*In our interview with Anderson, Anderson said that Cooper made one more call after 8:05 asking that the plane be slowed and leveled. Not long after that the crew detected "oscillations" and they thought Cooper was out on the stairs.
That would change the jump time if 8:05 wasn't the last contact....
The jump time is going to remain in about the 8:11 - 8:14 time frame. If I remember correctly, Georger has information that may support this interval or even a tighter time frame. Georger and I discussed this point privately, based on all available information, some time back but I can't find the e-mails right now.
That's right ... if Anderson's account is accurate (we posted all of this years ago but nobody was listening?) ... (a) Cooper made one more call after 8:05 asking that the plane be (further leveled and SLOWED) and he was accommodated. Anderson didn't recall exactly but he said Cooper's last call and the final adjustment was just before or almost coterminous with the 'oscillations' beginning. Anderson says they called to the back but got no response and then the pressure spike "bump" occurred. Andy said Rataczak immediately commented "he's gone - he jumped" but Scott wasn't sure and he himself (Andy) wasn't sure. Anderson said this uncertainty was one of the reasons everyone wanted a test flight to try and duplicate the conditions of the oscillations and bump, they had experienced. But, Anderson then threw a curve (in the interview) saying "but we didn't call it in immediately" ! That statement alone made us go back and ask for a second interview and Andy obliged. Because, if they didn't call it in immediately when did they call the bump in and how much time passed between the "bump" and them actually reporting it. This is the source of a significant time-position error, as I read Andy's statements.
At the second interview Andy was specific and said "WE DISCUSSED IT BEFORE CALLING IT IN". I asked "how much time elapsed between the bump and calling it in?" Answer, several minutes. Andy explained they didn't know what the oscillations and bump meant but they were sure it had something to do with Cooper leaving. I asked "did you go back and look? and Anderson dodged that question. He never answered that directly. He said it was Rataczak who broke the indecision and called it in on his own. And then the question of their position at the time of the "bump" came up. Andy says 'the best we could give was an estimate'! I asked: "did your estimate fit with Rataczak's statement that "we were in the suburbs of Vancouver when the bump happened, and could see the lights of Portland coming up"? Anderson replied: "Yes. We may have been even a little further south. The best we could give was an estimate. We didnl't know what the pressure spikes meant at the time". So I asked: "Did Rataczak know what the bump meant?", and Andy replied "Yes. He was the first to make the connection. But Scott wasn't sure. That's why we discussed it before calling it in." So... it appears it was Rataczak who broke the stalemate of discussion and he abruptly called it in to report it. They then tried to estimate what their position had been and the time, and the discussion that ensued accounts for the black out in the transcript ending finally at about 8:20.
Now. Let me be quick to point out there are people who strongly disagree with this interpretation. One of those is Sluggo, I believe. A number of people say the blackout in the Transcript was due to other factors - other reasons. I asked Andy directly if he has ever read the PI Transcript and he said "No. I don't know what that is". So Andy was no help in explaining the socalled blackout in communications that occurs in the Transcript between 8:14 and 8:20..
That is the best I can offer. We had three separate interviews with Andy over a period of a week where we submitted questions in advance, Andy replied, and we then submitted our next round of questions. The whole thing took about a week. It was Anderson, myself, and two other people.
Again, a good share of this was reported at DZ but there was turmoil at DZ at the time and nobody seemed interested (or seemed to believe this was real). I even forget the dates. But it should all still be at DZ.
The important points are: (a) they thought the oscillations were the stairs vibrating after being opened, or Cooper trying the stairs, (b) they didnt recognize what the bump meant but Rataczak thought it was Cooper jumping off the stairs, (c) they did not report it immediately due to uncertainty, (d) they were already hooked up to report because they had already reported "oscillations", (e) Rataczak broke the stalemate and reported the "bump" ie pressure spike, (f) then they and others tried to estimate their position when the bump happened, and (g) they already knew Cooper was ready to jump, (h) Cooper called just after 8:05 and asked the plane be slowed and leveled ... and then the oscillations started...
The last comms are:
8:12 pm t1
305: Getting some oscillations in the cabin. Must be doing something with
the air stairs.
MSP: Roger.
[Note@ 8:12 10-15k 15& flp wheels dwn - Cabin Oscillations – Trim? – ‘must
be doing something with air stairs]
T9.6
8:13.14 305 Center? 405 (unintel) 20.9 10,000.
SEAR5 Northwest 305 ident
8:15.52 SEAR5 Northwest 305, the Portland uh altimeter 3003.
305 0 0 3
*[8:13 10,00 feet]
*[ 5 min BLANK PERIOD IN COMMS ? NO MENTION OF COOPER BAILOUT]
8:20 pm t1 [Cooper may have jumped
Something has happened]
305: Called. (called to Cooper? No answer & think he has jumped?)
MSP: Go to 131.8 (phone patch to company on that freq.)
SEADD: He (Nyrop?) is already on that frequency.
MSP: Roger. We are on the phone and will be talking to him shortly.
SEADD: Roger.
My guess is Rataczak finally reported the bump (not recorded in the Transcript) some time in the 8:13 to 8:15 period? The bump and Cooper bailing would be maybe 8:13 - 8:15 ... I think its obvious they were discussing the matter with NWA and others by the 8:20 point above, shown in the Transcript. Because they are reporting "oscillations" at 8:12 above; he bump had apparently not happened yet, and their reporting of a bump had definitely not happened at 8:12. That sets the bump after 8:12 and the reporting of a bump perhaps 1-2 minutes after that.