One Man Was Blamed For The Disaster (1976 Zagreb Mid-air Collision) - DISASTER BREAKDOWN

The concept of the midair collision is horrifying if you are an air traveler. It’s about the last thing you’d ever want to be involved in. It carries such a deadly connotation with it. We’ve looked at a number of midair collisions over the years. Perhaps though none are more systemically egregious than that of the Zagreb incident. Where this midair collision differs from most we have talked about recently, is that this accident occurred in high altitude airspace, in what was supposed to be some of the most closely watched airways in Europe. This wasn’t during approach, not involving small private planes. This was a case of, large planes, high altitude, same place same time.
Forget for a moment, all of the technology that has been developed over the years to prevent this exact type of accident. Its 1976, you’re an air traffic controller, you’re sat there looking at your radar screen as two radar echoes merge then disappear. Imagine for a moment the weight one must have to carry knowing they had a direct hand in what was the deadliest midair collision to have ever occurred at that time. The Zagreb disaster is by the way still to this day the third deadliest accident in this category. This was the burden given to one unfortunate controller on September 10th, 1976. However as we go through this story, we’ll stumble across numerous problems plaguing Yugoslavia airspace, and many people in the years since this disaster have questioned whether the Air Traffic Controller was really the one at fault.

[change_your_oil_regularly]

I dont know how any controller can be expected to maintain altitude separation whilst viewing a radar screen reporting incorrect altitude information. Craziness.

[patriciamariemitchel]

The controller was into his 3rd consecutive 12 hour shift? Are you nuts? 👀😬How could he be blamed?

[existentialcrisisactor]

That poor man must feel horrible and this was not his fault. Even with the actions he took, he's not responsible for faulty equipment or slow communication.

RIP to all involved and I hope the survivors found peace

[blerst]

When you said that Tasić instinctively spoke in his native language instead of English, I felt how startled he must've been. When a disaster is imminent you have no time to even think about what language you're speaking.

[escapetheratracenow]

The last words of the DC9 pilot on the CVR were so haunting: "we are finished, goodbye" he said, "goodbye."

[Matticitt]

Even if it was a fault of just one man, the system would still be at fault because there should never be an option for just one man to cause such a massive disaster. But this here was just insane. Taking care of some many aircraft alone, while on his third shift and with unreliable radar. It's just an accident waiting to happen.

[joelrichardson]

You should make a video on the 1973 Nantes mid-air collision. One of the planes actually managed to land at an airport with all survivors, with half its left wing missing.

[gnicholson]

I have a personal connection with this accident as one of the stewardesses on the Trident was Ann Whalley, an ex-girlfriend of mine and a very gentle soul. I have not forgotten her to this day RIP Ann

[greymark]

It reminds me of Peter Nielsen ( who also was not completely at fault) another tragedy both for the passengers and crew coupled with the death of Peter Nielsen. So this is the situation that Gradimir Tasic faced. Lack of training, faulty radar, three twelve hour shifts, half the staff required in one of the busiest areas of the world.. The word scapegoat comes to mind and not surprisingly the real culprits got away with it.

[volvofh_]

I always found this disaster overlooked even though it's the only fatal accident involving a British Airways plane and it's one of the deadliest collisions of all time. It's somewhat forgotten

[effkay]

As a process engineer you learn that it is never ever one person’s fault. Good process always allow for not one but numerous human errors.

[NoiseBombS]

There was so many issues with this whole ordeal.
This was a complete failure on the whole system, and they tried to pin it on a single man to avoid accepting the reality of the situation they had created

[gabe-poyi]

I once worked 23 hours straight at a job that required vigilance but not all that much cognitive function, thankfully. The mental fog was unbelievable; I felt almost otherworldly. I can’t imagine working 36 hours consecutively at one of the most cognitively demanding jobs as that of an air traffic controller. There’s no way I could’ve exercised constant decision-making, problem-solving, organizational and visualization skills and the ability to think five or so steps ahead.

[doctoremil]

I'm from Croatia. Not too long ago, our national TV station made a documentary on this accident in which they interviewed some of the eyewitnesses who had seen the immediate aftermath. It was shocking. Probably the worst was the story of a family that found a dead body of a passenger on the roof of their garden shed, and the authorities did not send anyone to take it away for several days! Obviously, most if not all of the interviewed people were very much traumatized by what they saw.
But there was another thing that pissed me off: someone posted the documentary on YouTube (not sure if it's been removed), and there were so many toxic comments in which people mocked and insulted the witnesses for some slightly strange behaviours they displayed while remembering the crash. Clearly, some people have never heard of PTSD and coping mechanisms.

[amHlam]

For just two children out of all those lives to survive the initial accident – faint rays of hope in an otherwise hellish scene of utter devastation and carnage – then die soon after, despite the undoubtedly heroic efforts of first responders, is something that I personally couldn't handle. Put simply, I don't have the emotional resilience.

And so, to all first responders – thank you. I can't think of another career that comes remotely close to the levels of sheer heroism, than that of first responders. You are made of special stuff. 24 carat gold human beings. You're amazing. So again, THANK YOU. ❤️

[WMAcadet]

I remember when this happened, almost 50 years ago when I was a Flight Instructor fresh out of college. This is almost the only information I have seen available about it and I thank you for making the video. I know that Gradimir Tasic is devastated to this day by it, even though I firmly believe he was not to blame and was made a patsy by the Yugoslav Government, a convenient way to let themselves off the hook. The poor guy was inconsolable afterward and I'm sure he was shaking.

As an airline pilot, my bacon was saved by TCAS one day over Japan when an ANA 737 was mistakenly cleared to climb through my altitude and I missed him by about 3-400 feet as I was making the climbing right turn (a chandelle) commanded by my TCAS. I filed a report upon landing in Taipei and the company filed a report with Tokyo ATC, who claimed we did not come within 2 miles of one another, but did not submit any radar tape to prove it. The pilot of the other plane never took any evasive action, and had I not done so, we would have collided. TCAS is not useful when pilots do not do what it tells them to do IMMEDIATELY! When I told ATC what we had done and why, his only response was "Roger."

Thank God I'm retired...

[rilmar]

I really appreciate the historical context! Great vid as always. Mid-air collisions like this one always break my brain - such vast skies, one might think it's impossible for two airliners to find themselves in the same place at the same time. And yet.

[stevejackson]

The captain, Dennis Tann, was an instructor at my air cadet squadron. The instructors mess was named ‘The Tannery ‘ as a memorial to him. In a tragic coincidence the co-pilot Martin Flint lived in Staines, in the apartments subsequently built just metres from where the Trident crashed which you featured in your previous video.

[Puster]

Very few accidents touch me as much as this one did. Thank you very much for your great research and explanation.
It would appear that we made major strides in direction of technological advancements in the air (TCAS, CRM) on the ground however the issues seem to stay the same.
This accident, at least to me, shares some significant contributing factors as the Überlingen desaster (e.g. understaffed and overworked ATC).
Fortunately this Controller did not share in the fate as the one in Überlingen did, and I would personally agree that the controller was "used" as easy scapegoat.
That you for another excellent video and I am looking forward to your future videos.

[ulysseslazakis]

as a man from greece where the train collision just occured exposing all the faulty systems and lack of personnel it's infuriating to see another scapegoat for the government but at least we aren't the only ones