NOTICE TO VIEWERS!! I am editing the pinned comment to drop this message to highlight a mistake in this video. I have blurred the images that I used for the First Officer and Second Officer. I had mistakenly used the incorrect images. Originally I had an image of the Second Officer in place of the First Officer and an image of the Flight's Purser in the position of the Second Officer. This was an error made when I isolated these images from the newspaper clipping they came from. This was entirely my fault and I apologize for this stupid mistake. I could not keep them in the video knowing this now so have taken the decision to blur them from the video. So that is why those parts are the way they are now. Thanks. Chloe. A thank you to my good friend Roslayn for supplying some music in this video. She got a couple links: www.youtube.com/@RosalynAspinall www.youtube.com/@@ridesandrealms Further thanks go out to Friend of the show Admiral Cloudberg for lending her voice for a few lines: admiralcloudberg.medium.com/ See her podcast here: www.youtube.com/@ControlledPodIntoTerrain If you enjoy my work and want to support the channel further, you can always join my Patreon. All Patrons get Early Access to all new videos before they go out publicly: www.patreon.com/DisasterBreakdown Twitter: twitter.com/Chloe_HowieC BlueSky: bsky.app/profile/chloehowie.bsky.social
Hey Chloe, just wanted to let you know that the effort you put into your content is CLEAR and we can all see it!! I wish you nothing but love and health during your transition and as you undergo gender-affirming care.
I can't help feeling that the outcome would have been much better if the pilot in command hadn't chosen to go around and instead, committed to the landing. Obviously I have the benefit of hindsight and didn't come to this conclusion within the mere seconds the pilot had available to make such a choice. At the end of the day, this proved that the pilots mistrust of possible mid air deployment of the spoilers was well founded.
@@KenFullman The report does say that, given his training and his actions just before touchdown, it would've been impossible to expect him to change course and commit to a hard landing.
Brilliant video once again Chloe and absolutely heartbreaking to hear him say Sorry it made me cry. I really enjoyed how this episode was written and produced. ❤❤
It wasn’t even his fault, it never should have been to able to happen in the fking first place, Douglass is fully responsible, the FO’s preference was due to him feeling it was safer and more comfortable, sad he went down thinking it was on him because Douglass knew about the issue in the first place
@@captainbossman1016 if you know you sound like a dick before saying something then maybe dont say it. Ive seen this joke multiple times now in the comments and it isnt funny.
@@captainbossman1016 Meh, fair. But it really actually brings me down, somehow makes me emotional. That mistakes are made by so many, and their smallest mistakes yes could cause something like this. But seriously, sometimes they aren't intentional. idk man. Where do you draw that line when you can forgive them versus not? But at the end, does it matter? It is what it is. and we have people who purposefully do this and have no guilt for this
Yeah the first time he said it and the second time. I imagine the second time the Captain was thinking. "Well Don I appreciate that your sorry, but it's not really helping the situation."
In remembrance: Captain Peter Cameron Hamilton, 50 First Officer Donald Rowland, 40 Flight Engineer Harry Gordon Hill, 28 Purser Robert J. Cédilot, 29 Flight Attendant Marie T. Ginette Bertrand, 23 Flight Attendant Yolande M.C. Daoust, 25 Flight Attendant Suzanne M. Dion, 23 Flight Attendant Denise M. Goulet, 22 Flight Attendant Hildegund Wieczorek, 24 Céline Fradette Adam Pierre J. Adam Gaétan Beaudin, 27 Roland Bélanger, 38 Hélène Bélanger, 39 Jacques Bélanger, 15 Jean Bélanger, 12 Rosanne Bélanger, 10 Helen Benson, 12 Leonard Benson, 45 Mary Benson, 39 Richard Benson, 9 Lynn Ann Boosamra, 11 Guy Boulanger Dollie Bradshaw Jeannine Chapdelaine, 30 Joanne Chapdelaine, 11 Mario Chapdelaine, 8 Jean Maurice Charest Devona Olivia Clarke, 56 Francine Côté Brigitte Rodrigue DesMarais, 34 Gabriel DesMarais Alice Dicaire, 49 Gilles Dicaire, 46 Linda Dicaire, 16 Luc Dicaire, 11 Marc Dicaire, 14 Jacqueline Doré, 47 Lewella Frances Earle, 21 Linda Margaret Earle, 21 Francesco Filippone, 37 Linda Filippone, 15 Marie Filippone, 37 King Bun Gee, 35 Madeleine Maria Flores Honorine Grenier, 54 Diana Cicely Growse, 41 Jane Isobel Growse, 2 Roger Henry Growse, 4 Karen Elaine Hamilton, 19 Ronald Alvin Herrmann, 32 Claude Kieran Holiday, 57 Wesley Graham Houston, 52 Irene Marguerite Houston, 51 Vagn Aage Jakobsen, 24 Gilles Labonté, 43 Marie-Rose Leclaire, 57 Oscar Leclaire, 67 Henri W. Leduc Claudette Lepage, 29 Gerald Bernard Mailhiot Claire Gagnon-Mailhiot Karolina Fiedler Maitz, 57 Gustav Adolf Maitz, 56 Winnifred Grace McKettrick, 46 John Walter McTague, 63 Carla Medizza Dolly Mohammed, 38 Antonio Costanzo Molino, 43 Michel Molino, 14 Frederick Thompson Moore, 48 Carnis Ann Partridge, 30 Cyril Wayne Partridge, 29 Andreé Partridge, 67 Kenneth William Phillips, 27 Rita Gagné-Poirier, 56 Gilles Raymond, 16 Marcel Raymond, 45 Georges Étienne Robert, 49 Aline Legault Robert, 45 Lionel Émile Robidoux, 37 Marci Robin Silverberg, 12 Merle Silverberg, 34 Steven Phllip Silverberg, 9 Istvan Simon, 35 Mark Woodrow Simon, 46 Dwight Lee Smith, 24 Glenn Thomas Steppings, 17 Blanche Lucienne St-Laurent, 52 Celia Sultan Jerald Mark Sultan, 4 months Robert Lowell Sultan, 2 Borys A. Szpakowicz, 39 Serge-Alexandré Szpakowicz, 10 Carmen M.M. Tielens, 41 Frederick A.J. Tielens, 8 Athanasia Tournovits, 42 George Soula Tournovits, 14 Carla Weinberg, 11 Rita Naomi Weinberg, 39 Wendy Weinberg, 8 Jennifer Cavell Whittingham, 54 John Reginald Whittingham, 12 Reginald Whittingham, 53 Mary Baker Whybro, 62 Edgar Bradley Witmer, 48 Mansing Wong, 63 Ngar-Quon Wong, 58 Suzie Wong, 11 Dallas James Woodard, 60
This is why I'm a firm believer in "Touch the Ground, Stay On the Ground." If you smack the ground that hard, and don't know the extent of the damage to flight controls, engines, and surfaces... shove it in and bring it to a stop... I'd rather ride through a possible runway excursion and evacuation, than fall out of the sky because we went around.
That's what I was thinking. As I see it, once the ground spoilers had been deployed, the pilot immediately decided to accelerate to counteract the spoilers and try to avoid hitting the ground. As the plane hit the ground he was still accelerating and then he continued to do so even after the plane had touched the ground. In hindsight, if he had reduced engine power as soon as the plane touched the runway, the result would have been a very hard landing with much damage, and there would have been fuel leaks and probably a fire, but at least they'd be on the ground and people would have had a chance to get off the plane.
I just commented the same thing. The plane was already committed to the landing, plus a loud boom o in contact. Just bring it to a screeching fault on the runway.
@anthonyfernandez1768: The pilot pulled up the nose and increased engine thrust to counteract to loss of lift from the deployment of spoilers, and did so before ground contact. The rate of descent went from 1500 ft/min to 1000, and softened the impact. This was a good move, as no action likely would've destroyed the plane upon impact, since the impact at the lower rate of descent already exceeded the design limits of the plane and damaged the starboard wing. However, if he then had landed the plane after the bounce, the plane could land with its right wing still attached, and everyone could evacuate from the port side, if a fire erupts on the starboard wing tip. But the plane got airborne again, and the flight crew didn't know of the wing damage, loss of engine #4, and ensuing fire. Thus, they took a standard attempt of a TOGA, which was long enough for the fire to progress to explosions that tore off the wing.
Thank you for this doc, great work as usual. I lost 3 friends on that flight, Mario, Joanne, Jeannine Chapdelaine. French Canadian friends of our family, they were loved and are not forgotten.
@@StressBall5Any air disaster will create better safety to make sure the disaster never happens again* There’s some exceptions, but since at least the 90s a disaster changes safety laws. Multiple disasters in a short period (MAX 8 for instance) results in grounding every plane. Compare that to ANY other mode the NTSB polices. Train derailments still happen. Trains still regularly hit cars many times a year due to some stops only having a stop sign and not a crossing bar. Car accidents happen regularly. Hell, the Ford Pinto was put into production and when they found out a gentle rear end collision could make the car EXPLODE due to the location of the gas tank? They literally said “it’ll cost more to recall them all than to get sued for every death. So no recall.” We saw this with Toyota’s mats, and the airbags too: NTSB doesn’t order a recall for even over a hundred of these issues. Only planes will get those changes, since it’s such huge numbers of deaths and also because so many innocent lives can be lost on the ground.
@@Harley-and-Her-Ruff-Riders The NTSB doesn't implement those changes. They investigate and give advisories, but it's up to the FAA (or other relevant authority) to actually implement and enforce the changes.
The fact that the FO spent the last few minutes of his life blaming himself for what was truly just an honest and understandable mistake, makes it all the more tragic. He should never have been put in a position where that error was so easy to make.
It's so terrible. He made a mistake, but it's also a mistake that pilots had been led to believe couldn't result in what happened. Most times, muscle memory and routine serve us well, and this one time, it was a tragedy.
@@shelleymacaskill8726 The worst thing about the whole disaster is that this was clearly a case of what is termed "Normalizing deviation" that is in itself a sure recipe for disaster, but was in this particular case enhanced by McDonald Douglas giving false information that caused issues known to pilots flying the aircraft type and almost certainly forcing them into the issue of normalizing deviation. This disaster was bound to happen from the day the spoiler system for the DC-8 was designed which just makes the tormenting feelings of the FO even sadder and more uncalled for. He never stood a chance of anticipating or understanding the real issues in the disaster or that he, despite being the one to put the lever in the wrong position, wasn't to blame in any way. It was as stated an honest mistake that should never have caused anything to happen other than perhaps a giggle or 2 from the flight crew. And the maddest thing is that 109 people died so needlessly because pilots and instructors and even airlines were led down a blind path of lies and deceipt which led to the disaster. This is one case where there is no such thing as a "God moves in mysterious ways" to soothen any hurt or grief of those who lost their lives or loved ones.
My family and I witnessed the entire sequence of events from the terminal observation deck that morning. From the approach, to the loss of the engine, to the plane falling out of the sky - and every horrifying step in between. The words you chose in your intro were apropos to put it mildly.
You know, its not healthy to go thru this world not believing anyone, but maybe its who you hang out with, family, work or where you put yourself online. You should be savi g your energy vommenting and put it to yourself and ask "why am I so insecure about what others say"-- Im guessing your parents werent the best and you got trust issues from that hmm? @beenhog6922
I was 12 when this happened. I remember being at home when my father, and Air Canada Pilot and accident investigator, got a phone call and had to leave right away. He was an investigator on this accident. Over the summer the investigation team met at our house (in Etobicoke) many time to discuss what had to be done, and how to approach the investigation. My father explained to me all the things that happened, and why they did happen. I believe this video is pretty accurate based on my recollection, with a few exceptions. The #4 engine broke off when they hit the ground, and damaged the outer wing. The #3 engine pilon broke across the front as it was held to the wing with a semicircle of bolts at the front, and a large one at the back. The front bolts were ripped out, the rear held. There was sufficient fuel in the fuel system to keep the engine running, and the torque kept that engine and pilon pressed up against the wing and in place. As the plane flew on, the damaged fuel system could not supply fuel to the engine, and the #3 engine stopped and fell away. This tore the inner wing apart as it twisted free. This caused the additional explosion, and accounted for total the damage to the wing. #3 engine was found in a field starved of fuel. When the wing came off, the plane rolled over 2 and 1/2 times and went in nose first, but essentially upside down. At one time, I was able to go through all the photos of the crash site. There was no gore, and there was almost nothing distinguishable. I only saw that photo album once as I assume my dad took it away.
Wow, you seem to really LIKE the attention you get from writing about this event. That’s too bad. You’re rubbernecking and showing off what you "know." But… "… a field starved of fuel…" and other strange details that you list make little to no sense. And pylon is spelled with a "y," not an "i." At age 12, there’s just NO WAY you could remember so many items. IF your dad was an investigator, his notes would be stored somewhere away from and NOT AT your home. Your memory also seems a somewhat ad-libbed on many bits; it’s just not worth the time and energy to lay into each one. So, g'nite laddie. 🙄
As someone who’s Canadian, this disaster really stuck out for me. Being one of the only completely fatal accidents in Air Canada’s history (The other being Trans-Canada Lines 831), it’s so surprising there’s barely any videos about it online. Thanks for covering this accident.
There's was another plane crash in 1949, but it was caused by a bomb. It crashed in Québec near where I used to live. There's a plaque commemorative of the crash.
@@Lady_Trouble Air Canada 797 is the one you're referring to however there were 23 survivors in that crash unlike 621 which is the only Air Canada crash to have no survivors. 797 tho did help make flying a bit safer as many fire regulations in aviation are attributed to this incident
Technically, Trans-Canada Air Lines 831 was also a completely fatal accident in Air Canada's history. Air Canada was the French name for the airline since 1954, and English ads from 1963 did show both English and French names. 1965 was when the airline renamed itself to Air Canada in English.
As it was, they excavated the field to remove remaining shards of aluminum, plastic...and bones that work up through the soil periodically. There was such destruction, everything was pulverized. This soul was to have been interred beneath the memorial.
I had a "worst Canadian disasters" book when I was a kid. The three stories that stuck with me from it were the Halifax WWI explosion, the collapse of the Quebec bridges, and this story. The way it was recounted in the book was essentially: the first officer pulled back rather than pushed forward on the lever deploying the spoilers immediately rather than on touchdown, the plane fell out of the sky like a rock, bounced once, pulled up, and crashed into a nearby hillside, and the first officer's refusal to arm the spoilers as directed by procedure was arrogant and directly responsible for everyone's death, the end. No accounting for pilots' reticence to follow procedure, no explanation of the damage done to the pylons, engines, and wings from the hard landing, no discussion about the tower's failure to communicate vital information to the pilots, and one inexplicable hill fabrication. This video did a much better job.
That's what happens when a bunch of authors with a surface level knowledge of those industries write a book and demonstrate their ignorance. They probably included tons of misinformation about the Quebec Bridge and Halifax Explosion. I just happen to write this from modern day Halifax!
@@thecaynuck A friend of mine used to live in Dartmouth and she would tell me about how everything was leveled on that side of town and all the buildings were much newer than 1917. The Halifax Explosion was so horrific and very preventable.
For those wondering, the "If you know you know" at 15:42 , That is BOAC Flight 911, a Boeing 707 registered G-APFE. The recording is looking over another crashed Canadian DC-8 at Haneda Airport, And watched as the 707 taxied and took off before crashing about 10-15 minutes later. That clip watching is is the last footage of that aircraft, and the aircraft crashed under 24 hours after the DC-8 did, the cause was severe turbulence and an inflight break up.
This crash is becoming something of aviation.legend with so many touched by the magnitude of this tragedy. And now a connection to a BOAC departing flight that crashed also. My goodness this only one that I can bring to mind is that L1011 that went down in the everglades a year or 2 later.
@@RobloxiaIntlAerospaceGroup yes where the first officer was in the nose gear baytrying desperately to lock the mechanism. The passenger jet clipped the wing in the terrain when they strayed to low.
This was up there amongst the most heart breaking of stories. The fact that the F/O instantly took the blame as he knew what would happen next just makes it worse. I also have to commend you on the video. They keep getting better. The delivery and composition is totally professional. On a par with anything on TV and other channels, of which there are many excellent ones. However, what I feel sets you apart is the deep humanity and compassion with which you approach and treat them. It is almost as if you know everyone on board and the loss affects you as well, and this runs through all your videos. This one is no exception. The visit to the crash site just highlights that as well. Outstanding work
God. That last "Pete, sorry" is so, so, so heartbreaking. That poor man. That poor poor man. He is dying with the guilt that he has caused all these other deaths by a silly mistake. Oh, my heart. And the arrangement of the squares in the memorial is so poignant. Edit: Also, dang Chloe, this video was really really fricking good, wow
Well at that point they definitely didn't know the flight was doomed. He said sorry because he was for making the mistake in the first place and knew that captain was going to chew that ass after the flight... I'm a captain here in the USA and I'd definitely want to talk about any flight control being put into an undesired state.... I'm am probably one of the most laid back captains at my company out of thousands but I'd be kinda pissed about that and would have put that thing back on the ground asap. Fire in flight is the only thing that makes me nervous and if I had one going on in that situation I would fly straight out for 5 or so miles and quickly make a 180 a put it down.... checklist be dammed. The fire trucks can put out a fire better then I can in flight. Plus any checklist or QRH procedure can be done pretty Damm quick by a competent crew. Everyone flies differently and minus the FO the rest of the crew did the best they could with an impossible situation.
Between you and Mentour Aviation we have some of the best quality air crash documentaries ever made. Never thought Air Crash Investigation would be outdone by RU-vid but you are officially better. You deserve millions of subs.
100% agree. Do you think we could get Chloe and Petter to do a collab? Or do you think if you saw those two on a plane together it would just empty the flight, as you’d 100% think something bad was gonna happen? ;)
@@davidbrooks9576 yeah I don't like that and the minute or so introductory narration gives away a lot of the mystery and part of the fun was trying to figure out what was causing the accident. So I learned to just to skip to the credits to avoid spoilers about certain accidents.
I’ve watched hundreds of air disaster docs on RU-vid. This may be the best I’ve ever seen. The attention to detail, genuine interest and empathy, footage from a personal visit to the memorial….wow. Outstanding job.
“not like those other planes” made me chuckle. Not easy to add little jokes like that without messing up the tone in such a serious, heartbreaking topic, but you managed it! Love your content, Chloe, and I’ll add my own compliments to your production value and overall quality. You are an inspiration 💜
@@hg8506 some credit also has to go to the voice actor who we actually hear in the videos, he does an excellent job, far better than the low effort channels that just use one of those annoying AI voices
I often put the whole channel on random play while I'm pottering around the house. I can place each video in rough chronological order based on how much she learnt and improved over the years. And I cannot thank her enough 💜
right? the past few videos you've been able to see the improvement but I feel like this one in specific is so far ahead of just the previous video its incredible
I have watched hundreds of air disaster videos for many years. This one stands out as one of the best of them all! The accident was explained in an understandable way even for the laymen. The story itself is full of twist and turns. It is a fascinating story! It was amazing such a slip of the hand could result in such unbelievable catastrophe! The story is gripping. The care put into making this video makes it one of the best air disaster videos I have ever viewed. My hat off to the maker of this video! Thank You!
Recently retired from a 40 plus year aviation career. I thought this was an exceptionally well made documentary. You did a great job explaining the idiosyncrasies of pilot logic and cockpit crew dynamics, as well as clear uncomplicated explanations of relevant systems and procedures. When pilots have a new technology that still is in its infancy, has a few mysterious unknowns, an unproven track record, and a history of POSSIBLY not behaving the way the manual says it will, they have a healthy skepticism about relying on it and sometimes come up with work arounds, often reverting back to more basic methods that they have used in the past. That normally is a completely conservative way to ensure safety, however the inherent design flaw in that DC-8 spoiler lever made it backfire in this case. It's inconceivable that the spoiler lever "Retract" position would require moving the lever in one direction to the "Arm" position, but movement in the opposite direction to the "Extend" position. That's a setup for failure. An example of how a pilot might take SOP's and bend them to make them work in the real world: when the 737 Max starting making smoking holes in the ground, before it was grounded and the MCAS design flaws corrected, my workaround was to engage the autopilot before final flap retraction on departure and to extend them to some amount on approach before disconnecting the autopilot. Somewhat unusual and not in the book or the way it was trained, but this would prevent the MCAS from firing off because that system only functioned with the autopilot off in a clean configuration. The hardest landing I ever saw in my life was as a Flight Engineer on the 727 - pretty similar to this Air Canada event. The 727 didn't have an auto spoiler system and they were deployed manually by the Captain, either when he touched down on his landings, or when the FO called for them after touchdown if it was his landing. We did a visual to 22L at EWR ,circle to land on 29 which is a hot mess of an approach that involves a left turn away from the landing runway and a short descending right 180 turn to land. He's all over the sky the whole way to the threshold, but the FO finally touches down and calls for "Spoilers". Before I can blurt out, "NO!" because he'd actually done a gentle skip and we were in a gentle climb about 50" in the air, the CA pulls the lever and we came down like 3 tons of bricks. The FO's seat bottomed out on the height adjustment rails, the Captain is yelling "Fly the pieces son!", and we got the full rubber jungle from the masks dropping in the cabin. It was eye watering.
Let’s quit blaming this on an ”inherent” design flaw, this was pilot error all the way. Frankly, I believe the 727 Max crashes were also pilot error. A well trained crew would not have crashed those aircraft.
@@Scribe127 I can see your point. But the DC-8 crash is complicated by the fact that the pilots were trained it was literally impossible to deploy the spoilers in flight. This in turn appears to have been because MD was very vague on the subject. So to me, these three elements, MD, AC pilot training, and pilot error can not so readily be separated from one another. The fact this was ONLY happening on DC-8 aircraft suggests a shortcoming. Many airlines expressed concern about the system. Finally, after an Icelandic DC-8 crashed in 1973 after the spoilers were extended, MD very quietly made modifications to the design. That speaks quite a bit given how fiercely MD defended themselves in the Loftleider suit that followed. As to the MAX, there is also no doubt in my mind that, at least in the Ethiopian crash, there was very defective pilot training. There's a book on that very subject by an ET pilot who saw first hand how the airline failed badly at pilot training. As usual, ET covered it up. But the fact remains that the MAX had a dangerous flaw: it would not have crashed had there been no MCAS, or at the very least such a casual attitude about the pilot training needed.
@@Scribe127 The irony is that the newer pilots were deliberately kept in the dark just so the industry WOULDN'T have to be pay for extra training. Fliers of the older B737 200 would have instinctively switched off the electric Stabilizer Trim. It was instinctual muscle memory.
@@DisasterBreakdownit was insane, considering, the suburb I live in Montreal is smack right next to the airport and my bus line I take stops there. Heck my home is or was as idk if that runway closed under one of the runway approaches paths.
I wonder if the crew would have reacted any differently had Toronto Tower told them they were missing an engine and were on fire. The crew went around and proceeded as if their aircraft was still intact. I wonder if the knowledge that they had significant damage would have primed them to respond to an emergency rather than a normal go around.
I too am surprised that ATC neglected to inform the pilots of such serious damage to their aircraft, instead handing them over to another operator who would probably be unaware that the pilots hadn't been told. They surely must know that the pilots can't see behind them so may be oblivious to major damage.
No aircraft accident documentaries terrify me more than the ones centered around accidents that happen on approach. I can't imagine the feeling of relief at finally landing turning to instant dread and fear. So I can't even imagine the grief, pain, and regret that First Officer Rowland felt in those last few moments. They were so close, and an honest brain fart is what did them in. Great video as always, but God, what a horrifying accident.
It wasn't even really his fault. M-D didn't have a good reason for building the controls like they did. That lever should have been made such that he couldn't even deploy the spoilers in flight.
I could see myself making that kind of mistake. Luckily, my job involves policy, so there’s never such immediate, irreversible, and catastrophic consequences.
I've always thought that if I had to die in an air crash, I'd want it to be on takeoff rather than landing. The last way I want to spend the last hours of my life is stuck in economy 🤷 But after watching these for long enough, I never relax until we have come to a complete stop lol
"Pete, sorry." That's a phrase that pops into my head on occasion. It's such a meaningful two short words, said by a man who knew he'd made a mistake, and who obviously felt the weight of it in the moment, and deep regret for the error. Very sad.
I really, really love how you go an extra mile and actually visit the locations of the disasters you cover, plus your editing is getting better with each episode.
Air Canada DID in fact audit the Douglas manual: and killed 109 people in carrying out the audit. Like the Eschede rail disaster: DB's wheelsets, having been flagged for errors by Hanover tramways at 35 kph were finally tested at full speed, upon which they disintegrated and killed 101 people.
Had the Captain simply followed the checklist instead of trying to "think" this would have never happened. I have 4000 hour L1011 and I flew with alot of morons who thought they knew better than the engineers and test pilots who developed checklists and procedures .
Hi. I’ve been an airplane enthusiast for a long time and also one that’s studied physics in university, I’ve always been fascinated with these stories. Thank you for presenting them in such a detailed manner both from aerodynamic, mechanical and human perspective. This one in particular hits home as I grew up only a 30 drive away from Brampton. Keep up the wonderful work!
thank you for showing photos of the passengers and crew, along with information about their lives. Part of the reason I think I've been watching so many similar disaster docs is because of the empathy creators like you show towards the victims.
Chloe I want to give you a compliment: One of the things that I think you do better than ALL of the others is that you do an OUSTANDING job of "translating" aircraft techno-eze into the best Plain English descriptions... I know that most av-geeks probably know what a back course approach is; well I didn't and like the other terms, you do a GREAT job of making it understandable. Thank you!
oh chloe. this is such a heartbreaking, devastating, honest mistake that had such a terrible cost. thank you for your respectful and compassionate approach to this disaster.
I'm usually very harsh with social media channels but You went to the site and I think that's very impressive and respectful. Your detail and approach to this video was very good. Much respectful and subscribed
This video actually made me cry, these are always heartbreaking but to hear the FO say “sorry Pete” I can’t imagine the pain and devastation he must of felt it’s almost unimaginable. I really do enjoy how Chloe writes and produces these accidents, there’s always so much feeling conveyed whilst explaining the accident sequence in what I call plain language. There always excellent work and by far one of my favourite channels. The remembrance garden was gorgeous and very poignant ❤❤❤❤
I’ve seen and read hundreds of these investigations. Why never this one? All I can think is because it’s plainly too sad. Your one of a kind personal review of the memorial just multiplies the effect. Really impactful presentation. Thank you for doing these. And this.
This is one of the very best implementations of a documentary. From the excellent narration & the fact that you put your commercial at the end created a win win for the both of us. I will subscribe. Thanks
As a Canadian who lives maybe 30 minutes from the accident site and am very much interested in aviation since childhood, i never heard about this air accident, and this got me thinking that i might go visit this park sometime soon because as soon as i saw the intro and the walking paths i said "wait a minute, that looks familiar", lo and behold i was right, great video, keep up the good work!
Kind-of surreal to suddenly find your hometown is being featured in an episode. Brings to mind when SILENCE OF THE LAMBS was released and a movie audienced unexpectedly saw their little midwest town being raided by FBI agents after a serial killer. the theater went quiet the townspeople had no idea that the big budget movie used the entrance WELCOME TO RIVERDALE IOWA sign during a raid on the residence of a psycho sex killer. The rest of scene was filmed in another location but the caravan of fbi agents and SWAT rolling past the WELCOME TO sign was a complete surprise.
I was 10yrs old at the time, living 3/4 of a mile east of Islington ave on Finch ave. Finch ended at Islington in 1970. If you went north on Islington at that intersection about 2mi was Steeles ave. The northern boundry of Toronto, the north side of Steeles ave became Woodbridge, another 2 miles or so the main intersection was Hwy7 and Islington. On the NW corner was Woodbridge Arena. There was no Hockey or skating there that winter, it was the building that was used for the CSI, Crash Site Investigation. What ever was retrieved from that crash site was brought to the arena to be pieced together for the Investigation. Everything. I've never forgotten that tragedy. Approximately 96% of the landings at Pearson are east to west, and I lived right on that trajectory along Finch ave and use to go down to the little valley that the Humber River created not very far from our house with my little cassette tape recorder to record the engines of the planes coming in to land. I would fall asleep listening to my beloved aircraft. D.C. 8s 9s and eventually D.C.10s L1011s and so on. GREAT job on your documentary, just thought I would share with you, just how close to someone's heart YOU fly without knowing. And now you know! Lol Thanks for filling in so many blanks for me. CHEERS, Carpe Deim
Anyone else think it's crazy that ATC didn't mention the fire, and that the closed runway was for THEIR DEBRIS and engine?? I mean nothing could have been done anyway we know now but wow.
I definitely adds a special personal touch when you visit the accident places yourself. In practically every other accident video made by other tubers however well made it is, that personal touch is missing, and we only get to see stock images or videos of the site. Of course it's not always possible to make that trip personally, but you have already made it (at least) twice, so props for that!
I can't imagine the emotions of the pilots during their final moments, what a horribly unfortunate mistake. Him apologizing immediately, the small amount of hope thinking they will make it, the explosions and subsequent knowledge of their own demise, and another apology. I feel so bad for this guy, it was such an understandable mistake. I also wanted to say I really appreciate the effort you put into making your sources so easy to find.
Thank you for taking the time and care to show us the memorial site. This whole doc was so well done, so respectful, and it's incredibly touching. I've seen literally hundreds of plane crash videos, and not one has made me cry like this. Well done, and thank you.
Douglas merged with McDonnell, which then "acquired" Boeing, and the culture of profit over safety prevails. I was an IBM architect on the Boeing 787 project when the plan was delivered to ANA, the first delivery, and I was shocked how bad the culture was at Boeing. In their defence, the fullt-time employees always said, "If you think we are bad, you should see the defence side of the company!"
And it's only gotten worse.. I don't understand how people trust their lives to these shoddy machines anymore. I guess like everything else, the aeronautical field has been hit by the competency crisis.
I used to work for these guys and we took immense pride and were very aware peoples lives depended on us doing things correctly. I was actually interviewed by the 60 minutes crew i was tasked with guiding them around our facilities. I was threatened by my VP to not be to honest or show them certain things which we were actively hiding in order to ensure we would not jeopardize the next round of funding. We lied our asses off with ARPRO also involved during a program review. I have many stories and secret’s I’ve never revealed . Over all the actual people that turn wrenches are very much quality conscious management not so much.
Ah the ongoing myth that Boeing was somehow 'pure' before they acquired MD... Check out Boeing's history on the rushed development of the B-29, the B747 and the 737 all _before_ they acquired MD. They have been skirting certification throughout their history and not just since the 90s. Just as one specific example look at the rushed certification of the 737-400 which led to the Kegworth disaster of 1989. The whole aerospace industry has been corrupt and continues to be corrupt with the FAA basically allowing the manufacturers and airlines to write and enforce their own certifications.
Well, if you look at Boeing’s overall safety record in the last 20 years, I think you’re going to be SHOCKED to discover that a machine with over a MILLION parts, many of them in CONSTANT motion and holding back astronomical pressures, controllably burning THOUSANDS of gallons of fuel in ONE flight, is responsible for less deaths in this country every year than those from DOG bites!
@@mnirwin5112 I suppose ultimately it wouldn't have mattered if the crew did or didn't know about the fire... It seems if I'm understanding it correctly the fuel leak was unstoppable and unfortunately from the point the plane lifted back off from the runway its fate was sealed as there would've been no way for them to get back to the runway in the less than 3 minutes that they had.
What a BEAUTIFUL intro and video. The fact that you visit these memorials and share the victims stories speaks volumes. Thank you for the time you take to carefully investigate and share these disasters. I can truly see the work and dedication, Chloe ! By the way, for what it is worth, the music you include is always so soothing despite the nature of these tragedies.
This is incredibly well done. Every detail, from the operation of the spoilers to explanation of the pilots' remarks to each other, was very clearly explained. This is top quality content. Subscribed!
Another tragic story, masterfully told. Chloe, you are raising the bar on air accident documentaries with every new presentation, injecting a very humane view into stories that could very easily just be a dry recitation of facts. Thank You for this...
This was horrible, the poor guy feeling so much guilt in his final moments, I couldn’t even look at the doll. Well presented respectful and insightful thank you.
Chloe - that was a home run (sixer) video. You hit every mark: technical knowledge, cinematography, editing, pacing, writing and voice acting. In your voice I could hear that this was probably one of the most emotionally difficult videos that you've done. I was moved. Thank you.
On this day of July 1970 I was taking my instrument check ride out of Buttonville Airport in Markham. I had done my IFR training with Toronto Airways. My check ride was scheduled for 7:00 am local time. I prepared my documentation for the flight, made my preflight checklist while the instructor was preparing the routing for the test. After some oral questions and answers about the local weather forecast (which was VFR in the Toronto area) he gave me the flight plan in order to prepare the navigation instruments for the 3 different airports where I would be tested for different types of approaches and VOR where I would be tested on holdings with different types of entries (tear-drop, parallel, etc…). As soon as we were airborne on the Cessna Cardinal, I had to put on the hood which allows vision of the instruments but not outside. We had planned to make 2 approaches at Oshawa, 2 at Toronto Airport (known today as Toronto-Pearson) and 2 at Hamilton. When we finished our procedures at Oshawa we headed for Toronto with clearance given by Toronto Approach for an ILS approach Runway 24. We had to report passing the Buttonville VOR then got cleared for Downsview (where there used to be a NDB beacon) then got switched to Runway 32. Then we heard the controller who cancelled our routing because of runway closure. My instructor called back for another runway and was told the airport was closed to all trafic due to an aircraft in an emergency situation (without telling us anymore details). In those days there were no ADS-B transponder. We monitored Toronto Tower and heard the go-around instructions for the DC8. We were cleared for the Toronto Island. My instructor dialed a local radio station on the ADF when we were heading over the lake to Hamilton. When we were approximately abeam Islington we heard on the VHF the DC8 had crashed northwest of the airport. We did see the smoke on our two o’clock. Stuart (my instructor) told me to remove my hood and fly back to Buttonville. He gave me my instrument ticket and the week after we flew to London and Windsor to complete my required ILS approaches with partial panel (procedure done without a complete functioning❤ instrumentation. We avoided the crash site flying over Orangeville then Waterloo.
Your rehumanizing of these tragedies, without glazing over the difficult and technical details, shows great care and talent-- so very much appreciated.
You have a great, sympathetic voice. This particular subject matter tends to be handled very respectfully regardless of the style of approach, and yours is no exception. Very nicely done.
Since it's not Chloe, I'm curious as to who it is - and who writes such great explanations, as they use technical language in ways that make it easy for the aeronautically-challenged to comprehend. Props. (Pun inadvertent.)
I flew DC-8’s series 50, 61, 62, 63, and 70’s series. I had a similar incident in Saudi Arabia while on final approach. I was performing first officer duties. I armed the spoilers but in no way did I touch the spoiler handle after arming. However, on this 50 series jet I caught out of the corner of my eye the spoiler handle starting to move back and forth on its own but only slightly. At 1500 feet AGL without any action on my part the handle moved aft.. The airplane fell out of the sky instantly I grabbed the handle and shoved it forward and down as quickly as is humanly possible. The airplane immediately flew again but it was a very scary experience. The aircraft was a Japan Airlines DC-8 that was bought by the company I was flying for. This story makes a lot of sense to me. Douglas, once they got into the jet business started building defective designs that only after a number of deadly accidents did they improve. Think DC-10 and MD-11 accident records. Both of those airplanes I have extensive captain experience in.
They really should not have tried to take off again. The response should have been to arrest the sink rate as best as possible, but stay on the ground, and deal with whatever happens. Trying to take off again is risking everything. Air crews have often tried to get away with it by taking further risks. But it is not worth a potential total loss to do so. Overrunning a runway is not the end of the world as compared with a total loss resulting from a possibly fatally damaged aircraft.
I have lived my whole life in Brampton. I know the approximate area you visited … I HAVE NEVER HEARD ABOUT THIS CRASH! Pearson Airport is just a part of life here; the highway that is parallel to some runways, the 401, is also a part of life, as are plane sightings and jet noise. Thanks for sharing this history and for visiting my city!
Amazingly, this wasn't the first crash in the current borders of Brampton! A Trans-Canada Air Lines (the English name of Air Canada before 1965) Super Constellation crashed on December 17, 1954 in what is now northwest Brampton. The crash site is just west of Brisdale, south of McCrimmon. Everyone lived from that accident despite the heavy impact. As far as I'm aware, there's nothing that indicates that a plane crashed around there!
I grew up in Brampton too and only first heard about it when I saw on the news about them building the memorial garden. I kind of wish I'd visited it when I still lived there.
@@Andrea-sg7qp This happened at Castlemore and McVean Rd. Back then it was Bramalea. My dad ran Mayfield Complex which was just a few blocks further North. We lived near Balmoral and Braemar, so the plane would have gone right over our area. We were flying home from Vancouver on a DC8 the same day and our flight was delayed for 8 hours. They used Woodbridge Arena as a morgue if I remember correctly. Very sad day. So many years ago but still seems like not that long. RIP to all the victims and Condolences to the loved ones.
Your perfectionism is what sets you apart from so many other aviation channels, and this video really shows your attention to detail. Fantastic work yet again.
This reminds of the (bad) joke: An airliner is flying over the (Canadian) wilderness at night when the captain can be heard to say: "I've got good news and bad news. First, the bad news; we are totally lost and don't know where we are. The good news: we are getting there fast!" I actually knew a former Polish airline and military pilot that had this exact situation happen to him. He was onboard a night flight (as a passenger) in Poland that was airborne for longer than the scheduled flight time. Realizing that something was wrong he went to the cockpit and offered his services as a junior airline pilot. The pilots admitted that they were lost and my friend intervened. He reconciled their navigational error and they got to an airport safely (probably not their intended destination). Sadly, my good friend was killed in a glider accident a few years ago.
Wow. The fragment where you pointed out the pyramids at the memorial park genuinely made me emotional. Your quality improves with each video and it's amazing to be able to witness it. Thank you Chloe
It’s interesting to now finally put a voice to the name AdmiralCloudberg. I do believe it was her Reddit posts that led me down the aviation disaster rabbit hole to this channel
I'm loving the addition of visiting the crash sites. While obviously there are some that are impossible/difficult to get to, it's really fascinating to see what happens to a space after such a traumatic event. No one else does it like you!
I have a Canadian friend/professional colleague, now 85 years old, who flew in the RCAF and Air Canada where he was a DC-9, DC-8, and L1011 captain. He knew the captain and first officer you feature in this terrible accident. My friend says the captain’s reluctance with the checklist spoiler selection stemmed from a discussion he had in Japan with a JAL DC-8 captain. The JAL pilot said a large bird strike on one of the landing gear wheels once “tricked” the sensors to think touchdown occurred triggering the spoilers prematurely. It evidently made a big impression on the Air Canada captain! Another fine video.
Thank-you so much for taking the time and effort to visit the site, as well as telling the stories of some of the victims, Chloe. I'm a Toronto native and this crash holds a special place in my heart. ❤
Chloe…you are a storyteller extraordinaire‼️ That was a geniusly executed and produced video. Thank you‼️ Not a lot of content creators develop the human interest, personal side of these stories. Just brilliant‼️
This has to be one of my favorite of your episodes, Chloe! Your passion and your **compassion** for the subject matter of your channel shines through and through. Thank you, as ever 💚
Another top notch job Chloe you have a great voice and delivery style very easy to listen to even with often such tragic stories I think you should do audiobooks I'd certainly listen to them well done
Apart from this being a tradgedy in itself... this is hands down the best aircraft accident documentary I've seen on youtube, and believe me I've seen MANY. Whatever you do after you run out of airplane incidents and crashes to investigate I really hope you continue making documentaries in one form or another.
Chloe, this video is one of your best yet. It was so well done. It had me glued to the screen, biting my nails and horrified by the 1st officers apologies to the Captain when he realized the mistake he had made. It really brought the human factor into the story. Really well done. Your getting better at this young lady.😊
Thank you for this masterful description of a tragic accident. Your visit and explanation of the memorial at the accident site brought a beautiful and human close to your documentary. I started 38 years flying at Air Canada in 1974, beginning with the DC8s. Flight 621 was still fresh in the pilots minds. The loss personal, as front and backend crew were from our base, we had lost colleagues. The debate over the use of the ground spoiler arming continued. Air Canada at the time operated six different versions of the DC8. The -41 and-43s had RR Conways, carried a Navigator used an Astrocompass. We also operated -53, 54, and the stretched -61 and 63. This resulted in variances in our manuals and Standard operating procedures. While you did not mention it one could not help draw the comparison between Boeing and the MCAS accidents. But back then pilots were asking questions, having discussions. They were aware of previous incidents. They didn’t trust the machine. No one, including these DC8 pilots had a clear understanding of, or trust of what was in their manuals or what they were being told. While the manufacturer was unclear about the installation of a lockout device installed on the nose gear, The pilots were asking themselves what if a bird hits the nose gear, will the spoilers extend? There was also likely comparisons with the DC9 which the company was operating at the time. The first item on the before landing check on the DC9 is spoilers disarmed. Disarming the spoilers before the landing gear is extended ensures a faulty air/ ground sensor does not trigger unexpected spoilers deployment when the landing gear is extended. While never mentioned in the accident report there was some speculation that the first officers long sleeved shirt might have snagged in the lever, deploying it as he moved his hand away. The company for decades after provided only short sleeve shirts to pilot uniforms. Again, I appreciate the personal tribute to the passengers as you visited the memorial garden. Captain David Lynch.
Dear Chloe You’ve covered this truly 😅catastrophic accident in your usual way….. gentle, respectful…. my “Angel of the North” You obviously visited Canada where I now live. My next door neighbours were on that flight. I was 15 at the time and this truly affected the whole country.
Oh wow my father was a 727-Eastern Airlines captain for most of my young life!! I haven’t seen one of the planes for over 30 years!! You made my day!! ❤❤❤ Great video always enjoy. I flew a lot in the 70-80’s I often think I’m very lucky to still be alive. It’s so scary that one persons decision to do it there way could kill me! I hate giving others that power but it’s sometimes a must. The scarier part of an accident, it always has many layers.
I dunno man, taking the time to visit that garden, where souls bloom, gave me goosebumps, thank you. You're a good human being, and what an excellent video.
I lived in Brampton Ontario at the time of this crash which is a few miles away from Woodbridge. Authorities used the Woodbridge minor hockey arena as a morgue for the victims. Hard to imagine this was 54 years ago.
I was 12 at the time, and our house was only a mile northwest of the site. Saw the DC-8 twist and make its final plunge that bright morning. Our school always took us on winter time trips to skate at that arena. The trip after that summer was awful, so subdued. To us, it wouldn’t ever be the same anymore after serving as a temporary morgue. Rest in peace, Flight 621.
@@GCarty80 They weren't - it was mentioned the largest body part found was a stewardess' torso in a tree. Where I worked, the guy who sat beside me had a brother who participated in searching the crash site for bodies and body parts ... he said 'One guy found a head ...'. How awful. I supposed it would have been the same as looking for remains after the World Trade Center disaster in Sept 2001.
