A Routine Approach to Land Instantly Turns into a Deadly Nightmare (With Real Audio) 

I swear on that second accident, that plane was doing everything it could to not crash, but was overridden by some horrible pilots.

The sheer incompetence of that second one leaves me baffled. How did these pilots ever get certified?

2nd case: You can't convince me that these dudes ever passed any flying test without bribes.

I've never piloted a plane, but the split second it tells me TERRAIN! PULL UP! PULL UP! I'm PULLING UP!

The sheer negligence in both cases is disgusting

The aircraft tried to save them, but they were determined to fly it into the ocean.

First incident in 1981: The pilots were flying a route that was new to them. They obviously did not study terrain charts before departing, and had no clue they were flying toward a mountain. This is inexcusable. They entered a holding pattern at the wrong speed, which means their execution of that holding pattern was incorrect and led them toward the mountain. Again, inexcusable. It was their responsibility to understand the correct speed required of that pattern. If the air traffic controller had access to radar that could tell him where the airliner was, he could have told the pilots in plenty of time that they were in the wrong place. Instead, both he and the pilots made all kinds of assumptions. Had the pilots told him "We have never been here before," maybe he could have been more helpful. The investigation cleared the controllers, but I think their asking the pilots for the airliner's position would have prevented the crash. Second incident (Yemen): Did this flight crew learn how to fly an airplane? Suppose they had shut off all the automatic functions. Could the Captain have manually flown the plane to a safe landing? One girl won the lottery - she lived to tell about it. It's sad that every other passenger and the flight attendants had to die for this crew's gross stupidity.

On that 2nd crash I lost track of how many mistakes the pilots made.

In the real audio of the last flight in the video, there is a noticeable silence from both pilots.. they were barely communicating. Shocking.

The air traffic controller in the first case should NOT have been cleared. He made assumptions, didn't truly listen to what the pilots were saying, and these two pilots trusted his judgement. RIP 180 souls. The second was 100% pilots' errors - many errors. Wow. I'm amazed young Bahia Bakari survived, may God bless her. RIP 152 souls. Thank you for another great presentation.

The incompetence of the pilots on the second one is literally astounding.

I was so sure that the second one wouldn't have any survivors. The fact that she survived is a miracle.

I don’t even understand how that last flight went so wrong. Baffling incompetence.

I am so thankful, as a pilot, for modern avionics and navigation equipment. Things like this are almost entirely a 'thing of the past' with the access to so much information.

That level of incompetence is astounding.

What I like most about this channel, and why a support it, is the textual commentary. The experiments with voice narration fail with me. But the wonderful, detailed, well written, text is an example of the best in film making.

Great production quality, especially since you seem to be a one man crew? I don't know how it works but since you don't voice-over and seem to do the editing yourself, learning of the technicalities of each incident, recreating it in the sim and digesting the info and presenting it to a laymen audience, the effort seems immense.

Absolutely terrifying.

In the 80s we had a horrific approach into Preswick Scotland aboard a British midland aircraft. Looking out the side window you couldn’t see the wingtip. The turbulence was so severe that the over head bins opened up. I was a young Marine and I was with a Corporal from our unit. At first we were laughing but then our wing tip dipped and kept dipping. I looked over at the flight attendant and she was petrified. The plane leveled out and everyone was screaming. I honestly thought I was going to die. The turbulence was even worse and the engines were screaming. I looked out of the window and saw green but no runway. We slammed into the runway and the grass. We shuddered went airborne and slammed back down. Slid sideways and then straightened out. As we taxied to the gate the pilot said in his Scottish accent. “Thank you for flying British Midland airlines. We hope you enjoy your time in Preswick or other Scottish adventures” As I was leaving the plane I asked the flight attendant for her number, what is the worst that could happen after that. We dated for a year after that…

Cleared of all charges is ridiculous

Having watched about 300 accident case studies like these until now, I can positively conclude that 95% of all disasters could've been avoided if the pilot would be forced to look at his friggin artificial horizon at least once in a while... All these elaborate explanations, explaining somatographic illusions blah blah blah are just describing the symptoms, not the cause. The cause is that pilots over the last 50 years somehow fail to check the single most crucial instrument right in front of their faces.

WTH, the captain had no clue as to the elevation of the terrain around him and the controller had no idea where the aircraft was and sent it straight into the mountains!!! My gosh, nobody knew what the hell was going on!

One glaring thing I noticed about the second case was that there was no communication between the pilots. I never heard a single word spoken on the CVR. Only aural warnings. What were they doing up there?

Amazing the youngster, Bahia, survived after clinging to wreckage for thirteen hours. God blessed her.

I've looked everywhere to find Bahai Bakari's book "Moi Bahia, la Miraculée" in english, but I don't see any translated editions. If anyone knows how I can get my hands on that book in english, please lmk. What an incredible story - 12 years old, stayed in the water with a broken collarbone and pelvis for 13 hours overnight until she was finally rescued! Incredible story of a young lady with a strong will to survive...even knowing her mother was no longer alive. This is one hell of a story.

What is not said in the video is that the circling approach on runway 20 in Moroni is particularly challenging. There is actually a hill (not shown here) near the 20 final. You can’t just extend even a bit the downwind leg, you have to be fairly close and the final is necessarily short. You are stabilized on final only at around 300 ft. There are lights which must be operating at night to provide some guidance. This is way over the level of competency of those pilots, who couldn’t even control even a basic flight path at night, like making a turn without descending, according to this video.

The second crew totally lacked situation awareness and seemed to have little understanding of proper aircraft control/flight dynamics. Never should have been in a cockpit.

There was a young 12 year old girl who survived the second crash- the sole survivor. Her name is Bahia Bakari and she released a memoir in 2010 including her experience. She was approached by Steven Spielberg to make a movie out of what happened, but she reportedly declined him.

Who TF taught that second crew how to fly an airplaane?? Damn! Or how to fly a circling approach?? Damn!

The second one is sadly not the first time an airliner has crashed because of the crews inability to fly a visual circuit in the dark. Gulf Air lost an A320 in 2000 after a go around ended up with a botched circuit and a crash on finals. Worse still Gulf Air did there level best to blame the aircraft and not the crew even after the CVR was released and proved the crew ignored multiple "pull up" calls, along with being all over the place when it came to height, speed, and headings.

Complacency and blind routine-following on the part of the controller here killed those people in the first crash.

Very good animations and visual effects. Thank you for highlighting this disaster for all to understand.

how hard is it to monitor your 2 basic instruments, speed and altitude. "all this equipment to monitor" speed and altitude tells you 80% of what you are doing.

If you could do the 1988 YAK-40 crash in Bulgaria, because of being pressured by the communist leader Todor Zhivkov back then, who was in a rush, the plane (YAK-40) took off earlier and crashed, then his Tu-154 plane was taxiying over its debris and had its uneventful flight.Sofia-Varna flight 2nd of August 1988. All Bulgarian plane crashes fall into mystery, we do not have a single one uncovered. So would really appreciate a video about if not this one, any other Bulgarian related.

In the first crash, why have that holding pattern over land at all? They could've done the same thing over water and then line up their approach.

second one feels like ,High work load and flying on instruments to a third world airport by a crew quickly out if their depth

I remember that Ajaccio crash, it was a kinda two day trip if I remember correctly. And tickets where cheap, so the trip was sold out, the interest was that high, so much so, that officials did not know who actually boarded the plane, so for a next couple of days they played the list of all people who showed the interest in the trip on the television...

As always, awesome production values. The second clip, however, left me wanting a LOT MORE from the video. No history on pilots, and a clearer (if any) understanding of the investigation and the parties involved was very much missed. If that was "real audio" I'm thinking to myself that I have not heard a single word spoken between the pilots the entire time under a barage of circumstances that should have demanded constant verbal communications between the two. I found myself thinking after a bit "are these guys high, or what?" I'm going to have to go find other stuff on this accident. Your videos are great generally--more info on the second accident would have been great.

Where did the crew of the 2nd airliner get their pilot's liscense?

Why do pilots ignore warnings? The system is yelling Pull Up Pull Up Terrain Terrain yet the pilot continues flying as if it's the turn signal of a car in North Carolina that never turns off.

Nice job as usual. 👍👍 Crazy how inept these pilots were in both cases.

My favourite channel on RU-vid

Setting the autopilot altitude to 0 is never a good idea unless you want to crash...

That was intense ! Thanx for sharing !

Well presented video concentrating on the essentials needed to see what occurred. Because visual circling approaches require manual memory muscle flying skills, automation can't be used to help these poorly trained pilots. I have done many 600 foot circling night approaches in the mountains, and made sure that one set of eyes remained in the cockpit to monitor speed and altitude. A sad and unnecessary a tragedy.

Love your videos thank you soo much!

05:57 06:09 Thanks for the big white arrow. I couldn't possibly have noticed the plane without it.

I enjoy your videos. I had to 'rewind' the second incident a few times b/c what I was seeing and what I was reading were two different things. If the overhead view of the approach been aligned with magnetic north or at least a "N" symbol on the map, it would have been easier to follow.

Great video as always. Really enjoyed this one

It seems rather daft that 0ft is a legitimate option on Altitude Select.

The second plane wasn't ready to crash but the pilots forced it to. Going down with innocent lives

What happened to the single story, unique, aircrash videos?

I swear even if it's only animation, watching the plane plummets to the sea still creeps tf out of me. The girl who survived... I can only imagine how it felt to be a 100 tons tube free falling.

Nice job as usual !

In memory of no one...

I don't understand the pilots on that second flight. It is obvious in several instances that things are amiss. Why not abort the landing, climb and reassess?

Imagine seeing that jet flying a hundred feet above the surface of the sea with its landing gear out.

Visual approaches are only used if the pilot flying can visually see the runway. If he loses sight of it the approach should be abandoned and a missed approach initiated!

So they didn’t have radar installed to follow the flight path and altitude of the inbound aircraft? How is it possible they didn’t detect it?

great video! what sim and plane did you use for Flight 1308?

That first accident I'm still blaming the damn air traffic control. Don't they have radar to see exactly where the damn plane is?

So, if it weren't the first time using AJO VOR, the flight crew would not follow procedures with as much precision as possible????

the second accident is a clear indication that we have been at a tragic dependence on autopilots as many pilots simply can't fly a plane otherwise

These accidents show how incredibly important good, clear communication between the two pilots and the pilots and ATC is. No radar? RIP ❤❤

Reports like this have cause me to stop flying no joke

I remember seeing pictures of the wreckage of this inex Adria plane on the side of a mountain. Apparently,the bits were left there for years,and there was a clean up in 2008,with a memorial plaque being placed where the wing impacted the ground,(I think). The pictures were very sad to look at xx

I swear to pieces, if I am a pilot and I hear the words "PULL UP", I would probably OVER REACT to the command! Yesssirree, that command given for a reason!!!!🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

Number 1 rule of flight - FLY the airplane. It's a skill that's diminishing with automation.

Totally harrowing 😩

Wow! Amazing how poor situation awareness was in both. Thank you for sharing.

In the first accident, does air traffic control not have access to radar and actually see planes? I always thought that was the case instead of strictly relying on verbal communication for determining location and headings.

Does anyone know the name of the musical piece that starts at 7:12 minutes? It’s in a lot of TFC’s videos, but I can never find the name of it. Thanks to anyone who can help, and thanks to TFC for another great video!

" circle to Land " is a killer 😢😢

I'm surprised anyone survived an airplane nosediving into water!

Nice channel 🎉🎉

Another nice video. That's why I don't fly on Third World airlines. I have first hand experience training their Air Force pilots in my younger days in the USAF. Their airline pilots are worse. "Camels to jets" doesn't work. Yes, many never drove cars or dealt with anything mechanical. They got their position because daddy was a high ranking politician. That's how it works "over there". Yes, they do have some very good pilots. But they also have lots of bad ones that don't get cut from the program. BC 26,000 hrs in 14 jets from 707's to 777's

Man its shoking to see that

Bad situational awareness. It seemed like the pilots weren't even scared or paying attention when stalling

It always affects me on an emotional level when I think of the passengers. Their final moments spent in sheer terror! Hopeless, Helpless! To this day, I'm still haunted by AA191 on May 25, 1979! That photo of the plane 90 degrees to port, engine missing, trail of mist from the wing! I was sitting in Dormitory TV Room.with my.Girlfriend of the day! We both wept quietly as the reports came in.

Wow… these pilots were qualified to fly paper airplanes. Nice quota system at work.

Always be wary of what airline you select to fly.

I've watched this three times I still have no idea what this Yemenia crew were doing. Even when the aircraft was climbing vertically like a rocket and was about to stall, the PF still didn't think he should lower the nose incase he hit the sea. What the hell?

so in the first one would ATC not see them on the radar and then relize that they are in the holding pattern?

The first one seems very similar to TWA 514 in 1974. Instructed to descend too low, bad weather and poor visibility. They also couldn't see the mountain

In Corsica accident the pilots coud have made a right turn away from the mountains.

The approach described at 02:00 is for runway 03 and not for runway 21....

Why does the alpha floor protection not put the plane in a stable climb configuration? If it occurs it is likely the pilots are already overloaded and behind the plane. Expecting a nose down input soon after a GPWS or pull up alarm is counterintuitive at the best of times - let alone when you cannot work out what is happening.

That's a long time with that plane going nose up and then down.. could you imagine the passengers.. oh my God😮

This is so saddd great video tfc

That second one: OMG!

The Yemeni one was like me trying land that damn airplane playing Pilotwings for Super Nintendo.

Great examples of human factors. There was nothing wrong with their aircraft or equipment

Unbelievable incompetence. This is why I only fly in 1st world countries

It seems like the common problem in these kinds of accidents is the inability of pilots to return back to one simple principle …….. keep flying the plane…….Just watch your airspeed , altitude , pitch and trim and unless the plane is malfunctioning then you should be ok. Is all that technology and dials screwing things up?

Thank you for not using ALL CAPS in the text. It's much easier to read lowercase!

Great reproduction as always. I wonder though how the flight lost altitude every time it turned, first -2000 and then -1000 Ft.PM. Could it be due to the tail wind?

terrain, ahead, pull up, terrain, ahead, pullup

60% of the air crashes I see on ALL of these channels are caused by the planes' onboard computers. The computers are programmed with instruction sets and algorithms based on past experiences so in NEW situations they are not informed and the pilots are left to battle with not only conflicting data but the AIs themselves. How many times do you see a pilot trying to descend but the computer either tells them to ascend or in many cases, fly-by-wire, fights with the pilot's inputs to the craft and what needs to be done in the given circumstance? As a for-instance in this video look at 16:25. Auto-pilot had already been disengaged by the pilots so that the pilots could maneuver the craft in a way they felt could resolve the situation but the AFP took control and drove them all to their deaths. In my humble opinion the pilots actually made the right choices based on their own flying capabilities and immediate plan to resolve the issue but an onboard computer algorithm took over and disrupted their plan throwing them into the catastrophic event chain that followed. At 17:01 the stick shaker then activates. What is the force of the stick shaker to responsiveness of a forward push response for downward action? Does this intense jarring not further rattle the already stressed individuals attempting to bring a craft under control? 17:22: proof that the computer put the aircraft into roll based on its algorithmic approach and ability to control the aircraft when it shouldn't have. 17:41: "Real Audio" is used from the cockpit and NO ONE is saying a word. This is because the pilots have put their full trust in the systems they were told were designed to NOT let something like this happen so they are in utter disbelief that it is actually happening. No one screams, no one shouts out to the other to make a move on their end to help (co-pilot, flight engineer). In a split second they all realize they have been overtaken by the fact that they are not actually in charge of the aircraft itself and are actually powerless to stop it. The verbiage used by investigatory agencies and parroted in these presentations typically lays blame on the pilots but they did not in fact have full control over the aircraft and the sequence of events that followed or ultimately led up to the demise. This is now becoming common with the computer-aided cars and trucks on the road. Folks, we are not at a place in time where a true AI exists so that you can just kick your feet back and let the computer do the work while you collect a paycheck or get from point A to B. Plus, doesn't it take the fun out of life anyway to let some coded pile of junk do your job and joy for you? What's next, the computer eats, sleeps, talks and has sex for you too? Wait... Another point pre-comments. I know everyone likes to blame human error in these instances but like I already stated, who programs the AIs? A system is only as intelligent as its programmers so in ALL circumstances human error IS the culprit. It is human error to go cheap on air traffic controllers working a given area at a given time. It is human error for an air traffic controller to be overworked and not push back. It is human error that goes into programming AIs while not allowing for pilot redress at crucial moments. It is human error to go cheap on sensors on the aircraft so that they become compromised often so that the onboard AI cannot calculate properly, it is human error to trust the airline industry AT ALL anymore based on their obvious lack of concern over the safety of people over more profits than anyone should make in a lifetime and you can't take it with you. One final note. My husband and I have developed a new type of compute architecture that resolves many if not all of these problems and it also applies across the board to any and all other compute-related industries right down to the consumer level but nobody wants to be involved or see it come to fruition. This tells us that they don't want the solution, only the problems. That says to us unequivocally that these incidences are not so much accidents as they are by design. That means they are human sacrifices used to continue a control structure by chaos. Ordo ab chao. Cheers!

Look out everybody.

D'oh. Is that a mountain ahead? - N'ah can't be, controller said we're over the ocean.