Very sad and helpless. This along with the 2 planes - Colorado springs and Pittsburgh, with frozen and/or opposite functioning servo valves/tubes were beyond crews abilities to rectify. Hopeless, all 3 jets beyond control were pitifu.l 😢 I am a Pittsburgh native. It's more personal.
We talked about this in my aviation class once and my teacher pointed out the fact that every person who tried to replicate this in a simulator could not fly the plane for more than a few minutes. What they did that day was extremely impressive.
None of the pilots who were made to attempt the flight failure in simulations managed to stay airborne longer than the actual crew. Despite hypoxia and immeasurable stress they fought the aircraft for longer than anybody else could. Rest easy 123
@@dann5480here is. How the fck can you focus on a life or death situation like that, that's an extreme hellish stress situation. If you don't believe in miracle then your life must be empty.
Hearing the Captain scream "It's the end!" is really saddening. The amount of mental and physical trauma they went through and controlled an uncontrollable plane for 45 mins, it's INSANE. Towards the end when they almost had control over the plane, the amount of hope that would've instilled in them, to being devoid of hope. Heroes.
@@kevinmalone3210 For the pilots death likely came quick. But many of the passengers survived the initial crash and for most of those survivors, death was very slow.
The most horrible part of all this is how long it took. An explosive decompression and a plane getting ripped in half is an awful way to die, but the pilots fighting heroically on and on as the situation gets worse makes it so much more heartbreaking given the result.
On the other hand, what a freaking miracle that the incredible airmanship of the crew ended up preserving four lives. A small miracle, but a miracle nonetheless.
Could not agree more, the pilots did all they could to rescue a plane in an impossible situation. If it wasn´t for the flaps instability maybe they would have succeeded, incredibly tragic and heartbreaking.
I'm Japanese national. This sad incident will never be forgotten. Daughter of the Captain became stewardess, because she wanted to fly the same sky her father flew. Young girl who survived the crash , Keiko, became a nurse because she wanted to help others who are sick, ill or injured.
I've listened to the entire cockpit recording. It's still astonishing to me that with everything else going wrong the crew had the presence of mind to communicate in their non-native language for as long as they did. When a person undergoes emotional or physical distress, that command of a foreign language is often the first thing to go. May these souls rest in peace.
It depends, as a multilingual and not a native English speaker when your brain sort of ties a certain language to a certain environment it switches off and on depending on wether you are in that environment or not. in this case using English at their line of work in the cockpit over and over again for years which rewires their brain. you even do think in that language without passing through your native language filter. it even does something i am quite amazed at, your way of thinking differs depending on which language you’re thinking in, it’s really hard to describe, it is as it if you become bi polar in a sense or your demeanor changes depending on what what language or (mode) you’re in.
This was also very surprising to me. However, I recalled that when I worked at a Korean restaurant in Tokyo (I might be the only American who ever has), I didn't really know how to talk about the menu in English. So the captain must have been so used to doing his job in English that he didn't switch. Still surprising.
There's something deeply tragic and noble about that cabin crew trying their best in an utterly hopeless situation. Rest easy lads, you tried youe best.
Heartbreaking. It is an enormous responsibility for a flight crew to be responsible for the safety of their passengers, only for everyone to become a victim through no fault of theirs. How terrible. May all these poor people rest in peace. My condolences to their surviving loved ones. 🌹❤
The impressive part about this is that when multiple other pilots were put through the same situation and didn’t even last 20 minutes. Mind you, they lasted for 45 minutes. It showed just how good the pilots were.
The thinly veiled desperation in the flight attendant’s voice as she says “Hold your babies firmly please” as she runs through the brace protocols really struck me. Absolutely heartbreaking.
I think this is legitimately my worst nightmare. The thought of being in a plane crash sucks, but having to sit there, terrified, while the plane struggled along up and down, side to side, for so long is horrific.
To OP. Actually the few survivors witnessed that the passengers onboard took it rather well and most were calm after the first few minutes. There are several explanations for this: 1. Once people realize they might die they decide to live their last minutes in dignity and focus all thoughts on their loved ones and all good memories. Survivors from sinking ships, collapsed buildings in earthquakes, bleeding to death after an accident and people trapped in hopeless situations all say the same: Once they realize they're going to die they just accept their fate and let go. It becomes more calm. Therefore they don't struggle or panic anymore. All their focus is on their loved ones who become their whole thought. All the racket around them becomes more distant since that's not the focus anymore. That's how the human mind works. Yes, people are startled and scared *at first* , but once they realize they can't affect the outcome and probably will die they drop the struggle and just focus on what matters most to them, their loved ones at home. On Flight 123 passengers even had time to write farewell letters to their families which later were found at the crash site. They were full of praise and thanks for the lovely time they had together. *If you give people enough time to prepare for their deaths they come to terms with it and accept it. No horror.* 2. Since the plane didn't go straight down at once or roll upside down and instead flew for many minutes, not to mention that the flight attendants addressed the passengers all the time, this all probably gave some people hope they might make it to the airport. People who have great faith and believe they're protected by divine intervention see it as:"I will be saved by God either by a miracle or I will come to God if I die. God's will be done." The same goes for people of great optimism even if they have no faith in deities. In the case of the Japanese it's "Karma will be Karma." Which roughly means that their destined fate brought them to this end of life and that's how it's meant to end. Naturally with this "this is fate" thinking it becomes ridiculous and pointless to try and fight and struggle against it. If the same fate actually will save them by a miracle this too will happen (optimism). 3. Japanese people believe in dying with dignity no matter if it's from long life/natural causes, wars or accidents. Even suicide carries dignity if it's done for honorable reasons. So you won't see a Hollywood horror movie reaction from them. 4. Fear is a temporary state. Even in wars every soldier will tell that there is always an initial fear of death but once that is overcome they just do their job (and a horrible job it is). Most soldiers won't flee from or abandon the battle, even if they know the chance of survival is slim. Only *after* a battle or after the war do they begin to ponder over it all. Are they scared in battle? Yes, they are. But they are not overcome by fear. 5. KIDS will be constantly scared. Because they can't make sense of neither the world nor their lives yet. They solely live in the moment and lack life experience. "The thought of being in a plane crash sucks, but having to sit there, terrified, while the plane struggled along up and down, side to side, for so long is horrific." And this basically means that: 1. You don't understand the human mind and are solely dictated by fear. 2. Have seen too many Hollywood horror movies and believe those reflect reality. 3. You're still a kid at core. 4. You're bereft of reason. Fear kills reason. Lack of reason drives fear. Reason makes us human. Lack of it makes us mere animals.
@I consume entertainment inRather unhealthy amounts That has been considered many times, but in the end, it is more of a waste than anything. First, adding parachutes will increase the weight of the plane, which is not good. Second, there are a lot of factors that have to be under control to make the jumping out of a plane survivable, even with parachutes. And third, all in all, aviation accidents are far uncommon, and they become even more uncommon as better tech and security is developed, to justify adding parachutes in every plane.
Flying for 45 minutes with no hydraulics is utterly incredible by itself, these men were hypoxic yet somehow kept a plane with *no tail* in the air for almost an hour. Incredible airmenship. The flight crew as well.
this broke me. despite the situation appearing hopeless from the beginning, those three men in the cockpit never stopped fighting for everyone onboard. Truly heartbreaking, rest in peace to everyone onboard.
Yes they could crash land the plane on the sea to ensure more survivor if they know the severity of their situation. But they are clueless what happen.
The pilots and the flight engineer were posthumously awarded the Polaris Award by the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations. It's the highest civilian honor in the aviation world.
@@EstradaDuran-sg6co as @manswind3417 said, you weirdo, they fought an impossible task for longer than any other pilots could. in later simulated runs of this crash, modern pilots could not keep the plane up for more than a few minutes, these dudes managed to do it for this long, and were so close to victory. thats why they were awarded. i am willing to bet you my future career that these pilots had better mental cognition than you do while they were hypoxic if not even you can realize this at a glance.
I’m a Japanese man who was 9 years old when the disaster happened. I heard 6 children in the same school year as me perished in the air crash. Some child victims had visited Tokyo Disneyland or the EXPO '85 site in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. Had the disaster not happened, they would have shared their stories with their classmates or homeroom teachers after the summer vacation. It was heartbreaking news.
I'm a former flight attendant, and hypoxia was a part of our training. For the pilots to fly as long as they did while hypoxic means, they were in excellent health. Just stunning, heartbreaking, and courageous.
If you don't mind me asking but how much repeated training do they have on this? I'm retired Airforce and aircrews train in a Altitude chamber so they experience hypoxia first hand
It takes seconds to put on a mask. The pilots could try to crash landed in the water. With out the back part of the airplane turbines are the only way to keep control. Use landing gear for drag it can help steering.
@@pittypatterputzzler5311 I hate to say it but water is almost as bad to crash into as solid ground. At a high enough velocity the effect is much the same-plane go splat
Just hearing the crew's last words "It's the end!" at 34:48 before all their lives ended before pain itself would even reach their brains is terrifying
No seriously that part was so angering. First they refuse help from the American military nearby cause I'm assuming xenophobia and ego and then essentially abandoning the passengers and crew cause they thought no one had survived. Learning that the 4 survivors listened as voices around them slowly went silent is so horrifyingly sad. Fucking Japanese government ego.
That's not true. The number of equipment and personnel of the U.S. forces in Japan at the accident site were not adapted for rescue operations. With only a transport plane (C-130H), three stretchers, and a helicopter (UH-1B) without a hoist, rescue activities by rope descent to the crash site were impossible. The U.S. forces in Japan declared "first aid for rescuers protected by Japanese rescue teams" and "assistance in transporting rescuers to hospitals. Rescue operations" were not the main objective of the U.S. forces. However, the crash site was in an alpine area with complex terrain, in a virgin forest that had not been maintained by humans, and at a time close to the new moon. The combination of multiple adverse conditions made rescue operations dangerous (even today, when helicopter attitude control technology has improved, nighttime operations are generally not performed). Japan therefore responded to the U.S. forces in Japan with the following reply. "Thank you. We will contact you when we need you. Until then, please stand by." This statement was distributed by the press . "Japan has refused to cooperate with U.S. forces in Japan." The newspaper reported the statement without confirming it with the U.S. military in Japan.
@@wadepsilon01 To me that still sounds like nothing but excuses. 12 hours... 12 hours until the Japanese were able mount a rescue mainly because they didn't think anyone was still alive. These were also Marines that were already geared up and ready to attempt a rescue. If they saved even one more person it would have been worth it. Instead, we don't know how many people clung to life before dying in the cold all due to the Japanese government's ego.
The collective rescue mission started immediately, but there was a confusion about the location of the crash site. A small group of firefighters from nearby village dispatched themselves as soon as they figured out where it might have gone down, but because of difficult terrain, they didn’t get there until morning.
The skill and determination of the pilots is just incredible, but the utter professionalism of the flight attendants should also be recognised, especially in those last minutes.
Agreed. Your comment also just made me realize, how the heck did they get that picture of the flight staff? It had to've been an actual photo, on film, so perhaps it was recovered from the crash??
i wonder why they dont install blackbox and cctv camera on cockpit every aircraft? with remote transmitter? it could help so much more after accident what really happened even there was survivors or plane landed airport intact.. some captains may lie or they was under alcohol i know ultra rare but there was a story one aircraft pilot was indeed very drunk and still flight a passanger plane and there was massive incident and pilot and many other was survivor alive even plane landed a ground upside down to plain field with open space.. coward captain almost manage get scott free after cover it up with corrupted lawyer but he his guilt break him up and he confess he was drunk and probably got live time in jail there is movie of this story too its kinda sad even almost everyone made out alive
The cabin crew were so incredibly brave to remain calm, professional while trying to navigate the plane under the circumstances. I feel inspired listening to their voices and how they put up a fight. Thanks to their efforts there were four survivors. It’s great to hear that they were honored posthumously and are remembered.
It’s an absolutely stunning display of airmanship that the crew kept it in the air for that long. No matter how bad it was they never gave up. props and rip to the flight crew and everyone on board.
Multiple attempts were made by pilots running the same flight in simulations and none of them managed to stay airborne longer than the actual 123 crew. Despite hypoxia and the immeasurable stress, they outperformed all of the simulators.
@@Harald-MacGerhard In situations such as this, with parts of the aircraft missing, simulators cannot be programmed to accurately reproduce the conditions. Simulators are also designed on the side of safety, to avoid a successful outcome in the simulator being impossible in real life.
@@monty2325 I've had to do the same thing multiple times in War Thunder, and despite being easier than a simulator and sometimes having no mountains, I can't recall my attempts ever working any better. Or lasting as long.
"In the aftermath of the incident, Hiroo Tominaga, a JAL maintenance manager, died from suicide intended to atone for the incident, as did Susumu Tajima, an engineer who had inspected and cleared the aircraft as flightworthy, due to difficulties at work."
suicide doesn't accomplish anything but at the very, very least, it showed they felt guilt for what had happened and weren't heartless like the government
There would have been many more if the Japenese government allowed the US military to help and had not waited till the next morning to launch a rescue.
@@Lemontarts01 Exactly, it was said that there were initially a little over 50 survivors. Had the rescue got to them in time, at least 25-30 people would have lived
I knew how this flight ended and about ten minutes before the video ended I still couldn’t believe they weren’t able to bring the plane down safely. These pilots were heroes and they deserved to live.
They didnt survive but another pilot hearing of this case would teach himself to how fly by engine power manipulation and would save the whole flight just dont remember which one.
@@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714 Dennis Fitch, DC-10 training check airman for United Airlines. A legend in the civil commercial aviation world. He became obsessed with JAL123 and tried to fly the aircraft with nothing but the engines on his free time in the simulator. This experience was one of the many factors that saved sixty percent of passengers and crew of a doomed flight: UAL232 that suffered the same issue as JAL123 due to an uncontained engine failure. That time they were lucky as they still had their rudder so the flight didn't suffer from dutch roll. Not to mention that they had the best rescue personal waiting for them as well as the national guard.
@@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714 United Airlines Flight 232, they managed a crash landing with nearly 2/3rds of the people on board surviving after a similar loss of all flight controls. There is also a DHL cargo flight that managed a crash landing with all 3 crew escaping uninjured after a missile hit them and took out their hydraulics, and a chunk of their left wing.
@@kukuc96 bruv, your tail is what keeps you up and straight. Any of the flight crashes you just listed, if you put them through this they would fail. Respect to JAL 123 captains.
Ive watched this accident before and I was very furious at the Japanese authorities for refusing help from the American military plane. Many people died over the 12 hours between crash and rescue. More than 4 people people would have survived had the Americans got to the crash site earlier. I'm still furious over that. May the people who lost their lives in JAL 123 rest in peace.
The crash was inevitable after the loss of the tail, but the deaths of so many who initially survived was negligent pride. This is one of the best accounts of this tragedy I've ever seen. Thanks again, Green Dot!
The Japanese government is still the same as it was before WW2. When Japan surrendered, the US allowed the former government to continue to exist even though it was what was responsible for attacking the US. The US's focus was to create an ally out of Japan (and Germany too). The result is that the Japanese people are left with the same anti-people government.
11:03 the fact that a photograph of such a catastrophic accident taken inside the cabin could still exist and survive at a time before digital cameras and smartphones were present is incredible
@@AegisEdge it’s just heartbreaking knowing that more could have been saved if the rescue teams had got there quicker. The crew were amazing and are true heroes
Still wonder if the Japanese crew could have saved the plane if they didn't increase power to the wrong engines and tipped over the plane. Similar accident in a DC-10, the American crew was able to crash land their jet and saved many people.
The fact that the crew could continue flying a plane for a staggering 30 minutes when it was this badly crippled, especially when it had no tail fin to keep it aerodynamically stable, is always going to be mind blowing to me. This may be one of the best feats of airmanship I’ve ever heard of.
Imagine being a child survivor to this event of prolonged fear, sickness, death, desperation, and after the crash, a catastrophic explosion followed by 12 hours of all night darkness, maintain climates, and incessant suffering and death of the remaining passengers. 4 survivors experienced this as HUNDREDS of other people died around them. I literally couldn't even concoct a scenario that would result in more lifetime psychological trauma and PTSD. This is just a nightmare.
How about someone using the wrong pronouns (not an issue in a sensible country like japan, but apparantly it's worse than all that over here in the anglosphere)
@@brillcommunication Well I mean the damage caused by me calling Bruce "Caitlin" Jenner the pronouns assigned by his biological sex has to be far more severe than the relatively minor inconvenience described in the post I replied to, right? /s
@@JohnTCampbell1986 as long as the whole words are understandable theres no need to be grammar police on the internet , this is social media not a freaking school test for you to keep correcting what peoples type in a language they probably not fluent in
My jaw dropped that they refused help from the American military that was around, so many lives could’ve been saved if they had dispatched help to the wreck. So awful, those poor people
I was stationed there in the airforce and there was a shit storm over this. Bad part some blamed us too till ther found out we were told by the Japanese government to but out.
@@panoguy1 lack of general assertiveness is still rampant in PACAF. too many armchair officers without the stones to make real decisions that matter. I'm with the 33rqs in the 18wg on kadena. our no-notice scramble rate is
Sadly, saving face and national pride matter more to officials than saving lives. Wish I could say lessons were learned after this but there was a very similar situation during the Sewol Ferry Sinking
@@ACBlackJ0ck That was different. Sewol was straight negligence on the whole of Korea. Also, Japan was literally nuked by the US and at this time it was still fresh. korea had no reason to refuse help, they have always been friendly with the US.
In full hindsight, they should have ditched to Tokyo Bay ASAP, and asked USFJ for assistance. But this is literally in mid previous century and Japanese language was even less compatible with English back then, meaning both sides would at most understand something like five- or possibly two-years-old vocabularies. The fear response from imagining that situation would have been immense. Today, you guys all know "NANI!?" but back then, nope.
This crash has always been particularly devastating to me. Not for it's death count although that's obviously tragic, and not for the extremely disappointingly delayed rescue effort, but the sheer effort and willpower exhibited by the flight crew. Using differential thrust to steer a plane this damaged is absolutely insane. It hurts so so much that it wasn't enough. Had it been a faster crash maybe it wouldn't be so painful a tale to recount.
I feel you. It is sad, to know the pilots did what every hero would do...and yet, failed. However, they were so brave in this, and resisted what they could, as heroes would do against the odds
Man, I've seen many retellings of JAL 123, but this is certainly the best. Even though I already knew the tragic ending, I could not help but to root for those valiant pilots that, maybe, this time it would be diferent, that this time they would be able to go back home. RIP JAL 123.
I feel the exact same, I even had to keep tapping my screen to read title reminding myself, it’s a tragic event so massive life was loss meaning this won’t end well but the retelling of this kept me on the edge of my seat !
While it's utterly disgusting of what happens, do remember this accident happen in the later end of Cold War. I think this is what those politicians were thinking in their head. If they allow US rescue crews to help the victims, the American will gloat about it to the world while Japanese gov will lose face by allowing foreign troop to handle the rescue attempt. To not be called "weak", they want to handle the rescue themselves, thus stopping the US attempt and delaying it to 12 hours.
I’m always stunned by the calm professionalism of the crews in the cockpit recordings from air crashes. You can rarely detect terror or panic in their voices; they remain relatively calm and their language remains professional and technical. Amazing people.
For a country that prides itself on honor, the way the survivors died... It was anything but honorable. I hope those authorities understand that each survivor's life that was lost is on them.
I've heard of this story before; the fact that people were suffering for hours, hopeful they would be rescued soon only to succumb to their injuries due to the delayed rescue effort is absolutely heartbreaking to me. I can only imagine the level of suffering they went through in their final hours.
@Windows XP the mistake of the pilots was to try and land the plane. I would’ve never tried to go to the runway. Impossible task. I would’ve never flown over the mountains. I would’ve spotted a flat terrain in the area on the map nearby and go there. Or put the plane down in the water close to shore. Give the location to ATC . Flying over the mountains was a total mistake. Not only because the terrain is closer over the mountains and there is no place to land but also makes it very difficult for the rescue to find you and offer help. I heard about this accident long time ago but nobody ever says anything about the mistake of both the pilots and ATC. A plane on that situation needs to land NOW . It’s not a matter of crash or don’t crash , it’s a matter of where do we crash
Even if they ultimately failed, I give the crew credit for fighting so hard to save the passengers. Those conditions sounded absolutely HELLISH! Constant extreme motions of the plane, flying up and down, endless alarms, and all lasting over HALFI AN HOUR! t’s honestly impressive they did as much as they did!
4 survived and many more could've been saved if they hadn't waited 12 hrs after crash to help. I wouldn't call it a complete failure , their action saved 4 people n those 4 peoples families would say it was a miracle. Just extremely sad 😔
I cried throughout this video. Listening to the voice of the woman over the intercom trying to comfort the passengers was heart wrenching. Being able to see the actual maneuvers this plane undertook, and for how long they went on is terrifying. These incredible pilots doing what they could for a long as they could is absolutely the reason anyone survived this crash. It's unbelievable that anyone survived at all.
I agree. I don’t usually get emotional at these videos but the distress in everyone’s voices was really hard to listen to given the result of the incident
@I consume entertainment inRather unhealthy amounts Please, stop. You cannot rationalize nonexistence and it's so easy for you to say things like this from your mom's basement. Many of those people would have loved to see another day, see their loved ones and live their lives... even if crippled.
@HOUOUIN_KYOUMA_001 And I respectfully say screw you. The "opinion" you hold comes from a place of such profound ungratefulness it doesn't even need to be entertained for merit. Who are you to decide what the value of a life is, despite its quality? Their are men who have lived without limbs that managed to find happiness just to be able to breathe, and you're gonna preach about what constitutes a life worth living? The last thing on the minds of those people wasn't about what quality of life they would have. It was only if they could have it at all. Your weakness disgusts me. For you to project that weakness onto people who TRULY suffered and died is even more disgusting. Btw from what I hear, one of those survivors grew up to be a wonderful nurse. If a kid could pick herself up from the wreckage and live with constructive optimism, what's that say about you? All it says to me is your just mentally weak personally, despite living in an age of the highest luxuries humanity has ever offered. Oh, I'm sorry, your "rationale" seems to be falling apart. My bad.
God what a horrifying situation. My hat goes off to those incredible pilots who did everything they can to keep the plane going for as long as possible with the resources they had. True masters of aviation and may they never be forgotten.
This summary/re-creation is wonderfully done. The light shifting in the cabin almost made me motion sick, I can't imagine being one of those poor souls.
I still have the most amount of respect for the pilots. They tried everything till the end. Something I've wondered what would happen if they put it down in the sea. Brilliant video man, i look forward to more!
I have wondered the same thing, about landing on water. But my guess is that in 1985 it was thought that landing on water was a sure death sentence. We now know more about water landings from other incidents.
@@nian60 Water is like concrete when you hit it hard. You need to have the perfect angle. Given their phugoid motion that was gonna be similar to landing it on the airport, but with less help available. What I wonder is, couldn't they have gone towards the sea the moment they got some lateral control, before making further configuration changes. That would've given them a lot more room for recovering. It's still amazing how they kept it up though...
Doubtful they could, they wouldn’t be able to keep it level let alone keep the nose up nor slow their speed, their best chance was a runway crash I guess
26:40 The side-by-side audio of both the struggling crew desperately trying to save their plane, and the flight attendants trying to save the passengers... It was really powerful. What a horrific tragedy, rest in peace
Very interesting timing on this one - Fascinating Horror just released their video on United 232. That flight represents a thin silver lining to this awful incident: that plane also lost all hydraulic flight controls, but enjoyed a much better outcome largely because there was a DC-10 flight instructor on board who'd become interested (almost to the point of obsession) with practising this flight in the sim and trying to save it. Turned out he had ended up with a massive amount of insight as to how to control a plane with just the engines, and he ended up being allowed into the cockpit to help. As you likely know, only 112 fatalities resulted out of nearly 300 passengers. The remaining ~200 can probably be said to owe their lives to this disaster... so that, at least, is something.
Yes, well said. The 232 crew got very close to getting the plane on the ground safely in large part due to that. Having seen the crash it still seemed a miracle so many survived.
United 232 had a better outcome because they still had the vertical stabilizer for lateral stability and the horizontal stabilizer was set for cruise by the time they lost the 3 hydraulic systems. JAL 123 lost the vertical stabilizer and the horizontal stabilizer was set for climb so the control problems for that flight was much worse than that experienced by the UA 232 crew, especially since they lost the vertical stabilizer. Dennis Fitch, the DC-10 flight instructor did an amazing job on that flight but had 232 lost the tail, I believe the outcome would have been much worse. The UA 232 didn't have as bad of a lateral control problem as JAL 123 did. They had better stability and control and eventually even got the phugoid stopped while JAL 123 never did. The JAL 123 also did their best but unfortunately they were worse off than the 232 flight crew.
This was the most in-depth analysis of this accident that I have seen. Having a visual of both the Dutch roll and the phugoid cycle allows us to see the absolute horror the passengers and crew endured. What a long, terrifying experience. My heart hurts for all those lost - especially the ones who may have survived had help been sent sooner.
agree on the visual of the dutch roll+phugoid. I've seen several reenactments of this flight but this video can give you sea sickness. my couch is still swaying
RIP to all the lost people in the crash. The pilots did absolutely fantastic and i salute to them for their wonderful work in attempting to save the plane. It’s very disappointing to hear that it took 12 hours for Japan to dispatch responders to find people, causing so many lives lost that could’ve been saved.
A friend was living in Japan at the time of this crash and he said that the JAL planes like this one that flew domestic routes had far more seats on them than international aircraft so that the company could maximize passenger loads on these short flights, thus the very high death toll in this case.
Yeah, it's not the worst business model at all - but with such a high passenger capacity, maintenence should have been prioritised with far more stringent examinations of the craft. It still boggles my mind that even in 2023 people still think it's a good idea to place everybody of the same vocational capacity on the same flight - if it crashes you're going to lose your entire soccer team, an entire government etc. but that's a completely different topic for another day I guess!
@@SeahorsesJay My family traveled by plane frequently in my childhood in the 1950s and '60s and my parents always flew separately, each with one or two of us kids. At the time I had no idea why they did this but didn't question it. Years later I understood this was so that both of them couldn't be killed in a plane crash at the same time.
@@SeahorsesJay Air travel is by far the safest method of travel, if you split them up by airplanes, you'll first need to split the other methods of transportation ..
It's absolutely heartbreaking that this happened during the promotion of the captain. Imagine flying a plane without hydraulics, it's probably like trying to walk without muscles. I'm sure he would've been a stellar captain. Considering that he and the crew managed to keep the plane flying for that long, and even thought of so many unorthodoxed ways to just try to keep it in control, whilst hypoxic is a testament to their skills and determination. It would have been easier to just give up, but they didn't. For a situation of this magnitude, it's a miracle how their efforts yielded 4 survivors, even more, if the rescue team had been dispatched earlier. R.I.P Japan Air 123
God bless those pilots. They did their absolute best, trying every little thing they could to keep that broken plane in the air. They kept fighting until the very end. RIP Crew and passengers of Japan Air flight 123.
Honestly, it’s weird. I’ve known this story for years and I’ve always known the outcome. You actually managed to make me feel like, ‘wait, what? I could swear this was going to turn out differently this time.’
The captain and first officer fought like hell to save an aircraft in a scenario they knew was hopeless. The first officer did make a mistake, but in the heat of such a moment, under such enormous pressure, in an emergency that lasted as long as this one did, it’s hard to point the finger at him. I can’t imagine a scenario where even without that mistake, this aircraft lands safely on any runway. The fact that anyone survived this crash is a testament to the strength of the crew on board, and I hope their families get some comfort in knowing that even in such a hopeless situation, their family members did enough to save at least 4 lives. If not for the atrociously poor response time of the Japanese government, perhaps that number would have been significantly higher.
Despite the tragic outcome this flight crew, while faced with an impossible task, achieved in my opinion the most remarkable feat of flying I've ever heard of. Even if there were no survivors what they accomplished with top notch CRM and on the fly piloting techniques was absolutely amazing. (Close second is the United 232).
I'm old enough to remember when it happened in '85. The staggering amount of lives lost was unbelievable. The crew kept on fighting. What an impressive effort. The letters the passengers wrote to their loved ones when they knew they would never see them again was heart cringing. 1985 was a very dark year regarding aviation with at least five major accidents. May all the victims rest in peace. Thank you for yet another excellent video. The "Dutch Roll" made me nauseous and I can't begin to fathom how it must have been for the 524 people on board JAL 123.
@@reazon3955 There was a huge growth in flights, but safety standards remained lax. Naturally with more flights and bigger planes, there would be more and worse accidents than before. Later on as safety standards improved, the number of crashes would decrease even with an increase in flight volumes.
I for real cried on this, the fact that so many lives could be saved just from sending the rescue team ASAP haunts me. The pilots did such good jobs to keep the plane flying even on critical conditions, its just bizarre.
There has always just something about this accident that really impacts me. I always get so melancholic after watching any videos on JL123. The sense of dread and misery I get every time I revisit this accident is always so immense, significantly more than any other accident case studies. I have watched/ read about this accident so many times before, but this video really pictured the pilots' heroic act so clearly. Every aviation enthusiasts probably know the crew's valiant efforts in stabilizing the aircraft with engine thrusts for as long as they could. But this video really spotlights the pilots' fighting spirit until the very last second; they tried absolutely everything else they possibly could, from flaps to landing gear, to save the airplane. Thank you for this very well made video. Amazing work!
The CVR and photos inside the cabin really brings this one to life and hits hard. I've shed tears a couple of times listening to it in the past and again today. Bless the pilots, flight attendants, the ATC and the passengers. The pilots and flight attendants did their best and between them somehow managed to keep at least 4 people alive. That was the reward for their true professionalism and 100% effort against all the odds. May those that were unfortunate rest in peace and I hope their families can have a tiny bit of comfort that those pilots did everything they could. Great video once again by Green Dot Aviation.
These pilots are heroes, they tried so hard to save this plane, the sadness in the accidental input from the first officer, is awful, but he is also a hero for doing as well as he did in a terrifying situation. Love to all the families and victims of this terrible accident❤
Damn these are done so well... I have never been so interested in aviation. I find myself at the edge of my seat, totally invested in every word of these videos!
I watch documentaries about this accident over and over again, maybe this is already my 40th time doing so, and I still always hope they do it. This accident is truly the worst one I know.
The most haunting thing for me is the occasional recordings picked up from within the cabin and hearing crew instructing passengers to fasten seat belts and those with small children to hold them tightly. The PA's emergency announcement in English was even spoken by the same man that did the UK's nuclear warning PSA video just to add to the fear factor. The little things like ATC telling the captain he is free to speak in Japanese are subtle but heartbreaking. Knowing their fate and seeing the full video by Gohan Chan with CVR / transcripts and route from take off to impact makes me almost wish the pilots hadn't done such a good job attempting to save them. It went on forever. 😨
@@doctorpostingEnglish is the standard language for aviation. So ATC and pilots all speak English to each other so that no matter where you’re from or where you’re going you will be able to communicate with the other people in the sky and on the ground.
Anyone else getting a bit dizzy from the motion?? Much respect to this crew, how they managed to keep it flying at all is remarkable. Everything working against them
I believe there is a full length simulation based on the flight data on here played through X-Plane. Complete with what available cabin, ATC, and cockpit audio data is out there. Just goes to show how impossible the battle was. And on top of this, during the research/investigation at different times into JAL123, independent attempts to replicate what the crew did (in simulators) only resulted in flight times half of what these 3 clawed out of the stricken craft.
@@Gohan-chanone of the plates werent properly aligned so there was supposed to be a spacer put in but extreme incompetence led to that part being connected to basically nothing with it just buried
This is a survivors account from the August LA Times 1985: 'It was at 6:25 p.m. Monday--13 minutes after takeoff--that Takahama sent an emergency signal to Tokyo air controllers. That was also the moment at which Ochiai, a JAL flight attendant for about two years, recalled hearing what she described to JAL executives at her bedside Wednesday as a loud “bam” sound. (In Japanese, she described the sound as “Baaan!”) ‘Bam!’ Then Ears Hurt Until then, she had been reading a magazine, she said, and “nothing different from any other flight had occurred.” Ochiai, who is hospitalized in stable condition in Fujioka, said she was in an aisle seat, 56C, in the third row from the back of the plane, almost directly below the point at which the front of the tail fin, or vertical stabilizer, is attached to the fuselage. (In the middle section of the specially designed 747-SR jumbos flown by JAL, there are two extra rows of seats, extending back to Row 60. The Kawakami girl was in Row 60 and the Yoshizakis were in Row 54, all in the middle section). Ochiai gave the account of her ordeal to two JAL executives. An airline spokesman repeated it at a news conference in Tokyo. “At 6:25, there was a ‘Bam!’ sound overhead,” Ochiai said. “Then, my ears began to hurt. I don’t know if a door flew off or not. I did not hear any other explosion sound from the floor or anywhere else. Ceiling Fell Down “At the same time, the (air) inside the cabin turned pure white,” she said, apparently from condensation caused by sudden pressure loss and subsequent cooling of the air. “The ventilation hole beneath the crew seat opened (to adjust for the sudden difference in air pressure between the passenger cabin and the baggage compartment below). The floor did not bulge upward. “The ceiling above the lavatory fell down. At the same time, the automatic (oxygen) masks dropped and the prerecorded announcement began. As alarm bells rang, the recorded announcement told the passengers: “We are now flying in an emergency condition. Please put on the oxygen mask. Please fasten your seat belt. Please extinguish all cigarettes. We are now flying in an emergency condition.” Flew in ‘Dutch Roll’ “The plane flew rather wobbly and appeared to go into a Dutch roll (an oscillating motion in which the plane simultaneously yaws and rolls, with its nose turning from side to side while its wing tips tilt up and down). “Soon, I saw Mt. Fuji on the left and--although there was no announcement from the cockpit--I thought we were going back to Haneda (Tokyo’s domestic airport). “In about 10 minutes, the oxygen stopped but I had no trouble breathing,” she continued. “During this time, there were no announcements from the cockpit, but a purser announced that an emergency situation had occurred. “Together, with the duty stewardess in the rear section, I went around to instruct the customers how to put on their life vests and how to assume a safety position (leaning forward with one’s head between the legs). After that, I fastened my seat belt and assumed a safety position. “Finally, the plane started to descend steeply,” she said. “It seemed like it was going straight down.” “Soon, there were two or three strong shocks,” she said, as the plane hit the mountainside. “Seats, cushions and other objects around me flew into the air. Seats fell on top of me, and I couldn’t move. My stomach hurt so bad it felt like it was going to be torn to pieces. Finally, with all the strength I could muster, I was able to unfasten the seat belt. “But I was pinned between seats and couldn’t move. “I saw a helicopter and waved, but it didn’t appear to see me. There were no fires around me. Finally, I went to sleep. “When I was wakened by a man’s voice, it was morning,” Ochiai said. She and the other three survivors were rescued Tuesday, more than 16 hours after the crash occurred.
Those pilots may not have ultimately been able to save the aircraft, but they are heroes regardless. The sheer relentless effort and creative thinking in a situation of this magnitude is just unspeakably impressive.
One of the ill fated passengers on this plane was singer Kyu Sakamoto of the song, "Ue o Muite Arukō (known also as Sukiyaki) that topped the US Billboard chart in the early 1960s, it was also a hit in the UK. the first song in Japanese to do so. Its a beautiful ballad about keeping on going thru the pain of life and lost love. Its got a haunting unforgettable quality to it. Whenever I hear the song I think of this terrifying ongoing ordeal that its singer and so many went thru that night. Would recommend giving it a listen on RUclips. May they all be at peace.
I had read he had died in a airplane crash when I found his songs i just didn’t know it was this one when I was looking at airplane disaster that had occurred in the past. I this it was because of this tragedy that flight 232 had a somewhat safe landing because a instructor had been practicing how to land using engines in case something like this happened
Oh wow, I had no idea, I’m taking a Japanese class and one of the things we had to do was learn this song. I always thought it was beautiful. I had no idea he died in this crash
I think it's important that these type of videos are supported by a good narrator, I must say I love your voice!! It's clear, concise, and has a warm tone!! Thank you🙂
These pilots were amazing. Their plane failed them and they did all they could it’s just incredible to watch and listen to they are bravery and tenacity. May they rest in peace.
The plane didn't fail them, the repairs to the bulkhead was inadequate. This one is on JAL all the way. Boeing made adjustments, but it was too late. (( R.I.P.))
Oh my god, the sound of the cockpit is the most nightmarish sound ever. How could anyone possibly think in that environment, much less with the scenario that was occurring
is there a way to turn off that sound? I get it, the plane is in distress, I CAN SEE THE FRICKING ROLLING just lemme concentrate without that incessant beeping
I think something missed here if you don’t speak Japanese is that when everyone is speaking Japanese to each other, they are still using polite speech (there’s a clear distinction between casual and polite speech in Japanese than compared to English). It would be totally appropriate to switch to casual speech here but despite being terrified, they remained as professional as possible.
they weren’t speaking polite Japanese originally they were speaking English which is the standard language globally in aviation it is nonetheless impressive
@@ketsu6100 lol you contradicted yourself. First comment you said captain was speaking politely and professionally. Second comment you're saying captain didnt speak politely. Make up your mind
The fact that ANYONE survived this is fucking astonishing. Bravo to the pilots. Also, classic Japanese authorities, clinging to their old ways and costing more survivors their lives. Too stubborn to accept outside help, too stupid to look for survivors right away.
Valiant, courageous pilots doing their best under the worst circumstances imaginable. They deserve to be honored. A terrifying video. May those who lost their lives rest in peace. Thank God that lessons were learned and necessary changes were made. Because of that, these people did not die in vain. Superb video Green Dot Aviation.
The CVR of this crash was heartbreaking to hear, and the fact it was the First Officer's final test made it even worse. You're careful reconstruction of this accident is the best I've seen of this story. May those victims rest in peace.
This story broke me, hearing the brave pilots struggling to keep the plane and its passengers alive despite knowing eventually that a normal landing was hopeless in the terrible odds stacked against them. The crew were exemplary Japanese heroes in my eyes. Rip
The irony of how hard the pilots worked to keep the plane stable vs the disgraceful lack of urgency from the ppl in the ground is ridiculous. they should have been on search and rescue standby the moment they found out the flight was compromised. So sad
No air disaster is pleasant but JAL 123 is one of the most harrowing and desperate tragedies. The way the crew fought with what little control they had was remarkable but ultimately futile. Your videos are invariably excellent, informative and fastidiously crafter 👏
This was done really well, it's like we were there with them the whole way. Strange how, even though we know the outcome, we get this feeling that somehow, it will end different... Never does.
Bless the pilots and crew. They tried so hard for so long. You could tell they were panicked but maintained their calmness to a level that I could never do! I can only imagine the process that was going through their heads, along with the passengers. The fact that they lasted for so long shows how dedicated they were despite their doubts. It saddens me that aid wasn't provided straight away because of them immediately assuming no one survived. Despite it might have looked bad, maybe not everyone would've died straight away. Maybe more people could've made it out alive. Bless the pilots and bless the passengers.
This video and the UPS one in Dubai had me on the edge of my seat. These pilots fought so hard through the hopelessness. They displayed the highest levels of duty to others and perserverance. God bless the crew, the passengers, and their families.
This is the video that convinced me to become a member. Thank you for the no-bullshit interesting and serious videos, and I particularly like the details in the steering simulation and 3D model work, as a hobbyist myself.
@@GreenDotAviationTo be honest as a flying coward who has to fly for family holidays? Maybe I really shouldn't watch these videos... although it was an amazingly professional video!..I don't think I could handle too many of these videos 😏
@@englanduk6131 i hope it helps to know these instances are one in a billion. when i'm nervous on planes i remind myself that there's a 99.999% chance it'll be perfectly fine. remembering that statistical probability helps me stay calm.
this is the saddest and heart breaking crash I have ever come across. Battling for that long, through horror, sickness, and no hope. I never say this but My heart goes out to these 3 men and all those passengers for going through something like that.
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I wish I could support you but I don't have any money :(
Amazing job. Really appreciate the minute by minute detail of the entire sequence.
Very sad and helpless. This along with the 2 planes - Colorado springs and Pittsburgh, with frozen and/or opposite functioning servo valves/tubes were beyond crews abilities to rectify. Hopeless, all 3 jets beyond control were pitifu.l 😢 I am a Pittsburgh native. It's more personal.
@Jim Rex ??? Sounds normal to me
Ya Jim. It was phrased the incorrect way.
We talked about this in my aviation class once and my teacher pointed out the fact that every person who tried to replicate this in a simulator could not fly the plane for more than a few minutes. What they did that day was extremely impressive.
Theoretically, could it even have been possible to land a plane in this condition?
The crew probably had adrenaline and did something near impossible
@@tonjie. Yep
@@spoonybard64 yes, but about as close to impossible as you can get
Adrenaline will push you beyond your limits. I'm sure a few pilots would have done just as good under intense stress and determination.
The fact that the pilots even managed to keep the plane flying for as long as they did is a miracle in of itself.
None of the pilots who were made to attempt the flight failure in simulations managed to stay airborne longer than the actual crew. Despite hypoxia and immeasurable stress they fought the aircraft for longer than anybody else could. Rest easy 123
@@monty2325 Yep, I've heard that story too. It's one thing to do it in a simulator, it's another when you're genuinely fighting for your life.
There are no miracles. It was sheer desperation and focus.
@also the actual crew not knowing what the problems were unlike the people attempting it in the simulator makes it all the more impressive
@@dann5480here is. How the fck can you focus on a life or death situation like that, that's an extreme hellish stress situation. If you don't believe in miracle then your life must be empty.
Hearing the Captain scream "It's the end!" is really saddening. The amount of mental and physical trauma they went through and controlled an uncontrollable plane for 45 mins, it's INSANE. Towards the end when they almost had control over the plane, the amount of hope that would've instilled in them, to being devoid of hope. Heroes.
At least, as terrifying as it could get in that situation, the end would've quick, and they wouldn't feel anything.
@@kevinmalone3210 For the pilots death likely came quick. But many of the passengers survived the initial crash and for most of those survivors, death was very slow.
i watched the whole video, nobody says “Its the end.”
@@escobarsgrandson9138 its at 35:00
@@escobarsgrandson9138 34:55
The most horrible part of all this is how long it took. An explosive decompression and a plane getting ripped in half is an awful way to die, but the pilots fighting heroically on and on as the situation gets worse makes it so much more heartbreaking given the result.
On the other hand, what a freaking miracle that the incredible airmanship of the crew ended up preserving four lives. A small miracle, but a miracle nonetheless.
Ya, some of the pilots in these videos are pure magic in the cockpit. But sometimes the odds just stack up against them.
exactly. i wish that something would have worked out
Could not agree more, the pilots did all they could to rescue a plane in an impossible situation. If it wasn´t for the flaps instability maybe they would have succeeded, incredibly tragic and heartbreaking.
Yes, they knew they could barely control the plane in the air never mind land it
I'm Japanese national.
This sad incident will never be forgotten.
Daughter of the Captain became stewardess, because she wanted to fly the same sky her father flew.
Young girl who survived the crash , Keiko, became a nurse because she wanted to help others who are sick, ill or injured.
Blame the Japanese for this had they inspected planes better or just simply go to the crash more people could have been saved shame on them
@@daltongomez647terminally online take
@@batl616 what’s with all the trolls and terminally online here? Next I’m expecting to hear even worse takes
@@daltongomez647 hahahahaha
😢😢😢😢😢😢😢🙈❤
I've listened to the entire cockpit recording. It's still astonishing to me that with everything else going wrong the crew had the presence of mind to communicate in their non-native language for as long as they did. When a person undergoes emotional or physical distress, that command of a foreign language is often the first thing to go.
May these souls rest in peace.
Well said
It depends, as a multilingual and not a native English speaker when your brain sort of ties a certain language to a certain environment it switches off and on depending on wether you are in that environment or not.
in this case using English at their line of work in the cockpit over and over again for years which rewires their brain.
you even do think in that language without passing through your native language filter.
it even does something i am quite amazed at, your way of thinking differs depending on which language you’re thinking in, it’s really hard to describe, it is as it if you become bi polar in a sense or your demeanor changes depending on what what language or (mode) you’re in.
@@perra5910 ummmmm we know English…
@perra5910 that is so incredibly fascinating
This was also very surprising to me. However, I recalled that when I worked at a Korean restaurant in Tokyo (I might be the only American who ever has), I didn't really know how to talk about the menu in English. So the captain must have been so used to doing his job in English that he didn't switch. Still surprising.
There's something deeply tragic and noble about that cabin crew trying their best in an utterly hopeless situation. Rest easy lads, you tried youe best.
Heartbreaking. It is an enormous responsibility for a flight crew to be responsible for the safety of their passengers, only for everyone to become a victim through no fault of theirs. How terrible. May all these poor people rest in peace. My condolences to their surviving loved ones. 🌹❤
Flight or fight response 😢
Try their best , thanks for that sherlock 😂😂😂😂
@@HughJohn-s1n At least their comment is in recognition and in remembrance of the flight crew while you're just trying to amuse yourself, sherlock.
@@lynahiacampbell8232 In this case it maybe called fight AND flight response!
The impressive part about this is that when multiple other pilots were put through the same situation and didn’t even last 20 minutes. Mind you, they lasted for 45 minutes. It showed just how good the pilots were.
While hypoxic no less
Not good enough sadly
@@falconeshield for something that seems impossible like this, no one is good enough.
I wonder if it has to do with how much adrenaline was running through them
Not that good when lives could have been saved by letting the Americans help. Rediculous. Pridefull.
The thinly veiled desperation in the flight attendant’s voice as she says “Hold your babies firmly please” as she runs through the brace protocols really struck me. Absolutely heartbreaking.
I think this is legitimately my worst nightmare. The thought of being in a plane crash sucks, but having to sit there, terrified, while the plane struggled along up and down, side to side, for so long is horrific.
Then crashing into the sea ! 😢😢😢 that’s my ultimate fear !! 😰 like I would absolutely die from heart attack from the sheer fear alone !
You would not have liked TWA 800
To OP.
Actually the few survivors witnessed that the passengers onboard took it rather well and most were calm after the first few minutes. There are several explanations for this:
1. Once people realize they might die they decide to live their last minutes in dignity and focus all thoughts on their loved ones and all good memories.
Survivors from sinking ships, collapsed buildings in earthquakes, bleeding to death after an accident and people trapped in hopeless situations all say the same: Once they realize they're going to die they just accept their fate and let go. It becomes more calm. Therefore they don't struggle or panic anymore. All their focus is on their loved ones who become their whole thought. All the racket around them becomes more distant since that's not the focus anymore. That's how the human mind works.
Yes, people are startled and scared *at first* , but once they realize they can't affect the outcome and probably will die they drop the struggle and just focus on what matters most to them, their loved ones at home. On Flight 123 passengers even had time to write farewell letters to their families which later were found at the crash site. They were full of praise and thanks for the lovely time they had together. *If you give people enough time to prepare for their deaths they come to terms with it and accept it. No horror.*
2. Since the plane didn't go straight down at once or roll upside down and instead flew for many minutes, not to mention that the flight attendants addressed the passengers all the time, this all probably gave some people hope they might make it to the airport. People who have great faith and believe they're protected by divine intervention see it as:"I will be saved by God either by a miracle or I will come to God if I die. God's will be done." The same goes for people of great optimism even if they have no faith in deities. In the case of the Japanese it's "Karma will be Karma." Which roughly means that their destined fate brought them to this end of life and that's how it's meant to end. Naturally with this "this is fate" thinking it becomes ridiculous and pointless to try and fight and struggle against it. If the same fate actually will save them by a miracle this too will happen (optimism).
3. Japanese people believe in dying with dignity no matter if it's from long life/natural causes, wars or accidents. Even suicide carries dignity if it's done for honorable reasons. So you won't see a Hollywood horror movie reaction from them.
4. Fear is a temporary state. Even in wars every soldier will tell that there is always an initial fear of death but once that is overcome they just do their job (and a horrible job it is). Most soldiers won't flee from or abandon the battle, even if they know the chance of survival is slim. Only *after* a battle or after the war do they begin to ponder over it all. Are they scared in battle? Yes, they are. But they are not overcome by fear.
5. KIDS will be constantly scared. Because they can't make sense of neither the world nor their lives yet. They solely live in the moment and lack life experience.
"The thought of being in a plane crash sucks, but having to sit there, terrified, while the plane struggled along up and down, side to side, for so long is horrific."
And this basically means that:
1. You don't understand the human mind and are solely dictated by fear.
2. Have seen too many Hollywood horror movies and believe those reflect reality.
3. You're still a kid at core.
4. You're bereft of reason.
Fear kills reason.
Lack of reason drives fear.
Reason makes us human.
Lack of it makes us mere animals.
@@McLarenMercedesgood speech but i dont think he asked
@@McLarenMercedesyou’re kind of insufferable
"It's the end...." How sad. What a brave crew.
Green dot, you are the best aviation channel out there! Please continue your great work.
rip
rip
@I consume entertainment inRather unhealthy amounts That has been considered many times, but in the end, it is more of a waste than anything. First, adding parachutes will increase the weight of the plane, which is not good. Second, there are a lot of factors that have to be under control to make the jumping out of a plane survivable, even with parachutes. And third, all in all, aviation accidents are far uncommon, and they become even more uncommon as better tech and security is developed, to justify adding parachutes in every plane.
That was haunting. Pilots were warriors in a no win scenario.
@HOUOUIN_KYOUMA_001it's not a good idea
Flying for 45 minutes with no hydraulics is utterly incredible by itself, these men were hypoxic yet somehow kept a plane with *no tail* in the air for almost an hour. Incredible airmenship. The flight crew as well.
this broke me. despite the situation appearing hopeless from the beginning, those three men in the cockpit never stopped fighting for everyone onboard. Truly heartbreaking, rest in peace to everyone onboard.
What about the people that survived???
@@MrFintanmccyou know what he or she meant.
Wow . They are legends
Yes they could crash land the plane on the sea to ensure more survivor if they know the severity of their situation. But they are clueless what happen.
@@pillow_blanket_bedbut water would drown everyone in it
The pilots and the flight engineer were posthumously awarded the Polaris Award by the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations. It's the highest civilian honor in the aviation world.
@@EstradaDuran-sg6co As a mark of respect you weirdo, for valiantly battling the wild aircraft and succeeding to the largest extent imaginable
@@EstradaDuran-sg6co as @manswind3417 said, you weirdo, they fought an impossible task for longer than any other pilots could. in later simulated runs of this crash, modern pilots could not keep the plane up for more than a few minutes, these dudes managed to do it for this long, and were so close to victory. thats why they were awarded. i am willing to bet you my future career that these pilots had better mental cognition than you do while they were hypoxic if not even you can realize this at a glance.
@@EstradaDuran-sg6co why are you liking your own comments? touch grass, incel
cheers to the moron who doesnt give a fucking shit about the people that died.
@@EstradaDuran-sg6co You're a peach
Man, I've never pulled for a flight crew more than this one. Fighting through hypoxia is fucking crazy. RIP you legends
I’m a Japanese man who was 9 years old when the disaster happened. I heard 6 children in the same school year as me perished in the air crash. Some child victims had visited Tokyo Disneyland or the EXPO '85 site in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. Had the disaster not happened, they would have shared their stories with their classmates or homeroom teachers after the summer vacation. It was heartbreaking news.
Wow. Just 1 plane crash. Caused all of this.
Thank you for sharing your story, how beyond sad 😢
sure you are weeaboo
Tragic sorry to hear.
murphy coleman is a very japanese name BD meter off the charts
I'm a former flight attendant, and hypoxia was a part of our training. For the pilots to fly as long as they did while hypoxic means, they were in excellent health. Just stunning, heartbreaking, and courageous.
If you don't mind me asking but how much repeated training do they have on this? I'm retired Airforce and aircrews train in a Altitude chamber so they experience hypoxia first hand
It takes seconds to put on a mask. The pilots could try to crash landed in the water. With out the back part of the airplane turbines are the only way to keep control. Use landing gear for drag it can help steering.
@@pittypatterputzzler5311 I hate to say it but water is almost as bad to crash into as solid ground. At a high enough velocity the effect is much the same-plane go splat
@@lordgod9958 Yes but at least it's flat.
There's always a pilot in the comment section
Just hearing the crew's last words "It's the end!" at 34:48 before all their lives ended before pain itself would even reach their brains is terrifying
thank you, idk why he talks over their last moments
Imagine surviving the crash to then find out you were deserted by the government.. disgusting. That’s the worst part about this event.
No seriously that part was so angering. First they refuse help from the American military nearby cause I'm assuming xenophobia and ego and then essentially abandoning the passengers and crew cause they thought no one had survived. Learning that the 4 survivors listened as voices around them slowly went silent is so horrifyingly sad. Fucking Japanese government ego.
It’s honestly weird that the Japanese government rather value honor than innocent lives
That's not true.
The number of equipment and personnel of the U.S. forces in Japan at the accident site were not adapted for rescue operations.
With only a transport plane (C-130H), three stretchers, and a helicopter (UH-1B) without a hoist, rescue activities by rope descent to the crash site were impossible.
The U.S. forces in Japan declared "first aid for rescuers protected by Japanese rescue teams" and "assistance in transporting rescuers to hospitals. Rescue operations" were not the main objective of the U.S. forces.
However, the crash site was in an alpine area with complex terrain, in a virgin forest that had not been maintained by humans, and at a time close to the new moon.
The combination of multiple adverse conditions made rescue operations dangerous (even today, when helicopter attitude control technology has improved, nighttime operations are generally not performed).
Japan therefore responded to the U.S. forces in Japan with the following reply.
"Thank you. We will contact you when we need you. Until then, please stand by."
This statement was distributed by the press
. "Japan has refused to cooperate with U.S. forces in Japan."
The newspaper reported the statement without confirming it with the U.S. military in Japan.
@@wadepsilon01 To me that still sounds like nothing but excuses. 12 hours... 12 hours until the Japanese were able mount a rescue mainly because they didn't think anyone was still alive.
These were also Marines that were already geared up and ready to attempt a rescue. If they saved even one more person it would have been worth it.
Instead, we don't know how many people clung to life before dying in the cold all due to the Japanese government's ego.
The collective rescue mission started immediately, but there was a confusion about the location of the crash site. A small group of firefighters from nearby village dispatched themselves as soon as they figured out where it might have gone down, but because of difficult terrain, they didn’t get there until morning.
The skill and determination of the pilots is just incredible, but the utter professionalism of the flight attendants should also be recognised, especially in those last minutes.
Agreed. Your comment also just made me realize, how the heck did they get that picture of the flight staff? It had to've been an actual photo, on film, so perhaps it was recovered from the crash??
true that they are all very brave
Cow farmers are udder professionals.
@@kaylor87 i was wondering the same....recovered camera from the crash or maybe one of the survivors was clinging on to it.
i wonder why they dont install blackbox and cctv camera on cockpit every aircraft? with remote transmitter? it could help so much more after accident what really happened even there was survivors or plane landed airport intact.. some captains may lie or they was under alcohol i know ultra rare but there was a story one aircraft pilot was indeed very drunk and still flight a passanger plane and there was massive incident and pilot and many other was survivor alive even plane landed a ground upside down to plain field with open space.. coward captain almost manage get scott free after cover it up with corrupted lawyer but he his guilt break him up and he confess he was drunk and probably got live time in jail there is movie of this story too its kinda sad even almost everyone made out alive
The cabin crew were so incredibly brave to remain calm, professional while trying to navigate the plane under the circumstances. I feel inspired listening to their voices and how they put up a fight. Thanks to their efforts there were four survivors. It’s great to hear that they were honored posthumously and are remembered.
It’s an absolutely stunning display of airmanship that the crew kept it in the air for that long. No matter how bad it was they never gave up. props and rip to the flight crew and everyone on board.
Multiple attempts were made by pilots running the same flight in simulations and none of them managed to stay airborne longer than the actual 123 crew. Despite hypoxia and the immeasurable stress, they outperformed all of the simulators.
@@monty2325 WOW, I don´t even understand how this can be possible
@@Harald-MacGerhard In situations such as this, with parts of the aircraft missing, simulators cannot be programmed to accurately reproduce the conditions.
Simulators are also designed on the side of safety, to avoid a successful outcome in the simulator being impossible in real life.
@@wilsjane 🤣
@@monty2325 I've had to do the same thing multiple times in War Thunder, and despite being easier than a simulator and sometimes having no mountains, I can't recall my attempts ever working any better. Or lasting as long.
"In the aftermath of the incident, Hiroo Tominaga, a JAL maintenance manager, died from suicide intended to atone for the incident, as did Susumu Tajima, an engineer who had inspected and cleared the aircraft as flightworthy, due to difficulties at work."
😭😭😭
Man that's sad as hell.
What does that even accomplish, absolutely nothing
@@zoranveselinov4195thats japan for ya, honour
makes no sense considering their actions (japan government in general over history)
suicide doesn't accomplish anything but at the very, very least, it showed they felt guilt for what had happened and weren't heartless like the government
the fact that 4 out of 524 that survived is crazy. 2 impacts, with survivors is rare. rip.
There would have been many more if the Japenese government allowed the US military to help and had not waited till the next morning to launch a rescue.
@@shrimpflea maybe not
@@mick8481no not really bro. There 100% would have been more survivors.
Not all of them, but there would have been more who survived
@@Lemontarts01 Exactly, it was said that there were initially a little over 50 survivors. Had the rescue got to them in time, at least 25-30 people would have lived
I knew how this flight ended and about ten minutes before the video ended I still couldn’t believe they weren’t able to bring the plane down safely. These pilots were heroes and they deserved to live.
It is hard to believe because they work so hard and did everything to help everyone. It's hard to accept that.
They didnt survive but another pilot hearing of this case would teach himself to how fly by engine power manipulation and would save the whole flight just dont remember which one.
@@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714 Dennis Fitch, DC-10 training check airman for United Airlines. A legend in the civil commercial aviation world. He became obsessed with JAL123 and tried to fly the aircraft with nothing but the engines on his free time in the simulator. This experience was one of the many factors that saved sixty percent of passengers and crew of a doomed flight: UAL232 that suffered the same issue as JAL123 due to an uncontained engine failure.
That time they were lucky as they still had their rudder so the flight didn't suffer from dutch roll. Not to mention that they had the best rescue personal waiting for them as well as the national guard.
@@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714 United Airlines Flight 232, they managed a crash landing with nearly 2/3rds of the people on board surviving after a similar loss of all flight controls. There is also a DHL cargo flight that managed a crash landing with all 3 crew escaping uninjured after a missile hit them and took out their hydraulics, and a chunk of their left wing.
@@kukuc96 bruv, your tail is what keeps you up and straight. Any of the flight crashes you just listed, if you put them through this they would fail. Respect to JAL 123 captains.
Ive watched this accident before and I was very furious at the Japanese authorities for refusing help from the American military plane. Many people died over the 12 hours between crash and rescue. More than 4 people people would have survived had the Americans got to the crash site earlier. I'm still furious over that. May the people who lost their lives in JAL 123 rest in peace.
The crash was inevitable after the loss of the tail, but the deaths of so many who initially survived was negligent pride.
This is one of the best accounts of this tragedy I've ever seen. Thanks again, Green Dot!
@@sarahmacintosh6449 Well worded
Agreed. Turning down assistance in a situation like that makes absolutely no sense.
The Japanese government is still the same as it was before WW2. When Japan surrendered, the US allowed the former government to continue to exist even though it was what was responsible for attacking the US. The US's focus was to create an ally out of Japan (and Germany too).
The result is that the Japanese people are left with the same anti-people government.
It’s so incredibly frustrating especially considering how close the two countries are as well as the US military assistance in Japan. Inexcusable
11:03 the fact that a photograph of such a catastrophic accident taken inside the cabin could still exist and survive at a time before digital cameras and smartphones were present is incredible
@@martyvirtue4051 hey do you think it’s fake
@@falaplays814 off course. Believe nothing that comes from a screen.
@@martyvirtue4051 why would it be fake
@@dcarlota I already answered that question. Lord have mercy to the people that want to be deceived.
@@martyvirtue4051 You think multiple people could survive but a small film in a camera couldn't? You're an idiot.
The crew fought so hard to save the plane. They were incredibly brave. It’s heartbreaking to find out only 4 passengers survived.
the fact that anybody survived at all is a massive miracle, I mean just look how the aircraft crashed.
@@AegisEdge it’s just heartbreaking knowing that more could have been saved if the rescue teams had got there quicker. The crew were amazing and are true heroes
Did they give the plane cpr?
Still wonder if the Japanese crew could have saved the plane if they didn't increase power to the wrong engines and tipped over the plane. Similar accident in a DC-10, the American crew was able to crash land their jet and saved many people.
@@aerohk I wonder if they were too stubborn to land elsewhere.
The fact that the crew could continue flying a plane for a staggering 30 minutes when it was this badly crippled, especially when it had no tail fin to keep it aerodynamically stable, is always going to be mind blowing to me. This may be one of the best feats of airmanship I’ve ever heard of.
45 minutes... and the rumor is no one in a simulator could last even 20....they were truly amazing airmen
@@jupiterzombies And oxygen starved at the start....
I've never felt so engaged in a story on YT. I'm on the emotional roller coaster from your narration. RIP those passengers and crew.
Imagine being a child survivor to this event of prolonged fear, sickness, death, desperation, and after the crash, a catastrophic explosion followed by 12 hours of all night darkness, maintain climates, and incessant suffering and death of the remaining passengers. 4 survivors experienced this as HUNDREDS of other people died around them. I literally couldn't even concoct a scenario that would result in more lifetime psychological trauma and PTSD. This is just a nightmare.
For real. Talk about trauma. I can't even imagine. Probably survivors guilt, too.
How about someone using the wrong pronouns (not an issue in a sensible country like japan, but apparantly it's worse than all that over here in the anglosphere)
@@brillcommunication Well I mean the damage caused by me calling Bruce "Caitlin" Jenner the pronouns assigned by his biological sex has to be far more severe than the relatively minor inconvenience described in the post I replied to, right? /s
@@JohnTCampbell1986 as long as the whole words are understandable theres no need to be grammar police on the internet , this is social media not a freaking school test for you to keep correcting what peoples type in a language they probably not fluent in
Seriously? Have some fucking respect and shut the fuck up@@JohnTCampbell1986
My jaw dropped that they refused help from the American military that was around, so many lives could’ve been saved if they had dispatched help to the wreck. So awful, those poor people
I was stationed there in the airforce and there was a shit storm over this. Bad part some blamed us too till ther found out we were told by the Japanese government to but out.
@@panoguy1 lack of general assertiveness is still rampant in PACAF. too many armchair officers without the stones to make real decisions that matter. I'm with the 33rqs in the 18wg on kadena. our no-notice scramble rate is
Sadly, saving face and national pride matter more to officials than saving lives. Wish I could say lessons were learned after this but there was a very similar situation during the Sewol Ferry Sinking
@@ACBlackJ0ck That was different. Sewol was straight negligence on the whole of Korea. Also, Japan was literally nuked by the US and at this time it was still fresh. korea had no reason to refuse help, they have always been friendly with the US.
In full hindsight, they should have ditched to Tokyo Bay ASAP, and asked USFJ for assistance. But this is literally in mid previous century and Japanese language was even less compatible with English back then, meaning both sides would at most understand something like five- or possibly two-years-old vocabularies. The fear response from imagining that situation would have been immense. Today, you guys all know "NANI!?" but back then, nope.
"The pilots have become passengers on their own airplane" - utterly chilling.
Just seat back and relax 😌😄
This crash has always been particularly devastating to me. Not for it's death count although that's obviously tragic, and not for the extremely disappointingly delayed rescue effort, but the sheer effort and willpower exhibited by the flight crew. Using differential thrust to steer a plane this damaged is absolutely insane. It hurts so so much that it wasn't enough. Had it been a faster crash maybe it wouldn't be so painful a tale to recount.
Your comment tells me you’re an incredibly sensitive and thoughtful person !
True
I feel you. It is sad, to know the pilots did what every hero would do...and yet, failed. However, they were so brave in this, and resisted what they could, as heroes would do against the odds
Man, I've seen many retellings of JAL 123, but this is certainly the best. Even though I already knew the tragic ending, I could not help but to root for those valiant pilots that, maybe, this time it would be diferent, that this time they would be able to go back home.
RIP JAL 123.
I feel the exact same, I even had to keep tapping my screen to read title reminding myself, it’s a tragic event so massive life was loss meaning this won’t end well but the retelling of this kept me on the edge of my seat !
Exactly how I felt, those guys fought to the bitter end
While it's utterly disgusting of what happens, do remember this accident happen in the later end of Cold War. I think this is what those politicians were thinking in their head. If they allow US rescue crews to help the victims, the American will gloat about it to the world while Japanese gov will lose face by allowing foreign troop to handle the rescue attempt. To not be called "weak", they want to handle the rescue themselves, thus stopping the US attempt and delaying it to 12 hours.
@@satriorama4118so incredibly sad. Lives lost for no good reason.
Yes. Hoping against hope that this time they would manage to bring the plane in.
I’m always stunned by the calm professionalism of the crews in the cockpit recordings from air crashes. You can rarely detect terror or panic in their voices; they remain relatively calm and their language remains professional and technical. Amazing people.
For a country that prides itself on honor, the way the survivors died... It was anything but honorable. I hope those authorities understand that each survivor's life that was lost is on them.
The CEO of JAL understood. He resigned from his position and he begged to be jailed.
@@mach6893was he actually jailed. All of upper management and people making decisions should have been too
@@mach6893 If this was USA, the CEO would hide behind layers of lawyers while blackmail the company for a golden parachute.
@@mach6893yeah ok. Whatever helps you sleep at night 😂
"For a country that prides itself on honor" you're giving orientalism
I've heard of this story before; the fact that people were suffering for hours, hopeful they would be rescued soon only to succumb to their injuries due to the delayed rescue effort is absolutely heartbreaking to me. I can only imagine the level of suffering they went through in their final hours.
One of the survivors described hearing the others around her and as time went on it got quieter 😢
Good ol politicians and government employees, always know what’s best for you.
It’s almost like what happened after the sinking of the titanic more than seventy years prior.
@Windows XP the mistake of the pilots was to try and land the plane. I would’ve never tried to go to the runway. Impossible task. I would’ve never flown over the mountains. I would’ve spotted a flat terrain in the area on the map nearby and go there. Or put the plane down in the water close to shore. Give the location to ATC . Flying over the mountains was a total mistake. Not only because the terrain is closer over the mountains and there is no place to land but also makes it very difficult for the rescue to find you and offer help. I heard about this accident long time ago but nobody ever says anything about the mistake of both the pilots and ATC. A plane on that situation needs to land NOW . It’s not a matter of crash or don’t crash , it’s a matter of where do we crash
@@Jack_The_Ripper_Herecomplete nonsense. The pilots had virtually no control. Hydraulics were nonexistent.
Thanks so much for vids! I like how you tell stories and also good visuals. Pls keep up good work👍🏼
Even if they ultimately failed, I give the crew credit for fighting so hard to save the passengers. Those conditions sounded absolutely HELLISH! Constant extreme motions of the plane, flying up and down, endless alarms, and all lasting over HALFI AN HOUR! t’s honestly impressive they did as much as they did!
plus the lack of oxygen
4 survived and many more could've been saved if they hadn't waited 12 hrs after crash to help. I wouldn't call it a complete failure , their action saved 4 people n those 4 peoples families would say it was a miracle. Just extremely sad 😔
There pridefulness killed a lot if people by not letting the Americans help. No honor in that.
I cried throughout this video. Listening to the voice of the woman over the intercom trying to comfort the passengers was heart wrenching. Being able to see the actual maneuvers this plane undertook, and for how long they went on is terrifying. These incredible pilots doing what they could for a long as they could is absolutely the reason anyone survived this crash. It's unbelievable that anyone survived at all.
Don't cry Shane. It's alright.
I agree. I don’t usually get emotional at these videos but the distress in everyone’s voices was really hard to listen to given the result of the incident
Are the voices in the video real ??
@@salah19br yes
@@salah19br yes straight from cvr.
Despite how it ended those pilots were Amazing . How they managed to keep that plane in the air so long was Phenomenal.
the fact that rescue operations werent mounted until the next day is absolutely horrifying
They could've saved tons of people
@I consume entertainment inRather unhealthy amounts Please, stop. You cannot rationalize nonexistence and it's so easy for you to say things like this from your mom's basement. Many of those people would have loved to see another day, see their loved ones and live their lives... even if crippled.
@HOUOUIN_KYOUMA_001 only the dead knows true peace... i agree with your dogma more than i agree with the contrary
@@sujimayne bruh its just his opinion, just bcs you disagree doesn't mean his opinion isn't valid. chill
@HOUOUIN_KYOUMA_001 And I respectfully say screw you. The "opinion" you hold comes from a place of such profound ungratefulness it doesn't even need to be entertained for merit. Who are you to decide what the value of a life is, despite its quality? Their are men who have lived without limbs that managed to find happiness just to be able to breathe, and you're gonna preach about what constitutes a life worth living? The last thing on the minds of those people wasn't about what quality of life they would have. It was only if they could have it at all.
Your weakness disgusts me. For you to project that weakness onto people who TRULY suffered and died is even more disgusting. Btw from what I hear, one of those survivors grew up to be a wonderful nurse. If a kid could pick herself up from the wreckage and live with constructive optimism, what's that say about you? All it says to me is your just mentally weak personally, despite living in an age of the highest luxuries humanity has ever offered. Oh, I'm sorry, your "rationale" seems to be falling apart. My bad.
Valiant effort by the three gentlemen in the cockpit. Hats off
God what a horrifying situation. My hat goes off to those incredible pilots who did everything they can to keep the plane going for as long as possible with the resources they had. True masters of aviation and may they never be forgotten.
This summary/re-creation is wonderfully done. The light shifting in the cabin almost made me motion sick, I can't imagine being one of those poor souls.
I still have the most amount of respect for the pilots. They tried everything till the end. Something I've wondered what would happen if they put it down in the sea. Brilliant video man, i look forward to more!
I have wondered the same thing, about landing on water. But my guess is that in 1985 it was thought that landing on water was a sure death sentence. We now know more about water landings from other incidents.
@@nian60 Water is like concrete when you hit it hard. You need to have the perfect angle. Given their phugoid motion that was gonna be similar to landing it on the airport, but with less help available. What I wonder is, couldn't they have gone towards the sea the moment they got some lateral control, before making further configuration changes. That would've given them a lot more room for recovering. It's still amazing how they kept it up though...
@@crazymonkeyVII absolutely
Doubtful they could, they wouldn’t be able to keep it level let alone keep the nose up nor slow their speed, their best chance was a runway crash I guess
@@crazymonkeyVIIthey had no way to turn the play 90 degrees I think
26:40 The side-by-side audio of both the struggling crew desperately trying to save their plane, and the flight attendants trying to save the passengers... It was really powerful. What a horrific tragedy, rest in peace
Very interesting timing on this one - Fascinating Horror just released their video on United 232. That flight represents a thin silver lining to this awful incident: that plane also lost all hydraulic flight controls, but enjoyed a much better outcome largely because there was a DC-10 flight instructor on board who'd become interested (almost to the point of obsession) with practising this flight in the sim and trying to save it.
Turned out he had ended up with a massive amount of insight as to how to control a plane with just the engines, and he ended up being allowed into the cockpit to help. As you likely know, only 112 fatalities resulted out of nearly 300 passengers. The remaining ~200 can probably be said to owe their lives to this disaster... so that, at least, is something.
Yes, well said. The 232 crew got very close to getting the plane on the ground safely in large part due to that. Having seen the crash it still seemed a miracle so many survived.
The pilot of United 232 was so much calmer than the pilot of Japan Airlines 123 which also explains the better outcome.
Least crew of 232 had a tailfin
United 232 had a better outcome because they still had the vertical stabilizer for lateral stability and the horizontal stabilizer was set for cruise by the time they lost the 3 hydraulic systems. JAL 123 lost the vertical stabilizer and the horizontal stabilizer was set for climb so the control problems for that flight was much worse than that experienced by the UA 232 crew, especially since they lost the vertical stabilizer. Dennis Fitch, the DC-10 flight instructor did an amazing job on that flight but had 232 lost the tail, I believe the outcome would have been much worse. The UA 232 didn't have as bad of a lateral control problem as JAL 123 did. They had better stability and control and eventually even got the phugoid stopped while JAL 123 never did. The JAL 123 also did their best but unfortunately they were worse off than the 232 flight crew.
I saw that one to.
This was the most in-depth analysis of this accident that I have seen. Having a visual of both the Dutch roll and the phugoid cycle allows us to see the absolute horror the passengers and crew endured. What a long, terrifying experience. My heart hurts for all those lost - especially the ones who may have survived had help been sent sooner.
agree on the visual of the dutch roll+phugoid. I've seen several reenactments of this flight but this video can give you sea sickness. my couch is still swaying
@@kirakaffee9976 It must have been horrifying for the passengers…
@@kristita_888 definitely. poor souls.
RIP to all the lost people in the crash. The pilots did absolutely fantastic and i salute to them for their wonderful work in attempting to save the plane. It’s very disappointing to hear that it took 12 hours for Japan to dispatch responders to find people, causing so many lives lost that could’ve been saved.
Babe wake up a new green dot aviation video just dropped
I fall asleep to these so it is entirely the opposite for me 😂
Are you talking about your inflatable gf
@@crissycrossgaming 😄👍
Me too. The narration is very relaxing to me and it gets my mind off of the day. Cheers and goodnight
Conment of the century
A friend was living in Japan at the time of this crash and he said that the JAL planes like this one that flew domestic routes had far more seats on them than international aircraft so that the company could maximize passenger loads on these short flights, thus the very high death toll in this case.
Yeah, it's not the worst business model at all - but with such a high passenger capacity, maintenence should have been prioritised with far more stringent examinations of the craft. It still boggles my mind that even in 2023 people still think it's a good idea to place everybody of the same vocational capacity on the same flight - if it crashes you're going to lose your entire soccer team, an entire government etc. but that's a completely different topic for another day I guess!
@@SeahorsesJay My family traveled by plane frequently in my childhood in the 1950s and '60s and my parents always flew separately, each with one or two of us kids. At the time I had no idea why they did this but didn't question it. Years later I understood this was so that both of them couldn't be killed in a plane crash at the same time.
@@SeahorsesJay Air travel is by far the safest method of travel, if you split them up by airplanes, you'll first need to split the other methods of transportation ..
@@SeahorsesJay Actually there's a rule here in switzerland, that college classes are not allowed to use flights. we went to barcelona by train.
@@beyondEV Good idea after the Germanwings situation
Thanks!
It's absolutely heartbreaking that this happened during the promotion of the captain. Imagine flying a plane without hydraulics, it's probably like trying to walk without muscles. I'm sure he would've been a stellar captain. Considering that he and the crew managed to keep the plane flying for that long, and even thought of so many unorthodoxed ways to just try to keep it in control, whilst hypoxic is a testament to their skills and determination. It would have been easier to just give up, but they didn't.
For a situation of this magnitude, it's a miracle how their efforts yielded 4 survivors, even more, if the rescue team had been dispatched earlier.
R.I.P Japan Air 123
God bless those pilots. They did their absolute best, trying every little thing they could to keep that broken plane in the air. They kept fighting until the very end. RIP Crew and passengers of Japan Air flight 123.
36:00 one must imagine the authorities thought process... "aw man, that crash was horrible! Let's see how it looks tomorrow!"
It's not always possible to land helicopters in mountainous terrain at night but the fact they made no effort is certainly apalling.
Honestly, it’s weird. I’ve known this story for years and I’ve always known the outcome. You actually managed to make me feel like, ‘wait, what? I could swear this was going to turn out differently this time.’
Its called story telling, and this creators ability to tell a story is off the charts. It felt like I was there from incident to crash, amazing work!
Some part of me hoped I entered an alternate dimension and the pilots were miraculously able to land the plane safely 😔
I’m a flight attendant. This incident terrifies me. I always do a prayer in my head before every take off and landing.
When I am a passenger, I always pray for pilot etc...
They fought so hard...! Those poor people. This was heartbreaking to watch.
When he kept saying "uh" i just knew he wasn't wearing an oxygen mask. This is such a sad video, i hope they are all at peace
The captain and first officer fought like hell to save an aircraft in a scenario they knew was hopeless. The first officer did make a mistake, but in the heat of such a moment, under such enormous pressure, in an emergency that lasted as long as this one did, it’s hard to point the finger at him. I can’t imagine a scenario where even without that mistake, this aircraft lands safely on any runway. The fact that anyone survived this crash is a testament to the strength of the crew on board, and I hope their families get some comfort in knowing that even in such a hopeless situation, their family members did enough to save at least 4 lives. If not for the atrociously poor response time of the Japanese government, perhaps that number would have been significantly higher.
Despite the tragic outcome this flight crew, while faced with an impossible task, achieved in my opinion the most remarkable feat of flying I've ever heard of. Even if there were no survivors what they accomplished with top notch CRM and on the fly piloting techniques was absolutely amazing. (Close second is the United 232).
I'm old enough to remember when it happened in '85. The staggering amount of lives lost was unbelievable. The crew kept on fighting. What an impressive effort. The letters the passengers wrote to their loved ones when they knew they would never see them again was heart cringing.
1985 was a very dark year regarding aviation with at least five major accidents. May all the victims rest in peace.
Thank you for yet another excellent video. The "Dutch Roll" made me nauseous and I can't begin to fathom how it must have been for the 524 people on board JAL 123.
Is it just me or were there generally a lot of accidents specifically in the 80s?
@@reazon3955 There was a huge growth in flights, but safety standards remained lax. Naturally with more flights and bigger planes, there would be more and worse accidents than before. Later on as safety standards improved, the number of crashes would decrease even with an increase in flight volumes.
I for real cried on this, the fact that so many lives could be saved just from sending the rescue team ASAP haunts me. The pilots did such good jobs to keep the plane flying even on critical conditions, its just bizarre.
my anxiety during this video was doing a rollercoaster aswell. rip to all that lost their lives . pilots fought damn hard !
There has always just something about this accident that really impacts me. I always get so melancholic after watching any videos on JL123. The sense of dread and misery I get every time I revisit this accident is always so immense, significantly more than any other accident case studies.
I have watched/ read about this accident so many times before, but this video really pictured the pilots' heroic act so clearly. Every aviation enthusiasts probably know the crew's valiant efforts in stabilizing the aircraft with engine thrusts for as long as they could. But this video really spotlights the pilots' fighting spirit until the very last second; they tried absolutely everything else they possibly could, from flaps to landing gear, to save the airplane.
Thank you for this very well made video. Amazing work!
This was horrific as they had so long to contemplate their own deaths. They fought so hard and the terrain still got them :(
Those pilots never knew that they saved lives. Amazing work, despite the tragic outcome.
The pilots saved lives and the Japenese government lost lives.
The CVR and photos inside the cabin really brings this one to life and hits hard. I've shed tears a couple of times listening to it in the past and again today. Bless the pilots, flight attendants, the ATC and the passengers.
The pilots and flight attendants did their best and between them somehow managed to keep at least 4 people alive. That was the reward for their true professionalism and 100% effort against all the odds.
May those that were unfortunate rest in peace and I hope their families can have a tiny bit of comfort that those pilots did everything they could.
Great video once again by Green Dot Aviation.
These pilots are heroes, they tried so hard to save this plane, the sadness in the accidental input from the first officer, is awful, but he is also a hero for doing as well as he did in a terrifying situation. Love to all the families and victims of this terrible accident❤
Damn these are done so well... I have never been so interested in aviation. I find myself at the edge of my seat, totally invested in every word of these videos!
Those pilots are heroes in my books. Even though they didn't make it, they still tried as hard as they could to save the plane.
I watch documentaries about this accident over and over again, maybe this is already my 40th time doing so, and I still always hope they do it. This accident is truly the worst one I know.
As well as twa 800- that crash was worst I think 😢
Naw, Pulkovo flight was horrible , Aeroflot crash where the kid piloted , Western Airlines , PSA hijacking. This one was tame compared to those.
The most haunting thing for me is the occasional recordings picked up from within the cabin and hearing crew instructing passengers to fasten seat belts and those with small children to hold them tightly. The PA's emergency announcement in English was even spoken by the same man that did the UK's nuclear warning PSA video just to add to the fear factor. The little things like ATC telling the captain he is free to speak in Japanese are subtle but heartbreaking. Knowing their fate and seeing the full video by Gohan Chan with CVR / transcripts and route from take off to impact makes me almost wish the pilots hadn't done such a good job attempting to save them. It went on forever. 😨
i don’t understand why they were speaking English before
@@doctorpostingEnglish is the standard language for aviation. So ATC and pilots all speak English to each other so that no matter where you’re from or where you’re going you will be able to communicate with the other people in the sky and on the ground.
Anyone else getting a bit dizzy from the motion?? Much respect to this crew, how they managed to keep it flying at all is remarkable. Everything working against them
Omg yes. I actually got nauseous. Had to stop watching, but I definitely kept listening.
I believe there is a full length simulation based on the flight data on here played through X-Plane. Complete with what available cabin, ATC, and cockpit audio data is out there. Just goes to show how impossible the battle was. And on top of this, during the research/investigation at different times into JAL123, independent attempts to replicate what the crew did (in simulators) only resulted in flight times half of what these 3 clawed out of the stricken craft.
That's mind boggling.
Yep, it's linked in the description. And what you see here is also that very same X-plane simulation provided by me for this video. 😊
The man, the myth, the legend themselves everyone.
@@Gohan-chanone of the plates werent properly aligned so there was supposed to be a spacer put in
but extreme incompetence led to that part being connected to basically nothing with it just buried
This is a survivors account from the August LA Times 1985:
'It was at 6:25 p.m. Monday--13 minutes after takeoff--that Takahama sent an emergency signal to Tokyo air controllers.
That was also the moment at which Ochiai, a JAL flight attendant for about two years, recalled hearing what she described to JAL executives at her bedside Wednesday as a loud “bam” sound. (In Japanese, she described the sound as “Baaan!”)
‘Bam!’ Then Ears Hurt
Until then, she had been reading a magazine, she said, and “nothing different from any other flight had occurred.”
Ochiai, who is hospitalized in stable condition in Fujioka, said she was in an aisle seat, 56C, in the third row from the back of the plane, almost directly below the point at which the front of the tail fin, or vertical stabilizer, is attached to the fuselage.
(In the middle section of the specially designed 747-SR jumbos flown by JAL, there are two extra rows of seats, extending back to Row 60. The Kawakami girl was in Row 60 and the Yoshizakis were in Row 54, all in the middle section).
Ochiai gave the account of her ordeal to two JAL executives. An airline spokesman repeated it at a news conference in Tokyo.
“At 6:25, there was a ‘Bam!’ sound overhead,” Ochiai said. “Then, my ears began to hurt. I don’t know if a door flew off or not. I did not hear any other explosion sound from the floor or anywhere else.
Ceiling Fell Down
“At the same time, the (air) inside the cabin turned pure white,” she said, apparently from condensation caused by sudden pressure loss and subsequent cooling of the air.
“The ventilation hole beneath the crew seat opened (to adjust for the sudden difference in air pressure between the passenger cabin and the baggage compartment below). The floor did not bulge upward.
“The ceiling above the lavatory fell down. At the same time, the automatic (oxygen) masks dropped and the prerecorded announcement began.
As alarm bells rang, the recorded announcement told the passengers: “We are now flying in an emergency condition. Please put on the oxygen mask. Please fasten your seat belt. Please extinguish all cigarettes. We are now flying in an emergency condition.”
Flew in ‘Dutch Roll’
“The plane flew rather wobbly and appeared to go into a Dutch roll (an oscillating motion in which the plane simultaneously yaws and rolls, with its nose turning from side to side while its wing tips tilt up and down).
“Soon, I saw Mt. Fuji on the left and--although there was no announcement from the cockpit--I thought we were going back to Haneda (Tokyo’s domestic airport).
“In about 10 minutes, the oxygen stopped but I had no trouble breathing,” she continued. “During this time, there were no announcements from the cockpit, but a purser announced that an emergency situation had occurred.
“Together, with the duty stewardess in the rear section, I went around to instruct the customers how to put on their life vests and how to assume a safety position (leaning forward with one’s head between the legs). After that, I fastened my seat belt and assumed a safety position.
“Finally, the plane started to descend steeply,” she said. “It seemed like it was going straight down.”
“Soon, there were two or three strong shocks,” she said, as the plane hit the mountainside.
“Seats, cushions and other objects around me flew into the air. Seats fell on top of me, and I couldn’t move. My stomach hurt so bad it felt like it was going to be torn to pieces. Finally, with all the strength I could muster, I was able to unfasten the seat belt.
“But I was pinned between seats and couldn’t move.
“I saw a helicopter and waved, but it didn’t appear to see me. There were no fires around me. Finally, I went to sleep.
“When I was wakened by a man’s voice, it was morning,” Ochiai said. She and the other three survivors were rescued Tuesday, more than 16 hours after the crash occurred.
This was a great read thanks
Those pilots may not have ultimately been able to save the aircraft, but they are heroes regardless. The sheer relentless effort and creative thinking in a situation of this magnitude is just unspeakably impressive.
One of the ill fated passengers on this plane was singer Kyu Sakamoto of the song,
"Ue o Muite Arukō (known also as Sukiyaki) that topped the US Billboard chart in the early 1960s, it was also a hit in the UK. the first song in Japanese to do so. Its a beautiful ballad about keeping on going thru the pain of life and lost love. Its got a haunting unforgettable quality to it. Whenever I hear the song I think of this terrifying ongoing ordeal that its singer and so many went thru that night. Would recommend giving it a listen on RUclips. May they all be at peace.
that'ts the famous song 'sukiyaki' for those who don't recognise it's real name
@@lizxu322 that's correct it is! I should have included for easier song title search thank you
I had read he had died in a airplane crash when I found his songs i just didn’t know it was this one when I was looking at airplane disaster that had occurred in the past. I this it was because of this tragedy that flight 232 had a somewhat safe landing because a instructor had been practicing how to land using engines in case something like this happened
Wow, I did not know this. I love his music. Just researched it and yes this is how he died.
Oh wow, I had no idea, I’m taking a Japanese class and one of the things we had to do was learn this song. I always thought it was beautiful. I had no idea he died in this crash
I think it's important that these type of videos are supported by a good narrator, I must say I love your voice!! It's clear, concise, and has a warm tone!! Thank you🙂
These pilots were amazing. Their plane failed them and they did all they could it’s just incredible to watch and listen to they are bravery and tenacity. May they rest in peace.
The plane didn't fail them, the repairs to the bulkhead was inadequate. This one is on JAL all the way. Boeing made adjustments, but it was too late. (( R.I.P.))
Oh my god, the sound of the cockpit is the most nightmarish sound ever. How could anyone possibly think in that environment, much less with the scenario that was occurring
is there a way to turn off that sound? I get it, the plane is in distress, I CAN SEE THE FRICKING ROLLING just lemme concentrate without that incessant beeping
why are they speaking english in japan? anyone know? is this the real recording or a remake because why would they be speaking english?
@@lizxu322 ....that's the original audio from the flight recording...
the amount of respect I have for the pilots, they did everything that was possible possible
They did impossible. Nobody else was able repeat it since.
I think something missed here if you don’t speak Japanese is that when everyone is speaking Japanese to each other, they are still using polite speech (there’s a clear distinction between casual and polite speech in Japanese than compared to English). It would be totally appropriate to switch to casual speech here but despite being terrified, they remained as professional as possible.
The main captain wasnt speaking that politely tho
@@IWantToStayAtYourHouse To be expected. Captain doesn't have to speak politely to social 'inferiors'.
they weren’t speaking polite Japanese originally they were speaking English which is the standard language globally in aviation it is nonetheless impressive
@@ketsu6100 lol you contradicted yourself. First comment you said captain was speaking politely and professionally. Second comment you're saying captain didnt speak politely. Make up your mind
@@IWantToStayAtYourHouse I didn't say the pilot. I said everybody. I apologise that I didn't spoonfeed you hard enough.
The fact that ANYONE survived this is fucking astonishing.
Bravo to the pilots.
Also, classic Japanese authorities, clinging to their old ways and costing more survivors their lives. Too stubborn to accept outside help, too stupid to look for survivors right away.
😢, so sad
Japanese aren't an endangered human linage for nothing sadly
The cabin crew and flight attendants did an outstanding job. Professional to the core.
Valiant, courageous pilots doing their best under the worst circumstances imaginable. They deserve to be honored. A terrifying video. May those who lost their lives rest in peace. Thank God that lessons were learned and necessary changes were made. Because of that, these people did not die in vain. Superb video Green Dot Aviation.
I want them to come back. What's the point of peace if you're stuck in the void
This story is legendary. Whenever it comes up I have to watch it!
I watch alot of plane crash docs but this one really hit home.
The CVR of this crash was heartbreaking to hear, and the fact it was the First Officer's final test made it even worse. You're careful reconstruction of this accident is the best I've seen of this story. May those victims rest in peace.
the final words of "Its the end!" is just the most heartbreaking thing to ever hear
This story broke me, hearing the brave pilots struggling to keep the plane and its passengers alive despite knowing eventually that a normal landing was hopeless in the terrible odds stacked against them. The crew were exemplary Japanese heroes in my eyes. Rip
The irony of how hard the pilots worked to keep the plane stable vs the disgraceful lack of urgency from the ppl in the ground is ridiculous. they should have been on search and rescue standby the moment they found out the flight was compromised. So sad
No air disaster is pleasant but JAL 123 is one of the most harrowing and desperate tragedies. The way the crew fought with what little control they had was remarkable but ultimately futile. Your videos are invariably excellent, informative and fastidiously crafter 👏
This was done really well, it's like we were there with them the whole way.
Strange how, even though we know the outcome, we get this feeling that somehow, it will end different... Never does.
Bless the pilots and crew. They tried so hard for so long. You could tell they were panicked but maintained their calmness to a level that I could never do! I can only imagine the process that was going through their heads, along with the passengers. The fact that they lasted for so long shows how dedicated they were despite their doubts.
It saddens me that aid wasn't provided straight away because of them immediately assuming no one survived. Despite it might have looked bad, maybe not everyone would've died straight away. Maybe more people could've made it out alive.
Bless the pilots and bless the passengers.
This video and the UPS one in Dubai had me on the edge of my seat. These pilots fought so hard through the hopelessness. They displayed the highest levels of duty to others and perserverance. God bless the crew, the passengers, and their families.
This is the video that convinced me to become a member. Thank you for the no-bullshit interesting and serious videos, and I particularly like the details in the steering simulation and 3D model work, as a hobbyist myself.
I'm delighted to hear that, thank you! :)
@@GreenDotAviationTo be honest as a flying coward who has to fly for family holidays? Maybe I really shouldn't watch these videos... although it was an amazingly professional video!..I don't think I could handle too many of these videos 😏
He explained that planes pressurize. How basic are you? I'm only watching this because Mentour Pilot hasn't covered it yet.
@@englanduk6131 i hope it helps to know these instances are one in a billion. when i'm nervous on planes i remind myself that there's a 99.999% chance it'll be perfectly fine. remembering that statistical probability helps me stay calm.
@@jesss101 thanks for the reassurance😁... I'll try to remember those statistics the next time I fly! 😏👍
this is the saddest and heart breaking crash I have ever come across. Battling for that long, through horror, sickness, and no hope. I never say this but My heart goes out to these 3 men and all those passengers for going through something like that.