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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ004102S
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00:27 The world changed forever when the Wright brothers took to the 00:29 sky on the 17th of December 1903 They showed us what their flying 00:35 machine could do. Their historic first flight lasted just 12 00:40 seconds and covered 40 meters. From that humble beginning the 00:45 aviation industry has developed into one of the largest and 00:49 fastest growing in the world. At any given time there are 9700 00:55 planes and one point two million people in the sky. So it's no 01:00 surprise that last year the aviation industry generated 01:05 global revenue of over 900 billion dollars as well as 01:09 providing over 65 million jobs worldwide. And all this has 01:15 happened in less than 120 years. Airplanes have also come a long 01:20 way since the Wright brothers first flight in their simple 01:24 design plane the Wright Flyer. In fact, the wing span of an air 01:29 bus, the largest commercial air liner, is double the length of 01:34 the Wright brothers original flight. And the average Boeing 01:38 747 has around 280 kilometers of wiring and six million parts. 01:45 That's certainly a lot more technical and sophisticated than 01:49 the original Wright Flyer. The airline industry's safety record 01:55 has also improved significantly over the past 100 years. The 02:00 first fatal aviation accident involving a powered aircraft 02:04 was the crash of a Wright model A aircraft in 1908. The plane 02:10 was piloted by Orville Wright, one of the Wright brothers. The 02:14 crash injured Orville and killed the passenger Thomas Selfridge. 02:19 But today flying is the safest way to travel. Traveling by 02:25 plane is 10 times safer than making a trip by train and 19 02:30 times safer than in a car. The chance of you boarding a flight 02:34 that will be in a fatal accident is one in seven million. How did 02:41 flying got so safe and reliable? Well in part because previous 02:47 accidents triggered crucial safety improvements and one of 02:52 those accidents whose influence is felt each time you step on a 02:57 plane happened right here. This is the story of Trans 03:02 Australian Airline flight 538 that crashed into the sea near 03:07 Mackay on the 10th of June 1960 killing all 29 people on board. 03:13 Join me as we take a look at the mysterious circumstances 03:18 surrounding Australia's worst civil aviation disaster. It's 03:24 real, it's tragic and it's relevant, because it carries a 03:29 special message for us today. 03:33 ♪ ♪ 03:54 Mackay is a relaxed coastal town located on the east coast of 04:00 Australia about 950 kilometers north of Brisbane along the 04:05 banks of the Pioneer River. The area is known as the Mackay 04:10 Sunday region and has been nicknamed the sugar capital of 04:14 Australia because it produces more than a third of Australia's 04:17 sugar. The region is also famous for its endless nature and 04:23 wildlife. There's kilometers of pristine rain forest, cool fresh 04:27 water gorges and splendid sandy beaches. There's over 860 plant 04:33 species and 330 bird species. There are platypus in its clear 04:39 rain forest rivers and wallaby's and kangaroos on its sandy 04:43 beaches. The city was named after pioneering explorer John 04:48 Mackay who was the leader of the first expedition into the 04:52 Pioneer Valley in 1860. Interestingly almost a hundred 04:57 years before Mackay explored the region Captain James Cook was 05:02 one of the first European explorers to navigate the Mackay 05:07 coast in June of 1770. John Mackay was born in Inverness 05:12 Scotland and moved to Australia with his parents when he was 15 05:16 years old. The family settled in the New England district of 05:20 what was then the British colony of New South Wales where 05:25 Mackay's father bought a property near Uralla. In 1860 05:30 Mackay led a party of eight men to explore the area surrounding 05:35 the Pioneer River along the central Queensland coast. 05:38 They left Uralla in January of 1860 and arrived in Gladstone 05:43 two months later and then Rockhampton two weeks after 05:48 that. In Rockhampton two of the group left the expedition and 05:53 the remaining six made their way north across the Gordsound 05:57 ranges and up the Ibek River. Much of the land in that region 06:02 had already been marked out by a previous expedition and Mackay 06:06 and his group turned northeast. They discovered a coastal valley 06:12 and after several days' journey they came to the banks of a 06:15 large river. They named the river Mackay River, known today 06:20 as the Pioneer River in honor of John Mackay's father, and 06:24 followed it north and then east before finally discovering 06:28 vast grassy plains which they named the Main Plains. These 06:35 plains were located in the area where the town of Mackay and 06:38 its suburbs are now situated. In the weeks following their 06:43 discovery the group began marking out room for themselves. 06:47 John Mackay marked out large portions of land on the south 06:52 end of the Pioneer River for himself which he named the 06:56 Greenmount and Cape Palmerston runs. John Mackay became the first 07:03 European settler in the region and took up residence here on 07:07 the Greenmount station on the southern side of the Pioneer 07:11 River in 1861. In the late 19th century the region of Mackay 07:17 was best known as Queensland's largest producer of beef within 07:22 the Australian colonies. It was also known for its sugar 07:25 industry. Today the region operates four sugar mills which 07:31 process millions of tons of sugar cane. It's during 07:36 _ cane farmers provide a staggering 6.5 million tons of 07:41 cane to factories for processing from approximately 86,000 07:46 hectares of farmland. 07:48 On the 10th of June 1960 Trans Australian 07:54 Airlines flight 538 was scheduled to fly from Brisbane 07:58 to Mackay on the central Queensland coast. The flight had 08:02 two planned stops on the way one in Maryborough and another 08:06 in Rockhampton. The flight took off as scheduled at 5 p.m. local 08:10 time with Captain S.E. Pallar and first officer G.L. Davis 08:16 in the cockpit. They had an uneventful flight to Maryborough 08:20 and then on to Rockhampton. They arrived at Rockhampton airport 08:24 at 7:12 p.m. and welcomed 16 new passengers on board bringing the 08:30 total passenger manifest to 25. Nine of the passengers that 08:35 boarded in Rockhampton were school boys, some as young as 08:39 nine years old. They were boarders at Rockhampton 08:43 Grammar School and were flying home to Mackay for the Queen's 08:46 birthday long weekend. While on the ground in Rockhampton the 08:52 crew received a weather forecast from the Mackay. The forecast 08:56 predicted shallow patches of fog which could contribute to poor 09:00 visibility at ground level. As a precaution, the plane was 09:05 refueled bringing the total fuel load to 700 gallons. The extra 09:11 fuel gave the pilot the option of flying further north to 09:15 Townsville in the event that ground conditions in Mackay were 09:19 not suitable for a landing. Finally, the plane was ready for 09:24 takeoff and left Rockhampton at 7:52 p.m. climbing to an 09:29 the altitude of 13,000 feet or about 4000 meters for the last leg of 09:35 their journey to Mackay. By 8:17 p.m. that night the air 09:41 traffic controller at Mackay, A.W. Mistle noted heavy fog 09:46 rolling into the airport. The Mackay Airport is located right 09:50 next to the ocean and flights approach the runway over the sea 09:55 making landings at night with poor visibility quite tricky. 09:59 Deciding that ground conditions were not favorable for safe 10:04 takeoff or landing Mistle temporarily shut down the 10:09 airport. A few minutes later TAA flight 538 contacted the control 10:16 tower in Mackay to let them know that they were ready to make 10:19 their descent into Mackay. Mistle informed Pallar of the 10:24 conditions on the ground and Pallar told him that he would 10:28 hold the aircraft over Mackay and wait for visibility to 10:32 improve. By 8:40 p.m. Pallar began notifying Mistle that the 10:39 aircraft was over the Mackay airport. It was a clear moonlit 10:44 night but there were thick ribbons of fog hugging close to 10:47 the ground. For the passengers looking out into the night 10:52 everything would have appeared calm. The ocean was like a still 10:56 glass plate lying quietly in the moonlight completely calm and 11:02 unruffled. Pallar attempted to land the plane twice but both 11:07 times he was forced to abort the landing. The fog was too thick 11:12 and too close to the ground along the coastline making it 11:16 difficult for him to see the runway on the final approach. 11:19 So he continued 11:21 to hold the plane over Mackay until 10 p.m. Finally at 11:27 10 p.m. Mistle radioed Pallar to let him know that ground 11:32 conditions were changing. The fog was beginning to thin out 11:36 making it easier to see the runway. Pallar acknowledged the 11:40 message and told Mistle that he would begin his third approach 11:44 to the airport. Following protocol Mistle radioed the 11:50 airport fire service asking for a ground temperature report. 11:54 He then radioed Pallar to let him know that the temperature on 11:59 the ground in Mackay was 13 degrees Celsius. He was greeted 12:04 with radio silence. Mistle radioed Pallar with the weather 12:10 report again noting that the time was 10:05 p.m. Once again 12:17 he was greeted with silence. Five minutes later at 10:10 p.m. 12:23 Mistle activated protocols to launch a search and rescue 12:28 operation. At 3 a.m. on the 11th of June five hours after the 12:34 search and rescue operation began parts of the wreckage of 12:38 the plane were discovered by a motor launch equipped with a 12:42 search light. The wreckage which included passenger seats, items 12:48 of clothing and cabin furnishings was floating on the 12:51 ocean about five nautical miles due east of Mackay airport. 12:56 between Roundtop Island and Flattop Island. The Navy ship 13:01 H.M.S. Warrior arrived on the 12th of June to begin searching 13:06 for the sunken parts of the aircraft. In Mackay flags were 13:11 flown at half-mast and the city was plunged into mourning. Many 13:16 of the passengers had been locals including the nine young 13:20 boys who had boarded at Rockhampton. Small groups of 13:24 onlookers, family and friends gathered along the shore to 13:29 watch the Navy ship and other ships as they carried out their 13:33 salvage operation. At 4:20 p.m. on the 12th of June divers 13:39 discovered major sections of the aircraft 13 meters underwater. 13:44 It took two weeks to salvage the wreck. Late in July a board of 13:50 accident inquiry was appointed to investigate the circumstances 13:55 that led to the crash. Investigators were allowed time 13:59 to sift through the wreckage for about four months before the 14:03 board of inquiry officially opened on the 4th of October 14:07 1960. After listening to hours of testimony and examining reams 14:13 of evidence the inquiry could not determine the cause of the 14:17 accident. It looked like the plane had flown into the ocean 14:22 for no apparent reason. The board focused its attention on 14:27 several theories connected to the altimeter. Now the 14:31 altimeter's function is to tell the pilot the altitude of the 14:36 aircraft. The board of inquiry into the TAA flight 538 crash 14:42 speculated that the altimeter had malfunctioned giving out a 14:46 false reading of the aircraft's altitude. Another theory was 14:52 that the pilot has misread or misinterpreted the readings of 14:56 the three point altimeter. This led the board to speculate that 15:01 perhaps the crash was a result of controlled flight into 15:04 terrain meaning that Captain Pallar misread his instruments 15:09 and simply flew his plane straight into the ocean. Several 15:14 other theories cropped up as well but nobody knew for certain 15:18 what had happened. As the Mackay community mourned the loss of 15:23 life the board of accident inquiry into the crash revealed 15:27 its findings and made several recommendations. One of the 15:32 strongest recommendations they made was that flight data 15:36 recorders be made a mandatory feature of all passenger 15:40 aircraft. The board concluded that a flight data recorder 15:45 would have provided investigators with information 15:49 that could have helped them to determine the exact cause of the 15:53 accident. Taking on board this recommendation Australia became 15:58 the first country in the world to mandate the carriage of 16:02 cockpit voice recorders on passenger aircrafts. Today every 16:09 passenger aircraft is required to carry two flight recorders 16:14 and mandatory regulations are overseen by the international 16:18 civil aviation authority. Flight recorders or black boxes as they 16:24 are commonly known today are located in the rear fuselage of 16:28 of the aircraft. This location increases the probability of 16:33 successfully retrieving the data after a crash. An interesting 16:39 fact about the black box is that it is actually bright orange. 16:43 The term black box originated during World War II. It was 16:50 adopted by members of the RAF to describe any navigational 16:55 instruments or aids that were used by British and Allied 16:58 combat aircraft. Most often these instruments were sealed 17:03 inside nonreflective black boxes Trans Australian Airlines flight 17:10 538 still remains Australia's worst civil aviation disaster 17:16 by loss of life. It is also one of the most mysterious civil 17:21 aviation disasters in history because it's cause is still 17:25 undetermined. Today black box flight recorders help 17:30 investigators to understand what happened inside the aircraft 17:35 shortly before it crashed. The data gathered from these 17:39 recorders provides clarity in the aftermath of a crash and can 17:44 help prevent the recurrence of similar crashes. Clarity and the 17:49 means to prevent a recurrence are perhaps two of the most 17:53 important functions of flight data recorders. After a crash 17:58 so many people look for answers. 18:01 They want to understand what happened and whether or not it 18:05 could have been prevented and why if it could have been 18:08 prevented it wasn't. Answers don't restore the lives that 18:13 were lost but they can ensure the safety of thousands of 18:19 others. The Bible is perhaps the most accurate black box in 18:25 history. It provides a narrative that answers some of life's most 18:30 important questions and in doing so provide confident hope to all 18:36 who turn its pages. Every human being grapples with five major 18:42 questions in life:... 18:55 The Bible provides clear and comprehensive answers to each of 18:59 these questions. In Genesis chapter one and verse one the 19:03 Bible gives us a concise but clear answer regarding the 19:07 question of our origins. It says... 19:17 Then further down in the same chapter it gives us the answer 19:20 to the question of meaning. Genesis chapter one and verse 19:25 27 says... 19:36 The biblical narrative of creation and purpose doesn't 19:40 just give us a sense or origin and meaning but it also provides 19:44 us with a sense of intrinsic worth. To be created in the 19:50 image of the eternal creator God is to have value and be valued. 19:55 And if ever there was a time in history when we have needed a 19:59 message of value, meaning and purpose it's now. The Bible then 20:05 goes on to give us answers to the question of the origin of 20:10 evil and suffering. Jesus addresses it in a short 20:13 statement in Matthew chapter 13 and verses 27 and 28. Using the 20:20 imagery of a parable Jesus explains where the weeds of sin 20:25 and suffering have come from. Here's what he said... 20:43 And later on in the same passage he explains who the enemy is. 20:53 Using the parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew chapter 13 20:58 Jesus paints a picture of a cosmic struggle taking place 21:02 between the forces of good and evil which gives us a backdrop 21:07 and context for the suffering and evil we find in our world 21:12 today. The Bible also provides answers to the questions of 21:17 morality and destiny. In Matthew chapter five and verse 17 Jesus 21:23 says this... 21:44 Jesus points to the great moral law given by God himself as not 21:49 only binding but still relevant to the challenges we face in 21:53 life today. The 10 commandments are still God's moral compass 21:58 to guide us today. Finally in John 14 verses 1-3 Jesus gives 22:05 the answer to the question of destiny. 22:27 The destiny of every person created in the image of God is 22:32 eternity. When we look at the world around us and see the 22:37 suffering, turmoil and despair it can be difficult to picture 22:41 through the debris and find hope But the Bible offers us hope by 22:45 providing us with faithful and accurate answers to life's most 22:50 pressing issues. By providing us with answers to the questions of 22:55 origin, meaning, suffering, morality and destiny the Bible 23:00 gives us a comprehensive world view, a lens through which we 23:04 can safely and accurately view the world and navigate the 23:09 obstacles that lie ahead. But perhaps the most important 23:14 answer it provides us is found in the person of Jesus Christ. 23:18 In giving us the answers to life's big questions the Bible 23:23 anchors us to a person and not just a set of rules. The focal 23:28 point of the Bible is Jesus and it is through an understanding 23:33 of who Jesus is and what he did that we can most clearly find 23:37 the answers we seek. Jesus makes an irresistible invitation to us 23:43 in Matthew chapter 11 verses 28-30. Here it is: 24:10 I don't know what burden you're carrying. I don't know what's 24:13 weighing you down right now but I do know the answer to your 24:17 trouble. When Jesus says to take his yoke upon you he's saying 24:23 he's going to share your problems. He's going to share 24:25 your load. He's going to take your stress on himself and bear 24:30 it with you. Wow! He makes a three fold invitation:... 24:40 Jesus says: 24:49 This is going to reduce your stress. This is going to make it 24:52 easier for you to navigate. You see when you yoke with Christ 24:57 you move together with him. You move in the same direction and 25:01 at the same speed. And you move in the right direction and at 25:05 the right speed. The rest and peace that we are offered in 25:09 Jesus transcends any other offer we can receive. It's a peace 25:15 that keeps us calm through the worst storms of life, a peace 25:20 that can bring us safely to land and a peace that can give us 25:24 hope and assurance for the future. Black boxes have made a 25:29 huge difference in modern air crash investigation and have 25:33 changed civil aviation regulations across the world by 25:37 providing answers in the aftermath of incomprehensible 25:41 scenarios and they've played a major role in making air travel 25:46 so extraordinarily safe today. Similarly the Bible and its 25:52 message has saved countless lives by pointing people to 25:56 Jesus. If you're facing challenges in life and would 26:00 like to experience inner peace and happiness then I'd like to 26:04 recommend a free gift we have for all our viewers today. 26:08 It's a Bible reading guide, God's Power in My Life. This 26:14 reading guide is our gift to you and is absolutely free. There 26:18 are no costs or obligations whatsoever. This reading guide 26:23 has brought hope, peace and happiness to many people around 26:27 the world. So don't miss this wonderful opportunity to receive 26:32 the gift we have for you today. Here's the information you need: 26:37 Phone or text us at 0436-333-555 in Australia or 020-422-2042 in 26:48 New Zealand or visit our website TiJ.tv to request today's free 26:54 offer and we'll send it to you totally free of charge and with 26:58 no obligation. Write to us at: 27:14 Don't delay. Call or text us now. 27:19 The Bible and its message can make a difference in your life. 27:22 It can provide you with answers to incomprehensible scenarios 27:27 and challenging questions. It can give you a hope and peace 27:32 you never dreamed of. If you'd like to experience the inner 27:36 peace and happiness that the God of the Bible can provide, why 27:40 not ask for it right now as we pray. 27:43 Dear heavenly Father, we all face challenges in life and 27:49 we're all carrying burdens. So thank you for your kind 27:53 invitation to help us with our burdens and to give us rest. 27:58 Some of us are tired and worn out so we've come to you to 28:03 recover our lives and find real rest. Please bless us. Make your 28:09 face shine upon us and give us peace. We ask this in Jesus' 28:15 name, Amen. 28:18 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2021-06-23