27 September 1973 - Texas International 655 The Convair operated on a flight from Memphis to Dallas via Pine Bluff, El Dorado and Texarkana. On the leg to Texarkana, the aircraft strayed 185 km off course while flying VFR in IMC weather. At 20.52h CDT the Convair crashed into a mountain at 607m. The wreckage was found three days later.
LEGENDCAM Cockpit area microphone
RDO Transmissions from unknown source
-1 Voice identified as Captain
-2 Voice identified as First Officer
-? Voice unidentified
* Unintelligible
# Wonpertinent word
% Break in continuity
( ) Questionable text
(( )) Editorial insertion
. . . Pause
Note: All times expressed in elapsed timeWarning
The reader of this report is cautioned that the transportation of a CVR tape is not a precise science, but is the best product possible from an NTSB investigative group effort. The transcript or Parts thereof, if taken out of context, could be misleading. The attached CVR transcript should be viewed as an accident investigation tool to be used in conjunction with other evidence gathered during the investigation. Conclusions or interpretations should not be made using the transcript as the sole source of information.
TIME &
SOURCE CONTENT
00:00.0
CAM-2 Yeah?CAM-1 That might not be a hole there
CAM-2 We know shortly
CAM-2 It sorta looks like twenty-four miles to the end, I
Don't mind, do you?CAM-1 I don't care, just as long as we don't go through it
CAM-2 Looks a little strange through there, looks like
something attenuating through thereCAM-2 It's shadow
CAM-1 Yeah, looks like a shadow
CAM-1 Is that better?
CAM-2 Naw, I don't care
CAM-X Suit yourself
CAM-2 Well, I don't know, looks a little light in here, this
Thing hits your eyeballs pretty hardCAM-2 That's right
CAM-1 That's what I'm holding this thing for
CAM-2 That's all right, it doesn't hurt if she's bright
CAM-1 As long as you've got it
CAM-2 See something?
CAM-1 I think it's snow
CAM-2 I still think that's 3 shadow
CAM-2 I do, too
CAM-2 Wanna go around?
CAM-1 Yeah, why not
CAM-2 All right
CAM-1 I'd slow it up a little bit too
CAM-1 Good change
CAM-2 Whata we got, decreasing (ground pickup)
CAM-1 I did't hear you
CAM-2 The visibility is dropping
CAM-1 Yeah
CAM-2 Well
CAM-2 Rain
CAM-1 Raining (all over the place)
07:29.5
Note Two one Alpha, roger ((radio transmission heard on
RDO-1 and 2, source unknown))08:40.0
CAM-1 You got something down thereCAM-2 The other one's a rain data, look at it
CAM-1 Yeah, it's probably getting ground clutter down there
CAM-1 That's ground
CAM-2 What's all this, lights, in those fields? What the # are
They, chicken farms?CAM-1 Yeah
CAM-2 God Almighty
CAM-2 They're planning on growing a few eggs, ain't they
CAM-1 Yep, that's what they are
CAM-? Whistle
CAM Sound of ambient noise increases
CAM-2 What the # have I got there, ya know?
10:18.5 I thought the end of that line was way back down
over there, now12:29.5
CAM-2 #, keeps growing on usCAM-1 No, not really
14:13.5
CAM-2 It'sa real cute lil'old curlycue, ain't it?CAM-1 Yeah, ha, ha
CAM-1 There's not much to that, but we gatta stay away from
It cause we'll be vee, IFRCAM-2 Si
CAM-2 #, I can't get this # stupid radar * *
CAM-2 You got any idea where we're at?
15:06.0
CAM-1 Yeah, two sixteen'11 take us right to the VORCAM-2 Two, ah
CAM-1 Two oh nine, I got
CAM-2 Fifteen
CAM-1 I'm not concerned with that, I could care less
CAM-1 I guess you're right. That, that is just extending on
and on and on as we go along 'cause it hasn't moved in
about three or four miles in the last thirty minutes,
it seems likeCAM-1 I guess it's building up that way (now)
CAM Sound of whistling
CAM-1 What's Hot Springs?
16:09.5
Note Hello there Dallas, this is nine, uh ((radio transmission
Heard on RW-1 and RDO-2, source unknown))CAM-2 Sir?
CAM-1 What Hot Springs VOR? Is it ten zero? Is that right?
CAM-2 Yeah, yeah, uh, that's right
CAM-2 We don't want to get too far op the # # # # it gets hilly
CAM-1 Yeah, . . . stars are shining
CAM-1 Why don't you try two thousand?
17:03.5
CAM-1 if we get up here anywhere near Hot Springs, we get in
the # mountains
CAM-2 Uh, you reckon there's a ridge line along here somewhere?CAM-? * *
CAM-2 Go down five hundred feet, you can see all kindsa lights
CAM-(2) Let's go ahead and try for twenty-five hundred
17:49.5
CAM-1 All rightCAM-1 Fred, you can quit worrying about the mountains 'cause
that'll clear everything over thereCAM-2 That's why I wanted to go to twenty-five hundred feet
CAM-2 That's the Hot Springs highway right here, I think
CAM-1 You 'bout right
CAM-2 Texarkan . . . . naw, it aint't either
CAM-2 #, Texarkana's back here
CAM-1 Texarkana's back over here, somewhere
CAM-2 Yeah
CAM-2 This ain't no Hot Spring highway
18:34.5
CAM-1 Well thirty degrees . . . thirty degrees takes you right
to Texarkana doesn't it? Hot Springs . . . here we are
sitting'on fiftyCAM-2 Yeah
CAM-2 How we doin'on that # # # # ? Look how we're gainin
on the ground
CAM-1 I don't know, Fred, still we keep getting'another one
popping' up every time . . . every time
19:34.5
CAM-2 If we keep this up indefinitely, well be in TulsaCAM-1 I haven't been in Tula in years
CAM-2 ((Laugh)) ha, ha, ha
CAM-2 The last time I was with Gen Duke, he said go whichever
way you want to. I was going out of Abilene going to
Dallas, took up a heading zero one zero and flew for about
Forty-five minutes, and he said, Fred, you can't keep going
on this, on this heading. I said why. He said, #, you
gonna be in Oklahoma pretty soon. I said don't care
if I'm in Oklahoma. He said, fair enough20:14.5
CAM-2 How'd I get all this # speed?CAM-1 You're all right
CAM-2 (Pile it on) we'll keep this speed here?
CAM-1 A little while
CAM-2 There ain't no lights on the ground over there
CAM-1 Yeah, I see ém behind us
CAM-1 See stars above us
20:40.5
CAM-2 I got some lights on the groundCAM-1 'here's just not many out here
CAM-2 Maybe . . . could be something 'else, coach
CAM-1 Aha, we're getting' rid of the clouds
CAM-1 We'ís in the clouds, Fred
CAM-2 Are we?
CAM-1 Yeah
CAM-1 No, we're not
21:16.5
CAM-1 I can see above us
CAM-2 We got (ground) up ahead?
CAM-1 I can see the ground here
CAM-2 Yeah, I can see the ground down here, too
CAM-1 Yeah * * *
CAM-1 North is a fair heading, north
CAM-2 Now, what have we got here?
CAM-1 Naw, you're all right, I can see some lights over here
CAM-2 I'll tell ya what, coach . . .
22:02.5
CAM-2 That's probably Hot SpringCAM-1 Yep, could be
CAM-1 Yeah, that might be either it or Arkadelphia
CAM-2 Well I'm getting out of the clouds here Mac, but I'm
getting right straight into itCAM-1 Oh, looks like you're all right
CAM-2 Do you see any stars above us?
CAM-2 We're going in and outta some scud
CAM-1 Yeah, we've got a little bit here
CAM-2 I sure wish I know where the # we were
22:49.0
CAM-1 Well, I tell you what, we're, ah, on the two fifty . . .
Two sixty radial from, ah, Hot SpringsCAM Heavy static
CAM-2 Figure I can kick her on up here, maybe I can outrun it
CAM-1 I don't, I don't think you can get up
CAM-2 Well, I, I got the # thing pointed almost straight up to
see what we got out here
23:27.5
CAM-2 Paintin'ridges and everything else boss and I'm not familiar
with the terrain
CAM-2 We're staying in the cloudsCAM-1 Yeah, I'd stay down. You're right in the (some) right
in the base of the clouds
CAM-1 I tell you what, we're gonna be able to turn here in a minuteCAM-2 You wanna go through there?
CAM-1 Yeah
24:04.5
CAM-2 All rightCAM-2 Good, looking good, Mac. Looking good
CAM-1 That's all right, wait a minute
CAM-2 Well, I can't even get, ah, Texarkana any more
CAM-1 I'll tell you what, Fred
CAM-2 'Kay, boss
CAM-1 Well, ah, we'll just try that, we'll try it. We're gonna
be in the rain pretty soon. It's only about two miles wideCAM-2 You tell me where you want me to go
CAM-1 Okay, give me a heading of, ah, three forty
CAM-2 Three forty?
25:25.5
CAM-1 Three fortyCAM-1 Steady on
CAM-1 We got ten miles to go 'n' we're gonna turn . . .
CAM-1 To the left about, ah, 'bout fifty degrees
CAM-2 Won't me to turn, did ya say fifty?
CAM-1 Yeah, fifty left
CAM-1 On about, uh, two ninety
CAM-2 Two ninety
25:59.5
CAM-1 Ya got six miles to turn
CAM-1 Three miles south of turn
CAM-2 We're in it
CAM-1 Huh?
CAM-2 We're in solid, now
CAM-1 Are we?
CAM-2 Hold it
27:01.0
CAM-1 Start your turn . . . standard rateCAM-1 Level out and let me see it . . . when you hit two ninety
CAM-2 Aw, okay
27:20.0
CAM-2 There's your two ninetyCAM-1 Steady on
CAM-1 Should hit in about a half a mile. Should be out of it
in 'bout two milesCAM-1 You're in it
CAM-1 Are you through it?
28:05.0
CAM-1 Turn thirty left
CAM-2 I can see the ground, now28:20.5
CAM-2 There's thirty leftCAM-2 Naw, that's thirty-five #
CAM-1 Keep on trucking, just keep on a-trucking
ÇAM-2 Well, we must be somewhere in Oklahoma
CAM-1 Doin'all the good in the world
CAM-2 Do you lave any idea of what the frequency of the Paris
VOR is?CAM Nope, don't realy give a #
29:15.0
CAM-1 Put, uh, about two sixty-five, heading two sixty-five29:19.0
CAM-2 Heading, two sixty-fiveCAM-2 I would say we # up
CAM-1 Think so?
CAM-? Laughter
CAM-1 Didn't we?
30:23.0
CAM-1 Fred, descend to two thousand30:25.0
CAM-1 Two thousand, coming down30:42.0
CAM-2 Here we are, we're not out of itCAM-1 Let's truck on
31:01.5
CAM-1 'bout five to the rightCAM-1 Shift over a little bit if you can
CAM-1 Sure can
CAM-1 That's all right
CAM-2 Right #
CAM-1 That all right, you're doing' all the good in the world
CAM-1 I thought we'd get, I thought it was moving that way on me
Only, we just kinda turned a little bit while you was look-
ing the map
CAM-2 LookCAM-1 First time I've ever made a mistake in my life
CAM-2 I'll be #. Man, I wish I know where we were so we'd have
Some idea of the general # terrain around this # placeCAM-1 I know what it is
CAM-2 what ?
CAM-1 That the highest point out there is about twelve hundred feet
CAM-2 (That right) ?
CAM-1 The whole general area, and then we're not even where that
Is, I don't believeCAM-2 I'll tell you what, as long as we travel northwest instead
of west, and I still can't get ParisCAM-? Whistling
CAM-1 Go ahead and look at it
CAM-? Whistling
CAM-? #
CAM-? Whistling
33:18.5
CAM-1 Two hundred and fifty, we're about to pass over Page VORCAM-2 You know where that is?
CAM-1 Yeah
CAM-2 All right
33:34.0
CAM-1 About a hundred and eighty degrees to Texarkana33:37.5
CAM-2 About a hundred and fifty two33:40.0
CAM-2 Minimum en route altitude is forty-four hund . . .33:42.0 Sound of impact
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