Tape shows all was routine just before air crash

The American crew didn't tell controllers that anything was wrong.

By BILL ADAIR, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 21, 2002

WASHINGTON -- The pilots of American Airlines Flight 587 had no time to call for help.

A tape of air traffic conversations released Wednesday shows the pilots received a routine warning about wake turbulence, had a normal takeoff and did not alert controllers they were having trouble with the Airbus A300.

The tape reveals dramatic moments as controllers scramble to figure out which plane crashed. An unidentified voice -- presumably a pilot in a different airplane -- tells controllers to look south because "there's an aircraft crashing." Controllers then called urgently to the American plane and got no response.

But the tape offers no clues about how or why the plane's tail fin suddenly ripped away. The Airbus A300 plunged into a neighborhood in Rockaway Beach, N.Y., killing all 260 people on the plane and five on the ground.

Investigators have said the problems on the plane occurred suddenly. It took only eight to 10 seconds from the time the aircraft encountered wake turbulence -- a condition pilots usually handle without difficulty -- until the tail ripped away and the plane was uncontrollable.

It is likely that more clues will come from the cockpit voice recorder, which has the conversations of the pilots and sounds from inside the plane. A transcript will be released this summer.

The National Transportation Safety Board is focusing on the tail fin, but investigators have not yet determined why it came off. They are exploring a theory that a flaw in the fin made it suddenly come loose, as well as the possibility that sudden rudder movements by the pilot put too much stress on the fin.

The air traffic tape shows that Nov. 12 began as an ordinary morning at John F. Kennedy International Airport. In the tower, air traffic controllers were managing the awkward ballet of big jetliners around the airfield.

Shortly after 9 a.m., a pilot on Flight 587 asked for permission to taxi to the runway. He referred to his plane as "American 587 heavy," a standard way to indicate the A300 was a large aircraft.

On the transcript released Wednesday, the pilots and controllers are not identified by name. It is likely that the pilot on the tape was Capt. Edward States, who should have been handling radio duties on this leg of the trip.

The controller directed the American pilots to follow a Boeing 747 operated by Japan Air Lines. He told the pilots to switch to the tower radio frequency so they could be cleared for takeoff.

Once they switched, they were greeted by another controller who gave them a routine warning of wake turbulence from the 747.

"American 587 heavy (this is) Kennedy tower," the controller said with a New York accent. "Caution wake turbulence, Runway 31 Left, taxi into the position and hold."

Less than two minutes later, the controller told the American pilot he was cleared for takeoff. As the plane climbed out from the runway, the pilots were directed to follow a standard departure route known as "Bridge."

The pilot acknowledged the message and said, "So long."

The final words from the pilot to controllers came about one minute later after a controller directed the plane to turn left and fly to a navigation point known as "Wavey."

"Direct Wavey," the pilot said. "American 587 heavy."

About 30 seconds later, an urgent voice came on the radio.

"Tower, look at to the south, there's an aircraft crashing."

"Say again?"

"An aircraft just crashed to the south of the field," the voice said, adding that it was "a fireball."

"Okay, thank you, sir," the controller responded.

More pilots called in to report they had seen a large plume of smoke coming from Rockaway Beach.

The controllers worked urgently to identify the missing plane and try to make contact.

"American 587 heavy, I'm not receiving your transponder," a controller said.

But there was no response.

Another controller asked a colleague, "Mickey, you missing any (of) your departures?"

He replied, "American 587."

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