- Hugh Lang: [to Whip] The FAA and the NTSB took 10 pilots, placed them in simulators, recreated the events that led to this plane falling out of the sky. Do you know how many of them were able to safely land the planes? Not one. Every pilot crashed the aircraft, killed everybody on board. You were the only one who could do it!
- Whip: This is going to sound real stupid coming from a man in prison. But for the first time in my life, I'm free.
- Gaunt Young Man: As soon as you realize that the random events in your life are God... you will live a much better life. You spend your life believing that you have all the control over what happens. Bullshit. The plane you're flying goes down? Out of your control. God gives you cancer. I have no control over that. Did God give me cancer? You bet your ass God gave me cancer. You think if I begged for cancer God would have given it to me? No... because I assure you I have begged for God to take it away - and guess what? I have no control over that.
- Avington Carr: Does Whitaker know he's going to jail?
- Hugh Lang: My clients don't go to jail, Mr. Carr.
- Avington Carr: Oh, he's going to jail. He belongs in jail. You bet your ass he's going to jail. The only question is, is he going to die in jail?
- Charlie Anderson: Remember, if they ask you anything about your drinking, it's totally acceptable to say "I don't recall".
- Whip: Hey, don't tell me how to lie about my drinking, okay? I know how to lie about my drinking. I've been lying about my drinking my whole life.
- Whip: There's whole lot of people out there whose mothers die and they don't fucking drink.
- Nicole: You are sick, Whip.
- Whip: Yeah, well, I embrace it, shit! I choose to drink.
- Nicole: You do?
- Whip: Yes, I do.
- Nicole: You choose it? Well, I don't see a whole lot of choice going on here!
- Whip: I choose to drink! And I blame myself! I am happy to! And you know why? Because I choose to drink! I got an ex-wife and a son I never talk to! And you know why? Because I choose to drink!
- Carr's Attorney: Last time I checked, six counts of manslaughter is life in prison.
- Avington Carr: Life in prison. What we in Georgia call "all day long."
- Hugh Lang: Now, an initial report shows you had alcohol in your system at a level of point-two-four. Now in the good ol' US of A, one of the most lenient drunk driving countries in the world, you go to jail for driving with anything above point oh-eight. And by driving, I mean a car.
- Harling Mays: [to a nurse] Honey, could you hustle us up a couple of daiquiris and a cocktail weenie? On second thought, just bring the booze, I brought my own weenie. Oh, she's offended. And she should be. I'm a pig. And I hate me. That's what we have in common, nurse Rached. We both hate me.
- Harling Mays: All right gentlemen, I need that table cleared and placed in front of Whip with a chair behind it. Now, please! I need a glass of water, I need a credit card, I need a hundred dollar bill.
- Charlie Anderson: I've, I've got a twenty.
- Harling Mays: She'll do.
- Harling Mays: What the hell kind of meds they giving you? Alprazolam: that's generic xanax. Hydrocodone: that's generic Vicodin. Probably Canadian. Where's the dihydromorphinone? Is this amateur hour? Get that doctor in here; you just saved a hundred people!
- Whip: Harling! Did you bring my smokes?
- Harling Mays: Yes I did. I got your medicines, and yes I got your smokes right here. Here's a fresh carton. Hell, if I was you, I'd fire up right here in the damn room.
- Gaunt Young Man: [after receiving a pack of cigarettes from Whip] Thanks. I'll pass these out in the cancer ward.
- Harling Mays: Oh! Oh, almost forgot- I got you some stroke mags. Been in the hospital, know what you need. Got Juggs, Hot Milfs and Eat Ass Masters. You just stroke it all day- you're a hero. If I was you, I'd just lay here, pulling on that thing all day long.
- Gaunt Young Man: Do I scare you? People are either drawn to me, or they pretend like they can't see me. It's a trip. They think because I'm close to the other side, I got some sort of power or wisdom.
- Harling Mays: Whip. What's the deal, buddy? You look like you're hurt for certain.
- [someone tries to take his bag]
- Harling Mays: DO NOT TOUCH THE MERCH, MOTHERFUCKER! Take one step back, please.
- Atlanta ATC: SouthJet 227, Atlanta Centre. Descend and maintain flight level three-zero-zero.
- Ken Evans: Descend and maintain flight level three-zero-zero, SouthJet 227.
- Whip: Whoa, wha? What is that?
- Ken Evans: The elevator feels really stiff, sir!
- Whip: Alright, hold course. Margaret, get everybody strapped in, get everybody strapped in tight!
- Ken Evans: Full left hard sir!
- Whip: Power back! Power back!
- Margaret Thomason: Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts now! Fasten your seatbelts securely now!
- Ken Evans: I have no control on my side. No control at all sir.
- Whip: We've lost our hydraulics. Centre, this is SouthJet 227, we've lost our hydraulics and feels like our pitch control.
- Atlanta ATC: Southjet 227, Atlanta Centre, understand you've lost hydraulics and pitch control?
- Whip: That is affirm, we are in an uncontrolled descent.
- Atlanta ATC: Southjet 227, Atlanta, say your intentions. Are you declaring an emergency?
- Margaret Thomason: Everyone's belted in, are we going down?
- Whip: We need everyone in brace positions. Yes, that is affirm, we are in a dive. We are in a dive. We have lost vertical control. We're gonna need drag, I want you to throw out everything you got, the speedbrakes, the gear, everything.
- Ken Evans: Gear, speedbrakes.
- Margaret Thomason: Brace positions, head down and forward, head down and forward!
- Ken Evans: Uh, gear is down. I don't think hydraulics is the problem sir.
- Whip: We need to dump the fuel, do it! Atlanta Centre, this is SouthJet 227, we are in an uncontrolled dive, descending out of 21,000 feet, we're declaring an emergency. We've dumped our fuel. We've got a jammed stabilizer or something, we need a block of altitude to work the problem and a heading to the nearest airport.
- Atlanta ATC: SouthJet 227, Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is twelve o clock at two-zero miles from your present position. Turn left, heading three-one-five.
- Whip: Dump the flaps.
- Ken Evans: We're still fast.
- Whip: Just do it. Do it, 30 degrees. Three-one-five, we'll try our best. Alright, that bought us a little time. That bought us a little time. Now we've got to revert to manual control, your side first.
- Ken Evans: OK, I got it. Nothing, no control. Oh no, we're diving again!
- Whip: Alright, Okay, okay. I can't let go of my side, see if you can reach my side.
- Hugh Lang: An initial report shows alcohol in your bloodstream at a level of .24. In the U.S. -- one of the most lenient drunk driving countries in the world -- you go to jail for driving with a number over .08. And by driving, I mean a car.
- Whip: What does that mean? I had a beer the night before I flew. And what... that made the tail of the plane explode?
- Charlie Anderson: Separate issues, Whip.
- Whip: I need a lawyer.
- Charlie Anderson: Hugh is your lawyer.
- Whip: I need a bigger lawyer. A lawyer who understands that I flew a broken plane and without me at that stick there'd be 102 funerals, not 6.
- Hugh Lang: We're talking about prison, not funerals. Somebody has...
- Whip: To write checks. Well, it's not me, I promise you that. And as long as they're writing checks, write me one because someone put me in a broken plane. I'd love a check.
- Charlie Anderson: Easy, Whip.
- Hugh Lang: This tox report states that you were drunk and high on cocaine, felonies punishable by 24 years in jail. And if your intoxication is proven to have caused the death of the 4 passengers you'll get 4 counts of manslaughter. That could be life in prison. Can I now do my job on your behalf and kill this tox report?
- Charlie Anderson: He'll get it done, Whip. It's what his entire life is about. Trust me, trust him. Don't worry, Whip. You're gonna walk away the hero you deserve to be.
- Whip: I'm not worried, Charlie. I promise you that. No one could have landed that plane like I did. No one.
- Avington Carr: I never wanted that fucking airline. Neither did my brother. My father wanted it. I like baseball.
- Hugh Lang: Hey, I like baseball.
- Charlie Anderson: The whole country likes baseball.
- Avington Carr: Cut the crap!
- Charlie Anderson: I the press gets this it could kill the airline.
- Avington Carr: Fuck the airline, I just don't want them sniffing into my other pockets.