>> Tucker: CONRAD ASKA WAS BORN
IN ANTIGUA.
HE WAS THE LEADER OF THE FAMILY,
SAID HIS BROTHER.
WE ALL LOOKED UP TO HIM.
HE WAS A MONDAY OF DEEP
RELIGIOUS FAITH.
WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE HIS FINAL
WORDS IN THE SECOND BEFORE HIS
DEATH WERE "LORD YOU NOW HAVE MY
SOUL."
IMAGINE SAYING THAT AS YOUR
FINAL SENTENCE.
BUT HIS DEATH IS A SCANDAL.
THE REASON HE DIED IS A SCANDAL.
MANY IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY
KNOW ABOUT IT BUT IT’S NEVER
MENTIONED IN PUBLIC.
WE THOUGHT WE WOULD TELL YOU
BECAUSE THERE’S LESSONS IN HIS
DEATH FOR ALL OF US WHO TRAVEL
COMMERCIALLY.
IN FEBRUARY OF 2019, ASKA WAS THE FIRST OFFICER PILOTING AN
THE FIRST OFFICER PILOTING AN
AMAZON PRIME CARGO JET FOR ATLAS
AIR.
ASKA ASSUMED FULL CONTROL OF THE
PLANE.
HE ACCIDENTALLY PRESSED A SWITCH
THAT PUT THE PLANE IN TO
GO-AROUND MODE AND THAT GAVE THE
PLANE A JOLT OF THRUST.
HE PANICKED.
INSTEAD OF CHECKING HIS
INSTRUMENTS, HE PUSHED DOWN HARD
ON THE CONTROL YOLK AS HARD AS
HE COULD AND THE PLANE NOSE
DIVED AND IN TO THE WATER.
IT KILLED HIM, HIS CO PILOT AND
ANOTHER PILOT JUST HITCHING A
RIDE.
SO IT’S OBVIOUS FROM THOSE FACTS
ALONE THAT CONRAD ASKA, A DECENT
MAN THOUGH HE WAS SHOULD NOT
HAVE BEEN IN CONTROL OF AN
AIRPLANE.
HIS PERSONNEL RECORDS CONFIRM
THAT.
BEFORE HE STARTED FLYING 767s
FOR AMAZON, HE WAS A PILOT FOR
SEVEN DIFFERENT AIRLINES.
SEVERAL INSTRUCTORS AT MESA
AIRLINES REPORTED THAT HE WAS
OVERWHELMED IN THE COCKPIT AS HE
WAS ON THE DAY HE DIED.
ONE PILOT LATER TOLD THE NTSB
THAT IN EMERGENCIES, ASKA BECAME
ANXIOUS AND WOULD STARTED
PUSHING BUTTONS WITHOUT THINKING
ABOUT WHAT HE WAS PUSHING JUST
TO BE DOING SOMETHING.
TO BE CLEAR, FOR A PILOT, THAT
CAN BE DEADLY AND IT WAS.
ATLAS AIR SAID THEY WERE NOT
AWARE OF THIS WHEN HE WAS HIRED.
ONCE HE ARRIVED, HE WAS SO
DEFICIENT IN THE SIMULATOR, THEY
HAD TO RESTART SIMULATOR
TRAINING FOR HIM.
ALL OF HIS OTHER CLASSMATES HAD
GRADATED.
IN THEIR FINAL REPORT, THE NTSB
CITED AS A CAUSE SYSTEMIC
DEFICIENCIES IN THE AVIATION
INDUSTRY SELECTION AND
PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT
PRACTICES WHICH FAILED TO
ADDRESS THE FIRST OFFICERS
APTITUDE RELATED DEFICIENCIES
AND MALADAPT ADAPTADAPTIVE STRES
THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT THE
MILITARY AND AIRLINES SCREEN FOR
SINCE AVIATION BEGAN.
AND ASKA’S FAMILY KNEW THAT.
THEY HAVE GONE ON TO FILE
LAWSUITS FOR GROSS NEGLIGENCE,
SPECIFICALLY FOR PUTTING THIS
MAN IN THE COCKPIT DESPITE HIS
OBVIOUS INABILITY TO FLY AN
AIRPLANE.
SO WHY WAS HE FLYING AN
AIRPLANE?
WELL, IN HIS SPECIFIC CASE, WE
DON’T HAVE A DEFINSIVE ANSWER,
BUT IT SEEMS OBVIOUS.
AIRLINES LIKE ATLAS AIR, IN
FACT, ALL THE AIRLINES ARE DOING
THEIR BEST TO HIRE AND RETRAIN
PILOTS ON THE BASIS OF
IRRELEVANT CRITERIA LIKE THEIR
APPEARANCE.
YOUR APPEARANCE TO RESTATE HAS
NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR ABILITY
TO FLY AN AIRPLANE OR PERFORM
HEART SURGERY OR ANYTHING.
IT’S IMMATERIAL.
ON THEIR WEBSITES, AMAZON AND AT
LAST AIR EXPLAIN THAT DIVERSITY
IS PARAMOUNT IN EVERYTHING THAT
THEY DO.
THEY SAY WE LEVERAGE DIVERSITY,
EQUITY AND INCLUSION AS A
BUSINESS STRATEGY AND DRIVER OF
INNOVATION.
WE’RE GUIDED BY DEI PHILOSOPHY.
YES, APPARENTLY YOU ARE.
LOOK AT THE RESULTS.
AMAZON, OF COURSE, SAYS THE SAME
THING.
THIS IS NOT AN OUTLIER.
THIS IS NOT JUST HAPPENING AT
ATLAS AIR.
THIS IS HAPPENING IN EVERY MAJOR
CARRIER IN THE UNITED STATES.
SAFETY CONCERNS IGNORED IN FAVOR
OF SOMETHING CALLED EQUITY.
HIRING BY APPEARANCE, NOT BY
ABILITY.
THIS IS INSANE.
IN THIS CASE, IT KILLED THREE
PEOPLE.
UNITED AIRLINES HAS PROMISED 50%
OF THE NEW TRAINEES WILL BE
WOMEN AND MINORITIES.
RIGHT.
NOT THE BEST PILOTS, BUT PEOPLE
THAT LOOK A CERTAIN WAY.
AS WE TOLD YOU, IN DECEMBER A
UNITED BOEING 777 CAME WITHIN
SECONDS OF HITTING THE OCEAN.
IT DROPPED OUT OF THE SKY.
THE PILOTS THAT APPARENTLY WERE
NOT PROPERLY TRAINED OR HIRED
FOR THE WRONG REASONS WERE SENT
BACK TO TRAINING.
THANKFULLY THE HUNDREDS OF
PEOPLE SURVIVED ON THAT PLANE.
BUT THIS KIND OF THING IS
HAPPENING ACROSS THE INDUSTRY.
TALK TO ANYONE THAT WORKS THERE.
TALK TO ANY WORKING PILOT RIGHT
NOW.
THE AIRLINES ARE IN A MAD
SCRAMBLE TO MEET EQUITY TARGETS.
MEANING THEY ARE PUSHING SAFETY
ASIDE IN FAVOR OF IDEOLOGY.
PEOPLE WILL DIE.