Air Disasters: Dramatic black box flight recordings. Malcolm MacPherson

Memphis, can you hear me?

      TOWER: Uh, is this Express 705 heavy?

      CAPTAIN: 705, yes.

      TOWER: 705 heavy, Memphis, roger, I do hear you.

      You can proceed direct to Memphis if able. Expect runway niner. The altimeter is 30.29er.

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: You understand we’re declaring an emergency. We need security to meet the aeroplane. We’ll stop it on the runway if we can.

      TOWER: Express 705 heavy, affirmative, all that’s been taken care of, that security will be available for, as well as medical assistance.

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: Dave!

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: Yes!

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: Are you okay?

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: I’m okay. Are you? Do you have him under control? Talk to me, Jim.

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: Huh?

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: Do you have him under control?

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: I’m okay.

      TOWER: Express 705 heavy, can you proceed, direct to Memphis. Descend at your discretion and, uh, the localizer is on for runway niner.

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: All right, we’re headed that way now, I think.

      TOWER: Roger. Express 705 heavy, is the situation under control or is it still in progress?

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: We appear to have it under control.

      TOWER: Roger.

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Uh, Memphis, this is 705, understand that we need some medical personnel to meet us also!

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy, roger, that’s being taken care of. They’ll meet you there. Express 705 heavy, are you able to turn towards the airport?

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Yeah, give me a vector.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Zero vector…

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: We’re turning towards the airport now…

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Left turn heading 100.

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: 100 Express 705. Express 705, I got to descend down to 7000 to proceed to Memphis.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705, roger, descend at your discretion. Express 705 heavy, if able you can pick up the localizer runway niner and track it inbound.

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Give me that frequency, please.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Okay, runway niner localizer is, uh, 109er.5.

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: 109.5, thank you, nine six, 89 inbound?

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Say again?

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: 089 inbound?

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Affirmative.

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: Dave!

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: Yeah!

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: Can you get her [the aeroplane] on the ground?

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: Okay.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy, when you can I’d, uh, like to know your fuel on board and, uh, number of, uh, persons on board.

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Okay, we’ll, uh, give it to you in just a second.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: No rush.

      CAPTAIN TO REAR OF COCKPIT: Listen, is he okay, put, put that thing in his throat, I don’t give a shit if he’s dead or not, don’t kill him but hold him, you got him, Jim? Jim, are you under control? Jim, are you under control? Jim? Jim, are you under control? Are you under control?

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: No, no!…Something’s the matter with me!

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: There is something wrong with him!

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: No!

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: You keep him down, hear!

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: I can’t…!

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: You can keep him down, put that thing in his…!

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: No, no!

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy, is that localizer coming in now?

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Yeah, we’re on the localizer now, descending.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Roger, and you want a visual or do you just want to, do you want to shoot the ILS

      [instrument landing system] or just shoot a visual?

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: I’ll follow the ILS down and take a visual.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Roger, Flight 705 heavy, at pilot’s discretion maintain, uh, 2000 and advise when you get the airport in sight.

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Will advise.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Okay, you’re three zero, three one miles west of the airport.

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Thank you, sir.

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: You got him down okay? Hey, you put that, you keep him under control. Is he trying to get up? [Sound of hammers being thrown into cockpit]

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: No!

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: You hang in there now! Hey, put that, go back and, hit him on the head, just…[Sounds of struggle from rear of plane]

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy, you’re about twenty-five miles from the airport, and I’ll be making a transmission every thirty to forty seconds just to stay in touch. [Sounds of struggle from rear of plane]

      FLIGHT ENGINEER FROM REAR: Stay down!

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: If you have to, if you have to put that in his throat, you do it! [Sounds of struggle from rear of plane]

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: Is he still down?

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: Yeah, yeah!

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: Is he, is he under control?

      FIRST OFFICER FROM REAR: I don’t know…

      Yeah, he is.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy, you’re twenty miles from the airport and uh, do you have that fuel and passenger information?

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: I got four on board, 86, uh, 85,000, I think 86,000 in fuel, four souls.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Roger Express 705 heavy, how many people should security be looking for?

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Four.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Yeah, I mean how many involved in the action?

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Everybody’s been injured, uh, there’s one person that, uh, lost it the, uh, jump-seat passenger’s the one that attacked the crew.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Okay, thank you. [Sounds of struggle from rear of plane]

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy, verify uh, situation’s still under control.

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Well, it’s sort of under control.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Okay, Express 705 heavy, uh, fifteen miles from the airport, about fourteen miles, uh, advise when you get it in sight.

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: I have it in sight.

      TOWER TO CAPTAIN: Express 705 heavy is cleared visual runway 9, Express 705 heavy, the wind is uh, zero three zero at five, cleared to land runway niner. [Sounds of struggle from rear of cockpit]

      CAPTAIN TO TOWER: Cleared to land?

      CAPTAIN TO REAR: Kill the son of a bitch! Kill him!

      Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! [Sounds of groans from first officer in rear of cockpit]

      FLIGHT ENGINEER FROM REAR: