+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
M. FITCHER
How many planes did it fuel? Which ones?
+00:05:09
R. TAYLOR
Two. Our birds. What’s it mean, Fitch?
+00:05:12
M. FITCHER
I don’t know. I’ve got a feeling. There’s no time. (sound of a click)
+00:05:14
DENVER
United 42 heavy and American 1497, I know it sounds far-out, but… I have a hunch. You’re both experiencing the same issue. Both your planes passed through LA yesterday. I think a virus may have entered your refuel control computers. See if (inaudible)… find the circuit breaker for the subcomputer.
+00:05:17
UNITED
Roger approach. I’m willing to try anything. (static) Uh, that’s probably behind the seat. Right? Be advised, American 1497, fueling circuit breakers are on panel four.
+00:05:20
AMERICAN
Roger. Looking for those.
+00:05:48
DENVER
United 42 heavy. Traffic is now twelve o’clock and two miles. Same altitude.
+00:05:56
DENVER
American 1497. Your traffic is now nine o’clock. Two miles. Same altitude.
+00:06:12
UNITED
(voice of Traffic Collision Avoidance System) Climb. Climb.
+00:06:17
UNITED
Can’t… find the breakers. Where are—(inaudible)
+00:06:34
DENVER
(emphatic) See and avoid. American 1497 and United 42. See and avoid. Collision imminent. Collision… Oh no. Oh, shit.
+00:06:36
AMERICAN
(unintelligible) …I’m sorry, Ma.
+00:06:38
UNITED
(voice of Traffic Collision Avoidance System) Climb now. Climb now.
+00:06:40
AMERICAN
…where (shuffling) Oh! (exclaimed loudly) (long moment of static)
+00:06:43
DENVER
Do you copy? Repeat. Did you copy?
+00:07:08
DENVER
(inaudible)
+00:07:12
UNITED
(hysterical yelling)
+00:07:15
DENVER
(relieved) Oh my god.
+00:07:18
AMERICAN
American 1497. Roger. It worked. That was a close one, y’all! Oh my! (sound of hooting)
+00:07:24
DENVER
(heavy breathing) You had Fitcher worried there for a second, kids.
+00:07:28
UNITED
United 42 heavy. Flight control restored. It worked! Fitch, you magnificent woman, can you get us cleared for landing? I need to kiss the ground. I need to kiss you, sister.
+00:07:32
DENVER
Uh, roger that. United 42 turn right, heading oh nine oh. Airport is at your two o’clock and ten miles.
+00:07:35
UNITED
United 42 heavy. Roger. Airport in sight.
+00:07:37
DENVER
United 42 heavy, cleared for the visual. Runway sixteen. Right. Contact tower one thirty-five point three.
+00:07:40
UNITED
Thanks for the help. Tower on thirty-five three. See ya.
+00:07:45
AMERICAN
American 1497. Same story. Got a grin on my face up here. But, uh, somebody sure has some explaining to do.
+00:07:53
DENVER
That’s for damn sure. Bring it home, pilots.
This incident led directly to the invention and propagation of the so-called fitch switch, designed to manually separate peripheral onboard computers from flight control during an emergency. No passengers were harmed on either flight, although the experience of passing within feet of another 777 aircraft was incredibly frightening. I know this for a fact. My brother Jack and I were both passengers on United Flight 42.
7. PHREAK
I’m as nasty as the day is long and I know every trick in the book. If I want you, mate, I’ll get you.
I assembled these transcripts from footage recorded by a webcam in a bedroom in south London and by several closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the nearby neighborhood. The video was grainy, but I have done my best to relay exactly what unfolded. The identity of the room’s occupant has never been fully verified. In the transcripts, he simply calls himself Lurker.