![]() In order to accommodate the vast number of travelers, Japanese flag carrier Japan Airlines typically ran long-haul aircraft, including the Boeing 747, on very short domestic flights. ![]() In 1985, Obon fell around the 15th of August in most parts of Japan, and by the 12th, the holiday travel boom was well underway. The resulting travel rush is both a yearly windfall and a hassle for Japan’s domestic airlines, which need to transport a significant portion of Japan’s population over a period of just three days. Why did a trained engineer make such a basic mistake? And why did Japanese authorities wait until the next day to send rescuers to the crash site, costing the lives of countless survivors? Thirty-six years later, some lingering questions remain about one of aviation’s most heartbreaking tragedies.Įvery August, millions of people in Japan celebrate the holiday of Obon, a time when families return to their ancestral homes to gather in honor of their forebears. It was the second deadliest plane crash of all time.īut what was learned from this staggering loss of life? The cause of the crash proved infuriatingly simple: a single faulty repair, a section of bulkhead held in place by one row of rivets instead of two. ![]() After 32 minutes, Japan Airlines flight 123 crashed into a descending ridge of Mount Osutaka, killing 520 of the 524 people on board. The pilots used every tool they had to stay in the air, fighting to the last breath to keep their plane from descending into the mountains below. The explosion destroyed all four hydraulic systems and left the pilots without any control over the airplane, which soon embarked on a terrifying rollercoaster ride through the skies over Japan. On the 12th of August 1985, a fully loaded Japan Airlines Boeing 747 suffered a catastrophic failure of the aft pressure bulkhead after takeoff from Tokyo, throwing the passengers and crew alike into a desperate battle for survival. Recovery crews work to remove bodies from the crash site of Japan Airlines flight 123.
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