I thought I'd post this transcript of the CVR recording for Eastern Airlines Flight 401 inbound to Miami on the night of December 29, 1972. When I was younger I read a book called "The Ghost of Flight 401" which went into some detail about the crash and its aftermath, including rumours about a ghost of one of the officers haunting Eastern aircraft. The book really creeped me out.
As a result of the crash, Lockheed took numerous steps to improve aircraft safety, such as changing the cockpit instrumentation and redesigning passenger cabin entry/exit hatches. As you read this, it should be apparent what caused the crash. The left wingtip impacted first, carving a deep gouge in the swamp, then the plane righted itself momentarily before plowing into trees. If you've seen footage of the ValuJet crash of a few years ago, you'll have a pretty good idea of the type of terrain the rescuers and investigators had to deal with after the accident.
WARNING: This is an actual transcript of real events of an airline disaster and reader sensitivity is advised.
TWR - Tower Control
CAM = Cockpit Area Mike
RDO = Radio transmission
-1 = captain
-2 = first officer
-3 = 2nd officer
# = foul language
23.32:35 RDO-1 Miami Tower, Eastern 401 just turned on final
23.32:45 TWR Who else called?
23.32:48 CAM-1 Go ahead and throw 'em out
23.32:52 RDO-1 Miami Tower, do you read, Eastern 401? Just turned on final
23.32:56 TWR Eastern 401 Heavy, continue approach to 9 left
23.33:00 RDO-1 Coninue approach, roger
23.33:00 CAM-3 Continuous ignition. No smoke
CAM-1 Coming on
CAM-3 Brake system
CAM-1 Okay
CAM-3 Radar
CAM-1 Up, off
CAM-3 Hydraulic panels checked
CAM-2 Thirty-five, thirty three
CAM-1 Bert, is that handle in?
CAM-? * * *
CAM-3 Engine crossbleeds are open
23.33:22 CAM-? Gear down
CAM-? * * *
CAM-1 I gotta
CAM-? .....
23.33:25 CAM-1 I gotta raise it back up
23.33:47 CAM-1 Now I'm gonna try it down one more time
CAM-2 All right
23.33:58 CAM [sound of altitude alert horn]
CAM-2 (Right) gear.
CAM-2 Well, want to tell 'em we'll take it around and circle around and # around?
23.34:05 RDO-1 Well ah, tower, this is Eastern, ah, 401. It looks like we're gonna have to circle, we don't have a light on our nose gear yet
23.34:14 TWR Eastern 401 heavy, roger, pull up, climb straight ahead to two thousand, go back to approach control, one twenty eight six
23.34:19 CAM-2 Twenty-two degrees.
CAM-2 Twenty-two degrees, gear up
CAM-1 Put power on it first, Bert. Thata boy.
CAM-1 Leave the # # gear down till we find out what we got
CAM-2 Allright
CAM-3 You want me to test the lights or not?
CAM-1 Yeah.
CAM-? * * seat back
CAM-1 Check it
CAM-2 Uh, Bob, it might be the light. Could you jiggle tha, the light?
CAM-3 It's gotta, gotta come out a little bit and then snap in
CAM-? * *
CAM-? I'll put 'em on
23.34:21 RDO-1 Okay, going up to two thousand, one twenty-eight six
23.34:58 CAM-2 We're up to two thousand
CAM-2 You want me to fly it, Bob?
CAM-1 What frequency did he want us on, Bert?
CAM-2 One twenty-eight six
CAM-1 I'll talk to 'em
CAM-3 It''s right ...........
CAM-1 Yeah, ............
CAM-3 I can't make it pull out, either
CAM-1 We got pressure
CAM-3 Yes sir, all systems
CAM-1 # #
23.35:09 RDO-1 All right ahh, Approach Control, Eastern 401, we're right over the airport here and climbing to two thousand feet. in fact, we've just
23.35:20 APP Eastern 401, roger. Turn left heading three six zero and maintain two thousand, vectors to 9 Left final
23.35:28 RDO-1 Left three six zero
23.36:04 CAM-1 Put the ... on autopilot here
CAM-2 Allright
CAM-1 See if you can get that light out
CAM-2 Allright
CAM-1 Now push the switches just a ... forward.
CAM-1 Okay.
CAM-1 You got it sideways, then.
CAM-? Naw, I don't think it'll fit.
CAM-1 You gotta turn it one quarter turn to the left.
23.36:27 APP Eastern 401, turn left heading three zero zero
RDO-1 Okay.
23.36:37 RDO-1 Three zero zero, Eastern 401
23.37:08 CAM-1 Hey, hey, get down there and see if that damn nose wheel's down. You better do that.
CAM-2 You got a handkerchief or something so I can get a little better grip on this? Anything I can do with it?
CAM-1 Get down there and see if that, see if that # thing ...
CAM-2 This won't come out, Bob. If I had a pair of pliers, I could cushion it with that Kleenex
CAM-3 I can give you pliers but if you force it, you'll break it, just believe me
CAM-2 Yeah, I'll cushion it with Kleenex
CAM-3 Oh, we can give you pliers
23.37:48 APP Eastern, uh, 401 turn left heading two seven zero
23.37:53 RDO-1 Left two seven zero, roger
23.38:34 CAM-1 To # with it, to # with this. Go down ans see if it's lined up with the red line. That's all we care. # around with that # twenty-cent piec
CAM * * *
23.38:46 RDO-1 Eastern 401 'll go ah, out west just a little further if we can here and, ah, see if we can get this light to come on here
23.38:54 APP Allright, ah, we got you headed westbound there now, Eastern 401
23.38:56 RDO-1 Allright
CAM-1 How much fuel we got left on this # # # #
CAM-? Fifty two five
CAM-2 (It won't come out) no way
23.39:37 CAM-1 Did you ever take it out of there?
CAM-2 Huh?
CAM-1 Have you evre taken it out of there?
CAM-2 Hadn't till now
CAM-1 Put it in the wrong way, huh?
CAM-2 In there looks * square to me
CAM-? Can't you get the hole lined up?
CAM-? * * *
CAM-? Whatever's wrong?
CAM-1 (What's that?)
23.40:05 CAM-2 I think that's over the training field
CAM-? West heading you wanna go left or *
CAM-2 Naw that's right, we're about to cross Krome Avenue right now
23.40:17 CAM [Sound of click]
CAM-2 I don't know what the # holding that # # # # in
CAM-2 Always something, we coulda make schedule
23.40:38 CAM [Sound of altitude alert]
CAM-1 We can tell if that # # # # is down by looking down at our indices
CAM-1 I'm sure it's down, there's no way it couldnt help but be
CAM-2 I'm sure it is
CAM-1 It freefalls down
CAM-2 The tests didn't show that the lights worked anyway
CAM-1 That 's right
CAM-2 It's a faulty light
23.41:05 CAM-2 Bob, this # # # # just won't come out
CAM-1 Allright leave it there
CAM-3 I don't see it down there
CAM-1 Huh?
CAM-3 I don't see it
CAM-1 You can't see that indis ... for the nosewheel ah, there's a place in there you can look and see if they're lined up
CAM-3 I know, a little like a telescope
CAM-1 Yeah
CAM-3 Well...
CAM-1 It's not lined up?
CAM-3 I can't see it, it's pitch dark and I throw the little light I get ah nothing
23.41:31 CAM-4 Wheel-well lights on?
CAM-3 Pardon?
CAM-4 Wheel-well lights on?
CAM-3 Yeah wheel well lights always on if the gear's down
CAM-1 Now try it
23.41:40 APP Eastern, ah 401 how are things comin' along out there?
23.41:44 RDO-1 Okay, we'd like to turn around and come, come back in
CAM-1 Clear on left?
CAM-2 Okay
23.41:47 APP Eastern 401 turn left heading one eight zero
23.41:50 CAM-1 Huh?
23.41:51 RDO-1 One eighty
23.42:05 CAM-2 We did something to the altitude
CAM-1 What?
23.42:07 CAM-2 We're still at two thousand right?
23.42:09 CAM-1 Hey, what's happening here?
CAM [Sound of click]
23.42:10 CAM [Sound of six beeps similar to radio altimeter increasing in rate]
23.42:12 [Sound of impact]