You're under the microscope right now.
You can't be seen buying liquor.
That means no bars, no drugs...
I understand. I won't drink, I promise you.
- Look, we can get you help... - I don't need help.
I won't drink, I promise you. I can stop. On my own.
- Okay. - Okay.
- Till 10:00. - 10:00, I got it.
Avington Carr.
I never wanted that fucking airline.
Neither did my brother. It was my father that wanted it.
- I like baseball. - Oh, I like baseball.
Everybody in Georgia likes baseball.
The whole country likes baseball.
Cut the crap.
So, what's the deal, Lenny?
Is your union going to survive this one?
More importantly, how big a check you think I'm gonna have to write?
Oh, you had six fatalities on board your aircraft.
No, no, it's four, Lenny.
Uh, the two crew members don't count.
(CHUCKLES) I don't mean they don't count.
They don't get settlements like the passengers.
Okay, that's a workman's comp claim, part of the union contract.
They do a dangerous job. They know it.
You the lawyer for the pilots' union?
No, sir, this is Hugh Lang,
he's the attorney we brought on
to handle the criminal side of Captain Whitaker's situation.
Yes, and what is Mr. Whitaker's situation?
The NTSB is up my ass with a flashlight.
We had to give them access to everything.
Everybody's curious about Captain Whitaker.
Well, I flew with him in the navy and he is a great pilot.
Huh.
Is he a drunk?
He's a heavy drinker.
But maybe I should bring him in...
AVINGTON: In a minute.
All right, so let's get down to it, Lenny.
What does the union plan to do about this blood test saying
Whitaker was high on booze and coke?
This guy's a real peach.
I'm going to kill the toxicology report.
The testing was done incompetently.
The toxicology equipment they used was last calibrated in June of 2009.
It's already 18 months past code.
Their log, that should clearly state
who labeled the blood vials, and when, is very incomplete.
And they used a preservative in the blood
that has been known to cause fermentation,
and in some cases, register higher in an alcohol test.
Now, I've done all this, I've only been here a few days,
so I wouldn't worry about it too much. I can handle this.
(CHUCKLES) I like this guy, Lenny.
Makes me want to go out and sniff a few lines and fly a jet.
Mr. Carr, we're going to fight to push all the fault
onto the manufacturer, Jackson Ridgefield.
And you think they're gonna just open their checkbook and buy us all lunch?
Good fucking luck.
What's my exposure, Jim?
Well, the awards to the families could kill the airline.
Fuck the airline.
The insurance companies can have the goddamn airline.
I just don't want them to come sniffing in my other pockets.
LEN: Speaking for the pilots' union, sir,
we don't want to see your airline go away.
We enjoy the contract you have with us.
We're gonna protect Captain Whitaker,
and in turn, we're gonna protect your airline.
Does Whitaker know he's going to jail?
My clients don't go to jail, Mr. Carr.
Oh, he's going to jail. He belongs in jail.
You bet your ass he's going to jail. The only question is,
is he going to die in jail?
You're wrong, Mr. Carr.
Last time I checked,
six counts of manslaughter is life in prison.
Life in prison.
What we in Georgia call "all day long."
I hear you're some kind of pilot.
WHIP ON TV: To the 40, to the 50! And touchdown!
And Grandpa throws it, picks it up...
Oh, Grandpa, what, are you going to chase him now?
Pick it up, Pop.
Pick it up.
Run it back! Run it back! Come on, Knuckles!
Let me see you cut.
(WHIP MOANING)
There she is, there she is.
You back... To the meet? At the nice meeting.
I know, it's okay.
(CHUCKLES)
Yep. That shit ain't...
See?
This shit...
And my...
Knuckles, he's my boy.
He can play a game.
He can play that game.
WHIP ON TV: You want to run the ball!
You want to be a quarterback! Let me see you run it back!
Fake Dad out! Fake Grandpa out!
Oh, Dad, where'd you get that arm?
You must've got that from Grandma's side.
(WHIP MUMBLING)
(GROANING)
There's a flight. We're gonna miss the flight.
WHIP ON TV: And he picks it up! Tell him, Dad.
When are we going to go flying, Dad? Soon?
WHIP'S FATHER: Soon.
WHIP: You still want to get up there?
WHIP'S FATHER: Sure. Any time, son.
WHIP: All right. Say hi, son.
All right. Where's little man Knuckles?
What's up, Knuckles?
Don't get shy. Don't act like you don't know me.
I'm your father. Say, "Hi, Dad."
WILL: Hi, Dad. WHIP: What's your name?
WILL: Will.
WHIP: What's your nickname? WILL: Knuckles.
WHIP: What are you gonna be when you grow up?
WILL: A pilot. WHIP: There you go.
You taught him well, Dad. A pilot.
(LAUGHS) Wait, wait, let me get that.
- Say hi to Mom. WILL: - Hi, Mom.
WHIP: What do you wanna tell Mom? Tell her you love her.
I love her.
(BREATHING DEEPLY)
(CAMERA CLICKING)
(KNOCKING)
- Morning. - Good morning.
You were in pretty bad shape last night.
Yeah.
Just tired. Oh!
I drank a little bit too much.
A bit?
What, you want to count the fucking beers?
I threw them out.
They're in the garbage. Vodka, too.
That okay with you?
- More than okay. - Good.
I've been watching the sky change since the sunrise.
Beautiful.
I went out there, I took some great shots.
It's just so beautiful here.
You grow up here?
No. My dad did, though.
It's my grandfather's farm.
Was.
Dad was a pilot. He was 332nd Airborne.
He was Tuskegee.
Built that landing strip out there.
Crop dusting. EPA shut him down.
He traded in the crop duster
for the old Cessna sitting out there in the barn.
(CHUCKLES)
Flew that damn thing all over the place.
He died.
I got a divorce and...
I've been trying to sell the place ever since.
What about your mom?
Dead.
You? What about your dad?
Well, I'm pretty sure he lives in Colorado.
Yeah?
No relationship?
It was my mom that raised me.
She was incredible.
She held it together for so long, I couldn't even tell how sick she was.
We spent those last seven months together
- like we were teenagers. (CHUCKLES)
We'd trade stories about boys and whatever.
Ah, she loved me.
(CAMERA CLICKS)
(CHURCH BELL TOLLING)
My name's Trevor.
You saved my mom.
It's great to see you, Whip.
- It's good to see you, too, Margaret. (SNIFFLING)
The service was so nice.
I mean, all these people who wanted to say goodbye.
Trina looked so beautiful in there. Didn't you think so?
I mean, like she was just going to wake up and smile.
I didn't go in. I... I just couldn't.
Trevor, find Daddy, baby. He's over there by Mr. Benton.
You really should come to the counseling group.
The union has great people for us to talk to.
I can't. Really. I...
I will.
Well... (SNIFFLES)
- You take care, okay, Whip? - Okay.
Listen, Margaret.
Uh...
You know I'm in the middle of this, uh,
investigation. The NTSB is investigating the crash.
Yeah. I'm gonna talk to them next week.
Yeah. Well, I'm... (STUTTERS) I'm a little nervous
because I was out the night before the crash, at dinner.
Yeah. With Trina.
Right. And I had two glasses of wine,
and they're probably going to ask you
about my condition that morning,
or whether you thought I had anything to drink.
What?
I've known you 11 years, Whip.
Right.
You want to tell me that you and Trina went to dinner
- and you had two glasses of wine? - No.
Sounds like a nice restaurant. Now, which one was it?
You have to say that it was an ordinary day, Margaret.
I mean, it was an ordinary day.
You know me. I was in shape to fly.
You have a problem with saying that?
It's a lie, Whip.
It's a lie. Trina told me you two hadn't been to sleep.
Well, my lack of sleep had nothing to do with that plane falling apart, Margaret.
I'm just trying to get this thing straight.
Now you think any other pilot could have landed that plane and saved more lives?
I didn't say that, Whip. I can't imagine another...
All right, then.
Well, imagine your son, Trevor, in this church,
looking at you in that box.
Or my son visiting me in prison. And...
- Please, Whip, enough. Enough, Whip. - And for the next 40 years...
Don't you think we've all had enough?
(SOBS)
I need this, Margaret.
(SIGHS)
What do you want me to say?
(SIGHS) I just...
it was an ordinary day.
The storm, after we took off,
was very severe.
But as far as the flight crew was concerned,
it was a perfectly ordinary day.
- Hey. - Hi.
Ah...
You Okay?
Uh... Yeah, yeah.
So?
Well, I got through my first day. They didn't fire me.
- So... - Good. Good.
And they need someone to work the night shift and they asked me.
It's time and a half, so...
(BOTH CHUCKLING)
I got a vest.
- And a little name tag. - Nice.
I got you something.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Oh...
It's a P-51 Mustang.
I know it's a P-51...
Your daddy fly one of those?
Yes, he did.
It's cause for celebration.
Oh, well, I promised Sheila that I'd go to this AA meeting now.
She's my sponsor, the one that's been helping me.
Can we celebrate tomorrow night?
Yeah.
Yeah, sure, come on.
You know, you could come with me.
To the meeting.
It's an open meeting, meaning that anyone can come.
Even you.
So the cops got a ﬂashlight on me behind the dumpster.
I'm wearing nothing but my girlfriend's panties,
I got vomit all down the front of my chest.
And I say to them, "Uh, I might have had two beers."
(ALL LAUGHING)
So that's how I got the nickname "Two Beer Barry."
I'm getting the stink eye from Ed over here.
Have I gone off format?
My name is Barry and I am an alcoholic.
ALL: Hi, Barry.
Are there any other alcoholics present?
I always love a meeting where we
all have to identify at the top,
because it forces me to be honest about who I really am.
And I never told the truth out there, obviously.
I lied about everything.
I was taught in these rooms that I would never get sober
if I kept lying, but that's what I was best at.
If I knew anything in this world it was how to lie,
especially about my drinking.
But, whatever. I would lie about the name of my dog,
I'd lie about the color of my own hair right to your face.
And my whole life just became
a series of lies strung together by me,
- one after the other. - I'm going to go, okay?
- Sure. - You got a ride home?
Uh, yeah. Sheila, she can give me a ride. This is Sheila.
- How you doing? - I'm Sheila.
BARRY: ...that my lies would kill me.
Left to their own devices,
my lies would walk me out that door.
MORGAN: Is it safe to say that Captain Whitaker remains a bit of a mystery?
KEN: Those are your words, sir, not mine.
MORGAN: I've been speaking to some people
who are very close to the NTSB investigation.
They are confident they will soon be able to determine
exactly what brought this plane down.
I'm sure they will, sir.
MORGAN: Well, Ken and Vicky Evans, thank you both very much.
KEN: Thank you, sir. And God bless you.
(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
WHIP: How you feeling, Ken?
Happy to be alive.
Blessed to be alive.
I'm Captain Whitaker. I was flying with...
I know who you are.
Excuse me. Could you give us some privacy, please?
Thank you.
So, uh...
How long have you been out of...
- Out of a coma? - Yeah.
Two days.
Good.
(TAPPING CANE)
Well, uh, look, I don't want to disrupt your whole day.
And God knows you've been swamped by interviews and...
You were brilliant on CNN, by the way.
Both my legs are crushed. My pelvis is snapped.
I'll probably never walk again,
at least not without a walker or braces.
I'll certainly never fly again.
I'm very sorry, Ken.
KEN: That plane was doomed the moment you sat in that cockpit.
You reeked like gin or something.
I called Vicky from the plane before we took off.
That's when the rain kicked up.
Well, I don't know how much you remember,
but that plane,
it started falling apart, Ken.
I remember everything until we crashed.
I know what went on.
What are we trying to say, Ken?
What are we talking about?
I don't know, Captain Whitaker.
What are we talking about?
I'm just trying to get a sense from you
about what you thought caused the crash.
Was it the fact that you got on the plane still drunk from the night before?
The NTSB is coming back tomorrow to finish taking a deposition from me.
About the events on that flight.
Do you think you'd be alive if I wasn't flying that plane?
No.
We'd all be dead.
But are you going to argue with me that your physical state was tip-top?
Wait.
Sit.
Please.
I never shared my opinion about your physical state
the morning of the flight.
I never said a word.
Okay.
That crash was preordained.
I prayed on it, Captain. Vicky and I both prayed on it.
There is only one judge, sir.
Praise Jesus.
And he's got a higher plan for you.
This event, although it's tragic in its loss of life,
it's also a celebration of life.
Nothing happens in the Kingdom of the Lord by mistake, sir.
VICKY: Praise Jesus.
KEN: Captain.
Will you pray with us?
Jesus, our savior, we thank you for blessing Captain Whitaker.
For guiding his hand on that fateful morning.
- Bye. - Bye-bye.
- Thanks for the ride. - Okay.
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO)
Hi.
Hey, hey.
(TURNS RADIO OFF)
How you doing?
Oh, hey. Look.
Great, right?
It's kind of beautiful.
It is beautiful, isn't it? Like you.
Does it work?
(LAUGHS) Yes, it works.
I learned how to fly on this baby.
Me and my friend Harling, we flew it to Jamaica.
Jamaica? In this?
Yeah. In this.
We went on an overnight fishing trip about two hours south of here.
Next thing you know... Bethel, Jamaica.
You're insane.
Yes, I am.
It was beautiful. It was like a postcard,
you know, like one of those picture postcards.
White sand, beautiful, sky-blue seas.
It was the most beautiful thing I ever saw.
Was the water warm?
Yes, it was very warm.
That's my kind of place.
Let's go.
Sure. Why not? (CHUCKLES)
Yeah. Let's go tomorrow.
- Oh, you're serious. - I'm dead serious.
We'll go in the morning.
You know, we'll just get out of here.
- Start over. - Whip, we can't. No.
Yes, we can. It'll be beautiful.
Bright sand beaches...
- I'm worried about you. - It's...
Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Thank you.
- You're not. You're really not. - Yes, I am. Yes, lam.
You need help.
You need rehab, Whip.
You think I need rehab? So, you go to two AA meetings
and I need rehab? (SCOFFS) Okay.
Hey, look, who are you, Jesus Christ?
Don't worry about me, okay?
You just worry about yourself. Don't worry about me.
We're the same, you and me.
- No, we're not the same. - Yeah, we are.
We are not the same. I don't suck dick to get high, okay?
And don't give me that your mother died...
- I never! - ...and your father...
I never in my life...
Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.
- That why you shot dope? - That's not fair.
That's why you get high?
There's a whole lot of people out there whose mothers die
and they don't fucking drink.
- You're sick, Whip. - Yeah, well,
I embrace it. Shit!
I choose to drink!
- You do? - Yes, I do.
You choose it? Well, I don't see a whole lot of choice going on here!
I choose to drink! And I blame myself!
I'm happy to! And you know why?
Because I choose to drink!
I got an ex-wife and a son I never talk to!
And you know why? Because I choose to drink!
No. I got to go.
Nicole.
(DOOR CLOSES)
Hey, listen.
All right, look.
I was loaded when the plane crashed.
With this investigation, I don't know what's going to happen.
I could go to jail for the rest of my life.
I got to get out of here.
And I want you to come with me.
Whip.
I'm afraid that I'm gonna use again. Do you understand?
Then come with me.
Just come with me. I need help, I do.
- I'd like it if you got help. - I'll get help.
We'll go straight to Jamaica, we'll go right to the local hospital.
I'll do it.
For you. Any... Anything you want.
I don't want to use again.
I can't. I won't make it back, Whip.
I won't force you to stay.
If you don't like it, if I don't sober up, then you leave.
I promise you, you can leave.
(SOFTLY) We can leave before noon.
I'm a great pilot.
So many beautiful things to see.
I just want you to come with me.
Everything okay, sweetie?
- Yeah. - Okay.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
WHIP: Nicole.
Nicole?
(THUNDER CRASHING)
(PHONE RINGING)
(YELLS)
You've reached the Whitaker Crop Dusting Company.
Please leave a message and it will be returned.
CHARLIE: Hey, Whip, if you're there, pick up.
It's Charlie. I got some good news.
Hello?
CHARLIE: Oh! There's our man. Hey!
HUGH: Captain Whitaker.
Let me be the first to say, "Congratulations."
It's a good day. We've won.
Yeah, this is what we call, in my profession, a "walk over."
Yeah, they scheduled a hearing, it's 10 days away.
They can be tough, but you just gotta be sharp.
Stay focused.
Answer the questions correctly.
That's right, but we're good.
All right, I've successfully had an "Act of God"
added to the NTSB's list of probable causes.
We've shifted suspicion away from you.
It's no longer a question of your condition,
but the condition of the plane.
Fantastic. That's what I've been trying to tell everybody.
This is a broken plane.
That's right.
WHIP: What about my toxicology report?
HUGH: Oh, I killed that.
(ALL CHUCKLING)
There is no physical proof that you were intoxicated on that plane,
and no eyewitnesses.
So why are we here? We're good.
Uh... Because there is a small problem.
Because of turbulence, there was no drink service on the flight,
but they did find two empty vodka bottles in the galley trash.
Yeah, um...
And there's no physical evidence on the bottles.
No DNA, no fingerprints to link them to anyone,
but they were uncapped and empty.
And the only people who would have had access
to those bottles would be the flight crew.
Now, Margaret, Evans and Camelia Satou,
they all had clean tox reports, so that only leaves you and, uh...
- Trina Marquez. - Right, Trina Marquez.
Okay.
Okay, I see where we're going here.
That's funny, though, you know, they only found two bottles.
- Why is that? - I drank three.
- One's missing. (SCOFFS)
You know, when I first met you,
I couldn't believe what a drunk, arrogant scumbag you were.
- Oh, really? - Yeah.
Oh, thank you, Hugh.
But I did the research, Captain Whitaker.
I heard the expert analysis,
and I got to tell you, I'm in awe of what you did.
The FAA and the NTSB took 10 pilots,
placed them in simulators,
re-created the events that led to this plane falling out of the sky.
Do you know how many of them were able to safely land the planes?
Not one.
Every pilot crashed the aircraft, killed everybody on board.
You were the only one who could do it.
Great.
I'm going home.
- Hey, wait, Whip. You can't... - Captain Whitaker,
I'm telling you right now, you walk away...
- Listen, man. - ...you're going to prison.
I'm trying to save your fucking life.
What fucking life?
Huh? Don't kill yourself on my account, Hugh.
Captain Whitaker, this NTSB hearing
is a federal agency hearing. Do you understand that?
Yes, I understand that.
Okay. Well, we can't play around with these people.
Now, we walk in there like this, with this, we're done.
Everything we've done goes right out the window.
I have no more moves, all right?
It's all on you right now.
Okay. Charlie, just get him to the church on time.
Yeah, get him to the church on time!
Yeah, Charlie, just keep him nice and sober,
so he can save your fucking union! Huh?
Listen, Whip...
And that fat fuck's airline! Fuck you, Charlie! Fuck you!
(TIRES SCREECHING)
MAN: It's him. Yeah, it's him, all right.
(DOORBELL RINGING)
How you doing?
What are you doing here?
(LAUGHS) It's good to see you, too, Deana. May I come in?
I just thought I'd come by and see how you and Will are doing.
Will! Knuckles!
We hadn't talked in a while, and this whole thing happened.
I just thought I'd come by and we could talk.
You know that I prefer that you call us.
- Right, right. - Yeah.
Yeah, call you. But I mean,
it's not like anybody around here calls me,
in the last three years, other than to ask for some money.
Have you been drinking?
Well, that didn't take long, did it?
Seventeen seconds. Yeah. Exactly 17 seconds.
- Ladies and gentlemen... - I'm gonna ask you just to leave.
It took exactly 17 seconds for my ex-wife,
Deana Coleman, to ask me if I was drinking.
- Just leave, Will. - What, is that a world record?
Leave the house that I paid for? That's what you want me to do?
I'm calling the police.
Call the police.
WILL: I'm telling you to leave.
Will Whitaker, Junior! How you doing, son?
Man of the house. Thanks for calling me back.
I'm telling you to leave.
Are you? You're the man of the house now?
You upset my mother. You gotta go.
Well, I'm your father, tough guy.
You're a drunk.
Get off!
I'm a drunk. You don't know who the fuck I am.
I sure don't! Why don't you tell me?
What?
Who the fuck are you, huh? Who are you?
Get the fuck out!
(WHIP GROANING)
Get the fuck out, man!
Whip, stop it! Stop it! Stop it!
I love you, son.
Get the fuck out!
Stop it! That's enough!
Get out!
I know where I'm not wanted.
(REPORTERS CLAMORING)
REPORTER: Captain Whitaker, a lot of people are working
to keep you out of the media. Are you hiding something?
Just give my family some room, please.
This is not the appropriate time.
At the appropriate time,
I will tell my story, and, uh, now is
a time for grieving
and taking care of the injured. Thank you.
NEWSCASTER: Questions remain about the flight,
but they won't be answered today
as Captain Whitaker politely asked
that we give his family some peace.
A reasonable request from a quiet, heroic man who has...
- Hey, Charlie. (CLEARS THROAT)
Listen, I just couldn't find a safe place.
Amanda was kind enough to let me in. Thank you.
Are you sure I can't get you something?
- No, I'm fine. - No, we're good.
But thank you. Thank you very much.
What the hell is wrong with you?
Really.
Hugh just called me.
Apparently, you went to your ex-wife's house drunk as a skunk,
the news crews showed up and then the police escort you out.
It's okay, though. I been watching. It's okay.
Oh, yeah, no,
Hugh checked all the media outlets that covered it.
You come off fine. So I guess we're good.
Okay, good. Okay, here's the deal, though...
No, Whip, Whip. There's no deals. All right, look at you.
I got no idea what you're gonna do or say, ever.
You're all over the place.
I was the one guy in your court.
The one guy!
I was your defender and your apologist, but no more.
Charlie, I can do this.
You're about to be questioned by a federal agency
about piloting an airliner drunk.
An airliner that crashed!
And you continue to drink! And stumble around!
What kind of crazy do you have to be to do that?
I'm afraid of you.
Okay, all right. Then let me stay with you.
Let me stay with you.
They're staking out all my houses anyway.
(STAMMERING) I'll stay with you until, until...
Until the hearing. I won't leave the house.
I won't.
You cannot drink in my house.
I won't. I won't. I won't.
You can't have a drink.
I won't.
- Officer Edmonds. EDMONDS: - Yes, sir.
Whip, this is Officer Edmonds. He'll be staying here tonight.
Any problems, he'll handle it.
- Captain Whitaker. - Hugh.
You look great. I mean that.
Thank you. Thank you very much. I feel good.
Yeah. Charlie tells me you haven't had a drink in eight days.
Nine days, two hours, 26 minutes.
- But who's counting? (LAUGHS)
Okay. Right here.
So, yeah, we wanted to make this as easy as possible on you.
I hope this is okay.
You can just relax, get some rest.
Order up a steak, get a movie.
I made a copy of the entire investigation and my file on you.
I was trying to anticipate what kinds of
questions they might ask you under oath,
and I wrote some non-damaging responses.
So, it's all in there.
You know, with photos, interviews, there's some testimony in there.
I called Ellen Block, told her you're here.
You're all tucked in.
She got the knife out for me?
(CHUCKLES) Well, look, she's not happy that I killed the tox report,
but this isn't a trial,
so she's very limited in the kinds of questions
she can ask you.
You know? You're gonna be fine.
Yeah, the hearing's at 10:00, so just downstairs,
so we're figuring we meet here at 9:00 for breakfast in the room
- and take it from there. - Take it from there.
Yeah.
All right, Captain Whitaker, see you in the morning.
Thank you. And thank you for letting me stay in your house.
You have a beautiful home, beautiful family.
You did great.
I needed it. I needed it.
- That's all right. Happy to do it. - Okay. Yep.
- All right. See you in the morning. - Okay, yes.
Just like flying.
(MAN CHATTERING ON TV)
(SHOWER RUNNING)
(SOFT KNOCKING)
(LOUDER KNOCKING)
Hello?
Hello.
(AIRPLANE TAKING OFF IN DISTANCE)
(WHIRRING)
How's our man?
Not a peep.
Maybe he overslept.
Yeah.
You didn't let any girls in there last night, did you?
No, sir, not a soul.
No one came in or out besides room service.
Okay.
(CONTINUES KNOCKING)
You have a key?
Hey, Whip.
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)
Hey, buddy! Whip!
HUGH: Holy shit.
- What the hell? - No kidding.
CHARLIE: What the hell? HUGH: Where the fuck is he?
CHARLIE: Oh, Jesus. HUGH: Where is he?
- Where is he? Where is he? CHARLIE: - I don't know.
HUGH: Did he fucking walk away? Son of a bitch.
Hugh. Hugh. Whip!
Damn it!
- Oh, no. Is he dead? - I don't know.
- Is he dead? - I don't know.
WHIP: Yeah, I'm dead!
EDMONDS: You want me to get an ambulance?
- No, no, no. No. No. - No.
WHIP: Who's making all that noise?
Let's just get him to the bed. Come on.
Come on. That's all right.
HUGH: That's it, Charlie.
Okay? That's it. We're fucked, man. He just fucked us.
Your guy just fucked us, Charlie.
All right. You just get on the front door make sure nobody comes in.
Put that on your head.
There you go, man. What time is it?
We've got 45 minutes, okay?
How much grace you think we've got?
Grace? Ellen Block?
We're going to get some fucking grace?
(STAMMERING) Well, we probably got an hour before
we really gotta get him downstairs.
Okay. Great. Well, let's just get a wheelchair
and wheel his ass into the hearing!
Call Harling Mays, man.
Oh, Harling's got a wheelchair?
He's got cocaine.
Cocaine?
Hey, brother. Harling Mays. I'm on the list.
Whip.
What's the deal, buddy?
You look like you're hurtin' for certain.
- Thanks for... - Do not touch the merch, motherfucker!
Take one step back, please.
Cee Lo, I need you outside guarding the door, please.
- Thank you very much. (WHIP CHUCKLES)
Go ahead.
It's all right. Yeah.
All right, gentlemen, I need that table cleared
and placed in front of Whip with a chair behind it.
Now, please!
I need a glass of water, I need a credit card,
I need a hundred dollar bill.
I got a 20.
She'll do.
All right, Whip, banana boat's a-coming.
And I need a coco puff.
A what?
Just take the tiniest little bit of tobacco out of the top of the cigarette, please.
Damn. Amateur night.
Banana boat's a-coming. You're almost home.
Okay, baby, we're gonna do
two small whiffs first,
- one on each side. (WHIP GROANS)
Just a little primer to get us started.
(MOANING) Okay.
Coco puff.
Ah!
(CHUCKLES)
(SNORTS) Ah!
Attaboy. Attaboy. Head back. Swallow.
Water! Water now, chief, you.
All right.
A little coco puff, buddy.
Who's the banana man?
You.
There's the banana man. All right. Now focus up, big dog.
Here's the train coming to you.
Yeah.
Keep it down, big dog.
Banana boat's coming.
And the banana boat is here.
All right.
Nothing keeps you down, dog.
Nothing keeps that big dog down.
You all are up.
Oh, uh...
I don't, um...
Shit, I'll take another hit.
Ah!
Thank you, brother. Shit, I'm back.
All right, baby. I love you.
I love you, too. Shit.
(CHUCKLING)
All right. Which one of you gentlemen is funding this enterprise?
It's 500 bucks.
I've got like 80 bucks on me.
How much you got?
I got it. I got it.
All right.
- Here, just... You pay him. - What?
Pay him.
Thank you. Okay.
There's a gram in here.
You take it. You paid for it. He's going to need it later.
My work here is finished.
See y'all on the dark side of the moon.
(SINGING)
Your nose.
I'll go ahead and tell them we're here.
You're going to make it.
Remember, if they ask you anything about your drinking,
it's totally acceptable to say, "I don't recall."
Hey, don't tell me how to lie about my drinking, okay?
I know how to lie about my drinking.
I've been lying about my drinking my whole life.
(PEOPLE YELLING)
Those are difficult images to watch.
For the record, I'm Ellen Block, hearing officer for this hearing.
Captain Whitaker, good morning.
Morning.
(COUGHS) Morning.
ELLEN: What that video captures is that
the aircraft was in a relatively stable glide
just prior to the moment of impact.
However, according to the data we retrieved
from the cockpit data recorders,
at exactly 9:34, after flying 27 minutes without incident,
the transponder recorded a loss in altitude
in excess of 4,800 feet per minute
in what is considered a "full pitch nose down" attitude.
Then, at 9:42, according to the data recorders,
a decision was made to invert the aircraft.
The NTSB has created an animated simulation
that I would like to play at this point.
WHIP: We're going to roll it.
KEN: What do you mean "Roll it"?
WHIP: We gotta do something to stop this dive.
Margaret, what's your son's name?
MARGARET: Trevor. WHIP: Say, "I love you, Trevor."
MARGARET: What? WHIP: Black box.
Say, "I love you, Trevor."
MARGARET: I love you, Trevor. You be a good boy. Mommy loves you.
WHIP: Okay, here we go. I've got control.
KEN: Oh, Lord Jesus!
WHIP: (GARBLED) ...ﬂaps. KEN: Flaps!
WHIP: Speed brakes. KEN: Speed brakes!
WHIP: Margaret! Power!
- Gear up. KEN: - Gear up!
Oh, Lord Jesus, we're inverted!
WHIP: We're flying. We're level.
We can maintain altitude like...
Atlanta Center... SouthJet... 7. We are inverted.
I... We are inverted.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: SouthJet 2... 7, uh,
did you say inverted?
That audio is tragic and compelling.
I chose to play that part of the cockpit recording
to highlight a key moment on board flight 227,
wherein you say, "We're going to roll it."
"Here we go. I've got control."
You made a very conscious decision to invert the aircraft,
to roll the plane upside down, is that correct?
I'm not sure if it was conscious. But...
it was more like instinct.
What led to that decision?
(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY)
I don't recall.
Let me quote from an investigative summary.
"From 9:34 until 9:42,
the events on the aircraft are," again I quote,
"bold and remarkable."
"By inverting the plane, Captain Whitaker arrested the descent
and allowed the aircraft to level off,
enabling him to glide the aircraft away from any populated areas
and allowing him to execute a forced landing in an open field."
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDS)
I heard a loud metallic bang.
We pitched nose down.
- No control. ELLEN: - Yes.
First Officer Evans' testimony confirms the same.
I want to show you something.
Nothing's happening.
This remote isn't working.
Apologies. I can do this manually.
This is the jackscrew on the tail assembly
that articulates the horizontal stabilizer,
also known as the elevator.
As you can see,
the threads on this screw are almost entirely gone.
This part was suggested as a maintenance replacement
in January of 2011. It was never replaced.
It had an additional 1,200 hours of flight on it.
It finally failed.
Our investigators have concluded
that the jackscrew snapped
and the elevator was frozen in a fixed position,
locking the elevator in a down position,
which forced the plane into a dive.
The loss of the elevator was, and I quote our report,
"A catastrophic event from which recovery was improbable
and stable flight impossible."
Mr. Whitaker,
I want to talk about the days leading
and the hours leading up to the accident.
But before I do,
I want to remind you that you are under oath
and that any testimony you give here today
will be considered admissible
in any subsequent hearings or criminal proceedings.
Do you understand what that means?
Captain Whitaker, for the record, I need you to verbalize your answer.
Uh, I'm sorry. Yes, I understand.
On the three days leading up to the accident,
Tuesday, October 11th,
Wednesday, October 12th or Thursday, October 13th,
did you consume any alcohol or other intoxicating elements?
No, I did not.
ELLEN: On the morning of the accident,
Friday, October 14th,
did you consume any alcohol or ingest any chemicals or drugs
that may have impaired your ability to perform your job?
No, I did not.
Mr. Whitaker, do you now or have you ever had
a problem with alcohol dependency,
alcoholism or drug addiction?
No.
Okay, Mr. Whitaker, we're about done.
Due to the severe turbulence in the early part of the flight,
you asked the flight crew to suspend
the beverage service on the plane, is that correct?
Yes, that's correct.
I suspended the drink service on the plane.
Are you aware that our investigators found
two single service vodka bottles in the galley trash bin?
Yes, I'm aware of that.
There were five crew members on board
that would have had access to the beverage trolley.
Less than an hour after the accident,
blood was taken from each of these crew members,
yourself, First Officer Evans,
Flight Attendant Margaret Thomason,
and posthumously from Camelia Satou
and Katerina Marquez.
Toxicology analysis was performed and
three of these tests came back negative,
one was disqualified for technical reasons,
and one tested positive for alcohol.
It registered a .17 blood alcohol level.
Are you aware of that?
Yeah, I'm aware of it now.
Mmm-hmm.
Miss Marquez was not only a colleague,
but you knew her outside of work, is that correct?
Outside of work?
No, not really.
Did you know Miss Marquez had a drinking problem?
No, I did not.
Did you ever see her drink to excess?
No, I did not.
ELLEN: Were you aware that she was twice treated for alcohol addiction?
The last time was 16 months ago and paid for by SouthJet Airlines.
No, I did not.
Is it your opinion
that Katerina Marquez
drank on that flight?
Could you repeat the question?
Is it your opinion that Katerina Marquez drank on that flight?
I'm sorry, my what?
Your opinion, Captain.
Since her toxicology report is the only toxicology report
that is admissible in this hearing,
and she in fact tested positive for alcohol,
is it your opinion that Katerina Marquez
drank those two bottles of vodka on the plane?
(EXHALES) God help me.
ELLEN: I'm sorry, Mr. Whitaker,
I couldn't hear you. What did you say?
I said, "God help me."
Yes, well, however, is it your opinion...
It's my opinion
Trina did not drink that vodka.
Excuse me, Mr. Whitaker?
WHIP: She saved the boy's life, that's...
Could you speak louder, Captain Whitaker?
Trina Marquez did not drink the vodka
because I drank the vodka.
(AUDIENCE MURMURING)
What the hell? Objection!
NTSB OFFICER: Please be seated, sir. Sir.
CHARLIE: Captain Whitaker misspoke.
WHIP: I drank the vodka bottles.
CHARLIE: Didn't you hear me? I said I object!
Please be seated, sir. This is not a courtroom.
Well, I object anyway!
I drank the vodka bottles on the plane.
Captain Whitaker,
on the three nights before the accident, October 11th...
October 11th, October 12th,
and 13th and 14th, I was intoxicated.
I drank all of those days. I drank.
In excess.
On the morning of the accident...
I was drunk.
I'm drunk now.
I'm drunk right now, Miss Block.
Because I'm an alcoholic.
WHIP: That was it.
I was finished.
I was done.
It was as if I had reached my lifelong limit
of lies.
I could not tell one more lie.
And maybe I'm a sucker,
'cause if I had told just one more lie,
I could have walked away from all that mess
and kept my wings, kept my false sense of pride.
And more importantly,
I could have avoided being locked up
in here with all you
nice folks for the last 13 months.
But I'm here.
And I'll be here for at least the next four or five years.
And that's fair.
I betrayed the public trust. I did.
That's how the judge explained it to me.
I had betrayed the public trust.
The FAA, they took away my pilot's license.
And that's fair.
My chances of ever flying again are slim to none.
And I accept that.
I've had a lot of time to think about it, all of it.
I've been doing some writing.
I wrote letters to each of the families that had lost loved ones.
Some of them were able to hear my apology.
Some of them never will.
I also apologized to
all the people that tried to help me along the way, but I
couldn't or wouldn't listen.
People like my wife, you know.
My ex-wife and, uh,
my son.
And again, like I said, you know, some of them will
never forgive me. Some of them will.
But at least I'm sober.
I thank God for that. I'm grateful for that.
And this is going to sound real stupid
coming from a man who's locked up in prison,
but for the first time in my life,
I'm free.
Whitaker. You got a visitor.
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
GUARD: - You got 40 minutes. - Okay.
(LAUGHS)
Aw.
Ah.
Look at you, boy.
- How are you doing? - I'm good.
You look good.
Come on, sit down.
This is a surprise.
You get that gift I sent you?
Yeah, yeah, I got it.
- Yeah? You like it? - Yeah.
Good.
How's your mom?
Oh. She's all right.
My college counselor wanted me to come and interview you.
Me?
Yeah. I'm writing essays for college applications.
Good.
I need your help.
You got it.
Well, this essay, the essay that I have to write...
(SIGHS)
It's called "The Most Fascinating Person
That I've Never Met."
Okay.
So...
(RECORDER BEEPS)
Who are you?
That's a good question.