Atlanta ATC:
SouthJet 227, Atlanta Centre. Descend and maintain flight level three-zero-zero.
Ken Evans:
Descend and maintain flight level three-zero-zero, SouthJet 227.
Whip:
Whoa, wha? What is that?
Ken Evans:
The elevator feels really stiff, sir!
Whip:
Alright, hold course. Margaret, get everybody strapped in, get everybody strapped in tight!
Ken Evans:
Full left hard sir!
Whip:
Power back! Power back!
Margaret Thomason:
Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts now! Fasten your seatbelts securely now!
Ken Evans:
I have no control on my side. No control at all sir.
Whip:
We've lost our hydraulics. Centre, this is SouthJet 227, we've lost our hydraulics and feels like our pitch control.
Atlanta ATC:
Southjet 227, Atlanta Centre, understand you've lost hydraulics and pitch control?
Whip:
That is affirm, we are in an uncontrolled descent.
Atlanta ATC:
Southjet 227, Atlanta, say your intentions. Are you declaring an emergency?
Margaret Thomason:
Everyone's belted in, are we going down?
Whip:
We need everyone in brace positions. Yes, that is affirm, we are in a dive. We are in a dive. We have lost vertical control. We're gonna need drag, I want you to throw out everything you got, the speedbrakes, the gear, everything.
Ken Evans:
Gear, speedbrakes.
Margaret Thomason:
Brace positions, head down and forward, head down and forward!
Ken Evans:
Uh, gear is down. I don't think hydraulics is the problem sir.
Whip:
We need to dump the fuel, do it! Atlanta Centre, this is SouthJet 227, we are in an uncontrolled dive, descending out of 21,000 feet, we're declaring an emergency. We've dumped our fuel. We've got a jammed stabilizer or something, we need a block of altitude to work the problem and a heading to the nearest airport.
Atlanta ATC:
SouthJet 227, Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is twelve o clock at two-zero miles from your present position. Turn left, heading three-one-five.
Whip:
Dump the flaps.
Ken Evans:
We're still fast.
Whip:
Just do it. Do it, 30 degrees. Three-one-five, we'll try our best. Alright, that bought us a little time. That bought us a little time. Now we've got to revert to manual control, your side first.
Ken Evans:
OK, I got it. Nothing, no control. Oh no, we're diving again!
Whip:
Alright, Okay, okay. I can't let go of my side, see if you can reach my side.
