Shadowing Practice: Accident Case Study: Night Falls on Final - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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November 534 Zulu, Raleigh Tower, Raleigh Tower, 534 Zulu, Raleigh Tower, how do you hear?
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November 534 Zulu, November 534 Zulu, Raleigh Tower on guard, if you hear this transmission, 534 Zulu, Raleigh Tower.
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Just after sunset, on the evening of Sunday, October 20th, 2019, November 534 Zulu,
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a 1989 Piper Saratoga was nearing Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
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The flight had departed from Columbus, Georgia more than three hours earlier.
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On board the pilot and his wife heading to North Carolina for a vacation.
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That night Raleigh was reporting marginal VFR with 10 miles of visibility
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but a stubborn layer of clouds lay close to the ground.
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The pilot had more than 2,900 hours of total flight time, an instrument rating, and a valid Class III medical certificate.
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He had filed an IFR flight plan for the 370 nautical mile journey and anticipated arriving in Raleigh around 7 p.m.
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He checked in with Raleigh for the first time at 6.25 p.m.
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He was traveling at 4,900 feet and requested the RNAV GPS approach into the airport's 7,500 foot-long runway 5 right.
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The other, Five left was closed at the time.
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Okay, 34Z, I have Mike.
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I was set up for R-NOW-5.
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Is that possible?
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34Z, we've got multiple jet inbounds here, and we're down to a single runway, so it would help if you could take 32, if not.
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We'll try to work in there.
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Okay, well, I'll set it up for R-NOW-32.
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34Z.
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Runway 32 is the shortest of Raleigh's three runways, just 3,570 feet long, oriented toward the northwest.
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With about 400 aircraft movements every day, the vast majority of which are commercial flights, Raleigh's controllers have to juggle many different types of aircraft.
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Local pilots say that 3-2 is the common runway assignment for this kind of GA flight.
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The controller directs November 534 Zulu's pilot to the initial approach fix for the RNAV approach on runway 3-2, CONCHA.
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The pilot appears to be unfamiliar with it.
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There is
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a 30 second pause.
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At 6.38 p.m.,
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the controller instructs the pilot to descend to 4,000 feet.
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The pilot repeats and complies with that instruction.
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A minute later, ATC clears the aircraft for the approach to runway 32.
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And once again, the pilot sounds unsteady.
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We're at 3400.
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You are six miles from Conca.
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Maintain 4,000 until Conca.
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Clear the RNAV GPS 32.
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Maintain 4,000 to Conca.
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And clear for the GPS 32 approach.
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3400. Thank you.
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And the wind's actually been favoring 32.
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I appreciate you working with us there.
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The wind's now 330 at 6.
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If I'm reading this chart correct, the minimum altitude over our nose is 3400.
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Roger.
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So just 4,000 until Conca.
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Then you can start your descent.
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November 534 Zulu proceeds and is handed off to Raleigh Tower.
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He says that he is on the 3-2 approach.
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The controller clears the flight to land.
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But then things begin to fall apart.
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On the approach, 3-4 Zulu.
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I need to climb.
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My GPS approach just shut off.
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Okay, November 534 Zulu.
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Maintain 3,000.
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Somehow, the aircraft is 90 degrees off course.
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Before Zulu, can you tell me what my heading is 236?
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Your current heading does appear to be on a 230 heading.
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Just maintain 3,000 for now.
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340, 3,000.
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Are you IMC currently, November 5340?
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I am IMC.
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I'm trying to climb over it.
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Maintain 3,000 and we'll get you re-sequence.
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It is 6.52 p.m.
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The flight track then turns to the left again In the space of less than two minutes, the aircraft has reversed course and is now heading south.
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Soon after that, it points east.
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The controller begins to hand the flight over to a different frequency.
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N534Z, contact Raleigh approach on 125.3, flighting 140.
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I'm having trouble with 145 heading.
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140, okay.
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Okay, what are you showing as a current heading, 340?
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N534Z, you still on approach for anything?
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Approaching the tower?
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I'm on the tower.
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Okay, what are you showing as your current heading?
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101, 340.
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It does appear to be about a 100 heading.
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Can you fly heading 140?
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I can, but I'd like to climb and get above this IMC.
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I'm just glad by IMC.
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Climb, maintain 4,000 for number 340.
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And that was 140 on the heading?
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Affirmative 140 and maintain 4,000.
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But the Piper never turns to 140.
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ATC tries to get in touch with 34Zulu twice.
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The pilot responds to the second call.
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Uh, well, I approached you.
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I don't know what happened, man.
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Right here, there's a...
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This is where my autopilot shut off.
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34Zulu, no problem.
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Looks like you're trying to nose-nake at this time.
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Is that correct?
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34Zulu, um... And, um...
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Let me figure out what's going on here.
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The controller notices something is seriously wrong.
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He adopts a new tone.
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34Z, roger.
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And just four heading of 050.
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050 for now.
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And we'll let you get settled and set up, and then we'll bring you back in, okay?
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34Z, roger.
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The flight path continues to appear erratic.
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November 534 Zulu climbs to 4,400, and the controller reminds the pilot to return to his assigned altitude of 4,000 feet.
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Two minutes pass.
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It's now 6.59 p.m., and it is almost completely dark over North Carolina.
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The controller tells the overstretched pilot that he is flying northbound and about 500 feet too high.
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He leaves the aircraft at that altitude to try to make things easier on the pilot, who is now clearly struggling with spatial disorientation.
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Never murdered.
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3-4-0.
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Just lean team 4,400 in the table.
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3-4-0.
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Make that 4,000.
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3-4-0.
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4,400, please.
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4,400.
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And what was the heading you gave me?
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3-4-0.
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0-5-0.
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50 heading, please.
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The controller does his best to try to untangle the situation.
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His voice is calm.
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He speaks slowly.
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Still, it gets worse.
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Sino, 340.
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340. It's just off the right side there.
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When able, proceed direct to Sino.
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The pilot acknowledges, but about a minute later, the controller asks if the pilot found the waypoint.
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The pilot answers, I'm putting it in.
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After another minute, the controller checks in again.
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340, do you have it in yet?
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Do you want me to start turning you back towards it?
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I do have it in.
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I'm turning to the right.
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It looks like it's a 231 heading.
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34Z, thank you.
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When able, maintain 4,000.
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But it seems that the pilot again is lost.
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34Z, I tell you what, it looks like Senna's just off to your right side there.
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Matt, you missed it a little bit, but that's okay.
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Let's just fly in the 230 and look up NOSIC.
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I'm going to give that to you next, and then we're going to fly straight in over NOSIC.
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3400, roger.
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3400, go ahead and read that back for me.
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230 on the heading, and we're going to have you go direct NOSIC here in a little bit, line you straight up inbound for straight in for 32.
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The controller continues to vector November 534 Zulu toward the approach.
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He directs the pilot to a heading of 190 degrees first,
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then tells him to turn slightly right to 230 so that the aircraft can capture Nosek.
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Following that waypoint, he instructs the pilot to turn to 320 for the direct straight-in approach on Raleigh's runway 32.
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The pilot acknowledges all of these calls.
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The controller clears November 534 Zulu for the RNAV GPS runway 32 approach,
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maintaining 3400 until NOSIC, three miles away.
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The pilot also acknowledges this call correctly.
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The time is now 7.17 p.m and the pilot has been flying this approach for 40 minutes.
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The pilot heads toward runway 32.
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He asked for the cloud ceiling.
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According to the current METAR, there were clouds at 1,000 feet.
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The controller promises to get a PIREP to confirm.
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Shortly thereafter, the pilot announces that he just broke out of the clouds.
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But his current altitude at the time indicates he may have been mistaken.
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I'm looking for the runway.
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A lot of lights here.
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340, low altitude alert.
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Maintain 2,000, please.
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2,000.
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342, the airport's 12 o'clock in 900 miles.
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Do you have an in sight?
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Believe it.
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Do I think I see the beacon?
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342, roger.
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Okay, if you've got the runway you are, clear visual approach runway 32.
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I might do it on altitude of 1,400.
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342, your altitude, it's fine.
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If you have the airport in sight, if you have 32 in sight, you can do a visual approach.
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You're clear for a visual approach runway 32.
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The only thing I see is the beacon.
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Okay, 34Z, we're going to turn the lights up to see if you can see the runway.
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34Z, do you have the airport in sight?
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I don't have the runway lights, I'm sorry.
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I have the beacon, I believe.
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34Z, the lights are up right on 32.
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Let me know if you can get it in sight.
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34Z, I think it's coming in now.
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November 534 Zulu is handed off to Raleigh Tower on 127.45.
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The pilot tells the tower controller that he finally has the runway in sight.
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But November 534 Zulu never lands in Raleigh.
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November 534 Zulu, Raleigh approach.
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534 Zulu, Raleigh approach.
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How do you hear?
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November 534 Zulu, Raleigh tower, Raleigh tower.
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534 Zulu, Raleigh tower.
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How do you hear?
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November 534 Zulu, November 534 Zulu, Raleigh tower on guard.
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If you hear this transmission, 534 Zulu, Raleigh tower.
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A search and rescue effort was launched immediately after the aircraft disappeared from radar screens.
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But the wreckage of the white Piper Saratoga with the blue
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and gray stripes was not found until 10 a.m the next morning.
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It had cut a swath through the tall trees of William B.
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Umstead State Park, a 5,600-acre nature preserve off the east side of the airport property.
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The wreckage path was about 400 feet long and 50 feet wide on a heading of 315 degrees,
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just over a mile southeast of the threshold of runway 32.
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About 5 feet of the outboard section of the right wing, apparently the initial point of impact with the terrain, was lodged near the top of a 100-foot tree,
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with the rest of the fuselage coming to rest close to a trail.
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Branches found along the wreckage path had smooth angular cuts and dark paint transfer marks.
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The wing's flaps appeared to be retracted.
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The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the accident, which claimed the lives of the pilot and his wife,
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was his failure to maintain a safe glide path during final approach to the runway.
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In addition, the pilot's lack of recent instrument flight experience.
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The last recorded instrument approach in his logbook was in January 2019, almost 10 months prior to the accident.
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Additionally, the last time he flew at night was in November of 2018.
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It means he was not current
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or proficient to act as pilot in command for a flight carrying passengers at night and in instrument meteorological conditions.
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Shortly before reaching his journey's end,
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he found himself in an exceedingly challenging situation as he navigated the final phase of a three-plus-hour flight in darkness.
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Let's not underestimate the stress and fatigue the 72-year-old pilot may have felt while at the controls of his technically advanced aircraft.
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Fatigue can quickly lead to mistakes.
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He might have programmed his avionics incorrectly, entered the wrong barometric pressure into his altimeter, or perhaps he shut off the autopilot himself inadvertently.
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The accident chain likely started when air traffic control gave this pilot a different runway assignment than the one he was expecting.
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Not only can that cause immediate confusion and anxiety, but quickly reprogramming the avionics suite requires a level of mastery
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and a thorough understanding of the systems that he likely could not call up at that moment.
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That said, early on the controller did give him the opportunity to reject the approach to runway 32.
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He told the pilot, It would help if you could take 32 if not, we're trying to work in there.
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We learn during flight training that the pilot in command has the final say when it comes to the safety of flight.
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This pilot should have let the controller know that runway 32 would not be a viable, safe option for him at that moment.
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But we also must ask ourselves, what could ATC have done differently?
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The pilot tells ATC that his altimeter shows him at 1400 feet MSL,
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which is more than 1000 feet below the published approach path and asks, How am I doing on altitude?
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The controller tells him, You're altitude, it's fine.
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When clearly it wasn't. In addition,
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November 534 Zulu's speed fluctuations indicate the pilot was behind the airplane during much of the last phase of the flight.
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That means he was reacting to events instead of anticipating them, probably due to his high workload.
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The final link in this accident chain came with the pilot's
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search for visual cues on final approach in an environment that misled him.
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A dark, featureless foreground followed by a brightly lit airport can create a powerful illusion of being high on approach
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when the opposite is true.
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Probably overwhelmed and exhausted, he descends into the trees, coming to rest just a mile from his destination.
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This accident did not begin with a single bad decision.
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It began with a shift from a planned and prepared arrival to an unexpected one, late in the flight and under encroaching darkness.
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Each additional task, reprogramming avionics, managing degraded automation, navigating unfamiliar fixes,
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and flying through fickle instrument conditions, all subtly increased the pilot's workload.
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What makes this sequence especially instructive is how it exposed the difference between experience and readiness.
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The pilot's total flight time, almost 3,000 hours, suggests he was capable.
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But it is recency, more specifically proficiency, that determines mental capacity under stressful conditions.
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Safety margins are rarely lost all at once.
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are spent quietly, step by step, until there's nothing left to absorb the next error.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 237 sentences and 2217 words to shadow. The speech runs for 17:00. The speaker talks at a steady 130 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 77% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| runway noun | /ˈɹʌnweɪ/ | A defined, narrow section of land or an artificial structure used for access. |
| controller noun | /kənˈtɹoʊlɚ/ | One who controls something. |
| altitude noun | /ˈælt.ɪˌtjuːd/ | The absolute height of a location, usually measured from sea level. |
| instrument noun | /ˈɪnstɹəmənt/ | A device used to produce music. |
| climb verb | /ˈklaɪ̯m/ | To traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending). |
| cloud noun | /ˈklaʊ̯d/ | A visible mass of water droplets suspended in the air. |
| acknowledge verb | /əkˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ/ | To admit the knowledge of; to recognize as a fact or truth; to declare one's belief in. |
| beacon noun | /ˈbiːkən/ | A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning. |
| shortly adverb | /ˈʃɔɹtli/ | In a short or brief time or manner; quickly. |
| indicate verb | /ˈɪndɪˌkeɪt/ | To point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known. |
| sequence noun | /ˈsiː.kwəns/ | A set of things next to each other in a set order; a series. |
| transmission noun | /tɹænsˈmɪʃən/ | The act of transmitting, e.g. data (signals) or electric power. |
| darkness noun | /ˈdɑɹk.nɪs/ | The state of being dark; lack of light; the absolute or comparative absence of light. |
| assignment noun | /əˈsaɪn.mənt/ | The act of assigning; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks. |
| proceed verb | /pɹəˈsid/ | To move, pass, or go forward or onward; to advance; to carry on. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| shut off verb | To stop or turn off by closing something, such as a valve. | |
| fall apart verb | To disintegrate, to break into pieces. | |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
| look up verb | /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ | To have better prospects. |
| set up verb | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | To make ready for use. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 30 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, we're, we'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: smooth /smuːð/, southeast /sawˈθɪjst/, northwest /nɔɹθˈwɛst/, threshold /ˈθɹɛʃ(h)oʊld/, thereafter /ˌðɛɹˈæf.tɚ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shortly /ˈʃɔɹtli/, transmission /tɹænsˈmɪʃən/, capture /ˈkæp.(t)ʃɚ/, vacation /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, destination /dɛstɪˈneɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: anticipate /ænˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/, unfamiliar /ˌʌnfəˈmɪli.ə(ɹ)/, anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, certificate /səˈtɪf.ɪ.kɪt/, destination /dɛstɪˈneɪʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like runway, controller, altitude.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was closed · was set · is handed |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has reversed · have done |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.