China Airlines Flight 006, February 19, 1985
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
- While flying commercial airlines is a relatively safe way to travel, that does not mean that things cannot go wrong. There might be difficult weather, mechanical problems with the aircraft, or pilot error. Or, for the 274 passengers and crew of China Air Flight 006, February 19, 1985, all of the above. That terrifying time that a 747 fell thirty thousand feet in just under two and a half minutes, deserves to be remembered.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
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All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
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Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #747
As a retired airline pilot I can say you did an excellent job of explaining a very complex situation using layman’s terms. And, you did not talk down to your audience. Good Job!
With a name like Rex Myers... I sure as hell hope you were a retired airline pilot otherwise you wasted your life with that opportunity
🍸 😏
That’s why his channel is a good one.
Having watched far more plane crash videos than I would care to admit, I thought that this was a remarkably good video for someone who doesn't usually tackle this subject. It's great so see that someone who actually knows about commercial aviation agrees!
This is why we love The History Guy!
As a retired FAA Airworthiness Inspector, I am impressed with this presentation. Many times air crews fixate on a specific problem without FIRST flying the plane.
I should expect that *anyone* experiencing a 747, of any configuration, rolling completely over and plummeting, would think "This is it".
Hey Orange, love your videos! I agree. An aircraft that large rolling over and diving 30,000 feet and partially breaking up would feel inescapable. It's miraculous the pilot was able to recover the aircraft after that.
Given that the aircraft's fuel pickups aren't designed for inverted flight, I'm surprised the other three engines didn't flameout too.
I. Just. Can’t. Imagine. (Actually I can, which is terrifying!) I wonder how many of the passengers gave up air travel after that?
@@stanburton6224 FAA part 25.333 requires transport airplanes to be capable of up to negative 1 g. And, part 25.943 "Negative acceleration" says "No hazardous malfunction of an engine, ... or any component or system associated with the powerplant ... may occur when the airplane is operated at the negative accelerations within the flight envelopes prescribed in §25.333. This must be shown for the greatest duration expected for the acceleration."
So, per the FAA, the engines must continue to operate for some period of time even if inverted, but I don't know how long that time is (probably not too long).
@@andrewsnow7386 regulations like that make you wonder. Was it made after an accident or by someone who was freakishly prepared, often it is option 1 sadly.
I don’t know why I ever think: ‘umm, idk, is this one going to really interest me?!’ The answer is, every time, a resounding: ‘hell yes!’
I do the same thing. I often pass on his videos because I think they won’t interest me, but when I do watch, I’m locked in for the duration. I think a lot of it has to do with his voice and his talent for storytelling. It’s almost like a good father telling you a story from his youth, or reading you a book that he’s read a thousand times before.
I don't think I've passed on a video but sometimes I'm doing something while I'm listening. It Always sucks me in!🙂
sometimes I'll say I'll watch a couple minutes and see if it interests me, I always end up watching the whole thing.
All of THG videos get a thumbs up so I just click on it before I watch the video.
Me: Oh,. Another THG vid. Should I watc....?
Me after 2 seconds. It's THG. Stop asking daft questions and just watch it!
And this is why you keep buckled up in an aircraft in flight.
You mean this is why we dont fly on any foreign airlines!
Qantas Flight 72 is another automation-related accident that reminds passengers to stay buckled in. The Captain’s book “No Man’s Land” is a good read.
@@fltof2 was that the one which flew into the volcanic ash cloud?
@@avnrulz8587 A330 Singapore to Perth, autopilot-commanded pitch-down.
@@idolhanz9842 any Western or major Asian airline is going to be just fine. If you live in the US, Qantas is going to be a foreign airline too, and they are among the oldest airline and have been named the safest airline in the world many times.
I was in the Air Explorer in the Boy scouts back in the early 70’s. One of the dad's was an air traffic controller and he arranged for our unit to tour one of the brand-new 747s at LaGuardia Airport in NYC.
The plane we toured was fueled up and at the departure gate, scheduled to depart at 12:00 PM to San Francisco.
It was a free-range tour because nobody from the airline was monitoring us.
My friend & I went up to first class (the top of the plane. That’s where we found that the door to the cockpit was unlocked.
A rather horrified steward found us - we were in the pilot & copilot seat, wearing the headphones and had our hands on the control sticks (we wanted to be ready if they needed us).
The flight was delayed three hours.
Boys will be boys.
John, great story!
Haven’t flown since before 2001, often enjoyed visiting flight decks over three decades. Dad had flown lots in the military, and showed my brother and I that move as pre teens. On one of my last flights doing that, I asked the pilots if they had ever seen a UFO. The left seat man kind of squirmed and settled, “No, no, but...” and then told a spooky story about his friends’ waterbed being 90 degree repositioned when they woke up one morning, while they were sleeping in it. I loved that he did that, made for a friendly and jovial visit. 8D
Cheers.
That must have been at JFK because the runways at LGA can't accommodate an aircraft the size of a 747. Neither can the terminal ramps.
What does this RED handle that has "Don't Touch" printed on it do?
Lol. Thanks for sharing that!
The secret behind the 747SP is that, while these airplanes are shorter and therefore lighter than normal 747s, they still have the same wing (thus the same fuel tanks) and engines of the full-sized 747s. Same power, same fuel capacity, but a lighter airframe brought the increased range and performance.
Incidentally, NASA's SOFIA flying observatory is based of the 747SP for these reasons: The (comparatively) large wing and engines combined with the shortened fuselage means the SP can fly higher than full-sized 747s-- rather helpful when you're trying to fly above the troposphere so your infrared telescope can work.
Thanks for the info.
SOFIA actually made it into the video @9:21 as one of the stock images of 747-SPs!
And a better view @10:35.
The wing on the SP is structurally and mechanically quite different from the contemporary 747-100, featuring plain hinged flaps instead of the triple-slotted fowler flaps used on the -100. But the wing is the same size as the wing on the -100. The reduced weight results in lighter wing loading for greater altitude performance and a lower stall speed. More importantly, the shorter fuselage produces far less drag from skin friction, resulting in an airplane that’s basically a hot-rod among commercial airliners. The first airplane I ever worked on for a living was a 747SP. At the time, I didn’t realize what a rare bird it was. I haven’t seen one up close since then.
@@singleproppilot my father was senior Pan Am 747 pilot at the end. And he once commented to me that he didn't care for the SP version. Said that it was more of a handful landing with a cross wind even with the stabilization controls and that larger tail.
I was, as a small boy, at the Boeing Seattle plant for the maiden flight of the 747 SP. It was family day, food and a show.
My dad designed the electrical system which told the pilots/flight engineer/whoever was in charge of the thing, how much the shuttle has/is shifting during the flight on the 747 SCA.
Thank you for the video. Always nice to know more about things I'm only familiar with.
My dad was a Pan Am captain and got to fly the little brat version once ~ I never saw him looking so “‘in love” whenever he talked about that experience. 👍🏼
First to thumbs up.... I worked for Boeing straight out of college in 1985, structural engineer. I remember this. 13 yrs later I transitioned to airline pilot and over last +20 years flown almost all Boeing types. *This plane was repaired. The wings had permeant deformation, which means it reached yield stress. Can you strain the wing to yield and still be safe? Yes. If it does not reach ultimate or failure and is inspected for cracks. The Horizontal stab was special for the 747SP. With so few made there were no spares. Boeing had to re-tool to make this special 747SP stabilizer.* As a Pilot you learn early on FLY THE PLANE FIRST. As usual your report is spot on, accurate, excellent as usual. BTW I don't get notifications anymore for your channel....
How the wings didn't come off at 4 g is the real head scratcher for me. They were all extremely fortune to be alive.
We had a KC-135 that did a barrel roll, causing the tail to bend to the side. The flight controls were rigged for the the new flight configuration, and that same aircraft is still flying today, with a bent tail. She just looks a little odd from the rear.
@@robertheinkel6225 Did you nickname her "Ilene?"
Hehee
@@donaldstanfield8862 She's doing Japanese service. They call her Irene.
I always wonder in incidents like this who are more terrified; the passengers that don't know what's happening, or the crew that knows very well what is happening.
I know exactly what you mean, but have to point out that the crew didn't actually know what was happening...
Last words of the crashing Concord pilot.."It's too late."Stuck in my mind.
I’ll pass on ever knowing that answer
In this case, the crew didn't know anything.
Just this evening out to dinner one of my old flight crew members and were discussing an aircraft incident we were involved in years ago. At one point I estimate our aircraft was approaching a greater than 90 degree roll with a nose down of about 45 degrees. We had hit a “roller” on the east side of the Rockies. It was VIOLENT ride! I thank G*d we had an experienced flight test pilot at the controls and was able to regain control of the aircraft. This was a USN P-3 which doesn’t normally do maneuvers like this. What were we, the crew, doing? Our job. You train and train until everything is muscle memory. Don’t think about it, just do and follow the checklist. When we landed then we had the emotions hit us and a few of us kissed the tarmac when we landed.
Remember, taking off is optional, landing is mandatory.
Tell that to Voyager One. Or two.
@@pkz420 well eventually they will hit something.
My favorite is "While it seems to be dangerous, you have to fly very close to the ground in order to land."
The first rule of flying is: Gravity is not your friend.
Aviation cliches.... gawd
This history story reminds me of 45 years ago when my sister was learning how to drive.
I always enjoy the aviation stories the most History Guy. I flew several different models of 747's over 23 years. The Air China incident was one we studied in initial training. I've had a couple of engine problems at altitude over my time in the 747's but glad I never pulled a "Dynasty 006". Thanks for the video.
Air China and China Airlines are two different airlines...
@@laocongge you're correct, my mistake in the reference. Usually always refereed to airlines by the radio call signs.
You could also have mentioned that the 747 went supersonic in the dive, that when the crew lowered the landing gear to reduce the speed all the wheel doors were ripped off (some hitting the stabiliser) and the main gear was bent backwards slightly. When Boeing inspected the aeroplane at SFO, the wings were permanently bent upwards due to being overstressed. Insurance paid for a substantial repair.
David thank you for that David. As a student of aeronautical engineering and a pilot myself, I really appreciate that additional explanation.
They didn't attempt to lower the gear the body gear of the 74 folds forward, due to the intense G's pulled coming out of the dive the uplocks and retract actuators where ripped from their mounts and the body gear deployed THROUGH the gear doors which blew them off striking both outboard horizontal stabilizers. There was also a huge number of sheared rivets through the fuselage showing just how much stress she went through. It truly a miracle that 47SP didn't break up and had it been a full size 47 it probably would have
Your headline of China Airlines 006 immediately triggered my memory of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 ... also a moment in history not to forget.
That plane was built before the Douglas merger, when the engineers held the keys to the Boeing kingdom. Bean counters took over.
@Night Rider bean counters gave us the 737 max
@Night Rider 👍
Lawyers, accountants, and MBAs running Boeing from error to error…
All of us weather forecasters in Toronto were invited to see the brand new Air Canada 747 in a hangar.
As I marvelled at its huge size and the complex wiring and hydraulic lines in the wheel bays, I predicted it would never fly. It was and is a very impressive machine up close. Wow.
"Departed controlled flight"....a way of saying that it stopped flying and started crashing.
It's not crashing; it was experiencing "unrequested rapid descent."
The car industry never talks of fire in cars, but of “heavy smoke emission”. Volvo called an exploding car battery a “rapidly expanding battery”.
My gosh, I did not expect a successful outcome. What a testament to the 747.
Bless the crew for keeping the passengers calm and the pilots for their focus determination to get the plane to safety!
Well the crew is incredibly stupid for not looking at the artificial horizon, the captain should not have needed a visual reference to level off the aircraft, and never should have missed the bank angle prior to disconnecting the autopilot. These planes and their pilots are equipped to fly without any visual reference until within a few thousand feet of the runway on landing, for those pilots to just ignore the instruments (and thus their training) is insane. A combination of over-reliance on autopilot and an inability to fly on instruments/ trust instruments has led to countless crashes that were totally preventable.
@MrMattumbo, when aircraft roll and pitch too far the attitude indicator gyroscopes will tumble, as THG pointed out, making the attitude indicators more than useless. Modern solid-state gyros are better, but pilots are trained to depend on other instruments for upset recovery. However, spatial-disorientation must have been severe.
@@fltof2 that is a valid point, I forgot about the limitations of older gyros. But they still should have noticed the bank angle prior to disconnecting the AP, had they looked at the artificial horizon at or before disconnect they would’ve been able to anticipate the roll and mitigate it at least. Sounds like they weren’t even looking at the instruments (even though on AP you’re supposed to be constantly scanning them for this exact reason). So many accidents caused by crews with poor CRM and inattention (or even ignorance) to their instruments.
I doubt that anyone was calm.
@@fltof2 Thank God it was daylight and decent weather at the time... otherwise there would still have been no visual reference until seawater started entering the cabin.
Wow! This was one of the best episodes yet!
This just shows what a wonderful and well designed airplane the 747 is.
The aircraft, N4522V, flew for another two decades after Flight 6 before finally parked at Tijuana International Airport where it is still there today, painted in Global Peace Ambassadors livery. My father knew the Captain of Flight 6 and he remembered that he was dismissed after the incident. Flight 6 could've joined the list of many fatal accidents that China Airlines had during the poor safety record era of the 80's and 90's, but N4522V was just too stubborn to die. The airline went through major reforms in management, training, and maintenance after the disintegration of Flight 611 in 2002 and hasn't had a fatal accident since.
I was thinking the primary information that should have been added at the end was what happened to that aircraft, if it was retired or if it was repaired and returned to service. Thank you.
From 2000 thru 2005 I flew to china 5 times a year. Every flight out I was on the same china air flight - both the main leg, and the connecting leg from Taiwan to Hong Kong. The Connecting leg was always the same aircraft- which flew back and forth from Taiwan to Hong Kong- I think 4 flights per day with the same crew. And I got to know all the stewardesses in business class by their first names and they knew mine. I flew on that airplane into Hong Kong in the morning. It flew back to Taiwan, and then back again on its return leg, flight 611, when it crashed. I missed the fatal flight of that aircraft by 2 flight cycles. Every one of those sweet stewardesses I knew by name died on that flight.
I remember seeing the story in the paper the next morning as I drank coffee...
And yet, had the Captain followed the checklist, we would be in a parallel Universe where the flight was OK, the engine was OK, and no incident occurred.
I was able to find it on Google Earth. After zooming in I could clearly see the Global Peace Ambassadors painted on the side. It actually sits about 430 meters from the US border! Thanks for sharing that information.
No fatals but they crashed a brand new 747-400
Remember the Ho Lee Fuk and Wae Tu Lo jokes on the news a few years back? Now THATS history that deserves to be remembered!
Sum Ting Wong
Yeah...a news station actually using those names....'Trolling Deserves To Be Remembered'....lol
@@empireoflizards troll wizards and meme magic truly deserve a special place in history.
@@JackSmack999 I'd love if trolls and memes stayed in that place instead of spreading everywhere like cancer
THG I learn more from your 15 min videos and I'm riveted to my seat each time. I wish you were my history teacher 40 years ago. I would have aced every class. Excellent job again!
Okay, you got me when you said the regained control, my jaw literally dropped. The second you said "switched off the autopilot" I immediately thought "well, they're dead!"
For those of you who are old enough to remember college life before the internet, there was a certain yellow and black, "condensed" version of every book deemed noteworthy. They were a life saver. "Cliff Notes" were an absolute God-send for any time you had to cram, skim chapters, or just didn't get it or just didn't feel like reading the whole thing, like Canterbury Tales...fear not...it's all in this little black and yellow book, even the deep stuff. His sponsor, Blinkist, sounds like a new version.
I always like the aeronautical stories.
Same here!
The history guy makes it feel like you are there!
Look up the "dark skies" channel. Absolutely amazing stories!!!
@@menwithven8114 damn, I love peep show
@@tubesocks1138 I do too! As an American I had never even heard of peep show until a few years ago now I've watched the entire show like 3 times through! Super hans might be my favorite character of all time lol
Excellent content THG, thank you. Sioux City 232 most definitely deserves to be remembered too, just a thought....Thanks!
Thanks for the sponset logo in the corner (helped with skipping it)
We are never trying to be cagey about sponsored content. I do, however, legit recommend Blinkist.
Good morning Sir. I learn more with RUclips than ever in school days.
It's an interesting sensation, flying a plane, having your visual references taken away, and you get to literally watch your body lie to you, telling you, you're in a bank, dive, climb, etc, and your instruments say you're in straight and level flight. Gyroscopic instruments have a limit they can move to, then they begin to tumble and are useless. Couple that with the fact they were in the clouds and had to horizon reference, and it's no surprise they had no idea as to the attitude of the plane
I was just asking myself, how the hell couldn't they notice they were inverted?
Agreed. They probably would have all died if it was nighttime or the clouds extended lower, and the pilot never regained visual attitude awareness.
I've wondered about the current technologies we have...can there be some sort of reference indicator based on a combination of radar, IR, magnetics (Earth is a giant magnet), or some other type RF that can give the pilot an easily read orientation in ALL conditions?
@@empireoflizards modern attitude indicators are digital, so they don't have the tumbling issues the vacuum gyros did. Modern airliners have a bunch more stuff too, pretty much everything you mentioned
@@nhwilkinosn Agreed. Laser ring gyroscopes like those found in modern airliners inertial reference units are pretty robust. They are not susceptible to gyro lock like the old mechanical gyros.
Wow, that was truly riveting. Thanks!
9:28 zooming in on engine #4. Impressive. Others would have picked any old engine from any old plane. Your attention to detail is amazing!
Thanks very much Mr.History guy for helping me to be less stupid.
Reminded me of the story of a Czech flight attendant that fell out of a plane and survived a 10,000 meter drop without a parachute. She holds a record in guiness. Vesna Vulovic 1972.
Plane was from Yugoslavia, flight attendant too. Bomb detonated in the plane and it crashed in Czechoslovakia.
Igor Blanusa -- thanks. What color was the pilot's mustache?
The fact that only two injuries were recorded, one potentially serious and one minor, is a testament to the cabin crew. They must have taken control very quickly to instruct the passengers to fasten their seatbelts and to keep their heads, despite all Hell breaking loose. They probably fastened down any potential flying objects in a short space of time, probably risking their own lives before retreating to fasten themselves down. They no doubt thought it was to be the last thing they would ever do.
Both injuries were serious by the FAA criteria. The back injury require two days of hospitalization. The seat belt light had already been illuminated due to the turbulence, but some people were still thrown around. Several of the luggage racks opened as hinges or locks were torn free, so it really is surprising there were not more serious injuries.
The plane was just trying to channel its inner Tex Johnston...
It was daring enough to do it in a 707. In a 747? Oh boy!!
Or was trying to prove something to Kelly Johnson, " See Boeing is just as good as Lockheed!"
I spent 16 years as a Flight Attendant and flew close to 20 million miles. I've been a a flight out of San Fran on route to Dulles, ( DC-10), where turbulence was so bad that 4 of my crew hit the roof and had to be taken off on backboards. I was lucky enough jump in an empty seat and strapped in. I was sitting next to a mother with a lap child. The baby was launched into the air and I caught the baby preventing injury. I also flew the 747SP many times, but the 747-400 was my favorite of the type. Another tidbit, UAL told Flight Attendants not to stand in the engine cowlings because of potential damage or injury.
You tell these stories with such emphasis and emotion . you never fail to captivate me.
You always say ‘I hope you enjoyed this episode’. I hope by now you realise that we ALWAYS enjoy your videos 😌
I happened to be working @ SFO that day. I was parked in vehicle between a couple of the terminals doing paperwork. I glanced up and saw a line of really bummed out looking Chinese guys parading by. What puzzled me at the moment was that they all had jackets tied around their waists. Didn’t find out until that evening what had transpired and then the reason for the jackets became obvious.
You're the highlight of my day.
Mr History guy, you are my favorite history guy.
I almost fell out of my chair while listening to the description of the flight..
This is why I subscribe to the History Guy~!
Wow.... I think I remember this story but geez. What a save. Thank you.
This incident occurred less than a year before I started my engineering career with the aircraft's builder where I would be working "loads" analysis on the 747 derivitives and let me tell you this became legendary for how over built this aircraft had been. No FAA part 25 certified aircraft should be able to survive this. By the reg's, it should only be good for 3.75g's. Now, as a senior technical leader, I still use this example for my mentees. And I now have a well researched external source of information for them to utilize... Thanks History Guy!
Yeah, the captain made plenty of mistakes. But he brought a damaged aircraft down safely. Remarkable. Thank you for the history.
That was the best episode I've seen in a while.
Came for the history, stayed for that bow tie.
Interesting, I came for the bowtie and stayed.
I came for the hats, and stayed for the history.
Came for china, learned the history of the 747
And the lava lamp!
Came for The History Cat stayed for the aviation lesson.
Holy cow! I never expected this story to end with a happy ending.
I think most of the passengers were surprised as well...
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Ha. Yeah, I'm sure they were. Thank you for your content and keep up the good work.☀️
Love the shoutout to Admiral Cloudberg, I love his write-ups, you should totally collaborate! (More?)
Worked on the 747 at Boeing from 85 to 93. Great plane to work on.
Wild how America and Iran used to have such a friendly relationship that there was enough demand for a custom airliner
in 1976 I was at Navy boot camp in Great Lakes Illinois . there were companies of Iranian Sea Cadets that were being trained there as well . when I got to the fleet and was assigned to a Fighter Squadron we were training Iranian Pilots to fly the F4 Phantom . you go back and look at old photos of Tehran you'll see women in mini skirts and their heads uncovered and their long hair flowing people on sidewalk cafes enjoying themselves and listening to music . the Ayatollah has and the iman's are nothing more than sadistic Savages hell-bent on keeping the people back in the Stone Age
In 1977, I flew on an Iran Air 747-SP from New York City to Tehran. It's heartbreaking to see how badly things have gone between the US and Iran since then. We used to be good friends.
@@sirclarkmarz i was in boot camp in san diego in '76. they were training saudi naval personnel there. i guess they knew to keep iranians and saudis separate.
Those were the days... Iran bought a lot of fighter jets and other weapons from the US back then. Some of them still fly...
@@user-otzlixr Shah of Iran? They asked other governments to call them Iran in 1935.
"This video is sponsored by Amtrak! Amtrak: you know why!"
Amtrack from China to the U.S. is .... problematic.
😂😂😂😂
I'm impressed they 360'd a 747. More impressed they recovered and landed!
I like Blinkist and I enjoy the time spent with THG!
My out take from this is you CAN barrel roll a 747 but it is an extremely bad idea to do so.
The test pilot did it.
Look for the video on RUclips.
@@shawnr771 That was a 707.
It sounds like he did a snap roll.
You can, but why would you want to?
If I may humbly give a suggestion for a future video, I suggest you do a video on the story of the Four Chaplains. Occurring on February 3rd 1943, the story involved the four army chaplains (2 Protestant, 1 Catholic, and 1 Jewish) aboard the SS Dorchester. When the ship was torpedoed by a German U Boat, the chaplains assisted in the evacuation, prayed for the men aboard, and even gave up their own life jackets before going down with the ship (around 650 of the 900 men aboard died). I know you are busy with other videos so I completely understand if you don't want to make a video on the event, but I think the touching story of interfaith harmony and self sacrifice would make a good topic. Thanks for all that you do in bringing pieces of forgotten history to light, I always enjoy following this channel.
Chase, Now that you mention it, I recollect that story . And I concur, an excellent choice. Lance: "make it so" Please. And thank you...
@@wmrayburn7620 Totally agree.
My heart was in my throat as you described the airplane’s diving and rolling. I’ve been in many airplanes and could picture it so clearly. I fully expected this to be a crash and burn story with horrific losses! What a horrid flight and what great story telling. The two together had me spellbound. Boy! Am I happy for everyone involved that this had a happy ending!
Wonderful telling of events
Flying in the Queen of the Skies was always a thrill. Used to fly one weekly between O'Hare and San Fran. Upper deck seats were special. Even got a ride in the elevator down to the cargo galley. What a hoot. Will be missed.
Fascinating 747 history. Thanks for sharing. :)
Gotta love the idea of a 747 doing a barrel roll and managing to come out in mostly one piece. They had some divine presence looking after them that day.
It was inverted twice- two barrel rolls.
“Divine presence....” google Boeing stress test videos and thank a materials scientist or aircraft design engineer instead of engaging in fantasies.
A testament to the 747 and it’s design. Unfortunately most commercial aircraft designed and built today have lost that ability to survive due to weight saving measures. Had this happened to any late model commercial aircraft manufactured today, it would have certainly broken up in the first roll.
I applaude your efforts to research and great ability to present this near catastrophe. The result is both entertaining and factually very accurate. I strongly believe you would do a much better job at this than the well known documentaries series on the subject found on TV should you decide to issue longer material. Being an airline pilot, I can tell how good a job you have done here. Well done, really!
I was a military liaison to Boeing for awhile in the early 80's. Boeing made great airplanes in those years. I flew in a 747SP just once on a non-stop flight to Australia. The 747 is a fast airplane for its size; out-cruising the more modern twin engine stuff today. It was also rumored to be able to maintain altitude on only one engine. 'Tex' Johnson also aileron rolled the prototype 707 during a demo flight with no ill effects- except for the irate Boeing CEO that was on board. I always felt more secure flying in a Boeing product.
I've never felt so anxious whilst listening to such a lulled tone
I genuinely think this is one of the best channels on RUclips. Yet to find a video that wasn’t fascinating!
Lots of love for the 747 recently on BigJetTV with the retirements of Virgin Atlantic's 747 fleet.
Good tear-jerker stuff. Jerry is SO enthusiastic about his planes, and I'm glad Virgin Atlantic recognized his enthusiasm by allowing him access to make this video.
@@lizj5740 Jerry and Gilly are some of the other things that have kept me sane these past ten months.
Well done. Incredible that machine and man survived Those passengers I can’t even think what must have gone thru their minds and then plane stabilizes and they are still flying
Another thrilling episode of THE HISTORY GUY.
AWESOME story. Love your presentations. Well done! (As per usual.)
❤️😎👍
Admiral Cloudberg has some truly incredible content, was thrilled to see him sourced here
Whew! I'm so glad they all survived.
As an aviation student, I've watched and heard of this incident many times. Still an epic story every time
Thank You 😊
Total coincidence this is the same day that stores in San Francisco terminal sold out of clean underwear.
"Sold out of clean underwear"? Do they sell dirty underwear also?
@@narabdela Only in Japan.
@@narabdela you can find it next to the pile of feces on most corners in the whole Bay Area. No joke. I live here. Crap everywhere. Yes, people poo.
hahaha!
After hearing about that, I would imagine every carry on should have some sort of back up, even adult diapers.
As an Aircraft mechanic with "Big Iron" experience, I absolutely loved the 747. She was, without a doubt, the sweetest collection of rivets, wires, and plumbing ever built. So often, stories about aircraft are full of [malarkey], but you did an excellent job. When you mentioned the bleed air leak on the no. 4, I thought "OOOOhhhhh..."
Thank-you.
UAL 232 is another amazing story (although that was a DC-10).
Very Interesting.
Thanks,
Regards.
Great episode, thank you!
Our "over reliance" on automation shows up everyday. Some just find it annoying, and others are lost without it. Though not as dramatic, the story reminds me of relatives who bought a fully "self-contained" RV in the 1970's. My Aunt, who was driving, had the cruise control set, but needed to use the restroom. She simply got up to do so. Luckily, my Uncle in seat next to her realized the issue and took over the controls before any mishap. Apparently she figured when the cruise control was on, it would simply "take care of itself." They lived happily many years after that, probably laughing about it in later years.
Oh. My. Goodness!
Except that the autopilot functions weren't being abused at all. It's common for pilots on planes equipped with autopilot to use it to help with the Aviate part of their task list, so they can concentrate on the Navigate and Communicate parts of their task list. ("Aviate, Navigate, Communicate" phrase is drummed into all pilots in flight school to help with a situation called Task Saturation, where this serves as a prioritization mnemonic to remind pilots what's the most pressing task at hand.)
As the History Guy stated, the engine had a service history that the flight crews should have known about. On top of that, the flight engineer either missed or skipped steps (like closing the bleed valve on Engine 4) in the checklist binder that would have either identified or mitigated the issue with Engine 4 and likely brought the thrust back online. (And, yes, all commercial airlines are required by both ICAO and FAA to have checklist binders for every normal and emergency event from starting the engines to when a system has a catastrophic failure.) And, the dead engine checklist should have included something about backing thrust off the opposing engine to balance thrust on both wings to even out lift.
In the end, the autopilot did what it needed to do (mostly) to keep the plane on course. And the flight engineer's panel did alert the Flight Engineer to an issue with the number 4 engine. It's just that the flight crew failed to connect the dots, failed to follow the lists correctly for the perceived event, and there may have been issues with the documentation that the flight engineer and pilot were working on. Heck, if the Captain (Pilot in Command, or PIC) had just set the autopilot to descend 10,000 feet instead of taking control, the plane wouldn't have had that disastrous fall and roll. It's easy to blame an overreliance on automation, but this is simply a case of an existing mechanical issue and a flight crew failing to follow published procedures and the effects of task saturation on the PIC.
@@jackielinde7568 when dangerous things (like firing aluminum and steel tubes full of combustible chemicals and people into the stratosphere) are done routinely without incident, our himan nature is to forget how dangerous that task actually is.
Couple that with over-confidence in automation, and the capitalistic nature of airline companies (yes, even in China, its all about the Benjamins) to fit more people into planes, and over-schedule pilot shifts, it's a real wonder these things don't happen more often.
@@ElectroDFW You missed the point. It wasn't a reliance on automation that caused the issue. The flight crew had published guidelines for resolving issues on the plane as they occurred. This is MANDATORY by both the FAA (civil air authority in the US) and ICOA (the UN Civil Air Authority). Those check lists include everything like verifying maintenance issues and service records before starting the flight (which should have alerted the crew to the issues with engine #4) to diagnosing and restarting problematic engines in flight. And the flight engineer missed at least one line in those checklists (closing the air bleed valve). On top of that, the PIC was distracted by issue with the engine #4 and the flight engineer's inability to get the engine restarted that he missed what inputs the autopilot was sending the plane. (Yes, they can see all of those because the autopilot moves the controls (like the yoke and trim wheel) when it controls the plane. Sure, the autopilot may have been masking the issue, but it was other things that led up to the catastrophic event following switching off the autopilot. It was never the case where the PIC was unable or incapable of flying his plane due to relying on autopilot (as evidence by the fact he was able to pull that plane out of the death spiral it was in.) The issue was one of mechanical failure, followed by messing up the checklist and task saturation in the cockpit.
@@ElectroDFW Also, I'd like to point you towards the FAA and the NTSB as to why catastrophic events don't happen more in the US. Thankfully, when one does happen, the NTSB looks at the accident, figures out what happened, where things went wrong, and writes suggestions on how to prevent that from happening in the future. The FAA takes those NTSB accident reports, modifies the rules of the air to incorporate them, and then makes sure all companies and pilots follow them. It's why we tend to have around one to two fatal accidents every 10 to 15 years in commercial aviation. (Sadly, it's a fatal accident ever 1 to 3 years in the General Aviation class, as most GA pilots never get anywhere near the amount and quality of training that commercial pilots do.)
This is one case where departments the federal government do the job they was created to do and does it well.
Excellent video, History Guy, and a grim reminder that skills supplanted by automation are skills that tend to wither and die.
This is like when Mark Felton and Wendover have a mashup
lol
Hahahaha i can hear the sound track
@@JoshuaC923 dun dududududu dun dududududu
Wow, this story was emotionally moving and heartbreakingly suspenseful. In the end, I was really happy that the flight didn't end tragically.
THG: another outstanding episode! An earmark of success (and perhaps the most important one) can only be gauged by the comments section. I read every single one and judging by the feedback you get I would hope you feel very satisfied, because I find it impressive, how much you touch peoples lives and how deeply you make them think.
History Guy - '93 at Grand Rapids MI, NW Airliner was sitting stationary in air on glideslope etc all okay per automation. EB I-96 in MDOT pickup I hung out window swerving @85 using both lanes & shoulders pointing at Capt. He opened throttles, picked gear up, full flaps, dipped nose slightly down plummeting into microburst disappearing in woods. '96 had chance meeting w/Capt at TPA in Pilots Lounge as he explained to 3 other pilots symptoms of microburst. He couldn't remember order of his life saving actions so I spoke up and specified order. Instantly pissed off he jumped up leaning over his table stating "So were you there?". I replied "Yep... I was the ahole you spoke of in the orange MDOT truck...here's my ID". Capt instantly cordial upgraded me from hamburger and chips to T-Bone Steak on invitation to sit with the pilots. He said after climbing out of woods he was disoriented in violent winds, had no com w/Tower plane having been raped by G-forces, no com w/cabin as all attendants injured as slammed by roof then floor as were checking for seatbelts. Had no clearance and plane flew mooshie whatever that was, but flew E. along I-96 near Lansing swinging back West to G.R. I was driving E. near Portland and here comes another NW Air lost sole cruising way too low beyond opposing shoulder. Same sole as Capt was gently waggling the wings so I turned on beacon & flashed headlights. Capt had sheet of white paper on side window waving thanks so I just waved back. Capt said flew back to G.R. staying close to ground in case something bad happened to plane, saw no danger so took the shot landing very carefully, and taxied up to his gate. 1st Ofcr no longer screaming but just sat there whimpering so Capt had to shut down aircraft himself. He still had no com, but somehow door was opened and injured stretchered out. Somehow the passengers were let off plane, 1st Ofcr evacuated sedated on stretcher, so Capt entered cabin and was all alone. He left plane and took last minute luggage stair down to ground. On glance back along plane his upswept wings were drooping instead. He was trying to pull big oak tree branch out of plane's tummy when busted AND cuffed by GRPD. Capt was dragged in his uniform thru airport to hastily arranged meeting with FAA who directed Cop to remove cuffs. Things went downhill from there and treated as crazy with no 1st Ofcr or black box recorders to back him up as data and voice repeated every 30 minutes on older models which expired on way back from Lansing. Northwest pissed as ruinated plane including 5 breaks in the wing spar, was joyriding plane without clearance of any kind, endangered crew/passengers, and was arrested leaving the scene of the accident. Capt suspended, NW had FAA revoke his license and certs for every make and model he flew, but he could be reinstated if took all required training, exams, and flight tests....SURPRISE...HE DID IT!!! All of details discussed at our Nov '96 chance meeting I recorded on a dinner napkin, so I signed it, the four pilots signed as witnesses, and Capt had what he needed to get over $300,000 in costs back from NW!! Might this be one of the cases of which you spoke when automation of ILS says sit back, put the wheels/flaps down, and have a nice day...instead...of you're all gonna frickin' die Captain!!!
I remember watching the documentary about this on Air Crash investigations. I think the title was panic on the pacific
Good title.
I searched it up again and turns out it was actually Panic Over The Pacific
WOW !!! What a short-story sidetrip to reality of a well-built plane, tenacious crew and good luck in face of disaster.
I hope that the problem wasn't due to taking off with an air stewardess standing in the engine cowling.
I hope they would have noticed...
That would have sucked for her.
@@rabbi120348 OH!......I get it!
Oh that's funny
@@rabbi120348 oooh boy, he’s got the clever puns on deck! 👍
Had never of this... What a wonderful story.
Is it strange that when I flew from Australia to America I watched air crash investigation shows to gain confidence in the craft?
I think a lot of people do...being that we all know crashes happen but we also want to know what is learned and improved; and that it is not just simply some 'random event' that is unavoidable. Every aspect of an accident or incident is heavily scrutinized for improvement for design, maintenance, controllers, and pilots.
We love you history guy. Another job well done 👍 I tip my hat to you sir!
Another flight that deserves to be remembered, History guy: Iran Air Flight 655
@Hansi Reichardtsohn and KAL 007
edit: I was getting it confused with KAL 902 which is also significant.
@@jimmym3352 It's almost like the Soviets had it out for the South Koreans.
Thank you!👏🙏
Well that beats all my bad flight experiences and I have had one similar! Greer at job History Guy! I could feel the panic. Also confirms my personal opinion that the old Boeing planes are robust. Sad to say the 737 Max tarnished that reputation.
Your narration was outstanding !!
Most jets have at least an intentional limitation of around 2.5Gs in clean configuration. The fact that this thing survived that and landed is remarkable and probably due to their, at the time, recent experience building WW2 bombers built to fly in tatters. I could go on and on about the mistakes, but a lot has been done over the years to train out these mistakes. They still deserve credit for saving it, because many wouldn't have.
The 747 was the real MVP of this event. The pilots did not understand the instruments, which is inexcusable. The 747’s robust structure saved them anyway.
Hi history guy, I would love to see a video on ROTC/JROTC programs. They produce great officers for military service and citizens it really has a history that, Deserves to be Remembered
Not for nothing, is the 747 known as the queen of the skies. A remarkable aircraft.