On the afternoon of Sept.
8, 1994, a Boeing 737 flown by USAir approached Pittsburgh International Airport.
The weather was good, and the pilots of flight 427 were expecting a routine descent
and landing. The first sound on the recording from either pilot is, in fact, a
yawn. They are at cruise altitude.
Flight attendant in the cockpit: Do ya know what I'm thinkin' about? Pretzels.
Captain: Pretzels.
F. A.: You guys need drinks here?
Captain: Uh, I could use a glass of somethin', whatever's open. Water, uh, water,
a juice.
First Officer: I'll split a, yeah, a water, a juice, whatever's back there, I'll
split one with 'im.
F. A.: Okey-dokey. Do you want me to make you my special fruity juice cocktail?
Captain: How fruity is it?
F. O.: All right, I'll be a guinea pig.
The pilots talk to air traffic controllers about reducing their speed. The
flight attendant returns with the drinks.
F. A.: If you don't like . . . . I didn't taste 'em so I don't know if they came
out right.
Captain: That's good.
F. O.: That is good.
F. A.: It's good.
F. O.: That is different. Be real, be real good with some dark rum in it.
The pilots then talk with Pittsburgh controllers about their approach heading,
and then talk more with the flight attendant about their juice drinks.
Captain: It tastes like a ***.
F. O.: Good.
Captain: There's little grapefruit in it.
F. A.: No. (sound of laughter.)
F. O.: *** cranberry.
F. A.: Yeah, you saw that from the color.
Captain: How else is in it?
F. O.: Uh, Sprite?
F. A.: Diet Sprite.
F. O.: Huh.
F. A.: And I guess you could do it with Sprite. Prob'ly be a little better if
you do.
Captain: Yeah, there's more?
F. A.: One more.
F. O.: Ah, O.J.?
F. A.: You got it. Cranberry, orange and Diet Sprite.
F. O.: Really nice.
F.A.: It's different. Could ya keep comin' out, aaah, whataya' got different and
. . . .
Captain: I always mix the cranberry and the grapefruit. I like that. (sound of
aural tone similar to altitude alert)
F. A.: *** O.K., back to work.
A controller tells the pilots to descend and maintain an altitude of 6,000
feet. They make some checks of landing data, shoulder harnesses and other matters.
The first officer remarks,"Oops, didn't kiss 'em 'bye," and then tells
passengers about weather conditions in Pittsburgh and thanks them for choosing
USAir. The pilots slow the aircraft as they descend.
Captain: Boy, they always slow you up so bad here.
F. O.: That sun is gonna be just like it was takin' off in Cleveland yesterday,
too. I'm just gonna close my eyes. (laughter) You holler when it looks like we're
close. (laughter)
Captain: O.K. (sounds follow that are similar to electrical clicks and thumps)
Whoa . . . hang on . . . hang on .. . hang on . . . .
F. O.: Oh, (expletive).
Captain: Hang on. What the hell is this . . . What the . . . oh, God . . . oh,
God . . . .
F. O.: (expletive)
Captain: Pull.
F. O.: Oh, (expletive).
Captain: Pull.
F. O.: God. (sound of screaming) No.
End of recording.
The plane's rudder had moved, forcing the plane to skid to the left. The jet
then rolled and went into a 300-mile-an-hour corkscrew plunge to the ground, killing
all 132 people on board. The safety board has not yet determined what caused the
crash.
8:10:55 AM 
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