Flight Deck Alarms and Conversations During Crash

[Bobbsy]

I hope this isn't too morbid, but...

As a retired sound mixer, my hobby is doing sound effects for a local amateur theatre company.

For a production coming up in September, I have to make a sound effect of what's going on in the flight deck of a commercial airliner crashing despite the best efforts of the crew.

I'm interested in learning what sort of alarms would be going off, conversations likely between Captain and First Officer, communications with ATC on the ground etc. I realise this is something that would vary with the incident and also with the model of plane. However, something generic but accurate would be useful.

FYI, I have the capability to record conversations, add radio filters, generate tones etc. so I don't need actual recordings (though it would be good to listen to some), just a general idea of how things would go.

Thanks in advance.

[Piltdown Man]

What sort of crash are we talking about and where? Are we talking of a well trained crew who were following procedures getting unlucky? Take off, landing or in between? If you set the scene, we can provide more answers. And we need to know what had failed to put this aicraft in this predicament.

[Bobbsy]

Thanks for the reply. I'm meeting the director (and getting a copy of the script) on Friday afternoon Australian time so I'll have more details then. However, based on the phone conversation I had with him, i sounds like a well trained crew having technical problems on the approach for a landing.

I'll confirm everything after my meeting so I can get a more informed response.

[B2N2]

You're already putting in more effort then the average Hollywood production.
Think your best bet would be to find something here:

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqwTQqRpBo9nAEXiNwoBjORFUP8mTyEE5

[back to Boeing]

Anecdotally I know. But I have heard that sometimes highly experienced pilots (I guess other people too but not too many voice recorders) will start to whistle when they know it's about to be all over. No idea why. Don't even know if it's really acccurate but worth investigating perhaps?

[B2N2]

I whistle in the sim during check rides....

[Tarq57]

What is the nature of the "technical problems"?

This is a cover-all terminology used frequently by airlines ops or PR departments to placate disrupted passengers.

[MATELO]

not directly connected with sound, but advise the director to use the same aircraft for take off, in flight and landing.

[thetimesreader84]

Whilst I can't quite understand why you would create such a morbid website, this might be a good starting point;

http://www.planecrashinfo.com/lastwords.htm

Please keep checking back here though, I for one would like to see how you get on, and it's good to "sense check" things as you go along. As someone further up the thread said, you've already done more research than most Hollywood directors!

[Piltdown Man]

Bob - the big difference comes in timing. The last part of an approach typically lasts 3-4 minutes or so. If you know you are having problems before then, you don't start the last part. Instead you lurk about running checklists. Depending on the problem you may well turn off various warning systems. This will probably reduce the actual noisy bits to zero. The rationale behind this is that if everything goes according to plan you should receive no warnings. Then, if you get one you go-around. Then you work out what the problem was. We are not the interesting creatures portrayed in the media dealing with loads of warnings, bells and alerts. We like boring.

[AndoniP]

if you want that ultra-dramatic effect, watch a few episodes of 'air crash investigation' or 'mayday' or whatever they call it

[Bobbsy]

Sorry for being late getting back to you but my wife is undergoing chemo therapy and had a bad few days. Anyway, more details.

The incident occurs soon after take off--an engine (on a two engine plane, exact model unspecified in the script but let's assume Airbus). There's an uncontained failure on one engine and shrapnel through the wing causes both a fire and a hydraulics failure. The crew struggles to get back to the airport but don't make it.

As structured, the alarm sounds will be more important than the conversation though the script does specify that their be radio calls between the flight deck and controllers t the airport.

That link from B2N2 has already been helpful but any further suggestions will be much appreciated.

[Fursty Ferret]

Originally Posted by Bobbsy

Sorry for being late getting back to you but my wife is undergoing chemo therapy and had a bad few days. Anyway, more details.

The incident occurs soon after take off--an engine (on a two engine plane, exact model unspecified in the script but let's assume Airbus). There's an uncontained failure on one engine and shrapnel through the wing causes both a fire and a hydraulics failure. The crew struggles to get back to the airport but don't make it.

As structured, the alarm sounds will be more important than the conversation though the script does specify that their be radio calls between the flight deck and controllers t the airport.

That link from B2N2 has already been helpful but any further suggestions will be much appreciated.

Assuming an Airbus, it would probably go like this...

... "V1, rotate"
... "Positive climb"
... "Gear up"
... "gear up" (response)
... (sound of landing gear retracting)
... (incident occurs)
... (single master caution chime)
... "Engine 2 Fail"
... (continuous repetitive chime)
... "Engine 2 fire"
... (autopilot disconnect cavalry charge)
... "Autoflight: autopilot off"
... (someone) "I have control"
... "Hydraulic green and blue system low pressure"
... "Hydraulic green and yellow system low pressure(!)"
... "Alternate law"
... GPWS "Don't sink"
... GPWS "Bank angle"
... Flight warning computer "Stall, Stall"
... GPWS Whoop whoop, pull up (repeat until end)

As far as I know there is no recorded loss of control in flight in the phase immediately after take off on an Airbus. Might be worth reading the report on the DHL(?) which was struck by an RPG on climb out and lost hydraulics.

My experience from the sim is that in very difficult situations where all capacity is taken flying the aircraft is that the usual response is silence as people concentrate. You'll see on YouTube documentaries and training videos that the attitude to almost anything else is just relaxed and methodical.

The scenario above is not particularly plausible but at least the phraseology won't trigger a nervous twitch in pilots watching. I did try a triple hydraulic failure in the simulator once but it wasn't modelled by the system, with the aircraft promptly pitching up, stalling, and rolling onto its back. ;-)

[Bobbsy]

Thanks very much for that--it'll be very useful!

[Fareastdriver]

I was told by a flight safety investigator that the most common last words heard on the CVRs were,

"Everything's going to be OK."

[A320ECAM]

Originally Posted by Fareastdriver

I was told by a flight safety investigator that the most common last words heard on the CVRs were,

"Everything's going to be OK."

I have read through and studied a vast wealth of air accidents and incidents. There was one CVR which I listened to back in the '90s from the PSA 182 flight which went down over San Diego due to a collision on approach with a Cessna.

"Mom I love you" were the final words. It is the only CVR audio I have ever heard which made me gulp.

[Doors to Automatic]

Originally Posted by Fareastdriver

I was told by a flight safety investigator that the most common last words heard on the CVRs were,

"Everything's going to be OK."

That's interesting - the last words in most of the CVR transcripts I have read have generally involved fewer words, the first of which usually beginning with the next letter in the alphabet to the phrase above!