Charlie Victor Romeo

Last updated
Charlie Victor Romeo
Charlie Victor Romeo.JPG
Date premieredFall 1999
Place premieredUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Subject Crew Resource Management
Genre Documentary theatre
SettingAirplane cockpits
Official site

Charlie Victor Romeo is a 1999 play, and later a 2013 film based on the play, [1] whose script consists of almost-verbatim transcripts from six real aviation accidents and incidents. "Charlie Victor Romeo," or CVR, derived from the aviation phonetic alphabet, is aviation jargon for cockpit voice recorder. The play is a case study in crew resource management; [2] a PBS special described several parallels between the behavior seen in these disasters and in emergency room situations. [3]

Contents

The play opens with a flight attendant demonstrating the safety equipment and reminding the audience to fasten their seat belts and turn off cell phones. Before each scene, a display screen shows the name of the flight and reason for the disaster (e.g. "Icing" or "Multiple bird strikes"). Sound effects such as cockpit alarms, aircraft interior ambiances and mechanical sounds are included. At the end of each flight, the screen shows the number of casualties. A few of the transcripts were edited for time. At the end of the play, the cast and creators answer questions from the audience.

History

The play was created by Bob Berger, Patrick Daniels and Irving Gregory of Collective:Unconscious in 1999. [4] It was taped and used by the Pentagon for pilot training. [5] US Air Force Major General Walter E. Buchanan III awarded the group a letter of gratitude. [6] After February 2002 performances in Perth, Australia, [7] the play performed in dozens of venues across the United States, including Washington, DC's Studio Theatre. [8]

In 2004, Time put Charlie Victor Romeo on their Best Plays of the Year list. The play has been performed in Japanese by the Rinkogun Theater Company under the direction of Yoji Sakate. [9] In 2012, Charlie Victor Romeo was made into a motion picture, [1] which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film festival.

Accidents and incidents

The FAA distinguishes between aviation accidents and incidents: an accident is an occurrence aboard an aircraft that injures or kills one or more passengers or crew members, while an incident is “an occurrence involving one or more aircraft in which a hazard or a potential hazard to safety is involved but not classified as an accident due to the degree of injury and/or extent of damage." [10] The accidents and incidents depicted are:

Original credits

Created by: Bob Berger, Patrick Daniels, Irving Gregory, of Collective:Unconscious.

Directed by: Bob Berger, Patrick Daniels, Irving Gregory.

Developed in collaboration with: Bob Berger, Michael Bruno, Audrey Crabtree, Patrick Daniels, Justin Dávila, Jim Grady, Irving Gregory, Dan Krumm, Peter O'Clair, Julia Randall, Stuart Rudin, Darby Thompson, Oliver Wyman.

Sound design: Jamie Mereness

Original set design and technical director: Patrick Daniels

Motion picture sound mixing: Joel Hamilton

Awards

Official Selection DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival 2014 [12]

Official Selection American Film Institute AFI Fest 2013 [13]

Official Selection Copenhagen International Documentary Festival 2013 [14]

Official Selection Hamptons International Film Festival 2013 [15]

Official Selection New York Film Festival 2013 [16]

Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2013 [17]

Drama Desk Awards 2000

5th Annual Backstage West Garland Awards 2002

United States Department of Defense Visual Information Production Award

New York International Fringe Festival 2000

Absolut Angel Arts and Technology Award 2000

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviation accidents and incidents</span> Aviation occurrence involving serious injury, death, or destruction of aircraft

An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight until all such persons have disembarked, and in which (a) a person is fatally or seriously injured, (b) the aircraft sustains significant damage or structural failure, or (c) the aircraft goes missing or becomes completely inaccessible. Annex 13 defines an aviation incident as an occurrence, other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft that affects or could affect the safety of operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Airlines Flight 232</span> 1989 aviation accident

United Airlines Flight 232 was a regularly scheduled United Airlines flight from Stapleton International Airport in Denver to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, continuing to Philadelphia International Airport. On July 19, 1989, the DC-10 serving the flight crash-landed at Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City, Iowa, after suffering a catastrophic failure of its tail-mounted engine due to an unnoticed manufacturing defect in the engine's fan disk, which resulted in the loss of many flight controls. Of the 296 passengers and crew on board, 112 died during the accident, while 184 people survived. At the time it was the deadliest single-aircraft accident in the history of United Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas DC-7</span> US airliner with 4 piston engines, 1953

The Douglas DC-7 is an American transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1953 to 1958. A derivative of the DC-6, it was the last major piston engine-powered transport made by Douglas, being developed shortly after the earliest jet airliner—the de Havilland Comet—entered service and only a few years before the jet-powered Douglas DC-8 first flew in 1958. Unlike other aircraft in Douglas's line of propeller-driven aircraft, no examples remain in service in the present day, as compared to the far more successful DC-3 and DC-6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviation safety</span> State in which risks associated with aviation are at an acceptable level

Aviation safety is the study and practice of managing risks in aviation. This includes preventing aviation accidents and incidents through research, educating air travel personnel, passengers and the general public, as well as the design of aircraft and aviation infrastructure. The aviation industry is subject to significant regulation and oversight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bouraq Airlines</span> Defunct Indonesian airline, 1970–2005

Bouraq Indonesia Airlines, often shortened to Bouraq Airlines or just Bouraq, was an airline headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia, which operated mostly domestic passenger flights out of its bases at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilot error</span> Decision, action or inaction by a pilot of an aircraft

Pilot error generally refers to an accident in which an action or decision made by the pilot was the cause or a contributing factor that led to the accident, but also includes the pilot's failure to make a correct decision or take proper action. Errors are intentional actions that fail to achieve their intended outcomes. The Chicago Convention defines the term "accident" as "an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft [...] in which [...] a person is fatally or seriously injured [...] except when the injuries are [...] inflicted by other persons." Hence the definition of "pilot error" does not include deliberate crashing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Eagle Flight 4184</span> 1994 plane crash in Indiana, US

American Eagle Flight 4184, officially operating as Simmons Airlines Flight 4184, was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Indianapolis, Indiana to Chicago, Illinois, United States. On October 31, 1994, the ATR 72 performing this route flew into severe icing conditions, lost control and crashed into a field. All 68 people aboard were killed in the high-speed impact.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caspian Airlines Flight 7908</span> 2009 plane crash near Qazvin, Iran

Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 was a scheduled commercial flight from Tehran, Iran, to Yerevan, Armenia, that crashed near the village of Jannatabad, outside the city of Qazvin in north-western Iran, on 15 July 2009. All 153 passengers and 15 crew on board died.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Aerospace Jetstream</span> Series of regional airliner and executive transport aircraft

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Several aviation incidents and accidents have occurred in which the control surfaces of an aircraft became disabled, often due to failure of hydraulic systems or the flight control system. Other incidents have occurred where controls were not functioning correctly prior to take-off, either due to maintenance or pilot error, and controls can become inoperative from extreme weather conditions. Aircraft are not designed to be flown in such circumstances; however, a small number of pilots have had some success in flying and landing aircraft with disabled controls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airlines PNG Flight 1600</span> 2011 aviation accident

On 13 October 2011, Airlines PNG Flight 1600, a Dash 8 regional aircraft on a domestic flight from Lae to Madang, Papua New Guinea, crash-landed in a forested area near the mouth of the Guabe River, after losing all engine power. Only four of the 32 people on board survived. It was the deadliest plane crash in the history of Papua New Guinea.

In aeronautics, loss of control (LOC) is the unintended departure of an aircraft from controlled flight, and is a significant factor in several aviation accidents worldwide. In 2015 was the leading cause of general aviation accidents. Loss of control may be the result of mechanical failure, external disturbances, aircraft upset conditions, or inappropriate crew actions or responses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LAM Mozambique Airlines Flight 470</span> 2013 deliberate crash in Namibia

LAM Mozambique Airlines Flight 470 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Maputo, Mozambique, to Luanda, Angola. On 29 November 2013, the Embraer E190 twinjet operating the service crashed into the Bwabwata National Park in Namibia, halfway through its flight, killing all 27 passengers and 6 crew on board.

References

  1. 1 2 "Charlie Victor Romeo (2013)". Internet Movie Database.
  2. Kosnik, Linda K. (2002). "The New Paradigm of Crew Resource Management: Just What Is Needed to Reengage the Stalled Collaborative Movement?". The Joint Commission Journal on Quality Improvement. Elsevier BV. 28 (5): 235–241. doi:10.1016/s1070-3241(02)28023-2. ISSN   1070-3241. PMID   12053457.
  3. "Medical Mistakes". PBS NewsHour. Mar 26, 2001. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012.
  4. Elyse Sommer (2004). "Charlie Victor Romeo Lands Safely at PS 122". curtainup.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-28.
  5. Pressley, Nelson (Jun 9, 2006). "Black Box Theater of a Different Kind". The Washington Post.
  6. Nielsen, Lara D. (2005). "Charlie Victor Romeo (review)". Theatre Journal. Project Muse. 57 (1): 125–127. doi:10.1353/tj.2005.0027. ISSN   1086-332X. S2CID   191305606.
  7. Arader, Meg (2001). "Reality Show: The Diverging Paths of Documentary Theater". charlievictorromeo.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008.
  8. Peter Marks (June 13, 2006). "Studio's First-Class Ticket to Disaster". The Washington Post .
  9. "Previous Performances(2000~)". Rinkogun Theater. Archived from the original on 2004-11-13.
  10. "Chapter 1: Accident and Incident Investigation and Reporting". Manual of Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation. Vol. 7: Investigation. US Federal Aviation Administration.
  11. "Families mark 20 years since tragic loss of AWACS crew". U.S. Air Force. Jan 9, 2014.
  12. "Charlie Victor Romeo". Helsinki Documentary Film Festival. 2014. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014.
  13. "Charlie Victor Romeo". AFI Fest. Archived from the original on 2015-09-16.
  14. "Charlie Victor Romeo". CPH:DOX. Archived from the original on 2013-10-30.
  15. "CHARLIE VICTOR ROMEO". Hamptons International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2013-10-06. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  16. "Charlie Victor Romeo". Film at Lincoln Center. Sep 28, 2013.
  17. "Charlie Victor Romeo". Sundance Festival Program. 2013. Archived from the original on October 7, 2013.