Previously on "NCIS Los Angeles..."
Aiden takes his flight test today.
- [SIREN TOOTS] - Is that for us?
- Out of the car. Now! - Hey, whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
[GRUNTS]
The system needs work.
We don't wait for change.
We make it happen.
Would you take $60?
$75. Final offer.
It's worth it. Trust me.
- And you're sure I need it? - It's not a public pier, bro.
You want to surf fish, you got to have a license,
even for catch-and-release.
Really? How often they check?
Do I look like the kind of guy who would scam you?
Your silence hurts.
Look, you want to risk it, be my guest.
But you're gonna wish you had made this deal
if you get hit with a $1,000 fine.
O-Okay, you got a deal.
[LAUGHS]
[HIGH-PITCHED MECHANICAL SQUEALING]
- That normal? - Uh-uh.
- [WOMAN SHRIEKS] - Oh, holy hell.
Look.
Come on.
I got a pulse.
He's still breathing.
Come on. We got to go.
Those licenses being legit?
That may have been a lie.
Hey, there's nothing we can do for him.
Come on. Let's go. Come on.
- I can't. - Come on.
Rescue's on the way.
Come on, man.
[SIREN WAILING]
[BREATHING]
♪ ♪
Synced & corrected by -robtor- www.addic7ed.com
- [OFFICE PHONE RINGING] - [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[CELL PHONE CHIMES]
[PHONE CHIMES]
- Shyla. - [GASPS]
Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you.
It's okay. I just... I didn't see you there.
Trying to find privacy around here is really tough.
Tell me about it. This is one of the only places
I could find to pray.
You don't mind doing it in here?
Oh, not at all. Anywhere is a place of prayer.
Except for washrooms and graveyards.
I'm finishing up, though.
- [PHONE CHIMES] - Thanks.
Ugh. God. Why are men so...?
Sorry.
- Oh, no, please do tell. - [PHONE CHIMES TWICE]
Unless you don't want to.
It's my husband.
Um, or my ex-husband now, I guess.
I had no idea you were married.
I tend not to broadcast it.
We've been separated for three years now,
but we've only started divorce proceedings a couple months ago.
Oh, if I might ask, why now?
Timing finally seemed right, from my end, at least.
I mean, he didn't contest it, but I know he still wishes
- we were together. - [PHONE CHIMES]
[LAUGHS]
And he's not the best at patience.
Been there.
Everything's been filed and approved.
We're just trying to figure out if it's official yet.
[PHONE CHIMES]
I should really...
- The room's all yours. - Thanks.
[LINE RINGING]
ROUNTREE: Come on.
[SIGHS]
Come on.
Considering a wardrobe change already, Agent Rountree?
You've barely been here an hour.
It's funny. Lost my wallet.
I thought it might have been in one of these undercover outfits.
[SIGHS]
You mean this wallet?
Oh, damn. Yeah.
Thanks, sir.
Agent Rountree... are you all right?
LAPD wants me to meet with a PR rep.
Whiting tipped me off.
They're trying to push for paid leave
for the officer that pulled me and my little sister over.
And you're not sure if you should push for more?
I don't know what I was hoping for,
but it sure as hell wasn't paid leave.
Well, I know this is not my place, Agent Rountree,
but it might not get better, even if you do push.
Crooked cops have gotten less for doing worse.
Oh, much worse.
Admiral, do you think that if...
if I wasn't a federal agent,
that this guy would have gotten any punishment at all?
Unfortunately, that's a very good question.
And I would never presume to tell you what to do.
But if you do proceed,
you know that by virtue of your position here,
you will have to continue working with the LAPD?
- I'm well aware of that, sir. - Then you are also aware
that they might try and make it tough for you.
[LAUGHS]
All due respect, sir, tough is what I do.
Understood.
Then turning this
into something resembling a respectable work area again
should be a piece of pie.
RAYMOND: I asked for buttermilk pancakes,
like your mother used to make.
And?
She made it with a premade mix, no actual buttermilk.
So you accused her of being a liar?
Well, if you lie about pancakes, what else will you lie about?
Now, is this the kind of person you want caring
- for your dear old pop? - Raymond,
if I knew you were coming, I would've brought another coffee.
Oh, don't worry. I can fend for myself.
- You did not just take my coffee. - Yeah.
What is this all about?
- His caretaker quit this morning. - More like
we mutually parted after irreconcilable differences.
About pancakes.
Well, now, I got to take Raymond's side on this.
I mean, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
My man.
Right?
All right, you two enjoy your coffee.
I have something to do,
like find someone to take care of him last minute.
Huh. Did you try Castor?
- Not helping. - [CALLEN LAUGHS, PHONE BUZZES]
Is there anything better than messing with him?
I can't think of much.
- [LAUGHS] - SAM: Hello?
What kind of accident?
I'll be there as soon as I can.
Aiden's plane went down this morning.
He's been airlifted to a hospital
near NAS Point Mugu.
- No word on his condition. - Oh, my God.
Go. I'll see what the office knows.
- Fatima? - FATIMA: Callen.
We just heard about Aiden.
Have you learned anything?
Not much other than his F-35 crashed near Ventura.
Shyla has an update coming in right now.
Okay, great. We'll loop you in.
Admiral, Callen, Fatima,
this is Lieutenant Commander Kristina Hirsch.
Good to meet you all.
Wish it was under different circumstances.
What can you tell us? How's Aiden?
He's still undergoing testing, but it looks like
Lieutenant Hanna is going to be all right.
He'll be held at the hospital overnight for observation.
I'll be meeting with him soon.
Understood.
Do we know what caused the crash?
That's what I've been tasked to find out.
I'll be leading a JAGMAN investigation of the incident.
Could be a straightforward case of equipment malfunction
or pilot error, but we can't be certain
that an external factor can be to blame.
An F-35 was taken down by a drone swarm
near the same area last year.
We worked that case. Is there any reason to believe
it could have happened again?
We made some detection improvements since then,
so I'd say it's unlikely.
But we can't rule anything out yet.
And since it happened right in your backyard,
I'd appreciate your help in getting to the bottom of it.
Of course. Anything you need.
I'm going to debrief Lieutenant Hanna myself,
and I could use some assistance
in gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses.
That's our specialty.
Lieutenant Hanna was on a test flight out
of NAS Point Mugu when he went down.
Luckily, barely missed an apartment complex.
There's a few eyewitnesses being held at a beach nearby,
and I also need someone to talk
to the squadron's maintenance chief.
Agent Namazi, you and Agent Rountree hit the beach.
Ms. Dahr, meet Agent Callen
at the boatshed and talk to the maintenance chief.
- I will hold things down here. - Can do.
HIRSCH: There is one catch.
I want to be clear
that Special Agent Hanna cannot be involved
in any part of this crash investigation.
As Lieutenant Hanna's father,
this would be a very obvious conflict of interest.
Let me be the one to tell him.
Oh, I'm-I'm sure he'll have no problem with that.
I'm sorry, man, but this is coming from up high.
I get it. I don't like it, but I get it.
But if you find anything, and I mean anything, you call me, all right?
You know I will.
All right, I got to go.
AIDEN: Love you too, sis.
Aiden.
I'm all right, Dad, really.
My boy. [LAUGHS] It's good to see you.
You too, Major. I just got off the phone with Kam.
- Uh, she says hi. - How are you?
I'm fine, Dad, I swear.
Uh, this is...
- Yeah? - This is all from the ejection.
You don't look fine.
Yeah, I mean, uh, it did knock me out.
And they said I have a concussion.
I must have twisted my ankle by the way I landed, but...
Okay...
I'll take that over the alternative any day.
Any landing you can walk away from.
- Mm-hmm. - RAYMOND: Mm-hmm.
What happened out there?
I don't remember.
I've been trying to go over it in my mind.
Sorry to intrude.
At ease, Lieutenant.
Pleasure to meet you, Special Agent Hanna.
You, too.
Lieutenant Commander Kristina Hirsch.
I'm heading the JAGMAN investigation into the incident.
Lieutenant Hanna, how are you feeling?
All things considered, I'm... I'm okay.
Then we can get started on your official statement.
Master Chief Frazier, you direct all aircraft maintenance
- and inspections in the squadron? - Yes, ma'am.
And as soon as any mishap occurs,
all maintenance records, log books and files
on the incident plane are locked down.
- So they can't be altered? - Correct.
And I did that as soon as I was made aware.
They're available for you to examine.
We will. Right now we're interested in your take.
Was there anything in those records
- that you thought was a red flag? - No, sir.
The incident plane was a relatively new airframe,
next phase maintenance wasn't due, for another 100 flight hours.
Was it given a proper pre-flight inspection this morning?
Of course. The plane was certified for safe flight.
Sonic would have confirmed the same before takeoff.
Sonic?
That's Lieutenant Hanna's call sign.
Sam's never mentioned that?
I don't think he even knows. Why Sonic?
That's Lieutenant Hanna's story to tell.
He's a great pilot.
I was shocked to hear that everything went sideways.
We understand this was a test flight.
What exactly were they testing?
That's classified.
It's a system being developed by Starling Aeronautics,
and they keep pretty tight-lipped.
I'm not sure how much I can say, but...
But... what?
Between you and me, they're behind schedule and over budget.
Now, if you want to know more, you'll have to talk to our CO.
I'll call the admiral.
All right, Lieutenant Hanna, talk me through the flight.
Uh, well, um, the takeoff was normal.
Proceeded to flight level 1-0-0 out to sea.
And once we reached the exercise area,
the systems test went off without a hitch.
But then, um... then, on the way back...
What is it?
Well, I'm not sure what happened next.
Uh... my memory is just...
It's really fuzzy.
Take your time, son.
[SIGHS]
I distinctly remember realizing that I had to punch out,
but before that, it's just...
it's just not as clear.
RAYMOND: Why don't you try working backwards?
That helps me.
Nah.
I'm sorry. I just...
I just... I just can't remember anything.
HIRSCH: We'll get back to that later.
Right before the incident, the plane was taken off autopilot.
Do you remember doing that?
N-No.
You have been the recipient of some reprimands
and Letters of Instruction
for, shall we say, pushing the envelope?
For example,
last year you were given an LOI
for breaking the sound barrier over the continental USA.
RAYMOND: What?
He'd never do that.
Aiden.
Please don't act like you were
Mr. Perfect all the time.
Even if he did that,
that doesn't have anything to do with this.
Pilot performance is a big part of this investigation.
And Lieutenant Hanna has developed a reputation
for flat-hatting.
- Showing off. - RAYMOND: Who hasn't had
a little bit of fun every now and then?
Well, that little bit of fun
overstressed a $94 million airplane.
$94 million? I mean, what has it got,
jewel-encrusted afterburners?
SAM: Dad.
Special Agent Hanna, Major Hanna,
I allowed you to stay in the room
out of deference for your standing
as decorated combat veterans,
but you need to stay silent.
I wasn't made aware that my son's integrity
would be called into question.
[SCOFFS]
This was a mistake.
I need you both to wait outside.
Hey, I'm his father.
Come on, son. Let's... let's let her do her job.
It's okay, Dad.
ROUNTREE: All right, thanks, guys.
- [SIGHS] Any luck on your end? - No, it's weird.
None of them noticed anything until the explosion.
Ah, same, but maybe that's good news.
I mean, you know, no evidence of another drone swarm.
Yeah, or a surface-to-air missile.
Even if no one saw it fired, it would leave a smoke trail.
Yeah, but still you'd think
something like a plane going down would draw more attention.
Yeah, not when there's good swells and offshore winds.
Yeah, well, maybe the wind made it difficult to hear,
especially out over the water.
I know it was early,
but just doesn't seem like a lot of people.
Oh? I mean, these guys said that they saw a van leaving
shortly after the plane went down,
but they didn't get a good look.
FATIMA: Might not need to.
Entrance has a license plate reader.
Ah. Well, it's automated. That might take a minute.
It's worth a shot. Shall we?
KILBRIDE: Commander Espinoza, thank you for taking the time.
Of course, Admiral. Though as I'm sure you can imagine,
things are pretty hectic around here today.
Understood. I won't keep you any longer than I need to.
What can you tell us about the system
that Starling Aeronautics was testing
on this morning's flight?
It's a software package
that upgrades the F-35's electronic warfare capabilities.
And that can be done via software?
Short answer, yes. It's not the most elegant analogy,
but this plane's basically a flying computer.
There's a lot you can improve on the software side alone.
Any reason to believe that the system could have had anything
to do with Lieutenant Hanna's crash?
It's highly unlikely.
The crash occurred after the system was successfully tested,
during level flight back to base.
Still, we will need to speak to someone at Starling.
I'm sure you understand.
Of course. I'll make sure the program manager knows
you need to speak with him.
Thank you, Commander.
SAM: Can you believe her?
I would've asked you to leave, too.
Come on, Dad. You saw what was going on in there.
She's more interested in putting his character on trial
than actually finding out what happened.
That may be, but we weren't exactly helping the cause.
You were the one cracking jokes about breaking the rules.
And how are you so calm? You would think you're not
the same hard-ass that used to make me call you "Major."
Because I'm not. You know?
I learned to let go of a lot of those things that I held
so hard when I was young.
And I'm sorry.
I'm sorry that I didn't learn those lessons earlier.
For you and for your mother.
Pop,
it's so easy to look back and see how things could have been.
And, sure, I didn't appreciate it at the time,
but...
you helped me turn out to be the man I am today,
and I love you for it.
I know.
And seeing the man that you are today
helped me to loosen my grip.
But eventually you're gonna have to do
the same thing for Aiden.
And he can handle it.
Trust me.
I remember, um, struggling with the controls.
The plane was not behaving like it should have.
It-it had to be some sort of failure, but I...
you know, I can't say what.
Why didn't you call any of this in?
I did.
Wait, wait. Didn't I?
[SCOFFS]
Lieutenant Hanna, is there any chance
you thought you'd deviate from your flight plan again?
Liven up what would otherwise have been
- a boring flight back to Point Mugu? - No, ma'am.
I swear it.
As you're aware, the flight was being monitored in real time.
And all the data shows everything working fine
up until the plane was taken off autopilot.
All indications point to that as the first event
in the crash sequence.
What, exactly, are you saying, Commander?
Your actions may have directly caused this crash.
The leading theory so far is pilot error.
We're gonna pause for a little bit.
Hopefully with time more will come back to him.
And until then?
I've got a lot of paperwork to start on.
Well, now I'm a little hungry, so can you show me where
they hide the food around this place?
Uh, you know what? Sure.
I could use a little bite myself.
Mm-hmm.
Here.
I'll get it. I-I'm good, Dad.
Just-just let me.
Okay. Take it slow.
So, um, how's it going with the commander?
Badly. She thinks this is my fault.
And if they can blame it on me,
my career as a pilot might be over.
I just cannot remember.
Well, try to put yourself back in the cockpit,
go through all your senses,
see if you can trigger something.
I am not Grandpa, Dad.
Aiden! Whoa, whoa.
Hey. Come on, come on, sit down. Sit, sit...
I'm good, I'm good, I'm good.
I just... I'm good, I just got a little dizzy is all.
Having a concussion is not nothing, you know.
They said a series of those is what could have led to
your grandfather's condition.
- Really? - I mean,
yeah, they don't know for sure,
but they said at least contributed.
Back in his day, you were expected to shake
this kind of thing off.
They even told me that, too,
from my time playing football
to being on the teams.
Wait, so you mean you might...
Who can know for sure?
I've had my share of knocks.
But you have to take this stuff seriously.
I am.
I promise.
SHYLA: So we just wait here until the project lead shows up?
They don't always come to us.
Enjoy it while you can.
[EXHALES SHARPLY]
Downtime really isn't my thing.
I've been told my resting heart rate
is six shots of espresso.
So excuse the abrupt subject change,
but you don't think Aiden
actually caused that crash, do you?
What if I said that I did?
A good agent has to put their emotions aside
and look at a case from every angle.
Every pilot, even the best, make mistakes.
True. But the Navy's F-35 program is highly selective.
Pilot error wouldn't be my first instinct.
What about his reprimands?
A lot of fighter pilots push their limits.
Comes with the job.
Okay, so if it's not pilot error, what then?
- I'm not sure yet. - Exactly.
Neither am I.
For the record, I agree with you.
But pilot performance isn't our focus,
so we can't rule it out.
Especially if we don't have evidence of other factors.
[DOOR OPENS]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]
- Do I have the right place? - Jake Primiani?
Commander Espinoza told me I had to talk to you,
so here I am. Can we get this over with?
[GROANS]
Hey.
Do you think that I'd be crazy
to push for more punishment for Officer McNeil?
What? No.
Absolutely not.
Why? Are you thinking of letting it go?
I don't know.
Some days I just want to walk away from all of it,
you know? [CHUCKLES]
But I feel weak thinking that way.
This morning I couldn't find my wallet,
and I lost my mind.
- Been that way ever since the stop. - I'm so sorry.
But you are not weak, no matter what you decide.
Right.
I just don't want this to be what defines me as an agent.
Of course. I get it.
The thing is, is you can't choose
how people are gonna see you, whether you fight this or not.
Are you trying to help? Because...
Look, sure, some of those LAPD cops have their minds made up,
but if you fight this,
so many other people are gonna see something completely different.
Okay, they're gonna see the same principled,
incredibly brave person I do.
Someone to emulate.
Whatever you do, you got to do for you.
And only you.
Thanks, I... I needed that today.
- Yeah, for sure. - [SIGHS]
Hey, tree may bend, tree don't break.
I like that.
[LAUGHS]
Oh, Parks Department sent over the license plate logs.
Oh, great.
I got the list of witness vehicles right here.
Okay, if we cross-reference them...
Ooh, right there. That one.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
That license plate's not on the list.
Entered at 6:45 a.m., left at 7:37.
Maybe Kaleidoscope can help us find out where it is now.
Sure, uh, Kilbride can handle that?
I made the mistake of underestimating
his Ops skills before.
I am not about to do it again.
Come on.
Have an update, Agent Namazi?
FATIMA [OVER TABLET]: More of a request.
You, uh, game to run a Kaleidoscope search for us?
Ooh, now that's the one that stitches
all the little pictures together, right?
Oh...
It's a joke, Rountree. What's the plate?
3-Papa-Charlie- India-2-1-4.
Okay.
That matches records for
a 1977 Dodge Tradesman
registered to one Marco Madsen.
The search is starting now.
Great.
Really good job, sir.
I don't need a pat on the back, Agent Namazi.
I am not some CYO soccer brat
looking for a participation trophy.
Of course.
Sorry, sir.
And it looks like we have a hit.
That was quick.
Probably because it didn't go very far.
It's parked on a street just a few miles away.
Sending you the location now.
The F-35 has the most advanced sensor suite
of any fighter in history.
Our software package will make that even more formidable,
extending its range and improving both
its electronic warfare attack and countermeasure capabilities.
That's impressive, but we've heard that
the program's behind schedule.
It is.
And that's one of the reasons I need to get out of here ASAP.
We have another test flight coming up.
They're putting another plane in the air this soon?
This system was supposed to deploy
in a matter of weeks. If there's a problem with it,
- we need to figure it out now. - Why can't you just
- test this on a simulator? - We are.
Pilots have been rerunning the incident flight all day.
No one's been able to replicate the problem.
SHYLA: Why is everything down to the wire
- in the first place? - There's never enough time.
There's always hiccups, but the deadlines stay the same.
We're having to finish our testing
with fleet pilots from the squadron,
but in a way that helps.
Puts us in more real-world situations.
Even if it results in an incident like this morning's?
That's not what I meant.
So what kind of hiccups have you had, exactly?
Your normal glitches and bugs.
But those were early in sim testing.
We shook them all out before we ever hit the skies for real.
Since then it's been smooth sailing.
Which is why we can't afford this setback.
Speaking of, um,
I really need to get to the hangar to prep this flight.
Am I free to go?
Go.
[ERROR BUZZER BUZZING]
Come on, damn machine.
You know, the same thing happened to me earlier.
Turns out they made all the machines cashless after COVID.
Cashless?
Yeah. I'll show you.
What did you want?
I just... You don't have to.
No, it'd be my pleasure.
Well, I was going to get a Twinkie.
Oh, a man after my own heart.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
Would you look at that?
Oh, no. It's my treat.
In fact,
I think I'll get one for myself, too.
So how is Grandpop?
Well, he has his good days and bad.
What about living together again? That can't be easy.
Well, we haven't killed each other so far, so I can say that.
- [LAUGHS] - Although he did basically fire
the caretaker this morning when she...
What is it?
No... The engine flamed out.
I-I just remembered, that's what started it all.
That's what caused the autopilot to disengage,
then the electronics went haywire.
- Commander Hirsch doesn't know? - No, no.
She said the data supports everything working fine
until the autopilot went off.
I'll call it in. Try to find her.
ROUNTREE: Well, this gives
#vanlife a new meaning.
- Marco Madsen? - MARCO: Who's asking?
NCIS.
[CLATTERING]
One, two, three. Ho!
- Whoa! - Yeah, we just want to talk, my man.
I-I-I swear I got all those fishing licenses legally.
Fishing licenses? What are you talking about?
Uh...
What are you talking about?
We're investigating a plane crash,
we were hoping that you might have seen something this morning.
Oh, yeah, that.
I did see that.
Uh, a fighter plane. It crashed.
Yeah, it crashed.
Can you elaborate?
I knew it was in trouble.
Um, it was out of control.
It was making some strange noises, too.
The engine was out.
- Wait, the engine was out? - Yeah.
- Are you sure? - Positive.
Because it kicked back in just before the pilot ejected.
Guess it was too late.
Well, that contradicts Commander Hirsch's data.
But it confirms Aiden's account.
I'm gonna call Kilbride.
All right. [CLEARS THROAT]
Now, about those fishing licenses.
- Commander, is this a bad time? - No, Admiral.
Just a little busy. We have a flight in the air
retesting Starling's system right now.
I heard, which is why I'm passing this on directly.
We have a report from an eyewitness
that backs up Lieutenant Hanna's claims.
Evidently, his engine did cut out and stayed out
- until just before impact. - Don't worry, Admiral,
we have the plane at a higher altitude
in closed airspace over the ocean.
Plenty of time to troubleshoot if a problem arises.
AIR CONTROLLER: Sir, I can't raise the pilot.
I've lost his transponder but still have him on radar.
ESPINOZA: Kegger, this is Charlie Oscar. Over.
AIR CONTROLLER: He's losing altitude.
Kegger, this is Charlie Oscar.
Are you reading me?
AIR CONTROLLER: Still no contact.
AIR CONTROLLER: Passing 5,000 feet. Still no contact.
Commander, I am patching you through to one of my agents
who is with Lieutenant Hanna now.
They are aware of the situation.
Go ahead.
KILBRIDE: Agent Hanna, you are on
- with Commander Espinoza. - We've got you.
Who's up there, Commander?
Lieutenant Keck.
AIDEN: Damn.
If it's the same issue,
he can hear you but you can't hear him.
- 2,000 feet. - Kegger, if you can hear me,
you should bypass the VMC and head straight to generator three
for the reboot.
- Are you sure about that? - Yes, sir.
That's the only way I was able to refire the engine.
- MALE VOICE: 1,000... - He's about to drop off the scope.
Lieutenant Keck,
bypass the VMC and switch to generator three.
[ALARM BEEPING]
AIR CONTROLLER: I've lost him.
Point Mugu Tower, this is Kegger.
I've regained control and I have leveled off.
Glad to hear it, Lieutenant Keck.
Climb back to flight level 5-0
and make your way back to base.
Roger that, sir. Sonic, if you can hear me,
thank you.
Good job.
That was one hell of a fix, Lieutenant Hanna.
Definitely not on the emergency checklist.
Thanks, ma'am. It's-it's all coming back to me now.
Uh, it was too late for me when I was able to refire the engine.
I'm glad it wasn't too late for Kegger.
Well, let's, uh, continue with your statement, then.
I'll give you two the room.
Where's my father?
Oh, he's not back yet?
I thought the nurse was gonna bring him back here.
[TIRES SQUEAK]
Mr. Primiani, just who we're looking for.
- Have a minute? - Not really.
CALLEN: Well, you might want to make one.
We heard about the latest incident.
Anything you said previously that you would like to amend?
No, there's not. It's still too early to pinpoint a cause.
Is it? Well, maybe we should just look at the facts.
Either two elite pilots made the exact same mistake,
two cutting-edge planes separately suffered
the exact same never-before-seen system failure,
or there's a problem with the one common thread
between the two incidents, and that would be your system.
Look, okay, it does have a flaw in it.
But we already knew that.
A-A-And it was patched months ago during sim testing.
What kind of flaw are we talking about?
This kind of issue has the potential to sink our program,
if not the entire company.
Oh, we are way past that consideration.
The system can overload the flight computer.
Which could lead to a flameout and loss of control?
In a worst-case scenario, yes, but like I said,
it was patched.
It's never been an issue since we got out of the sim.
Then how did this happen twice?
Someone must have intentionally bypassed the fix.
I-I don't see any other way.
Did you have access to the system before both flights?
Of course.
But I-I would never do this.
You've got to believe me.
My entire career is invested in this system.
Look, I-I know, I know it was wrong
to-to withhold the flaw from you, but I swear that's all I did.
Well, and maybe injured another pilot, if not worse.
I'm sorry. I messed up, I know.
Who else could have done this?
Our servers here on base are air-gapped,
so the programming would have had to be done physically here,
but pretty much anyone on our team has access.
The diagnostic terminal should have records
- of everyone who accessed the system. - Show us.
Sitrep?
Sorry, sir, I couldn't help myself.
Someone at Starling Aero likely sabotaged the system,
which means we're going to have to start scanning
all of their employees, looking for motives
or targets for espionage.
Okay, sir, we'll get on it.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
- There you are. - Oh, you must be Sam.
I hear this charming gentleman is under your care.
- Charming? - Hmm.
Oh, cut it out.
My dear, it's been an absolute pleasure.
Oh...
So...
let me get this straight,
he willingly let you keep your eye on him this whole time?
Oh, yeah. He's a sweet one.
Reminds me a lot of my own dad.
Are you sure we're talking about the same person?
Do you how hard it is for me to find someone
he's willing to put up with?
Oh, that's a common story.
It can be tough to find the right fit.
You know, I'm only per diem here at the hospital.
- I do a bit of home care on the side. - Yeah?
If you need someone, let me know.
I absolutely will, Constance.
HIRSCH: Agent Hanna.
I've heard enough to shift the investigation
from the crash to Starling Aero.
Consider yourself released from the sidelines.
You're free to join the rest of your team.
But to be clear, to prove this theory,
we'll need hard evidence of the sabotage.
Understood.
Dad. Charming. Prince Charming.
- Yeah. - Stay with Aiden.
I mean it. Thank you.
This is where we program the system
before it's installed on the plane.
- Huh. - What's wrong?
Someone pulled the hard drive.
We need to account for your employees right now.
FATIMA: Okay, I may have found something here.
I found a person with irregular financials,
but the only thing is, they're not anyone from Starling.
Who is it, then?
Callen.
Frazier.
I told you they don't always come to us.
Call base security.
[TIRES SCREECHING]
Stop the truck!
[TIRES SCREECHING]
Frazier, stop. It's over.
No!
- Drop the gun. - This all got out of hand.
No one's gonna understand.
Understand what?
Starling knew about the flaw.
They were hiding it.
I was just trying to make everybody see.
Then those fools started focusing on the wrong error.
It was the system, not pilot error!
That's why you did it a second time.
I didn't want to, but it would have all been for nothing.
Master Chief Frazier.
I'm Special Agent Sam Hanna.
Aiden's father.
I understand.
If I'm willing to forgive you,
others will, too. Huh?
Put the gun down.
Put it down, please.
- I'm sorry. - Put it down.
I'm sorry.
Drop it. Drop the gun.
- Drop it. - [GUN CLATTERS]
I'm sorry.
Hands up, on your head.
Relax.
Let's go. With me.
You really mean that?
It's important to be gracious with forgiveness.
It'll take some time, but I'm willing to try.
Hey, great work today.
Thanks, but I only had a small part.
Callen and Sam are very good at de-escalation.
It's a shame about Master Chief Frazier, though.
Seems like a good guy who really lost his way.
I'd say so.
We traced his financials, and we found a payout
from one of Starling's rivals.
They were trying to tank the program
so they could swoop in and steal the contract?
That's what it looks like.
Hey, so, how did your call go this morning?
I guess as well as it could.
Everything's official now.
It's kind of weird, though, you know?
You don't get anything after a divorce.
It just kind of becomes finalized.
I'd be happy to get you something.
Maybe when we finish these after action reports,
like a celebration drink.
Unless this is something you don't want to celebrate.
'Cause we can be sad instead.
- No. A celebration would be good. - Great.
Maybe with a little bit of sadness.
Well, then, the Snake Pit is calling our name.
It is the right amount of divey for both.
- Thank you, Fatima. - Yeah.
[SIGHS]
Agent Rountree.
Good to see your desk back in ship shape.
- [CHUCKLES] - Yeah.
- As much as it ever was, - I guess.
Yeah.
Still got that damn ball on display
from beating my Tigers.
That baby's not going anywhere anytime soon.
KILBRIDE: Hmm.
Well... [CLEARS THROAT]
Uh, sir.
Uh...
what would you do if, if you were me?
Well, like I said, Agent Rountree, this really isn't my place...
I-I know. I know, sir, but...
I'm asking.
Personally, I'd like to see the bastard's hide
nailed to the outhouse wall,
instead of just a slap on the wrist.
Yeah.
Even if pushing back affected our office,
made our jobs harder?
Agent Rountree, you are part
of a very elite team.
Every member of it is behind you on this,
including me, come what may.
I appreciate that, sir.
Night, Rountree.
Night.
- Commander. - Ah, Agent Hanna.
I'm wrapping up here. Glad I caught you.
My initial take on your son was wrong.
And I can admit that.
I hope there are no hard feelings.
Target fixation's a hell of a thing.
That it is.
It's safe to say that Lieutenant Hanna
was at no fault for this incident,
and as soon as he's cleared by the flight surgeon,
he'll be back up in the sky.
Well, thank you, Commander.
Oh, and I thought you might like to know
that Commander Espinoza has written him up
- for a commendation. - Hmm.
It wasn't luck he avoided those apartments when he went down.
By staying with the plane
as long as he did to refire the engine,
he saved lives.
That's a special son you've got.
Well, I hope you didn't tell him that.
He's got a big enough ego as is.
Yeah, most stick jockeys do.
I should know. I'm one of 'em.
RAYMOND: Let me get this straight.
When you look down,
you look straight through the plane
- to the ground? - Yep.
On the inside of your visor.
Any direction you turn your head.
It's something else.
Yeah, well, do they have airsick bags up there, too?
[BOTH LAUGH]
Glad to see you two haven't burned this place down.
- [LAUGHS] - Yet.
Yeah, well...
- he's gotten good. - Yeah?
I haven't won a game yet.
That's 'cause I learned from the best.
Squadron sent you this.
They wanted me to officially welcome you as a member
of the Martin Baker fan club.
Anybody want to enlighten a confused old man?
It's the ejection seat manufacturer.
They saved my ass, that's for sure.
I'll stand for themany day.
Well, that calls for a drink.
Oh, come on, are you serious? He's got a concussion.
Well, we don't.
Dad.
All right, water for you two.
Yeah.
- Huh? - Just a splash.
[CHUCKLES]
Help you pour.
To, um, three generations
of badasses. Hmm?
Now, sure, two of you unenlightened souls
went Navy, but we'll find a way to forgive you.
- [LAUGHTER] - ALL: Hear, hear.
Oh, Callen told me something interesting...
Sonic.
Now, see, I'm confused again.
Uh, it's my call sign, Grandpop.
Your squadron picks it for you, usually after you've done
something pretty stupid.
Yeah, like, say illegally breaking the sound barrier?
- Something like that? - [LAUGHS]
Well, let's just say that
my plane wasn't the only thing
that went supersonic that day.
I have never seen my CO use that many curse words.
[RAYMOND LAUGHS]
My boy. Yeah.