WHAT caused the WORST single air crash in history?? | Japan Air 123

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August 12th, 1985.
A Boeing 747 carrying 524 people careens out of control in the skies above Japan. Alarms blare in the cockpit, as the pilots desperately grapple with an aircraft which seems to have a mind of its own. Oxygen masks drop from the ceiling, and terrified passengers write last-minute notes to loved ones. What has caused the massive tail to explode off the aircraft, and will the pilots be able to coax their stricken plane back to the airport? This is the story of Japan Air flight 123.

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Thanks to Lukasz Studniarz for his in-depth research for this episode.

This video was created with reference to publicly available sources:

[DrKoneko]

We talked about this in my aviation class once and my teacher pointed out the fact that every person who tried to replicate this in a simulator could not fly the plane for more than a few minutes. What they did that day was extremely impressive.

[ryanlittleton]

The fact that the pilots even managed to keep the plane flying for as long as they did is a miracle in of itself.

[karanfutbol]

Hearing the Captain scream "It's the end!" is really saddening. The amount of mental and physical trauma they went through and controlled an uncontrollable plane for 45 mins, it's INSANE. Towards the end when they almost had control over the plane, the amount of hope that would've instilled in them, to being devoid of hope. Heroes.

[alexanderhagen]

The most horrible part of all this is how long it took. An explosive decompression and a plane getting ripped in half is an awful way to die, but the pilots fighting heroically on and on as the situation gets worse makes it so much more heartbreaking given the result.

[johndoe]

There's something deeply tragic and noble about that cabin crew trying their best in an utterly hopeless situation. Rest easy lads, you tried youe best.

[MrButternutsprinkles]

I've listened to the entire cockpit recording. It's still astonishing to me that with everything else going wrong the crew had the presence of mind to communicate in their non-native language for as long as they did. When a person undergoes emotional or physical distress, that command of a foreign language is often the first thing to go.

May these souls rest in peace.

[minshullmisako]

I'm Japanese national.
This sad incident will never be forgotten.
Daughter of the Captain became stewardess, because she wanted to fly the same sky her father flew.
Young girl who survived the crash, Keiko, became a nurse because she wanted to help others who are sick, ill or injured.

[TheMadMurf]

I think this is legitimately my worst nightmare. The thought of being in a plane crash sucks, but having to sit there, terrified, while the plane struggled along up and down, side to side, for so long is horrific.

[ryan_alexander]

Man, I've never pulled for a flight crew more than this one. Fighting through hypoxia is fucking crazy. RIP you legends

[CalplZ]

The impressive part about this is that when multiple other pilots were put through the same situation and didn’t even last 20 minutes. Mind you, they lasted for 45 minutes. It showed just how good the pilots were.

[micathedachshund]

"It's the end...." How sad. What a brave crew.

Green dot, you are the best aviation channel out there! Please continue your great work.

[lirael]

The thinly veiled desperation in the flight attendant’s voice as she says “Hold your babies firmly please” as she runs through the brace protocols really struck me. Absolutely heartbreaking.

[geraldndoro]

this broke me. despite the situation appearing hopeless from the beginning, those three men in the cockpit never stopped fighting for everyone onboard. Truly heartbreaking, rest in peace to everyone onboard.

[Simerel]

I'm a former flight attendant, and hypoxia was a part of our training. For the pilots to fly as long as they did while hypoxic means, they were in excellent health. Just stunning, heartbreaking, and courageous.

[antony]

Flying for 45 minutes with no hydraulics is utterly incredible by itself, these men were hypoxic yet somehow kept a plane with *no tail* in the air for almost an hour. Incredible airmenship. The flight crew as well.

[adamannear]

Imagine surviving the crash to then find out you were deserted by the government.. disgusting. That’s the worst part about this event.

[MurphyColeman]

I’m a Japanese man who was 9 years old when the disaster happened. I heard 6 children in the same school year as me perished in the air crash. Some child victims had visited Tokyo Disneyland or the EXPO '85 site in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. Had the disaster not happened, they would have shared their stories with their classmates or homeroom teachers after the summer vacation. It was heartbreaking news.

[Paquito-wzeg]

The cabin crew were so incredibly brave to remain calm, professional while trying to navigate the plane under the circumstances. I feel inspired listening to their voices and how they put up a fight. Thanks to their efforts there were four survivors. It’s great to hear that they were honored posthumously and are remembered.

[Fortigurn]

The skill and determination of the pilots is just incredible, but the utter professionalism of the flight attendants should also be recognised, especially in those last minutes.

[Matt-jpif]

I knew how this flight ended and about ten minutes before the video ended I still couldn’t believe they weren’t able to bring the plane down safely. These pilots were heroes and they deserved to live.