747 Crashes into Amsterdam Apartment Complex (El AL Flight 1862) - DISASTER BREAKDOWN

[@DisasterBreakdown]

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[@crypticmirror]

Thank you for covering this. I always remember this one, apart from Lockerbie, it was one of the first crash that I remember ever seeing on the news when I was young. It has been very enlightening hearing you go through everything that happened to the jet. I have to agree that the official death toll is far too low, more than that were definitely killed, especially Ghanaians. So many were left ill on the ground afterwards too.

[@harveytyler4869]

How was it possible to not find the cvr something is fishy about that, another great video good work

[@crypticmirror]

@@harveytyler4869 The local authorities rushed the clean up of the site, for reasons best known to themselves, and it ended up in a landfill somewhere (along with a lot of human remains). Having said that, it was probably heavily damaged by the force of this crash and may not have had much recoverable data on it anyway. The flight data recorder was recovered, and it was heavily damaged by the impact and needed forensic reconstruction before they could get the data off it. But given that virtually every surivor in the apartments and nearby apartment blocks came down with something suspiciously similar to either Gulf War Syndrome, or nerve poisoning, there likely was something on the plane that wasn't meant to be there, or so the theory goes anyway. Certainly the lack of recovery of the CVR did nothing to allay those suspicions.

[@anubeia]

@@crypticmirror I read your comment before the video got to the crash section, and I thought that maybe there might be an additive in the fuel used by the aircraft. Now I'm not so sure.

[@longbeach7623]

The videos where an animation of the crash sequence is omitted, leave me feeling like something was missing when the video ends.

[@chloescat]

Every accident is sad but to me, the calmness and professionalism of the crew was so inspiring; considering the circumstance. Hearing them calmly say, 'Going down' and them seeing and knowing their fate is truly heartbreaking. Rest in peace, heroes! ❤️

[@Davinhomx]

Yeah that was crazy. Going down, goind down in the most calm way

[@alhanes5803]

@@Davinhomx yeah, this was very sad.

[@DumLoco]

Yes, this is the video that had affected me the most so far. It shouldn't be, but seeing both crew and ATC do everything right, and ending in tragedy anyway... It touched something in me.

[@19382q]

Yeah they flew into a flat and killed a ton of people they suck

[@MahNamJeff]

@@19382q simulations of this accident have been made, it was impossible to actually pilot or land the plane at all due to how bad the damage was

[@gemberkoekje]

The most chilling part of this particular story to me is that they went through simulations afterwards. Basically, the engine separation and hit to the other engine and wing had such a devastating effect on the wing that, even in simulations, even when they knew exactly what was going to happen, they weren't able to land the plane after it happened. The damage on the wing was so bad that it would've fallen out of the sky, one way or the other.

[@youngminpark3173]

Much respect to the pilots who fought tooth and nail to keep this doomed plane flying for as long as they did.

[@ZenkaiAnkoku2]

Exactly. As soon as they had to slow down, they were doomed. The pilots did everything they could. These are somehow always the saddest stories.

[@musichigh7436]

Yeah Mr. Smarty Pants but maybe fall out of the sky in any other place than a residential area, not?

[@JC-vo5dt]

@@musichigh7436 They obviously did not know that the engines were physically gone and thought they could make it back to the airport. A 747 should be able to make it home on 2 engines, even if on same wing.

[@232K7]

@@musichigh7436 if the airplane was controllable it wouldn't have crashed anywhere 🤦 The pilots also had no way of knowing the extent of the damage; it was a cargo plane that didn't even have windows.

[@dfuher968]

My family and I went to Holland, specifically Amsterdam, about 10 years ago. Not far from our hotel was a park, and we went for a walk there 1 afternoon. It wasnt, until we reached the memorial, that we realised, this was, where this crash happened. This was very somber, especially for me, as this crash made a huge impression on me, when it happened. I was a teenager at the time, and the horror of a 747 crashing into a huge appartment building, well, it was incomprehensible to me at time. And the human story, that hit me the most, was of the 2 teenagers, who were killed in their apartment. Their parents had just left a few minutes earlier with a casual see-u-later to take their bikes to go see a couple of friends. They got about a kilometer or so, then the plane crashed, and they rushed back to see only rubble, where their appartment had been. It made a lasting impression on me, both coz I was just a year or 2 older than them, and coz of the horrific sorrow of losing both their children so suddenly and horrifically. And coz the mother later has been in almost every documentary, I have seen about the crash. It seems to me to be her way to keep her childrens' memory alive, as they lost not only their children, but everything else as well including all their photos and mementoes of their children. All, she had left, were a few photos, family and friends had managed to find. I admire the mother for her strength in going on and for her resiliency in making sure, that her children arent just an anonymous statistic ("official count: 43"), as so often happens in mass casualty situations. It has worked, coz I for 1 will never forget this crash - or those 2 children.

[@sleepful1917]

chill with the commas lol, you used like twice as many as necessary

[@briantitchener4829]

@@sleepful1917 More bothered about commas than content. Sad.

[@blzb1219]

@@sleepful1917 rules for commas are very different depending on the language and this person might not even be a native speaker. As a russian, I understand how difficult it sometimes is to get how English commas work. So maybe, just maybe, you should be a bit less of a jerk and divert your attention to the story and tragedy itself instead of being the bloody grammar police no one asked for

[@alhanes5803]

@@sleepful1917 Speak like a human. She used "like" too many comas. Yeah "like" wow.

[@alhanes5803]

@@briantitchener4829 Exactly...

[@johnny5805]

The pilot was the very image of professionalism. No fear in his voice even as he says he's going down.

[@sintes88]

@@johnhall7850 He did not intentionally crash into the building. The plane was inoperable.

[@aabll5993]

@@sintes88 Exactly!

[@erlienfrommars]

@@johnhall7850 If he had controls, he would land the plane in one piece instead of crashing into a building. Not sure what you're smoking smh.

[@philipp7156]

@@johnhall7850 Lay down the crack pipe. It's definetly mashing your brain. And if you can't - try to get help. You're sick!

[@johnhall7850]

@@philipp7156 so much IDF. 😁👍

[@kikastra]

Am I the only one when watching videos about this particular incident, even though you know they aren't going to make it, you keep hoping that "this time" they will?

[@lordlehuezerher]

Most certainly not, even if I know that they won’t make it, I keep hope till the very end

[@232K7]

I always do too :/ When I heard the 23yr old in the jumpseat cry "AND flap problems?!" my heart freaking sank

[@kikastra]

@@232K7 Is that who's voice that was?

[@neoberi2611]

What a strange mentality

[@therealdutchidiot]

@@kikastra No, it was a coworker of one on-channel for ATC for that flight. You'll notice the same voice saying "it's no use Henk".

[@nyanbinary1717]

I’m not sure why, but this has always been one of the most harrowing crashes for me. I can only imagine how hard they struggled to keep that plane in the air. Hearing the distraught voices of ATC makes it even worse.

[@patrickmollohan3082]

And they fought it all the way until impact!! Respect to the crew and RIP to all who died.✈

[@andrewtaylor940]

Probably because there was a truly horrifying first season episode of Seconds From Disaster about this crash, that went heavily in depth about the people and the losses on the ground. Once you see it, it really sticks with you.

[@nyanbinary1717]

@@andrewtaylor940 Good point. I’ve watched most of those at least twice, but I could only watch that one once.

[@NPC_-mf4dw]

If you found this harrowing, check out Japan Airlines Flight 123. They fought a crippled plane for 30 minutes, going through a literal roller coaster of death for what must have felt like eternity before crashing into a mountain, killing almost everyone aboard.

[@nyanbinary1717]

@@NPC_-mf4dw That one is DEFINITELY harrowing.

[@andrewtaylor940]

This remains one of the all time most horrifying accidents, for the massive death toll on the ground. The reason the CVR was never found is because as soon as the Coroner released the scene the mayor had the entire site bulldozed and sent to the landfill. So the crash investigators had to try to search the entirety of the city landfill for the recorders.

[@Operngeist1]

I totally forgot about that part.

[@DQ_Mine]

Criminal

[@andrewtaylor940]

@@DQ_Mine There was some understandable reasoning behind the decision. It wasn’t simply an air crash. It had carved a hole in the city and wiped out a large apartment building. With remaining structures unstable, and a great deal of public outcry. The circumstances were somewhat similar to the decision to bring down the remaining portion of Champlain Towers in Florida, on top of where they were still looking for survivors or remains. The aircraft parts were mixed with and buried under tons of building debris. I think the mayor should have given the investigators a bit more time. But time measured in 2-3 days tops. Not the weeks it would have taken them.

[@JC-vo5dt]

Same goes with the 2 planes that hit the twin towers in NYC on 9/11. I never heard anyone mention the black boxes.

[@andrewtaylor940]

@@JC-vo5dt I thought they were found? Although I may be getting confused with the Pennsylvania and Pentagon attacks?

[@ZenkaiAnkoku2]

The disasters where there was no chance to save the plane are always the saddest ones. But I'm glad you make these documentaries. You tell the stories without the added fanfare and drama. Makes you appreciate the reality of the disasters.

[@deathstalkerx4415]

I agree. Its always the cold hard facts. Not dramatized with music to make it "entertaining". Id rather watch this than some badly acted often times faulty representation of what happened.

[@yerinbaekscandlelight]

Actually, I disagree. I think it's more sad if there WAS a chance to save the plane, but they didn't take it and it crashed anyway. When lives could've been saved, but they weren't. Don't get me wrong, this video was so sad and I send my condolences to all the victims families.

[@yerinbaekscandlelight]

@@deathstalkerx4415 aka Wonder

[@akschmidt2085]

I think the avoidable ones are much sadder. Yknow... cuz they were avoidable.

[@indianfan1029]

I agree, the worst are always the ones which could have been avoided. Even Titanic, all the things that could have saved it, or the passengers, and not happening, thats the saddest part.

[@EdmundKempersDartboard]

"Wings are important." "Airplane parts are not supposed to fall off." I'm learning a lot this episode.

[@GMaviation]

🤣🤣

[@Wheelman2004]

*plane labeled CARGO* "Built in 1979, this particular plane was built for the sole purpose of transporting cargo."

[@Enceladus2106]

@@Wheelman2004 Well that info isn't as redundant, tons of aging passenger aircraft get converted into freighters

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

What's alarming is the relative frequency with which things did fall off of airplanes up until fairly recently. It's not (nor has it ever been) something of a daily common occurrence, just that things like spare fuel cells to extend range weren't always intended to be jettisoned, but still regularly were... AND you can STILL occasionally run across random aircraft parts in the wilderness and mountains particularly... if you go and look. ;o)

[@WickerWickedWickWick]

i wish i could start a channel all about summarizing disasters like these, but i don't have the time and effort to do it lol.

[@30769s]

Props to the air traffic controllers. A plane with 2 engines out trying to make it back to the airport plus managing all the other planes on frequency and doing it like it's just any other day. I have nothing but respect to them

[@TregMediaHD]

I'm Dutch and this was a well presented video. I am in tears remembering the news that evening

[@therealdutchidiot]

I remember the newscast right after, and the news piled on for weeks with new information.

[@PJay-wy5fx]

Thank you for covering this. I live in Amsterdam (not in the crash area) and I remember, apart from the shock and deep grief, the paranoia that ensued right after the crash. I know about the human impact side of this disaster, and how it remained a scar in the many years after the event, but had not heard of the actual technical circumstances on this level of detail before. So thank you for making this video. Also kudos for the pronunciation of the Dutch geographical names. I know it’s not easy for non-Dutch speakers. I have noticed you put a lot of effort in the right pronunciation of any non-English names, which shows the respect and meticulousness with which these videos are made.

[@GandWizard]

I fully agree - excellent stuff! I would have made one minor addition to the transcript though - at 13:22, the female AMS ATC says: "It's over - it happened, I think".

[@EzioAuditore]

MomLeftMeAtBestbuy is going to be a new fan favorite contributor

[@sleepful1917]

i saw him in his video after this one, so funny and i love that he reads it out

[@LyralioRC]

"Well, since Mom left me here, might as well catch up on some well-produced airplane crash videos. Heck, I got her wallet, I'll give the guy who makes them some money while I'm at it"

[@pey5571]

I've watched a bunch of videos on this channel but this is the first one I've cried at for some reason. It is so frustrating to see the flight crew and ATC do everything right and as much as they can and yet still end up crashing.

[@Sandervslooten]

This was on Dutch tv last week because of 70 years of Dutch tv, and I was thinking about what a Disaster Breakdown video about this crash would be like. Great video as always, rip the ones lost in the accident.🙏🏻

[@dors5969]

Since this accident, Elal never registered aircraft with G in its registration, for example, there's no 787 with the registration of 4X-EDG. Only 4X-EDF and then 4X-EDH. The same true for all the previous and current aircraft in the fleet.

[@AEMoreira81]

I didn’t realize that until now. That’s why there is no 4X-EHG (which would have been a Boeing 737-900ER).

[@chrisakaschulbus4903]

Are people still this guided by fear of bad luck? Or is it just to remember the accident? Because if it is, it's not a very good reminder.

[@lucariolps277]

@@chrisakaschulbus4903 I would guess it's just to remember. Certain numbers or Letters not being used anymore after tragedies is pretty common from my knowledge.. For example, after a child died in a school, the teacher never used his desk nummber every again. So I would guess something similar is happening here

[@chrisakaschulbus4903]

@@lucariolps277 And if we did that with every tragedy, we would probably run out of letters and numbers for identifying things and it would help nobody remember anything. Imagine if people did that with first names...

[@tiramisu7544]

@@chrisakaschulbus4903 That's why we stop using certain designators like letters or flight numbers sometimes for aircraft... because it's very very rare that an incident happens to an airplane in the first place.

[@ulcolandheer5431]

I can remember my dad walking into my room saying a plane crashed into the city that Sunday evening right before Studio Sport was supposed to start. I worked the next day in the Bijlmer for a camera distribution center, Konica I think, I went to the site during lunch with a few co-workers. I remember seeing flames going up again.

[@cecinkm]

“airplane parts are not supposed to fall off” ahaha i sure hope not

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

The reason Engine 3 took out Engine 4 is because it was still producing thrust. When Engine 3 broke off the wing, it launched forward and then struck Engine 4 as the plane overtook it.

[@valerierodger7700]

No, the reason engine 3 took out engine 4 was exactly what was stated in the video: the fuse pins did not fail properly. Perhaps if the video had gone into a more detailed explanation, this would be more clear. The fuse pins aren't just made to fail in a particular manner, they are designed to fail in a particular _order_ so that there is a "controlled" separation. The fuse pins at the front of the upper link and at the back of the brace are designed to be weaker than the mid spar fuse pins so that they fail first, but in this case, one of the "stronger" midspar fuse pins failed due to fatigue, causing the engine to separate improperly. You don't have to take my word for it, it's explained in great detail in the accident report published by the Netherlands Aviation Safety Board

[@alhanes5803]

@@valerierodger7700 Sorry Val but, he was still correct. The engine didn't fail as expected. It detached at take off thrust, so it did shoot forward, then came backwards striking #4. The fuse pins are designed with an engine failure in mind. (A dead engine) This engine didn't fail, it was running at full thrust. You're correct it stating the initial cause, but he was right in explaining why it came back and struck #4, and tore out the leading edge of the wing.

[@Halinspark]

@@alhanes5803 I was under the impression if the engine pylon fails under power, it's expected to go up and over the wing, and that this one flew off in a weird direction because the pin failed asymmetrically.

[@grmpEqweer]

"Airplane parts are not supposed to fall off" ...I live under the glidepath for a major airport. I really would not appreciate large items flopping through the roof...🎁🎁🎁

[@nyanbinary1717]

Same!

[@IdliAmin_TheLastKingofSambar]

Yup, same here as well.

[@TW1257]

Many planes come over my neighborhood going into Atlanta. It's worrisome.

[@fonesrphunny7242]

I'm about 10 miles from the next major airport, but one approach route goes perfectly overhead due to another VOR (small domestic airport). I overlayed the charts with a map and it's scary how well it lines up.

[@grmpEqweer]

Eh, so far, no prob. We moved, though, so we're right where they put down the landing gears? Which sounds a tad alarming at times. After 9/11, I find the sight/sound of planes overhead reassuring. It's the sound of the world being okay.

[@kenmore01]

John at the channel "Plainly difficult" just did a cover of this and mentioned this video in his, so I just watched it again. It's fun seeing some of your old work and how it compares to your new work. As always, very well done. I also liked how your cat made the top comment lol!

[@annabasnatural]

“Parts are not meant to fall off of an aircraft…” ….I feel this is something that didn’t need to be clarified but thanks 😂😂

[@mrkipling2201]

I would worry if the cabin crew said that, along with the safety procedures before a flight!! 🤣🤣🤷🤷

[@kikastra]

@@mrkipling2201 "Ladies and gentleman, in case of parts falling off the airplane, get into the brace position and kiss your ass goodbye".

[@bluejay7058]

I wonder if it's possible to have parts built in to compensate this? Maybe an extra rudder or something in case the controls break? Then again it was said that this was airplane was simulated to be unrecoverable to so maybe not :(

[@The-Rose-and-the-Cross]

Actually, it did need to be clarified, at least for the people at Boeing after another 747 had crashed, for the exact same reason, a year before El Al 1862. And @@bluejay7058, redundancy was already present in the 747 design, specially regarding the hydraulic systems (it has four, each powered by a different engine). And if I recall correctly, the 747's rudder is actually divided in two, not so much for redundancy but because of the sheer size. But there are some things that redundancy cannot solve. One just can't have brand new slats magically appear to compensate for the lift imbalance àfte he leading edge was damaged, nor engines come out of nowhere to counter the asymmetric thrust after engines 4 and 3 fell down.

[@selfademus]

TheRoseAndTheCross - if you _actually_ think something like, i dunno, perhaps... maintenance hours were increased or someone decided *not* to take a shortcut when making a particular repair or a choice was made to undergo more thorough inspections, etc. all for the *sole* reason that they heard someone clarify to them that _parts aren't meant to fall off aircraft,_ i'm sorry, but you're an idiot. that *never* needs to be clarified. saying anything _that_ mind-numbingly obvious is borderline mockery and the best effect anyone could hope for is that the people involved lose every bit of confidence, feel hopelessly stupid, utterly useless and/or completely hate themselves. none of which do anything to strengthen any party's work ethic. mistakes happen. everyone can't see everything and money will maintain its rule on every human's life. to be reminded that planes aren't supposed to disassemble on their own in the sky is _actually_ not helpful to anyone... well, except maybe you. what a perfect opportunity this was for ya to act all smug and play mr. know-it-all smartypants. grats.

[@bassett_green]

This was one of my favorites yet. Thanks for going into detail about the fail safe pins

[@DisasterBreakdown]

You are so welcome!

[@ishadezzl]

I was in Amsterdam at the time of the accident There is nothing more terrifying than seeing a huge plane flying right towards you At high speed. Needless to say The aftermath was disturbing to everyone that was there that day

[@Jozaaaa]

Things that didn’t happen

[@ishadezzl]

@@Jozaaaa and who are you again? Except for someone that doesn't know anything about me or what I've seen,

[@mikeloghry9521]

@@Jozaaaa Keep still and your mouth shut. If you can't say anything constructive. Don't say anything at all.

[@kleenexbox974]

@@Jozaaaa oh so you know him? L for you

[@RahulRk-tr7ot]

As you witnessed this incident in real. Do you have any fear in flying after this? 🤔 Or like Trauma or Ptsd?

[@oddballskull1941]

“Airplane parts are not supposed to fall off” Huh learn something new every day

[@Emily-lh6em]

I'm under the weather so I'm greatful that I discovered your channel to watch in bed. You really do an amazing job at presenting these events respectfully, clearly, and factually. It's apparent from my binge watching marathon that you took great care in putting each one together. Your narration and the visuals are well done and it feels like I'm watching a professional documentary. Thank you! 🥳

[@isabellind1292]

I hope you get better soon. I've never watched this channel before and you've described the presenter and his videos in the same way I would. He puts a great deal of effort into their presentation. I wish you well!🌺💓

[@thexboxfurry745]

It really is commendable how well they actually handled the plane and how calm they were during the attempt to return to the airport.

[@angelinasouren]

I remember this. I was living in Amsterdam (West) then and this plane crashed very very close to where a friend of mine was living. There were radiation fears for a while, if I recall correctly. I was feeling really shitty that evening and I did something really strange, namely open a very small window in my kitchen and stare outside, toward the east, almost as if trying to reach someone. I had no idea that the plane had been going overhead, already in trouble at around that time (let alone that a plane had crashed). They did almost two circuits, off the top of my head, and crashed during the second circuit. (I typed this before watching the video. Will watch it now.)

[@c128stuff]

I heard this crash, and saw the smoke of it, it was a 2 minute walk north from where I was at that moment.

[@Ara_Arasaka]

They did everything they could. They did everything right. They couldn’t have done anything Any better- or different. I hope everyone affected has peace of mind, and rests easy. What a tragedy.

[@jamesx4952]

I’ve heard of this accident years back but never knew what happened great video yet again

[@mrkipling2201]

I remember it as well. Watching the news on the day it happened. Horrible disaster, made worse by crashing into the block of flats.

[@therealdutchidiot]

@@mrkipling2201 Yeah, there's first responder recordings out there trying to pinpoint the location. When they figured it out, oof. Big oof.

[@Probly_a_sweet_potato]

I remember watching another video on this crash. There there was this one guy in the apartment complex who crated up his cats before evacuating the building with them. And there were these parents who had just left on a date, leaving their teenage children in the building. Both teens were killed. Absolute tragedy

[@goldenmiddledistanceraces5929]

I remember that about the teens being left in the flat. tragic. how to live on after a loss like that

[@RowdyLowdy]

People in this industry are so incredibly calm. It’s amazing. I’d be running in circles with my hair on fire, screaming, “We’re all gonna die!!!”

[@RahulRk-tr7ot]

😂😜😜

[@nottelling8129]

I’m pissed off at the guy who thought that it was more important to destroy evidence (A.K.A. Clean the scene up) than the investigation, which is part of the reason why the CVR was never found

[@therealdutchidiot]

It's not. Even if it was in a landfill they would've found it. It probably got turned into a million in the explosion (CVR was confirmed to have been on board)

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

Sometimes there are more important things than an investigation. A lot of lives on the ground were affected. They cleared the rubble to recover the bodies and look for survivors.

[@therealdutchidiot]

@@bloodymarvelous4790 Agreed

[@nottelling8129]

@@therealdutchidiot Do you have any idea how big a landfill is?

[@therealdutchidiot]

@@nottelling8129 They found a piece of a one of the bolts there too, so it can't be that difficult.

[@Ryan-lp4yr]

Im dutch, and the conversation at 13:16 hit me like for real. I can hear the pain in they’re voices

[@therealdutchidiot]

Best part? as I recall a similar crash happened years earlier. I think it was somewhere in Asia. Metal fatigue in the fuse pins was the cause.

[@dontspikemydrink9382]

their

[@gilbertfranklin1537]

Excellent presentation of this incident! I see you are nearing 50K subs, and am quite confident that you will continue on to the 100K mark if you keep up the good work. 😉

[@KGI_KlikoNL]

Today it is 30 years ago. The engines came down in the water North-East of Amsterdam. El Al was known by mechanics, to very poorly fix issues (cheap/fast/temperarly). It landed from New York in Amsterdam already with 3 issues.

[@jimleon7894]

Great technical description of the structural issues. A very tragic event for the residents as well as the doomed crew.

[@grapeshot]

Yeah remember this disaster the plane basically split the building in two.

[@greymark420]

Terrible devastation, those pilots tried so hard to land that plane, i hope they received a posthumous commendation. I also thought that ATC were very professional in the handling of that incident.

[@johnhall7850]

Crash into building? Get awarded? Nah. My father was a pilot himself, and taking it down without killing people on the ground was a priority, even if it meant certain death to the pilot. So they were either terrorists or terrible pilots.

[@greymark420]

@@johnhall7850 My word that is incredibly harsh. Terrorist oh dear, what a ridiculous comment.

[@danielabackstrom]

@@johnhall7850 wtf 😑

[@aabll5993]

@@greymark420 Couldn't agree with you more.

[@PresidentEvil]

@@johnhall7850 they dont have control of the aircraft what dont you understand?

[@missfleming5465]

I had cousins that lived in the building where it happened, my dad was visiting them just before going back to the UK. If my dad & cousins didn't leave 2-3 minutes early they could've been hurt or worse. I remember BBC broadcasting what happened my mum & I were shocked & crying. The phone had rung which I answered I was so relieved when my dad said him & my cousin are ok, when he came back I hugged him so tight. I'll show him this video see if he remembers anything from that day.

[@LuckyNala]

Unfortunately I don't think anyone could forget anything about such a traumatic event. I'm glad that your family got out in time.

[@missfleming5465]

@@LuckyNala My cousins insisted on driving my dad to Breda coach terminal instead of him getting a taxi, my dad's last minute change of mind saved not only himself but my cousins too.

[@RastaSaiyaman]

I'm an avid watcher of National Geographic's "Air crash investigation" which of course had an episode on this very crash too, they talked about the same things you did but in a much more in depth degree and had interviews with the NTSB, the people at Schiphol airport and survivors of the apartment complex. I have to say, you did a very good job at making this clip more understandable for people who don't really know all that much about aviation.

[@AlexGoat13]

Your videos are so interesting and well put together, keep up the grind

[@DisasterBreakdown]

Thank you!

[@joerivanlier1180]

Hi being Dutch, I really liked your prenouciation of Amsterdam, even for me thinking you Dutch speaking English really good, at gooimeer i was back to my other theory, but still good go. And a thing I think you cut out (i think, it felt like a setup for it at one point), one of the other results of this was the creation of Schiphol Discrete, a frequency for emergency aircraft so both the frequency and controller have only the emergency aircraft. I am pretty sure this alone might save another plane at some point. Having a clear channel of communication offloads the flight crew and might give that extra second of thought. Then again not having other pilots on frequency (beside those on the ground being curious), might mean a pilot with that one vital tip is cut out. But IMHO the gains far outweigh this.

[@hooverkinz]

Interesting take on pros and cons of that! Never thought of it those way

[@tensaichigo2]

This situation is just insane and so sad. They did all they could in an impossible scenario. What remarkable people. I'm sure they are all dearly missed.

[@kimifur]

I had just turned 10 when this happened. It was one of the first disasters I remember seeing on the news when it happened. The others were Chernobyl in 1986, the Kings Cross fire in 1987, and Pan Am 103 in 1988. Somehow this was the most shocking of all. I remember seeing on the news the glowing wreckage in the dark which had split the apartment complex in two. I remember thinking how many people must have been in there. Thank you for making such a sensitive and informative video, as always.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

And the Challenger disaster which happened a few months before Chernobyl.

[@kimifur]

@@bloodymarvelous4790 Which oddly I don't remember seeing at all at the time.

[@AndrewBarsky]

“Airplane parts aren’t supposed to fall off.” Well, yeah. No argument there.

[@Puddincess]

In addition to the in-video warning for the voice recording, would it be an idea to insert a chapters so it's indicated on the time bar? Just QoL things

[@Ryanboy2020]

I never knew that the pilots flew the airplane for over 8 minutes! Amazing that they were able to fly the plane that long. I wonder why the cockpit voice recorder was never found? They usually find something? Perhaps, the post crash fire mixed with all the debris from the apartment complex and 240 lives. Very sad.

[@nightfly4664]

Thanks for this awesome video! There weren't really any good ones out there on this. I was six years old, we had just come back from my grandmothers place, we usually visited her on a Sunday. I remember looking out of the window and seeing smoke in the sky and as we kept on driving the sound barriers disappeared showing de BIjlmer. We thought it was a big fire until a few minutes later the reports came over the radio. Yep, that's all there really is to my story, nothing crazy. I never realized until I got older that it did have an impact on me, but in the sense that I got really interested in air crashes. I still am to this day, obviously. I'm just glad to see there's finally a quality breakdown of this crash!

[@forresttucker168]

The fact that these pilots were able to keep this severely damaged airplane in the air for so long shows their skill, the pilots last words are very chilling...

[@alexskvortsov4188]

Wow. Never fail to deliver. These keep getting better and better! Can't wait for the next.

[@bettagems9209]

You have the best, most beautiful graphics of any YT channel devoted to historical incidents I have watched and I watch a lot! I only know about this crash from the Smithsonian series, so thank you for all the information you gave that they left out like the passenger going home for her birthday and wedding, how heartbreaking, and the undocumented workers who were killed but not included in the official count. I always believed 42 was way too low for such a disaster. Thank you.

[@dbg2644]

I remember that there was much debate in the news back then over what the actual cargo of the plane was. Also mysterious men in white suits were sighted at the crash site fueling the debate even further.

[@badlands555]

One show I saw about this said the white suits were allowed to retrieve something from the crash site. Before rescue units were allowed in even.

[@flopsinator5817]

@@badlands555 I'm guessing that they were checking for dangerous materials (poison, nuclear, etc), in case El Al was carrying bombs or whatever. Doesn't necessarily mean there were any, just that there might've been and they needed to check for that. I don't think it would've made much of a difference either way.

[@nightfly4664]

They weren't mysterious at all. They were there to check for potentially dangerous material (i.e. radioactive). Hence, the white suits and rebreathes.

[@alhanes5803]

@@flopsinator5817 True...

[@drscopeify]

@@flopsinator5817 Important radioactive or nuclear sensitive equipment cannot be transported by airplane because when you fly you are exposing the equipment to higher solar radiation which can damage it. If you ever want to scare people, show them gigger counter when on an airplane, more radiation then nuclear workers! It is amazing how much radiation exposure you get when flying but I fly all the time and very healthy person.

[@Flashback007]

I am glad you stick to the fact. Here in the Netherlands, the crash is still surrounded by mystery and conspiracy-theories

[@PieterPatrick]

We zagen allemaal mannen in witte pakken! 😛

[@javasrevenge7121]

Vergeet het woord conspiracy-theories.

[@colinwoods9601]

I've come to really look forward to waking up on Saturday mornings and thinking over coffee, "Is it Saturday? There's a new Disaster Breakdown release today!" The work you do is amazing and your commitment to providing new content as frequently as you do truly spoils us all. Thank you for the hard work you put into these--it really shows. Cheers.

[@gabriellab2436]

whenever pilots switch to their native language it gives me chills

[@tjniezek3096]

Damn those 747's are beautiful birds ... Love the videos man keep em coming please .👍

[@funnykiasedona1077]

My grandpa Used to fly the same plane, and from what he tells me those flight crew were his friends. thats a real sad thing, to loose your friend in a aircraft incident where you know it could of been you....

[@Yasmine-jx3jo]

Wow, I've lived in Amsterdam almost my whole live and I didn't even know about this and I even travel past this with the metro...

[@envera9553]

You're killing it this month, thank you for the video!

[@DisasterBreakdown]

No, thank you for watching!

[@fmiqbal]

considering this channel is about plane crashing, people dying, that's a very poor choice of words ...

[@dontspikemydrink9382]

@@fmiqbal nah

[@RahulRk-tr7ot]

​@@dontspikemydrink9382Yes it is. 🥲

[@mce_AU]

Incredibly sad event. Thanks for sharing.

[@slimdarcy9503]

What I love about this channel is that there's so many more details we wouldn't see on TV

[@Georgejoseph74]

tx u for another fantastic video...all ur videos are brief and contains everything wat a normal person like me understand...good job mate

[@majuuorthrus3340]

My honeymoon was in Amsterdam, and one of the museums had an exhibit about the impact of this accident. A there was a lot of artwork from children. Absolutely horrifying.

[@angeliquevermeuledp]

My father nearly lived in that appartment,specifically the part that got destroyed,in the late 70's,he still feels blessed that he never decided to accept that house !

[@Belette6763]

I think I saw a TV documentary about this crash when I was about 11 or 12. I remember the building struck in its middle, and how the documentary was also talking about one or two teenagers that lived in the building, and were in their apartment when the crash occured. I saw Plainly Difficult's video about this and gasped when I saw the picture of the building. As every crash it is very tragic, but this one struck me even more - it was the feeling of not being safe even in your own home, of teenagers diying and their parents surviving them.

[@misssweetpea2890]

Came across your channel by chance and have been binge watching all your videos for the past 2 days 😊 I like how your respectful to the dead, even if its pilot error you still show respect to the situation and how stressful something like that would be 👍 keep up the good work and content you gotta sub from me 😊

[@javasrevenge7121]

Thanks for this great upload, I am dutch and remember this disaster as yesterday. There are still questions about the cargo, a lot of people got ill namely.

[@Rinusj1]

This event i will never forget..i lived very close to where the plane crashed...i remember on sunday night we were going to watch Italian football on tv ..my brother and mother were in the kitchen making coffee, when i heard the screaming engines of the plane i was nailed to my chair...the kitchen was faced to the flats where the plane went down so my bro and mother actually saw it happen...back then i was attending night school and after the crash we missed one of our class members i knew she lived in that exact corner of these two flats eventually we heard that she survived..

[@wololo10]

He probably had flaps only in the left wing, that extra lift difference made the airlerons unable to keep wings leveled

[@int0x2e]

I was in elementary school in Israel at the time of the accident. We had a few classes to talk about the disaster the following morning and the teachers helped us write condolence letters and collected funds to help the victims in the Netherlands. Everyone was terribly sad for the families that were hurt. It was a terrible time... Such a sad accident.

[@krismoff5749]

Great video, so much better than the Air crash investigation Series!

[@Altharionn]

My mother remembers keeping up with the investigation that happened-- there's a lot of unanswered questions regarding it still, apparently. (Not about the crash itself, but about the aftermath)

[@ronaldderooij1774]

No, all the answers were given, but some people do not believe them. That is something else than "a lot of unanswered questions.... still".

[@Altharionn]

@@ronaldderooij1774 nah, that's not it. They still aren't 100% sure about the death count even though it was given conclusively because there were some people living there illegally at the time, among other things. I'm not talking about conspiracies, there were just some peculiar aspects about this whole thing.

[@StephenLuke]

RIP To the three crew members and one passenger of El Al Flight 1862 and the 39 people on the ground

[@elizabethannferrario7113]

yes i too remember this one , seeing this on TV , and the conversations from families living in the flats which the plane hit , my gosh it was heartbreaking, the young dying i found it really distressing as i was a very young nurse as the time just starting my extended training in intensive care and we had some critical patients admitted that day so i was quite upset, that day i grew up , i had spent six months in amsterdam after i had qualified with some friends , so it hit hard, RIP to all whom passed that day , condolences to families friends , my regards liz .

[@locossanity]

Those ATC were incredible. Fast and professional. Did their best.

[@InnSewerAnts]

Was 11 when this happened. Remember seeing the news footage. Must've made an impression. Nice pronunciation on Amsterdam, much closer to Dutch than the usual English pronunciation. One thing I never understood is why they didn't try to route it over all the countryside to line it up with runway in normal use that day. Perhaps the slightly longer flight time would have decreased the odds for the crew, but, to be blunt, with all the dense urban area around and this crippled. Hindsight of course but the crash at least would have been in a field more likely than an apartment building. But who knows, going by limited info, probably wasn't an option. Cheers from NL

[@angelinasouren]

Yeah, I noticed that too! It may be an aviation thing.

[@verySharkey]

ATCs very dutch accent is the most calming thing ever.

[@ETools.]

My parents had to take a flight for their vacation the next day. Trying to imagine and understand the mood at Schiphol on that day is not easy.

[@stsin7]

Wait, you want to tell me that this guy also makes 3D graphics? Immediate subscription! Love your content 😌 (despite sad stories you are telling us 🥺)

[@virginiaviola5097]

This haunts me, I’ve been thinking about it again recently, and here it is. I don’t know how these things work, but I heard it, I’ll never forget the noise, it woke me up..I knew what it was, it was a big plane, and I was thinking that it must have gone down in the swamp. I waited for the sirens, but there was just silence, and nothing. I live in Australia, it was when I saw the news, I learned of the tragedy in Amsterdam, and I knew what I’d heard, what woke me up. I really cannot explain how stuff like that works, but somehow from the other side of the world I heard that plane hit the apartment building. Still gives me anxiety.

[@nightfly4664]

You say it woke you up, so your brain wasn't in active mode when you heard the noise you claim to have heard. We remember the noise that wakes us up, when it's a noise that doesn't occur just ones. If it occurs once, you don't remember what woke you up. So, your little story doesn't exactly add up. It's likely just something you've told yourself and over the years you've come to believe it. You heard a plane crash in your dreams, and you equate it to the crash in de Bijlmer. There's people believing in crazy shit all over the world I guess. ;-)

[@virginiaviola5097]

@@nightfly4664 no, what I told you is quite true, not a story I’ve told myself. It woke me up, the noise continued for a moment while I was awake. As I said, I thought that a huge plane must have come down in the swamp, and was expecting to hear the emergency services arriving, but never did. And I thought that my mind had to have been playing tricks on me, until later in the day when I saw the news. I have not forgotten that day. I’ve no reason to have created some bonkers story in the interim, because it is bonkers, even by my reckoning, but it happened. I cannot explain it, it is what it is.

[@kayleighvossen]

Great video as always! Thanks for covering this crash!

[@davidmansell5986]

The crew did a valiant and brave job and kept the 'plane flying as long as possible. They nearly made it. R.I.P To all who lost their lives on that sad day. I remember turning on the news and my wife saying simply, "Oh no!"

[@ResonNL]

Im dutch and I was born in 1987 and for all I remember this is the first big news story I remember in my life. What a freak accident.

[@RuSrsbro]

One can make no mistakes and still lose... The horrors they saw... Unbelievable.

[@vusimahlobo5378]

This ATC guy was born for the job, I had to listen again!

[@joffreyiii4024]

Thanks for posting this, I am Dutch and remember this disaster like it happened yesterday. It dominated the news for weeks. Such a sad happening. Was it avoidable?

[@troodon1096]

From the moment the engine detached, there was really nothing else they could do. It's a testament to their skills they kept the plane flying as long as they did.

[@GBOAC]

@@troodon1096 they could have opted for a ditch in one of the lakes like Markermeer, or pick a field in Flevoland. Instead they opted to return to Schiphol, which needlessly put the city of Amsterdam in danger.

[@ENGW1SH]

I’m Happy to see your channel growing keep it up man👌🏻

[@reynaldiwidjaja277]

That copilot was staring death on his eyes yet still managed to say calmly Going down O7

[@brugelxencerf]

Such a well done video. And so sad.

[@JupiterMan12.000]

Netherlands Worst Air Disaster Nice Video with allot of Details.

[@RobbertsTravelGuides]

I have always been bothered by this crash, Im dutch and was recently in Amsterdam. And everytime im there im thinking of that crash and always thinking of all the people that perished, The professionalism of the pilots is extraordinairy. This all could have been way way worse it could have crashed into the heart of Amsterdam and the damage could have been way worse.

[@camamaja]

I still remember seeing that sudden plume of smoke and my mom saying something bad has happened, turn on the news. Till now I didn't know just why those engines 'detached' themselves. thanks for this. and FYI : the second part in Gooimeer just means lake thus it is Gooi lake. Not that it matters, but I just thought I'd mention it for any language geeks.

[@CMDRArcanic]

so eerie. especially at ATC seeing that cloud of smoke in the distance, knowing the human being you were just talking to is almost certainly dead

[@TheYottaTube]

I have been looking forward to your version of it.

[@justincredible.]

I live in The Netherlands, I'll never forget this... Such loss of life, so sad. (like the fireworks disaster in Enschede)

[@ChaosMagnet]

In the animations showing the cockpit, when we see empty pilots’ seats and the yoke moving with no one there to move them, it feels sort of ghostly to see, given that we know that no one survived the crash. I don’t even believe in ghosts, but it still gives me a shiver up my spine when I see it.

[@andreaberryman5354]

This pilot was thanking God that he was a non-passenger jet as he went down. 😓 I had a boyfriend who worked for the company that makes these pins. They are worth millions a piece today because of how they are made. Incredible process to make such a small part. Got to handle one. So today, plane production technology is mind-blowing. SO far superior than this one.