Never against more variety in Thunderbolt's quality documentaries.
2 months ago | 26
From rails to clouds? Pounding pistons! Cant wait to start! This is an.....infamous start of this series
2 months ago (edited)
| 9
Japan Air 123 | Aircraft type was a Boeing 747SR-46 type, which crashed into the area of Mount Takamagahara on August 12th, 1985.
2 months ago | 13
Oooo nice! Japan Airlines Flight 123 is the most familiar aviation accident to me, so I’m excited to see you give your spin on it.
2 months ago | 1
Japan Airlines Flight 123 was scheduled as a short domestic flight from Tokyo to Osaka on August 12, 1985, a route flown so often that passengers rarely thought twice about boarding. Onboard were 509 passengers and 15 crew members, many of them families returning from a long summer holiday weekend, businessmen rushing to Osaka for meetings, and elderly travelers visiting relatives. The aircraft assigned to the flight was a Boeing 747SR, tail number JA8119, designed for Japan’s unique domestic market that required carrying large numbers of passengers over short distances. It was a workhorse, having already completed thousands of cycles in its career. Unknown to everyone onboard, however, a repair error made seven years earlier had set a slow countdown in motion. At 6:12 PM, the plane lifted off from Haneda Airport and climbed into the clear summer sky. For the first 12 minutes, it seemed like an ordinary flight. Then came a loud bang, a violent shudder, and a desperate struggle for survival that would leave only four people alive. The Boeing 747SR was no ordinary jumbo jet. Japan’s domestic market demanded planes that could carry more passengers than typical long-haul aircraft, and the 747SR met that need. Its structure was modified to handle many more takeoff and landing cycles, but frequent pressurization put immense strain on key components like the rear pressure bulkhead. On June 2, 1978, this very aircraft suffered a tailstrike on landing in Osaka. The accident damaged the rear pressure bulkhead, a dome-shaped wall at the back of the pressurized cabin that keeps air inside the fuselage. Boeing technicians repaired the damage, but instead of overlapping two rows of rivets as specified in the design, they installed a splice plate with only one row. The result was a weak joint, capable of holding up for a while but vulnerable to fatigue over time. Every time the aircraft pressurized during flight, the metal flexed slightly, and the tiny crack at the site of the improper repair grew a little larger. Over seven years and thousands of flights, it expanded silently, undetected by inspections, until August 12, 1985. That afternoon, as passengers boarded the flight, there was no sign of trouble. Families settled into their seats, children played with toys or looked out the windows, and flight attendants prepared for takeoff. The cockpit crew included Captain Masami Takahama, a highly experienced pilot with more than 12,000 flight hours, First Officer Yutaka Sasaki, and Flight Engineer Hiroshi Fukuda. As the plane climbed to 24,000 feet, the crew chatted calmly with air traffic control and monitored their instruments. At 6:24 PM, twelve minutes into the flight, a deafening boom tore through the fuselage. The rear pressure bulkhead gave way. The sudden decompression sent a blast of air through the cabin, ripping the vertical stabilizer—the tail fin—clean off and severing all four of the plane’s hydraulic systems. In an instant, the pilots lost almost all ability to control the aircraft. Modern jets like the 747 rely on hydraulics to move control surfaces like the rudder, elevators, and ailerons. With all hydraulic lines destroyed, the pilots could no longer steer or stabilize the plane. The aircraft entered a condition called phugoid oscillation, climbing and descending in a series of wild arcs. Passengers screamed as the plane pitched up steeply, then nosed down, over and over. Overhead bins burst open, and loose items flew through the cabin. In the cockpit, alarms blared as the crew tried desperately to regain control. Captain Takahama and his crew knew they had few options. Using differential engine thrust—adjusting power to the left and right engines—they attempted to steer the aircraft. This was an incredibly difficult and imprecise method of control, especially on such a large and damaged jet. Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Fukuda struggled to understand the damage. “We’ve lost hydraulics,” he said grimly. The crew radioed Tokyo Area Control, declaring an emergency and requesting clearance to return to Haneda. Controllers offered vectors to nearby airports, including Yokota Air Base, but the plane’s erratic movements made it impossible to follow instructions precisely. Inside the cabin, passengers began to understand the gravity of the situation. Some prayed, others cried quietly. Many began writing farewell letters to loved ones. These messages, scribbled on airsickness bags and scraps of paper, later provided haunting glimpses into their final moments. One passenger wrote, “Please take care of our children. I’m sorry for leaving you so suddenly. I love you all.” Another scrawled, “It is hard to believe this is the end. Please forgive me for going first.” For the next 32 minutes, the crippled plane flew a meandering path over central Japan. Fighter jets from Japan’s Self-Defense Forces were scrambled and intercepted Flight 123. The fighter pilots could only watch helplessly as the giant jet pitched and rolled wildly. In the cockpit, Captain Takahama’s voice remained calm as he and his crew fought for every second of life, coaxing the damaged aircraft away from populated areas and towards open countryside. At 6:56 PM, Flight 123 struck a ridge of Mount Takamagahara at approximately 340 knots. The impact sheared off the wings and scattered wreckage over the mountainside. A massive fire erupted, consuming much of the fuselage. Of the 524 people onboard, 520 perished. Rescue efforts were delayed by confusion and darkness. Helicopters spotted survivors on the mountainside that night but chose not to land, believing there was no chance of life and fearing hazards at the site. When ground teams reached the crash site the following morning, they found four survivors in the tail section, which had broken off from the main fuselage and landed in a relatively sheltered area. The survivors—Keiko Kawakami, Hiroko Yoshizaki, Yumi Ochiai, and 12-year-old Hiroko Tamura—were badly injured but alive. The investigation revealed that the disaster stemmed from the improper repair in 1978. Boeing’s failure to follow its own specifications allowed a fatigue crack to form and grow unchecked. Each pressurization cycle in the years that followed brought the aircraft closer to destruction. Investigators also criticized Japan’s rescue response, suggesting that a more aggressive effort that first night might have saved additional lives. In the aftermath, Boeing issued service bulletins to inspect similar repairs on other aircraft. Airlines around the world strengthened their maintenance oversight. Engineers began exploring backup systems to provide limited control in case of total hydraulic failure. Japan Airlines created the Safety Promotion Center in Tokyo, where pieces of Flight 123’s wreckage are displayed as a stark reminder of the importance of safety and vigilance. The legacy of Flight 123 is profound. It serves as a chilling reminder of how a small error can have devastating consequences years later. The courage of the crew, who fought to the end to save their passengers, is honored in Japan and by pilots worldwide. The farewell notes left by passengers are preserved as poignant testaments to love and loss. Every year, families and friends of the victims gather at the crash site to hold memorial services, ensuring that those who died are never forgotten. Decades later, flying has become safer thanks to lessons learned from tragedies like Flight 123. Redundant systems, improved inspection regimes, and better training have all contributed to reducing the risk of similar accidents. Yet the memory of that August evening in 1985 continues to echo in the aviation community and beyond, a permanent scar that underscores the fragility of life and the responsibility borne by those who build, maintain, and fly the machines we entrust our lives to.
2 months ago | 7
Ooh, new series, and I unfortunately knew that accident too well, I can’t believe it’s nearly 40 years since JA8119 had came down as flight 123 due to repairs came down the wrong way, after the tail strike incident as flight 110, in 78. Rest in peace to the 520 people who perished…
1 month ago | 0
Ik this is Flight 123 as said in the comments but the scene really reminds me of Flight 180 from Final Destination...
4 weeks ago | 0
I know this is probably gonna come out on August 12th 2025. But if this is gonna be the first air disaster documentary he’s gonna make in August of 2025. I am gonna be shocked. Because what about DAL 191. It crashed on August 2nd. The same year and month as JAL 123.
1 month ago | 1
That looks like voress Airlines 180 from the final destination franchise but a different color scheme
1 month ago | 1
May be train documentary are finshed U make documentory of train Now new series will be started Air documentary I will also watch it 😊
2 months ago | 2
@kaedenthecsxamtrakandthoma8318
Ain’t no way he’s making air disaster documentaries I like train crash/wreck documentaries better
2 months ago | 1
Going from train wrecks to aviation? Hmm with jumbo jets I know about Japan air 123, twa 800, a Collison on a runway in Tenerife involving two 747s.
2 months ago | 4
Thunderbolt 1000 Siren Productions
Something Plane is coming
2 months ago | [YT] | 320