Robopocalypse

American 1497 heavy…. Say souls on board.

MARY FITCHER, DENVER APPROACH TOWER

PRECURSOR VIRUS + 8 MONTHS

These air traffic control communications occurred over the course of seven minutes. The fate of more than four hundred people—as well as two men who would become distinguished soldiers in the New War—was determined in seconds by a single woman: Denver air traffic controller Mary Fitcher. Note that italicized passages were not transmitted over the radio but collected from microphones inside the Denver air traffic control tower.

—CORMAC WALLACE, MIL#GHA217

START OF TRANSCRIPT

00:00:00

DENVER

United 42 heavy, this is Denver Approach. Say heading.

+00:00:02

UNITED

Uh, sorry, we’re turning back on course. United 42 heavy.

+00:00:05

DENVER

Roger.

+00:01:02

DENVER

United 42 heavy, turn left immediately. Heading 360. You’ve got traffic at twelve o’clock. Fourteen miles. Same altitude. It’s an American heavy 777.

+00:01:11

UNITED

Denver Approach. United 42 heavy. Unable, uh, unable to control my heading or altitude. Unable to disconnect the autopilot. Declaring an emergency. Squawking 7700. (static)

+00:01:14

DENVER

American 1497 heavy. This is Denver Approach. Climb immediately to fourteen thousand feet. You have traffic at your nine o’clock. Fifteen miles. A United heavy 777.

+00:01:18

AMERICAN

American 1497, roger. Traffic in sight. Climbing to fourteen thousand.

+00:01:21

DENVER

United 42 heavy. Understand you are unable to control your heading and altitude. Your traffic is now thirteen miles. Same altitude. Heavy 777.

+00:01:30

UNITED

…makes no sense. (inaudible) …can’t.

+00:01:34

DENVER

United 42 heavy. Say fuel on board. Say souls on board.

(long moment of static)

+00:02:11

UNITED

Approach. United 42 heavy. We have two hours thirty minutes fuel on board and two hundred forty-one souls on board.

+00:02:43

DENVER

American 1497. Traffic at your nine o’clock. Twelve miles. Same altitude. United 777.

+00:02:58

UNITED

United 42 heavy. Traffic is in sight. He doesn’t appear to be climbing. Get that plane out of our way, will ya?

+00:03:02

DENVER

American 1497. Have you started that climb yet?

+00:03:04

AMERICAN

American 1497 heavy. Uh, we’re declaring an emergency. Uh. We’re unable to control altitude. Unable to control heading. (inaudible) Unable to disconnect autopilot.

+00:03:08

DENVER

American 1497. Understand loss of control. Say fuel. Say souls on board.

+00:03:12

AMERICAN

An hour and fifty minutes fuel. Two hundred sixteen souls on board.

+00:03:14

M. FITCHER

Ryan, get on the computer. Whatever this problem is, both of these planes have got it. Figure out when these two were last near each other. Do it now!

+00:03:19

R. TAYLOR

You got it, Fitch. (sound of typing)

+00:03:59

R. TAYLOR

Those planes both flew out of Los Angeles yesterday. They were at gates right next to each other for about, uh, twenty-five minutes. Does that mean anything?

+00:04:03

M. FITCHER

I don’t know. Shit. It’s like these planes want to hit each other. We’ve got about two minutes before people die. What’s going on in Los Angeles? What’s (inaudible). Anything weird there?

+00:04:09

R. TAYLOR

(sound of typing)

+00:04:46

M. FITCHER

Oh no, oh no. They can’t fix this, Ryan. They’re still on a collision course. That’s what? That’s, like, four hundred and fifty people. Give me something.

+00:05:01

R. TAYLOR

Okay, okay. A fueler robot. An autoramper. It malfunctioned yesterday. Sprayed a bunch of fuel on the ramp and shut down two gates for a couple hours.

+00:05:06