Afghanistan 747 crash additional angles (original footage + CGI)

Two reconstructed angles of the National Air Cargo 747 that crashed in Afghanistan on April 29, 2013. Created by object-tracking the original footage to create a flightpath (Audio simulated).
**Just to clarify, because there has been some criticism of the supposed accuracy of this reconstruction: The technique of 3d motion tracking is dependent on the quality of the footage, and in this case it is not achieved with 100% accuracy. However, a 747 is something with very established dimensions, and the image of it is very clear against the sky at Bagram in the original video. This means that the motion tracking is accurate to within a couple of percent - not enough for an official investigation, perhaps, but certainly a more accurate depiction of the April 29 crash than you'll find anywhere else online.
Notice a slight wobble as the plane reaches the apex of the stall: this is the result of tracking error, when most of the plane had left the frame. However, the position and movement is otherwise very close, as there was more than sufficient data to analyze.

[@janehughart9290]

There’s something that’s just absolutely surreal about watching something so large just stand still in the sky, fall to the ground and just shapeshift into a blazing inferno. RIP to all onboard.

[@ExplosivesLaboratory]

Yes. Very surreal yet sobering…

[@brocklanders6172]

The deal I heard on this was that the load shifted during the takeoff roll and caused the nose to point upwards stalling the plane.

[@gavinmackie5185]

+Brock Landers Correct!

[@gman9479]

Brock Landers I suspect the bad guys sabotaged the plane. I feel sorry for all those who perished. May God and Jesus Christ accept their souls, Amen.

[@mattmopar440]

according to the full NTSB report the shift is not what cause the issue if it had just shifted the plane was still flyable even at that low altitude. when equipment shifted it took out the #1&#2 hydro system and jammed the horizontal stabilizer jackscrew the Jackscrew being bent and jammed by the load is what doom the flight

[@goxaviergo11]

G Man fuck you god isn't real you dipshit You are so fucked in the head that you believe something so idiotic

[@teemo6609]

Buddy, give him a break

[@impaler_ferhan]

Whenever i watch this crash it always felt like its a dream it can't be reality.

[@gusm5128]

Sees jet crash right in front of him and doesn’t utter a word . I’d be like Faaaark

[@pilot2w]

"Woop woop! Pull up!" "To low terrain! to low terrain! Pull up!" "Sink rate!" "*Stick Shaker*"

[@BOHICA_]

You forgot, "Oh God, we're gonna die."

[@elitegaming4262]

The pilot said wait wait wait... Then people thought it is weight, weight, weight.....

[@LukeFitch]

I think that some people who live/work in a warzone are always semi-prepared for a catastrophic event... that's the only way I can explain the driver's reaction (or lack thereof). As a VFX artist, I know it's extremely difficult to simulate the look of a cheapo camera - so that's usually the best giveaway when it's legitimate.

[@T33K3SS3LCH3N]

So it turns out that the US have no certification for load masters. The plane transported five MRAP vehicles of 12-18 tons which Boeing says require 60 straps each. The load master used less than 30. His company manual provided no instructions on extra large cargo. The last vehicle broke lose, slammed into the rear and destroyed the controls, causing the plane to be stuck at full tilt up.

[@LukeFitch]

There's still no clear info on exactly where it crashed, but I think I got it pretty close based on the limited location clues in the video. The background is just a photo taken from Bagram, but with a sky very similar to the day of the crash.

[@Lawless1776]

definitely not fake the compound I stayed in was about a mile away from where the plane crashed and it was tragic to drive past the wreckage every day and know 7 people lost there lives so please do not say this is fake when you know nothing about the situation...

[@croniusdraks3833]

reconstructed version is taking great liberties with addressing the situation based on original video. I don't agree with this interpretation.

[@Philippe1613]

It appeared the plane had lost almost all of its forward momentum and plummeted nearly straight down. Perhaps with the steep takeoff some heavy cargo broke loose and that sudden shift and lack of lift brought the plane down?

[@Catboy.]

What an emotional driver... I had been 100 feet from a plane crash I'd be yelling and shit

[@larryjones2078]

Really good work. Because it is EXTREMELY rare to capture a plane crash on film I figured this was a fake when I first saw it. I still find the reaction (or lack thereof) of the truck driver really odd. The mic seemed to be working on the dash cam. He is watching a once in 1,000 life times event and he says nothing? No HOLY SH*T? No OH MY GOD? Then much later you hear him quietly say "f*%k" almost as if this is something that happens to him once a week. Bizarre.

[@daotien34]

Dude, it's called being in shock and trying to process what the guy just saw happen. It has nothing to do with people that work/live in a war zone. Not all people run around flailing screaming when a catastrophe hits. I'd probably have reacted the same way, just completely stunned.

[@larryjones2078]

Curious to know how you are able to transfer the topography to the video. The plane is one thing but being able to do the layout of the airport, the area surrounding it and the mountains, etc. Is that accurate or just a general representation?

[@sr71sr71]

So sad that it was a weak tie down strap that led to the MRAP breaking loose.

[@Angry.General1461]

If that was Air Force One that would make the history books!

[@Ubernator]

That is what causes a tip stall, a plane that is to tail heavy is uncontrollable.

[@otissumnerbrown]

That nose-high of 60 to 70 degrees is incredible. That has got to be a control-failure or a weight-shift problem. The block-boxes should tell the story.

[@joelgarrard]

Someone did a great job on recreating the optional angles!

[@Kanti12311]

The cause was from the MRAM that was tide down inside the plane came off and slide toward the back of the plane. The pilot tried to correct as you see in the video, but the altitude was too low. That's what the article said, I forgot where I read this.

[@Lawless1776]

what I heard while I was at bagram after the information got out was the a couple of MRAPS were not secured properly...

[@UrEditor1]

thats good Re - creation from that game i like this

[@mpwheatley]

Great job but your source material is cropped, search on KZbin for the video entitled 'Boeing 747 Crash Bagram Airfield 29 APR 2013' where the plane is kept in frame the whole time.

[@WelshWidgetMan2O1O]

A lot of people use in-dash camera systems in other countries. I live in the USA and even I use one when I drive, especially here in Florida where every Tom, Dick & Harry seems to flock to. People from every country on the planet come here and don't know how to drive (or don't give a damn to begin with). Therefore I video-record my travels and believe me it's paid off having this technology. This is quite common today :)

[@Wookierabbit]

But what if you suppose he used hard rudder for that brief moment facing sideways in the air? Should be enough to cause the nose to face a new direction and whatever inside the cargo hold to ride inside freely somewhere else again. If the plane didn't fall to the side and just held steady with corrective rudder inputs, then yeah it would continue to fall tail first...or semi-pancake.

[@Declan96]

This is what I though too. I originally thought that the pilot had possibly pulled up at an angle of 30 - 40 degrees causing the plane to drop speed dramatically with such a heavy load on board and causing a frozen stall. Say the pilot did pitch up at 40 degrees, there doesn't have to be a cargo shift for the plane to stall. With all that weight pulling down with gravity, there's no way that the pilot will be able to level off if he was at 40 degrees, the plane would be too slow to pitch anymore

[@fdllicks]

a tank was inside. It was tied down wrong by groundcrew. Tank shifted. Plane took off and the tiedowns broke. That is why the nose of plane is so ridiculously high. All the weight moved back and to the side. Plane cannot help but stall if all the weight is uneven.The pilots never had a chance. RIP

[@sailorman8668]

It seems you're not aware that the controls to the elevator were damaged when the loose load smashed into the rear bulkhead. Yes, the load shifted to the back of the aircraft, but the actual cause of the crash was due to the damage to the elevator, and the pilot's lack of ability to push the nose of the aircraft down in order to prevent the resulting stall.

[@ArcticAstrophysics]

I apologize, I'm just upset at all the people who are controversial over this video, do I know 100% if it is real or not? No, but accidents do happen, and people do lose their lives, and for the people who just come out and say "Fake" is a slap in the face to the families of those who lost their lives. There is nothing remotely fake about this video (besides the sound effects added in this particular one)

[@CSKsynthwave]

I like the sound effects you added and the angel of the camera nice job!

[@otissumnerbrown]

This is tragic - I think the video simulation is correct. I think that when the plane "rotated" to climb-out - the cargo "snapped" a slid to the back of the plane. This produced the "hammer-head" stall, and almost a "dead stop" in air. Once that cargo crashed to the back of the plane - there was nothing the pilot could do to recovery.

[@marcusos1111]

what we were told here in bagram was that the cargo inside the plane wasn't properly tide up (the cargo was a couple of MRAP vechicles) when the airplane was about to take off those vehicles shifted to the bottom of the plane making it hard for it to take off... that what we were told on bagram

[@HIMForeverLoving]

I've not "heard" what caused this crash, so am just speculating. It appears that (assuming no mechanical failure or massive pilot error, which is unlikely), there was a payload shift at takeoff. This was probably a very heavy pallet or two (or more) literally sliding to the tail section as the plane rotated at take-off. This is indeed tragic, either someone on the ground crew didn't do his or her job properly (assuming my scenario is correct), or the payload binding material broke. Very sad.

[@hughcapetien]

Worked as aircraft cargo handler years ago. Have done inspection on locking devices on some aircraft and found that some are inoperable, but if the other lock is working then the pallet was considered secure. Have taken measures to use heavy duty tie down straps by securing the open end with hook, and extended the ratchet end with hook to a grounded ring built into the floor of the aircraft.

[@vts747]

Sad. If anything it was CG and / or out of trim condition. You can stall a plane at any speed with gear, flaps, etc. extended or retracted. CL or angle of attack is what "stalls" the plane, drag, gears are mostly irrelevant as long as you maintain your angle of attack correctly. You may still crash, but you won't stall. So being grossly out of trim (due to cargo shift, stab, etc.) is what often causes it. Safe flying.

[@sr71sr71]

Broken tiedown on an MRAP that slid backwards causing subsequent breakaways. This caused a sudden and massive shift in weight towards the tail. In this situation, there was absolutely nothing that could have been done by the crew to recover from the stall, especially at that low of altitude.

[@gsc2011]

This video is absolutely sickening. May the crew rest in peace.

[@farhanatashiga3721]

good joob 👍 this is legit awesome i dont get why people hate this video even thou its well put out video.

[@Roger2465]

Farhan The Badass Scizor no

[@LukeFitch]

Not true, the original footage is simply misleading because the plane is flying directly towards the camera. This simulation was created by aligning a 3d model of a 747 to the first frame, then using software to calculate the plane's exact position in every subsequent frame.

[@JohnSmith-zi9or]

There are two videos of this crash. Does anyone have the second angle?

[@sr71sr71]

Very good insight as to flight trajectory with this CGI work.

[@donaldgivensjr6209]

i was there, i seen it....R.I.P. to the people that was lost.

[@Ubernator]

Yea it sucks alright. Angle of attack is the term you are looking for. This 747 tip-stalled, where the angle of attack became so great the wing no longer had air flowing over it. One wing will loose much more lift than the other causing the dip seen in the video.

[@eboshi1231]

In Bagram, Afghanistan, the planes do what is called a combat take off, where they have to climb this way. the C-5 and C-17 do this all the time. That plane had at least 5 military vehicles and other cargo. If the load master makes a mistake with weight and securing the cargo, this could happen.

[@thomasbirkland2143]

No, it's not fake. The reconstructions are simulations based on FDR data or simply from extrapolations of the original video. But this was very real, was covered by CNN (there's a video from CNN of this on KZbin), and I've not heard the result of the final investigation, but if the reconstruction/sim is to be believed, it was a stall caused by high angle of attack, either because the pilot flying was too aggressive in the climb, or, as others have suggested, a load shifted.

[@rem2beast]

Is there anything you can do in a situation like this? Can you full throttle the engines and nose down or something, or are you pretty much screwed?

[@aaptyp]

rem2beast From the altitude they were on, no hope of recovering.

[@whitireia]

That 747 dropped like a brick. Complete stall and no lift whatsoever. Tragic indeed.

[@jimbobeire]

They use steep take offs from Bagram because they want to get out of there quickly, less chance of someone shooting at them. The aircraft became even more extremely pitched when the cargo shifted to the rear, from that point on, the crew had zero chance of saving the plane or themselves.

[@DLBlckwl]

0:59 to get right to actual footage.

[@croniusdraks3833]

the very extreme nose up position represented in the cgi version is just wrong. it was climbing faster than what we normally see at airports but it is never in this near vertical position.

[@usafsa111]

I hope everyone got out ok.. That hit hard

[@tobiaskake9303]

Everybody died idiot.

[@kyriz9078]

Sean Flemmish HOW THE HELL YOU THINK SOMEONE CAN SURVIVE THAT THE PLANE CRASHED FROM A HIGH ALTITUDE AND THE WHOLE THING BLEW UP

[@crackedbrainOG]

LOL! I think Sean knows everyone died.

[@denisanthony668]

Q

[@kevinmcintosh4318]

oh , there all OK, they had there fire proof crash suits on.

[@Lawless1776]

you are correct about the load shift it was 2-3 MRAPS which weren't secured properly

[@paulhanck1123]

57,000 gallons of fuel igniting would make quite a bang., enough to break a windscreen at 200m. The cause of the crash is said to be load shift to the rear of the plane due to the excessive rate of climb. That explains the stall and the tail down attitude. Then the plane drops nose first, strange when all of the payload has dropped to the rear of the plane. When crashes its almost flat , in a neutral balance situation, very strange considering the load is freely moving within the cargo hold

[@AverageIdiot6]

There were six or seven people on board I can’t remember exactly and the crash was caused because the cargo straps on the inside of the plane snapped and the heavy armored vehicles in the back slid to the rear of the plane and damaged A key part of the tail called the Jack screw which allows the plane to pitch

[@zagitazz]

Search C2 greyhound crash on youtube and you will find a similar stall. The person posting the video claims that it was from shifting cargo (although I don't know where he got the info; it could be a guess) If you look it up in the aviation safety database (15-DEC-1970) it doesn't state what caused the stall other than "it pitched up." It would be interesting to know more info on that crash, because it is very similar.

[@jongrey333]

Seems to me if the pilot had not taken off at such a steep angle, this might have never happened. When you are carrying over 100 tons of cargo, a nice gentle climb out after takeoff would seem to be the best practice.

[@johngrauberger1421]

This wouldn't be the first time improper cargo loading caused a plane to crash. Why would the government be covering that up anyway ?

[@shake2449]

I heard that because it's Afghanistan, the danger of being shot at is very real to any pilots (especially Americans) taking off. So what the pilots are trained to do is take off at a much greater angle of elevation in order to reach a high altitude sooner. What happened here is that the pilot ascended too steeply, and caused the plane to stall. I don't know this for a fact, I just heard it on the news and did a bit of research.

[@user-dv2pc9gy2u]

The plane could have taken off but a 30 ton armored vehicle went loose and shifted, causing uneven balance and eventually stall.

[@fokkerairbus]

remember in a stall the airplane can t go forward just fall in the same position it stop going forward

[@EBenderTheRobot]

It's cool to look at but...a more accurate depiction? How would one confirm or eliminate how accurate it is? from the original footage how can one determine pitch angle over time? You can't A "reconstruction" would take advantage of flight data recorder data or multiple videos or something other than one head-on video.

[@LukeFitch]

It's possible because we know the exact dimensions of a 747-400 cargo plane and the approximate optical properties of the camera used. This, plus the visual information contained in the video itself, is enough to generate a 3d trajectory.

[@GaryGress1]

You cannot provide more information than what was on the original video without extra sensors or cameras. Yours is a human interpretation, and a poor one at that.

[@krumplethemal8831]

the pitch angle in the animation is too high..

[@ronpat100]

Krumple Themal the pitch of the plane was to steap ,resulting disturbed airfow on the upperside of the wing witch resulted in stall, i fly big airplane models and this happend to me exactly like this ,planes are no rockets

[@seaharrierfrs1]

Thats not what happened.

[@ArcticAstrophysics]

Not really, there are cameras everywhere whether it be security cameras, dash cams, not to mention almost everyone's cell phone has a camera. Over in the middle east there are a lot of dash cams on cars, practically every car in Russia has one too, honestly I'm surprised there wasn't more footage of this. So for one car to see it isn't surprising at all, now on the other hand if this were like the 80s then yes I'd agree with you, but now? no, there are far too many cameras everywhere

[@crunkness93]

CG was off, Unstable cargo load shifted to the back, Very steep takeoff, and landing gear was still down creating even more drag then normal so theres a lot of things that caused that plane to stall...

[@DroneWarriors]

dude, if you think the compression of the color space has anything to with accuracy of motion data, you have no idea what you're talking about. you said in your original comment the cgi plane moves twice as fast - how the hell you can you claim something like that, then say that software analysis of the same footage is 'meaningless'? Go troll somewhere else...

[@keenxiandreefuego3731]

Did you hide the camo of the plane

[@ArcticAstrophysics]

I mean look at all the other rare accidents that have occurred that have been caught on camera, we even have footage of the hudson bay plane crash and even partially the concorde crash, and have you seen the San Francisco crash last week? that was even caught on camera. So no it's not surprising if something rare is caught on camera, not in this day and age

[@batignao]

heavy military machines which not strapped safely can caused veeeeery big troubles

[@PRODUCEDBYRIG]

Was that just a cargo plane or were there passengers?

[@aaptyp]

Rigdon Westervelt It was a cargo flight.

[@Declan96]

Did you just say this video's fake?

[@Sqoun]

Its obviously crashed due to lose and overweight cargo! You can tell that every thing might just got loose to the back of the plane where it just couldn't balance itself back, and when it came near to balancing it; the weight shifted to the right side of it and it just fell down! Sad.

[@BaronVonGordon]

zeez hadhrawi It might have been a well balanced cargo but instead the mistake of the pilot in bringing the nose up way to high during takeoff.

[@MajesticSkywhale]

+Gordon Millar no it was CG errors

[@craftpaint1644]

That driver has been in Afghanistan a long time to be so calm watching this 🤔

[@randobad]

Do one for the B-52 that crashed at Fairchild AFB

[@thebakerman1]

What an awful feeling it must have been for the pilots because they knew they didn't have enough altitude to recover from such an incident and they had what must have seemed like an eternity to contemplate their doom :( It's also odd the driver of the car didn't have the usual emotional response(s) most people would have upon seeing this unfolding. Although you can can hear him say a couple casual words after it crashes, he seems otherwise unaffected. Just very odd to me...

[@fokkerairbus]

why do you say it is fake video ???????

[@MrHotSalt]

I think taking off like that is pretty normal for planes in Afghanistan.

[@MidniteSon]

According to CNN, the steep angle is military protocol to prevent possible SAM attacks

[@Brokenrocktail]

the pilots did not walk away from that... all seven crew members were killed on impact.

[@GeminiGirl61]

Unfortunately it looks like the cargo moved that would only explain why the plane looked like it stopped in midair and was not moving. God bless all on board.

[@kristenburke7217]

Pj....are you in the aviation industry? I would hope not with such a disrespectful response.

[@airplanefreak27]

I don't understand why it's so highly pitched like that on takeoff, especially with that weight!?

[@CFITOMAHAWK]

Not only the nose came down quite fast after the stall, but if the trucks inside were loose to the back, when plane was put 90 deg. sideways they will fall to right side too. Clear on that? I think they will, its gravity. That would have prevented to level off so quickly too. I had cargo shifts many times but managed to land. Also If your cargo slides sideways, the plane will too. With the cargo slided back and then to the right of plane I doubt the plane will level off. An N/G Combat Take off?

[@TopGun9982]

Way too much pitch, a 747 could not climb like that even when it's not fully laden with loose cargo.

[@cynicaltexan9639]

The plane was carrying 13 ton armored vehicles which came lose which physically would cause this

[@seaharrierfrs1]

not at a pitch like that

[@sailorman8668]

@@cynicaltexan9639 The actual reason why the aircraft stalled is because when the cargo became loose, it slammed into the rear bulkhead, which damaged the controls to the elevator so that the pilots had no way to push the nose of the aircraft down.

[@cynicaltexan9639]

@@sailorman8668 That's what I said

[@sailorman8668]

@@cynicaltexan9639 Yes, you said that the reason the aircraft pitched up was because of the shifted load, but you mentioned nothing about the fact that the pilots would have been able to control the nose-high attitude of the aircraft had the elevator controls not been damaged. The fact that the load had shifted wasn't the primary cause of the crash - it was the fact that the elevator controls were damaged, preventing the pilots from being able to push the aircraft's nose down to prevent the ensuing stall.

[@dhdoctors]

So was is cargo shift, or pilot error huge fuck up stall?

[@devinbromberg845]

I think the bird eye view is fake but the car footage. REAL

[@XenGi]

I think if you see something like this and maybe he thought there where alot of passengers in there, you are just too stunned so say anything. And maybe the "fuck" that you hear then was the beginning of him realize what just happened. I really don't know how I would react to such an extreme situation so don't just him. He doesn't do anything wrong.

[@BenDover-cq5df]

Everything is shitty in Afghanistan

[@GiovaniB52]

Ben Dover. I bet , but why did the pilot pitch the plane so vertically high like that ? Never seen a plane take off like that .Looks like pilot error.

[@JAKB2002]

One of the Armored cars it was carrying slid to the back of the plane and damaged hydraulics

[@alberto4674al]

como pode pilotos experientes como esses caras deixarem a aeronave estolar fatal náo sei bem o que ouve mas vendo o angulo de subida só leva a crer nisso

[@alexisv.4949]

For the other footage not the original

[@EngAlperDemir]

The car passengers said absolutely nothing, not even an oooh!!.. still puzzles me..

[@PeterStuckings]

I saw this when it first hit the web, and I think I recall it was a military guy alone in a humvee, so he'd probably seen worse, and this was just another day at the zoo for him...

[@EngAlperDemir]

Sounds logical but still, it's a fucking 747 turning into garbage... even god would say something..

[@PeterStuckings]

Haha, yeah you'd expect. Or maybe he edited out the obscenities before sharing it online. I would!

[@THEclownxxx]

Children shouldn't be watching this. IT IS REAL. Isn't it past your bed time, anyway?

[@chuckmonroe5764]

Good computer dramatisation but it left out the surface-to-air missile, kind of like TWA flight 800.

[@aaptyp]

Chuck Monroe And you’re missing a brain, like anyone who believes anything they see.

[@ExploringCabinsandMines]

looks reasonably accurate to me .

[@truedonblue3949]

now that is a climb only a f-16 could do.. and if this 747 had a heavy load on board NO FREAKING WAY . unless of course the load shifted to the rear of the plane because of the steep climb

[@gezurarbeit3097]

I already posted this to another commenter, but it fits your comment too: The cargo shifted because the manual for the straps needed to secure the load was not specific enough on how the straps needed to be configured for a given load. This lead to the problem that half as many straps were used than should have been used. The loadshift occured just 3 seconds after liftoff, hardly enough to achive a critical pitch angle. The loadshift alone also would not have brought the plane down. What brought the plane down was that the vehicle that got loose crashed through the rear bulkhead, severing the hydraulic lines to the tail as well as ripping off the jack screw of the horizontal stabilizer, making it entirely uncontrollable. From seconds 3 after takeoff the crew had NO controls of the tail section left, they were doomed at that point already. This video only shows the later stages of the flight, more than 10 seconds after takeoff.

[@kkfootage4204]

actually the plane stopped at 0mph for a sec

[@DrawbarFlats1]

...and now ladies and gentlemen here comes the xbox aviation experts.

[@fokkerairbus]

is real ,,,,,,,, how do you explain that there was a 747 400 real crash in the same place , i can t believe that somebody can make a fake video in just hours

[@Declan96]

Screwed, nothing could be done. They were far too low and too slow and pitched too high up. I doubt anyone would be able to stop the plane from crashing.

[@nicedudehajam8706]

How would they die by burning or what

[@sailorman8668]

You'd have to be the dumbest fuck in the world if you didn't actually realise that the pilots and crew all died instantly due to the extreme force of hitting the ground.

[@daver6107]

That other view looks like it was done with Microsoft flight sim & isn't a real pic

[@chetmanly2877]

this is the most awesome crash video ever!