SilkAir Flight 185 – CVR Transcript

Date: December 19, 1997

Aircraft: Boeing 737-36N (9V-TRF)

Operator: SilkAir

Fatalities: 104 (all onboard)

Cause: Disputed – Indonesian NTSC: Undetermined; U.S. NTSB: Intentional pilot action

[08:29:23] CAM-1: Checked.  
[08:29:24] CAM-2: Checked, flaps?  
[08:29:25] CAM-1: Five degrees, green light.  
[08:29:28] CAM-2: Five green; rudder, aileron, stab trim?  
[08:29:29] CAM-1: Zero, zero and four point seven units checked.  
[08:29:35] CAM-2: Zero zero four point seven checked; takeoff briefing.  
[08:29:37] CAM-1: Complete.  
[08:29:38] CAM-2: It’s complete to the line.  
[08:29:40] CAM-1: Okay.  
[08:29:50] CAM  : [Sound of door opening]  
[08:29:51] CAM-1: All set.  
[08:29:52] CAM-5: Yeah—just give me, uh, one-one-five seconds to put on the infant seatbelt, you know.  
[08:29:57] CAM-1: Never mind lah – you can take quite some time; you can take up to three seconds.  
[08:29:59] CAM-5: Okay.  
[08:30:00] CAM-1: [Laugh] “Five seconds” [laugh] “Give me five seconds to put—”  
[08:30:03] CAM  : [Sound of door closing]  

[08:30:44] GND  : Silk Air 185, continue taxi on Alpha; contact tower 118.75.  
[08:30:48] RDO-2: 118.75, Silk Air 185.  
[08:31:34] RDO-2: Tower, selamat sore, Silk Air 185 on Alpha.  
[08:31:38] TWR  : Silk Air 185, number two for departure runway 25R.  
[08:31:41] RDO-2: Silk Air 185.  
[08:34:00] TWR  : Silk Air 185, line up and wait runway 25R.  
[08:34:03] RDO-2: Line up and wait, Silk Air 185.  

[08:34:06] CAM-1: Sit the girls, thanks—below the line.  
[08:34:09] PA-2 : Cabin crew, take off positions please.  
[08:34:17] CAM-2: Cabin announcement complete; engine-start switches?  
[08:34:20] CAM-1: On.  
[08:34:21] CAM-2: Transponder?  
[08:34:22] CAM-1: TA only.  
[08:34:23] CAM-2: Strobe lights?  
[08:34:25] CAM-1: On.  
[08:34:26] CAM-2: Holding at takeoff clearance.  
[08:34:28] CAM-1: Thank you.  
[08:35:22] CAM-1: *  
[08:35:25] CAM-2: Sorry?  
[08:35:28] CAM-1: This guy is also going Papa Lima Bravo.  
[08:35:30] CAM-2: Yeah.  
[08:35:32] CAM-1: Sempati is turning right.  
[08:35:37] CAM-1: We’re waiting for him to cross before we can let us go.  
[08:35:40] CAM-2: Yeah.  
[08:35:55] CAM-2: They turned around that triple-seven fast.  
[08:35:57] CAM-1: Yeah.  
[08:35:59] CAM-2: That SQ one.  

[08:36:35] TWR  : Silk Air 185, cancel SID after airborne; turn right direct Papa Lima Bravo, cleared for takeoff.  
[08:36:41] RDO-2: Airborne; right turn Papa Lima Bravo, cleared for takeoff, Silk Air 185.  
[08:36:44] CAM-2: Takeoff clearance.  
[08:36:45] CAM-1: Obtained.  
[08:36:47] CAM-2: Before-takeoff checklist’s complete.  
[08:36:48] CAM  : [Sound of increasing engine noise]  
[08:36:50] CAM-1: Niner-one-five.  
[08:36:55] CAM-2: Niner-one-five thrust is set.  
[08:36:58] CAM-2: Eighty knots.  
[08:36:59] CAM-1: My control.  
[08:37:00] CAM-2: You have control.  
[08:37:12] CAM-2: V-one… rotate.  
[08:37:14] CAM-2: V-two.  
[08:37:17] CAM-2: Positive climb.  
[08:37:18] CAM-1: Gear up, thanks.  
[08:37:28] CAM-1: Heading select, right turn three-three-zero, yeah.  
[08:37:32] CAM-2: It’s all clear.  
[08:37:33] CAM-1: Okay.  
[08:37:36] CAM-1: Flaps one.  
[08:38:10] CAM-1: Flaps up.  

[08:37:48] TWR  : Silk Air 185, contact departure 119.75.  
[08:37:52] RDO-2: 119.75, Silk Air 185… terima kasih pak.  
[08:37:58] ATC  : *  
[08:38:09] DEP  : Silk Air 185 identified on departure; climb to FL350, turn right heading 340; report passing 150.  
[08:38:27] CAM-2: Flaps are up.  
[08:38:32] CAM-1: V-Nav, thanks.  
[08:38:47] CAM-2: TCAS twenty.  
[08:38:48] CAM-1: Okay—it’s set.  
[08:39:15] CAM-1: [Sound of humming]  
[08:39:21] CAM-1: Request high speed—thanks.  
[08:39:27] DEP  : Silk Air 185, request high-speed climb.  
[08:39:29] ATC  : Approved.  
[08:39:30] CAM-1: Okay—start switches off, seatbelt sign off, after-takeoff checklist, thanks.  
[08:39:43] CAM-2: Transponder TA-RA twenty miles; A/C & press set; start switches off; gear up & off; flaps up—no lights; landing lights on until ten thousand; belts off; after-takeoff complete.  
[08:39:56] CAM-1: Thank you.  
[08:40:50] CAM-1: V-Nav heading select.  
[08:40:51] CAM-2: Checks.  
[08:40:52] CAM-1: Autopilot A engaged.  
[08:40:59] CAM-1: We probably get direct Pardi, eh, probably.  
[08:41:15] DEP  : Silk Air 185, take up heading 330.  
[08:41:20] ATC  : Heading 330, Silk Air 185.  
[08:41:31] CAM-1: Ten thousand checked—one-zero-one-three—and, ah…  
[08:41:38] CAM-2: Set.  
[08:41:53] CAM-1: Forty miles.  

[08:43:20] CAM-1: *  
[08:43:21] CAM-2: Yeah.  
[08:43:22] CAM-1: * for the next two days *  
[08:43:40] CAM-1: I’ll be off here.  
[08:43:53] ATC  : Silk Air 185, maintain FL350; cleared direct Pardi; report abeam Papa Lima Bravo.  
[08:43:55] ATC  : Three-five-zero, direct Pardi, wilco, Silk Air 185.  
[08:44:05] CAM-2: Want direct Pardi.  
[08:44:06] CAM-1: Huh?  
[08:44:10] CAM-1: Call 240.  
[08:44:17] ATC  : Flight level 350, wilco, Silk Air 185; request direct Pardi.  
[08:44:21] CTRL : All right—stand by.  
[08:44:29] CAM-1: I’ll be off the air for a while.  

[08:44:37] PA-1: “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen…[welcome announcement]…”  
[08:46:04] CAM-1: I’m back with you.  
[08:46:05] CAM-2: Okay.  
[08:47:01] ATC  : Silk Air 185, passing two four zero.  

[08:47:50] CAM-1: *  
[08:47:52] CAM-5: Would you like to have some sandwich?  
[08:47:55] CAM-1: Drinks, ah…  
[08:47:56] CAM-5: *  
[08:47:57] CAM-1: Tau hueh chui. (soya drink)  
[08:47:57] CAM-5: Tau hueh chui.  
[08:47:59] CAM-2: I’ll have ice lemon tea.  
[08:48:00] CAM-5: Ice lemon tea—do you want the sandwich too?  
[08:48:03] CAM-2: What kind?  
[08:48:04] CAM-5: Egg mayonnaise and chicken.  
[08:48:08] CAM-2: Just a couple—thanks. Nice clear day.  
[08:48:12] CAM  : [Sound of door closing]  
[08:48:16] CAM-1: Yeah.  
[08:48:33] CAM-1: [Sound of singing]  
[08:48:49] CAM-1: Some water, you want?  
[08:48:51] CAM-2: Ah, fine—thanks.  
[08:49:48] CAM-1: Just go level change and get up.  
[08:49:50] CAM-2: Yup.  
[08:49:51] CAM-1: So we can go direct Pardi.  
[08:50:17] CAM-2: Thirty for thirty-five.  
[08:50:52] CAM-1: On speaker.  
[08:52:18] CAM-1: A thousand to three-five zero.  
[08:52:49] CAM  : [Sound of altitude-alert tone]  
[08:53:08] CAM-1: *  
[08:53:15] ATC  : Silk Air 185 maintaining FL350.  
[08:53:20] CTRL : “Maintain FL350, cleared direct Pardi, report abeam Papa Lima Bravo.”  
[08:53:25] ATC  : “Three-five-zero, direct Pardi, wilco, Silk Air 185.”  

[08:53:51] CAM-1: That’s him behind us.  
[08:53:52] CAM-2: Yup.  
[08:53:53] CAM-1: Very fast.  
[08:57:25] CAM-1: He’ll be ahead of us arriving in Singapore.  
[08:57:28] CAM-2: Yeah.  
[08:57:28] CAM-1: He is—he is speeding, shit.  
[08:57:35] CAM-1: At least point eight.  
[08:57:52] CAM-2: He’ll be above the weather as well.  

[09:00:48] CAM  : [Sound of door opening]  
[09:00:51] CAM-5: Tau huey chui.  
[09:00:56] CAM-1: Thanks.  
[09:01:01] CAM-5: I was so busy I kept two pieces of sandwich for him then this coming in as well [laugh].  
[09:01:12] CAM  : [Sound of door closing]  
[09:04:09] CAM  : [Sound of rustling papers]  
[09:04:55] CAM-1: Go back for a while—finish your plate.  
[09:04:56] CAM-2: I am.  
[09:05:00] CAM-1: Some water.  
[09:05:01] CAM  : [Sound of several metallic snaps]  
[09:05:03] CAM  : [Sound of snap]  
[09:05:05] CAM-2: No thanks.  
[09:05:13] **End of recording**

      

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