Mayday (2013) s18e05 Episode Script
Deadly Display
Terrain.
Terrain.
Terrain.
Terrain.
- Why is that going off? - Terrain.
Terrain.
A Sukhoi Superjet 100, one of the world's newest and most advanced airliners, slams into a mountain, killing everyone onboard.
Why was the plane so far off course? Indonesian investigators face one of the biggest challenges they've ever encountered.
TRANSLATOR: The crash site was below an 800 meter cliff.
Only an elite team can get there.
You guys search up here.
I'm going down.
Risking life and limb to recover the black box.
TRANSLATOR: The situation was quite scary.
And it's just mind-blowing.
But will it give investigators the answers they need? It's a Wednesday afternoon in Jakarta, Indonesia.
At Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, flight RA 36,801 is almost ready for departure.
Champagne, sir? 36 invited guests are getting the gold star treatment on a demonstration flight for a brand new Russian aircraft.
The atmosphere in the cabin during a demonstration flight is usually pretty relaxed.
People are chit chatting.
You know, people are schmoozing.
People are cracking jokes.
It's a very light atmosphere.
The plane is a Sukhoi Superjet 100.
Sukhoi is an aircraft manufacturer that's known for making military aircraft.
Russia hadn't really dove into the realm of creating commercial airliners, and this was their first.
So, it was kind of a big deal for them.
This afternoon's flight is part of a six-country Welcome to Asia tour.
The passengers are a mix of potential buyers from major airlines and journalists who can create some buzz.
Alexander Kovalev is a reporter who has been covering the development of the plane since the beginning.
I joined the tour at the very start.
It's a brand new airplane, and presenting it to top members of government and potential buyers delighted me.
In the cabin, a flight engineer and navigator prepare to monitor the plane's performance from take-off to landing.
But that's not their only job today.
They know that in Russia there are hopes the Superjet 100 will help revive the nation's troubled aviation industry.
A big part of their job is to help sell the plane.
Russia has kind of a poor reputation for safety over the decades.
So a lot is at stake.
This is the beginning of their reputation, and these reputations will carry on in the future.
I'm sorry.
I'm gonna have to take that glass from you.
I'll bring you another when we're in the air.
Thanks.
The Superjet has already flown demonstration flights in Kazakhstan, Myanmar and Pakistan.
Jakarta is the fourth stop on the whirlwind tour.
The tour's Russian organisers have hired local Indonesian flight attendants for the day.
The young flight attendants were anticipating a flight on a brand new airplane.
It was a big chance for them and a big honour.
Flaps 15.
Flaps 15, check.
Captain Alexander Yablontsev is Sukhoi's chief test pilot.
Transponder.
Set.
He has 10,000 flight hours under his belt and more hours in the Superjet than any other pilot.
The chief pilot was involved in this project from the very start.
As Russian pilots say, he gave the plane wings.
Before take-off checklist complete.
First Officer Alexander Kotchetkov is also a seasoned test pilot.
Both pilots conducted themselves in the most professional manner, absolutely impeccably.
Sukhoi 36,801, cleared for take-off, runway six.
Here we go.
V-1.
Rotate.
This is the second demonstration flight of the day.
The first flight from Halim Airport was completely unremarkable.
But before the second flight, I was asked to shoot the plane from the ground.
I simply set out towards the runway to shoot video of the Superjet 100 ascending into the skies.
Gear up.
The flight is planned to be a tight 30-minute loop south from Jakarta into the rural area of Bogor, then back to the airport.
Sukhoi 36,801, turn right to intercept radial 200 and climb to 10,000.
Air traffic control guides the plane away from the busy commercial flight zone near the city.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801, intercepting radial 200 and climbing to one-zero-thousand.
The Superjet is the first new Russian passenger jet since the collapse of the Soviet empire.
It's been 12 years in development.
Sukhoi hopes it's now ready to take on the world.
The Superjet itself was a regional aircraft designed to compete globally against other aircraft manufacturers like Canadair and Embraer, which had other regional jets, about 100 feet long, about 100 passengers, a little bit less, and are very popular around the world.
And with a growing population of 240 million, Indonesia could be a huge market for Sukhoi.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801 reaching level one-zero-thousand.
Roger, 36,801.
Proceed to Bogor at your discretion.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.
Sukhoi welcomes you onboard of the Superjet 100.
Uh you've seen I've turned off the seatbelt sign.
Now you have a few minutes to tour the cabin.
That's a very smooth ascent.
For this second flight, there's a potential customer in the cockpit, a pilot from a major Indonesian airline.
In a demonstration flight they're not operating under the same exact rules as an airline flight.
It's not abnormal at all in any part of the world to invite one of the folks up and just give them that special experience.
As promised, a fresh glass of champagne.
The short flight is already almost half over.
But no-one in the cabin is in a rush to get back on the ground.
Let's get down to six thousand so we can start to turn back.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801, requesting descent to 6,000.
Sukhoi 36,801, cleared to 6,000 feet.
EY 7,136, cleared to land.
JT 792, continue approach to runway two-four.
Impressive flight deck.
I could certainly get used to this.
Alright then, let's do the full orbit before we return.
The captain decides to prolong the flight by flying an extra loop.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801.
Requesting right orbit at 6,000.
It was just them having a little bit of fun.
Do a little holding spin over here just to show you what that looks like.
Sukhoi 36,801, right orbit approved.
AK 734, winds southeast ten knots, proceed with approach.
Everything is exactly where it needs to be.
Very pilot friendly.
The turn is so smooth passengers hardly feel it in the cabin.
Would you care for some Russian caviar? Another great feature is the TAWS.
It gives us excellent terrain awareness.
It has predictive hazard warning and uh it's really state of the art.
The Superjet was equipped with the latest in aviation technology.
This definitely set it apart from its many worthy competitors, which were available on the market.
Do you want to do another orbit or shall we begin the approach? Uh let's start the approach.
As the first officer checks his approach chart Terrain.
Terrain.
an automated warning begins to sound.
Terrain.
Terrain.
Terrain.
Terrain.
Why is that going off? Maybe the database.
Gear.
Gear.
Gear.
Gear.
Gear.
At the control centre, the air traffic controller notices a problem.
The Sukhoi Superjet has vanished from radar.
Where'd you go? Sukhoi 36,801, please come in.
In Jakarta, air traffic controllers are trying to understand what happened to a Russian plane on a demonstration flight.
Come on, come on, talk to me.
On approach, the crew is always listening to air traffic control.
They're always waiting for their next command of guidance.
Communication is not constant but they're aware of each other.
Sukhoi 36,801, please come in! After four calls, there's still no reply.
The controller knows the plane should have landed by now.
Sukhoi 36,801 is off radar.
He alerts his supervisor, and authorities declare an emergency.
All of us who remained on the ground were deeply worried about the people onboard.
We called their cell phones and two phones suddenly started working.
The signal was there but nobody answered them.
As minutes turn to hours, the mystery deepens.
The fear is that the plane went down in the mountains south of Bogor.
Relatives of passengers camp out overnight at the airport, desperate for news of their loved ones.
(SPEAKING IN INDONESIAN) At 8:35am the next day, 18 hours after the plane vanished, a helicopter pilot finally gets close enough to spot something blue and white specks in the distance.
The Sukhoi Superjet has crashed into Mount Salak, the debris spilling thousands of feet down a cliff face.
Mardjono Siswosuwarno is the lead investigator assigned to the case by the KNKT, Indonesia's transportation safety agency.
When I first heard about the location of the crash, my initial reaction was: How could this plane end up there? Mount Salak has a fierce reputation.
Its jagged peaks reach 7,200 feet.
Locals call it an airplane graveyard.
Mount Salak is infamous according to the local press.
The mountain and its surroundings have seen many crashes of different light planes and helicopters.
I personally felt the negative energy of this mountain.
The crash site is right here.
How could a brand new jet with sophisticated navigation systems and an expert crew crash into a notorious mountain? When there's a crash everything is on the table.
You have no idea.
There are any number of variables at play, until it gets eliminated by providing fact.
We need to send a team up this mountain, fast.
It's one of the most challenging locations Indonesian crash investigators have ever faced.
Our mission was to search for the black box.
But how do we find it and retrieve it? This is the problem and our biggest challenge.
There are no easy routes.
Mardjono knows only the most skilled mountaineers will be up to the task.
We need to bring in Ony for this.
Ony Wibowo is a junior investigator with the KNKT.
He's also an expert climber now tasked with joining a group of Indonesian marines on a treacherous hike up Mount Salak.
Before I joined the KNKT, I developed a hobby for trekking, mountaineering, and rope work.
Keep moving, guys.
This location was quite extreme for me.
We had to create a new path, and it required a lot of effort.
We had to climb to higher elevation before we were able to reach the location.
It takes nine hours but finally they reach the crash site.
What they find is overwhelming.
When I reached the site, the situation was quite scary.
There was lots of smoke and wreckage and debris everywhere.
It was such a sad thing to witness.
There's no hope of survivors.
45 people are dead, Indonesian, Russian, American and French.
I tried to imagine what the people who were in the cabin at the time felt and how it ended.
It's the single memory which has haunted me ever since.
Somehow, they must regroup and try to find the black boxes.
I was determined to use all my knowledge to find out why this plane crash at Mount Salak happened.
In Jakarta, the search for answers to what brought down a Sukhoi demonstration flight takes investigators to air traffic control.
So, can you tell me what happened? Well, they were just supposed to do a thirty minute loop.
Then, before I knew it, they had disappeared from radar.
So why did they end up at Mount Salak? I don't know.
Weren't you supposed to be monitoring them? I was so busy.
I lost track of the plane.
Investigators learn that the controller had an exceptionally heavy workload.
He was monitoring about a dozen flights.
EY 7,136, cleared to land.
JT 792, continue approach to runway two-four.
Making matters worse, both his assistant and his supervisor were absent that shift.
He was doing three jobs.
This person was working beyond the edge of his limitations for any air traffic controller and that alone is, is incredibly unsafe.
Any air traffic control organization around the world usually has backups in place.
Even when their staffing is low they will delay aircraft and keep them on the ground.
To not have that is, is huge.
Why did you clear them to fly at 6,000 feet? You must have known they would never clear the mountain.
My system said it was a military jet.
Investigators discover that the airport's status system had incorrectly labelled the plane as SU-30, which identifies it as a Sukhoi military aircraft.
The air traffic controller had labelled this plane similar to the Sukhoi military aircraft that belonged to the Indonesian Air Force, not knowing it was in fact a civilian aircraft.
Military can fly pretty much as low as they want.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801, requesting descent at 6,000.
When the pilots requested a descent, the controller assumed they were heading for a military training area in Bogor right along the Sukhoi's flight path.
Sukhoi 36,801, cleared to six thousand feet.
EY 7,136, cleared to land.
JT 792, continue approach to runway two-four.
The ATC thought that it was a military aircraft flying in a military airspace, so 6,000 is not a concern for them.
But I still don't understand.
Why was the plane so far off course? That's a good question.
I really don't know.
The plane was supposed to turn and fly north towards Jakarta, but instead it flew south and hit a mountain 54 kilometres from the airport.
Investigators need to know why.
They hope the black boxes can give them some answers.
The most important thing is the black box, which records the flight data and the conversation inside the cockpit.
This is what we're looking for.
But they could be anywhere.
You guys search up here.
I'm going down.
The search team targets the thickly forested valley below.
From my experience, I could predict that a relatively small object like a black box would fall down to the base of the cliff.
So this was their biggest challenge.
The crash site was below an 800 meter cliff.
Finally, six days after the crash, a breakthrough.
We found it.
We found the CVR.
The recorder's outer casing is damaged, but if the data inside can be retrieved, investigators may finally be able to understand why the jet veered fatally off course.
While investigators wait for the cockpit voice recordings, the consider two stark possibilities regarding the fate of flight 36801.
Either the Sukhoi's flight systems failed and led the plane off track, or the pilots made a deadly error.
Since news of the crash broke, there's been speculation that the chief test pilot was showing off, trying to give passengers a better view.
This guy had a spotless record.
But his personnel files reveal that, during his 36 years of flying, there has been no hint of reckless behaviour.
TRANSLATOR: His flight records showed he had more than 10,000 hours.
He was never unprofessional.
I flew several thousand kilometres on that plane through varied conditions and weather.
He was not a reckless pilot.
So, what do we know about the days leading up to the accident? (SPEAKS INDONESIAN) They study the pilot's work schedules, looking for anything unusual.
They discover that the captain and his first officer were on the fourth leg of the demonstration tour.
Maybe they were tired.
A closer examination reveals that the Sukhoi pilots had the evening off the day before the crash, and the demonstration flight that preceded the accident last only 22 minutes.
This was not a tough schedule.
We didn't find any evidence that the pilot was physically unfit.
Investigators are at a loss, still with no solid clues about the cause of the crash.
They were supposed to go south to the area of Bogor, turn and come right back to the airport.
How did they end up over here? It makes no sense.
Let's get down to 6,000 so we can start to turn back.
The Russian crew had never flown in Indonesia before, but handling new routes is something all professional pilots are trained to do.
TRANSLATOR: Flying in a new area is very common, but this needs to be accompanied by having a very detailed briefing.
Investigators wonder, how well briefed was the crew before the fatal flight? Can I help you? Yes.
Can you tell me how the briefing with the pilots went? They check in with the ground handling agent.
It went fine, except the pilots never showed up.
So, who exactly did you brief? Investigators are surprised to learn that only the Chief Navigator attended the briefing.
I think it would have been helpful if the pilots were present in that briefing, but I don't think it's that big of a deal as long as the Navigator is doing his or her job to make sure that the pilots have their their information.
According to the agent, the briefing was short, just a quick chat about the flight plan with no mention of terrain.
You didn't warn him about the mountains? He didn't ask.
Mind you, he didn't speak English very well.
It seems a language barrier may have prevented the communication of a key piece of information.
The most important part of the briefing that should be given to the pilot is the area.
They should show Bogor area southwest of Jakarta and surrounding the area is quite high mountains.
But a missed briefing doesn't explain the crash.
Investigators know that the pilots had flight charts that should have given them detailed information about the local topography.
It's terrain, it's safe altitudes, weather charts, just general threats that might be specific to an area that they may not be used to.
All these different things should all be understood and briefed.
OK, let's put this up and see what they were given.
Investigators scrutinise the topographical map of the area.
They then compare it to the navigational chart provided by the Ground Handler.
But where's Mount Salak? They make a disturbing discovery.
The chart shows no terrain contours or altitudes of any kind.
The mountain's not indicated on the chart at all.
TRANSLATOR: The map they needed is available in Indonesia and you can buy it anywhere.
But they didn't have this map onboard.
Why? I have no idea.
I mean, to not have any terrain info and not have any idea that there even would have been terrain to even be aware of is mind-blowing.
The weather office near Mount Salak reported low clouds and poor visibility that afternoon.
Without knowing to look for the mountains, the pilots may not have spotted them.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801.
Reaching level one-zero-thousand.
The pilots had no idea the mountains were there.
But why didn't the plane's computer system warn them? Investigators turn their attention to the Sukhoi Superjet 100.
Is the state-of-the-art aircraft somehow to blame for the crash? I want to know more about how this TAWS system works.
The investigative spotlight now shines on one of the Sukhoi Superjet's most important safety systems.
It's called TAWS, Terrain Awareness and Warning System.
Using GPS, it tracks the plane's heading and predicts when it's at risk of colliding with terrain.
It's designed to alert pilots in plenty of time to respond.
Maybe the system somehow failed.
Everyone wants the answer.
For days, the news has shown search-and-rescue teams collecting body parts from the mountaintop and flying them to Jakarta for DNA analysis.
Family members' only hope is that their loved ones' remains can be identified for burial.
TRANSLATOR: All the fragments were identified with the help of DNA experts.
There were lots of flowers at the ceremony, which happened right at Halim Airport.
The highest-ranking Indonesians were present.
It was truly a national state of mourning.
It stretched over several days.
Airlines put purchase orders for the Superjet on hold.
Millions of dollars are on the line.
It still stands to be a huge, huge blemish for Sukhoi and a costly one at that.
While investigators wait for the cockpit voice recorder, they start with the flight data recorder, which was recovered 21 days after the crash.
The flight data recorder becomes important in crashes like this because everyone was deceased on the aircraft.
It holds secrets that no one would otherwise know.
This is the original flight path here.
And we know from the controllers that they requested permission to do an extra 360-degree turn.
Impressive flight deck.
I could certainly get used to this.
Alright then, let's do the full orbit before we return.
Champagne, sir? The flight from Halim to Bogor only take, like, a very short flights.
And flight attendants, they will not have adequate time to serve all the passengers.
Would you care for some Russian caviar? But the question is, how did they end up here? The flight path data shows the plane's exact route.
As he's going southwest, he's on a heading of 240 degrees.
It also shows all compass headings entered by the pilots.
As he starts to loop down he changes to 333 degrees.
At first, everything seems to be going according to plan.
But then investigators discover something they can't explain.
TRANSLATOR: We were all surprised and confused as to why this plane was headed south.
The last input was 174 heading south, over here, right here.
He should have put in another input heading back to the north.
A compass heading of 174 degrees took the plane south into the mountain.
The pilot needed to input another heading of 333 degrees to turn the plane back towards Halim Airport.
This is where something went wrong, right here.
TRANSLATOR: Our biggest question was, What was the reason for the flight path heading south after the orbit over Bogor? Investigators wonder if the navigation system somehow failed, leading the pilots off course.
They study the data, looking for any sign of a malfunction.
The flight systems look fine.
TRANSLATOR: The black box data showed no problems with this plane.
All the engine and flight control systems were in normal condition.
Can you isolate the Terrain Warning System? Next, they look at how the Terrain Warning System performed.
Did it alert the pilots to impending danger? There's TAWS warnings.
The data shows the TAWS sent out multiple alerts in the final 40 seconds of flight.
The terrain awareness warning system has two type of warning, first, visual warning with lights, and aural warnings with sound.
So, it is impossible for the pilot that they will not recognise the warning.
I don't get it.
If the warnings worked Then these guys would have known what to do.
Investigators are stumped.
Flight data shows the captain made no attempt to turn the plane.
Even more baffling, the TAWS system was deactivated 28 seconds before the crash.
Or did the pilot turn it off? Why that happened is a complete mystery.
TRANSLATOR: We didn't know for sure if the crew had indeed disabled the system or if there was an error in the system.
240 miles an hour straight into the side of a mountain.
TRANSLATOR: So, the big question was, why didn't they take any action to avoid the crash? Let's hope the CVR can give us something more.
Indonesian investigators now know that the pilots of the Sukhoi Superjet failed to complete a turn, sending their plane straight into a mountain.
- Eugh! - Ah! They also know that the aircraft's advanced Terrain Warning System was shut down before the impact.
What they don't understand is why.
They hope to find some answers on the cockpit voice recording, a recording they feared they might never get to hear.
When we received the CVR, the memory module wire was burned so it takes some time for us to rewire this.
Ready? Investigators synchronize the from the cockpit to the flight data to create a comprehensive timeline.
TRANSLATOR: The FDR data shows the direction of the flight every second.
If we superimpose this data with the CVR then we can know second by second the position of the flight and what the pilots were conversing about.
Highly important data.
So, we know everything is fine when the plane heads towards Bogor.
It's on course facing southwest.
Play from there.
CAPTAIN YABLONTSEV: Let's get down to 6,000 so we can start to turn back.
The plane is about 20 miles south of Jakarta, flying over Bogor, when the first officer radios air traffic control.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801.
Requesting descent to 6,000.
Dark cloud ahead.
It's a crucial three words.
Dark clouds between the cockpit and the mountain.
They probably don't see the mountain in front of them.
TRANSLATOR: The dark clouds were in the direction of Mount Salak.
They wouldn't be able to see anything, not even a mountain.
Alright then, let's do the full orbit before we return.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801.
Requesting right orbit at 6,000.
GROUND AGENT: Sukhoi 36801, right orbit approved.
As the plane starts to turn and descend, it initially moves away from the cloud-covered mountains.
The flight computer does all the work for me.
A pilot would be demonstrating to a potential customer that was in the flight deck at this time.
Uh, "Hey, this is how this works.
This is how this happens.
" It's actually showing how automation and other knobs are creating a turn in an aircraft.
I know he's trying to showcase the plane, but shouldn't he focus on flying the orbit? Investigators suspect that, on this flight, the cockpit demonstration became too much of a distraction for the pilots.
The aircraft started to make orbit.
We heard the discussion among three persons in the cockpit.
The captain tried to show the sophistication of the aircraft.
As the plane turns, the captain keeps talking.
CAPTAIN YABLONTSEV: Another great feature is the TAWS.
This discussion took about 38 seconds.
It gives us excellent terrain awareness.
It has predictive hazard warning, and it's really state of the art.
Now, he's showing off the TAWS.
Now, the plane is about a third of the way through their 360-degree turn.
But, no problem with the terrain at this moment.
GUEST PILOT: Yes, because it's flat terrain.
Wait.
Stop there.
Now, they are in a wide turn, facing this way, and the TAWS is telling them it is flat.
But it won't be for long.
The aircraft was on heading towards Jakarta where there is no mountain ahead.
It was only flat area and the sea.
Let's keep playing.
How is the fuel consumption? Fantastic.
As you can see, we've hardly burned any fuel.
Yeah.
These engines are so efficient.
Wait.
Stop.
His last input was 174.
That would take them towards the mountain and he needs to keep turning.
But he's talking about the engines.
Investigators' suspicions prove to be correct.
The captain is so distracted he never completes the circle.
TRANSLATOR: As we learned, they ended up not performing a full orbit but went off track at 174 degrees.
He's so busy chatting he simply forgot to input the rest of the turn.
During this time where the discussion was so intense, the pilot did not reselect the heading to get a complete circles.
Let's start the approach.
I'll check the charts.
After the fuel consumption talk, the pilots prepare for landing.
The captain thinks he's on course for the airport when, in fact, he's heading for disaster.
CAPTAIN YABLONSTEV: Make the request to Jakarta.
TAWS: Terrain.
Terrain.
Pull up.
- That's definitely the TAWS.
- TAWS: Pull up.
The CVR confirms that the warning system did sound when it needed to.
TAWS: Pull up.
Why aren't they doing anything about the terrain warning? TAWS: Terrain.
Terrain.
CAPTAIN YABLONTSEV: Why is that going off? - Umm - TAWS: Pull up.
Pull up.
They knew that this warning indicate that they fly toward the terrain, but their starting question is why it should be active.
TAWS: Terrain.
Terrain.
Investigators know that the TAWS warning system will be shut off moments before the plane flies straight into a mountain, but they still don't know why .
.
until the CVR provides a crucial clue.
CAPTAIN YABLONTSEV: Maybe the database.
Wait! That's it.
Database.
The database.
The flight computer has a database loaded with terrain information.
But the captain thinks it is faulty, and he hasn't seen the mountain because of the clouds.
And it's not on his navigation chart.
He is convinced the TAWS warning is an error.
TRANSLATOR: We strongly believe the Captain thought he was on flat ground.
This is supported by what we heard the pilot say.
"Why is this? It may be data.
" TAWS: Terrain.
Terrain.
To the captain, the potentially lifesaving TAWS warning is nothing more than a harsh, annoying sound.
TAWS: Terrain.
Terrain.
TRANSLATOR: Alerts like 'terrain ahead' or 'pull up' are strong warnings.
In this case, he should have pulled up.
Don't bother asking if it's a drill or a real fire.
He was not well-briefed.
He didn't take the diligence to find out what the potential threats were.
The crash is now inevitable.
Ah! Either pilot should have stepped up to act.
"Let's move.
" "Let's climb.
" "Let's turn.
" Uh "Let's get out of the way for what this system is telling us to do.
" Both of these pilots just kind of let it be, and went about their merry way.
We conducted simulations based on the FDR data.
The simulation conclude that the pilots have around 22 seconds to decide and react properly.
I was quite sad that the pilots did not react to the warning.
In their final report, investigators conclude that the crew disregarded the TAWS warnings because they were unaware of the nearby mountains.
They were flying in the wrong direction due to distractions in the cockpit.
I think that this accident was almost all human error, humans not properly charting the area, humans not properly taking care of the air traffic controller, the pilots being lazy about their decision making in the flight deck.
These are all human factors, every single one of them.
The most important part to be learned from this accident was that the pilots should react properly to the warning.
The Superjet continues to fly but without making much of a dent in the global marketplace.
The Sukhoi Superjet has not performed exactly as desired.
There's just a little over 100 that were built and delivered, which falls very short of where Sukhoi had wanted.
TRANSLATOR: The worst part was that those were people with whom I'd already flown several thousand kilometres, and now they're gone.
I don't know what they felt in their last minutes.
I hope they didn't have time to feel anything.
Captioned by Ai-Media ai-media.
tv
Terrain.
Terrain.
Terrain.
- Why is that going off? - Terrain.
Terrain.
A Sukhoi Superjet 100, one of the world's newest and most advanced airliners, slams into a mountain, killing everyone onboard.
Why was the plane so far off course? Indonesian investigators face one of the biggest challenges they've ever encountered.
TRANSLATOR: The crash site was below an 800 meter cliff.
Only an elite team can get there.
You guys search up here.
I'm going down.
Risking life and limb to recover the black box.
TRANSLATOR: The situation was quite scary.
And it's just mind-blowing.
But will it give investigators the answers they need? It's a Wednesday afternoon in Jakarta, Indonesia.
At Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, flight RA 36,801 is almost ready for departure.
Champagne, sir? 36 invited guests are getting the gold star treatment on a demonstration flight for a brand new Russian aircraft.
The atmosphere in the cabin during a demonstration flight is usually pretty relaxed.
People are chit chatting.
You know, people are schmoozing.
People are cracking jokes.
It's a very light atmosphere.
The plane is a Sukhoi Superjet 100.
Sukhoi is an aircraft manufacturer that's known for making military aircraft.
Russia hadn't really dove into the realm of creating commercial airliners, and this was their first.
So, it was kind of a big deal for them.
This afternoon's flight is part of a six-country Welcome to Asia tour.
The passengers are a mix of potential buyers from major airlines and journalists who can create some buzz.
Alexander Kovalev is a reporter who has been covering the development of the plane since the beginning.
I joined the tour at the very start.
It's a brand new airplane, and presenting it to top members of government and potential buyers delighted me.
In the cabin, a flight engineer and navigator prepare to monitor the plane's performance from take-off to landing.
But that's not their only job today.
They know that in Russia there are hopes the Superjet 100 will help revive the nation's troubled aviation industry.
A big part of their job is to help sell the plane.
Russia has kind of a poor reputation for safety over the decades.
So a lot is at stake.
This is the beginning of their reputation, and these reputations will carry on in the future.
I'm sorry.
I'm gonna have to take that glass from you.
I'll bring you another when we're in the air.
Thanks.
The Superjet has already flown demonstration flights in Kazakhstan, Myanmar and Pakistan.
Jakarta is the fourth stop on the whirlwind tour.
The tour's Russian organisers have hired local Indonesian flight attendants for the day.
The young flight attendants were anticipating a flight on a brand new airplane.
It was a big chance for them and a big honour.
Flaps 15.
Flaps 15, check.
Captain Alexander Yablontsev is Sukhoi's chief test pilot.
Transponder.
Set.
He has 10,000 flight hours under his belt and more hours in the Superjet than any other pilot.
The chief pilot was involved in this project from the very start.
As Russian pilots say, he gave the plane wings.
Before take-off checklist complete.
First Officer Alexander Kotchetkov is also a seasoned test pilot.
Both pilots conducted themselves in the most professional manner, absolutely impeccably.
Sukhoi 36,801, cleared for take-off, runway six.
Here we go.
V-1.
Rotate.
This is the second demonstration flight of the day.
The first flight from Halim Airport was completely unremarkable.
But before the second flight, I was asked to shoot the plane from the ground.
I simply set out towards the runway to shoot video of the Superjet 100 ascending into the skies.
Gear up.
The flight is planned to be a tight 30-minute loop south from Jakarta into the rural area of Bogor, then back to the airport.
Sukhoi 36,801, turn right to intercept radial 200 and climb to 10,000.
Air traffic control guides the plane away from the busy commercial flight zone near the city.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801, intercepting radial 200 and climbing to one-zero-thousand.
The Superjet is the first new Russian passenger jet since the collapse of the Soviet empire.
It's been 12 years in development.
Sukhoi hopes it's now ready to take on the world.
The Superjet itself was a regional aircraft designed to compete globally against other aircraft manufacturers like Canadair and Embraer, which had other regional jets, about 100 feet long, about 100 passengers, a little bit less, and are very popular around the world.
And with a growing population of 240 million, Indonesia could be a huge market for Sukhoi.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801 reaching level one-zero-thousand.
Roger, 36,801.
Proceed to Bogor at your discretion.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.
Sukhoi welcomes you onboard of the Superjet 100.
Uh you've seen I've turned off the seatbelt sign.
Now you have a few minutes to tour the cabin.
That's a very smooth ascent.
For this second flight, there's a potential customer in the cockpit, a pilot from a major Indonesian airline.
In a demonstration flight they're not operating under the same exact rules as an airline flight.
It's not abnormal at all in any part of the world to invite one of the folks up and just give them that special experience.
As promised, a fresh glass of champagne.
The short flight is already almost half over.
But no-one in the cabin is in a rush to get back on the ground.
Let's get down to six thousand so we can start to turn back.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801, requesting descent to 6,000.
Sukhoi 36,801, cleared to 6,000 feet.
EY 7,136, cleared to land.
JT 792, continue approach to runway two-four.
Impressive flight deck.
I could certainly get used to this.
Alright then, let's do the full orbit before we return.
The captain decides to prolong the flight by flying an extra loop.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801.
Requesting right orbit at 6,000.
It was just them having a little bit of fun.
Do a little holding spin over here just to show you what that looks like.
Sukhoi 36,801, right orbit approved.
AK 734, winds southeast ten knots, proceed with approach.
Everything is exactly where it needs to be.
Very pilot friendly.
The turn is so smooth passengers hardly feel it in the cabin.
Would you care for some Russian caviar? Another great feature is the TAWS.
It gives us excellent terrain awareness.
It has predictive hazard warning and uh it's really state of the art.
The Superjet was equipped with the latest in aviation technology.
This definitely set it apart from its many worthy competitors, which were available on the market.
Do you want to do another orbit or shall we begin the approach? Uh let's start the approach.
As the first officer checks his approach chart Terrain.
Terrain.
an automated warning begins to sound.
Terrain.
Terrain.
Terrain.
Terrain.
Why is that going off? Maybe the database.
Gear.
Gear.
Gear.
Gear.
Gear.
At the control centre, the air traffic controller notices a problem.
The Sukhoi Superjet has vanished from radar.
Where'd you go? Sukhoi 36,801, please come in.
In Jakarta, air traffic controllers are trying to understand what happened to a Russian plane on a demonstration flight.
Come on, come on, talk to me.
On approach, the crew is always listening to air traffic control.
They're always waiting for their next command of guidance.
Communication is not constant but they're aware of each other.
Sukhoi 36,801, please come in! After four calls, there's still no reply.
The controller knows the plane should have landed by now.
Sukhoi 36,801 is off radar.
He alerts his supervisor, and authorities declare an emergency.
All of us who remained on the ground were deeply worried about the people onboard.
We called their cell phones and two phones suddenly started working.
The signal was there but nobody answered them.
As minutes turn to hours, the mystery deepens.
The fear is that the plane went down in the mountains south of Bogor.
Relatives of passengers camp out overnight at the airport, desperate for news of their loved ones.
(SPEAKING IN INDONESIAN) At 8:35am the next day, 18 hours after the plane vanished, a helicopter pilot finally gets close enough to spot something blue and white specks in the distance.
The Sukhoi Superjet has crashed into Mount Salak, the debris spilling thousands of feet down a cliff face.
Mardjono Siswosuwarno is the lead investigator assigned to the case by the KNKT, Indonesia's transportation safety agency.
When I first heard about the location of the crash, my initial reaction was: How could this plane end up there? Mount Salak has a fierce reputation.
Its jagged peaks reach 7,200 feet.
Locals call it an airplane graveyard.
Mount Salak is infamous according to the local press.
The mountain and its surroundings have seen many crashes of different light planes and helicopters.
I personally felt the negative energy of this mountain.
The crash site is right here.
How could a brand new jet with sophisticated navigation systems and an expert crew crash into a notorious mountain? When there's a crash everything is on the table.
You have no idea.
There are any number of variables at play, until it gets eliminated by providing fact.
We need to send a team up this mountain, fast.
It's one of the most challenging locations Indonesian crash investigators have ever faced.
Our mission was to search for the black box.
But how do we find it and retrieve it? This is the problem and our biggest challenge.
There are no easy routes.
Mardjono knows only the most skilled mountaineers will be up to the task.
We need to bring in Ony for this.
Ony Wibowo is a junior investigator with the KNKT.
He's also an expert climber now tasked with joining a group of Indonesian marines on a treacherous hike up Mount Salak.
Before I joined the KNKT, I developed a hobby for trekking, mountaineering, and rope work.
Keep moving, guys.
This location was quite extreme for me.
We had to create a new path, and it required a lot of effort.
We had to climb to higher elevation before we were able to reach the location.
It takes nine hours but finally they reach the crash site.
What they find is overwhelming.
When I reached the site, the situation was quite scary.
There was lots of smoke and wreckage and debris everywhere.
It was such a sad thing to witness.
There's no hope of survivors.
45 people are dead, Indonesian, Russian, American and French.
I tried to imagine what the people who were in the cabin at the time felt and how it ended.
It's the single memory which has haunted me ever since.
Somehow, they must regroup and try to find the black boxes.
I was determined to use all my knowledge to find out why this plane crash at Mount Salak happened.
In Jakarta, the search for answers to what brought down a Sukhoi demonstration flight takes investigators to air traffic control.
So, can you tell me what happened? Well, they were just supposed to do a thirty minute loop.
Then, before I knew it, they had disappeared from radar.
So why did they end up at Mount Salak? I don't know.
Weren't you supposed to be monitoring them? I was so busy.
I lost track of the plane.
Investigators learn that the controller had an exceptionally heavy workload.
He was monitoring about a dozen flights.
EY 7,136, cleared to land.
JT 792, continue approach to runway two-four.
Making matters worse, both his assistant and his supervisor were absent that shift.
He was doing three jobs.
This person was working beyond the edge of his limitations for any air traffic controller and that alone is, is incredibly unsafe.
Any air traffic control organization around the world usually has backups in place.
Even when their staffing is low they will delay aircraft and keep them on the ground.
To not have that is, is huge.
Why did you clear them to fly at 6,000 feet? You must have known they would never clear the mountain.
My system said it was a military jet.
Investigators discover that the airport's status system had incorrectly labelled the plane as SU-30, which identifies it as a Sukhoi military aircraft.
The air traffic controller had labelled this plane similar to the Sukhoi military aircraft that belonged to the Indonesian Air Force, not knowing it was in fact a civilian aircraft.
Military can fly pretty much as low as they want.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801, requesting descent at 6,000.
When the pilots requested a descent, the controller assumed they were heading for a military training area in Bogor right along the Sukhoi's flight path.
Sukhoi 36,801, cleared to six thousand feet.
EY 7,136, cleared to land.
JT 792, continue approach to runway two-four.
The ATC thought that it was a military aircraft flying in a military airspace, so 6,000 is not a concern for them.
But I still don't understand.
Why was the plane so far off course? That's a good question.
I really don't know.
The plane was supposed to turn and fly north towards Jakarta, but instead it flew south and hit a mountain 54 kilometres from the airport.
Investigators need to know why.
They hope the black boxes can give them some answers.
The most important thing is the black box, which records the flight data and the conversation inside the cockpit.
This is what we're looking for.
But they could be anywhere.
You guys search up here.
I'm going down.
The search team targets the thickly forested valley below.
From my experience, I could predict that a relatively small object like a black box would fall down to the base of the cliff.
So this was their biggest challenge.
The crash site was below an 800 meter cliff.
Finally, six days after the crash, a breakthrough.
We found it.
We found the CVR.
The recorder's outer casing is damaged, but if the data inside can be retrieved, investigators may finally be able to understand why the jet veered fatally off course.
While investigators wait for the cockpit voice recordings, the consider two stark possibilities regarding the fate of flight 36801.
Either the Sukhoi's flight systems failed and led the plane off track, or the pilots made a deadly error.
Since news of the crash broke, there's been speculation that the chief test pilot was showing off, trying to give passengers a better view.
This guy had a spotless record.
But his personnel files reveal that, during his 36 years of flying, there has been no hint of reckless behaviour.
TRANSLATOR: His flight records showed he had more than 10,000 hours.
He was never unprofessional.
I flew several thousand kilometres on that plane through varied conditions and weather.
He was not a reckless pilot.
So, what do we know about the days leading up to the accident? (SPEAKS INDONESIAN) They study the pilot's work schedules, looking for anything unusual.
They discover that the captain and his first officer were on the fourth leg of the demonstration tour.
Maybe they were tired.
A closer examination reveals that the Sukhoi pilots had the evening off the day before the crash, and the demonstration flight that preceded the accident last only 22 minutes.
This was not a tough schedule.
We didn't find any evidence that the pilot was physically unfit.
Investigators are at a loss, still with no solid clues about the cause of the crash.
They were supposed to go south to the area of Bogor, turn and come right back to the airport.
How did they end up over here? It makes no sense.
Let's get down to 6,000 so we can start to turn back.
The Russian crew had never flown in Indonesia before, but handling new routes is something all professional pilots are trained to do.
TRANSLATOR: Flying in a new area is very common, but this needs to be accompanied by having a very detailed briefing.
Investigators wonder, how well briefed was the crew before the fatal flight? Can I help you? Yes.
Can you tell me how the briefing with the pilots went? They check in with the ground handling agent.
It went fine, except the pilots never showed up.
So, who exactly did you brief? Investigators are surprised to learn that only the Chief Navigator attended the briefing.
I think it would have been helpful if the pilots were present in that briefing, but I don't think it's that big of a deal as long as the Navigator is doing his or her job to make sure that the pilots have their their information.
According to the agent, the briefing was short, just a quick chat about the flight plan with no mention of terrain.
You didn't warn him about the mountains? He didn't ask.
Mind you, he didn't speak English very well.
It seems a language barrier may have prevented the communication of a key piece of information.
The most important part of the briefing that should be given to the pilot is the area.
They should show Bogor area southwest of Jakarta and surrounding the area is quite high mountains.
But a missed briefing doesn't explain the crash.
Investigators know that the pilots had flight charts that should have given them detailed information about the local topography.
It's terrain, it's safe altitudes, weather charts, just general threats that might be specific to an area that they may not be used to.
All these different things should all be understood and briefed.
OK, let's put this up and see what they were given.
Investigators scrutinise the topographical map of the area.
They then compare it to the navigational chart provided by the Ground Handler.
But where's Mount Salak? They make a disturbing discovery.
The chart shows no terrain contours or altitudes of any kind.
The mountain's not indicated on the chart at all.
TRANSLATOR: The map they needed is available in Indonesia and you can buy it anywhere.
But they didn't have this map onboard.
Why? I have no idea.
I mean, to not have any terrain info and not have any idea that there even would have been terrain to even be aware of is mind-blowing.
The weather office near Mount Salak reported low clouds and poor visibility that afternoon.
Without knowing to look for the mountains, the pilots may not have spotted them.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801.
Reaching level one-zero-thousand.
The pilots had no idea the mountains were there.
But why didn't the plane's computer system warn them? Investigators turn their attention to the Sukhoi Superjet 100.
Is the state-of-the-art aircraft somehow to blame for the crash? I want to know more about how this TAWS system works.
The investigative spotlight now shines on one of the Sukhoi Superjet's most important safety systems.
It's called TAWS, Terrain Awareness and Warning System.
Using GPS, it tracks the plane's heading and predicts when it's at risk of colliding with terrain.
It's designed to alert pilots in plenty of time to respond.
Maybe the system somehow failed.
Everyone wants the answer.
For days, the news has shown search-and-rescue teams collecting body parts from the mountaintop and flying them to Jakarta for DNA analysis.
Family members' only hope is that their loved ones' remains can be identified for burial.
TRANSLATOR: All the fragments were identified with the help of DNA experts.
There were lots of flowers at the ceremony, which happened right at Halim Airport.
The highest-ranking Indonesians were present.
It was truly a national state of mourning.
It stretched over several days.
Airlines put purchase orders for the Superjet on hold.
Millions of dollars are on the line.
It still stands to be a huge, huge blemish for Sukhoi and a costly one at that.
While investigators wait for the cockpit voice recorder, they start with the flight data recorder, which was recovered 21 days after the crash.
The flight data recorder becomes important in crashes like this because everyone was deceased on the aircraft.
It holds secrets that no one would otherwise know.
This is the original flight path here.
And we know from the controllers that they requested permission to do an extra 360-degree turn.
Impressive flight deck.
I could certainly get used to this.
Alright then, let's do the full orbit before we return.
Champagne, sir? The flight from Halim to Bogor only take, like, a very short flights.
And flight attendants, they will not have adequate time to serve all the passengers.
Would you care for some Russian caviar? But the question is, how did they end up here? The flight path data shows the plane's exact route.
As he's going southwest, he's on a heading of 240 degrees.
It also shows all compass headings entered by the pilots.
As he starts to loop down he changes to 333 degrees.
At first, everything seems to be going according to plan.
But then investigators discover something they can't explain.
TRANSLATOR: We were all surprised and confused as to why this plane was headed south.
The last input was 174 heading south, over here, right here.
He should have put in another input heading back to the north.
A compass heading of 174 degrees took the plane south into the mountain.
The pilot needed to input another heading of 333 degrees to turn the plane back towards Halim Airport.
This is where something went wrong, right here.
TRANSLATOR: Our biggest question was, What was the reason for the flight path heading south after the orbit over Bogor? Investigators wonder if the navigation system somehow failed, leading the pilots off course.
They study the data, looking for any sign of a malfunction.
The flight systems look fine.
TRANSLATOR: The black box data showed no problems with this plane.
All the engine and flight control systems were in normal condition.
Can you isolate the Terrain Warning System? Next, they look at how the Terrain Warning System performed.
Did it alert the pilots to impending danger? There's TAWS warnings.
The data shows the TAWS sent out multiple alerts in the final 40 seconds of flight.
The terrain awareness warning system has two type of warning, first, visual warning with lights, and aural warnings with sound.
So, it is impossible for the pilot that they will not recognise the warning.
I don't get it.
If the warnings worked Then these guys would have known what to do.
Investigators are stumped.
Flight data shows the captain made no attempt to turn the plane.
Even more baffling, the TAWS system was deactivated 28 seconds before the crash.
Or did the pilot turn it off? Why that happened is a complete mystery.
TRANSLATOR: We didn't know for sure if the crew had indeed disabled the system or if there was an error in the system.
240 miles an hour straight into the side of a mountain.
TRANSLATOR: So, the big question was, why didn't they take any action to avoid the crash? Let's hope the CVR can give us something more.
Indonesian investigators now know that the pilots of the Sukhoi Superjet failed to complete a turn, sending their plane straight into a mountain.
- Eugh! - Ah! They also know that the aircraft's advanced Terrain Warning System was shut down before the impact.
What they don't understand is why.
They hope to find some answers on the cockpit voice recording, a recording they feared they might never get to hear.
When we received the CVR, the memory module wire was burned so it takes some time for us to rewire this.
Ready? Investigators synchronize the from the cockpit to the flight data to create a comprehensive timeline.
TRANSLATOR: The FDR data shows the direction of the flight every second.
If we superimpose this data with the CVR then we can know second by second the position of the flight and what the pilots were conversing about.
Highly important data.
So, we know everything is fine when the plane heads towards Bogor.
It's on course facing southwest.
Play from there.
CAPTAIN YABLONTSEV: Let's get down to 6,000 so we can start to turn back.
The plane is about 20 miles south of Jakarta, flying over Bogor, when the first officer radios air traffic control.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801.
Requesting descent to 6,000.
Dark cloud ahead.
It's a crucial three words.
Dark clouds between the cockpit and the mountain.
They probably don't see the mountain in front of them.
TRANSLATOR: The dark clouds were in the direction of Mount Salak.
They wouldn't be able to see anything, not even a mountain.
Alright then, let's do the full orbit before we return.
Jakarta control, Sukhoi 36,801.
Requesting right orbit at 6,000.
GROUND AGENT: Sukhoi 36801, right orbit approved.
As the plane starts to turn and descend, it initially moves away from the cloud-covered mountains.
The flight computer does all the work for me.
A pilot would be demonstrating to a potential customer that was in the flight deck at this time.
Uh, "Hey, this is how this works.
This is how this happens.
" It's actually showing how automation and other knobs are creating a turn in an aircraft.
I know he's trying to showcase the plane, but shouldn't he focus on flying the orbit? Investigators suspect that, on this flight, the cockpit demonstration became too much of a distraction for the pilots.
The aircraft started to make orbit.
We heard the discussion among three persons in the cockpit.
The captain tried to show the sophistication of the aircraft.
As the plane turns, the captain keeps talking.
CAPTAIN YABLONTSEV: Another great feature is the TAWS.
This discussion took about 38 seconds.
It gives us excellent terrain awareness.
It has predictive hazard warning, and it's really state of the art.
Now, he's showing off the TAWS.
Now, the plane is about a third of the way through their 360-degree turn.
But, no problem with the terrain at this moment.
GUEST PILOT: Yes, because it's flat terrain.
Wait.
Stop there.
Now, they are in a wide turn, facing this way, and the TAWS is telling them it is flat.
But it won't be for long.
The aircraft was on heading towards Jakarta where there is no mountain ahead.
It was only flat area and the sea.
Let's keep playing.
How is the fuel consumption? Fantastic.
As you can see, we've hardly burned any fuel.
Yeah.
These engines are so efficient.
Wait.
Stop.
His last input was 174.
That would take them towards the mountain and he needs to keep turning.
But he's talking about the engines.
Investigators' suspicions prove to be correct.
The captain is so distracted he never completes the circle.
TRANSLATOR: As we learned, they ended up not performing a full orbit but went off track at 174 degrees.
He's so busy chatting he simply forgot to input the rest of the turn.
During this time where the discussion was so intense, the pilot did not reselect the heading to get a complete circles.
Let's start the approach.
I'll check the charts.
After the fuel consumption talk, the pilots prepare for landing.
The captain thinks he's on course for the airport when, in fact, he's heading for disaster.
CAPTAIN YABLONSTEV: Make the request to Jakarta.
TAWS: Terrain.
Terrain.
Pull up.
- That's definitely the TAWS.
- TAWS: Pull up.
The CVR confirms that the warning system did sound when it needed to.
TAWS: Pull up.
Why aren't they doing anything about the terrain warning? TAWS: Terrain.
Terrain.
CAPTAIN YABLONTSEV: Why is that going off? - Umm - TAWS: Pull up.
Pull up.
They knew that this warning indicate that they fly toward the terrain, but their starting question is why it should be active.
TAWS: Terrain.
Terrain.
Investigators know that the TAWS warning system will be shut off moments before the plane flies straight into a mountain, but they still don't know why .
.
until the CVR provides a crucial clue.
CAPTAIN YABLONTSEV: Maybe the database.
Wait! That's it.
Database.
The database.
The flight computer has a database loaded with terrain information.
But the captain thinks it is faulty, and he hasn't seen the mountain because of the clouds.
And it's not on his navigation chart.
He is convinced the TAWS warning is an error.
TRANSLATOR: We strongly believe the Captain thought he was on flat ground.
This is supported by what we heard the pilot say.
"Why is this? It may be data.
" TAWS: Terrain.
Terrain.
To the captain, the potentially lifesaving TAWS warning is nothing more than a harsh, annoying sound.
TAWS: Terrain.
Terrain.
TRANSLATOR: Alerts like 'terrain ahead' or 'pull up' are strong warnings.
In this case, he should have pulled up.
Don't bother asking if it's a drill or a real fire.
He was not well-briefed.
He didn't take the diligence to find out what the potential threats were.
The crash is now inevitable.
Ah! Either pilot should have stepped up to act.
"Let's move.
" "Let's climb.
" "Let's turn.
" Uh "Let's get out of the way for what this system is telling us to do.
" Both of these pilots just kind of let it be, and went about their merry way.
We conducted simulations based on the FDR data.
The simulation conclude that the pilots have around 22 seconds to decide and react properly.
I was quite sad that the pilots did not react to the warning.
In their final report, investigators conclude that the crew disregarded the TAWS warnings because they were unaware of the nearby mountains.
They were flying in the wrong direction due to distractions in the cockpit.
I think that this accident was almost all human error, humans not properly charting the area, humans not properly taking care of the air traffic controller, the pilots being lazy about their decision making in the flight deck.
These are all human factors, every single one of them.
The most important part to be learned from this accident was that the pilots should react properly to the warning.
The Superjet continues to fly but without making much of a dent in the global marketplace.
The Sukhoi Superjet has not performed exactly as desired.
There's just a little over 100 that were built and delivered, which falls very short of where Sukhoi had wanted.
TRANSLATOR: The worst part was that those were people with whom I'd already flown several thousand kilometres, and now they're gone.
I don't know what they felt in their last minutes.
I hope they didn't have time to feel anything.
Captioned by Ai-Media ai-media.
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