew about this anomaly in 1988, why didn't they just fix it?
38:59Investigators examine reports to explain why Flight 9642 was allowed to fly, despite the aircraft manufacturer knowing about a potential glitch.
39:12They said the probability of this happening was so low that no immediate action was required.
39:19It's a very short duration power-up, so therefore the timing has to be very precise, and the likelihood of it to happen was low, there's no doubt about it, but certainly it was not zero.
39:32They eventually came up with a modification and issued this service bulletin about it a few years later.
39:41The manufacturer of the skid control unit had issued a service bulletin suggesting a simple fix that would prevent the erroneous signal from being sent.
39:53To modify the anti-skid control unit to the newer version that would not provide this power-up pulse,
39:58one nearly had to add a few diodes and a capacitor, so it wasn't a complicated fix, it wasn't difficult to do, it wasn't expensive.
40:07But the notification was issued as a service bulletin, not an airworthiness directive, which would have made the fix mandatory.
40:16If an aircraft manufacturer is making a modification to an aircraft, it gives out a service bulletin. You don't need to do it.
40:23An airworthiness directive is a state hazardous to the safety of the operation of the aircraft.
40:30That might even ground the whole world fleet of the aircraft till it's modified.
40:37Luxair never performed the suggested 1992 modification to its fleet of Fokker aircraft.
40:43If it had come as an airworthiness directive, they would have complied, no doubt about that, and the problem would have been fixed.
40:53The accident didn't happen here. It happens here.
40:56When they accepted an approach they weren't prepared for.
41:01How much fuel will we need?
41:04Uh...
41:06550...
41:08We need 850 when we leave the hole.
41:11No, we need fuel to reach till our alternate plus 20 minutes reserved, so we'll still need 600 kilos.
41:16Yes, but I want to keep...
41:19Luxair 9642, descend to 3000 feet on 1023, turn left heading 130.
41:26Is that for us?
41:27Yes.
41:29Investigators believe that the main cause of the crash of Flight 9642 was the crew's decision to accept the approach instruction, rather than join a holding pattern.
41:41Left heading 130, Luxair 9642.
41:46What kind of crap is that?
41:49At the time they got their first heading for the intercept for the localizer for the runway, they should have said, no, we are not ready for the approach.
41:59Had they simply rejected the approach when the controller gave them those initial headaches and descent down to 3000 feet, the controller would have said, that's fine.
42:08Here, they still don't have the visibility they need to land.
42:13They're too high and too fast, and still aren't properly configured.
42:18If ever there was a case for a go around.
42:229642 continuing approach.
42:27The investigators also fault the crew for not executing a missed approach when they had so much going against them.
42:35Once the crew was surprised by the ATC clearance to start the approach as number one, a lot of events started putting the pilots in a kind of a tunnel vision or into a continuation bias, focusing only on the approach and the landing, without considering any other options.
42:58To prevent the plane from being put into reverse in the air, the team also recommends that the modification to the skid control box, which stops any erroneous signal, be made mandatory for all Fokker 50 airplanes.
43:14Luxair makes the modification to its entire fleet of Fokker aircraft.
43:18The accident, in fact, proves the fact it was that serious and should have been addressed.
43:25Captain Purkus was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
43:30He was fined and sentenced to three and a half years probation.
43:34The lessons we have learned from this tragic Luxair accident is always stick to standard operating procedures, stick to the aircraft's limitations, be aware of operational bulletins.
43:51Unfortunately, most of these things were not done by the Luxair crew and this led to this tragic accident.
44:00the