Your video did not mention the saddest part of this disaster. The crash was spotted 20 minutes after it happened by a US Airforce C-130 who went looking for it, and US Marine medics and rescue personnel were quickly staged from the nearby base and set to repel down from helicopters to the crash site. Inexplicably, the Japanese government refused to let them go help. A Japanese helicopter eventually found the crash site after dark, and from the air declared that there were no survivors. They then staged 39 miles away and waited till morning to even go to the crash site. It was later found out that many people died overnight from injuries they would have survived if they had of had medical attention. One of the 4 survivors said there were many people moaning and crying throughout the night but all these cries eventually faded away and until it was silent.
THIS is what makes me break. The crew did their best, there was nothing else that could have been done to save the plane itself, but the fact that the Japanese government sat on their goddamn hands for 14 hours and let the survivors die just pisses me the fuck off.
Captain says "hang in there" first officer says "yes sir". Encouraging each other and showing respect for each other in the most horrible of circumstances ! living with honor and dignity to the end. God Bless those brave souls all who lost their lives.
As a FAA licensed aircraft maintenance technician (A&P) I remember my first day of A&P school in 1995. About thirty of us started that day. They showed us a documentary about this flight. At the end, our instructor said how if we screw up, we could face involuntary manslaughter charges or worse, we couldn't face what we caused and commit suicide. He then said: "Your student loans are not fully processed yet. If you think this business is not for you, there is the door. No one will judge you." Seven guys got up and walked out, twenty three of us stayed. I've worked for good and fly by night pax/cargo air carriers. I've always performed my job as if my own family were on the planes I worked on. I've even had my family fly nonrev on planes I worked on that night. It's crappy pay but you don't get into it for the money. You do it because you're passionate about airplanes. It's a rush that can't be described to see an airplane take off after you fixed it.
I am proud to say I appreciate your service and the service of your fellow mechanics. I married a woman from the Netherlands, and I love planes, how they work, how complex they are, it's sheer beauty in mechanical form. I get nervous during takeoff and landing, but I always remind myself that there are passionate people like you and pilots like the ones in this video that want to see me arrive safe. And you have a good record to prove it. My wife and I have two kids. If I had a fear of flying (or couldn't fly at all) this would have never happened. Thanks.
The absolute discipline, valor and bushido these pilots showed is impressive. They fought till the end giving each other encouragement with the co pilot still calling the pilot sir. True hero’s.
First of all, it’s “heroes”, not “hero’s”. Second, this had absolutely nothing to do with bushido. It’s called doing your job because you’re responsible for getting your passengers to their destination safely. The Japanese government’s pride (what you call bushido) is the mentality that kept the survivors from getting the help they needed. These pilots did what they did not out of honor but as human beings.
Firstly correcting my spelling shows what an infantile moron you are. The Japanese culture for thousands of years have instilled a code of honour in their people and especially their pilots. It’s the same honour that meant older workers volunteered to go into Fukushima to do the dangerous work and not the younger workers. Duty, honour country are alien concepts to people like you that’s why you can’t begin understand how these type of men operate.
@@lucassteen4050 Yes, and this 747 still had the vertical stabilizer as well... would've been a pure miracle to stay in the air after losing that. I don't remember which flight that was, but it was a mid-size twin (something like a 757) cargo delivery aircraft.
I’m glad Tokyo tower gave them permission to speak in their own language. It has to be very difficult during an emergency to speak and communicate in a second language! May all who lost family in this be at peace.
For me, JAL123 has always been one of the most haunting plane crashes. The number of victims, the dispair and chaos, the incredible bravery the pilots showed in the face of an almost certain death.. They are true heroes in my eyes. I love the way you put this video together, cvr and all. Thank you Allec!
It sure was haunting to watch...incredible attempts to control the plane while not knowing what the problems were must been truly mind boggling. Thanks to Ibay.
Wow, what a screwed up way to go. These men probably knew the inevitable but didn't give up. Man, I could feel the panic in their voices. The Japanese are a very proud people and I have to respect their resolve. R.I.P. to all those who perished.
@@evansantos9148 whatever the photo was stored on survived the crash I guess. The camera itself doesn't need to survive, as long as whatever it saved onto survived they can just pop it into something else.
@@EazyDuz18 It is errie if you’re thinking about it, like this photo litterally took the very last momments of the people on the plane before they crashed on the mountain.
From the Air Crash Investigation episode they so nearly cleared that ridge/crest, they may well have been able to survive crashing on the downward slope beyond, who knows :(
There was a similar air crash in the US. They lost all control and were using the engines to have the same limited control. They were actually able to get it to an airport, but crashed once there. Still, many lived were saved that day. If the mountain wasn't there, I'm certain this crew could have done the same.
As a licenced aircraft mechanic (A&P), this story rips my guts apart and makes me angry too. Sloppy work, improper repair inspection, and failure to reinspect at later dates. As is common with aircraft accidents, it usually takes multiple issues to make a disaster.
Same I am an AMT. It was a good repair but as all repairs they need to be inspected and mainteained. They did not do any follow up inspections. Years later it fails . Nobody should of died that day..
@@MrAcer4 Wrong on one very important point. The repair method carried out by the American Boeing engineers was flat out wrong. They should have been held accountable.
"Four Flight crews were selected to see whether it was actually possible for the pilots to land the damaged 747, None of the Four crews lasted till 32 minutes like the original crew was able to fly before crashing. "Pilots Real Hero's"
@@grex1242 if the pilots who already know what they are going to face (have been told that the scenario will be the same as flight 123) which means they have excluded the human factor, because they already know what they are facing and have anticipated it before entering into simulations, and even they couldn't last for 32 minutes that means the pilots on flight 123 were doing their best 110% with their adrenaline
When he said “hey there’s a mountain nearby” gave me the chills the fact that you can fly a plane with no rear wing for 20 minutes is more than a miracle.
It really is a shame the way RU-vid keeps treating your content. You provide amazing videos that your subscribers deeply value and appreciate. As for this flight, it really is a testament to the pilots that they kept her in the air as long as they did. They never stood a chance, but they fought like hell. Godspeed, 123
@@Onionbagel This particular video? Yes. In fact, Allec has had to reupload several videos in the past. It's ashame that RU-vid continues to delete his work.
Anyone wanna raise petitions to protect Allec's vids and flag MyFlightChannel and XPilot's videos for copyright? Those douches became the culprit of why Allec's videos being taken down because YT mistakenly thought that Allec was copying MyFlightChannel and XPilot when the truth is that they're the ones copying Allec's style. Allec's videos will always be the real deal!! So let's step up and save Allec's channel from those Knockoffs. #ForAllec #SaveAllecsACIFS9Videos
There were actually more survivors but because of the delays of the rescue operation (due to a clash between the japanese and american rescue team), the survivor count was downsized to 4.
@@godess_call Japan thought that the United States might shoot down an airplane first. Therefore Japan declined help of America and did not trust it adversely. The point that they showed was correct but the point that the government announced was an error. I think that there were many survivors if the government asks for help to the United States.
@@hirotoshikita9850 USAF rescue helicopters were actually first to get there but were told to go home by the JSDF. The crews protested, but ultimately obeyed orders, as they were promised the JSDF was en route. Unfortunately, the JSDF took forever and many died from exposure.
The fact that the repairmen in charge actually committed suicide to atone for their mistakes is sad as hell. Prayers to those who met their fate that day
This is by far the saddest of all air crash videos, the Crew never gave up. They kept trying to win an impossible battle. Allec you do an excellent job on all your videos. You are a fine young man and I commend you for your talents and patience in making these and doing the research into them.
One of the only people to survive this crash was a young 12-year-old girl. Imagine: The year is 1985. You're 12 years old. It's summer vacation. Your parents tell you you're going to visit grandma and grandpa in the next state over, and you're going to fly there on a jumbo jet! You pull up to the airport, staring in awe at the massive, double-decker plane you'll be traveling on. You rush through the terminals, your parents repeatedly pestering you to move faster. You get to the gate right on time, and board the plane. You start to lift off, getting that weird feeling in your tummy as you watch the ground fall further and further away. Now you're sitting, slightly bored, waiting for the flight attendant to say you can take your seatbelt off so you can grab your walkman from the overhead bin and listen to some music. Then, you feel a jolt. You hear a hiss and a few screams. The cabin fills with haze. Yellow oxygen masks deploy from the ceiling. You struggle to get yours on, panicking. You look to your mother, who is sitting bolt upright, trying to keep calm. But you can tell. This is bad. You hug her tightly for what feels like forever. Then, you feel like you're dropping. Down, down, down. You feel like you're falling out of the sky. You hug your mother even tighter, absolutely sure you are going to die today. Then, you wake up. The ground is hard. It's cold. You're freezing. And you realize. Searing pain, all throughout your body. You open your eyes, and look down at your hands. They are marred with fresh burns and covered in blood. You touch your face. It hurts even worse. More blood. Where are your parents? You look around, and see nothing but trees with jewels of frozen droplets as decor. It's dark. Then, you hear something in the distance. A helicopter shines a spotlight a few hundred yards to your left, stirring the underbrush around you, and you feel momentary relief as you realize you're saved. But then the helicopter turns off and flies away. You begin to cry, thinking that you will now freeze to death rather than merely dying on impact, and even if you do survive, you'll be horribly disfigured for life. The pain is too much, and you're exhausted. You want so badly to go to sleep. You pass out. You come to a few days later, in a hospital bed. You can't speak, because there's a tube down your throat. Eventually, a nurse comes in. Then a doctor. They tell you that you've been in a plane crash, and are one of just a lucky few to survive. The tube comes out. You ask about your parents. The nurse shakes her head sadly and tells you that they are dead. You're an orphan. And you have weeks of recovery ahead of you, maybe even months. And now you have to bear this trauma for the rest of your life.
@@chemicalbrucey157 Not sure if that's how it works. Such people might be strong in some ways but also absolutely insensitive in other ways. They are likely able to relatively calmly watch a person die, for instance. Not sure if that's a good thing.
All 3 of those pilots should be in whatever Aviation Hall of Fame there is in Japan, or anywhere. They kept that plane aloft longer than anyone could have thought possible. What they did equals Sully's Miracle; had there been an airport closer, they might have landed it. What a terrible shame. God rest the souls of all the dead. Allec, thank you for a great vid. You honor all aboard that plane with your fine work... †
Yeah, flying without a vertical stabilizer is really hard. I think there was anAmerican Airline crash that lost its vertical stabilizer and it went into a nose dive and crash
man compared to this Sullys plane was in excellent condition this was just a matter of time to death no controlls in any axis stuck in the mountain chain and using power to controll the plane this is just crazy as it sounds could not be better excellent Japanese pilots! RIP
Im not a engineer but it sounds bad. What does it mean? Im really interessted to know. Where do you use hydraulic pressure? For what and how much is needed?
Cthight On a plane it is used to basically control and activate everything. It activates the primary flight controls (aileron, elevator, rudder), activates flaps, slats, engine thrust reversers, landing gear up and down operation, automatic braking, manual braking and few other stuff. Some of it can be operated by backup systems if the primary system fails. But, if your backup system are hydraulic too, well, you can figure that out yourself I guess...
Well that was grim. I was really hoping they'd survive it (obviously) and at some points it looked like they would. To fly that long with the vertical stabiliser missing is nothing short of amazing.
Cal They were miracle workers. If only they would have been closer to an airport, they might have actually landed with more survivors. It's incredible that four people survived!
Remember those guys who caused the rudder to break off over Queens in 2001, soon after 9-11? Same sort of damage. And that plane went straight to the ground. JAL 123 lasted 32 minutes. Amazing...
gael crane One of the better posters here Leon Swan has stated that if they had remained over water and been able to continue to keep the cycle going the pilots MIGHT have been able to make a somewhat controlled ditching in ocean and more folks might have survived, I believe if they would have been closer to the main airports they would have ditched in the ocean too. Those pilots deserved a medal for keeping things going so long. Circumstances the pilots couldn't control could have easily allowed them to have less or more survivors.
No, they were not. Very Poor CRM, no awareness, lack of judgement and basic piloting skills, not following company procedures, lilt reapplication of basic aerodynamics known to all pilots. The pilots and ATC let down those passengers and they all dies as a consequence. This accident is now used in pilot training to show how not to do things.
This captain was a hero. He managed to fly this aircraft without its tail, minimum hydraulic system left for 45 minutes. Listen to the real cockpit audio! With all the alarms and screams, chilling.
Alec, thank you for this. Sometimes you watch a video clip of tragedy or where people are imperiled and you watch it with a distance, far removed from the horror and immediacy of the unfolding situation. However, I am haunted evermore by the brave, steadfast, frantic, and, alas, inevitably futile, attempts to control the uncontrollable: Captian Takahama, Officer Sasaki, Engineer Fukada are heroes that are cemented for all time into the goodwill fabric of eternity. Sobering when the Captain calls out in resignation: "It's the end." It reminds us that so it will be for all of us.
No matter how many times you reupload flight 123, I always have the tendency to watch. How determined the pilots are to land the plane safely. They've do anything they can without fail. Truly heroes. However the sadness is real 😢
This one out of all the ones I’ve seen is the saddest. I’m legit in tears right now, crying for 500+ people I never met and their loved ones. The pilots were truly brave. RIP to all who lost their lives in this tragedy 😢
This was one of the most depressing ones Ive watched; I need a couple of shots now, damn. Those poor guys were doomed once that vertical tail broke off. Those pilots were heros though; they hung in there till the bitter end, this was awful......this reminds me a little bit of Alaska 261 where the pilots never gave up, they fought till the bitter end.
@@doctorTF_2 The difference is TWA didn't have a flight crew at the end. Yes it would have been terrifying for the passengers but in this case, you has three men flying a dead airplane that they had no real hope of landing in one piece. BUT no pilot would give up. Even pilots who get locked out of the cockpit, don't give up trying. Like US Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell said, "You don't quit until you're dead."
Extremely intense video...I was on the edge of my desk chair....I can only imagine how the Pilots and passengers felt. Allec, you do a outstanding job of not only showing “what happened “, but also “why?”. Thank you for that.
Well done. I was visiting Japan when the crash occurred. The entire country was in shock when the disaster was announced. It dominated TV news for days. To this day, I have never heard an adequate explanation of why rescue teams were not sent out immediately after the crash. They were not sent out until daylight. People died as a result. Why?
I think it was because they figured that no one could have possibly survived crashing into a mountain at 500MPH, and the mission would be mainly to recover bodies. So they didn't want to risk their own mens' lives to recover the dead immediately.
Because they refused American help. A C130 pilot spotted it and our Marines went out to help immediately, even rappelling down to the crash site when they were told no thanks. They had to leave. Imagine their frustration!! One Japanese helo found it hours later in the dark and said no survivors which was totally untrue. They went 39 miles away and staged there til morning. That’s when they found the four surviving people who said there were many more, crying and moaning through the night and died because of no help. They could have been saved. Pride is a useless thing. That’s why it’s at the top of the deadly sins.
This brings a tear to my eye. These pilots did everything right. They kept it in the air under pressure that other pilots couldn't do in the safety of a simulator. Not all heros have a good outcome . God bless these heros
I can't imagine something happening like this in such a huge machine carrying over 500 people. Talk about an immense sense of responsibility. May they all rest in peace as this must've been a horrific way to die
john smith I have, but that was a fairly quick crash, whereas this one took about 20 mins which means 20 mins of panic I believe more people in Tenerife died but this is still the single greatest loss of life in midair. Tenerife was obviously the greatest loss of life involving a place, period. Even though there was 2 planes involved in that one.
The Captain and crew are heroes. I honor their memory. Many people survived this crash only to succumb to the elements. The lack of deployment of rescue crews that night is inexplicable and unforgivable . These souls deserved better
I am sure someone has already mentioned this, but just in case, one of the passengers who died on JAL123 was Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto , whose “Sukiyaki” reached number one in the US in the 60’s. I remember listening to it on the school bus ride. It is a very sad and powerful song and it somehow seems to fit this circumstance. Also, regarding this flight, it stayed airborne about 30 minutes before crashing, and afforded some passengers time to write their goodbyes to their loved ones. Here is “Sukiyaki”: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-C35DrtPlUbc.html (This might make you cry).
I remember this one from my childhood. Those pilots reminded me of the stories from WW2 of pilots keeping their shattered bombers aloft until the crew could bail. These pilots fought it until the very end, and did all they could. IIRC, Japan hailed them as heroes after the investigation was complete.
They fought hard to the very end. Much respect to them. So sorry for those who lost their lives & to the families left to carry on. The guilt had to be horrible for those responsible for the repairs. Such a tragedy. I cried.
Regarding the Japanese Flight 123, it is very sad that the 2 company executives committed suicide as a way of saying they were sorry for what happended. I find that extremely moving.
The fact that recovered actual photos of the cabin before the accident is not short of amazing. I actually thought they all or most of them survived...it is truly sad most of them did pass away. 😥
@@mdd1963 --- What he probably meant, and what you should have deducted was that he saw the photo and at first blush it appeared POST crash. thus yes, most would have survived according to that photo. I sure thought that when i saw it. I had no idea it was taken during the emergency as those types photos are extraordinarily rare.
@@LiveWildandFree37 You do not know what anyone meant, but are free to speculate; however, I have zero interest in what *you* think I should have 'deducted', ...not to be confused with 'deduced'....; right?
If I recall correctly, this captain had done pioneering work in using asymmetrical thrust settings for steering control in just such an emergency, prior to this flight. He fought heroically. In hindsight, I wonder if their best course of action would have been to request a heading out over the ocean and attempt to ditch at sea. May they all rest in peace.
6omega2 ditching at sea would be just as catastrophic because they could not fly the plane with the yoke. This would make safe ditching near impossible
john smith yes, I wondered if they had gone to Nagoya they’d have a better outcome; but then if the plane was uncontrollable they wouldn’t have been able to do anything. So sad. I remember when this happened, I had a Japanese friend staying with me/my family.
The Gimli Glider had a similar situation, one of the designers of that aircraft type was on board and was able to suggest things. The pilot was also a trained glider pilot so knew more about bringing down an unpowered aircraft that most. They also crashed near a motor racing meeting that had fire extinguishers and (fortunately not required) ambulances on hand. That really was a day when everything went right.
And walking in pitch darkness, holding your guts in, with only one arm as the other was twisted off, while hearing the low ringing of brain damage, letting out a moan of horrible pain shooting through your entire body, you can't think, and the feeling that your life is over seeps in. Absolutely horrible. Rest in peace, all 520 passengers and the pilots, who were truest of heroes.
As I was watching I could hardly believe the aircraft did not roll over and plunge. No vertical stabilizer, no hydraulics.... Fantastic flying to the last instant.
Its only Takahama’s jaw and some teeth, but yeah... his doughter followed his footsteps, even the sons of the FO and flight engineer became pilots like their fallen fathers.
@R M Is there any other possibilities? For example, the captain's body was eaten by wild animals living in the forest of the mountain, since the rescue took some time.
@@sr3821 No. No animal would’ve ever go near the crash site, especially the smell of feul would be sensitive to any animal’s noses, but I don’t think there are any native animals on the mountain. Anyone who was at the front of the plane when it crashed at such a high speed would’ve been disintegrated to almost nothing.
Big ups to the pilots huge respect for trying their best. All aviation enthusiasts knows what happens when your tail/rudder breaks off Edit: hearing the captain say this is the end has me teary eyed 😭😭😭
The Japanese are such honorable people. The guys who screwed up committed suicide as an apology for their tragic errors. You'd rarely ever see that type of personal accountability amongst us Americans. We can't even say "sorry" when we bump into each other at the store.
Dont understand why Japan Airlines staff took their own lives, when the cause of the crash was a failure which was a result of a bad repair by Boeing themselves..?
You’re right. And the responses here prove you correct. If this happened in America the engineers responsible would lawyer up and figure out a way to cover their asses.
That was the best and most intense video yet. That was terrifying and excruciating. Your channel is the very best aviation documentation. RIP to all the victims
The Pilots Bravery is astounding. They saved 4 lives. And every life saved here is a miracle. That’s 4 miracles. Whats even more tragic is that 2 people committed suicide after blaming themselves. It hurts knowing the authorities Didn't send out the rescue team until the following morning. They could have saved more people. And then they also Denied US assistance which makes no sense. Why didn't the plane do a landing at Nagoya??One of the most harrowing incidents I’ve ever heard of. God. And those final words. I’ll never forget this. I pray for the lost, for the relatives of the lost, and that another incident like this never happens again.
The response of the Japanese government also did little to help the immediate aftermath. According to sources I’ve read the planes crash was spotted by US Army personnel who offered their assistance immediately as the location of the crash was remote and difficult to access. The Japanese government didn’t accept the help and the first rescue crews didn’t get to the crash site until hours after the initial impact. More people could have survived if response had been more prompt.
That was intense! What a great effort these men did to try and save the aircraft and their passengers. RIP to those who parished, and hope the 4 survivors were able to cope with what happened.
This crash literally left a lump in my throat, Japan is such a nice country when you see that two of the maintenance staff took the responsibility and even committed suicide due to guilt, In most of the crashes related to other countries, staff or airlines try to shift blame on pilots or on each other..and try to brush off their responsibilities..
The pilots are the true heroes here. They had no vertical stabilizer, no hydraulics, and a lack of oxygen and yet they managed to fight the plane for over thirty minutes. The fact that three other crews couldn’t land the plane and even stay in flight for as long as they did showed how much effort and bravery was in these pilots. Bless the hearts of the pilots and everyone on board.
I lived in Gunma Prefecture for 6 years from 2000-06 and listened with astonishment and sorrow as one day my Japanese friends told me about this tragedy - the worst single aircraft disaster in aviation history - right there in the mountains of Gunma! I have learnt much from the Japanese people and have a deep respect for their nation and culture. Listening to the pilots struggling with the aircraft until the very end is heartbreaking and haunting! Thank you Allec for doing such an fine job on this video!
They flew it until the last second!!! AMAZING!! As a military man I am in awe of how they followed the chain of command. Everyone had an input, still you knew who was in charge! I have been fortunate of traveling to Japan twice, and the way hierarchy works has been perfected by them. What he meant by that last comment was “we did everything, so let’s get ready to meet our maker!”
These Pilots were heroes with over 26,200 hours of flying time between the three officers. The Captain had over 12,400 hours. If you have a heart, this will humble you. I can't imagine what would have happened to those on the ground had the plane tried to head back to Haneda. Rest in Eternal Peace to all lives lost. Also to their famillies like Mr. Poi we owe you thanks and gratitude because of the lessons learned from flight JAL 123 other lives were saved in the future.
It’s an extra sad tragic element to this story that the two maintenance supervisors ended up so haunted by something that NO ONE could have anticipated would happen SEVEN years after their respective mistakes that they committed Sepuku...there were 522 victims of this tragedy, not 520
You mean that the 2 Survivors of this flight comitted suicide years after this happened? Understandable. I mean youre in a crash flight for 32 Minutes with sweat dripping down and rapid breathing cause you know youre about to die
Trannel No, the 2 maintenance supervisor for JAL who felt so guilty that one of the planes they had been responsible for 7 years before had crashed that they kicked themselves
The Japanese always take their work personally, it's the greatest sign of respect, honour and guilt to end your life for the mistakes you caused. Respect to the crew and the men who took their lives
A pity that the Japanese government was unable to accept the American Help/assistance offered by the USA, but then like most governments,their arrogance and ignorance should have been publicly questioned, The entire government should have been voted out.Disgusting self important idiots is all I can suggest. Like most politicians, they are unable to hold down a real job which often takes that little extra effort. To hell with all those politicians who denied the right of possibly a few hundred of those passengers. RIP the great crew and pax on that Boeing Aircraft.
It ,akes me think of the Boeing 737 max crashes all totally avoidable due to corner cutting with peoples safety and lack of pilots being informed of the changes and this automatic control system deployed on it
@@38911bytefree I am not certain if JAL or Boeing performed the repair of the pressure dome at the rear of the airframe. I seem to recall that Boeing engineers arrived and took care of the structural damage following the tail strike. I am not sure. To work on the airplane and discover later that your error brought down the jet would be like living in hell due to the guilt.
The fact that people who could have survived died because of Japan's lack of urgency and selfishness to handle the event themselves is almost as frustrating as the lack of urgency from the cockpit of Saudia 163 that cost everyone their lives. SOOOO infuriating!
JAL 123 pilots tried their best to survive without knowing that the vertical tail was lost. I respect them as professionals and pray for all the victims of this accident.
