What needs to be said more clearly: Russian pilots were trained to listen to ATC and ignore TCAS when there were contradictions. For the western pilots, it was the other way around... Since then, TCAS has been number one.
@@christophertstone there is actually a much better video on this that shows the investigation etc .. more info available showing not only the tragic side but how it made changes in aviation. For this being a 2021 breakdown video I'm disappointed. Unless your just looking to skim info then this fills that need. Otherwise ....
One of the saddest accidents in aviation history. And the fact that the controller was murdered for being put in a situation he should have NEVER been in is just awful. RIP to all those who perished. Such a tragedy.
@@frankfarago2825 Absolutely ridiculous and asinine statement. Nielsen was put in a situation which was severely safety compromised due to incompetent management. He should have NEVER been forced to handle double the workload AND without a functioning phone line. Whoever decided that was sufficient should have been prosecuted. And Mr. Nielsen should still be alive, along with everyone onboard both flights.
I always Pray and ask the Most High God in Christ to be the pilot and co-pilot of our plane, getting us to and from our destination safely without hurt, harm or danger in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen.
What really boggles my mind about this is that, if that cargo worker in Italy had spent literally two more seconds closing the cargo doors, these planes would never have touched each other, and those kids would be alive, and they'd live their lives, have an impact on the world, have kids of their own. All they needed was two seconds.
Frodo: 'It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill Gollum when he had the chance.' Gandalf: 'Pity? It's a pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play in it, for good or evil, before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many.' Frodo: 'I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.' Gandalf: 'So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides that of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought. J.R.R. Tolkien
I mean he had nothing left to loose so he just killed a man, and whats worse he was a ftaher and whats even worse he killed him in front of his family, Brainwashed Idiot, it was not ATC fault
Stress really does stuff to people, It's not the ATC's fault. Unfortunately the dad was blindsided by grief and misdirection. I'm talking about the ATC guy btw, the 2nd sentence refers to the dad.
I can only provide some small solace here, but as someone who did something called a human slingshot that was 300m high, when you are rapidly flying through the air like that, you have no idea what is happening to you and no time to catch up. There is always a slight delay between your senses acknowledging something and it actually happening. Falling would have been a windy and confusing experience; the very millisecond they hit the ground, nothing else was known by them.
I just wanna say the reason that the Russian pilots listen to the controller more than the TCAS is because they were taught that they needed to 1st listen to what the controller says then it is the TCAS. While the other pilots (DHL), were taught that they needed to listen to the TCAS and then the controller. (sorry btw if it sounds a bit off)
The "climb now" alarm is utterly chilling. Especially in the context that they thought they were avoiding disaster, until that point. And I am always saddened by this story. By how preventable it was. By how many times in those short moments, this video almost didn't exist. RIP
@@6z0 this is what I was thinking, would love to know about all the near misses because someone somewhere made the right decision, but those (usually) naturally don't get recorded and investigated
@@namedjavelin3932 Near misses *always* get recorded, but not always investigated. Even rarer for videos to be made on them. But there are a few videos on this channel about near misses.
When you look up the sky is so vast and seems never ending. What is the chance of two relatively tiny planes colliding? Unbelievably unfortunate accident
Love your Gus Fring profile pic. It reminds me of the show he’s in. You know, the show that has midair collision in the end of season 2 because some bald dude let a girl overdosed to death.
NOTE: It was brought to my attention that the CVR recording of Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 (starting at 15:10) is just a recreation and not the real thing. Unfortunately, I failed to notice this while editing the video. I offer you my deepest apologies for the inconvenience.
I agree, ...also adding insult; one Swiss asleep at the control tower against regulations another Swiss giving incorrect verbal data to the Russian plane, then Swiss SkyGuide officially blaming the Russians, ...then Swiss court giving ridiculously light and suspended sentences, ...and people here (Swiss? or other Germanics or Anglo-Germanics) watching this video still blaming the guy who took revenge.
It still seems so incredible that two planes flying in the three-dimensional atmosphere could wind up being at the exact same height and on a collision course horizontally - also at the exact same time... especially with all the corrections being taken along the route when they received the alerts. It truly makes you ask; "What are the odds...". To an uninformed observer, it would look like they were trying to crash head-on!
Very unlikely. Very very unlikely. But because commercial planes travel on predetermined routes that are kinda like "highways" on the sky, means its more possible than people think. Thats why air control needs to do their job correctly.
@@Benji-jj2bg This needs to change. There should be assigned paths and other flights in that path should be notified. So the pilots can respond to alerts quickly and without needing the confirmation of controller.
Well there is multiple variables to it.. Most planes of their size fly at the same height.. They were from two different countries listening to two different operations of communications getting two different instructions.. Unfortunately that ended up being the issue.. There was no singular form to communicate
Could’ve also very easily changed their speed. Simple maths, dunno why those pilots still wanted to risk it as if being a few minutes late on arrival is a death sentence.
This was the fault of Skyguide. There was only one controller on duty, when there’s supposed to be two. Imagine the stress involved of having to monitor the radar scopes and radio communications all at the same time. The controller should have realized the danger earlier and have both planes sufficiently separated. TCAS, which is designed to prevent mid-air collisions, is not at fault. This collision could have been prevented, had the controller realized the danger sooner.
The saddest and most disturbing accident in aviation history because: Children were on board Controller was stressed of handling 2 screens the DHL pilots struggled to fly for 6 minutes The controller never worked again get murdered 2 years later
@@MaxHumphreysMaxHumphreys One of the people who lost their daughter in the crash became enraged and tracked down the controller who was on duty that night, and killed him in front of his family.
I can’t even imagine being Nielsen’s wife and kids. Knowing your husband/dad is traumatized from what he went through and all these things he personally thinks he’s responsible for. Then, when you think he’s getting better, he gets killed right in front of you. How terrible 😞
@@оршинлогинso you do not care that he was the only one on his shift and that he was doing the work that more than one person should have done? People like you simply don't care.
Oh well, he thought only about himse,f recovering, BUT not once did he thought about how was the other russian man going through. So Nielsen THOUGHT he was going to be ok until he was not.
There was another incident involving two JAL airliners where one of the planes was given ATC commands in conflict to the TCAS instructions. Those planes came within a couple of metres of colliding and a collision was only avoided by one of the pilots having to make a manoeuvre so violent that passengers were flung around the cabin like rag dolls. The changes to training basically boiled down to "If TCAS and ATC disagree, disregard ATC and follow the TCAS instruction"
If the DHL pilot did that maneuver, the collision would have been avoided, and no one whould have been injured because it's the pilots strapped into their seats, and the cargo
@The Aircraft Nerd You have to also remember that cargo aircraft have a particular risk ( and in some ways greater ) compared to passenger types. Cargo is normally carefully recorded, monitored and strapped down so that it can't move within the airframe. Added to this, the plane's centre of gravity is calculated and other calculations then depend on this for safe flight operation. During a sudden, violent manoeuvre, however, there is always the very slim chance that cargo will move, affecting the COG. When this happens, the degree to which the COG is changed could also affect the flight configuration, meaning that the aircraft may or may not continue to stay in the air. So much may then rely upon the skill of the flight crew. This is what happened with the 2013 Bagram 747 crash, but in that case there was nothing that the crew could do to avert disaster.
The second i read.. there's 45 children aboard this plane... My mom heart breaks. Holy hell the one dude got murdered after all of this. WOW. my jaw was on the frickin floor !
For those who are wondering about the CVR: The CVR for the Russian plane was stored in the front section, so it was able to record a bit more after the initial collision.
I can just imagine how hard it i for TheFlightChannel to make these videos, if you pay attention you will notice that when the camera angle changes the planes are in a slightly different position than last camera angle. The amount of patience and work and time it takes this person to make these videos jut for us to sit down and watch them for 15-30 minutes is amazing, your effort and work will never go unoticed.
This accident & Air France 447 are the scariest ones to me. After I seen each episode on Air Crash Investigation, the sadness stayed with me for a very long time.😔
Man this is so sad. I'm watching this knowing they're gonna collide but for some reason I'm still sitting here nervously hoping they somehow miss each other...
Yes. TCAS priority since this accident. (Like probably you, I learned about TCAS becoming priority (over distant ATC) from other Air Crash videos, incl by The Flight Channel.)
@Aris Novi Santoso TCAS should have been priority because it was directly monitoring both planes and issuing flight paths that made collision impossible. It is coded so that it can't tell both planes to descend or climb together. That's why it's priority now, because it actively monitors both and issues avoidance commands. If the pilots of both flights had listened to it and given it priority--more crucial since it only activates when a collision is likely or imminent--then everything would have been fine.
@Aris Novi Santoso I believe TCAS only sounds when a collision is imminent. If it sounds there's already a serious problem. Although I understand that perhaps the crew were a little bit scared because of that fact.
@Aris Novi Santoso The reason TCAS issued a resolution is because ATC got you into a bad position in the first place. Makes it easy to decide if you look at it that way doesn't it? Every accident I can think of where ATC was at least given partial blame was because the ATC was overloaded, distracted, or overworked. Accidents like this NEVER have only one cause. It's always a chain of failures that leads to a catastrophe.
@@ashtonwittmaier312 he should’ve known he couldn’t handle all those tasks on his own he’s trying to do 10 things at once Jesus Christ he’s got people life’s in his hands
We have family friends living near Überlingen… one of the flight crew members bodies actually landed right in their garden and they had to report it and get someone to come remove it. They described the night of the crash and the following days like a scene straight out of WW2. Debris, airplane parts and bodies everywhere… This terrible accident, the aftermath and the subsequent murder committed because of it are nothing short of horrifying. I also don’t think that you can’t push the blame for what happened on one single person; if anything, multiple people and factors are at fault. It was just a horrible, horrible accident that was devestating and tragic for everyone involved, and I don’t think that going around blaming people is doing anyone any favors.
I think blame is necessary. Otherwise how would we identify a way to improve? The pilot that didn't listen to his plane, and the controller who didn't properly assess the situation. Yes of course he shouldn't have had to do this on his own, which is his company's fault, but if you think about it, he made the situation worse by providing false information and giving incorrect instructions. It was definitely more than one person's fault, but nonetheless it's important to look at their mistakes so the Aviation world can learn from them.
This whole incident sounds like it came straight out of Final Destination where, against all odds, there's always at least something that somehow had to mess up in favor of the accident as if it was destined to happen. The horrible part is that, unlike Final Destination, this one is very much real. Rest in peace to those who perished.
Things is, it's never one something. In order for this things to happen, a number of things must go wrong. The understaffed ATC, the equipment out for mantainance that would've alerted the controller to the danger, the decision of one of the pilots to follow ATC instructions instead of their TCAS...If you have one of those things happen, the accident would probably be avoided. But everything adds up in this cases.
If I remember correctly, the passengers aboard flight 2937 were supposed to fly out the previous day, but there was some kind of delay. The father who killed the controller was also the one that found his daughter's body in a field, and the documentary I watched stated that hers was the only one intact. His wife and son were found a couple of days later. This is an horrific accident, so much just went WRONG. Your videos are second to none, and I always look forward to an upload, thank you! May all souls rest in peace.
More than one body was intact. I was part of the first responders from the voluntary firefighters in Meersburg. Yes, the tragic about this was that the bus driver took the wrong route to the airport and the flight was delayed by one day. Otherwise that would have never happened. Sometimes delays and not getting on a plane saved lives (like in 9/11) but this time it was costly.
Yep The children were supposed to go on a different flight but then the agent accidentally send them to the wrong airport and were supposed to wait for a few days.
There's a documentary on this; one of the Russian parents was determined to find his daughter. He covered the crash site at one point discovering her teddy bear. He eventually discovered her body- although she was dead, her body was fully intact.
This one shocked me more than any of the other videos. To finally see the other plane must have been terrifying for both sets of pilots. The final twist in the story is awful.
@lalruatfela hrahsel Nope to use parachutes you need to be trained in them and unfortunately it can't be trained during preflight announcements etc so parachutes aren't used in civilian planes. There's lifejacket tho incase a plane crashses on a water body
lets not forget that even the tcas warning would already put you in some sort of fear because the system is designed to avoid colissions so if its warning non stop like that its because its thinking it will collide and then a few time later u see visually the plane, must make it even worse or think you did not follow tcas correctly or something.
_Literally,_ what are the *odds* with all the sky available. It’s extremely saddening this wasn’t avoided. Rest In Paradise to those lost in the horrible event.
Like he said, the roadways of the air are the intersections of the radio beacons, as well as arbitrary waypoints via GPS that are also dependent on those airways.
This was devastating. Utterly heartbreaking hearing about those kids and people who lost their lives. It's easy in these situations to play the blame game to determine "who's fault it was" but it was a tragic mistake and lives were lost. Rip and good work Flight Channel for another awesome video.
@gargy2002 The Skyline company, likely for short term profits, mis-did their management: Only 1 active Controller for too big an area, and per management negligence: back up Controller allowed to sleep --against company policy and endangering lives. And: Controller not informed a key instrument for him was down: The Ground Radar that would have alerted him to the impending collision, in time to avoid it. There's a reason these kinds of accidents don't happen that often: =Other managers support their Controllers and maintain proper (if still pushed) Controller responsibility loads and supports. Plus, the pilots at the time werenot instructed to "Do what the TCAS says, priority." Now I think pilots are.
I can remember the first report I heard about this accident, on BBC Radio 4 in the UK. The BBC put on an "expert" who said the TU154 was "an obsolete and ill-equipped aircraft with a poorly-trained crew", leaving no doubt about where he believed the blame lay. It emerged a few days later that the TU154 was fitted with the TCAS made by the American firm Honeywell. It also emerged, as described in this video, that the TCAS had instructed the crew to climb but they had followed the contradictory instruction from the controller. I believe that until the publication of the official report on this accident, pilots were not always being explicitly told to follow the TCAS in the event of a contradiction between it and the traffic controller. Presumably doing the opposite of what the controller instructs would normally lead to some kind of disciplinary action that could end the pilot's career.
@@dipanwitamandal7289 They didnt had anything to do with the crash, even if you are pro-Vitaly in this case, you should know that they were the least deserving to get killed about all of this
@@dipanwitamandal7289 for what reason? Did they do any wrong doing? Even ATC didn't deserve to die, he wasn't aware of the TCAS suggestion. It's tragic. What about russian pilot who decended instead of being suggested to climb? What about his family? Should they also be murdered too coz their dad didn't follow TCAS suggestion? That's more relevant than ATC family.
Quite understandable. I've heard of this incident, but I had no idea about the murder of the controller in front of his family, by the heartsick man who lost his family in the crash. Utterly devastating.😢
All of those poor children perishing when they were probably so excited for their trip! And then the ATC to be murdered by a man so overcome with grief that all he could think of was revenge! This whole incident was so avoidable but it was just a calamity of errors. RIP to all who perished, including the murdered man, and condolences to his family.
@@hpyrkh3 It's easy to say that revenge is valueless when you haven't lost your entire livelihood and family, your entire future, everything you've worked towards because of someone whose negligence allowed that to happen. Someone who received zero punishment for their actions and would continue to live their life happy and amongst their own family. I don't think what he did was "heroic" as ppl in his hometown would describe it, but I definitely do not blame him for what he did and I'm glad he didn't have to spend the rest of his life in prison.
As Billy Bob Thornton said in Armageddon, “it’s a big ass sky”. How two relatively small objects can meet in the same place at the same time in all of that vastness is amazing.
It's amazing how many people seem to think planes are just up there freestyling. There are literally flight corridors (highways in the sky) between every destination.
This is your best production in all of the years you have done this. You are in a league of your own with these air disaster presentations. This tragedy is one of the saddest in aviation history. The confluence of circumstances is just unbelievable. Those poor children. I think the father who murdered the controller was found guilty but was given a slap on the wrist serving only a couple of years and then released? So many tragic people in this incident. Your presentation evoked so many emotions in me...sadness...anger...anxiety...this is why your weekly creations are the best on the web. I agree some kind of special channel on Netflix would be the proper venue for productions of this quality. Superb!
In addition to ATC being taught not to contradict TCAS resolutions, pilots normally inform us ( I am a controller) that they are responding to a TCAS resolution so that we know what’s they’re doing as well. Helps keep all of us on the same page.
@@abnnizzy why didnt the controller contact the DHL flight at all during this? theres only 2 planes involved, not 50. the video describes 10 seconds going by at one point. this didnt happen instantly. why didnt the controller contact both flights? he had time. plane 1 - descend to 34000. plane 2 - ascend to 3600. i have the other plane descending. i dont get it. he just kept talking to the one plane only.
I'm curious, dont the radars in front of the screen show when an airplane descends? Like, numbers next to the plane? Would it have been possible for the ATC to see DHL plane descending?
I hate these comments. I go to the comment section for interesting discussion and I always have to scroll past these mundane, repetitious, and boring praise comments. They're so common and all paraphrase the same point. I believe many of these comments could be bots. Why bother with these comments? If you like the video, hit like. You're not saying anything original, bot.
With so much space in the sky, I don't see how two planes can ever hit each other even traveling at the same altitude. The chance of collision must be astronomical.
That was incredible. The reconstruction was so real. I am so sorry to those who lost family members including the air traffic controller's family. It is a reminder that disasters are so far reaching it is almost impossible to comprehend.
Another perfect "Swiss cheese" model. One controller working two areas, with multiple equipments down for maintenance, and at that time, russian regulations stated that it was the captain's decision whether to follow TCAS or ATC instructions. Aviation rules and regulations are written in blood.
Well, Russian regulations need revision. If you have millions of dollars in equipment, devices, and sensors that are telling you something is wrong, it is unwise to ignore it just because you are not legally obligated by your country's regulations
@@vividvault9285 It's about not trusting those "millions of dollars in equipment". Humans are still piloting, cause they are another failsafe. Whom to trust is a big question.
Fuck the DHL crew. They were responsible. Them being dead at least means no-one needs to suffer or die for their incompetence. You NEVER NEVER NEVER change flight level without advising ATC. Worse still they were all on the same frequency so why on God's green earth did the DHL crew not hear that the Tupelov was being toldbto descend? The DHL crew were disengaged, disinterested, non-communicative, rule-breakers who were a danger to other aircraft.
@@nigeldenning5810 what? The Russian crew ignore the warnings and ignore to climb as instructed to avoid collision. The warning system exist for a reason🙄 The Russian crew was at fault for failing to change direction
@@drone6581 You are thinking using today knowledge. TCAS was quite new on commercial aircraft back then, it only became mandatory in 2003. For the Russian pilots, they had direct contact with the ATC so they probably thought they were ok. Also you seem to be totally unaware of russian regulations back then otherwise you wouldn't comment that. It's definitely not more their fault than the ATC giving false info on the plane location and the DHL crew who didn't communicate what they did after being instructed otherwise. Anyway everything that could go wrong did and the result was a disaster.
Many mistakes where committed that night mainly by SkyGuide . But nearby German ATC picked up the impending collision and tried calling Nielsen. However Skyguards phones were not working that night . The German ATC could have directly called the pilots and warned them . Unfortunately they decided to follow ‘ protocol ‘ which forbade them from contacting pilots not under their immediate control . Sometimes rules and protocols are meant to be broken and just utilize some common sense .
I remember seeing this on Air Crash Investigation, one of the saddest aviation accidents. I always feel bad for Nielsen, he didn't deserve to get killed
He didn't deserve to live after being the direct, immediate and ultimate cause of so many innocent deaths. His "descend...expedite traffic" instruction showed not a hint of the grave concern potential massive loss of HUMAN LIFE that he SHOULD'VE had at that moment when he realized HE HIMSELF had placed two flights on a collision course. And he really did NOT have that many airplanes to take care at that moment...just compare his workload at that time with that of those who run approaches to any of the major hub airports in the USA.
@@mariamagdalenamixuhca2023 As mentioned in the vid, a piece of key equipment was not available to him that would have alerted him to the possibility of a conflict much sooner. When you say to "compare workload" you base it off what you "think" controllers are tasked with but since you have zero experience at doing this job your just talking your our a$$ and you know it. Yea, he made a horrible mistake so lets brutally kill him IN FRONT OF HIS THREE KIDS, what kind of person thinks that's OK?.
hey Collin .. planes need better information on these traffic avoidance systems? .. like climb climb to 036 .. whereas the other plane needs to be instructed to a vertical space below .. decend decend to 034 .. that way both planes know where to be .. they need to make these systems better .. fool proof .. giving direct altitude heights seems like . not to mention better ATC stewards .. these crashes should not be happening in this day and age . very sad and avoidable seems like
Just how many factors have aligned together so this tragic incident had to happen it is mind-blowing: 1. His colleague left for a coffee break just right before the crucial moments. 2. Maintenance took place at that time, which disabled some functionality of the console. 3. Air collision system was turned off. ATC controller Nielsen was unaware of that. 4. By the mistake of maintenance stuff, the phone lines were cutt off. 5. Just right at the time before the 2 planes were about to collide, the other plane required time-consuming assistance 6. The ATC was not able to reroute the plane to another ATC as phone lines were disabled (point 4) 7. Also because of 4, German ATC who was alarmed of the collision by his console, was not able to contact ATC. (For me it is also mind blowing that it was forbidden for him to contact the planes, I assume this is standard for the planes that are not in the scope of specific ATC) 8. Finally, crucial unfold of the tragic. At the same time when TCAS has warned the pilots, one plane followed TCAS order, the other followed ATC Controller instruction. 9. If just only the either of the planes was for just 1 second late or faster, there would be no collision.
if only the russian plane climbed a second earlier, or if only the 757 descended a wee but faster. Everyone would still be alive. Nielsen's family won't be grieving their father's and husband's death in the hands of an angry russian who lost his family. If only Nielsen had been noticed about the maintenance, or if only his partner was awake. Too many possibilities that would have better outcomes, yet what happened was the worst of the possibilities.
Allow me to comment on the maintenance aspect. While I was in the Air Force my job was maintaining the ground base navigation and landing aid systems (ILS). Like everything else man designs and builds maintenance has to be performed on given equipment and there are times the equipment has to be taken off line to perform that maintenance. There never is a perfect time to take such equipment off line so efforts are made to do that at times of least activity which was probably the case here. I'm thinking that in that case the controller who was on break should have been called back to his station.
When one thinks of the size of earth, the thousands of miles in all directions including up and down, one cant help but be blown away that 2 huge planes are led right into each other due to a complacent company and a radar undergoing maintenance!
I can remember, the accident happened around 30km away from my home. Today there is built a memorial for all the victims who lost their lives. The fireball of the collision could be seen during this summer night, on the first look no one thought about such a tragedy.
Happened on 9/11 too the plane that hit the pentagon had a group of unaccompanied minors on board on a school trip for something ( I cant remember I want to say a spelling bee or something) I just keep imagining being their parents knowing they probably were crying for you and there was nothing you could do "Three of them were 11-year-old 6th graders traveling with their teachers to California for a special trip awarded to them by National Geographic"
Lolz, I just landed in my home country after going on a 5 flights in 10days spree. I always avoid these videos a month to flying. Once I’m back, I resume
I always have to remind myself that, statistically speaking, I am more likely to die in a car accident on the way to the airport than in a plane wreck. Also more likely to be struck by lightning or eaten by a shark.
My final conclusion thesis in the university was about this accident. Such an unique event that aviation has learned a lot regarding flight safety and the continuous use of TCAS throughout the years.
The Co-Pilot on the DHL plane (Brant) was my friend's brother in law. The family trip to the crash site took it's toll on all of them. The investigation and hearings were even worse.
@@watershed44 I did not know Brant personally. My friend's sister and Brant were moved to Bahrain by the time I met the family. I know he was very well liked, respected and loved as a husband, son in law and brother in law. It was incredibly hard on the family during the investigations due to the initial finger pointing. As you all know from what happened later, the fear of repercussion was resonant and later played out. A horrible outcome to a horrible event.
Does anyone else feel terrible for that air traffic controller? That poor man. Can’t imagine the guilt he felt. Then he gets murdered by a guy who lost his wife kids during the collision. Would make an interesting movie
One of the most devastating aviation disasters in history and the one that could have been prevented on any other given day. Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong, and Peter Nielsen's story is so tragic, I don't even want to imagine what he felt when he first realized what happened and in the coming days he would have found out how many children died during the accident, no wonder why he struggled with PTSD for the rest of his life :(
@@Benji-jj2bg don’t even say that. It wasn’t his fault, it was the companies. Put yourself in his shoes, controlling 5 planes by himself with equipment that he didn’t even know were offline. The task he did was meant for 2 people, not 1. Shame on you for calling it foolishness, it is foolish for you to even say that
@@goldminer1275 he was foolish 100% and got what he deserved. He accepted the job understanding the assignment and risk/responsibility and yet still didn't speak up. All cause the other traffic officer needed sleep.
It's not fate. The accident was ultimatively caused because the Russian aviation philosophy did not allow the TCAS systen to work as designed, as a last safety barrier in case the pilots or the ATC fail to provide correct separation. The failure of the Russian captain to follow the TCAS resolution advisory, and the failure of the Russian Aviation Authority to instruct Russian pilots to give priority to the TCAS Resolution Advisories over the instructions given by the ATC, and to communicate immediately to the ATC that they are in a "TCAS climb" (or "TCAS descend") The TCAS is designed not "to lessen the fatalities in collisions" but to be a last resort safety barrier in case the pilots OR THE ATC is commiting an error. This safety barrier did not function as designed because it was not applied correctly by the Russian side. The two MAIN culprits in this case are -1- the captain of the Tu-154 and -2- the Russian Aviation Authority failing to explain the Russion aircrew CLEARLY that the TCAS Resolution Advisory has ALWAYS the priority over the ATCs instructions AND the captains authority - even while the TCAS-System is a Western-Designed system.
@@sorgfaeltig a human voice conveys urgency much better than a mechanical recorded one. That element played a huge part. ATC did not monitor the changing situation and did not issue separation instructions when they should have. The DHL pilot should have dived at the second advisory. But let us blame the Russians.
@@HRTharboy It seems that you do not understand how the TCAS Resolution Advisory works and for what it is designed nor do you understand that it can only function and save lives when the pilot gives FIRST PRIORITY to the commands of the TCAS system. If a pilot understands this, then the "mechanical voice", as you call it, has a greater urgency to the pilot than any other voice. But if he does not understand the priority and the urgency he can pay with his life, and saddly also taking other lives. Do you really think the Russian captain did nothing wrong ? Do you really believe that the Russian Aviation Authorities have had the correct oversight in the instruction of Russian pilots to the TCAS-system? Do you really want to blame the DHL pilot who followed the TCAS Resolution Advisory ?
Such a terrible sad tragedy. It's not acceptable for all those children to be lost and for the trauma of the Nielsen's children. RIP to all and condolences to all the families, you are not forgotten!
What a sad, tragic story. The little time between impact and crash must have been horrific for the people on both aircraft. RIP to them and Nielsen and his family.
I feel so bad for Nelson, he shouldn't have been murdered. This video should be in memory of the 72 people who died in my opinion not 71. But good video!
Two things left out of the video were that the ground based collision system was taken off line due to repairs being made and the on duty flight controller was not notified of this. And the telephones in the ATC center were not operational at the time of the crash. An adjacent ATC center saw the conflict but could not act on it directly because he did not have jurisdiction over the air where the conflict was occurring. The other ATC tried to call Neilson on the phone but sadly the phones were not working in his office. US and most euro pilots at the time were already instructed to listen to TCAS where Russians at the time were still told to listen to ATC instructions. After this incident all pilots flying are to listen to TCAS.
There's a reason to follow the TCAS instructions. There was a near collision in Japan, and this disaster. If you have received any advisory from TCAS, you have to disregard any ATC instructions and do what TCAS tells you to. This is the reason
And yet even after the mid air incident in Japan-nearly the worst aviation accident in history-international aviation regulatory agencies could not be bothered to clarify the importance of obeying TCAS over ATC commands. Simply inexcusable.
@@slipperyhardandcold7740 they are mandated to do so, yes. They must report “TCAS alert” in the beginning of the incident and “End of conflict” in the end. In the mean time the Controller is forbidden to intervene.
I think this is the most wrenching, upsetting incident I've seen on this channel. All those people being sent to such a terrible death. Very hard to watch.
This video brought back sad memories for me. I worked for the UK based aircraft maintenance organisation who looked after the DHL 757, A9C-DHL. During our night shift news came from our Maintenance Control department that an incident had occurred with the aircraft, and subsequently that it had been involved in a mid air collision and destroyed. The whole team were devastated at the news, especially when we learned that the Tu-154 was carrying children. A night I’ll never forget. RIP all those tragically lost 😢
I was flying along in a commercial jet at the window seat. I casually looked down at a river underneath and another jet flew underneath us. It seemed close but was actually 1000 feet or so. I was alarmed but apparently, this happens all the time.
I was on a flight from Atlanta to San Antonio recently and saw the same thing. I was stunned at how close the other plane was. I could read the markings on it. It was just below us and literally crossed our path just below us. That scared me. Then there was the horrible turbulence and bouncing around violently for several minutes. I have thousands of hours flying on planes, and that was the scariest flight I have ever been on.
I’m not a pilot, not an enthusiast, I’ve only flown about 20 times as a passenger on a plane but something about this channel is fascinating. Thank you for your effort and the excellent content. You have a new subscriber here.
i welcome any and all comment,s , as a private pilot , im only certified to fly 4 types of aircraft, my first lesson was in a cessna 152, then i moved on to a slightly larger plane the skyhawk cessna 172, again having a desire to try different aircraft, i flew the beech sundowner, , which had retractable gear, carried 6 passenger,s plus a co-pilot, and finally a cessna 310 twin , to get my instrument rating, and my multi engine rating as well , the 310 twin has 2 engines ,one on each wing, anyhow, i got to wondering, and asked my co-pilot, what would happen if all my instrument,s failed ? i mean im instrument rated, but what is one to do if his or her,s instruments all fail ? he had no answer, i told him, back when i was flying with my dad, many year,s ago he would let me take the yoke and fly his plane, which was a piper cherokee 180, fixed gear airplane , it was a pretty nice plane, i think i was about 7 or 8 yrs old , at the time dad let me fly his plane, the very FIRST THING I NOTICED , i could FEEL what the plane was doing, i didnt need to look at my instrument,s , i didnt know what any of them meant anyhow,lol, so Dad said to me push the yoke in , i did, Dad ask,s me, whats the plane doing son ? i said , its going down, he asked me how do you know this ? i answered, i can FEEL a dropping sensation , he then asked me to pull back on the yoke, dad said ,whats it doing now, i said , it FEELS like its going up, and so on he had me experience every aspect or function of the plane, i used the yoke, the rudder pedal,s the flap,s and the aileron,s without knowing a damn thing about instrument,s i could FEEL everything the plane did or acted, one time while we were flying at night, thats the one time he got me , meaning, i knew how to use all the mechcanic,s of the plane, or i should say all the steering component,s ,plus i used the throttle , and carb heat and the ignition key to check the mag,s we did that on the ground, you check the left, then the right, back to both, check your fuel selector, and master switch, he taught me everything about his 180, by the time i was 15 i was flying without a lic. but he didnt seem to care ,lol, i didnt either,lol, but he told me , your a natural at this, good boy, but the time we went flying at night, we fly way out over the bay past the bay bridge, where there,s no light,s of any kind, or ground light,s to see the ground, i did look over at the altimeter to see how high we were, he said , what are you doing, i said, i dont know how high we are , now, had my instruments failed at night, with no way of seeing the ground, i had absolutely no idea as to how high or low the plane was, that was a very scary flight, pitch black, no light,s cant see the ground, and no altimeter, oh shit, now what ?? lol, okay, he told me to take out my quick reference hand book, i looked up area airport,s with radar, tuned my radio , and turned on my battery operated transponder, sqawked 122.32 , and asked the ATC , whats my altitude , this is November 77011 , requesting altitude , the ATC, came back and gave me my location ,heading and altitude, and air speed, of course this was a test to see how i would handle a situation like this, flying at night , no instrument,s , cant see the ground, nor any beacon,s or an ILS approach, but having complete failure , a ILS approach is out of the question, the ATC guided me to a local airport, and the runway lit up like a christmas tree ,lol, what an experience,lol, ive been flying as a private pilot with a LIC. lol, since 1991 , and bought a used stationair II , retractable , fully loaded, dual nav. all the bell,s and whistles , flying can be a wonderful fun thing people can enjoy, thing is, and i always tell myself this before each and every flight, expect, the unexpected, oh and , the runway behind you isnt doing you a damn bit of good, lol, until your wheel,s are firmly on the ground, your not down, nor can you begin to apply your brakes, but more over, have a blast, lol, Sincerely, W.H.W. 2-15-23 flying is fun, !!!
Okay, you did a PHENOMENAL job getting the experience from the cockpit in here…WOW! It is a LONG time to fall from 34,000 straight down and to know this is “it” for you! Thank you for the hard work you put into this one! 💛💛
70-degree downward descent on the DHL 757, from 30,000+ feet. Sheer horror for those pilots who suffered anguish for at least a full minute knowing their death awaited them.
From what I remember from other videos of this accident that traffic controller had about every odd against him that was out there. May he rest in peace.
Yes! I think I read/heard that he was also on the phone dealing with a plane that declared an emergency immediately before he realized the collision course on his screen. Plus there was something about audio that I can’t remember. He really did have every card stacked against him!
@@mangos2888 But only because they violated the law and cut corners with staff. With a second staff member to assist he likely would not even have made the first mistake. And when DHL wanted to report that they deviated from his instruction and followed anti collission control he would have had the time to take the call.
The air traffic controller could not ensure safe separation between the planes, the instruction to descend to the crew of the Tu-154 aircraft was transmitted too late, The management of the air traffic control service did not provide enough personnel and put up with its shortage while working the night shift The management of the air traffic control service did not take action for several years and accepted the fact that only one dispatcher controlled air traffic during the night shift when his partner was RESTING
Lean staffing is deadly to all of us. Nearly every workplace now practises it as normal, after seeing how cheap it is. From food places to gas stations to stores to pilots and doctors. It's the innocent customers who pay so the people in charge can make a saving.
15:35 This moment was sad for me, you can literally hear the captain and the others try to climb while TCAS keeps saying “climb.” Rest in Peace to everyone who died that day.
The irony is that if the controller just left his chair and and went on a coffee break , this tragedy would have been avoided by the TCAS sistem . It's inexplicable how the controller didn't check or dictate the other plane's next manouver also .
Another video about this did stress more heavily the point that ATC Nielson had NOT been informed about systems in the control room which were shut down for maintenance. I know from my own life that withholding even small bits of relevant information from the people who ought to know as much as possible about a situation can drastically influence decision-making and outcomes. (My mother is an absolute master at withholding relevant details from me. It's how I ended up moving halfway across the country!)
If my memory, and the info I have about this is correct, the accepted procedure in Russia at the time was to follow the ATC's orders, whereas the DHL Flight was instructed to disregard ATC to follow the TCAS. Apparently, this accident bought a change internationally. I think now Pilots have to follow TCAS in any case.
Oh dear God! How that controller must have suffered! Then to be murdered! He probably just stood there and took the rage thinking he deserved it. What an absolute horror for all involved. I dont know how you would move on from that.
Even ignoring the TCAS instructions by one or the other pilot would have avoided the collision. Having the other plane do the exact opposite of the warning isn't predictable or expected.
A fellow controller of mine had a TCAS alert. There was no real danger; a light aircraft turned against the first, which was a Gulfstream of Final. Had her in sight, but that was enough to start the TA. Before the controller had time to explain, the Gulfstream promptly went around! 🏃🏃👿💪 😂😂😂 TCAS are indeed very safe, but sometimes they lack human common sense...
@@machintelligence So this was a case of "swerve to hit him". I think it was still predictable to have a conflict between ATC and TCAS. How well pilots are trained in prioritising TCAS I don't know but I do know training can never be effective unless people are drilled and tested at regular intervals.
This has to be the most horrific of all the crashes TFC has covered. Such tremendous grief for all families involved. May God have mercy on all who died, including the ATC who was murdered. And also Lord have mercy on the poor man who murdered him.
Its so devastation that this accident occurred, but its just as bad that Nielsen had to carry the burden of blame, even though his radar was intentionally turned off for maintenance and the had to take on the controlling job of the other employee. Tragedy.
As soon as I saw No one survived I felt so emotional. This was an unfortunate event , and hopefully now , training has enhanced to prevent a repeat of this . RIP to all.
When I was in ATC training a video of this incident was shown to us to get us to understand not only the importance of our job, but that the TCAS system is *NEVER* wrong, *DO NOT* contradict the RA I had a nightmares of me crashing planes for about a week after seeing it
It's kind of like when I worked ground ops for an airline, they taught us the importance of safety envelopes by showing us graphic photos of human ingestion accidents. I was working in the industry when the Air India accident happened about 5 years ago.
@@gregb6469 They don't, they are specifically designed to link up with one another in order to make sure that the 2 aircraft get opposite instructions It's to the point where if a pilot tells me they are abiding by a TCAS RA I am required by law not to give that aircraft any instructions until they are finished
@@eh5242 -- So when a TCAS on one plane detects another plane on a collision course it sends a single to the other plane's TCAS saying 'You tell your pilot to pull up, and I'll tell mine to dive.'
I remember when the crash & subsequent murder happened. This was an awfully sad incident & it's tough (for me atleast) to fault either of the flight crews. Having an a.t.c. giving you conflicting instructions to t.c.a.s., at least prior to this incident, is just an awful situation to be in! A live person v.s. a very calm, mono tone machine generated voice. Improvements where made with t.c.a.s. & pilots were trained on how to respond if in a similar situation. My thought & prayers to all involved + their loved one's. If one had to place blame based on facts, I personally don't place it on either flight crew
Clearly no one claimed that either of the pilots were at fault. But remember ATC only asked one pilot to descend. The other pilot did not inform he too is descending due to TCAS.
@@sred5856 That wasn't my recollection. Initially, or shortly after, one of the flight crews was "Said" to be at fault. You can probably guess where the blame came from. I also cannot stress to people that at that time; This scenario hadn't been covered in great detail & What cannot be over emphasized is the calm, no emotion, mono machine tone of t.c.a.s. Vs. A human who clearly knew he had a problem. Sadly, I don't think even he knew the extent & gravity of his rapidly evolving, tragic instructions. I'm fairly certain that company also was found to be dangerously lax in its implementation of protocols and safety. In the end the a.t.c. essentially was found at fault. It would be interesting to know if any of that companies executives faced any type of charges or backlash. I.m.o. This was an easily avoidable accident in which many factors combined to culminate in a tragedy of giant consequences & sadness. Idk about anyone else but being a plane full of young students, of which I can only imagine the excitement on board, cut short in an absolutely gruesome manner.
@@brianobrian6637 Yes, this was unfortunately an accident that could have been avoided - traffic management is the responsibility of the ATC whose task is primarliy to keep planes safe in the sky. Obviously nothing was intentionally committed by any party, but there was a lack of redundancy - something critical in this industry.
Such a tragic story! Hearing real audio added to unfolding events gravity! Your visuals are superb as usual, especially DHL going down, felt the pain and trauma literally...
I agree. Mr. Nielson was stabbed to death when confronted. Not that that makes a big difference, but perhaps even more gruesome for the family to witness.
@@cindyknudson2715 He served 4 years in a Swiss prison and then was released back to Russia where he was hailed as a local hero, he even was given a construction ministers position…. No joke
This channel is fantastic - although my young niece is set on a career as a pilot or air traffic controller so it also scares me a bit! Thank you for such informative, factual and compassionate videos - this channel is a fantastic find.
The pilots should follow the TCAS instructions and it isn't recommended to block the frequency during this maneuver because the air traffic controller could advise one of the pilots to make a left/right turn. I know it sounds stupid but every second counts in such a situation. And I think the pilots believed that Nielsen had it under control.
@@philaviation7623 Yes, and when Nielsen did speak to the Russian pilot he gave the wrong angle and position of the DHL., incl there was a radar delay for the ATC.
"Thank you!" The controller should have been following both planes actions at this time and continued to advise and get voice confirmation of each pilot's actions, e.g., DHL611 you need to descend now-acknowledge, TU, you need to climb immediately=acknowledge. But Nielson was confused their left from their right telling one pilot that other plane was at 2o'clock (right) instead of 10 o'clock (to the left). This is bar none, one of the saddest episodes. #SMH
What needs to be said more clearly: Russian pilots were trained to listen to ATC and ignore TCAS when there were contradictions. For the western pilots, it was the other way around... Since then, TCAS has been number one.
I was surprised that neither pilot communicated their TCAS status to ATC.
@@JasonHaines1974 DHL did, but controller can't hear them
What also made it worse was there was only one controller at the time
@@sooners2037 worse yet, there were 4 planes in the sky and the controller put 2 at the same level.
@@christophertstone there is actually a much better video on this that shows the investigation etc .. more info available showing not only the tragic side but how it made changes in aviation. For this being a 2021 breakdown video I'm disappointed. Unless your just looking to skim info then this fills that need. Otherwise ....
One of the saddest accidents in aviation history. And the fact that the controller was murdered for being put in a situation he should have NEVER been in is just awful. RIP to all those who perished. Such a tragedy.
The mass murderer in factwas Nielsen, the Swiss "controller." He only got at the end what he had meted out to others previously.
@@frankfarago2825 Absolutely ridiculous and asinine statement. Nielsen was put in a situation which was severely safety compromised due to incompetent management. He should have NEVER been forced to handle double the workload AND without a functioning phone line. Whoever decided that was sufficient should have been prosecuted. And Mr. Nielsen should still be alive, along with everyone onboard both flights.
@@CoDWiiPS3Gameplay That Russian man who murdered Nielsen also needed to be brought up on charges.
@@piercehawke8021 yes, I completely agree as well
Swiss efficiency my arse
Every time we board a plane, our safety rests on the shoulders of those that have perished.
🥺
true indeed....the advances we hve in aviation is from their deaths that caused changes in the industry. The price we pay....
I always Pray and ask the Most High God in Christ to be the pilot and co-pilot of our plane, getting us to and from our destination safely without hurt, harm or danger in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen.
@@linda_smilesrfree2744 Amen to that! Praise Lord Yeshua!
@Hhu Bhgy Great!
What really boggles my mind about this is that, if that cargo worker in Italy had spent literally two more seconds closing the cargo doors, these planes would never have touched each other, and those kids would be alive, and they'd live their lives, have an impact on the world, have kids of their own. All they needed was two seconds.
My God.
The butterfly effect is a crazy thing for sure
At Bergamo, DHL pilots would just wait 2 seconds longer than in real life for some ATC response and nothing else would change lol
Lol or if the pilot was like let me drain the lizard before we take off.
Frodo: 'It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill Gollum when he had the chance.'
Gandalf: 'Pity? It's a pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play in it, for good or evil, before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many.' Frodo: 'I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.'
Gandalf: 'So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides that of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.
J.R.R. Tolkien
There is nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing left to lose.
Ur 100% right
I mean he had nothing left to loose so he just killed a man, and whats worse he was a ftaher and whats even worse he killed him in front of his family, Brainwashed Idiot, it was not ATC fault
@WORLD OF AVIATION you are right!
Stress really does stuff to people, It's not the ATC's fault. Unfortunately the dad was blindsided by grief and misdirection.
I'm talking about the ATC guy btw, the 2nd sentence refers to the dad.
100% Agreed!
Can't imagine what must be going through the minds of those who are still conscious on the plane falling to the earth. Terrifying.
Most terrifying 🌹
I can only provide some small solace here, but as someone who did something called a human slingshot that was 300m high, when you are rapidly flying through the air like that, you have no idea what is happening to you and no time to catch up. There is always a slight delay between your senses acknowledging something and it actually happening. Falling would have been a windy and confusing experience; the very millisecond they hit the ground, nothing else was known by them.
Falling fast would probably make you fall unconscious
If I was there I would be very nervous, but most importantly, ready to meet God, convicted that my time had come.
RIP 🙏 what a tragic accident
I just wanna say the reason that the Russian pilots listen to the controller more than the TCAS is because they were taught that they needed to 1st listen to what the controller says then it is the TCAS. While the other pilots (DHL), were taught that they needed to listen to the TCAS and then the controller.
(sorry btw if it sounds a bit off)
As a pilot, these are sobering reminders of why we have to stay sharp.
And to obey TCAS
Indeed
Thank you sir
Okay, RADIOACTIVEBUNNY 😂
Listen to the system not the sabotaging ATC
The "climb now" alarm is utterly chilling. Especially in the context that they thought they were avoiding disaster, until that point. And I am always saddened by this story. By how preventable it was. By how many times in those short moments, this video almost didn't exist. RIP
A plane filled mostly with children just shatters my heart💔💔💔💔😭😭😭😭
@@rethablair6902 right😕
And think about all those videos that dont exist but almost did because something actually went right
@@6z0 this is what I was thinking, would love to know about all the near misses because someone somewhere made the right decision, but those (usually) naturally don't get recorded and investigated
@@namedjavelin3932 Near misses *always* get recorded, but not always investigated. Even rarer for videos to be made on them. But there are a few videos on this channel about near misses.
When you look up the sky is so vast and seems never ending. What is the chance of two relatively tiny planes colliding? Unbelievably unfortunate accident
I know, I’ve often thought that myself. What are the chances?
@@brettbanta2100 ikr!!
Definitely a very small chance.. But unfortunately it has happened.. Especially since they normally fly at the same altitude
Love your Gus Fring profile pic. It reminds me of the show he’s in. You know, the show that has midair collision in the end of season 2 because some bald dude let a girl overdosed to death.
I hate flying
All flight disasters are sad but this one hits harder by the fact of how preventable it was and the violence that followed.
NOTE: It was brought to my attention that the CVR recording of Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 (starting at 15:10) is just a recreation and not the real thing. Unfortunately, I failed to notice this while editing the video. I offer you my deepest apologies for the inconvenience.
Is it.. I thought it was authentic, as it was posted on the chillouts cvr recordings channel..
Its Okay man!😊
Appreciate ur hard work
Wait so THERE IS NO CVR OF BASHKIRIAN 2937
I can not find cvr from DHX 611...
@lalruatfela hrahsel it instead landed outside of the town while some parts of both planes fell into some streets
This is one of the most intense videos to date. Anyone else feel that? My heart hurts and everything.
Something same happened with Saudi Flight.
yea I havent seen one this gut wrenching in a while. wow
I agree, ...also adding insult; one Swiss asleep at the control tower against regulations another Swiss giving incorrect verbal data to the Russian plane, then Swiss SkyGuide officially blaming the Russians, ...then Swiss court giving ridiculously light and suspended sentences, ...and people here (Swiss? or other Germanics or Anglo-Germanics) watching this video still blaming the guy who took revenge.
It might be a tumor bro, should get it checked out
Yep.. 4 sure.
It still seems so incredible that two planes flying in the three-dimensional atmosphere could wind up being at the exact same height and on a collision course horizontally - also at the exact same time... especially with all the corrections being taken along the route when they received the alerts. It truly makes you ask; "What are the odds...". To an uninformed observer, it would look like they were trying to crash head-on!
Very unlikely. Very very unlikely. But because commercial planes travel on predetermined routes that are kinda like "highways" on the sky, means its more possible than people think. Thats why air control needs to do their job correctly.
@@Benji-jj2bg This needs to change. There should be assigned paths and other flights in that path should be notified. So the pilots can respond to alerts quickly and without needing the confirmation of controller.
Well there is multiple variables to it.. Most planes of their size fly at the same height.. They were from two different countries listening to two different operations of communications getting two different instructions.. Unfortunately that ended up being the issue.. There was no singular form to communicate
The reality is that there are close calls every year, but we never hear about them because they don't actually collide.
Could’ve also very easily changed their speed. Simple maths, dunno why those pilots still wanted to risk it as if being a few minutes late on arrival is a death sentence.
Listening to these captains and first officers speak knowing there lives will shortly be gone, gives me chills
It’s always chilling when there’s real audio.
For sure
That's right, Just make sure that those chills are not multiplying because we don't want you losing control.
Yes, much more effective. I understand why there isn't, but I wish their was audio in all of TFC's awesome videos.
its not real it just a recreation
@@aishnooma8469 wrong actually
Lesson learnt: Never ignore the TCAS. It is _always_ right.
FOR REAL!!MMMMM
@suspicionofdeceit
Another lesson learned is the TCA's need to get their act together.
TCAS either works correctly or not at all?
Yep
This was the fault of Skyguide. There was only one controller on duty, when there’s supposed to be two. Imagine the stress involved of having to monitor the radar scopes and radio communications all at the same time. The controller should have realized the danger earlier and have both planes sufficiently separated. TCAS, which is designed to prevent mid-air collisions, is not at fault. This collision could have been prevented, had the controller realized the danger sooner.
The saddest and most disturbing accident in aviation history because:
Children were on board
Controller was stressed of handling 2 screens
the DHL pilots struggled to fly for 6 minutes
The controller never worked again get murdered 2 years later
So true !
Wait hold the man who was the only one on atc got murdered?
@@MaxHumphreysMaxHumphreys One of the people who lost their daughter in the crash became enraged and tracked down the controller who was on duty that night, and killed him in front of his family.
he still worked until his time of death just in another position. not actual atc anymore
Τhose 6 last minutes of flight seemed like 6 centuries to them, knowing death was inevitable....
I can’t even imagine being Nielsen’s wife and kids. Knowing your husband/dad is traumatized from what he went through and all these things he personally thinks he’s responsible for. Then, when you think he’s getting better, he gets killed right in front of you. How terrible 😞
Человек должен отвечать за поступки. Кавказ не прощает тех, кто не извиняется
@@оршинлогин Damn animals.
@@оршинлогинso you do not care that he was the only one on his shift and that he was doing the work that more than one person should have done? People like you simply don't care.
@@оршинлогин It didn't happen in the Caucasus.
Oh well, he thought only about himse,f recovering, BUT not once did he thought about how was the other russian man going through. So Nielsen THOUGHT he was going to be ok until he was not.
There was another incident involving two JAL airliners where one of the planes was given ATC commands in conflict to the TCAS instructions. Those planes came within a couple of metres of colliding and a collision was only avoided by one of the pilots having to make a manoeuvre so violent that passengers were flung around the cabin like rag dolls.
The changes to training basically boiled down to "If TCAS and ATC disagree, disregard ATC and follow the TCAS instruction"
Thanks, I looked that one up and TFC covered it.
ruclips.net/video/1V-NURlZ0Jc/видео.html
If the DHL pilot did that maneuver, the collision would have been avoided, and no one whould have been injured because it's the pilots strapped into their seats, and the cargo
Can u tell the flight number once
@@lmao_ok2539 Japan Airlines Flight 907 and Japan Airlines Flight 958
@The Aircraft Nerd You have to also remember that cargo aircraft have a particular risk ( and in some ways greater ) compared to passenger types. Cargo is normally carefully recorded, monitored and strapped down so that it can't move within the airframe. Added to this, the plane's centre of gravity is calculated and other calculations then depend on this for safe flight operation.
During a sudden, violent manoeuvre, however, there is always the very slim chance that cargo will move, affecting the COG. When this happens, the degree to which the COG is changed could also affect the flight configuration, meaning that the aircraft may or may not continue to stay in the air. So much may then rely upon the skill of the flight crew.
This is what happened with the 2013 Bagram 747 crash, but in that case there was nothing that the crew could do to avert disaster.
The second i read.. there's 45 children aboard this plane... My mom heart breaks. Holy hell the one dude got murdered after all of this. WOW. my jaw was on the frickin floor !
Worst than a serial killers...
My non-mom heart is broken! May they all rest in peace 💔
The architect who murdered the ATC guy did about 3 years in swiss prison and then was released and he returned to Russia.
For those who are wondering about the CVR: The CVR for the Russian plane was stored in the front section, so it was able to record a bit more after the initial collision.
I can just imagine how hard it i for TheFlightChannel to make these videos, if you pay attention you will notice that when the camera angle changes the planes are in a slightly different position than last camera angle. The amount of patience and work and time it takes this person to make these videos jut for us to sit down and watch them for 15-30 minutes is amazing, your effort and work will never go unoticed.
This might be the most tragic and sad crash I have seen on this channel so far.
Yeah this and along with Air Alaska flight 261
@@irvancrocs1753 IMO Air Alaska 261 is the saddest and most heart wrenching accident I've seen on this channel so far but this one is horrible also.
A major incident in the history of aviation
This accident & Air France 447 are the scariest ones to me. After I seen each episode on Air Crash Investigation, the sadness stayed with me for a very long time.😔
The Air crash investigation series, for this flight, is the most saddest episode/flight I have ever seen.
Man this is so sad. I'm watching this knowing they're gonna collide but for some reason I'm still sitting here nervously hoping they somehow miss each other...
So true :(
Exactly my thoughts!, I was hoping for it not to happen!.
@@JPMongeS Yes
YES
Me too! 😫💔
After this mid air collision TCAS was declared the best friend of pilots over controllers 👍
@Aris Novi Santoso then have to switch to controllers and have to believe them.
Yes. TCAS priority since this accident. (Like probably you, I learned about TCAS becoming priority (over distant ATC) from other Air Crash videos, incl by The Flight Channel.)
@Aris Novi Santoso TCAS should have been priority because it was directly monitoring both planes and issuing flight paths that made collision impossible. It is coded so that it can't tell both planes to descend or climb together. That's why it's priority now, because it actively monitors both and issues avoidance commands.
If the pilots of both flights had listened to it and given it priority--more crucial since it only activates when a collision is likely or imminent--then everything would have been fine.
@Aris Novi Santoso I believe TCAS only sounds when a collision is imminent. If it sounds there's already a serious problem. Although I understand that perhaps the crew were a little bit scared because of that fact.
@Aris Novi Santoso The reason TCAS issued a resolution is because ATC got you into a bad position in the first place. Makes it easy to decide if you look at it that way doesn't it? Every accident I can think of where ATC was at least given partial blame was because the ATC was overloaded, distracted, or overworked. Accidents like this NEVER have only one cause. It's always a chain of failures that leads to a catastrophe.
This is one of those aviation tragedy stories I always remember. Everything about it is just so horrifyingly sad. Rest in Peace to all of you.
ruclips.net/video/WnqJGbOuLsg/видео.html
Except Nielsen, his family, and his whole fricking generation.
@@dipanwitamandal7289 What cause he was unaware of somthing im highly guessing he didnt do?
@@ashtonwittmaier312 he should’ve known he couldn’t handle all those tasks on his own he’s trying to do 10 things at once Jesus Christ he’s got people life’s in his hands
@@itbelikethat- it's management's fault that they let his colleague sleep on the job. That's why they were prosecuted.
We have family friends living near Überlingen… one of the flight crew members bodies actually landed right in their garden and they had to report it and get someone to come remove it. They described the night of the crash and the following days like a scene straight out of WW2. Debris, airplane parts and bodies everywhere…
This terrible accident, the aftermath and the subsequent murder committed because of it are nothing short of horrifying. I also don’t think that you can’t push the blame for what happened on one single person; if anything, multiple people and factors are at fault. It was just a horrible, horrible accident that was devestating and tragic for everyone involved, and I don’t think that going around blaming people is doing anyone any favors.
I think blame is necessary. Otherwise how would we identify a way to improve? The pilot that didn't listen to his plane, and the controller who didn't properly assess the situation. Yes of course he shouldn't have had to do this on his own, which is his company's fault, but if you think about it, he made the situation worse by providing false information and giving incorrect instructions. It was definitely more than one person's fault, but nonetheless it's important to look at their mistakes so the Aviation world can learn from them.
This whole incident sounds like it came straight out of Final Destination where, against all odds, there's always at least something that somehow had to mess up in favor of the accident as if it was destined to happen. The horrible part is that, unlike Final Destination, this one is very much real.
Rest in peace to those who perished.
It wasn't just one thing but a collection of faults all happening at the same time.
*peace
what a chilling comment, really makes you think
Things is, it's never one something. In order for this things to happen, a number of things must go wrong. The understaffed ATC, the equipment out for mantainance that would've alerted the controller to the danger, the decision of one of the pilots to follow ATC instructions instead of their TCAS...If you have one of those things happen, the accident would probably be avoided. But everything adds up in this cases.
This Channel deserves a Netflix Season
This already having Netflix
Yeah...you're watching it
No need for this stuff to last 20 minutes
Stupid post almost like there’s a show called air disasters on the smithsonaian channel. People just watch this because it’s free
No. Stop saying that in every video. Netflix would include LGBT community in it and that would be ridiculous.
If I remember correctly, the passengers aboard flight 2937 were supposed to fly out the previous day, but there was some kind of delay.
The father who killed the controller was also the one that found his daughter's body in a field, and the documentary I watched stated that hers was the only one intact.
His wife and son were found a couple of days later.
This is an horrific accident, so much just went WRONG.
Your videos are second to none, and I always look forward to an upload, thank you!
May all souls rest in peace.
More than one body was intact. I was part of the first responders from the voluntary firefighters in Meersburg. Yes, the tragic about this was that the bus driver took the wrong route to the airport and the flight was delayed by one day. Otherwise that would have never happened. Sometimes delays and not getting on a plane saved lives (like in 9/11) but this time it was costly.
Yep The children were supposed to go on a different flight but then the agent accidentally send them to the wrong airport and were supposed to wait for a few days.
Which documentary did u watch
The wretched man was waiting for his family in Barcelona Airport. I just can’t imagine his despair.
@@Interdictiondeltawing Your right
There's a documentary on this; one of the Russian parents was determined to find his daughter. He covered the crash site at one point discovering her teddy bear. He eventually discovered her body- although she was dead, her body was fully intact.
This one shocked me more than any of the other videos. To finally see the other plane must have been terrifying for both sets of pilots. The final twist in the story is awful.
@popo3365 There are anti collision systems on planes
@lalruatfela hrahsel Nope to use parachutes you need to be trained in them and unfortunately it can't be trained during preflight announcements etc so parachutes aren't used in civilian planes. There's lifejacket tho incase a plane crashses on a water body
@lalruatfela hrahsel Not entirely sure but i don't think they can
lets not forget that even the tcas warning would already put you in some sort of fear because the system is designed to avoid colissions so if its warning non stop like that its because its thinking it will collide and then a few time later u see visually the plane, must make it even worse or think you did not follow tcas correctly or something.
_Literally,_ what are the *odds* with all the sky available. It’s extremely saddening this wasn’t avoided. Rest In Paradise to those lost in the horrible event.
True but keep in mind planes dont actually just fly in any airspace. There are actually "roads" in the sky too that all planes follow and intersect.
Like he said, the roadways of the air are the intersections of the radio beacons, as well as arbitrary waypoints via GPS that are also dependent on those airways.
This was devastating. Utterly heartbreaking hearing about those kids and people who lost their lives. It's easy in these situations to play the blame game to determine "who's fault it was" but it was a tragic mistake and lives were lost. Rip and good work Flight Channel for another awesome video.
@@kindheart6411 exactly, its primarily the company's fault
No mistakes here.
Lots of NEGLIGENCE.
Normalisation of Deviance in a lot of ways.
Still, RIP to all those lost.
There was legitimate blame. Not deliberate but negligent.
Everyone ignores your comment and immediately goes to blaming people underneath it lmao
@gargy2002 The Skyline company, likely for short term profits, mis-did their management: Only 1 active Controller for too big an area, and per management negligence: back up Controller allowed to sleep --against company policy and endangering lives. And: Controller not informed a key instrument for him was down: The Ground Radar that would have alerted him to the impending collision, in time to avoid it. There's a reason these kinds of accidents don't happen that often: =Other managers support their Controllers and maintain proper (if still pushed) Controller responsibility loads and supports. Plus, the pilots at the time werenot instructed to "Do what the TCAS says, priority." Now I think pilots are.
I can remember the first report I heard about this accident, on BBC Radio 4 in the UK. The BBC put on an "expert" who said the TU154 was "an obsolete and ill-equipped aircraft with a poorly-trained crew", leaving no doubt about where he believed the blame lay. It emerged a few days later that the TU154 was fitted with the TCAS made by the American firm Honeywell. It also emerged, as described in this video, that the TCAS had instructed the crew to climb but they had followed the contradictory instruction from the controller. I believe that until the publication of the official report on this accident, pilots were not always being explicitly told to follow the TCAS in the event of a contradiction between it and the traffic controller. Presumably doing the opposite of what the controller instructs would normally lead to some kind of disciplinary action that could end the pilot's career.
What an extremely shocking tragedy all round. Even the poor ATC paid with his life in the end, in front of his own family. No winners. Shocking story.
@@dipanwitamandal7289 They didnt had anything to do with the crash, even if you are pro-Vitaly in this case, you should know that they were the least deserving to get killed about all of this
@@dipanwitamandal7289 No-one deserved to die!! What an awful comment.
@@dipanwitamandal7289 for what reason? Did they do any wrong doing? Even ATC didn't deserve to die, he wasn't aware of the TCAS suggestion. It's tragic. What about russian pilot who decended instead of being suggested to climb? What about his family? Should they also be murdered too coz their dad didn't follow TCAS suggestion? That's more relevant than ATC family.
@@mayTK i thought it was made perfectly clear that the pilot was following the atc's suggestions. so it shd clear him of any wrongdoing
@@eduarddv00 mistakes were made on both sides, miscomunnication being the foremost, its very easy to blame it all on one person isn't it?
Grown man here and this one's brining tears.
yes .
Ditto... 😢
Quite understandable. I've heard of this incident, but I had no idea about the murder of the controller in front of his family, by the heartsick man who lost his family in the
crash. Utterly devastating.😢
😢🙏
Real men always cry! Without that you would not be human!
All of those poor children perishing when they were probably so excited for their trip! And then the ATC to be murdered by a man so overcome with grief that all he could think of was revenge!
This whole incident was so avoidable but it was just a calamity of errors.
RIP to all who perished, including the murdered man, and condolences to his family.
the man lost his wife n two kids. his revenge was fair n justified.
@@driver4011 revenge is mine, saith the Lord.
@@driver4011 Did the revenge return him the wife and two kids?
@@hpyrkh3 doesn’t matter. An eye for an eye
@@hpyrkh3 It's easy to say that revenge is valueless when you haven't lost your entire livelihood and family, your entire future, everything you've worked towards because of someone whose negligence allowed that to happen. Someone who received zero punishment for their actions and would continue to live their life happy and amongst their own family. I don't think what he did was "heroic" as ppl in his hometown would describe it, but I definitely do not blame him for what he did and I'm glad he didn't have to spend the rest of his life in prison.
As Billy Bob Thornton said in Armageddon, “it’s a big ass sky”. How two relatively small objects can meet in the same place at the same time in all of that vastness is amazing.
Aftermath movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger is based on this..very tragic story..🎥😢
He also played the husband of one of the workers in the movie "Pushing tin" which is about air traffic controllers.
It's amazing how many people seem to think planes are just up there freestyling. There are literally flight corridors (highways in the sky) between every destination.
This is your best production in all of the years you have done this. You are in a league of your own with these air disaster presentations. This tragedy is one of the saddest in aviation history. The confluence of circumstances is just unbelievable. Those poor children. I think the father who murdered the controller was found guilty but was given a slap on the wrist serving only a couple of years and then released? So many tragic people in this incident. Your presentation evoked so many emotions in me...sadness...anger...anxiety...this is why your weekly creations are the best on the web. I agree some kind of special channel on Netflix would be the proper venue for productions of this quality. Superb!
100%!
Merely copied others
Agreed! Incredible work.
💯
@@kennethwilburn Copied
In addition to ATC being taught not to contradict TCAS resolutions, pilots normally inform us ( I am a controller) that they are responding to a TCAS resolution so that we know what’s they’re doing as well. Helps keep all of us on the same page.
we would hope they are informing everyone
The DHL informed ATC about the TCA resolution, but ATC wasn't listening cause he was advising another traffic.
I think TCAS II downlinks that information automatically to the controllers now.
@@abnnizzy why didnt the controller contact the DHL flight at all during this? theres only 2 planes involved, not 50. the video describes 10 seconds going by at one point. this didnt happen instantly. why didnt the controller contact both flights? he had time. plane 1 - descend to 34000. plane 2 - ascend to 3600. i have the other plane descending.
i dont get it. he just kept talking to the one plane only.
I'm curious, dont the radars in front of the screen show when an airplane descends? Like, numbers next to the plane? Would it have been possible for the ATC to see DHL plane descending?
The production quality of these videos is incredible
I hate these comments. I go to the comment section for interesting discussion and I always have to scroll past these mundane, repetitious, and boring praise comments. They're so common and all paraphrase the same point. I believe many of these comments could be bots. Why bother with these comments? If you like the video, hit like. You're not saying anything original, bot.
@@ARedMotorcycle gah damn who pissed in your cereal, just showing the man some love nothing wrong with that
@@ARedMotorcycle is it wrong to admire someone's work?
@@ARedMotorcycle why
With so much space in the sky, I don't see how two planes can ever hit each other even traveling at the same altitude. The chance of collision must be astronomical.
That was incredible. The reconstruction was so real. I am so sorry to those who lost family members including the air traffic controller's family.
It is a reminder that disasters are so far reaching it is almost impossible to comprehend.
Another perfect "Swiss cheese" model. One controller working two areas, with multiple equipments down for maintenance, and at that time, russian regulations stated that it was the captain's decision whether to follow TCAS or ATC instructions. Aviation rules and regulations are written in blood.
Yes. And i can understand russian engineer. Of course its not helping, but i can understand,
Yep, Human Factors for real!!!
Well, Russian regulations need revision.
If you have millions of dollars in equipment, devices, and sensors that are telling you something is wrong, it is unwise to ignore it just because you are not legally obligated by your country's regulations
@@vividvault9285 It's about not trusting those "millions of dollars in equipment". Humans are still piloting, cause they are another failsafe. Whom to trust is a big question.
@@vividvault9285 you dont know anything about Russians, than.
No one deserves do die like that. Rest In Peace to the DHL crew, the Bashkirian passengers and crew and Mr. Nielson
GOD obviously felt different. #giveupgod
@@sciencefriction315 Uhm what?
Fuck the DHL crew. They were responsible. Them being dead at least means no-one needs to suffer or die for their incompetence. You NEVER NEVER NEVER change flight level without advising ATC. Worse still they were all on the same frequency so why on God's green earth did the DHL crew not hear that the Tupelov was being toldbto descend? The DHL crew were disengaged, disinterested, non-communicative, rule-breakers who were a danger to other aircraft.
@@nigeldenning5810 what? The Russian crew ignore the warnings and ignore to climb as instructed to avoid collision. The warning system exist for a reason🙄 The Russian crew was at fault for failing to change direction
@@drone6581 You are thinking using today knowledge. TCAS was quite new on commercial aircraft back then, it only became mandatory in 2003. For the Russian pilots, they had direct contact with the ATC so they probably thought they were ok. Also you seem to be totally unaware of russian regulations back then otherwise you wouldn't comment that. It's definitely not more their fault than the ATC giving false info on the plane location and the DHL crew who didn't communicate what they did after being instructed otherwise. Anyway everything that could go wrong did and the result was a disaster.
Many mistakes where committed that night mainly by SkyGuide . But nearby German ATC picked up the impending collision and tried calling Nielsen. However Skyguards phones were not working that night . The German ATC could have directly called the pilots and warned them . Unfortunately they decided to follow ‘ protocol ‘ which forbade them from contacting pilots not under their immediate control . Sometimes rules and protocols are meant to be broken and just utilize some common sense .
I remember seeing this on Air Crash Investigation, one of the saddest aviation accidents. I always feel bad for Nielsen, he didn't deserve to get killed
Which season and episode was this?
@@RutujaDicholkar Season 2, episode 4, entitled "Deadly Crossroads"
He didn't deserve to live after being the direct, immediate and ultimate cause of so many innocent deaths.
His "descend...expedite traffic" instruction showed not a hint of the grave concern potential massive loss of HUMAN LIFE that he SHOULD'VE had at that moment when he realized HE HIMSELF had placed two flights on a collision course. And he really did NOT have that many airplanes to take care at that moment...just compare his workload at that time with that of those who run approaches to any of the major hub airports in the USA.
@@blackrainbow4467 thank you so much!
@@mariamagdalenamixuhca2023 As mentioned in the vid, a piece of key equipment was not available to him that would have alerted him to the possibility of a conflict much sooner. When you say to "compare workload" you base it off what you "think" controllers are tasked with but since you have zero experience at doing this job your just talking your our a$$ and you know it. Yea, he made a horrible mistake so lets brutally kill him IN FRONT OF HIS THREE KIDS, what kind of person thinks that's OK?.
As retired pilot, reading this report at the time, was tough. Condolences to loved ones 🙏🇨🇦
Is this something pilots learn about in school?
@@sweetzs100 Learn the mistakes of the past to prevent the same mistakes in the present.
🤍🤍🤍🖐🏽 🇺🇸
hey Collin .. planes need better information on these traffic avoidance systems? .. like climb climb to 036 .. whereas the other plane needs to be instructed to a vertical space below .. decend decend to 034 .. that way both planes know where to be .. they need to make these systems better .. fool proof .. giving direct altitude heights seems like . not to mention better ATC stewards .. these crashes should not be happening in this day and age . very sad and avoidable seems like
Just how many factors have aligned together so this tragic incident had to happen it is mind-blowing:
1. His colleague left for a coffee break just right before the crucial moments.
2. Maintenance took place at that time, which disabled some functionality of the console.
3. Air collision system was turned off. ATC controller Nielsen was unaware of that.
4. By the mistake of maintenance stuff, the phone lines were cutt off.
5. Just right at the time before the 2 planes were about to collide, the other plane required time-consuming assistance
6. The ATC was not able to reroute the plane to another ATC as phone lines were disabled (point 4)
7. Also because of 4, German ATC who was alarmed of the collision by his console, was not able to contact ATC. (For me it is also mind blowing that it was forbidden for him to contact the planes, I assume this is standard for the planes that are not in the scope of specific ATC)
8. Finally, crucial unfold of the tragic. At the same time when TCAS has warned the pilots, one plane followed TCAS order, the other followed ATC Controller instruction.
9. If just only the either of the planes was for just 1 second late or faster, there would be no collision.
To be fair, it's not a coincidence. The combination of those factors WAS the cause, otherwise it probably would have not happened.
I was thinking the same if one plane was fast and other slower 😢
if only the russian plane climbed a second earlier, or if only the 757 descended a wee but faster. Everyone would still be alive. Nielsen's family won't be grieving their father's and husband's death in the hands of an angry russian who lost his family. If only Nielsen had been noticed about the maintenance, or if only his partner was awake. Too many possibilities that would have better outcomes, yet what happened was the worst of the possibilities.
Allow me to comment on the maintenance aspect. While I was in the Air Force my job was maintaining the ground base navigation and landing aid systems (ILS). Like everything else man designs and builds maintenance has to be performed on given equipment and there are times the equipment has to be taken off line to perform that maintenance. There never is a perfect time to take such equipment off line so efforts are made to do that at times of least activity which was probably the case here. I'm thinking that in that case the controller who was on break should have been called back to his station.
Privatization of ATC by handing it to a for-profit company that tolerates shortcuts that disregard established procedures---what a capital idea. 🙄
When one thinks of the size of earth, the thousands of miles in all directions including up and down, one cant help but be blown away that 2 huge planes are led right into each other due to a complacent company and a radar undergoing maintenance!
I can remember, the accident happened around 30km away from my home. Today there is built a memorial for all the victims who lost their lives.
The fireball of the collision could be seen during this summer night, on the first look no one thought about such a tragedy.
Imagine having a school trip and then dying,
How sad :(
Edit: mom I'm famous!
Was not it similiar with Germanwings 9525?
so sad 😭
Happened on 9/11 too the plane that hit the pentagon had a group of unaccompanied minors on board on a school trip for something ( I cant remember I want to say a spelling bee or something) I just keep imagining being their parents knowing they probably were crying for you and there was nothing you could do
"Three of them were 11-year-old 6th graders traveling with their teachers to California for a special trip awarded to them by National Geographic"
The only "good" thing about it was that the end was quick. The kids did not suffer. It's still profoundly sad.
The kids on the Sewol ferry in South Korea can totally relate.
im already terrified of flying, why the hell do i keep watching these videos.
Lolz, I just landed in my home country after going on a 5 flights in 10days spree. I always avoid these videos a month to flying. Once I’m back, I resume
I always have to remind myself that, statistically speaking, I am more likely to die in a car accident on the way to the airport than in a plane wreck. Also more likely to be struck by lightning or eaten by a shark.
🤣🤣🤣 oh gosh! I was thinking just that!
Me too!
ruclips.net/video/WnqJGbOuLsg/видео.html
These are graphically beautiful videos. We learn so much from watching them.
My final conclusion thesis in the university was about this accident. Such an unique event that aviation has learned a lot regarding flight safety and the continuous use of TCAS throughout the years.
Also, don’t mess with a Russian’s family.
Unique? Really?
You had to go to a university to come to this conclusion. Go ask for a refund
The Co-Pilot on the DHL plane (Brant) was my friend's brother in law. The family trip to the crash site took it's toll on all of them. The investigation and hearings were even worse.
@Ray Wagner
Can you tell us a little about Brant? Thanks
@@watershed44 I did not know Brant personally. My friend's sister and Brant were moved to Bahrain by the time I met the family. I know he was very well liked, respected and loved as a husband, son in law and brother in law. It was incredibly hard on the family during the investigations due to the initial finger pointing. As you all know from what happened later, the fear of repercussion was resonant and later played out. A horrible outcome to a horrible event.
@@raywagner8016 Thanks for following up..
Hopefully everyone is at peace now🙏. Can't beleive but talking to someone so close to them makes me feel weird .
A lot of lives were lost due to this. May their souls rest in peace😞😔😢
Does anyone else feel terrible for that air traffic controller? That poor man. Can’t imagine the guilt he felt. Then he gets murdered by a guy who lost his wife kids during the collision. Would make an interesting movie
One of the most devastating aviation disasters in history and the one that could have been prevented on any other given day. Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong, and Peter Nielsen's story is so tragic, I don't even want to imagine what he felt when he first realized what happened and in the coming days he would have found out how many children died during the accident, no wonder why he struggled with PTSD for the rest of his life :(
What he felt was nothing compared to the families of all those kids that died because of his foolishness.
@@Benji-jj2bg don’t even say that. It wasn’t his fault, it was the companies. Put yourself in his shoes, controlling 5 planes by himself with equipment that he didn’t even know were offline. The task he did was meant for 2 people, not 1. Shame on you for calling it foolishness, it is foolish for you to even say that
@@goldminer1275 Literally
@@goldminer1275 he was foolish 100% and got what he deserved. He accepted the job understanding the assignment and risk/responsibility and yet still didn't speak up. All cause the other traffic officer needed sleep.
@@3rdkenp 💩
Rest in peace everybody that lost their lives in this heartbreaking incident, especially the children, it was not your time.
Finally after all these years this accident has been put on the flight channel, I remember watching this on air crash investigation it was so sad 😞
It has been put on the channel before
RIP
To the passengers and crew of BAL Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 and the two pilots of DHL International Aviation ME Flight 611
One of the saddest days in aviation. They got many chances to avoid the collision. Unfortunately, fate doesn't play nice.
It's not fate. The accident was ultimatively caused because the Russian aviation philosophy did not allow the TCAS systen to work as designed, as a last safety barrier in case the pilots or the ATC fail to provide correct separation. The failure of the Russian captain to follow the TCAS resolution advisory, and the failure of the Russian Aviation Authority to instruct Russian pilots to give priority to the TCAS Resolution Advisories over the instructions given by the ATC, and to communicate immediately to the ATC that they are in a "TCAS climb" (or "TCAS descend") The TCAS is designed not "to lessen the fatalities in collisions" but to be a last resort safety barrier in case the pilots OR THE ATC is commiting an error. This safety barrier did not function as designed because it was not applied correctly by the Russian side. The two MAIN culprits in this case are -1- the captain of the Tu-154 and -2- the Russian Aviation Authority failing to explain the Russion aircrew CLEARLY that the TCAS Resolution Advisory has ALWAYS the priority over the ATCs instructions AND the captains authority - even while the TCAS-System is a Western-Designed system.
We always get chances to escape if we learn to read the warnings.
@@sorgfaeltig a human voice conveys urgency much better than a mechanical recorded one. That element played a huge part. ATC did not monitor the changing situation and did not issue separation instructions when they should have.
The DHL pilot should have dived at the second advisory.
But let us blame the Russians.
@@HRTharboy It seems that you do not understand how the TCAS Resolution Advisory works and for what it is designed nor do you understand that it can only function and save lives when the pilot gives FIRST PRIORITY to the commands of the TCAS system. If a pilot understands this, then the "mechanical voice", as you call it, has a greater urgency to the pilot than any other voice. But if he does not understand the priority and the urgency he can pay with his life, and saddly also taking other lives. Do you really think the Russian captain did nothing wrong ? Do you really believe that the Russian Aviation Authorities have had the correct oversight in the instruction of Russian pilots to the TCAS-system? Do you really want to blame the DHL pilot who followed the TCAS Resolution Advisory ?
@@sorgfaeltig many factors were at play. So fate.
Here is my advice to pilots: Always listen to TCAS no matter what.
Listen to TCAS and advise controllers that is what you are doing.
Such a terrible sad tragedy. It's not acceptable for all those children to be lost and for the trauma of the Nielsen's children. RIP to all and condolences to all the families, you are not forgotten!
What a sad, tragic story. The little time between impact and crash must have been horrific for the people on both aircraft. RIP to them and Nielsen and his family.
I feel so bad for Nelson, he shouldn't have been murdered. This video should be in memory of the 72 people who died in my opinion not 71. But good video!
I agree...Their was no intent to do this. What are the odds of this happening in such a vast sky.....and yet it did.
What you mean murdered who killed Nelson and for what
@@prerectonbeyonder3628 one of the fathers of the slain children murdered him in retribution.
@@kostan55 But surely if you lost members of your family you wouldn't want to put others through the same pain.
@@Bananaman1406_ That's really correct
This was your most intense production yet. Chilling and heartbreaking. RIP all on board.
The 2017 movie Aftermath starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is based on the Russian who killed the traffic controller.
Thanks for the movie recommendation man.
Did it happen just like this in the movie?
Right but the movie is not really interesting, but that's my opinion
@@TheUpwardbound1 apparently the Russian said the movie did not portray him or his actions correctly.
Too bad the angry man didn't correctly identify the cause as the training program that taught its pilots to ignore TCAS.
Two things left out of the video were that the ground based collision system was taken off line due to repairs being made and the on duty flight controller was not notified of this. And the telephones in the ATC center were not operational at the time of the crash. An adjacent ATC center saw the conflict but could not act on it directly because he did not have jurisdiction over the air where the conflict was occurring. The other ATC tried to call Neilson on the phone but sadly the phones were not working in his office. US and most euro pilots at the time were already instructed to listen to TCAS where Russians at the time were still told to listen to ATC instructions. After this incident all pilots flying are to listen to TCAS.
They talked about the system being off and the controller not knowing this at the end of the video
There's a reason to follow the TCAS instructions. There was a near collision in Japan, and this disaster. If you have received any advisory from TCAS, you have to disregard any ATC instructions and do what TCAS tells you to. This is the reason
A year prior
And yet even after the mid air incident in Japan-nearly the worst aviation accident in history-international aviation regulatory agencies could not be bothered to clarify the importance of obeying TCAS over ATC commands. Simply inexcusable.
Should the pilot inform the ATC "Responding to TCAS". At least try to keep ATC in the loop.
@@slipperyhardandcold7740 they are mandated to do so, yes. They must report “TCAS alert” in the beginning of the incident and “End of conflict” in the end. In the mean time the Controller is forbidden to intervene.
@@slipperyhardandcold7740 well, DHL pilot did report it and the ATC either didn't receive it or ignored it
The day has finally come Überlingen is here
Yes been waiting for 4 years
@@Interdictiondeltawingwohoo
@@Interdictiondeltawing yet more 10 years for JAL123!
Yep, I've wanted to watch this one for years
Überlingen is a German city?
I think this is the most wrenching, upsetting incident I've seen on this channel. All those people being sent to such a terrible death. Very hard to watch.
Yep. I heard a podcast about this and wasn't going to watch it. Its just too sad.
Grief does horrible things to people.. the poor guy that lost his family..
No, he was unhinged to begin with. Why murder someone who clearly had no control over the situation? It certainly did not bring his loved ones back.
He killed someone who had a family of his own
@@Tori-di2cf balanced as all things should be
@@agaXM Considering one thing was human error and the other was cold blooded murder - I think now
@@LawnBunny777 it is balanced, you cause the lost of someone family then you need to lose your family in return so it's balanced
This video brought back sad memories for me. I worked for the UK based aircraft maintenance organisation who looked after the DHL 757, A9C-DHL. During our night shift news came from our Maintenance Control department that an incident had occurred with the aircraft, and subsequently that it had been involved in a mid air collision and destroyed. The whole team were devastated at the news, especially when we learned that the Tu-154 was carrying children. A night I’ll never forget. RIP all those tragically lost 😢
Man, I couldn't imagine..
As a maintenance worker you did your part
And it's assuring that you care about you job
To people like me.
I was flying along in a commercial jet at the window seat. I casually looked down at a river underneath and another jet flew underneath us. It seemed close but was actually 1000 feet or so. I was alarmed but apparently, this happens all the time.
Yeah even I witnessed it recently and I was thanking GOD that we avoided collision.
Sadly this wasn't a 1000 feet, but no feet.
I was on a flight from Atlanta to San Antonio recently and saw the same thing. I was stunned at how close the other plane was. I could read the markings on it. It was just below us and literally crossed our path just below us. That scared me. Then there was the horrible turbulence and bouncing around violently for several minutes. I have thousands of hours flying on planes, and that was the scariest flight I have ever been on.
I’m not a pilot, not an enthusiast, I’ve only flown about 20 times as a passenger on a plane but something about this channel is fascinating.
Thank you for your effort and the excellent content. You have a new subscriber here.
i welcome any and all comment,s , as a private pilot , im only certified to fly 4 types of aircraft, my first lesson was in a cessna 152, then i moved on to a slightly larger plane the skyhawk cessna 172, again having a desire to try different aircraft, i flew the beech sundowner, , which had retractable gear, carried 6 passenger,s plus a co-pilot, and finally a cessna 310 twin , to get my instrument rating, and my multi engine rating as well , the 310 twin has 2 engines ,one on each wing, anyhow, i got to wondering, and asked my co-pilot, what would happen if all my instrument,s failed ? i mean im instrument rated, but what is one to do if his or her,s instruments all fail ? he had no answer, i told him, back when i was flying with my dad, many year,s ago he would let me take the yoke and fly his plane, which was a piper cherokee 180, fixed gear airplane , it was a pretty nice plane, i think i was about 7 or 8 yrs old , at the time dad let me fly his plane, the very FIRST THING I NOTICED , i could FEEL what the plane was doing, i didnt need to look at my instrument,s , i didnt know what any of them meant anyhow,lol, so Dad said to me push the yoke in , i did, Dad ask,s me, whats the plane doing son ? i said , its going down, he asked me how do you know this ? i answered, i can FEEL a dropping sensation , he then asked me to pull back on the yoke, dad said ,whats it doing now, i said , it FEELS like its going up, and so on he had me experience every aspect or function of the plane, i used the yoke, the rudder pedal,s the flap,s and the aileron,s without knowing a damn thing about instrument,s i could FEEL everything the plane did or acted, one time while we were flying at night, thats the one time he got me , meaning, i knew how to use all the mechcanic,s of the plane, or i should say all the steering component,s ,plus i used the throttle , and carb heat and the ignition key to check the mag,s we did that on the ground, you check the left, then the right, back to both, check your fuel selector, and master switch, he taught me everything about his 180, by the time i was 15 i was flying without a lic. but he didnt seem to care ,lol, i didnt either,lol, but he told me , your a natural at this, good boy, but the time we went flying at night, we fly way out over the bay past the bay bridge, where there,s no light,s of any kind, or ground light,s to see the ground, i did look over at the altimeter to see how high we were, he said , what are you doing, i said, i dont know how high we are , now, had my instruments failed at night, with no way of seeing the ground, i had absolutely no idea as to how high or low the plane was, that was a very scary flight, pitch black, no light,s cant see the ground, and no altimeter, oh shit, now what ?? lol, okay, he told me to take out my quick reference hand book, i looked up area airport,s with radar, tuned my radio , and turned on my battery operated transponder, sqawked 122.32 , and asked the ATC , whats my altitude , this is November 77011 , requesting altitude , the ATC, came back and gave me my location ,heading and altitude, and air speed, of course this was a test to see how i would handle a situation like this, flying at night , no instrument,s , cant see the ground, nor any beacon,s or an ILS approach, but having complete failure , a ILS approach is out of the question, the ATC guided me to a local airport, and the runway lit up like a christmas tree ,lol, what an experience,lol, ive been flying as a private pilot with a LIC. lol, since 1991 , and bought a used stationair II , retractable , fully loaded, dual nav. all the bell,s and whistles , flying can be a wonderful fun thing people can enjoy, thing is, and i always tell myself this before each and every flight, expect, the unexpected, oh and , the runway behind you isnt doing you a damn bit of good, lol, until your wheel,s are firmly on the ground, your not down, nor can you begin to apply your brakes, but more over, have a blast, lol, Sincerely, W.H.W. 2-15-23 flying is fun, !!!
Only 20 times…
I remember seeing a documentary on this, the dad of one of the kids ended up killing the air traffic controller
We feel his pain fr :(
Yep, his entire family was in that flight.
My dad was the psychiatrist of the father...
Controller apologized to most people but some people didn't
And that dad was seen as a hero. However, I saw him as a vengeful man who murdered a man in cold blood.
Okay, you did a PHENOMENAL job getting the experience from the cockpit in here…WOW! It is a LONG time to fall from 34,000 straight down and to know this is “it” for you! Thank you for the hard work you put into this one! 💛💛
@lalruatfela hrahsel they collided over lake constance. Google search the wreckage and there are photos of the Russian plane
😵😵😢
Almost pissed myself watching this :(
I'd like to hear the idiot that was supposed to be watching the radar screen.
Terrible tragedy and R.I.P Nielson so so sad. Remember watching this on Air Crash investigation and Seconds From Disaster.
70-degree downward descent on the DHL 757, from 30,000+ feet. Sheer horror for those pilots who suffered anguish for at least a full minute knowing their death awaited them.
From what I remember from other videos of this accident that traffic controller had about every odd against him that was out there. May he rest in peace.
Yes! I think I read/heard that he was also on the phone dealing with a plane that declared an emergency immediately before he realized the collision course on his screen. Plus there was something about audio that I can’t remember. He really did have every card stacked against him!
@@mangos2888 But only because they violated the law and cut corners with staff. With a second staff member to assist he likely would not even have made the first mistake. And when DHL wanted to report that they deviated from his instruction and followed anti collission control he would have had the time to take the call.
The air traffic controller could not ensure safe separation between the planes, the instruction to descend to the crew of the Tu-154 aircraft was transmitted too late,
The management of the air traffic control service did not provide enough personnel and put up with its shortage while working the night shift
The management of the air traffic control service did not take action for several years and accepted the fact that only one dispatcher controlled air traffic during the night shift when his partner was RESTING
Lean staffing is deadly to all of us. Nearly every workplace now practises it as normal, after seeing how cheap it is. From food places to gas stations to stores to pilots and doctors.
It's the innocent customers who pay so the people in charge can make a saving.
The quality of these videos are outstanding. This is one of your best.
15:35
This moment was sad for me, you can literally hear the captain and the others try to climb while TCAS keeps saying “climb.”
Rest in Peace to everyone who died that day.
The irony is that if the controller just left his chair and and went on a coffee break , this tragedy would have been avoided by the TCAS sistem . It's inexplicable how the controller didn't check or dictate the other plane's next manouver also .
There was more going on in the tower that didn’t make it in this video. The controller really was screwed.
Another video about this did stress more heavily the point that ATC Nielson had NOT been informed about systems in the control room which were shut down for maintenance.
I know from my own life that withholding even small bits of relevant information from the people who ought to know as much as possible about a situation can drastically influence decision-making and outcomes. (My mother is an absolute master at withholding relevant details from me. It's how I ended up moving halfway across the country!)
@@erinthesystem9608 mommy issues
If my memory, and the info I have about this is correct, the accepted procedure in Russia at the time was to follow the ATC's orders, whereas the DHL Flight was instructed to disregard ATC to follow the TCAS. Apparently, this accident bought a change internationally. I think now Pilots have to follow TCAS in any case.
all parties were at fault, the same thing can be said for both the russian captain and the dhl captain with regards to the tcas instructions
Oh dear God! How that controller must have suffered! Then to be murdered! He probably just stood there and took the rage thinking he deserved it. What an absolute horror for all involved. I dont know how you would move on from that.
After the accident i don't think he would be able to live with himself for very long either. Very sad for all. 😭
Nah, do a research - he was pretty ok and don’t regret anything lol
@@imorgan3687 he had PTSD tho...
Must be terrifying to get a TCAS alert. You can never be sure the other pilot will follow it.
Even ignoring the TCAS instructions by one or the other pilot would have avoided the collision.
Having the other plane do the exact opposite of the warning isn't predictable or expected.
A TCAS alert can shock you if you are not prepared for it. When it makes a determination, follow it!
A fellow controller of mine had a TCAS alert. There was no real danger; a light aircraft turned against the first, which was a Gulfstream of Final. Had her in sight, but that was enough to start the TA. Before the controller had time to explain, the Gulfstream promptly went around! 🏃🏃👿💪 😂😂😂
TCAS are indeed very safe, but sometimes they lack human common sense...
@@machintelligence So this was a case of "swerve to hit him". I think it was still predictable to have a conflict between ATC and TCAS. How well pilots are trained in prioritising TCAS I don't know but I do know training can never be effective unless people are drilled and tested at regular intervals.
This has to be the most horrific of all the crashes TFC has covered. Such tremendous grief for all families involved. May God have mercy on all who died, including the ATC who was murdered. And also Lord have mercy on the poor man who murdered him.
About this tragedy after 20 years
ruclips.net/video/Wljzrew-EPI/видео.html
Its so devastation that this accident occurred, but its just as bad that Nielsen had to carry the burden of blame, even though his radar was intentionally turned off for maintenance and the had to take on the controlling job of the other employee. Tragedy.
As soon as I saw No one survived I felt so emotional. This was an unfortunate event , and hopefully now , training has enhanced to prevent a repeat of this . RIP to all.
When I was in ATC training a video of this incident was shown to us to get us to understand not only the importance of our job, but that the TCAS system is *NEVER* wrong, *DO NOT* contradict the RA
I had a nightmares of me crashing planes for about a week after seeing it
It's kind of like when I worked ground ops for an airline, they taught us the importance of safety envelopes by showing us graphic photos of human ingestion accidents. I was working in the industry when the Air India accident happened about 5 years ago.
ruclips.net/video/WnqJGbOuLsg/видео.html
What if the TCAS system on both planes tell the pilot to do the same thing?
@@gregb6469 They don't, they are specifically designed to link up with one another in order to make sure that the 2 aircraft get opposite instructions
It's to the point where if a pilot tells me they are abiding by a TCAS RA I am required by law not to give that aircraft any instructions until they are finished
@@eh5242 -- So when a TCAS on one plane detects another plane on a collision course it sends a single to the other plane's TCAS saying 'You tell your pilot to pull up, and I'll tell mine to dive.'
I remember when the crash & subsequent murder happened. This was an awfully sad incident & it's tough (for me atleast) to fault either of the flight crews. Having an a.t.c. giving you conflicting instructions to t.c.a.s., at least prior to this incident, is just an awful situation to be in! A live person v.s. a very calm, mono tone machine generated voice. Improvements where made with t.c.a.s. & pilots were trained on how to respond if in a similar situation. My thought & prayers to all involved + their loved one's. If one had to place blame based on facts, I personally don't place it on either flight crew
Clearly no one claimed that either of the pilots were at fault. But remember ATC only asked one pilot to descend. The other pilot did not inform he too is descending due to TCAS.
@@sred5856 That wasn't my recollection. Initially, or shortly after, one of the flight crews was "Said" to be at fault. You can probably guess where the blame came from. I also cannot stress to people that at that time; This scenario hadn't been covered in great detail & What cannot be over emphasized is the calm, no emotion, mono machine tone of t.c.a.s. Vs. A human who clearly knew he had a problem. Sadly, I don't think even he knew the extent & gravity of his rapidly evolving, tragic instructions. I'm fairly certain that company also was found to be dangerously lax in its implementation of protocols and safety. In the end the a.t.c. essentially was found at fault. It would be interesting to know if any of that companies executives faced any type of charges or backlash. I.m.o. This was an easily avoidable accident in which many factors combined to culminate in a tragedy of giant consequences & sadness. Idk about anyone else but being a plane full of young students, of which I can only imagine the excitement on board, cut short in an absolutely gruesome manner.
@@brianobrian6637 Yes, this was unfortunately an accident that could have been avoided - traffic management is the responsibility of the ATC whose task is primarliy to keep planes safe in the sky. Obviously nothing was intentionally committed by any party, but there was a lack of redundancy - something critical in this industry.
One of the saddest air accidents I’ve followed. RIP to all those who perished.
Such a tragic story! Hearing real audio added to unfolding events gravity! Your visuals are superb as usual, especially DHL going down, felt the pain and trauma literally...
This was so sad, I feel so sorry for Nelson's family for having him shot in front of his family nobody deserves that. Very impressive Flight Channel.
I agree.
Mr. Nielson was stabbed to death when confronted. Not that that makes a big difference, but perhaps even more gruesome for the family to witness.
@@johndeluca230 Do you know what happened to the murderer?
@@cindyknudson2715 Sorry, I do not.
@@johndeluca230 Thank you for your reply.
@@cindyknudson2715 He served 4 years in a Swiss prison and then was released back to Russia where he was hailed as a local hero, he even was given a construction ministers position…. No joke
This channel is fantastic - although my young niece is set on a career as a pilot or air traffic controller so it also scares me a bit! Thank you for such informative, factual and compassionate videos - this channel is a fantastic find.
Far more danger in driving to work to be a pilot than flying the plane.
I am not a pilot but, after a considerable descent, shouldn’t one of the pilots at least asked Zurich where the other damn plane is?
The pilots should follow the TCAS instructions and it isn't recommended to block the frequency during this maneuver because the air traffic controller could advise one of the pilots to make a left/right turn. I know it sounds stupid but every second counts in such a situation. And I think the pilots believed that Nielsen had it under control.
@@philaviation7623 Yes, and when Nielsen did speak to the Russian pilot he gave the wrong angle and position of the DHL., incl there was a radar delay for the ATC.
After this accident, pilots have been instructed to follow TCAS, to prioritize what it instructs.
Was wondering that too.
"Thank you!" The controller should have been following both planes actions at this time and continued to advise and get voice confirmation of each pilot's actions, e.g., DHL611 you need to descend now-acknowledge, TU, you need to climb immediately=acknowledge. But Nielson was confused their left from their right telling one pilot that other plane was at 2o'clock (right) instead of 10 o'clock (to the left). This is bar none, one of the saddest episodes. #SMH