How This Plane Couldn't Take-off (Cubana Flight 389) - DISASTER BREAKDOWN

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On an August day in 1998, a soviet built airliner a Tupolev 154 crashed while attempting a takeoff at Quito in Ecuador. The reason as to the demise of Cubana flight 389 would be found in pilot error. This is an accident with few sources of information, no accident report could be found by myself and others. If you have more information pertaining to this accident be sure to comment below.
Sources:
aviation-safet...
www.baaa-acro....
www.washington...
www.sfgate.com...
www.planelogge...
wikivisually.c...

[@DisasterBreakdown]

NOTICE TO VIEWERS Something to note with this video. While researching, I stumbled upon multiple sources which stated that the accident aircraft attempted take-off from runway 17. However as multiple people have mentioned in this comment section, people who live in Quito have stated otherwise saying the plane departed from runway 35 heading North. Having had multiple people now come forward with this info who were in the area at the time of the accident, it is safe to assume these people are correct. Please disregard that piece of info in this video. If someone can however cite a source with this, I will happily link it here. Thank you!

[@dontspikemydrink9382]

i suspect the runway was renamed

[@linrogers4326]

I flew Cubana from Cuba to Costa Rica in the 90,s in the same plane as this one. We took off after a delay of several hours. Then we came down again and skidded on the runway. After stopping we had to get off and a man came out with a hose to hose down the wheels. We waited 7 hours and had to get back on the plane. I will never forget the food. A drink of rum and two white rolls. One spread with mustard. There was a Cuban man at the front of the plane with a huge bottle of rum. After we took off he was invited into the cockpit. They shut the door. My seat did not have a seatbelt. A very interesting flight!

[@melatoninqueen6914]

Must have been a bit nerve wracking not having a seatbelt

[@lonemaus562]

@@melatoninqueen6914 meh a seatbelt is the last thing I would worry about on a plane

[@virginiaviola5097]

@@lonemaus562 you’ve clearly never met extreme turbulence..

[@MrLaCubanisima]

Im Cuban and you couldn’t pay me enough money to fly one of those Russian flying garbage cans!

[@stephanieparker1250]

Whoa 😮

[@shinyphat3105]

If you fail a takeoff 2 times in a row, that plane should be grounded unless extenuating circumstances, I.e. weather.

[@adotintheshark4848]

Why? Third time is usually the charm!

[@aerohk]

I suspect it was for unrelated reason that the 1st 2 attempts failed. The plane didn't reach V2, so no knowledge of failing flight control surfaces.

[@aerohk]

@Dennis Wilson No, above the wing box is the safest. Closest to exits and strongest structure.

[@derfvcderfvc7317]

@@aerohk useless in a crash right after takeoff because at that point the wings are essentially fuel air bombs

[@charlotteinnocent8752]

At the least, this attempt should have been abandoned LONG before it was.

[@AidenTheAviator]

The multiple aborted takeoffs and eventual crash reminds me of the Munich air Disaster in 1958. Where a BEA flight carrying the Manchester football team crashed beyond the runway after 2 previous aborted takeoffs. This was because there was slush further down the runway which caused the plane to slow dramatically during takeoff. The only reason it was an issue for this flight was because the aircraft (Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador) would take longer to takeoff then any other aircraft at the time. The crash ended up killing 23 of the 44 people on board

[@p4rz1val]

So, after two rejected takeoffs which i assume happened for similar reasons, it never occured to the flight crew to, i dunno, go over their instruments and checklists again to make sure they didn't miss something?

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

my assumption is they tried to correct whatever they did... but did so wrongly. the hydraulic systems are not a switch per system, there are a number of switches and an order you have to do them in... they probably got a caution on the display when getting above taxi speed, then re-cycled the system to a restart, but each time did so unsuccessfully on the last occasion, the issue was not diagnosed by the automation in time however, on the Tu154M there is a strange thing where there is a mixture of quite a lot of automation in the diagnostics/analysis, and everything having to be done purely manually. requires less than the 6 or minimum 5 cockpit member crews of earlier models, but it's a very confusing plane to be engineer on; an extremely high workload environment.

[@acr98disc]

@@stanislavkostarnov2157 Assumption is a mother of all f*ck ups. Pilots also had assumption.

[@michaelosgood9876]

Yud think...

[@ThePwnzerWillDie]

Love the videos! I wish someone on youtube would cover Sabena Flight 548 which crashed and killed the entire US figure skating team. This impacted the figure skating community pretty heavily at the time.

[@DisasterBreakdown]

I'll look into it, thanks.

[@johnennis4586]

Oh no not the figure skaters

[@stopit1970]

@@johnennis4586 Yes, the figure skaters.

[@vanquishable7844]

He uploaded it last week

[@ThePwnzerWillDie]

@@vanquishable7844 Yes he did! He's so awesome

[@DisasterBreakdown]

If you found this video interesting be sure to subscribe for new a new video every Saturday. This video went out to my Patrons 48 hours before going out publicly on KZbin. You can join the Patreon here: www.patreon.com/DisasterBreakdown

[@diegonaranjogelbert]

Hey, great video! I'm born and raised in Quito, just a couple details to point out, the plane took off from RWY 35, this was the main runway used at the old airport due to winds usually coming from the north. There is also a soccer field and a residential neighborhood just off the north end of RWY 17, where the plane came to rest. There was an official investigation by the Ecuadorian Accident Investigation Board, however, to this day, the final document hasn't been released. This kind of accident was unfortunately common at the old airport, with planes either crashing shortly after takeoff, or suffering runway excursions on landing. The new airport sits at a lower elevation, and has a much larger runway. To this day there hasn't been any accidents since it opened almost 10 years ago. Cheers from Ecuador!

[@pou618]

I have flown Cubana. Scariest plane I was ever on. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, they couldn't get parts and the planes were old.

[@Paka1918]

And they scrapped their Tu-154, for this plane a lot of spare parts exists. Own fault.

[@HUEYEVERGREENN]

@@Paka1918 waittt

[@Paka1918]

@@HUEYEVERGREENN Yeah. 2007 Tu-154 murdered, 2008 a lot of hurricanes attacked the island. ^^

[@Enceladus2106]

@@Paka1918 They couldn't get the parts because of brutal US sanctions, how is that their fault

[@Paka1918]

@@Enceladus2106 Right, then it's the fault of United states. But soviet union and after that, russia, give them parts. Russia didn't follow the sanctions.

[@toastgirl747]

The reason I look forward to Saturdays lol

[@DisasterBreakdown]

Thanks for watching!

[@morelukeplayz6953]

He uploads every Saturday? That's nice to hear.

[@benp4339]

Haha I gotta wait till early Sunday in Australia

[@floatinggoose9197]

13 mins ?

[@Matt.m6]

Truly the definition of insanity, trying to same thing over and over expecting different results.

[@macyus3367]

I am an Ecuadorian person and I remember watching this on the news. At the time I couldn't understand what happened because the press had not recieved more information and never reported about it afterwards. Eventually, a new airport was built far away from the city in order to make sure that all runways were longer to avoid this and avoid planes crashing into surrounding houses/roads.

[@MrWaheedulHaque]

Damn 3 failed takeoffs would ring alarm bells to me and i wouldnt even bother taking off as a pilot i know something is wrong there

[@kenmore01]

Even one, if you don't know why.

[@MrWaheedulHaque]

@@kenmore01 yes i agree

[@NDRogueElf]

Is it bad the thought that’s sticking with me the most is “wait, North Korea has an airline!?” The fact that their airline has planes so far out of date isn’t as surprising.

[@PsychoKat90]

Yep, their airline and air force are like a living museum of vintage Soviet aircraft.

[@juanrivera6207]

Yeah it’s also consistently ranked in the bottom of the worst airlines in the world

[@PsychoKat90]

@@juanrivera6207 that's not surprising, given the priorities of their dear leader!

[@PsychoKat90]

@@Great-Documentaries I can't tell if you're replying to me or the original comment?

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

Where would they get new ones? We're not going to give them to them.

[@BoneyMalone]

Having the year in the title would be helpful, sometimes I'm more interested in recent crashes to understand why they are still failing to be safe. Other times I'm curious what in the past has influenced current changes.

[@jeysonbraun5205]

I grew up in Quito and was walking home from high school when i saw this very airplane land that same day. About an hour later it crashed. I remember clearly looking up and watching it since i loved airplanes and the TU-154 wasn't super common.

[@briansteffmagnussen9078]

And the fifth crewmember are the political observer.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

sometimes, more usually written in as head of operation inter a cabin-crew officers position (this gave him a wider normal access within the plane)... though the captain was nearly always also a party cadre with an administratorial role

[@krashd]

"Fetch the doctor! The party officer has slipped on his tea.."

[@testaccount4191]

@@krashd Dam good Lithuanian accent you got there

[@johnbowles5399]

"...several children were reported to have gone missing in the aftermath of the crash." Okaaaaay...that doesn't sound dodgy at all 🤔

[@adotintheshark4848]

There's no info because it is Cubana Airlines, run by the state of Cuba, where nothing bad ever happens.

[@Viss_Valdyr]

correct! Crew and passengers all agreed that they wanted to start a new life in North Korea, where they live happy ever after!

[@grmpEqweer]

Authoritarianism is bad, mmmkay? _Mr Mackey moment_

[@gailfisher1350]

@@Viss_Valdyr Tee hee. I needed that. Thank you.

[@sheilacollins9384]

Yeah that's true. No beggars, all kids in school, and a primary health care clinic in every village. But.....no freedom of information, difficult to buy bread and professionals barely making a living.

[@adotintheshark4848]

@@sheilacollins9384 yes a wonderful Utopia where you can live just as you please, as long as you don't piss off the government and can find food. Tide Pod eaters think socialism is just great.

[@BobMullerMX]

As Oswaldo said before, the plane took off runway 35, south to north, which was the normal operation of the old Quito airport. One of my cousins died in that accident. This is the location of where the plane stopped Dropped pin maps.app.goo.gl/7YqRedNykE5oMfC48

[@bedris4765]

Best day of the week! New Disaster Breakdown!

[@oog5441]

so true

[@pilarhunter3154]

It should be noted that while the accident was happening firefighters, volunteers from the Red Cross and other Civil Defence organizations were on the airport because of a plane crash drill.

[@planenboom]

Mentour Pilot, Admiral Cloudberg and you? What did I do to deserve this?

[@beringstraitrailway]

???

[@LathropLdST]

@@beringstraitrailway didn't they all upload videos on the same day? Not skilled with reading between lines, huh?

[@marionlacebal9498]

Nothing

[@MovieMakingMan]

Great video. Thank you. BTW: I hate it when I read comments from people who say they wish there were more plane disasters just so they can watch more plane disaster videos.

[@oldhick9047]

that forth seat is occupied by the "political officer"

[@elpepinazo7801]

I flew a Boeing 727 for about 5 years, when I flew for the airlines. It became obsolete and I moved on to flying other equipment. My observations: After an RTO (Rejected take off) you note the approximate speed at which you executed the RTO and the severity of level of braking applied, as well as ambient temperature. You go to a table that will tell you how long you need to stand still on the taxiway, with parking brakes off, before you can execute another take off, This is the RTO Brake Cooling chart. The brakes can heat up a lot during an RTO. If they did this at least twice in a row, they had to have had hot brakes. It is standard to check control movement as part of the before take off checklist, they should have done that. This is to determine wether the gust locks were left on or to check for any hydraulic malfunctions, and unobstructed control movements. These pilots were probably given their positions as crew members of that aircraft because they were loyal members of the regimen, rather than because of their level of knowledge and expertise. Political appointees. So they killed people.

[@CupwakeRBLX]

That was a TU154.

[@grandtheftavocado]

Wonder why "MakeMyButtHurt" didn't get a shout-out at the end.

[@josephconnor2310]

I really appreciate how you investigate forgotten air crashes such as this.

[@mjc8281]

Strange given as they rejected takeoff twice that they didn't spot their mistake

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

(same comment as answering @Tobi_M) my assumption is they tried to correct whatever they did... but did so wrongly. the hydraulic systems are not a switch per system, there are a number of switches and an order you have to do them in... they probably got a caution on the display when getting above taxi speed, then re-cycled the system to a restart, but each time did so unsuccessfully on the last occasion, the issue was not diagnosed by the automation in time however, on the Tu154M there is a strange thing where there is a mixture of quite a lot of automation in the diagnostics/analysis, and everything having to be done purely manually. requires less than the 6 or minimum 5 cockpit member crews of earlier models, but it's a very confusing plane to be engineer on; an extremely high workload environment.

[@nitroseven]

why am i watchjng this when i have a flight today

[@Blkity77]

I heard a rumor from one of the family members of the captain that they failed to disengage the gust lock..

[@immavampardude2703]

What's a gust lock?

[@JonSilverUK]

A gust lock is a physical restraint on control surfaces to prevent them being moved and potentially damaged by gusts of wind whilst parked. At least one fatal commercial airline incident was caused by failure to engage gust locks whilst parked in windy conditions, one notable one where the aircraft was parked near a building which amplified wind effects.

[@Mochrie99]

Ah, my weekly dose of disaster. Another great video!

[@CoastalAutoReactionCAR]

Another great video! Keep it up! I know I will be sharing this channel!

[@helenwilliams7065]

Very interesting, Anthony! Well done, as always. I flew in and out of both Quito and Guayaquil in 1966, as well as Cali and Bogota, Columbia. I was just 11 yrs. and everything was exciting, but my parents were very nervous during those flights. The planes and airports were sub-par in those days. And the mountainous terrain....yikes!

[@watchgoose]

how do you know they were "sub-par" in "those days" rather than state-of-the-art for those days?

[@helenwilliams7065]

@@watchgoose Good point. I should have said, "as compared to 2021".

[@sergesmassoma9167]

Also like how he give us the airplane background whatever company it serves for before the crash

[@dykkunS]

7:30 I thought it was going to be a sponsor..

[@robertmcghintheorca49]

Me too.

[@naan-oyobizniz3168]

He should get a sponsorship from a parachute manufacturer lol

[@gailfisher1350]

Without the hydraulic system being activated, you cannot fly the plane.

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

This is a fantastic look at a politically unavailable Air Crash. Thank you so much! A Request.... I realize that much of the World uses Metric Measures. But this OLD, Retired USAF Pilot, and many Americans has used feet for Altitude, Pounds for Weight and Knots for Speed. It would probably be bothersome to say both measures.... But how about the conversions on screen text?

[@sylvesteralelele8247]

Never flown cubana before but their trip reports I see lately look good. I will just put it down that perhaps they did not maintain that plane well or had trouble getting parts.

[@alpha_echo_diDi]

Why the first two rejected takeoffs?

[@Flies2FLL]

Those hydraulic shutoff switches exist on Boeing aircraft. But pilots NEVER touch them; They are for maintenance personnel to use to perform specific checks. I have no idea why these were not left "ON" full time! -The only thing that comes to mind is the ground interconnect switch on the 727. The leading edge devices on this plane are powered by "A" hydraulic system, which uses engine driven pumps. On the ground with the engines off, the leading edges cannot be powered, unless this switch is turned on which will allow the "B" system pressure to operate them. "B" system is electrically powered, which means it can be pressurized when a ground power unit is hooked up or the APU is started. There have been instances in the past where mechanics have been killed by this switch. If the leading edge devices are deployed and a mechanic is working on something inside them, if someone flips that switch then if the flap handle is in the up position, the leading edge devices will retract. With 3000 psi operating several actuators, the retracting leading edge devices will literally crush a person like a grape~

[@foxhoundmj2056]

after crawling around the 3km runway this aircraft tragically failed to convince the crew that he has no intention of a powered flight on that sad gloomy day.

[@Ansset0]

Using publicly available that are available? Part of your brain isn't, apparently.

[@charlesclager6808]

Well done. Not surprised of the paucity of information from Cuba. But was Equador inhibited from releasing more data by Cuba ? After all the accident did happen in their air space.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

Ecuador is not a European-style democracy (...for better & worse) I think it has slightly more personal & economic freedoms, but generally, a very similar attitude towards the dissemination of information.

[@joniquealexander1135]

I am pretty sure there is an episode of mayday air disasters with the flight crew for this one

[@geroa320]

Sadly there is none

[@joniquealexander1135]

Durn I know I saw an episode of something talking about this flight now I am going to have to go digging

[@pronto3_]

I would love for you to make a video about LOT Flight 691. It is a miracle flight, and it’s rarely ever covered.

[@ShivanandaNayak-gy9jy]

the crew [cockpit] identified as mario ramos ,lenardo diaz and carlos gonzales

[@Ian-lx1iz]

(11:48) Ah! - that explains why Kim Jong Un will only travel by train.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

a lot of presidential fleets actually still do have the Tu154M (& I am pretty sure there are other airlines which operate the plane too, if you can guarantee a very good crew, it's not a bad plane to fly on... very old, but for its age it was a relatively good model, a proper last generation classic tri-Jet. by its generation & performance, I would compare it not so much to the older Boeing as to the Tri-Star Lt1011)

[@Ian-lx1iz]

@@stanislavkostarnov2157 I'd even compare the Tu154M to the Boeing 737 MAX 8 ....BEFORE the software fixes and redesign. lol

[@Ranoldopereztroika]

I am Cuban. I have never flown Cubana, and I am not planning to in my life time.

[@stephanieparker1250]

Ok the first failed take off I would be banging on the door to be let OUT!!

[@sumbigdumkunt]

Oh, hello there!

[@ricksadler797]

So the flight engineer didn’t finish his takeoff hyd checks

[@GenghisCohen257]

That does NOT sound like an easy plane to fly.

[@predatorec]

You got it wrong, it tried taking off from runway 35, not runway 17...crashed in the northern threshold.

[@CoastalAutoReactionCAR]

Can you do Delta Airlines Flight 1288 please:)

[@Voekov]

Hello, what are the names of the two tracks you use in your videos?

[@OAleathaO]

1:35 - So the flag manufacturer asked, "So how many flags do you want?" and the government said, "Yes." ;)

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Wow! Given the complexity & apparent high manual adjustment load on operating the Tupolev 154, I was pretty startled to hear airlines were operating them into the 2000s 😯 Pretty remarkable when you consider the degree to which computerised automation seemed to be prioritized in other aircraft over that time? Did wonder too what happened in terms of maintenance, parts etc for these Soviet-produced planes after the fall of the USSR...? 🤔 Maintenance bulletins etc seem to be a major feature from ongoing companies like Boeing, as new faults are identified or upgrades designed etc.

[@violagentsch]

De aviation? Or, D'aviacon?

[@maxthelab8457]

I flew several times on TU-154's in the 90's with Aeroflot, Malev and CSA................they were all shit planes.

[@hj8272]

Soviet flying coffins. Il 62 an 62M replaced TU154. More than dozen fatal crashes. Poor quality, junk engines, zero quality control.

[@jonmcfarmer6954]

Hydraulics have to be "configured" for flight! Typical Soviet/Russian manual technology. Its surprising that they didn't have to refill the hydraulics before flight configuration too. 😂🤣😂 Sovjet/Russian aircraft technology has never impressed me.

[@florome]

Not sure if you've done a video on the Chapecoense FC accident but I'd love to see that. Your videos are greatttt

[@Vialated979]

Your videos are really informative and well made. However, I wish you would do more "Disaster Averted" videos. Those are way more inspiring to watch. I don't believe you have covered Southwest Flight 1380, Miracle on the Hudson, or British Airways Flight 009 (1982). There may be other averted disasters I don't know about, and you could also look at non-aviation incidents.

[@MorrisHillmanProductions]

'Green Dot Aviation' has covered BA Flight 9.

[@FlyLA-be3vj]

Your videos are interesting. Maybe you should drop the background music and adopt a more "informal/story telling" tone instead of reading from a text. But good content!

[@antoniodavirbrito]

Tupolev Tu-154M have 6,600 km (3,600 nmi) of range

[@tdestroyer1882]

Your the reason I love Saturday!

[@ChalupaGames]

Have you ever thought about doing the southern airways flight 242? It’s in my home town, and they just built a memorial for it.

[@SierraTangoGuns]

Communist Cuban state owned airline flying Soviet jets. What could go wrong?

[@grahamhand8644]

Designing an aircraft in which the flight control hydraulics don't work without going through an arduous set of checklists seems like it's setting people up to get killed to death. Especially when we consider the number of accidents that could have been prevented if entire checklists or single items in a checklist weren't accidentally missed.

[@deveus1]

After two aborted takeoffs, I would be losing my shit as a passenger and doing everything I could to get off that plane. I'm not a good flier.

[@juliemanarin4127]

Midway Airport in Chicago is also right in the center of highly populated areas!

[@collinbrummund5925]

Appreciate all the work you do

[@737driver8]

Can you please research Cubana 455. It would be nice to see a production of this and remember those who lost their lives.

[@emmabentley7945]

Felis Tu-154 nice. Good video! ❤️ ❤️

[@gavinboot4810]

How come the accident photos show a 3 pair wheel truck,,but the type photos show a 2 pair truck,?,,

[@AlternateCesarT]

hello everyone. its me foxyzgamer1995. nice video DB. rip the pasengers. you did your best to look the info of the crash. can you also make the guantanamo bay DC-8 crash( aka CB flight 808? i would realy love that).

[@andrewstocks227]

You get like 5 views and your name is right there. No need to introduce yourself

[@jimroesner5695]

I hate the background music. It’s distracting and is not cued to the story nor helpful to the production

[@stephanieparker1250]

WHY do so many cities cram urban housing around airports?? Ugh! 😡

[@huseman21]

Why design a plane that is so easy to crash?

[@wands2457]

the russians have always had a bad rep when it comes to jet disasters. Remember when they killed their whole hockey team? But the poor kids on the ground. unforgivable.

[@agcala9619]

A friend of mine died in that crash, while other people went unscathed. His number was up I guess.

[@derstoffausdemderjoghurtis]

Imagine balling iwth the boys and suddenly 5 of them get ripped from life.

[@josezuniga2275]

Actually was on the north side of the runway that hit a workshop before fall in to the field, if it was on the south side as the video shows could be worst crashing into a busy road and several houses around

[@sheilacollins9384]

I've been on a Cubana flight. They rolled the liquor cart right in.

[@JackManiaky]

Oh thank God it missed the residential area! *5 seconds later* Aw fuck

[@Mechanicthing]

If it couldn’t take off how the hell did it manage to crash? I call bullshit on this.

[@ike637]

Maybe they should buy some Boeing 737,s 😅

[@kewlztertc5386]

The flight controls were way too complicated.

[@idawg9357]

13:07 Bruh he got skipped 😂

[@Ztbmrc1]

I guess there was no take off configuration alarm?

[@thomasb1095]

this channel is a gold mine, some of the best content on youtube

[@selfademus]

reading a list of names suuuucks.

[@bryanb5132]

Loving the music in the video

[@arsewipe22424]

Keep trying to find the crew names, DON'T GIVE UP!

[@gailfisher1350]

That's why it's so important to do the checklist.

[@anonim8929]

I want to know what is name music who play at 5:43

[@micheforte4922]

I watch and appreciate all your work,but what concerns me is that there is only one crash that you never touch, Cubana flight 455 out of Barbados.

[@oswaldovalle]

The runway used for the take off was the 35.

[@kolasom]

Before watching the video, after reading the description, I am guessing flaps??

[@psychicspy1234]

How could a crash result in killing 70 passengers? It’s in ground after all ,that’s sad.

[@Dad_Brad]

After the first aborted take off following an obvious engine start failure, it’s time to start worrying. If after the second aborted take off you’re still not asking to get off the plane..what can I say.