B006U13W The Flight (Jenny Cooper 4) nodrm (23 page)

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

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