Extract Watts Book Re CVRs

8/14/2019 Extract Watts Book Re CVRs

1/27

1 7TheHistoryofFlightSA2s5On 27 November 987FlightSA295was scheduledo depari romT; ioe is Ch i "ngKa . ShpkA i r fn r t " t t J :00 or P la i .anc ;A i rpor t .Maudtius,on a schedulednternationall ight.Adverseweather ndl l - p . r t pr r i v d . ' a c o n n p u t i n g ' r r " h t" l a y p d" p a , r u r en d h p i r -craft ookoff anhourand23minuLesate.On boardwere149000kan ' 'Ue l .4122" q n f o "gg"ge ndcargo. 40 " r .ongo. ' nd c r " r ^of f ive f l ight crew members nd 14 cabincrew members. he cal-culated l ight imewas 10hours 14minutes. ake off wasnormal nall respects nd or he irst few hoursof the l ight routine ommuni-cationswere madewith Hong Kong radar and f l ight nformationcniresat Hong Kong,Bangkok,Kuala Lumpur,Colonbo,Cocosl . an r l s nd M"u r i t r us .At 15:5 :18 rouline eportwas made o SpringbokohannesburgRadioStation codenameUR], he nternationaladiocommLrnica-t ionscentre djacento SAA'Sbase i IanSmutsAirport.The lightcre\,v onfirmdo ZUR their ake off from Taipeiat 14:23,haL heHeiderbergr,r'as lying at flight levl 310 and that arrival time atMauri l ius r' las estimaied t 00:35. UR's adiooDeratornformedF r i ; n l A 2 q h h a l h e , e r l i r , p ,l l i n g . 1 . . r nl S t L C A L l .j ! \ h i ,lhe adiostation ould allan ndividualaircraft,was unserviceableand requested fl ighl crew call at 18:00.

THEMISSING URTAPEZUR cam nderheavy ire dur ing hepublicheaf ing t theBoardof lnquiry into the Helderbefg ccideni. t was qLrest ionedn i tsfailurc to contact he Heiderbergh'hen h lighl crer'\'had ot madethZUR requstedal lat 18:00, n he ossof iheZUR tapeh'hichrvould have recordedcommunicat ion etween ZUR and theHelderberg ndalsoon ogentr ies.Evidencewas givenbir Eliennedu Toil, CommunicationsOffi.erat ZUR,$'ho explainedhat ZUR'S urposewas'. . . to assistouraircraf t , ncluding ny other nternat ionalaircraf lon thedomest icand ntrnat ionaloutes, \ i th taking do\ , \ ,n osit ion epor lsandalso1oassistf therearean-vtechnicalnagshai wecould ossibl-vpassonlo enginer ing,nd anythine o assjst hesepeople.TheSELCAL yslem,st i f ied u Toit ,hadbeen utol opefat ionor wo


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rrceksat ihe imeof the ieidr :rbergccidentA logbookas$e as;",'j;il;;; ;;;l;;" "i"irzui"o"*'"r""yli:,1':,\:pJ"I'::,"r,:::.,;; ,'' ;: ";'ir' , '- ' '".,'f-:-'fl'r'': l,,h:lr,i:;J ,; '+; "" :; ::l :p, . - ; . , ; ; ' " , , ' 'nso,\" I .d , 'o.h"HelLlerLerra, l 'goneu*t", q ' : " " ' s F ! " , : h - o u ' 5 L r J b ' 1 " l l " " , B " J t o { l n q u i r \ lion that lhere \ !as aconlronted Du Toit \ 'v i lh ' a *gei?t,: : i ; . " ; . . " . : i . " " . , " - " ' , ' i ' t " ; ' " s p l " i l l :, ,h r t . . : j r r u , . l _ "J t , h , r n r " l , ' , r u

: r h ' u l r h a \ " , b m nT l l " " , " -: l ' i i ; h N " l " ; , " a ' . " t " . ' p , n $ n " " r ' , t t " , l- l : : -i r"" *" ,"- .""" . i "J r 'r"" isapPeafedhe nsuins .oss :xanlnairon

t , , ' u ; j . r " \ ' 1 ' t n , \ \ l d ; o t ' \ ' | ' ' r; " , . ; . L " , , . F " , , o $ \ " " l ' : ' " i " " n ' ' P l ' " n ' Pi , , , , ' . r ' , " , ' ' , , ' | ' ' " " " n l L " t r ' r r F r ' \ - ' l r h p r i p el.i;lr,l ll ;,.,i'"'l; :::"ii;l:,i'';'i""'Tli ' l ; . , ' r " . ' " g" " i \ o r s ' u r ' " ' " " r - $ r ' ' r ' o n ) a r ci,." i l ^i t r '".r r-g" l lumberleniriesn t e\cludinsrheretefence o Lhis ionversai ionn,, ";" o"" *- 'ra l"!e rob{ianaNlullv i 'od orser' ir '

n l ' \ . . . , i , ! D u T ' | ' r ' r ' r l r r p , l r ' r ' , | ' p r h ' - ' n ' i tl l ; : i ; ' , ; j ; ' ; ;; ,1' i i :, ' i - 'J l '1"-i lY' l ' ;f i . - , i . ' r " . , r - , . , . rp ' , , , n , " D r ' \ u i r ' ' " n i ' r m h r miii:i"l;;"','i,,',:,,'il,;;,H,l:::lnml;ll t:tli:illil'"ti;-";;:t;:ll::,J:,, :l .1l':::i:';,i:'il':f;T":'ll. - * , ' " i , i , " r ' E " l " r r ' ' " I r " L ' r r r ' ' l e " r " t t u n 'ji:,r::lllir;iji;,;:i'ii'"'::,dr::l:::,';1,. , . r , , ' i " . r ' r i ' t - ' r " r i r b o L r - F n ) ' ' l ' ' ' , " t l l ' l ' lv",,r'-'ta,* .*t"" *"" r'hi''iJ;iiliii,:ii:;l;l:Lr askrrs oiher air l ines o use l i rer fih r t 0oNeci?l ) r L h C ' L r P c t .. ' , ' r ' " . " , ' i r ' ' . " t ' " ' r ' ' ' Lo r r r - ' l ' : r r r '( - 'ho i f l l rd r iWhrl is vour ans\ ter i


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Dick Well I did not do that , s ir . As I said approachedheDuly Officr.Sout lwoodj That iswhat youshould avedone mmedlalely.Dick: Yes, rut I did not do that.Southwood: And someone-anda half to two hours ater wehavea repealof this scenar io,har no communicar ions

In c ross examinationAdvocateC.E.Puokdn. SC, appearingon be-half of SAA,madea clearer ef init ion f thedrguments hichAdvocateSouthwood adbeenaitempt inso lead.Puckr insaid hatSouthwoodwas arguing hat the Hclde.berghad n facl calledZURto enquire s o the nalure f the cargo n thEhold.ZLIR, aidPuck-f in, did not hold f l ight cargo is is bul radio operatorDick didconlirm hat he Dut) ' Off icer ouldhavehad accesso those'. .a malterof metres. . 'away.The same og book of that particular night carried entries withintervals of far mor than two hours lrom other SAA flights.fohanneseRoux,Duty Ott icerat ZURwho oame n duty aL17:00on28November,hen est i f idhath emoved oth apes Number'1.which recorded A2S5's epar lurerom Taipei, nd Number2lfor safestorageapes are kepL or 30 daysbelofe c usel.Thesetapes, aidLe Roux,werehanded ver o Connie ooysen. AA'SAssistanrManager:Flight Opefations and in chargeof Communi-cat ions n his request. he tapeswereeveniual lympounded yDCA. Two weeks af terwardsBoovsen old Le Roux ihat iapeNumber 2 ion which the communicationbetween he Heiderbergand ZUR would have been ecordedlwas ihe wrons tape and hadbeenplaced n lhe wrong numbered ontainer nd was thereforeIongsinceused or re recording.This happeneddespitea complexinlormat ion ecofdinB ardsystem tLachedo each apeandcon-

Theprotractedfoss xaminat ionamo anendwhenAdvocaieSoulhwood rgcdLhe hairman ndmembers f theBoard' . . haithis ine of examinat ion ome o an end . . ' and staied har anvpossibleink to ihe.ause of the accident as' tenuous o say rhe1 " J " 1. . . u . l : , C p r V . - r u g a r e h . s p r n m p tp r m r \ . i n r .


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At about 22:23CaptainUys calledMaLritius Air Traffic Control andadvisedthatheposit ion fhisaircraftwouldbe070o astandFlishtLpv e l 50 4 i l h i n ix m inu tes . e qavea lu r rher nd iLd t i onl iheflight's progressby informing Air lraffic Control that the Heider-bergwould rcachposit ion0650East at 23::t2. e confiroed thatposit ionprogress t 23113t27,minute and 27 seconds evond hees l im " l edimp.As i t c anbeac c ep ledha t hea i rc ra f l . s on t rack .theposii ion ivenas065o astwouldhavebeen tlat i tude15040,12,,South 6nd position 0600East at lati tude 18057'54" outh.

Fligit poth of ihe Helderberg, ie route whicfi SAA..rirctofr ly frcm"toipei,Republicol Ciina, to JonSmutsAirport. TheHetdrberg rodcompleied heIorgestsiretci ol tie jou.ney wfien t plungcd nlo the Indion Oceonno.iheost f Mour ir ius (Adapted from ihe Citizenl


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rrF W.d, ! ! - .: ; ,The StenaWorkhorse,o lorge moto. vesseldesigned o support offshoreo lield work, wos ihe mothership which suppo ed the ROV operoiiondnring he searci ond recove.yphose. ts largeopenfit wo*deck wos idealfor the temponry stowogeof debris brought o ,he deck by lour cronesAl


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T r , - P n . \ b - n r l p p t a J " d, o n . / . ( F ' l d V l o ^ r i r - p . L r p D l ., tn " t . t^ L \ a l t , nd 4 , 0 r d . r ' , J - e o b r .u t d a u n . o t L - d u , . . tn e c , n , 6 p " y, . 6 " 6 r , 1 , .p , , 1'Ji l l "i ' ,' ,", ' , ' " ', ',;f o;;': u'd'"1orFr u ' o " "t t : ' "IDCA]

t!;j


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Routine adio transmissionsbetween he Helderbergand Mauritiusendedat 23:-14. he nexi radio communicationwith plaisancewas"1 ,2 ' l : 48 :51\ l - pnC ap t a i rUys , a l l edM dur i t i us i r T ra l i r rC on . ro l ,v \hpre i r l t d r l i rc on l r o l l e rdLoobhnodaba , us d \ on dL l ! . Theofficial Lranscriptionof the plaisance Air Traffic Controt Lipe asn r . s en lpd y lhe Dsp"1 ,m. r ' l T ranspo, ro thFBoa rd l l nou i r \[ ! \ i rh MRU deno r i ngy 'au r i t i Lsrd 295dpno t i nghe H. idp ;bn , ;cockpit l eadsas ollows:

TIME23148:5123:49:0023:491O7

SPEAKER295MRU295

RECORDED NFORMATIONEh, Mauritius, SpringbokTwo NineFive.Springbok wo NineFive,eh,goodmorning, eh, go ahead.Eh,goodmorning,we have.eh,asnoke,ehp,eh,problemand we'redoingemergencyescenlo levelonefive, eh. one our zero.Confirm you wish to descend o flighttevelone 0ur zero.Ya, we havealready ommenced,h,due o a smoke roblem n theaeroplane,Eh,Roger, ou areclear o descendimmediately to flight level one fourzefo,Roger,we will appreciate f you canaleri,eh, ire,ehp,ehp,eh,eh. . .Do you wish to,eh,do you requestfull emergencv?OkayJoe, an1 ' y . . v i r ons . . .SpringbokTwo Nine Five, Plaisance.Sorry,go ahead.Do you,eh, equest ful l emerqencvpleasea full emergencv?All irmative. hat 'sCharl ieCharl ie.Roger, declarea full emergency,Roger.Thank you.

23:49:1823:49:00

23:49:25

23:49:3023:4914023.4914823:49.5123i49i5423:49:5623:50:0023:5O:O223t 'OiM

MRU295

MRU

295MRU295MRU255MRU295MRU295


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23:50r4023:50i4423:50:4623i50:5123 : 50 : 55

MRU295MRU295MRU

23i51r00 29523r51:02 MRU23:51 :09295

23i51:12 MRU

23 : 51 : 1529523i51:18 MRU23:52:19 MRU

23:52:30 MRU23152t3229523i52:33 MRU

Your actualPosjt ioniNow we've osi a lot of electr ics' ehaven'tgot anything on the aircraltEh, Roger, declarea lullimmediatelY.AffirmativeRoger.Eh,Springbok wo Nineha\e an EchoTangoAlla

23:52:3t i23t52t4l23 : 52 r50231-12:5200r01:3400:01:3t i00:01:4500:01:5700i02::1000r02:1400i02:2500:02:3800:02:4'l00:02i4300:02:45

2S5MRU295MRU2S5295295295295295295295MRU2S5MRU

Soiry saYagainPleaselUnintel l iEiblcransmrssron'llUnintel l igibleransmrssronlUnintelhgibleransmlsslonlU n in l e l l i g j b l eransmiss ionlUninlel l igiblrdnsmrssLoniUnintlligible transmission[Carrierwaveonty.] . -""'9' ;"":'sp;i;cbokrrr o Niafi';1"::,\i:1''\i:::ii,*., Iagainplease, .]Y-dgarn.We e now si\ l \ t ive mlles'ConfirmsixtY ive miles'

J.|Springbok uu Nine ive, Plai:am4Eh, go ahead.i"q-,t""t fou" u.t""t Position

ccand yourDME dlsiancaSh, ie hav"n got heDMEYeLih, nog"" "nd -vout "tt'"1please.Eh,sayagain?

please?Springbok wo NineYa,PlaisanceDo vou havean EchoTangoAlfa Phsance lease?Ya.eh,zerozero. h sb n eRoqer, zero zero three zero' tltiltHe-v oe, shr.rtdown the oxYgen


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OO:02i4700rLl2:5{ l

00:02:58{J{Ji03:Uu

295MRU

295]\,IRU

Ya, aff irmativeCharl ieCharl ie.Eh,Roger, pl ingbokeh Two NineFive,eh re you're eclearediight evell ive zero.Reclearedlight evel iveRoger,ive zero.And, SplingbokTrvoNineFivecopyaclualu,eather laisanceopyactualr,vealherlaisance. hewind oneonezelodegrees ero ive knots.The vis-ibi l i ty above nezerokilometres. nclw-"havea precipitat ionn sight o thnorth.Clouds, ive oclasonesix zrozero, nocta ive thousandeet.'I empratures lv, 'entywo. two t\,vo.And the QNH onezerooneeighthec-lopascals, nezero0neeightover,R0ger, nezerooneeight,Aff irmative, h andbolh runwavsavailablef you wish.And Tra'oNineFive, request i lot 'sl n t en l r0n .Eh rve'd ike to track n eh,on eh onethree.Confirm unway on-" our.Charl ieCharl ie.Aff irmativeandyou're leared, hdir 'cto FoxtrotFoxlrot.You reportapproachingivezero.Ka-r.T$,oNine Five,Plaisance.Springbok !vo NineFiv,Plaisance.Springbok rvoNin""Five,Plaisance.

0{ l:03:28U0:0: l : l l100i03:4300:03:4t i00:0l l :510{ l :03:5,1{10:0l lr5f i

00r0,1r0200r08r0000 : 08 r 1100 r 08 : 35

295MRUN,IRL]295MRU295N,1RL]

255MRUMRU\IRUAddit ionalhistoryof the l ight as r.etrie,. 'edrom he miraculously.e(jovefed ockpitVoiceRecofderlCVRl.Onlv lhe ast 1 minuteand14seconds f hc 30minute -"cordingycle f heCVRn'hich e{rordscockpil ( ionversationr,as reasonablv lear.. ul l icient data '"vasrecover""during hc analysis l theCVR ape o determinhat ihe


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cockpit olversation riorto hesouldingofthesmokewarningbelihad6een ngeneraiopicsonly. Joe',referredo n the ranscripi ion'was the senlor flight-engineet GuiseppeMichele Bellagarda Thefol lowing rans ript s once gain heolf ic ialversion spresentedyDCA to the Boardof InquirY:

TIME NMINi]TESANDSECONDSFROMSTARTOFTAPE ORIGIN CONVERSATION/REMARKSIStopped ]most mmediately. l

What'sgoingon now?Huh?Cargo?It cameon afierwards.IStrong lick sound.]And where s ihat?(Clicksound.lIust to the right.Sayagain ?].Main deckcargo.Then heotheronecameon aswell.I 'vegot wo,Shall lget/push]he [bott le/button]over here?la ,Leesvir onsdie checklistdaarhoor'IDouble l icksound.]Die buik [?]se ig is af [?].Huh.[Two click sounds.)Checkiistmain deckcargo ightJa.Isoundsof movement anbe heardwith cl icksandclunks. l

2813'I28:3528:3628:3728..40281422814528:46281482814928i522815729:O1291O229:0529:0829:0929:1129 i12

Fire alarmbelllntercomchimeIoe!Joeloe??Ioe!Ioeloe

Captain

?Captain

Ioe

?


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2g : 3329 r 3629:3829:4029t4129tA2914629:5'I29t52

Captain [CURSE] is die eit dat altweeaan-gekomhet dit sleurmens.Intercomchime [Whi]e apiain s speakins.J? Aag shit .| | I [800Hz TestTonesigna]commences,lCaptain Wat de donner aannou aan?

{Said n a surprised oneof voice.J{Sudden oud sound.l(Largeand rapid changesn ampli-tudeof test onestarts.J(Endof testsignal, ery rregularnearend.lIEndof recording.]

Accordingo ihe 30-minute ycle ockpit oice ecording hich hadno imecoding,muchof the irst 28 minuteperiodwas uninte)l igible.TwenLy-eight inutesand 30 seconds fter commencementf lherecording ycle, he smokewarningbell sounded. omebody, rob-ably hepiloi, nquiredwhere t was romand eceivedhe eplv hati ' r . am erom hpmai rdc r . , a r8o . hen i l o r hen sked o r h r hp 'l ist to be read.Some30 secondsater somebodv n the l ipht decku r l c rpd n o ; t h .T h i sword was o l luv \ "d \ th ; LVR 800"H2 es lToneand ended n a warble at 29 minutes52 seconds fter com-mencementf the ecording.t is assumedhat he ecorded ockpitconversation ad commenced ery short lv after communicationwith Plaisance i 23:14:00nd ended hort lvafter he communical i onw i lh MaL l i usA i r T ra l i ' .Cor rL , l , 23 :48 :51 .

THE'ALTERNATIVE'APETRANSCRIPTSAs had been he casewilh olher nternai ional ir disasters,hecontent ndcorrectnessf t ransor ipts f the Heldcfbcrg's VRrapeas well as the Maurit iusAir ' l ' ral l ic Control apewefe disputed.Olficial and non-otficialversions veredebatedbeforcLheBoard ofInquiry.Read ogelher though efhaps ot at al l i imesval id -lhe ranscr iptsi l l ncfucial aps n hehistory f hedisaslerl ighi.


12/27

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DCA contractedBrigadier] r l -eendert ansen,ormerlvwithlhe Forensic . ience aborator l ' ndnow a pr ivateconsultanl ' otranscribeboih th CVR andAir Tfaffic Control apes He madeuseof a self designe. lmachine'Ihis own modesidescr ipt ionl]otranscribe he CVR recording. t usesa computer-tvpememory to."ioin tn" lnfo.t"ation und is coupled o a tape recorder n such awav ihal he moment heStopbutton s pressed,hemachine osinto LepeaL odeof the past4 seconds l tape o faciLitatran-

hiter exte.sive oompuier analysis synthesismthodsan' icomputeri l ler ingmethodsansen inal lvcompliedhe ranscr lpt.n. l ; lescr ibedh; CVR ranscr ipLions as goodas onecoLr l! lo o s s i L 'e " r n d , p r Fo F d s o " n ' ' p l ' u l Lh pb r n " o " " , ne r n s h i ' h l ' P o " ' r ' d l ' o a " u r " ' ' " n d d t t ". . - . . l , r r " n o " . p c o n . l n sh r \ n - u n d . r l i " . " ^ r o . " do n r a , e s , h . ' o" . o s . o lw l ' r r h l ' " h a d r n d o u u r ' d b o u" l l f o 'ihe ranscr ipl f thePlaisance irTfaf f ic Control ape emade seo a L o m D u t p r. F r , u i h u m s . \ o ' o i n r o \ \ n h p l i r u r l lt " n * n . : n , c , . ' F \ d m n d r ' o n P o f p n F B ' d r do l I n q L ' r \m i n i o n e o r l - " ewa - , J - \ , nLFon " r ea ns d l " d . r \ F d i l t P r F n l\ r - r end D a ' l r o m ' \ " ' u l h F L " p l a d r d h " p n r " r l i g h " n g i " - lo n " " c i R r a p " . O n " o . p s " r - r F do F a r n p - r h P o h " r \ $ F r pnol ident i f iableOneof lansen'snteresl ing ommenls n theATC lapewas.thal' . . . there'was ir l lcwin: l n or out of thecockpitwj lh qui lea oudnoise .. i l he [ thecaplain]had an orygenmask on thesenorsesoundswouLd ol beas oud on he ape] 'Dur ins hepublicheaf ing f the soard t lnquifv al l ot theCVRtapeaninot only he ast minuteand 1'1 econds efedebatedV l l r , ' : " C " ' tM " . g " . r r " r pon "Fud p l p d , v \ P5 ' u r hA f r i L d nA i t \ d \ s P i l o q s s o , . " r i o nu l " d n " r h FC V R r d n s r r i oa 1 -r " . - ng n , o ' . " i " n o a 1u r e l v ' c ' o n a l r r e ' r dn F - \ " . , iHd t n . nu d no rL en , d " puL , l ' r .The ul l iecordingwas threlorc nlv plaved o lhe members Ithe Boardand he ranscript of lhe asl 1 minuleand 1il secondswasfeadoui n DUblicwhat DCA noted s unintel l is ibleonversat ion' inhe fanscf iptof theAir Traffic Control ape aasamplifieduponbv Jansenn hisvidencebefor he Boatd of Inquirv. The recordinSson the Arriraf f ic ContLol ape f rom 00:0ir34 o 00r02:1'r ere general lvacceDtednot to hive been intended for Maurilius but to beuninienl ional ransmissions n the VHF channel ntended olcockpit ommunicat ion.


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Jansen nterprelal ion f the unintel l igibleonversat ion'whichDCA couldnot concurwilhl included:00r01r3401r36r0000:02:1000:02::14

2952952952S5

Plaisance pringbok wo Nine Five,w ve opened h door to see f we 0an: . .Prcssure welve Lhousand.. . . genoegF . . . andrste an onsvlLrgverongeluk.Translated y Jansen s' . . . is enough. . otherwise e couldhavean a.cidenl . . ' .1

Dr Lecnd..t . ld,sen. ol o f e r s t c e r p e . i , w o s.r0ni.ocied1o r0ns.rribcih . r . .co.d iDgs oI l i . lcocApll vonxr fecorder0no corvr i .s- .or ion etween t l re Hclde.bersf J j s i , r c r e w d r d A i .T.dlfic Contro/ or Pldjsan.eArryrod.Al t i rnrsI l s i n l c r p . c t o l i o n o fconve.so l()nconl l ic ledwrr i t ie op i" i ims ol

Y0(rx,b Klodocdbus wds r i . dnlrniini drnt(tl-". on dLrry 0r Plo;sonce arrporl wh.rn coni.rct rvasJosi r.1,ltl tld Hcld.befs. He !r.rsl i . ldn p. fson o sperk o i rccrcr ' .I l . mjs jn le ip fe tedCopt0 in Uys scomnlunnidlnD th.i the Hel.lerberswos 65 nri/es Irun 'rs .exl cfieckpoin losh. jng 6i nl lesi.om Mau.ilius. Tl tr Helderberg wos ir loct otilot s10ge t firll 1,lrl ril.s froJn1Ie{Th{rSta4


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In th statement of Ai. Traffic Controller Yacoob Khodacabuspreseniedo the Board,additionalcommentarynot notedby Jansenwas nsrted, uchasl23i52:51 29500102127 295 I tell you pui down the oxygen her.l o e . . . q u i c k l y . . w e a r e . . . ? t h o u -

Thy are coming o felch him at aroundmidnight.This is a good hing if you tell him that.

We. . . posit ion. . We should e okay.Joe, witchup quickly . .

s a n d . . o n g e l u ka c c i d e n t ]. .As regards he CVR tape,AdvocateSouthwoodsubmirtedJansen'stree'translationof the first 28 minutesof the CVR ape o the Boardonly. Somof that commentaryhoweverdid come o lighr in thepublic crossexaminat ion y AdvocateSoLrthwoodf fansen ndmay herefore epublished. his ncluded uchCVR ommenls sl

. , . o n s , . , a n d e a s , ,l . . . w e . . . o t h e r w i s eWho is going to cook?

'11.22'1410214:0574:14

00101:34 2S500:01:57 295

Further nput as regardsconversation ecordedon the Air TrafficConlrol tape was madeduring the formal inquestby Roy Downes,DCA's nvestigator:Operationall

The Helderbergcrashed nto the Indian Ocean at a position determined o be about19o10'S nd 5go3B'E roughlyai a pointwithina triangle formedby theislands of Mauritius, Rodriquesand Cargados/SiBrandon just aftermidnight, t about00:07.


15/27

1 7TheHistoryofFlightSA2s5On 27 November 987FlightSA295was scheduledo depari romT; ioe is Ch i "ngKa . ShpkA i r fn r t " t t J :00 or P la i .anc ;A i rpor t .Maudtius,on a schedulednternationall ight.Adverseweather ndl l - p . r t pr r i v d . ' a c o n n p u t i n g ' r r " h t" l a y p d" p a , r u r en d h p i r -craft ookoff anhourand23minuLesate.On boardwere149000kan ' 'Ue l .4122" q n f o "gg"ge ndcargo. 40 " r .ongo. ' nd c r " r ^of f ive f l ight crew members nd 14 cabincrew members. he cal-culated l ight imewas 10hours 14minutes. ake off wasnormal nall respects nd or he irst few hoursof the l ight routine ommuni-cationswere madewith Hong Kong radar and f l ight nformationcniresat Hong Kong,Bangkok,Kuala Lumpur,Colonbo,Cocosl . an r l s nd M"u r i t r us .At 15:5 :18 rouline eportwas made o SpringbokohannesburgRadioStation codenameUR], he nternationaladiocommLrnica-t ionscentre djacento SAA'Sbase i IanSmutsAirport.The lightcre\,v onfirmdo ZUR their ake off from Taipeiat 14:23,haL heHeiderbergr,r'as lying at flight levl 310 and that arrival time atMauri l ius r' las estimaied t 00:35. UR's adiooDeratornformedF r i ; n l A 2 q h h a l h e , e r l i r , p ,l l i n g . 1 . . r nl S t L C A L l .j ! \ h i ,lhe adiostation ould allan ndividualaircraft,was unserviceableand requested fl ighl crew call at 18:00.

THEMISSING URTAPEZUR cam nderheavy ire dur ing hepublicheaf ing t theBoardof lnquiry into the Helderbefg ccideni. t was qLrest ionedn i tsfailurc to contact he Heiderbergh'hen h lighl crer'\'had ot madethZUR requstedal lat 18:00, n he ossof iheZUR tapeh'hichrvould have recordedcommunicat ion etween ZUR and theHelderberg ndalsoon ogentr ies.Evidencewas givenbir Eliennedu Toil, CommunicationsOffi.erat ZUR,$'ho explainedhat ZUR'S urposewas'. . . to assistouraircraf t , ncluding ny other nternat ionalaircraf lon thedomest icand ntrnat ionaloutes, \ i th taking do\ , \ ,n osit ion epor lsandalso1oassistf therearean-vtechnicalnagshai wecould ossibl-vpassonlo enginer ing,nd anythine o assjst hesepeople.TheSELCAL yslem,st i f ied u Toit ,hadbeen utol opefat ionor wo


16/27

rrceksat ihe imeof the ieidr :rbergccidentA logbookas$e as;",'j;il;;; ;;;l;;" "i"irzui"o"*'"r""yli:,1':,\:pJ"I'::,"r,:::.,;; ,'' ;: ";'ir' , '- ' '".,'f-:-'fl'r'': l,,h:lr,i:;J ,; '+; "" :; ::l :p, . - ; . , ; ; ' " , , ' 'nso,\" I .d , 'o.h"HelLlerLerra, l 'goneu*t", q ' : " " ' s F ! " , : h - o u ' 5 L r J b ' 1 " l l " " , B " J t o { l n q u i r \ lion that lhere \ !as aconlronted Du Toit \ 'v i lh ' a *gei?t,: : i ; . " ; . . " . : i . " " . , " - " ' , ' i ' t " ; ' " s p l " i l l :, ,h r t . . : j r r u , . l _ "J t , h , r n r " l , ' , r u

: r h ' u l r h a \ " , b m nT l l " " , " -: l ' i i ; h N " l " ; , " a ' . " t " . ' p , n $ n " " r ' , t t " , l- l : : -i r"" *" ,"- .""" . i "J r 'r"" isapPeafedhe nsuins .oss :xanlnairon

t , , ' u ; j . r " \ ' 1 ' t n , \ \ l d ; o t ' \ ' | ' ' r; " , . ; . L " , , . F " , , o $ \ " " l ' : ' " i " " n ' ' P l ' " n ' Pi , , , , ' . r ' , " , ' ' , , ' | ' ' " " " n l L " t r ' r r F r ' \ - ' l r h p r i p el.i;lr,l ll ;,.,i'"'l; :::"ii;l:,i'';'i""'Tli ' l ; . , ' r " . ' " g" " i \ o r s ' u r ' " ' " " r - $ r ' ' r ' o n ) a r ci,." i l ^i t r '".r r-g" l lumberleniriesn t e\cludinsrheretefence o Lhis ionversai ionn,, ";" o"" *- 'ra l"!e rob{ianaNlullv i 'od orser' ir '

n l ' \ . . . , i , ! D u T ' | ' r ' r ' r l r r p , l r ' r ' , | ' p r h ' - ' n ' i tl l ; : i ; ' , ; j ; ' ; ;; ,1' i i :, ' i - 'J l '1"-i lY' l ' ;f i . - , i . ' r " . , r - , . , . rp ' , , , n , " D r ' \ u i r ' ' " n i ' r m h r miii:i"l;;"','i,,',:,,'il,;;,H,l:::lnml;ll t:tli:illil'"ti;-";;:t;:ll::,J:,, :l .1l':::i:';,i:'il':f;T":'ll. - * , ' " i , i , " r ' E " l " r r ' ' " I r " L ' r r r ' ' l e " r " t t u n 'ji:,r::lllir;iji;,;:i'ii'"'::,dr::l:::,';1,. , . r , , ' i " . r ' r i ' t - ' r " r i r b o L r - F n ) ' ' l ' ' ' , " t l l ' l ' lv",,r'-'ta,* .*t"" *"" r'hi''iJ;iiliii,:ii:;l;l:Lr askrrs oiher air l ines o use l i rer fih r t 0oNeci?l ) r L h C ' L r P c t .. ' , ' r ' " . " , ' i r ' ' . " t ' " ' r ' ' ' Lo r r r - ' l ' : r r r '( - 'ho i f l l rd r iWhrl is vour ans\ ter i


17/27

_ 2 0

At about 22:23CaptainUys calledMaLritius Air Traffic Control andadvisedthatheposit ion fhisaircraftwouldbe070o astandFlishtLpv e l 50 4 i l h i n ix m inu tes . e qavea lu r rher nd iLd t i onl iheflight's progressby informing Air lraffic Control that the Heider-bergwould rcachposit ion0650East at 23::t2. e confiroed thatposit ionprogress t 23113t27,minute and 27 seconds evond hees l im " l edimp.As i t c anbeac c ep ledha t hea i rc ra f l . s on t rack .theposii ion ivenas065o astwouldhavebeen tlat i tude15040,12,,South 6nd position 0600East at lati tude 18057'54" outh.

Fligit poth of ihe Helderberg, ie route whicfi SAA..rirctofr ly frcm"toipei,Republicol Ciina, to JonSmutsAirport. TheHetdrberg rodcompleied heIorgestsiretci ol tie jou.ney wfien t plungcd nlo the Indion Oceonno.iheost f Mour ir ius (Adapted from ihe Citizenl


18/27

rrF W.d, ! ! - .: ; ,The StenaWorkhorse,o lorge moto. vesseldesigned o support offshoreo lield work, wos ihe mothership which suppo ed the ROV operoiiondnring he searci ond recove.yphose. ts largeopenfit wo*deck wos idealfor the temponry stowogeof debris brought o ,he deck by lour cronesAl


19/27

:

T r , - P n . \ b - n r l p p t a J " d, o n . / . ( F ' l d V l o ^ r i r - p . L r p D l ., tn " t . t^ L \ a l t , nd 4 , 0 r d . r ' , J - e o b r .u t d a u n . o t L - d u , . . tn e c , n , 6 p " y, . 6 " 6 r , 1 , .p , , 1'Ji l l "i ' ,' ,", ' , ' " ', ',;f o;;': u'd'"1orFr u ' o " "t t : ' "IDCA]

t!;j


20/27

2.t _

Routine adio transmissionsbetween he Helderbergand Mauritiusendedat 23:-14. he nexi radio communicationwith plaisancewas"1 ,2 ' l : 48 :51\ l - pnC ap t a i rUys , a l l edM dur i t i us i r T ra l i r rC on . ro l ,v \hpre i r l t d r l i rc on l r o l l e rdLoobhnodaba , us d \ on dL l ! . Theofficial Lranscriptionof the plaisance Air Traffic Controt Lipe asn r . s en lpd y lhe Dsp"1 ,m. r ' l T ranspo, ro thFBoa rd l l nou i r \[ ! \ i rh MRU deno r i ngy 'au r i t i Lsrd 295dpno t i nghe H. idp ;bn , ;cockpit l eadsas ollows:

TIME23148:5123:49:0023:491O7

SPEAKER295MRU295

RECORDED NFORMATIONEh, Mauritius, SpringbokTwo NineFive.Springbok wo NineFive,eh,goodmorning, eh, go ahead.Eh,goodmorning,we have.eh,asnoke,ehp,eh,problemand we'redoingemergencyescenlo levelonefive, eh. one our zero.Confirm you wish to descend o flighttevelone 0ur zero.Ya, we havealready ommenced,h,due o a smoke roblem n theaeroplane,Eh,Roger, ou areclear o descendimmediately to flight level one fourzefo,Roger,we will appreciate f you canaleri,eh, ire,ehp,ehp,eh,eh. . .Do you wish to,eh,do you requestfull emergencv?OkayJoe, an1 ' y . . v i r ons . . .SpringbokTwo Nine Five, Plaisance.Sorry,go ahead.Do you,eh, equest ful l emerqencvpleasea full emergencv?All irmative. hat 'sCharl ieCharl ie.Roger, declarea full emergency,Roger.Thank you.

23:49:1823:49:00

23:49:25

23:49:3023:4914023.4914823:49.5123i49i5423:49:5623:50:0023:5O:O223t 'OiM

MRU295

MRU

295MRU295MRU255MRU295MRU295


21/27

- 2 2

23:50r4023:50i4423:50:4623i50:5123 : 50 : 55

MRU295MRU295MRU

23i51r00 29523r51:02 MRU23:51 :09295

23i51:12 MRU

23 : 51 : 1529523i51:18 MRU23:52:19 MRU

23:52:30 MRU23152t3229523i52:33 MRU

Your actualPosjt ioniNow we've osi a lot of electr ics' ehaven'tgot anything on the aircraltEh, Roger, declarea lullimmediatelY.AffirmativeRoger.Eh,Springbok wo Nineha\e an EchoTangoAlla

23:52:3t i23t52t4l23 : 52 r50231-12:5200r01:3400:01:3t i00:01:4500:01:5700i02::1000r02:1400i02:2500:02:3800:02:4'l00:02i4300:02:45

2S5MRU295MRU2S5295295295295295295295MRU2S5MRU

Soiry saYagainPleaselUnintel l iEiblcransmrssron'llUnintel l igibleransmrssronlUnintelhgibleransmlsslonlU n in l e l l i g j b l eransmiss ionlUninlel l igiblrdnsmrssLoniUnintlligible transmission[Carrierwaveonty.] . -""'9' ;"":'sp;i;cbokrrr o Niafi';1"::,\i:1''\i:::ii,*., Iagainplease, .]Y-dgarn.We e now si\ l \ t ive mlles'ConfirmsixtY ive miles'

J.|Springbok uu Nine ive, Plai:am4Eh, go ahead.i"q-,t""t fou" u.t""t Position

ccand yourDME dlsiancaSh, ie hav"n got heDMEYeLih, nog"" "nd -vout "tt'"1please.Eh,sayagain?

please?Springbok wo NineYa,PlaisanceDo vou havean EchoTangoAlfa Phsance lease?Ya.eh,zerozero. h sb n eRoqer, zero zero three zero' tltiltHe-v oe, shr.rtdown the oxYgen


22/27

2 3

OO:02i4700rLl2:5{ l

00:02:58{J{Ji03:Uu

295MRU

295]\,IRU

Ya, aff irmativeCharl ieCharl ie.Eh,Roger, pl ingbokeh Two NineFive,eh re you're eclearediight evell ive zero.Reclearedlight evel iveRoger,ive zero.And, SplingbokTrvoNineFivecopyaclualu,eather laisanceopyactualr,vealherlaisance. hewind oneonezelodegrees ero ive knots.The vis-ibi l i ty above nezerokilometres. nclw-"havea precipitat ionn sight o thnorth.Clouds, ive oclasonesix zrozero, nocta ive thousandeet.'I empratures lv, 'entywo. two t\,vo.And the QNH onezerooneeighthec-lopascals, nezero0neeightover,R0ger, nezerooneeight,Aff irmative, h andbolh runwavsavailablef you wish.And Tra'oNineFive, request i lot 'sl n t en l r0n .Eh rve'd ike to track n eh,on eh onethree.Confirm unway on-" our.Charl ieCharl ie.Aff irmativeandyou're leared, hdir 'cto FoxtrotFoxlrot.You reportapproachingivezero.Ka-r.T$,oNine Five,Plaisance.Springbok !vo NineFiv,Plaisance.Springbok rvoNin""Five,Plaisance.

0{ l:03:28U0:0: l : l l100i03:4300:03:4t i00:0l l :510{ l :03:5,1{10:0l lr5f i

00r0,1r0200r08r0000 : 08 r 1100 r 08 : 35

295MRUN,IRL]295MRU295N,1RL]

255MRUMRU\IRUAddit ionalhistoryof the l ight as r.etrie,. 'edrom he miraculously.e(jovefed ockpitVoiceRecofderlCVRl.Onlv lhe ast 1 minuteand14seconds f hc 30minute -"cordingycle f heCVRn'hich e{rordscockpil ( ionversationr,as reasonablv lear.. ul l icient data '"vasrecover""during hc analysis l theCVR ape o determinhat ihe


23/27

- 2 4

cockpit olversation riorto hesouldingofthesmokewarningbelihad6een ngeneraiopicsonly. Joe',referredo n the ranscripi ion'was the senlor flight-engineet GuiseppeMichele Bellagarda Thefol lowing rans ript s once gain heolf ic ialversion spresentedyDCA to the Boardof InquirY:

TIME NMINi]TESANDSECONDSFROMSTARTOFTAPE ORIGIN CONVERSATION/REMARKSIStopped ]most mmediately. l

What'sgoingon now?Huh?Cargo?It cameon afierwards.IStrong lick sound.]And where s ihat?(Clicksound.lIust to the right.Sayagain ?].Main deckcargo.Then heotheronecameon aswell.I 'vegot wo,Shall lget/push]he [bott le/button]over here?la ,Leesvir onsdie checklistdaarhoor'IDouble l icksound.]Die buik [?]se ig is af [?].Huh.[Two click sounds.)Checkiistmain deckcargo ightJa.Isoundsof movement anbe heardwith cl icksandclunks. l

2813'I28:3528:3628:3728..40281422814528:46281482814928i522815729:O1291O229:0529:0829:0929:1129 i12

Fire alarmbelllntercomchimeIoe!Joeloe??Ioe!Ioeloe

Captain

?Captain

Ioe

?


24/27

2 i

2g : 3329 r 3629:3829:4029t4129tA2914629:5'I29t52

Captain [CURSE] is die eit dat altweeaan-gekomhet dit sleurmens.Intercomchime [Whi]e apiain s speakins.J? Aag shit .| | I [800Hz TestTonesigna]commences,lCaptain Wat de donner aannou aan?

{Said n a surprised oneof voice.J{Sudden oud sound.l(Largeand rapid changesn ampli-tudeof test onestarts.J(Endof testsignal, ery rregularnearend.lIEndof recording.]

Accordingo ihe 30-minute ycle ockpit oice ecording hich hadno imecoding,muchof the irst 28 minuteperiodwas uninte)l igible.TwenLy-eight inutesand 30 seconds fter commencementf lherecording ycle, he smokewarningbell sounded. omebody, rob-ably hepiloi, nquiredwhere t was romand eceivedhe eplv hati ' r . am erom hpmai rdc r . , a r8o . hen i l o r hen sked o r h r hp 'l ist to be read.Some30 secondsater somebodv n the l ipht decku r l c rpd n o ; t h .T h i sword was o l luv \ "d \ th ; LVR 800"H2 es lToneand ended n a warble at 29 minutes52 seconds fter com-mencementf the ecording.t is assumedhat he ecorded ockpitconversation ad commenced ery short lv after communicationwith Plaisance i 23:14:00nd ended hort lvafter he communical i onw i lh MaL l i usA i r T ra l i ' .Cor rL , l , 23 :48 :51 .

THE'ALTERNATIVE'APETRANSCRIPTSAs had been he casewilh olher nternai ional ir disasters,hecontent ndcorrectnessf t ransor ipts f the Heldcfbcrg's VRrapeas well as the Maurit iusAir ' l ' ral l ic Control apewefe disputed.Olficial and non-otficialversions veredebatedbeforcLheBoard ofInquiry.Read ogelher though efhaps ot at al l i imesval id -lhe ranscr iptsi l l ncfucial aps n hehistory f hedisaslerl ighi.


25/27

- 2Fj

DCA contractedBrigadier] r l -eendert ansen,ormerlvwithlhe Forensic . ience aborator l ' ndnow a pr ivateconsultanl ' otranscribeboih th CVR andAir Tfaffic Control apes He madeuseof a self designe. lmachine'Ihis own modesidescr ipt ionl]otranscribe he CVR recording. t usesa computer-tvpememory to."ioin tn" lnfo.t"ation und is coupled o a tape recorder n such awav ihal he moment heStopbutton s pressed,hemachine osinto LepeaL odeof the past4 seconds l tape o faciLitatran-

hiter exte.sive oompuier analysis synthesismthodsan' icomputeri l ler ingmethodsansen inal lvcompliedhe ranscr lpt.n. l ; lescr ibedh; CVR ranscr ipLions as goodas onecoLr l! lo o s s i L 'e " r n d , p r Fo F d s o " n ' ' p l ' u l Lh pb r n " o " " , ne r n s h i ' h l ' P o " ' r ' d l ' o a " u r " ' ' " n d d t t ". . - . . l , r r " n o " . p c o n . l n sh r \ n - u n d . r l i " . " ^ r o . " do n r a , e s , h . ' o" . o s . o lw l ' r r h l ' " h a d r n d o u u r ' d b o u" l l f o 'ihe ranscr ipl f thePlaisance irTfaf f ic Control ape emade seo a L o m D u t p r. F r , u i h u m s . \ o ' o i n r o \ \ n h p l i r u r l lt " n * n . : n , c , . ' F \ d m n d r ' o n P o f p n F B ' d r do l I n q L ' r \m i n i o n e o r l - " ewa - , J - \ , nLFon " r ea ns d l " d . r \ F d i l t P r F n l\ r - r end D a ' l r o m ' \ " ' u l h F L " p l a d r d h " p n r " r l i g h " n g i " - lo n " " c i R r a p " . O n " o . p s " r - r F do F a r n p - r h P o h " r \ $ F r pnol ident i f iableOneof lansen'snteresl ing ommenls n theATC lapewas.thal' . . . there'was ir l lcwin: l n or out of thecockpitwj lh qui lea oudnoise .. i l he [ thecaplain]had an orygenmask on thesenorsesoundswouLd ol beas oud on he ape] 'Dur ins hepublicheaf ing f the soard t lnquifv al l ot theCVRtapeaninot only he ast minuteand 1'1 econds efedebatedV l l r , ' : " C " ' tM " . g " . r r " r pon "Fud p l p d , v \ P5 ' u r hA f r i L d nA i t \ d \ s P i l o q s s o , . " r i o nu l " d n " r h FC V R r d n s r r i oa 1 -r " . - ng n , o ' . " i " n o a 1u r e l v ' c ' o n a l r r e ' r dn F - \ " . , iHd t n . nu d no rL en , d " puL , l ' r .The ul l iecordingwas threlorc nlv plaved o lhe members Ithe Boardand he ranscript of lhe asl 1 minuleand 1il secondswasfeadoui n DUblicwhat DCA noted s unintel l is ibleonversat ion' inhe fanscf iptof theAir Traffic Control ape aasamplifieduponbv Jansenn hisvidencebefor he Boatd of Inquirv. The recordinSson the Arriraf f ic ContLol ape f rom 00:0ir34 o 00r02:1'r ere general lvacceDtednot to hive been intended for Maurilius but to beuninienl ional ransmissions n the VHF channel ntended olcockpit ommunicat ion.


26/27

2 7 _

Jansen nterprelal ion f the unintel l igibleonversat ion'whichDCA couldnot concurwilhl included:00r01r3401r36r0000:02:1000:02::14

2952952952S5

Plaisance pringbok wo Nine Five,w ve opened h door to see f we 0an: . .Prcssure welve Lhousand.. . . genoegF . . . andrste an onsvlLrgverongeluk.Translated y Jansen s' . . . is enough. . otherwise e couldhavean a.cidenl . . ' .1

Dr Lecnd..t . ld,sen. ol o f e r s t c e r p e . i , w o s.r0ni.ocied1o r0ns.rribcih . r . .co.d iDgs oI l i . lcocApll vonxr fecorder0no corvr i .s- .or ion etween t l re Hclde.bersf J j s i , r c r e w d r d A i .T.dlfic Contro/ or Pldjsan.eArryrod.Al t i rnrsI l s i n l c r p . c t o l i o n o fconve.so l()nconl l ic ledwrr i t ie op i" i ims ol

Y0(rx,b Klodocdbus wds r i . dnlrniini drnt(tl-". on dLrry 0r Plo;sonce arrporl wh.rn coni.rct rvasJosi r.1,ltl tld Hcld.befs. He !r.rsl i . ldn p. fson o sperk o i rccrcr ' .I l . mjs jn le ip fe tedCopt0 in Uys scomnlunnidlnD th.i the Hel.lerberswos 65 nri/es Irun 'rs .exl cfieckpoin losh. jng 6i nl lesi.om Mau.ilius. Tl tr Helderberg wos ir loct otilot s10ge t firll 1,lrl ril.s froJn1Ie{Th{rSta4


27/27

_ 2 8

In th statement of Ai. Traffic Controller Yacoob Khodacabuspreseniedo the Board,additionalcommentarynot notedby Jansenwas nsrted, uchasl23i52:51 29500102127 295 I tell you pui down the oxygen her.l o e . . . q u i c k l y . . w e a r e . . . ? t h o u -

Thy are coming o felch him at aroundmidnight.This is a good hing if you tell him that.

We. . . posit ion. . We should e okay.Joe, witchup quickly . .

s a n d . . o n g e l u ka c c i d e n t ]. .As regards he CVR tape,AdvocateSouthwoodsubmirtedJansen'stree'translationof the first 28 minutesof the CVR ape o the Boardonly. Somof that commentaryhoweverdid come o lighr in thepublic crossexaminat ion y AdvocateSoLrthwoodf fansen ndmay herefore epublished. his ncluded uchCVR ommenls sl

. , . o n s , . , a n d e a s , ,l . . . w e . . . o t h e r w i s eWho is going to cook?

'11.22'1410214:0574:14

00101:34 2S500:01:57 295

Further nput as regardsconversation ecordedon the Air TrafficConlrol tape was madeduring the formal inquestby Roy Downes,DCA's nvestigator:Operationall

The Helderbergcrashed nto the Indian Ocean at a position determined o be about19o10'S nd 5go3B'E roughlyai a pointwithina triangle formedby theislands of Mauritius, Rodriquesand Cargados/SiBrandon just aftermidnight, t about00:07.

Documents

Extract Watts Book Re CVRs