. >> but this flight attendant patricia mcquigg manages to stay alive. >> i was up in my jump seat highage. i couldn't get out. i had no shoes on. part of my uniform on and i was tied up. >> but what caused the plane to crash? the mystery lies in why the autopilot suddenly failed to hold its altitude. it turns out it wasn't a mechanical failure, but rather human error. according to the report, when the captain leans across to help with a light bulb and the landing gear indicator, he hits the control column, shutting off the autopilot. the warning chime went off but no one seemed to notice. >> the crew not only didn't respond to it, they didn't actually hear it, or if they did, they didn't process the significance of it. >> it turned into a fiasco. everybody was concentrating on this light bulb. >> further deepening the tragedy, investigators discovered the nose gear had been down the whole time. it should be noted that planes can still land safely with just the main landing gear like this. but aviation experts say the crew did follow the correct procedure. >> pilots always carry reserve