B006U13W The Flight (Jenny Cooper 4) nodrm (23 page)
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Authors: M. R. Hall
Jenny recalled all that she had read about the Air France flight. What little information that had survived the disaster had come from ACARS messages reporting fault codes in the aircraft’s system. Against her better judgement, she felt herself siding with the expert who sniffed important information being buried.
Armed with excuses and platitudes, Jenny pushed through the office door ready for the inevitable hail of complaints from Alison at having been left abandoned for an entire day, but the face that looked up from behind the reception desk was unexpectedly cheerful.
‘You’ve got visitors, Mrs Cooper,’ Alison said. ‘I hope you don’t mind – I told them to go through.’
Jenny waited for further explanation, but Alison merely smiled and returned to her typing.
Jenny nudged open her office door to find Mrs Patterson and Nick Galbraith waiting for her.
Galbraith was quick to his feet and instantly apologetic. ‘Sorry to intrude, Mrs Cooper—’
Mrs Patterson was far from contrite. ‘We thought you’d disappeared.’
‘No—’ Jenny began.
Mrs Patterson interrupted her. ‘Well, that’s certainly the impression you’ve given, and not just to me.’
Jenny addressed herself to the lawyer. ‘Mr Galbraith, you’re aware that this meeting isn’t strictly appropriate: the inquest is still being heard.’
‘Well, that’s news to us,’ Mrs Patterson interjected. ‘Thank you. Now are we going to hear about this lifejacket, or is that secret information, too?’
Galbraith hid his embarrassment well. ‘The purpose of our visit is merely to bring some further evidence to your attention, Mrs Cooper.’ He fixed Mrs Patterson with a firm gaze. ‘Not, I emphasize, to discuss the substance or conduct of your inquiry.’
‘I suppose that falls within acceptable bounds.’
She hung her coat on the back of the door and walked around to her side of the desk, trying to banish the unkind thoughts she was having about her uninvited visitors: after all, Mrs Patterson was only doing exactly what she would in her situation.
‘Right, what have you got?’ Jenny asked.
‘All the relatives were emailed a copy of the CVR, or a small part of it, at least,’ Mrs Patterson said. She handed a document across the desk.
‘I heard about this on the news,’ Jenny said. ‘I’m surprised a copy hadn’t already leaked out.’
‘All the relatives signed a confidentiality agreement,’ Galbraith explained. ‘They receive information before the media in exchange for a strict undertaking not to release it.’
‘You’re happy for me to read this?’ Jenny asked.
‘Please do,’ Mrs Patterson answered.
Jenny studied the surprisingly short transcript of the cockpit voice recording which began as the pilots finished their preparations for take-off.
KEY | |
CAM | Cockpit area microphone voice or sound source |
PIL | Pilot |
PO | First Officer |
*** | Expletive |
INT | Interphone voice or sound source |
TWR | Radio transmission from the Heathrow Controller |
DEP | Heathrow Departure |
BRI | Radio transmission from the Bristol Controller |
08.58.06 | TWR: | Skyhawk one eight nine cleared for take-off |
08.59.02 | CAM: | TOGA (take-off go-around) |
08.59.04 | PIL: | TOGA set |
08.59.25 | CAM: | (sound similar to increase in engine speed) |
08.59.45 | FO: | Eighty knots |
08.59.47 | PIL: | Check |
09.00.01 | CAM: | V one |
09.00.03 | FO: | Rotate |
09.00.18 | FO: | Positive rate |
09.00.20 | PIL: | Gear up |
09.00.23 | FO: | Gear up |
09.00.40 | PIL: | Engage AP one (autopilot) |
09.00.55 | DEP: | Skyhawk one eight nine, Heathrow Departure, good morning |
09.01.00 | FO: | Good morning Skyhawk one eight nine super passing one thousand five hundred feet on Detling two Golf departure |
09.01.10 | DEP: | Skyhawk one eight nine Heathrow Departure radar contact, maintain one thousand five hundred |
09.01.13 | CAM: | (sound similar to decrease in engine speed) |
09.01.18 | DEP: | Maintain fifteen hundred Skyhawk one eight nine |
09.01.22 | FO: | One thousand five hundred |
09.01.35 | DEP: | Skyhawk one eight nine continue climb through six thousand |
09.01.39 | CAM: | (sound similar to increase in engine noise) |
09.01.45 | PIL: | A little bit cloudy today |
09.02.47 | FO: | Radar’s showing clear over the Irish Sea |
09.02.55 | PIL: | Flaps one please |
09.02.57 | FO: | Flaps one |
09.03.02 | PIL: | Flaps up please after take-off checklist |
09.03.05 | FO: | Flaps up |
09.04.08 | FO: | After take-off checklist complete |
09.06.01 | PIL: | Weather? |
09.06.05 | FO: | Dense cloud over Bristol through to Welsh coast |
09.06.07 | PIL: | No problem |
09.06.09 | FO: | Do you want to keep cabin seat belts on? |
09.06.12 | PIL: | See how we go |
09.10.12 | FO/PIL: | Light level one hundred |
09.10.15 | CAM: | (sound similar in increase in engine noise) |
09.11.13 | PIL: | OK, nice and smooth. Disengage passenger seat-belt signs |
09.11.15 | FO: | Sure? |
09.11.17 | PIL: | Sure |
09.15.12 | BRI: | Skyhawk one eight nine this is Bristol, good morning |
09.15.14 | PIL: | Good day. Skyhawk one eight nine super passing flight level one four five climbing level two hundred |
09.15.16 | BRI: | Skyhawk one eight nine identified, climb level three one zero, unrestricted |
09.15.18 | PIL: | Climb level three one zero unrestricted. Thank you, Bristol |
09.16.05 | CAM: | (sound similar to objects moving in the cockpit) |
09.16.07 | FO: | Bumpy. Seat belts? |
09.16.18 | PIL: | We’re OK |
09.16.20 | FO: | (hesitant) OK |
09.18.10 | FO/PIL: | One to go |
09.19.05 | FO: | Bristol, this is Skyhawk one eight nine. Any weather to report over the Channel? |
09.19.08 | BRI: | Cactus two one zero ten minutes ahead of you reports light turbulence to mid Channel. Storm clouds moving in from the north. Nothing major |
09.19.19 | FO: | Thank you |
09.19.30 | CAM: | (sound similar to decrease in engine noise) |
09.19.32 | PIL: | Cruise |
09.19.34 | FO: | Decimal eight |
09.19.47 | PIL: | How’s the baby? Getting any sleep? |
09.19.49 | FO: | Doing my best, on the sofa |
09.19.53 | PIL: | Like that, is it? |
09.19.56 | FO: | I told her, I’ll change all the dirty nappies you like, but getting up in the night, forget it. I’ve got a plane to fly |
09.20.04 | PIL: | Off the leash tonight, then? I hope she doesn’t expect me to keep an eye on you |
09.20.10 | FO: | In New York? You really think you’d keep up? |
09.20.14 | PIL: | You’d be surprised |
09.20.22 | CAM: | (sound of interphone buzzer) |
09.20.22 | FO: | Coffee time already? They could have sent the pretty one |
09.20.27 | PIL: | Who’s that? |
09.20.27 | CAM: | (sound of seat belt unbuckling, footsteps across the cockpit) |
09.20.29 | FO: | You know – the little blonde one, Kathy, with the . . . |
09.20.31 | PIL: | Oh, yeah – her |
09.20.31 | CAM: | (sound of laughter from PIL and FO) |
09.20.35 | PIL: | You are definitely on your own tonight. Not my responsibility |
09.20.41 | CAM: | (synthesized voice) Speed. Speed |
09.20.42 | PIL: | What the hell is that? |
09.20.43 | CAM: | (sound of footsteps then belt buckle being fastened) |
09.20.43 | PIL: | We’re at four-seventy |
09.20.44 | CAM: | (synthesized voice) Speed. Speed |
09.20.46 | PIL: | Jesus |
09.20.47 | FO: | No ECAM actions listed |
09.20.49 | CAM: | (synthesized voice) Speed. Speed |
09.20.50 | PIL: | What does it mean? |
09.20.51 | FO: | Nose down. Nose down |
09.20.53 | PIL: | What— |
09.20.55 | CAM: | (sound of objects clattering) (synthesized voice) Stall. Stall |
09.20.58 | PIL: | It can’t . . . |
09.21.01 | FO: | Disengage AP (autopilot) |
09.21.03 | CAM: | (sound similar to a grunt) |
09.21.06 | FO: | There’s no, there’s no— |
09.21.08 | PIL: | (shouts) Alternate law |
09.21.09 | FO: | No ECAM actions |
09.21.12 | PIL: | Direct law |
09.21.13 | CAM: | (sound similar to a grunt) |
09.21.15 | FO: | No ECAM. No ******* ECAM . . . Radio’s dead. We’re flying blind |
09.21.17 | CAM: | (sound of objects including heavy object clattering) |
09.21.19 | FO: | Dan. Dan |
09.21.20 | CAM: | (sound of objects clattering. Sound similar to grant) |
09.22.23 | FO: | Dan |
(no further conversation or discernible words) | ||
09.26.57 | | Recording ends |
