Japan Airlines: The Crash of Flight 123
The last minutes of Japan Airlines Flight 123 from Tokyo have been the subject of intense debate since the Boeing 747 crashed on August 12, 1985. It remains to date the worst single plane air crash in history with 520 souls lost. Twelve minutes into a domestic run from Haneda Airport, Tokyo to Osaka, Flight 123 experienced every pilot and passengerÆs nightmare û a total loss of hydraulic pressure, as well as tail control surfaces, which rendered the piloting controls useless. The plane was out of control for the next 27 minutes, having lost a section of its tail, including the stabilizer after a rear bulkhead blew, ejecting the vertical fin and blasting away the four sets of hydraulic-control lines which enable the pilotÆs controls. The crew desperately tried to stabilize the plane using only engine thrust and flaps. Despite these efforts, the jet ôDutch-rolledö downwards, at an incomprehensible speed of 18,000 feet per minute, a pace that only fighter jets can handle. Captain Takahama fought to regain control of the plane, right up until 18:56, the moment of impact into the lower slopes of Mount Osutaka, located 70 miles northwest of Tokyo, where the plane exploded into flames.
The controversy surrounding this air disaster centers on three key factors. The most straightforward of these is the structural failure of the aircraftÆs fuselage bulkhead which can be unequivocally traced back to a poor repair job seven years prior to the tragedy. The second focus area under scrutiny is the roles of the pilot and co-pilot in making appropriate responses to the emergencies that developed immediately before the crash. Third, and most intriguing, is the alleged lack of cooperation between the Japanese and American authorities over a rescue mission, which some argue may have saved the lives of more survivors of the devastating impact. Only four people escaped alive from the wreckage of Fligh...