Together Forever |spencer reid|

CHAPTER 86

CHAPTER 86: MALFUNCTION

THE TEAM HAD SEPARATED TO CHASE AFTER DIFFERENT LEADS.

Hotch and JJ went to talk to a suspect while Rossi and Morgan went to bring in another suspect, a military man who had been hiding out in the mountains of Colorado with a group of army men.

Mitchell went to help Spencer and Kate with the plane, trying to figure out how it really went down.

"Guys, these are the construction blueprints for the airplane." Spencer announced to the team as he hung up the poster and they walked over,  "I compared it to the way the plane broke apart, and I think I may have found something interesting. The hull of an airplane is really just a bunch or round barrels riveted together. The wing, however, is a masterpiece. It's the most physically complicated component of an airplane. Nearly 200 feet long, it bears the weight of the entire aircraft and is shaped precisely to fit within a hundredth of an inch. The curvature of the wing is what gives it its lift. Air rushes faster over the top, creating a vacuum, which sucks the wing upward and in turn the entire fuselage." He explained and everyone listened, not really understanding what this had to do with the case, "This is important because an airplane wants to be nose-up. It creates positive Gs, that sensation you get when you're forced to the back of your seat. Negative Gs, on the other hand, are an entirely different matter. When the nose of a plane begins pitching downward, you get negative Gs, which puts enormous pressure on the structural integrity of the aircraft. With enough negative Gs, the wings will start to rip off the plane, which then compromises the fuselage. The plane broke into major pieces along structural joints and attachment points. There's no evidence of gaping holes or pieces of the fuselage torn in areas without seams to suggest impact with an external object like a missile."

Mitchell stared at him, "So what are you trying to say, Spence?"

 His eyes met hers, "So the fact is, the way the plane broke apart, I think the crash was caused by something internal."

"So are we talking about some sort of explosive decompression, like on TWA flight 800?" JJ asked,

"A massive explosion would have resulted in pieces of fuselage the size of a carry-on." Spencer answered,

"That rules out a hijacker with a bomb as well." Rossi commented,

"Wait a minute." Commander Reardon spoke up, "A hijacker would certainly explain the 13 minutes of lost communication. Maybe he drove the plane into the ground."

"Or the passengers did." Kate suggested, "This could be the start of another 9/11."

Mitchell swallowed nervously. If it was another 9/11, what were the attackers waiting for? Another plane to fly through the airspace? Because there have been plenty.

"If that were the case, I'd suspect a faster cascade of events. Still, we can't rule it out." Hotch replied,

"The reality is, there are at least 50 reasons for lost communication." Agent Hosswell stated,

"Such as?"

"As stuck mike, an air traffic controller sending the wrong frequency to an aircraft." Hosswell listed, "The average amount of time for lost communication is 7 1/2 minutes."

"We have to remember the transponder was still working. No secret code to indicate a hijacking or any other emergency was sent." JJ commented,

"Let's think about this. The ACARS data recording system was turned off." Morgan stated,

"And that would have to come from someone in control of the flight systems." Hotch continued,

"So something happened in the cockpit." Rossi said, "That makes it the pilot and/or the copilot the most likely candidates."

"Their background checks came back clear." Commander Reardon defended,

"What about suicide?" Morgan asked out of the blue.

Mitchell turned to Agent Hosswell, "You mentioned a slats deployment mid-air. You said it was very rare. But if it did happen, how would it happen?"

"Pilot error... or intention." He answered,

She turned to Hotch, "I think we need to talk to Frank Canvers again. He's the only one who can give answers as to what happened in the cockpit."

He nodded, "Go."

Mitchell, JJ and Morgan returned to the hospital to talk to Frank and his wife. At that point, he was out of surgery and awake. Morgan went to go talk to the wife while JJ and Mitchell asked Frank some questions,

"Are you remembering more about what happened before the crash?" JJ asked the bed-bound man,

"I, uh...it's still foggy." He stated,

"How have you been feeling the last few weeks?" Mitchell asked softly, trying to not make him uncomfortable or make him feel like he was being attacked or accused,

"Fine. Normal." Frank answered,

"Were you depressed at all?" JJ questioned,

He shook his head slightly, "No. I've been good."

"Earlier you said there was turbulence. Then you said 'stop'. Who were you talking to?" Mitchell asked,

"Uh, Gerry. The pilot." Frank answered,

"Were you telling him to stop doing something?" JJ continued,

"Yes, I..." He scrunched his face, trying to recall the events, "We were arguing... about something."

"Did he deploy the slats?" Mitchell asked him,

"I'm not sure."

"Do you remember turning off the ACARS system?" JJ asked but at the mention of the ACARS system, Frank's eyes teared up, "Frank, did you turn off the ACARS system?" She asked again,

"Yes." Frank told them,

 JJ and Mitchell shared a look, "Why?"

"I don't know." Frank cried, "I can't-I can't remember."

Mitchell knew he didn't do this. Even if he did turn off the ACARS system. They had so many suspects, so many questions, but not many answers.

They didn't have a motive or a signature. Was this even a terrorist attack? Or just an airplane malfunction?