An Ordinary Takeoff Quickly Turns into a Near Catastrophe | Terror in Auckland

Find out how a series of errors almost caused a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 to crash at Auckland Airport, New Zealand.
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This video has been recorded and edited in 4K resolution and 60FPS.

[@gilbertfranklin1537]

You have to give the old 747 credit - with all the errors, tail dragging, power too low, and crew not helping much, it still flew them back for a safe landing.

[@povertyspec9651]

But it's computer allows any garbage to be entered with no problem

[@daftvader4218]

@@povertyspec9651 Like any computer operated by an idiot

[@jjeherrera]

@@povertyspec9651 Dumb computer. 😄

[@jjeherrera]

Exactly my thought.

[@daftvader4218]

@@jjeherrera Good point indeed!! The crew totaĺly ignored the computed figures in the system and replaced them with their incorrect figures. Poor training in cross checking and no concept of the required speeds for this long haul...needs to be a rotate speed of 170-180kts Remember this system is from the 1980's on the B747-400... from an even older plane from the 1960's. It takes a lot of expense and regulation to change things unfortunately! A lot of basic airmanship still required not like fly by wire...!!

[@sadiqjohnny77]

I flew the older 747 -200 for 15 years and was an instructor, Chief Pilot and Check pilot on that type. We had 2 pilots and a Flight engineer as opposed to the captain and two copilots on this type (-400) My procedure for calculating the take off speeds was for all cockpit crew members to independently calculate tha take off speeds from our tables and then compare them. If, for any reason the aircraft was not accelerating fast enough (sometimes due to undetected windshear) the throttles were advanced to full power and care was taken to rotate to 10 degrees nose up to let the plane fly off. This made sure of not having a tail strike. If we did have a APU fire (never happened to me, but practiced many times on the sim) we fired the extinguishers and only would have to make an emergency landing if the fire warning remained on. A "fly by" near the control tower would have determined whether there was an APU fire still raging. The fuel dumping in the 747-200 (and presumably the -400) was at the wing tips --so tne danger of fire was minimal. This incident was a cockpit crew problem. These things can happen if you are not alert. Once, when taxiing out a 747 from JFK to Frankfurt with a full load, the Tower asked us to take another runway. I asked the copilot and flight engineer if that runway was acceptable to them. They said that it was ok. I told the Tower that we could not accept that runway as it was too short for us. This happened while taxiing at JFK--which some pilots called a madhouse. There was no time in a dark cockpit with stacatto radio instructions coming in to recheck all our speeds or runways. But I knew the runways from years of flying 707s, DC 10s, and 747s out of JFK and knew that we could not make it from that runway. How easily it would have been for an inexperienced captain to have blindly accepted the runway change--and a possible disaster. In imparting training my motto was : "A Good Pilot is a THINKING pilot."

[@santhoshmenon6863]

That's Awesome. It's a team work

[@Feliqs]

Good one…

[@joydasgupta9445]

Sometimes it's takes a lot of courage to say NO.

[@duckwalkerindian4689]

Depends what you r thinking...excuse me pretty hostess...hehe

[@patriceferguson7340]

Ya would think the tower would know which lanes are suitable for various size planes and weather challenges? No protocols?

[@JaneSmith0709]

I love it when these stories end safely with no lives lost.

[@Cognitively_m_paired_4_Kamala]

Come on now, everybody loves a good plane crash unless they or their loved ones are in it

[@jn8ive60]

I don't. Not what I watch these videos for.

[@Cognitively_m_paired_4_Kamala]

@@jn8ive60 bullshit

[@JaneSmith0709]

@@jn8ive60 That's disgusting.

[@jn8ive60]

@@JaneSmith0709 🤣 I say what many others think but are too chicken to say. Schadenfreude is a HUGE draw of these plane crash videos.

[@MrPLC999]

My father, a former L1011 senior captain, always told his crew...if you're getting into a stall, you instantly slam the throttles to the firewall, level off, and pray. THEN pull out the dam checklist.

[@someone3.2007]

correct thing to do in that situation

[@fathimakaleel494]

You need to pray before leaving, not when trouble happens! 🙂

[@fathimakaleel494]

@@Avendesora Not necessarily true. None of us, human beings, would be alive if it were not for the mercy of God.

[@fathimakaleel494]

@@Avendesora True, thank you for reminder, that we need to thank God for the Oxygen..🙂.

[@chongyilam5909]

if the stall is at low altitude you can't just do that cuz it might drop

[@johnfisher747]

It just defies belief that the first officer didn’t look at those V ref speeds and immediately say to himself, hang on, that doesn’t look right, what’s going on here?

[@OfficialSamuelC]

Complacency unfortunately.

[@gryph01]

Exactly

[@billp4]

They must have been drunk.

[@MB-hc2xw]

That and the Captain didn't bother to verify it!

[@HitechProductions]

Yeah, that was my thought. Those are closer to 737 speeds.

[@alyabdullah5472]

Despite the mistakes made by the pilots and the reckless take-off, I'm sure everyone is comfortable and pleased that the plane returned safely and did not end in a fatal disaster.

[@brailrice]

Not everyone. Muhaw! Muhawawahaahwahwahawahwah!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@KK-pq6lu]

Amazing control of that aircraft with an EXTRA 100 tons of weight!!!

[@riverwildcat1]

They probably never knew how vulnerable they were to incineration: “This is your captain speaking. We’re having a very slight mechanical issue and for your safety, we’re returning to the terminal….” Then, many hours later, they may or may not have found a new seat on another plane. The scraped tail that hit the runway probably cost a fortune to repair, and could have seriously endangered the airplane.

[@RAAFLightning1]

When in doubt, moar power

[@hellomynameisjames]

Cheers Jeff!

[@adriancoetzee2725]

I used to work on the 34th Floor of the Vero centre in Auckland. My desk window looked looked to to the airport area, and I saw this 747 circling, and I said to my colleague at the time that there must be an issue, as the plane was just flying around with no obvious departure of the Auckland airspace. I remember being very troubled by the sighting, but then got busy and thought about it no more. On the news that night it became apparent that this issue had occurred. I have flown SQ286 to Singapore many times from Auckland, and its departure time used to be around 14:30. Funny how we remember these things that many years later. Great Simulation.

[@MrCrystalcranium]

The simulated view from in front of the 747 after takeoff with the runway getting smaller and smaller behind it is the most realistic thing I've ever seen in these videos. Unbelievable quality. I blame the First Officer about 80% for this almost tragedy. The remaining fault lies with the Captain, not just for the erroneous FMC entry, but for not fire-walling the throttles at any time during this event. Degraded runway performance...low airspeed and an almost stall...what was he doing, or not doing? Great great job on this one. I've seen other sims of this incident but they didn't go nearly into the information or simulation detail you did. Bravo!!!

[@kb_100]

I was watching think "ok the captain will hit the TOGA button any second now..." But I guess the painfully sluggish take-off and subsequent stall warning at low altitude didn't seem urgent enough to him

[@fruitygranulizer540]

@@kb_100 yea...

[@MrCrystalcranium]

@@kb_100 I think he got task saturated...too many things going on and he wasn't experienced enough on the aircraft type to have any positive and reflexive responses. He just froze.

[@sadiqjohnny77]

@@kb_100 When you get a stall warning FORGET the TOGA button. What if it does not respond. ?PUSH the throttle forward MANUALLY.

[@caesarillion]

@@MrCrystalcranium I think the captain should hold the major responsability here. It's an airplane, not a pair of shoes. He was handed basic fundamental flight data and totally missed it. It's like thinking any plane will climb if you just pull back on the stick. It's a lot more than that. Potentially fatal to all on board.

[@blazenicholls3590]

I distinctly remember this. I live in Auckland not far from the Auckland Airport. I saw it fly right overhead really low. It had a massive hole in the rear. An unbelievable sight that I've never forgotten. Amazing that it landed and didn't break up. Wish I had a phone/camera to take a photo but back then but we didn't all carry them around like today.

[@kirilmihaylov1934]

Nice reply

[@stevenchow3459]

A strikingly similar incident happened 6 years later. On 20 March 2009, A6-ERG, operating Emirates Flight 407 from Melbourne to Dubai, suffered a similar tail-strike during takeoff, and this was even closer to a catastrophe as the A340-500 hit the localizer antenna array. One of the pilots had also understated the aircraft's weight by 100 tons prior to takeoff, and neither the other pilot nor the flight management computer notice anything unusual. The Airbus fortunately landed safely without injury to the 275 people onboard, but was badly damaged and returned to service only in December that year after being repaired by the manufacturer. The aviation industry needs to learn from these incidents!

[@beagle7622]

There was one at Melbourne in the mid 70’s where ATC gave the crew of a 747-200 the option of using Runway 27. instead of the North South runway that had been planned for. The main wheel where just leaving the ground as the wheels ran off the runway leaving tyre tracks off the end of the runway . It was talked about a lot amongst pilots at the time . This was true ,was shortly after the 747-200’ s were first introduced.

[@richardcline1337]

The iconic Boeing 747 is just one of the most beautiful and graceful looking planes ever. NOTHING Airbus has can even come close to one.

[@sadiqjohnny77]

I couldn't agree more!!!

[@crashstitches79]

The 747 and the BUFF are my favorite giants. Both have striking profiles.

[@WayneM1961]

So, all of this happens because a first officer is incapable of accurately copying down figures and the other two crew members didn't spot it. MARVELOUS! add to this a Captain who incorrectly handles a stall warning, and you have the perfect cockpit crew. However, despite the mistakes, they managed a safe landing and no one was killed or even injured, so credit due to them for that.

[@junaidtipu7340]

Thank goodness everyone survived. Fortunate day for everyone despite skidding no major fire or failure to land. Once again an amazing editing.

[@l.faraday8767]

I would have liked to see some pictures of the damage this tail strike would have caused. I looked it up on google and the damage was tremendous!

[@manurocker1]

Damn, I just looked up images. it ripped a massive hole in the undercarriage, not just a couple sparks that started a fire

[@spiritmatter1553]

Thanks, I’ll do an image search too.

[@vegasbabyy]

He use to show photos all the time of the accident sights it damage and stopped like a year ago. I think his videos were getting flagged or something administration was happening because he just stopped and never showed a photo after.

[@lexmarks567]

@@vegasbabyy he's also starting to leave details out. There was no fire. The tailstrike shorted the wiring so it was giving a false alarm. The strike literally ripped a hole in the fuselage. I don't know if he's getting tired of making vids or just doesn't care anymore.

[@vegasbabyy]

@@lexmarks567 hmm. Your bring up an interesting point. And a correct one. Maybe he’s just burnt out. 🤔

[@AzovAzza]

Absolutely crazy to think that even the slightest oversight or error, could lead to such massively catastrophic results. Glad they landed safely but, damn!

[@andrew_koala2974]

Because people are programmed from the first day at school to be ZOMBIES Society is so brainwashed that people censor each other -further reinforcing the false belief that errors are insignificant --- This phenomenon is evident in what is written and HOW it is written --- and it is written incorrectly - because as I have stated over and over "people do not pay attention to detail' Once one starts doing that with 'little things' soon one learns to overlook the bigger and more critical details. As an example = People write Boeing instead of BOEING - yet they have seen BOEING written even on the aircraft as well as the SIGNAGE at the entrance pf the factory - but the ZOMBIES ignore this fact - They look at one thing but SEE something else because of their FAILURE to pay attention to detail - They are in effect semi-conscious To the ZOMBIES - these differences are insignificant - however - they are absolutely incorrect. The difference is very significant. As a former AIR FORCE pilot with 30 years service - serving three countries we are trained to pay attention to detail - such failures will sooner or later lead to disaster and an early demise. The untrained brainwashed ZOMBIES consider such attention to detail as 'nit picking' One cannot educate ZOMBIES when they choose ignorance and remain stubborn. To re-program decades of ZOMBIE programming and social conditioning requires a great deal of effort and discipline. So do not fall into that trap. The mind has to slow down - pay attention to detail and speak slower than one is used to. everything in this world now has become rush - rush - rush -- and for what ? Good luck and good bye

[@loveblue2]

I wouldn't call entering info that the plane is 100 tons lighter than it actually was a "slight" error. Especially considering how huge it was, I'm surprised it lifted off of the runway at all with such huge weight miscalculation inputs.

[@AzovAzza]

@@loveblue2 - I agree. Looking back, it’s monumental. At the time it was being entered into the FMC, it could have just been a very simple case of “fat fingering” the entry. I was meaning “slightest” as opposed to something like failing to do a pre-flight walk around. Failing to fully secure a cargo door. Etc…

[@LauRoot892]

@@AzovAzza 👋💕

[@paulkendrick8685]

Graphics on this flight simulation program are great.

[@shopmobgm]

Great video as always, but this one seems a little unfinished. Did the APU actually catch fire? What was the extent of the damage resulting from the tale strike? Did the flight crew, in particular the pilot receive additional type training as a direct result of the incident?

[@warren3967]

From the New Zealand Herald 15 Dec, 2003 "The captain was demoted and had since left the airline. The first officer was severely reprimanded and the third officer, who played no active part in the take-off, was "reminded of his obligations"."

[@riverwildcat1]

Wouldn't the airplane be noticeably unresponsive even when taxiing on the runway after gaining an extra 100 tons?!

[@samitolonen1674]

Someone posted this link to the report. The damage to the tail is quite substantial! reports.aviation-safety.net/2003/20030312-0_B744_9V-SMT.pdf I cant understand hos the tower didnt see this, should have been a lot of dust, sparks and debris flying on that takeoff.

[@yairmottes6622]

@@samitolonen1674 probably were on their tea time break.

[@billythekid3234]

@@riverwildcat1 NO,,

[@teammarsters3085]

I worked in the Hangars in Auckland and had to steam clean/water blast the dirt and grass! YES Dirt and Grass off and out of the APU area the very next morning it was towed around to the hangars That plane was very lucky not to end up in sea! I was lucky to keep a piece of that plane as a souvenir!! A team from Boeing came down and worked around the clock for weeks to get that plane airworthy again.

[@sylviekins]

This terrified me, and is a good lesson in checking and thinking critically- in my case in preventing medication errors in hospital with vulnerable children. Thank you for these amazing videos!

[@rnsteve2265]

No med errors. Im a nurse and fret med errors.

[@sylviekins]

@@rnsteve2265 that’s why we need doctors, nurses and pharmacists ie we need each other and to listen to each other- I am so grateful to have someone checking up on me!! Thank you for your work❤️

[@jillianbruce6143]

I'm merely CURIOUS: Why do people always seem to elevate children's vulnerability over adults'??? Are adults LESS IMPORTANT? Are YOU special because you recognize childrens' involvement in receiving medicine? Are adults expected to withstand med errors BETTER than children? I thought medication mistakes were equally detrimental, i.e., dead is DEAD regardless of age. Sure, the younger the victim is, the more UN-lived life is the tragedy, but what are we adults, chopped liver?!? We seem to be falling into a "child-worshipping" society and people think they're somehow more enlightened and compassionate in so doing. "After all, children are our future"! When have they ever NOT been our future?!? Again, just curious🥴🙄🤔!!!

[@sylviekins]

@@jillianbruce6143 I am not trying to elevate myself because I look after children, it is just that these are severely disabled children who will not live a normal life span. They are on many medications for severe epilepsy and other conditions. The doses are calculated by weight and sometimes we don’t get the correct handover of the doses. Under dosing can lead to seizures and overdosing can lead to other complications. I was not trying to be more enlightened or compassionate, I had had a near miss the day I saw the plane crash video and it really resonated with me how easy it can be to make a mistake. I am not sure why you think it is ok to sneer at me. You don’t know me or anything about me. These children will not be our future- some may live to their 20s most die in their teens or younger from their underlying disease. I am not child worshipping, I also look after people at the other end of life and of course correct doses are extremely important then. I think medicine has a lot to learn from aviation safety, for all ages. Not sure if I satisfied your curiosity. I am happy to remove my post if it is offensive.

[@rnsteve2265]

@@jillianbruce6143 All med errors are treated equally. Age has no factor in the situation. We are all equal and I treat my patients the same and always try and take the same approach when it comes to patient care.

[@robfredericks2984]

I am a retired Naval aviator in earlier A/C, no computer input to take off speeds, etc. I was also a flight instructor in a single engine T-28 prop trainer, 1500 HP! All the jets had manual hydraulic assisted controls---pilot could feel every input stress (as high G-load required lots of strength). I tried to know as much as I could about the airspeeds needed for every maneuver, as well as what the A/C would feel like during the maneuver---"seat of the pants" flying (airmanship?). This was critical in high G air combat situations to avoid stalls. Stall prevention and recovery technique was drilled into every military pilot (assuming the USAF is almost as good as US Navy training!). This near disaster leads me to contemplate several ideas: 1. these pilots were NOT former military; 2. they were unaware of the basic speeds for their take-off, not to mention they were unaware of how much the A/C weight should have been---missing a weight by 100 tons is idiotic; 3. their stall recovery was barely adequate; 4. they all need serious retraining in bookwork and simulator before flying again.

[@koreainsincere]

What a catalogue of balls-ups that was. It's a miracle that no lives were lost.

[@frankfarago2825]

"The Three Aero-Stooges did a Cluster-Intercourse."

[@Capecodham]

sadly

[@DaveS_WI]

So, was there an APU fire, or just false reading due to the prolonged tailstrike? Additionally, what damage was there to the 747 overall after tailstrike and overweight landing?

[@rstidman]

This tailstrike BS is just the same kind of diversion crap TheFlightChannel pulls every video to distract from the murder-suicide that was more likely the cause. Most airline crashes are probably due to pilots committing suicide and taking everyone else with them.

[@omaralamoudi6301]

Was waiting fot that to be mentioned lol.

[@flipnap2112]

yeah same here..

[@randc47]

Google search has the images. Wow! It absolutely shredded the tail!

[@DaveS_WI]

@@randc47 Yup - Reading a report (reports.aviation-safety.net/2003/20030312-0_B744_9V-SMT.pdf) shows APU Fire warning wiring damaged from tailstrike. It also shows a photo of the tailstrike damage.

[@grommy1234]

Outstanding sound design. TFC know how to tell a story with music and natural sound! Bravo!

[@carolinehoward180]

The gods were certainly with this plane that day. I didn’t think this was going end well. Another fantastic production TFC 🖤👏

[@deepthinker999]

When they identify the names of the pilot & co-pilot it does not end well.

[@ninaballerina2807]

gods? Pray who are they? Do you know them that you speak so confidently of them? Unless of course you've no qualms about lying your head off!

[@chendaforest]

@@ninaballerina2807 it's a figure of speech.

[@ninaballerina2807]

@@chendaforest No, it is not a figure of speech. It is a lie!

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

The pilots should have been able to feel that the plane needed a higher take off speed and simply increased the power.

[@leroybrown811]

During my flying days on the 747 and many other jets, EPR always stood for EXHAUST Pressure Ratio, not ENGINE Pressure Ratio, maybe it changed or Singapore calls it something else. In simple terms, it’s the ratio of P2 inlet pressure to exhaust pressure (maybe P7? It’s been many years) and EPR is used to set power instead of using N1 or N2 as in other types of aircraft and engine combinations. Really great video though, each of the pilots should have immediately realized that the V- speeds and EPR value were way, way too low for that aircraft at that weight. Those are even low speeds for a 737-800 or 900! Thanks for a well put together video, as usual.

[@andrew_koala2974]

Leroy Brown Exhaust Pressure Ratio is correct - and it was in the 30 years I served with three different AIR FORCE(s) UK - AU - US

[@jillianbruce6143]

@@andrew_koala2974 I thank you and your family (their sacrifice) for your service😁😝😊!!!

[@apw1095]

SIngapore Airlines and Boeing define EPR as "Engine" Pressure Ratio

[@watchhans]

Not to be underestimated is crew fatique! SG is known to keep the rest time within the minimum time possible according to aviation laws. Every 747-pilot know that a take-off weight of below 300 tons for such a long flight and fully booked has to be too low.

[@frankfarago2825]

I am not racist, but I will NEVER fly on any Asiatic airline.

[@Barflax]

Well he was new on flying 747 but the 2nd officer should have noticed that low start weight.

[@golden.lights.twinkle2329]

Maybe the software should have recognised the low weight, at least it should have generated an "Are you sure?" prompt.

[@t.p.mckenna]

'I'm not racist, but ...' I beg to differ.

[@picopiku]

@@frankfarago2825 well because you are uncomfortable with mistakes done by an asiatic airline but a western one is just fine. just check the stats...

[@brendagrey9593]

I'm from Jamaica and have flown on Singapore airlines several times during my working years. I have the highest regard for the pilots of the Megatop 747s, elegantly dressed flight attendants, and oh, the wonderful in-flight service. Now that I'm retired, I grasp every opportunity to read about the airline. Very glad that all ended well. I've been telling (those who will listen) that the airline has the best pilots in the world.

[@rich_edwards79]

- plane scrapes along runway and struggles into the air with underbelly absolutely destroyed "Did that feel like a tail strike to you?" "Nah, nothing to see, as we were." The level of crew incompetence displayed during this incident was staggering. It's only through sheer luck that this didn't end with hundreds of dead people.

[@gameplayyt7233]

am i the only one who's not a pilot ?)?????

[@jimmyculp8756]

First Officer may need a refresher course in Math?

[@elluc1510]

Not only that but also the captain didnt check him...

[@luckytahlula6515]

Every time I know there's going to be a take-off problem, I hold my breath. I don't realize I'm doing it until my brain finally disconnects from what's happening with the plane. Needless to say, these videos don't help with my fear of flying, but they fascinate me. I will never complain again about a flight being late. By all means, Pilots take all the time you need. I want you and your passengers to get to your destinations safely. Godspeed and happy trails. From a very sedated flyer.

[@deepthinker999]

The greatest lesson you could have learned, " I will never complain again about a flight being late ". Safety first, nothing else matters.

[@crimejunkie1]

I'd rather be late than dead.

[@luckytahlula6515]

@@crimejunkie1 I think the old expression "better late than never" is very appropriate for this situation, don't you? Have a very blessed day.

[@frankfarago2825]

I saw this one in a movie. I believe it was called "The Three Stooges get their Pilot's License."

[@gailpeterson3747]

So very glad the pilots were able to land this plane and save all souls on board especially since this event was preventable from the outset. Also glad they thought they had an APU fire and decided to land as the plane's tail section was obviously damaged to extensively to make the planned flight.

[@andrewwakldnz]

You've got it taking off in the wrong direction! It took off to the East, over a populated area. I was driving towards the airport and saw it struggling into the sky, really low over Manukau city centre and surrounding suburbs. Would've been an even bigger disaster than the (more usual) take off over water to the West that you've depicted.

[@arkhsm]

I can't believe the didn't try powering this thing up, to get some safe turning altitude !!

[@andrewbarnett84]

I lived in, Titirangi, which is directly across the water from the runway end. Frightening to think where it could have ended up.

[@randyhoeppner6815]

Keep looking up!

[@danbskyguy]

It’s not directly across. You can see the airport, but from an angle.

[@fredsalfa]

What happened to the FO and Pilot after the investigation?

[@ElectricGalaxy]

Yesss early! Great video so far TFC!! I love Singapore Airlines :))

[@Roland_Rohrle]

I used to fly in the same training circuit with SIA recruits in the mid 90’s. All I can say is money doesn’t buy flying skills… Their airmanship, navigation and lack of communication in the circuit and training area was appalling. Finally the college concerned grounded them for 2 weeks, purchased a fleet of bicycles, cleared out one of the hangers and made them ride circuits yelling out radio calls, settings, airspeed etc. They were the joke of the airport. One can only hope they improved…

[@alien8855]

Really?! Isn’t Singapore airline renowned for being one of the top airlines for 2 decades and for their safety record aswell since they only had 1 major accident?!!

[@lychvy8023]

@@alien8855 that was the mid 90s, standards should have improved since then.

[@soupwifey]

Thank God they turned back and landed safely. 🙏🏼 🙏🏿🙏🏼🙏🏾🙏🏽

[@onlyhereonce7290]

And this is why using minimum thrust at takeoff is bad. " autothrottle " is also bad.

[@dullonion797]

Agree….

[@tomstravels520]

The benefits outweigh the negatives when calculations are done correctly. Reduces fuel consumption, less noise, increase engine life. Also how is autothrottle bad when the pilots would have manually set the reduced thrust anyway

[@pennykitty1]

Thank God that nobody was hurt or killed. The pilot was aware that he needed to return.

[@flyguy5941]

When the stall warning cries out, lower the nose and confirm full power. This could have been deadly.

[@olaflieser3812]

Thanks for the video! Though one thing does not make sense to me: If they thought they were 100 tonnes lighter than they actually were, then they would not even have to discuss the topic of "overweight landing / dumping or not dumping fuel". It looks like they did not understand any of their weight and speed numbers. At 250 tonnes a 747-400 is not overweight for landing (it allows 265 tonnes) - no awareness of anything whatsoever. Amazing. At least the captain was able to hand-fly the aircraft to a safe landing and somehow did pick the proper approach speed there - or at least a "workable" speed (with 100 tonnes less you would fly slower with the same flap setting). Thinking of that: The landing might have been pretty dangerous, too - with that lack of awareness of the pilots. Imagine somewhat less favorable weather, e.g. stronger winds! Everybody that flies themselves knows that being too slow on approach can be especially dangerous then.

[@tabby73]

Maybe they figured out their mistake while still in the air and so knew their real weight?

[@olaflieser3812]

@@tabby73 They might have. Though it wasn't mentioned. I wonder whether the author of the video could get access to a cockpit voice recorder replay. Or maybe one can find it themselves, stuff is sometimes published somewhere on the Web. It would surely be interesting.

[@nomad4banter]

Great to hear a story with a happy ending once in a while.

[@nightghosts6363]

Very good Video as always, but this captain flew A340 and he had never VR at 130knots for sure, so why should a way heavier 747-400 liftoff at 130knots? Thats simple logic!

[@julosx]

Oddly enough, the very same incident happened to an Emirates A340-500. Once again, the first officer made a mistake about the take off weight when entering it into the FMS by 100 tons.

[@Capecodham]

FMS?

[@jrbuch]

@@Capecodham Flight Management System

[@andrew_koala2974]

Part of the reason for such errors is the way that the number is read out - and that is the way people are programmed / trained /indoctrinated at school. Besides which - people generally do not listen with attention - they listen to half of what is being said and fill in the blanks with what they have learned from their own experiences - and (b) people speak too fast - Now this may be acceptable to 'some' during conversation - but it is a dangerous practice when critical information is being exchanged. for example = 345 - people would generally say three hundred and forty five - The correct procedure is to read each numeral individually 'as it appears' Three four Five. Letters also HAVE to be spelled out individually and exactly as written. In aviation particularly - these must be repeated and confirmed by the one listening - confirming that what one heard is correct. Discrepancies can thus be detected. Now imagine flying a heavy bomber carrying nuclear weapons - as I had done in the RAF during the early 1960s I was with RAF bomber Command.

[@tabby73]

@@andrew_koala2974 But in this case the weight and resulting TOS was written down and then manually entered in the FMS, not spoken.

[@jessemiller3994]

So glad they made it back safely!

[@someonee3186]

The mods that you use to make FSX way more realistic than it actually looks is incredible, I wish I could have a set like yours.

[@tomstravels520]

This is P3D

[@dullonion797]

Still in stick shaker and the pilot turns? Why not set about 10degrees pitch, go to full throttle, keep wings level and ‘fly the airplane’????

[@carljaekle]

The plane is stalling, and their focused on the APU fire warning. Should have max'd the throttles as soon as they got the stick shaker.

[@JmanAviation]

Exactly!

[@8bitkid408]

I do miss the 747. Such a fantastic plane to travel in. I have been told it's the best plane to fly. I hear that some of the mothballed 747s are coming back for cargo runs.

[@halleffect1]

a system of checks and balances with no checks and balances..

[@jjintheflesh]

The pilot's skill, quick thinking, and probably help from the orher side saved a lot that night. "It's ok, we got this". More then amazing.

[@tomaskilian8489]

Nah if he was skilled it wouldn't even happen in the first place because he'd realize "Hang on, aren't those speeds way too low?"

[@nitinmathurkar1237]

the editing at the end is awesome!

[@polduseri909]

Wow, what an error, and I am sure the passengers were all enjoying the view not knowing that they almost were killed

[@theycallmetundraboy914]

Ikr?! I'm wondering if the passengers felt the tail strike more than the pilots since they were closer to the back....

[@AJ56]

Why wasn’t full thrust applied when they realised the plane is struggling to climb with the stick shaker going off?

[@edwhitson9873]

This is still the best re-enactment channel of all. Thanks

[@enigmawyoming5201]

Something I have learned in my surveying (data collection) career is to estimate values before calculating or measuring. This process will reduce gross errors in reading or transcribing data. Seriously, off by 30 knots of speed should be something that would have been caught if the crew just estimated and made a silly bet. Have everybody do it, and whoever is closest gets bragging rights, or something to make it interesting.

[@vince1229]

The one in Australia the first officer also input takeoff weight 267 instead of 367.

[@Bennjammin]

Exciting to see the plane make it off the runway and not stall!! These videos can be so sad.

[@larrybe2900]

Amazing the simple entry weighing nothing would have been enough to doom that flight. I'm surprised a fail-safe was not designed into the system to give at least an alarm warning of a discrepancy.

[@OfficialSamuelC]

No competent pilot looks at those V ref speeds and think that’s fine. Maybe if you’d never flown that type aircraft before, but come on, the FO’s have enough experience AND you know you loaded more fuel.

[@Capecodham]

FO?

[@OfficialSamuelC]

@@Capecodham First Officer

[@amnakhan8340]

I don't know if you can see this @theflightchannel but I've seen each and every one of your videos. they are so damn addictive... personal favorites are your recreations of the Southwest 1380 United Airlines 232 US airways 1549 Cried when I saw ALASKA 261, Swiss Air 111 and somehow UPS flight 6 was also really really sad because of the audio 😭 that poor pilot, flying that plane alone while it was on fire. so many more favorites I would like to mention.. Helios Flight 522.. Saudia Flight 163 (was actually comical!) .. Biritsh airways flight 009 (flew through volcanic ash) .. Birtish airways flight 5390 (captain flew out the plane) Aaaa this makes me want to rewatch all these videos again

[@johnshields6852]

Another 747 had a scrape and was repaired incorrectly, it took 22 years, but it finally gave way and literally ripped the entire tail off, obviously no one survived. I know it's statistically the safest travel conveyance, but the few that fail are catastrophic. 🙏

[@daveworthing2294]

JAL. I think there were actually 4 survivors of that one. Don't know of any others that lost a tail.

[@chrismatthews4156]

@@daveworthing2294 American Airlines Flight 587 had its tail come off. But that was due to pilot error.

[@carleyprice5159]

Jal 123

[@fruitygranulizer540]

@@chrismatthews4156 yup

[@johannesbols57]

You don't reference an airline, a date, or a location. Do try and realize people will think you're full of crap unless you take the time to document such a claim.

[@murksdoc]

Quick calculation: Tail strike 490m lasting 7 sec, ground speed = 70m/sec. x3.6 = 252 km/h, divided by 1.8 = 140 knots at tail strike.

[@mariuspontmercy2736]

Sounds a lot like what happened with Emirates 407 over the other side of the Tasman at Melbourne Tulla a few years later. Glad everyone made it out alive.

[@pauldee3040]

Astonishing that a slight careless human error nearly lead to catastrophe.

[@apw1095]

I have heard that the Captain in this incident was terminated and the two first officers were moved to the bottom of the seniority list.

[@kathym6603]

It's good to know errors like this are NOT acceptable!

[@rajbahadurverma6762]

Very good video

[@coasteyscoasteys]

Only 54 years ? I'm slogging away 5 years at my career and still learn something new daily Are all pilots really competent to fly?

[@ecclestonsangel]

Two inexperienced pilots on the type - that is a recipe for disaster! The second officer should have been the first officer or even captain. He had more experience with the type than the other two together! There's supposed to be a rule, I think, that at least one of the pilots have significant experience on the type rating, to protect against serious errors like this.

[@pomerau]

Just what I was gonna say. The Second had way more hours, and the FO should probably have been in a Cessna single. How can the captain be in the left seat with so little type? ... but I guess they have to juggle his other experience on the 340 - but these two virgins should not have shared the flight deck. However I'm not in the game so I'll bow to more knowlegeable views.

[@ecclestonsangel]

@@pomerau no, you are correct. I'm an avgeek because that's how I was raised. My dad belonged to a Naval air squadron. I learned a great deal about planes from him. I have to say, if I found out the pilot of a plane had so little experience with the type, I'd walk right back off. I know everyone has to learn, but not at my expense!

[@pomerau]

@@ecclestonsangel This proved in 2003 that the flight was in serious risk of complacency, over- confidence and misplaced deference between both pilots. Why didn't he recognise it was not lifting at V1 and stalling after V2 and power the hell out of it manually? (Again, I'm only a follower of aviation with 5 hours )

[@ecclestonsangel]

@@pomerau you bring up excellent points! How could they NOT know the tail was dragging?! That everyone survived was just sheer dumb luck. I would have laid into both pilots, and the second officer for not speaking up. Bad crew resource management at the time!

[@pomerau]

@@ecclestonsangel We don't know what the FO thought of the Captain's action or inaction or if the FO was calling out to him, perhaps this is recounted elsewhere, so it wasn't directly a CRM failure (long after CRM became an essential part of training - speak up, don't be intimidated etc) Also wondered at the time of viewing why the tower didn't notice the long nose up stance even if they couldn't see sparks.

[@andy99ish]

Incredible. One would expect that pilots with even little experience with a given type know by heart if their plane filled up for a long range flight is weighting 200 something or 300 something tonnes. Even more so, as an empty 747-400 is weighting 185 tonnes. And that intuition would tell pilots that take-off with engine thrust markedly reduced cannot work with a plane ready for a 4,600 nautical miles flight.

[@daftvader4218]

Bad initial training. .. Ball park rotate speed for HEAVY B747 170-180kts. Upwards of 400 tons/180 kts. Remember that !!!! First thing I told my students new on type... Then feel it off the ground noting pitch/speed/momentum/energy build at around a gentle rotate of 3 degrees of pitch per min monitoring climb to a final of pitch of 11-12 degrees for climb out. Slow rotate until clear of the ground ...... No rush...do not force it!! It flies you...so sensitive and light. A great love affair with a huge fat ballerina. ...get it! Now let's fly.......!! Remember that 180 kts figure. Ballpark!!

[@luiszarate6442]

The fantastic Boeing 747 is a forgiving aircraft, the only reason it survived this abuse of human stupidity, a pilot prof aircraft.

[@lakshyagrover6379]

Yeah

[@canineatnight6026]

Taikstrike can result in accident if not properly fixed. Im glad this incident they were able to sense the error and repair it

[@angelbulldog4934]

No injuries. Great story! Thanks.

[@mingology7767]

This shows that even as best airline in the world human errors do occurs! The captain with only 54 hours on the aircraft type remain his cool and landed the overload airplane safely! A great testimony to his piloting skill even with such low airtime on the aircraft type.

[@johnfranklin5277]

He had a very good reason too, trying to SAVE HIS OWN ASS.

[@nicklockard]

Had to pause the video to say: it's beyond absurd that TOW is not automatically calculated and is instead manually entered. How freaking derelict! Jeez people, just install some extension sensors on the landing gear struts. By knowing the spring rate constants, you can tell how much weight is loaded, where the Cg is in the xy plane. It's so stupid that a simple transcription error turns into this. You can't depend on humans and written processes when it's life/death critical!

[@tomstravels520]

But the point is the weight of the aircraft was correct. Your proposal of using sensors will tell you what the weight is, but the weight still has to be entered into the EFB manually as it’s not linked to the aircraft to calculate the speeds. The problem is still there. They tried sensors years ago and after a few landings they became unreliable so were abandoned. The process for error checking was there, the pilots ignored it

[@nicklockard]

@@tomstravels520 Okay fine, have the human process as the backup, but they should seriously reconsider sensors. It could be laser distance sensors (more robust) if the landing gear is getting 'stiction' and screwing up the readings. Then the automated system would enter the correct V-refs and the humans would have to confirm or over-ride. Or better yet, use displacement sensors AND laser distance sensors. Crew over-ride should require all flight crew entering their employee ID's also a senior flight instructor. Crew fatigue is just so prevalent. The more process and hand-slapping you rely on, people just start ignoring it and graping off important life/death stuff once it feels 'routine'. Humans just suck at this kind of stuff. We get tired and fuzzed out. I could design a sensor-package and logic subsystem that would have process capability (Ppk) in excess of 3.5 (part per trillion levels of failures) for a few thousand bucks. Or keep relying on tired humans....

[@tomstravels520]

@@nicklockard seeing as these incidents are so rare and Airbus have spent millions developing advanced takeoff acceleration monitoring to determine if the aircraft will actually lift off in the remaining distance and a takeoff securing system that checks the runway is long enough with the entered takeoff data I doubt they’ll go ahead with that. Plus it means adding more weight to the aircraft

[@envitech02]

I checked google and found that the damage was super extensive!! It had a huge hole on the underside the size of a few barn doors. Had it proceeded on its flight it would have most certainly crashed.

[@vocalproductionandeditings9322]

Brilliant video and overview. Respect to the Boeing 747.

[@V1RT8]

The Captain, who noticed that the FMS was showing different numbers from the TOLD card (Take Off and Landing Data card) should have investigated. It was a huge difference and anyone with some experience knows that most of the times, in case of discrepancy, the FMS is correct, because its figures are automatically computed, while the TOLD card is prone to human errors. I’m surprised that a former A340 captain accepted the TOLD card from a FO and changed the FMS numbers without investigating. Beside, the numbers were extremely low, it should have raised a flag into his brain.

[@kevelliott]

Another fabulous video TFC! But yet another one where I'm yelling at my screen: "STUFF THE STICK FORWARD!! FULL POWER!! GET THE FLAPS UP!! YOU'RE GONNA CRASH 'N' BURN!" Is there something wrong with ATPL training?

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Fun-fact...after this all 747 were retrofitted with skid-plates to prevent a hole in tail and an eventual fire.

[@sunnyday7436]

What is the outro music? So good, I always love when this one is used! Thanks for another excellent video :)

[@Unfinished_sentenc]

Thank you very much! Liked, subscribed and shared. My absolute favorite KZbin channel by far.

[@frankfacts6207]

Where the heck did the airline get these bozes? The military? Jizes!

[@RandeepSingh07]

Amazing as usual. Thank you TheFlightChannel.

[@marshall5415]

I think the Hero here is the 747. It managed to take off (without proper thrust) and managed to land ( fully loaded w fuel)

[@smoothmicra]

Sloppy work, always scary when you hear of pilots making such elementary errors.

[@sadiqjohnny77]

Old instructors and Chief Pilots are famous for giving unsolicited flying advice and observations! In reply to Mr. Conrad, who states that I "guessed " the suitability of the runway given to our aircraft, I had already pointed out that I had considerable experience in flying 3 types of large jet airliners from JFK over may years. The runway change that was given to us was from 23 R( 10,000 ft) to 23L (8400 ft). For a fully loaded 747-200 10,000ft is usually the length required --taking into account Accellerate? Stop Distance or V1) There was no guess involved--I was certain of my decision. Eventually, due to ground traffic problems, we were given R/W 31 L --the longest at JFK which was VERY suitable. No calculations were needed --we had already done that. It was going to be a full power take off at that weight anyway. Now, about the fire warning indications: on a night take off from Muscat in Oman on a heavy 707, I ran into a flock of largr birds . I did not know about the birds until after landing. They set fire to my Number 3 engine and damaged the number four which was reduced to idle power. We were heavy, on fire so unable to dump fuel--the runway was short as it was being refurbished and NO approach aids were available. The approach had to made fast, on a black night with only two strings of lights to guide me in. Fast approach had to made for rudder control because of two engines loss on the same (starboard) side . The runway only had 7000ft available instead of the usual 10,000ft. Reverse thrust was not possible because of assymetric thrust. So I brought her fast on final approach and, when I knew I was going to make the threshold, pulled back the good engines and used the momentum to cross the threshold at normal speed. We stopped right at the end with no further damage and the 707 was fixed and flying in four days. The ex RAF bomber pilot who was the airport manager said the it was one of the best pieces of flying that he had seen. Mr Conrad would probably have not agred with him as he does not beilieve that I am a pilot! NOW about fire warnings--throughout this episode we never had a fire warning light of bell--even though the flames were going past the tail because the fire wa due to burning birds and did not set the warnings off. Secondly. out of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the center (tail) engine of my DC-10 blew up We carried out the emergency drill and the fire warning light went out. BUT other, near aircraft reported that 20feet of flame was coming from that engine right up to our landing--the warning sensors had burned out! So fire warnings are not pefect. In the case of the video a fly by might have helped in that a burning APU would definitely trail smoke. The wise gentlemen who pointed out that a stall warning needs IMMEDIATE full power and lowering the nose was absolutely right! Maybe I'll tell you how my 707 tried to roll on its back with defective controls out of Peking --or the time my 747 had a venemous snake loose in the cabin from Narita , Japan to Manila--but I think that I have said enough!!

[@daftvader4218]

Don't listen to Conrad he is an ignorant armchair fantasist. ..

[@malcolmwhite6588]

The other concerning thing is which is aviation 101-with the stick shaker going off and a nose- up attitude of 11° no thrust increased nor is the angle of attack reduced :the aircraft could’ve stalled right there

[@joshsmith6786]

I actually prefer to watch these videos, than watch Air Crash Investigation 👀

[@larsporsena7115]

Even though the title lets you know they are going to avoid catastrophe, it’s still stomach-churning.

[@alexclement7221]

2:47: That ground crew guy walking around in front of engine #4 is walking like he's drunk...

[@GeorgeTheGeneral1821]

almost become the worst air disaster in New Zealand

[@blackspider9561]

Was the plane repaired and placed back into service?

[@Kingdarrdarr_17]

Omg 😲😱

[@shinskoala7072]

When the captain plugged in the data from the wrong TOW, didn't he wonder why the V1 speed was lower than the original input before they asked for more fuel?

[@patriciamariemitchel]

What happens when Larry, Curly, and Moe get together an hour early to prepare a plane for takeoff.

[@coolmasterztv3088]

Singapore Airlines should bring back the 747s.

[@Tom53Tech]

There is a chance I helped build this line-number. I'd have to research it. I worked building the 747-400 in Everett from 1988 to 1994.

[@LauRoot892]

👋

[@spiritmatter1553]

Love the ambient sounds here. But "bug card"? ¿Que? 🤷🏼‍♀️ Also, would help the likes of ground dwellers like me to indicate the locations of the fuel tanks. Thank you for this, each one is like a short cinematic movie experience with a side helping of ASMR. ✈️

[@dirkjanriezebos2240]

Pilot incompetence and complacency is probably much more widespread than the handful of incidents implies. Most of the time planes pretty much fly themselves and one day soon the pilots will be more of a threat to flight safety than having fully automated flight.

[@LauRoot892]

Dirik

[@1954BadCompany]

Love your videos and have been subscribed for a while now. At 6:18 you have transposed the lables V2 and VR.