Tape Nothing Unusual To AA 587 Crash
 

Tapes Show Nothing Unusual Leading Up To AA 587 Crash

Routine communications between pilots and controllers filled the airwaves around New York Kennedy Airport leading up to the crash of American Airlines Flight 587, transcripts made public yesterday revealed.

The last words confirmed to be from AA 587 came at 9:15:42 local time Nov. 12, when the crew accepted a Kennedy TRACON controller's routing request to "turn direct Wavey" -- an instruction to follow an oft-used southbound route out of the area.

At 9:16:13, the communications ceased being routine: an unknown voice told controllers to "look at to the south, there's an aircraft crashing." About a minute later, a Delta pilot confirmed "it was a heavy jet."

. .At 9:04:16, Japan Airlines Flight 47 checked in, and was given taxi instructions to 31L. Investigators believe that turbulence from JAL plane, a 747-400, may have started AA 587's crash sequence.

. .At 9:11:08, the 747 was cleared for takeoff. Thirty seconds later, AA 587 was cleared onto Runway 31L. Included in ATC's clearance to AA 587 was the routine warning to pilots following large airliners, "Caution: wake turbulence." AA 587 acknowledged the request.

. .At 9:13:29, ATC cleared AA 587 for departure. At 9:14:44, AA 587 was told to "turn left [and] fly the bridge climb" -- the same instructions given to JAL 747 about 90 seconds earlier.

. .Over the next minute, the AA crew accepted routine climb-out instructions. A minute later, at 9:16:49, a TRACON controller said, "American 587 heavy, I'm not receiving your transponder." By then, controllers had known for 30 seconds that a plane was down.