The transcript of the voice cockpit recorder aboard Southwest flight 1380 started with Captain Tammie Jo Shults asking a flight attendant for peanuts and ended with her first officer lamenting how the first death just occurred on a Southwest flight.
The National Transportation Safety Board released the transcript last week during its investigative hearing into the fatal Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) flight in April.
The transcript shows how the crew responded during one of the most stressful moments of their lives. The first indication of something going wrong was recorded at 11:03 a.m. ET when the recorder picked up increased background noise. That noise was one of the engines failing.
The engine failure caused shrapnel to shoot at the plane, blowing out the window Jennifer Riordan was sitting next to at seat 14A. Riordan did not survive the injuries she suffered after being partially sucked out of the aircraft.
Here are a few scenes from the transcript that show how the flight crew handled the situation. Commentary from the Dallas Business Journal is below in italics. An asterisk (*) means that the NTSB couldn't interpret what was said.
'Engine fire descending'
The first conversation between the aircraft and air traffic control started about 65 seconds after the engine failed.
Air traffic controller in New York: Southwest thirteen eighty New York?
(sounds consistent with breathing through oxygen masks)
Controller: Southwest thirteen eighty if you're trying to get me all I hear is static.
Radio transmission from Shults: Southwest thirteen eighty has an engine fire descending.
Controller: Southwest thirteen eighty ah you you're descending right now?
Shults: Yes sir we're single engine descending have a fire in number, one.
Controller: Alright Southwest thirteen eighty ah wh- okay where would you like to go to which airport?
Southwest 1380 had departed from New York and was en route to Dallas when the engine failure occurred. Philadelphia was chosen as the airport where they would land.
Shults over the plane's PA system: Ladies and gentlemen this is you captain we're * * going into ah to Philadelphia * * ah remain seated thank you.
Shults and First Officer Darren Ellisor then become aware the engine actually isn't on fire.
Controller: Southwest thirteen eighty New York?
Shults: Southwest thirteen eighty go ahead.
Controller: Southwest thirteen eighty ah understand so there's a fire you’re single engine 'cause of fire?
Shults: Actually we're no fire now but we are single engine.
Controller: Okay you are single engine now okay cleared direct to Philly and ah I guess * * can you maintain one one eleven thousand?
Shults: Yes sir.
Air traffic control tries to get more information about the flight.
Shults: Ah then Southwest thirteen eighty we're one hundred and forty nine souls on board.
Controller: I'm sorry how many souls on board?
Shults: One four niner.
Controller: Forty nine?
Shults: One hundred forty nine.
Controller: Okay thank you ma'am and how many uh how many hours of fuel you have?
Shults: Three - four.
The aircraft then descended to 8,000 feet, and Shults requested a firetruck at the airport when they landed. Shults and Ellisor then talk amongst themselves about how the aircraft is flying. Ellisor says he's going to check on the flight attendants to see if anything happened.
Ellisor: I wanna talk to the girls as well. We don't know what happened back there.
Shults: Ah. You talk to the girls. I've got everything here.
Eventually Ellisor gets ahold of one of the flight attendants on the intercom where they say there is "a window open and somebody is out the window."
Ellisor: Okay we wer' we're coming down is everyone else in their seats strapped in?
Flight attendant: Yeah everyone still in their seats, we have people have been helpin' her get in I don't know what her condition is. But the window is completely out.
Shults lets the air traffic controller in Philadelphia know that they need medical assistance upon landing.
Shults: Okay could you have the ah medical meet us there on the runway as well we've got ah injured passengers.
Controller: Injured passengers okay and are you is your airplane physically on fire?
Shults: No it's not on fire but part of it's missing. They said there’s a hole and ahm someone went out.
Controller: Ahm, I'm sorry you said there was a hole and somebody went out?
Shults: Yes.
Controller: Southwest thirteen eighty it doesn't matter ah we'll work it out there so the airport's just off to your right report it in sight please.
The aircraft then approaches the runway in Philadelphia for landing. The plane has one engine out, so this is no ordinary landing.
Shults: Heavenly father * * *. (spoken under the breath)
Getting closer to ground, Shults and Ellisor talk through the landing process.
Ellisor: Your speed is good.
Ellisor: Kay, looking good, speed's one eighty.
Ellisor: Fifty feet.
Ellisor: Thirty feet.
Ellisor: Ten.
Ellisor: 'kay, extended.
(sound consistent with nose gear touchdown)
Ellisor: One deployed.
Ellisor: Six thousand feet remaining.
Shults: Thank you lord. thank you thank you thank you lord.
After the aircraft lands, little is known on the ground about what exactly happened on Southwest 1380 and why an engine failed. After coming to a stop, one ground personnel member asks Ellisor what happened.
Ground personnel: You okay? Making sure yo- you're alright.
Ellisor: Yeah.
Ground personnel: I don't know yet. My question for you is. Do you think its mechanical, or birdstrike, or or do I have to think like the FBI is coming out? * * huh?
Ellisor: Mechanical, I'm not supposed to say things- it happens, it happens.
Ground personnel: I'm only * really concerned like terrorist, that's what we're
Ellisor: No
Ground personnel: Okay, okay, okay. I know, I'm just, I'm just.
Ellisor: A hundred percent.
Shults went to take a look in the back to see how the passengers are doing. She later said to Ellisor that it's apparent Riordan is not OK. Shults and Ellisor keep going through their post flight checklist. When speaking with firefighting personnel, the gravity of the situation is not lost upon them.
Air rescue and firefighting personnel: A FAA's here's here NTSB’s coming * * gonna be a long day for ya.
Shults: Yeah. Yeah but we got everybody else here. * I think that's our only injury. and I don't mean to say it lightly.
Ellisor: It'll be the first one in Southwest history (spoken quietly).