NARRATOR: Sao Paolo,
Brazil is the largest
city in South America.
With 16 million residents,
morning rush hour
is always a crawl.
The traffic overhead
is busy, too.
Residential
neighborhoods are packed
tight around Congonhas Airport,
one of Brazil's busiest hubs.
Every day, more than 500 flights
come and go from this airport.
Today, 89 passengers are getting
ready for a short hop from Sao
Paolo to Rio de Janeiro.
They're flying on TAM Airlines.
The Brazilian
company has just won
an award for best
regional carrier,
and wants everyone to know it.
 Good morning.
How are you doing?
 Great.
NARRATOR: One of TAM's
most experienced pilots
is in command.
Jose Antonio Moreno has
almost 6,500 flight hours.
Before start checklist?
 Yes, captain.
Already done.
 Good.
Go ahead and call
the tower so we
can get these engines started.
 You got it.
NARRATOR: First officer Ricardo
Luis Gomez is less experienced.
The 27-year-old has only
been qualified to fly
the Fokker 100 for one week.
 Sao Paolo, TAM 402,
we're ready to go
and requesting engine start.
 TAM 402, you're
clear to start.
 Fire 'em up.
 Starting number one.
Starting engine two.
NARRATOR: The short-haul
jet is powered
by twin Rolls Royce engines.
Flight 402 is underway.
 B1, rotate.
NARRATOR: It seems
like a routine takeoff.
 No, no, no, no, no!
NARRATOR: Then less
than 50 feet in the air,
the plane rolls
dangerously right.
The captain needs to
level the plane fast.
The captain's efforts
start to pay off.
The wings move
back towards level.
 What was that?
NARRATOR: It's a brief reprieve.
The airspeed is dropping
dangerously low.
Worse, the captain can't
keep the plane level.
 It has to have been absolutely
sick feeling for that flight
crew at that point.
[SCREAMING]
