Since the content of the pilot's radio call is of such consequence, I'd like to
point out that the initial reporting call on the full version of the tape
includes the full (if rushed) callsign of "Acey
5912". "Acey" being the callsign of Atlantic
Southeast Airlines (ASA), now a subsidiary of ExpressJet.
To me the first transmission sounds slightly truncated intially, and
pinched/cupped, as well as during his response "5912" to the controller's query.
Very well could have been through an O2 mask mic. The word "emergency" is clear
enough, as is smoke in the cockpit.
Turns out on his subsequent
transmission he did state "Mayday, mayday, mayday". Try listening only with your
eyes closed instead of listening while reading what they've (mis) transcribed
and you'll hear "Mayda (broken) day, Mayday. We'll be evacuating. We'll be
evacuating 34R". Go ahead, try it.
Is there a more complete recording out there than that which accompanied the news story in the opening post? If so, I haven't heard it. None of the other media versions seem to contain any more audio than that which has been available all along.
I've listened a number of times, and as for the earliest transmission heard, to my long abused ears, it could be "
Acey 5912", but when I listen to it, every time, I hear "
this is 5912".
As for the subsequent transmission, every time I listen to it, I never hear "Mayday", just something clipped and unitelligible.
FWIW, on the LiveATC site, this doesn't seem to have captured much attention, but there is a clip of the ground frequency immediately post incident. The ground controller seems equally unaware of the emergency, as she asks Acey 5912 to exit the runway:
Expressjet hits lighting at KDEN, anyone got it? | LiveATC.net
Just as an aside, does it seem odd to anyone else that the FAA's own audio of an incident under investigation found its way into the media so quickly?