Racing Against The Clock | Britannia Airways Flight 226A

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Britannia Airways Flight 226A was an international passenger flight from Cardiff, Wales to Girona, Spain, operated by charter airliner Britannia Airways. On 14 September 1999, the Boeing 757-204 aircraft suffered a crash landing and broke apart during a thunderstorm in Girona-Costa Brava Airport. Of the 236 passengers and nine crew on board, two were seriously injured and 41 sustained minor injuries. One of the passengers who had apparently sustained only minor injuries died five days later of unsuspected internal injuries. The aircraft involved in the crash, Boeing 757-204 registration G-BYAG, was damaged beyond economical repair and scrapped.

Music: When The Lights Came On
Artist: Kai Engel
Listen to the entire music here:

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[jakejacobs]

Can I just say this. As one of your patreons and an airline pilot since 1980, I am just glad to never have been featured on your channel. I have hung up my wings this year and hope that I have instilled quality aviation judgement in all the young people that have flown with me through those years. It was an adventure to be sure.

[daveeaves]

My parents and my brother were on this flight, and its a miracle that all the people/crew survived, unfortunately someone died a few days after :( ...
Crazy to think that my family and a few others got back on a plane the next day to fly back home to Cardiff

[arturo]

The principal reason for this accident is that the runway lighting failed on a dark night, during a thunderstorm immediately before landing via an instrument approach in turbulent conditions. As a retired ATPL, I can tell you that these circumstances are completely exceptional and the flight crew should not be blamed.

[andrewlowe]

I was a passenger on another Britannia plane on the tarmac at Palma Majorca a few hundred miles away waiting for this very storm to clear so we could take off whilst this was unfolding in Girona that night. We passengers were unaware of course, however upon landing at Luton in the early hours of the morning I presume either our cockpit crew or the ground staff at the doors then informed the cabin crew as they looked visibly shaken whilst we deboarded, us passengers still none the wiser. I got home just in time to see the early morning news of the crash and suddenly it all clicked.

[jbenthere]

At 10:56, looking at the cockpit post-crash, the huge blood stain I'm assuming is from the captain's head is a glaring reality of how violent the excursion must have been.

[slyguyaction]

I know it's to save face and disassociate themselves from a crashed airplane but, why do airlines have their names blacked out on crashed airplanes when everyone knows which airline it was already? Glad so many people ultimately survived this one. Thanks Allec!!

[bethmorgan]

Was not the best flight of my life. Definitely life changing though. Thanks for doing it justice and covering it so well. You can actually feel the tension ( almost as bad as if you were there) as you watch. 🙏

[MozartMuse]

Glad that you have retained the subtitled format! I imagine that the narration was taking up much valuable time and was really unnecessary to begin with (as you had accrued a quarter-million subscribers without uttering a word). Best!

[neilpountney]

As always an awesome presentation. And as always I hope you are doing well with your pilots training and ambitions Allec. Best of luck.

[jonathanhernandez]

Allec,

I've been watching your channel for a year now, possibly longer. Very good work on the facts of the investigation and the animation is well done. I would hope you continue somehow in aviation. Your professionalism will take you far in whatever career you choose. Well done and keep up the good work.

[michaelcronin]

I am enjoying your videos because of the obvious effort you put into them. Thank you.

[moiraatkinson]

Excellent video and I really like the technical expertise this channel delivers. You really know your stuff Allec!

[APR]

Love your videos, Allec! Just wondering whether you might be able to include a map of the flight route and also the expected flight duration/distance. Thanks for considering this and keep up the great work!

[AuntySMac]

Just got a big smile when this popped up 😁 Definitely going to enjoy the next fifteen minutes! 🎉❤

[davidjma]

Love the way the branding on the wreck is covered up. I bet that didn't take long to do!

[andiscott]

245 pax on a 757-200 😮 That's very snug! I remember this incident being reported on the news in the UK.

[patriciamariemitchel]

It seems like there was confusion afoot; the Captain took over but it's almost like he wasn't really all there and forgot the reverse thrusters for one thing; losing the airport lights most certainly exacerbated the situation for the pilots. The nose gear had a problem. In all fairness, the plane was struck by lightning. It did have unaccounted for "severe damage to the main equipment center and its electrical and electronic system components".

[cindysavage]

Exhibit 1001 on why I fly during daylight hours! I think this falls under the logical fallacy of "get-there-itis". RIP to the passenger who wasn't assessed by a doctor with trauma experience.

[lite]

As the captain knew the weather conditions were not good over the airport, why didnt he make a decision to divert to Barcelona while they would have had enough fuel to do so...

[jeremypearson]

It’s easy to play Monday morning QB after one of these accidents. Unless we’ve experienced a similar situation, we cannot understand how much stress the crew is under in a very short span of time. Also, in this instance, it seems that there were still some unanswered questions regarding the performance of the aircraft prior to and upon landing.