Turbulence So Bad It Broke The Plane (BOAC Flight 911) - DISASTER BREAKDOWN

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This horrifying photograph, captured on March 5th, 1966, depicts the tragic final moments of BOAC Flight 911. What was one of the deadliest air disasters to have ever occurred at that time. Flying through the air isn’t always a smooth journey. All airline passengers at some point or another have experienced turbulence, it’s very common. Turbulence could occur anytime and be bumpy, kind of like potholes in the sky.
Plane’s though are extremely tough. For example, the materials used to make our modern passenger planes have made it so even the bumpiest of skies won’t necessarily bring a plane down. But it wasn’t always like that. As passengers today, it may be easy to forget that we now have over 100 years of aviation experience to draw from. Plenty of lessons have been learnt about aviation safety in that time, many of them to do with the sky itself, this was one of those lessons. As turbulence is the topic of today’s video, let’s look at the accident of BOAC Flight 911.
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[@DisasterBreakdown]

CORRECTION NOTICE Thought I would drop a new pinned comment to highlight what some of my Japanese Speaking Viewers have pointed out. In this video I referred to Mount Fuji as "Fujiyama" Which (in a literal sense) translates to "Fuji Mountain". However I have been informed that this is not what Japanese speakers call the mountain. "Fujisan" is the correct name and is what I should have used here instead. My Apologies. I always try to include correct names and pronunciations of place names in my videos and it looks like there was a bit of a breakdown of what I thought I should use, ended up using (from what I gather) an Europeanized mistranslation of the Mountains name. It certainly wont happen again.

[@imperialhulinabis3514]

It's ok, we all make mistakes. You do so well on you're videos, always well explained and detailed. Keep up with the amazing content. 👍

[@williamkreth]

Nothing to be sorry about dude mistakes happen

[@robertjenkins6132]

An interesting fact is that "Fuji-san" translates approximately as "Mr. Fuji" (although "san", unlike "Mr.", is genderless). In the Japanese language, the respectful "-san" suffix is sometimes applied to inanimate objects (unlike English Mr./Ms., which are only applied to people).

[@micheleshively8557]

You're human. Fo easy on yourself ok. Love to you

[@robertmcghintheorca49]

Another Correction Notice: the other pilots' names were publicly shared. The full flight crew was 45-year-old Captain Bernard Dobson, as stated in the video, 33-year-old First Officer Edward Maloney, 33-year-old Second Officer Terence Anderson, and 31-year-old Flight Engineer Ian Carter.

[@robertmcghintheorca49]

That footage of the Boeing B707 taxing beside the crashed McDonnell Douglas DC-8 is utterly chilling.

[@jamessimms415]

@Account NumberEight Delta Flight 191

[@AreeyaKKC]

There was a MD-11 in Hong Kong that flipped over on landing. There another one taxiing by. Famous photo out there

[@monochromatic7738]

@YTCensors Asiana 214? I hear this crash is popular

[@Milesco]

@@monochromatic7738 Yeah, I was wondering if that's the one he was talking about. I think it is. That plane crashed on runway 28 Left at San Francisco International airport, so everyone using 28 Right had to proceed right past the wreckage. And the tail section came off in that crash, which is consistent with YTCensors' description.

[@joelsterling1445]

@@jamessimms415 which crashed because of a microburst

[@ClefairyRox]

The worst thing about this accident is that no one did anything wrong, they just didn't know any better. The captain wanted to give his passengers a nice view without realizing how dangerous that was. Those poor people; they must have had a terrifying final few seconds of their lives.

[@kirilmihaylov1934]

People aren't immortal

[@dontspikemydrink9382]

spoilers, dammit

[@ryanvandoren1519]

@@dontspikemydrink9382 you willingly came to the comments before finishing the video..

[@tumslucks9781]

@@kirilmihaylov1934 Neither was the CCCP.

[@redblade8160]

@@kirilmihaylov1934 Why don't you tell us something else we don't know oh great one?

[@USGBCLIGREENSCHOOLS]

The fact that the BOAC 707 taking off in that video from Haneda Airport passing by the wreckage of Canadian Pacific Airlines Flight 402 and later on the BOAC 707 crashing is really eerie.

[@lostvictims9769]

In remembrance to the victims: Captain Bernard Dobson, 45 First Officer Edward A. Maloney, 33 Second Officer Terence Anderson, 33 Flight Engineer Ian Carter, 31 Flight Attendant John Parr, 33 Flight Attendant Thomas Stanley Buttress Flight Attendant William Pettitt, 34 Flight Attendant Helen Hoare, 30 Flight Attendant Patricia Hutton, 26 Flight Attendant Virginia Pang Flight Attendant Fuyoke Abe Harold Thomas Carter, 44 Beverly C. Duke Carter, 40 Claude Ray Chamberlain, 36 Iola Faye Chamberlain, 30 Sidney Elmer Cochran Marian C. Cochran Colburn B. Crosby, 41 Jan M. McIntyre Crosby Ovid Frederic Crouch, 54 Ruby Irene Knik Crouch, 43 Louis Joseph Decarolis, 26 John Thomas Dooley Donald J. Fleming, 60 Mabel Ann Fleming, 58 Reginald Frederick Freestone, 45 Bertha Erma Tenold Freestone, 47 Charles Galbo Murray Leon Goldstein, 28 Corinne May Goldstein, 26 David E. Havlik Beverly Ann Havlik Ralph R. Havlik Marjorie F. Havlik Charles M. Heemstra Beverly Lucille Heemstra Karl Peter Heideman Marion Luthy Heideman William Clendon Hollenbeck, 52 Laveta Abigail Hollenbeck, 56 Warren Arthur Jackson, 44 Mary Rose Z. Jackson, 40 Walter Damase Jannell Evelina F. Audette Jannell Karol Kawa, 46 Elsie Ersilia Kawa, 43 Ralph Vincent Kerwin, 52 Helen Rae A. Kerwin, 47 John J. Kimutis Nellie D. Kimutis Thomas Henry Kolbo, 60 Helen Hazel Kolbo, 55 William George Ligeros, 38 Wanda LaVerne Ligeros, 30 Guard Deland Long Clara Lee Long Robert Edmund Lubbers Elizabeth Rose Lubbers Philemine McDonald Frances Kay McGregor, 25 John J. Markovich, 62 Esther R. Markovich Howard C. Maxwell Betty Jean Maxwell Ralph William Porer Gertrude Margaret Porer Joseph H. Richings, 41 Marjorie M. Richings, 36 George F. Ross Edith F. Ross Henry Clay Sellers, 35 Janet Ann Sellers, 31 Ralph Silverman Mary Silverman Lewis Vanderwall Evelyn Vanderwall Charles Allen Varner Josephine D. Varner James Henry Walker Betty Jane Walker William C. Weaver June L. Weaver David Weiss, 52 Lillian Weiss, 51 Jack Weiss, 40 Celia Weiss, 39 Phylllis Ann Fischer Neal K. Hubert Eileen E. Jenkell Lola Clyde Jones, 41 Tori Louise Jones Linda Natalie Lohnes, 16 Myron Gene Peterson, 37 Philip Rosenberg Sandra Ellen Sexhus, 26 Bascom Flanakin Stanley, 41 Barbara E. Stuckley Spencer Charles Teal, 37 W. Gene Williamson, 43 Doris V. Williamson, 48 Patrick Eric Lane, 40 Mohammed Nagi Ali, 33 Ralph William Bailey, 35 And 21 other passengers whose names I have been unable to find. If anyone has any information about this, please let me know. Many of the passengers were employees of Thermo King Company who were on tour.

[@vixen4327]

So many couples and families wiped out 😥

[@DisasterBreakdown]

Where did you find this list? I'll add it to the pinned comment. I couldn't find the names of the other pilots.

[@lostvictims9769]

@@DisasterBreakdown for the passengers; the New York Times archive, as many of the passengers were American tourists; as for the crew, an unlikely source- Russian Wikipedia ( ru.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%84%D0%B0_Boeing_707_%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%A4%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B7%D0%B8 ). The site, for the most part, has helped me find the names of crew members of other crashes, as well as nationalities of the passengers that wouldn’t appear on the English wiki. I do remember there being other sources, perhaps an online memorial, but I have been unable to re-find it.

[@rutgerhauerfan]

Good job and thank you for finding so many of their names and ages! Older plane crashes are made even more sad when so many of the victims' names are lost to time. Again, thank you for taking your time to find and write down so many of them! They deserve to be remembered. 🙏🏻

[@curtc2194]

Wow...all those names really hits home. Several plane crashes over the years due to route deviation...the DC10 New Zealand crash comes to mind...a sight seeing trip to Antarctica went terribly wrong crashing into Mt. Erebus...all perished...over 200.

[@joecrammond6221]

i dread to imagine how the passengers must have felt seeing the Canadian Pacific wreckage, unaware that they would crash themselves

[@President_Mario]

What an omen...

[@usmale49]

@@President_Mario Indeed it was! How horrific for all individuals on that doomed flight!

[@braddavis4276]

WOW NOT ONLY A PICTURE BUT THEY HAVE IT ON MOVE FILM WITH THAT GOD AWFUL RUINS OF DC-8 IN FRONT OF THEM

[@spark_6710]

WELL SAID !! Your comment here got my eyes teared up !! So sad !! 😞 💔💜🥁🐉🎤💞

[@Oldladysgin]

There were survivors of the Canadian Pacific flight onboard the BOAC aircraft.

[@user-me4dr7fu2e]

1966 was one of the worst year in Japan's aviation history. There were a total of 5 crashes, this was the third crash. Two other crashes occured on late August and mid November, resulting 5 and 50 casualties. Before this crash, Japan has conducted researches on mountain waves near Mt. Fuji due to an accident occured 4 years prior. in March 1962, a group of F-86 sabre fighter jets were en route from Tsuiki Base at Fukuoka to Iruma Base at Saitama. While flying over the top of Mt. Fuji, a strong turbulence hits, causing damage to these fighter jets, 2 of which were damaged so badly that the pilots have to bail out. Though no lifes were lost, 1 of the uncontrolled fighter jet crashed into a residential area near a train station, resulting some financial losses and halting railway operations.

[@ExperimentIV]

the first three happened in the same month, right? sounds dreadful

[@DisasterBreakdown]

Yeah that time period is just fascinating to look at. ANA flight 60 is another one from 1966 I want to look at sometime.

[@StormTrooper709YT]

BOAC Flight 911 actually taxied next to a wreckage of a another B707 crash (CP402 or Canadian Pacific Air Lines) which crashed the night before Flight 911 took off. There’s a video of it as well.

[@StormTrooper709YT]

Actually it was a DC-8-43 not B707

[@StormTrooper709YT]

A B727 known as All Nippon Airways Flight 60 crashed at the same airport while on approach too with a Japan Air Lines Convair 880-22M crashing months later and finally Air Nippon Airways Flight 533 crashing in November.

[@LemonLadyRecords]

I was in a very severe front of huge thunderstorms in a 737, and since that freaky ride, I have had complete faith in plane structures, esp wings, as I saw how far they were bending. Plus all the rolling and pitching and wind shear dropping like a rock and updrafts after. That plane took a real beating but got us home. Amazing engineering.

[@duartesimoes508]

Yeah, but after that we are different people! 💪

[@peytonmac1131]

Passenger jets are one of those strange things that seem incredibly fragile, yet are unbelievably tough at the same time.

[@shakes.dontknowwhatyergettin]

Having complete faith in anything, is unwise

[@keith-kb1zl]

Yea even without turbulence the wings seem to flex and bend . kinda scary I usually don’t look for more than a few glances here and there looks like they could get ripped off

[@jodyyy8752]

​@@keith-kb1zlsaaaame

[@overcaves]

it's crazy that camera survived an impact like that while staying intact with recoverable film

[@KuntalGhosh]

I have a film camera from the time.. made by crown. & Takes 8mm. It is like a lead brick. You can easily kill someone with it. It weighs like 3kg or more & made of all metal. Not a single bit of plastic. And the mechanism so good it works after 50years. & It stayed in unprotected damp storage room yet works fine. The lense movement is smooth af. It's such a great Japanese camera from the time.

[@brittsaunders4621]

Similarly, a movie camera survived the crash of the Air New Zealand DC-10 on Mt. Erebus in 1979. Recovered footage showed the Antarctic scenery taken from the window and passengers in the aircraft shortly before the disaster.

[@DandamanV]

They don't make 'em like they used to!

[@diygarygaming]

Especially when you consider how the plane's blackbox was destroyed, but that camera wasn't.

[@Sashazur]

It could also have been a relatively small and light camera so it didn’t fall as fast or land as hard.

[@JWUniverse]

Seeing the wreckage of a Plane Crash just the day before as you take off… Is the Ultimate Omen for the people on board… RIP to both Flights Victims!

[@PepekBezlepek]

actually, to me it would me a good luck omen, like ... your plane can't crash after seeing another crashed, right? the probability must have reset, right?? :( it didn't tho

[@wenthulk8439]

It’s not the only potential omen

[@DeirdreMcNamara]

@@wenthulk8439 The number? Tsura 9.1(1) "You shall strike *t*erroir in the heart of the *in* fidele? That omen?

[@michaelhendle9868]

I was working for BOAC and knew the crew of that plane as I was working in the crew briefing office at the time, it brings sad memories back,watching the film

[@cdl0]

Small world: My father also flew the Boeing 707 for BOAC, and later the 747, and yes, I have been in the jump seat when he flew around Mount Fuji so all aboard could enjoy the view.

[@DeirdreMcNamara]

BOAC and BA flight crews were and are awesome. First flight 14 hours, 5 landings and take-offs...

[@OwlRTA]

I think this accident also prompted the change in location of the black boxes. At the time, they were in the front of the plane. However, they were destroyed with the cockpit during the fire on the ground. They nearly didn't know what happened at all, and only got a lead from a fighter jet that almost crashed in the same rotors while it was aiding in search and rescue, along with the camera footage mentioned in the video.

[@WaterCrane]

The sad thing here is that even if they were in their present location, the tail, I think they would have run into a related problem... since the turbulence ripped the tail off, they would have stopped recording at that moment, probably leaving almost no reliable data they could use (except maybe a measurement of an aileron lifting).

[@OwlRTA]

@@WaterCrane It certainly would've given them more information that the flight was normal. it could've also revealed if there were warning signs that could be taught to other pilots that rotors were nearby. any info is better than no info. If the fighter jet crashed (or never got into a rotor), or if the film from the camera melted, our understanding of mountain rotors could've been insufficient enough to crash another plane.

[@JustinLHopkins]

It’s been well over a decade since the last major crash on American soil. This is a record and we should be proud. People often romanticize aviations past but I for one am thankful that we’re no longer in the crash happy days of the 60’s and 70’s.

[@mwbgaming28]

Australia hasn't had a major crash since the jet age started

[@MrBrno]

@@mwbgaming28 Argentina hasn't had one in 23 years from what I remember

[@MeaHeaR]

that becawse it bush third world with few plains

[@basfinnis]

@@MeaHeaR In English please?

[@JustinLHopkins]

@@mwbgaming28 Good point.

[@eliott.6997]

I got chills when I saw the picture of Broccoli and Saltzman... as a huge fan of the Bond series, hearing those five incredible people's names was harrowing. How different the series may have gone had they boarded that day... terrifying. Good video coverage as always Chloe, it serves as a reminder of how far air travel has come in the last century, and how safe modern travel is today.

[@President_Mario]

Same here. As soon as I saw them I was like holy shit and immediately connected it to You Only Live Twice.

[@xr6lad]

Well I think it’s fair to say that the Bond series would never have existed. There were too many involved with Bond for it to have likely continued.

[@michaelosgood9876]

Too bad about the people who DID board that plane-eh!!

[@Skauldrich]

The series may well have ended with Thunderball. Imagine that...

[@kevinmalone3210]

The Bond movies with Roger Moore wouldn't have been as good. Those guys dodged a bullet.

[@juk-hw5lv]

1950s and 1960s was truly a "golden" era of in-flight breakups. The planes were flying faster, higher and with larger loads than ever, yet the technology of construction and structural engineering didn't change a lot since the DC-3 first took to the skies. The results - massive amount of turbulence- and fatigue- induced inflight breakups. From the 707s loosing their engines, to Comet's infamous windows to dozens of other, less memorable incidents such as the crash of Polish Vickers Viscount due to turbulence in the same era

[@SlavaUkraini85]

the video sequence from Tokyo with the crashed plane and the doomed 707 in the background is rather haunting

[@madamedelite]

Amazing work. Turbulence is a given, but this was beyond a shake in the plane.. By the way, could you cover Eastern Airline Fl 66. It was plane that crashed on its approach to Kennedy Airport in NYC. Literally 5 minutes away from where I grow up, one of my first memories as a child. I love your thorough research. Have a great day!

[@DisasterBreakdown]

I'll look into it, thanks!

[@nyxqueenofshadows]

great video, as always! mt fuji is such an iconic piece of the landscape, you really can't blame the pilots for wanting the passengers to get a unique view of it. it's just unfortunate it ended up how it did....

[@DisasterBreakdown]

Sightseeing was quite common back then. The Grand Canyon is another one that pilots often liked to provide good views of

[@dontspikemydrink9382]

@@DisasterBreakdown you are sick too huh.

[@kommandantgalileo]

@@DisasterBreakdown and giving those views at the Grand Canyon has also brought down aircraft

[@frozenuruguayball6436]

@@dontspikemydrink9382 what

[@marhawkman303]

@@DisasterBreakdown Another mountain that does this... and one I've personally seen up close.... Pike's Peak in Colorado. You can stand on the peak of the mountain and look down at the clouds... and watch the winds twist the clouds as the clouds pass near the mountain. Really gives you an amazing insight into just how much mountains like that change the atmosphere. Oh also.. the local airport tells pilots to just don't go there.

[@crgkevin6542]

Thank you for covering this, it is a chillingly fascinating incident that has gone comparatively unnoticed.

[@DousedFlame]

Great video! Those mountain winds are no joke. On a trip through the mountains of Monterrey Mexico my plane got caught in something similar. It was the scariest moment of my life. Plane just felt outta control for a few seconds. I can't imagine how these people felt. May they rest in piece.

[@m118lr]

..PEACE. Amen..

[@getmeouttatennessee4473]

​@@jensnobel5843Unnerving but such a captivating story. I appreciate you telling it. 😊

[@thatguyalex2835]

We should be lucky we live with modern Airbus & Boeing aircraft today in the 2020s, that were designed with computer aided design and structural analysis software. The modern aircraft are designed to flex their wings in turbulence, while older planes were less durable. May the lives of BOAC's 707 RIP. Same with the Canadian jet's passengers. God rest their souls. :(

[@eucliduschaumeau8813]

I only had a passing knowledge of this accident. It happened when I was five years old and my grandfather flew to Japan often, where he served in the military and married his second wife. The only photo I ever saw was the one from furthest away, where the mountain is in full view, but this video included many photographs, facts and analyses of the disaster I had never heard before. It would be very interesting to see the 8mm film taken from inside the plane, but it's understandable why it has been redacted from public view. Great work! I really enjoyed this video.

[@DisasterBreakdown]

Some people have claimed to have seen the film but as far as I know, it's nowhere to be found on the internet

[@redblade8160]

Euclidus Chaumeau. Did the two wives get on well by sharing married life to the same husband?

[@eucliduschaumeau8813]

@@redblade8160 He got divorced from my maternal grandmother long before marrying the second wife...why am I telling you this?

[@redblade8160]

@@eucliduschaumeau8813 You're telling me this this because you don't want me think he was a Mormon!

[@TC.C]

Thank you for covering this. I was totally unaware of this accident before.

[@ripwednesdayadams]

The quality of your videos is excellent. The content put out by you, green dot aviation, mustard, part time explorer, and brick Immortar honestly looks better and more professional than shows like mayday air disasters or other history channel shows. Great job, can’t wait to watch more!

[@DisasterBreakdown]

If you found this video to be interesting, be sure to subscribe as there is a new video every Saturday. This video also went out to my Patrons on Patreon 48 hours before going out publicly. Consider joining here from £1 per month: www.patreon.com/DisasterBreakdown BOAC 8mm film footage (Cpatured by André William Cesar dos Santos): kzbin.info/www/bejne/m37CdnaMfdp1kKc&ab_channel=Andr%C3%A9WilliamCesardosSantos Twitter: twitter.com/Chloe_HowieCB

[@slim974]

Can u plz talk about flydubai crash in Russia ?

[@andrewilliamcesardossantos1555]

Dude put the video link source , is posted by me 5 years ago

[@DisasterBreakdown]

@@andrewilliamcesardossantos1555 I though I had you in. my apologies its there now and I'll add it to the pinned comment for you :)

[@andrewilliamcesardossantos1555]

@@DisasterBreakdown thk ❤️❤️

[@MicrophonicFool]

I was on a flight in the mid-80's on a Canadian Military Transport version of the 707-320C (CC-137 for those keen). The flight began smoothly, and it wasn't until getting into the rockies that anything became unsettled. Not so suddenly, but over the course of about 1 minute, turbulence was buffeting the plane. As the intensity rose, the very directions of the forces were not of a consistent direction nor speed, but rather started to get blown into very weird corners. It was some paint shaker action, full on. Even though the CC-137 was little different to a commercial 707, I felt best being on this version, and with (at that time) world-class military aviators. The intensity continued to increase and the effect was very upsetting to the inner-ear, which is a condition I was familiar with since childhood. Never had I been frightened on a cross-Canada flight, but this turbulence event was pretty nasty to me and my state of mind. My memory of the duration of this event is probably well over-estimated. I'm going to guess about 10 minutes. It felt like an extended lifetime. Upon eventually landing at CYYJ on the west coast (About a 12 hour flight in this configuration due to milk-run nature), and after the collection of baggage and my stomach no longer aroused, I saw the co-pilot finish his log entry and close his book. We walked down the portable stair ramp together. While walking down I asked something about what he thought of the ride. As many in the Miltary are, he was confident and said to me that what we just experienced was well within the confines of what is classified as Moderate Turbulence. His final comment was something like: "You DO NOT want to experience Severe Turbulence!" I very much believed him.

[@Sashazur]

It’s like when doctors say “mild disease”, it only means you won’t end up in intensive care!

[@EthanKnight97]

As a James Bond fan, I knew the story of the filmmakers cancelling thier doomed flight but didn't realize it was BOAC 911. By the way Lewis Gilbert was the director, not the screen writer. How cinema history could of changed and rest in peace to those who were on board.

[@terryable-hh4ck]

Screen writer Roald Dahl.

[@prostakuk]

These are getting really well made, in spite of the tragic content. Respectful but informative, thank you.

[@nigelbond4056]

Another air disaster I’d never heard of. As ever, your knowledge and detail in explaining the tragedy is extremely professional and sensitive. I hope you feel better soon Chloe

[@noneofyourbizness]

i didn't know such plane wrecking levels of turbulence were even possible until today. Have been on countless flights and have only experienced heavy turbulence on low level (60 metres) survey flights (as instrument operator), one of which involved repeatedly going over a relatively small mountain during times of very high (~45C ) temps. Though it was pretty scary i had high confidence in the small , oldish Cessna at the time (1994). Even though it was almost 30 years after this BOAC catastrophic failure i'm quite glad that i did not known then what i know now !

[@tomtom1541]

Don't forget about density altitude when it's really hot outside

[@upeasterner]

I flew around the world with my parents starting in 1965 (Dad was oil-and-gas) recall seeing Mt. Fuji out of a plane window probably 1967. I do remember it wasn't uncommon for pilots to fly a little off-course as a treat to passengers. We lived in Karachi at the time of the crash, now I know why kids jokingly called the airline "Better on a Camel."

[@BoulevardFan28]

This accident is terrifying... it wasn't a design flaw, or pilot error, or terrorism, or _visible_ weather, or navigational mistakes... the plane was just _smacked_ out of the sky.

[@peytonmac1131]

It's one thing to be a pilot and feel like you might have some control over what happens, but let's all commend the bravery of the flight attendants who flew during the early years of passenger jets. Day after day in the air, each trip a gamble on the flight crew and the engineers behind it all.

[@HTarabzooni]

This is such a horrifying story oh my God!! Really a reminder of our regulations are written in blood.

[@CAROLUSPRIMA]

If I’d ever heard of this crash I don’t remember it. Should be better known. Wonderful job as always.

[@peterkrey7273]

At last! In all the time I've been following aviation sites like yours, I've wondered why no one ever covered this incident. I clearly remember where I was and what I was doing when the news came over the radio. Always thought it was Pan Am. Thanks so much for presenting this incident. Keep up the excellent work!

[@jasonbertles]

These videos really are a guilty pleasure as so many people literally die to bring us them each week. And Chloe deserves some credit for the videos, too, I guess! ;)

[@dutyd2346]

Great job covering this story. This video was particularly riveting. Thanks, Chloe!

[@waynebrewer1901]

There was a jet carrying a Greek ambassador over Europe that hit clear air turbulence in the early 2000's, I think. The aircraft was ok but the official died, if I'm remembering right. He was thrown to the ceiling and back down. That's why they say keep your seatbelt on even if it's smooth. Not sure if a mountain was involved. CAT can hit you just about anywhere. It's impossible to predict, but rare in open sky.

[@douggale5962]

Even then, the main wing box (that connects the two main wings) was indestructible. There was so much lift, the engines got torn off the wings, and the wing box was fine. Impressive.

[@donreinke5863]

Rather interesting that a test pilot successfully barrel rolled one of the first aircraft of this type with no ill effects, yet it broke up when it encountered turbulence. The tail of an Airbus also snapped off over New York City in 2001 due to extreme maneuvers.

[@57Jimmy]

That one over New York had me shaking my head in disbelief. Even with the knowledge and design abilities of the time, I couldn’t believe Airbus did not have a simple, safe working load override feature built in to their vast computer sensor capabilities.

[@BigBlueJake]

I think a barrel roll is relatively gentle on the plane as long as you have enough room in the sky. Getting clobbered by strong air currents going at least two different directions is more like being caught in whitewater rapids.

[@peterj5751]

Yes, the barrel roll was a controlled manoeuvre with careful management of the airframe loads. Turbulence is a sharp and hard to predict load.

[@donreinke5863]

@@57Jimmy I have to doubt that Airbus designers and engineers ever imagined that a professional pilot would operate an aircraft in such a dangerous and frankly reckless manner, therefore they likely didnt even consider the need for such a system. Some of the blame can be laid on controllers who obviously didnt space departure times correctly resulting in that Airbus encountering extreme wake turbulence but still such maneuvers are in the domain and operational capabilities of military fighter aircraft, NOT commercial planes.

[@saveyourbacon6164]

@@donreinke5863 Another factor is the design of the attachmant of the fin to the fuselage. I was shocked to learn that the attachment is by six angle brackets inside the base of the fin, bolted to the top of the fuselage. When you think of how thin the base if the fin is, and the ratio of this to the height of the fin, and then imagine severe sideways loadings on the fin, my reaction is that this must be one of the weak points in the structure.

[@bbj7375]

I'm a 737 captain and i never go near large mountains when able. We catch clear air turbulence a lot, but we can ascend or descend if able to for a smoother ride. Sometimes clear air turbulence is very bad that's why we always make the announcement to keep your seatbelt fastened while seated. Thanks to DB for your continued excellence in crash breakdowns. Will become a patron.

[@limyrob1383]

Interesting to compare this crash as a result of sightseeing to the loss of the Costa Concordia. I recall flying as a passenger in the 1960's and it was not uncommon to see wreckage beside the runway when landing or taking off. Airports were seldom closed due to crashes and were often shared with light aircraft and military aircraft so crashes were more common.

[@Dilley_G45]

Thanks so much for making videos about older crashes

[@kapri1994]

Please, to anyone afraid of turbulence now ( maybe even more after this video ), keep in mind modern AC are far more that capable to withstand turbulence ( and anyway, turbulence would probably break your neck first then the plane itself ). Think of it as a potholes of flying .

[@emo7636]

Wonderfully made video. I think this is my favorite so far. That photograph of the aircraft before it plummeted is almost too eerie for me to look at, with the wing bent upwards.

[@jackmonaghan8477]

I guess it's for the best they never made that 8mm onboard film of the plane's final moments public. It would have been quite traumatic. Also, Lewis Gilbert was director on 'You Only Live Twice' not the writer. Roald Dahl was screenwriter for the film.

[@michaelosgood9876]

I always wanted to see a report on this accident. Incidently, not one single Douglas DC8 from the same Era has crashed due to structural failure. In fact NASA uses theirs in conditions similar to this & the airframes now well over 50 years of age...

[@mattd6085]

a ten second google brought the report up. Here's the link - www.baaa-acro.com/sites/default/files/2018-03/G-APFE.pdf

[@deew6625]

Outstanding documentation.

[@RACECAR]

There are 3 eerie things about this that just stick out me: - The Producers and people involved with the James Bond Film cancelling this particular flight at the last minute before working a film called "You only live twice" - The plane taxing past the Canada Pacific Wreckage (With the footage itself only adding more chilling context) - Two passengers on this very flight were survivors of said crash from the previous day I don't think I have heard of or looked into a crash that has such crazy things going on both around and with it. I imagine that 8 Millimeter film would only contribute even more context to this, I can't imagine there's much reason not to release it publicly given that people are now being exposed via Facebook live (Albeit unintentionally) to air disasters from inside the very planes themselves as we recently saw with a crash back in January this year.

[@timmotel5804]

I flew to London when I was 10 years old, out of NY in 1962 on a BOAC 707 and back on one. The worst turbulence that I have ever encountered was on one of those flights. My father worked for BOAC then, and ultimately retired years later working at what became BA. I didn't know about this crash. Thank You for posting this.

[@jayreiter268]

I was not aware of this incident. It was not the first or last aircraft lost during a site seeing diversion. The accident report lists the first failure to be the vertical stabilizer attach fittings. The later breakup happened during the unstable uncontrolled maneuvers. Kind of like when a car blows a rear tire at speed. Some time in the 70's vertical stabilizer fittings became a watch area during C & D checks. I thought that was do to a resent failure of a similar type B52 vertical stabilizer. There was a repair to the aft fittings. The aft 3 foot portion of the fuselage and fittings were replaced.

[@WobblesandBean]

The worst turbulence I ever experienced was when I was flying from Seattle to California in 2008. We passed right over Mt St Helens, which was erupting. The plane shook so hard that anything that wasn't strapped down was flung into the air and slammed into the ceiling of the fuselage. I've never been so scared in my life. I still don't know what on earth that pilot was thinking going through that searing hot plume of smoke and ash, instead of going around it.

[@lesliearthur2223]

Awesome video as usual. Have you possibly considered doing an episode on BOAC Flight 712. BOAC Flight 712 was a British Overseas Airways Corporation service operated by a Boeing 707-465 from London Heathrow Airport bound for Sydney via Zurich and Singapore. On Monday 8 April 1968, it suffered an engine failure on takeoff that quickly led to a major fire; the engine detached from the aircraft in flight.

[@smwca123]

Not unlike PA843, which suffered a similar uncontained engine failure just out of SFO June 28, 1965, taking part of a wing with it. Captain Charles Kimes landed safely at nearby Travis AFB without loss of life or injury. On December 4, 1965, TWA 42, also a 707, collided in mid-air with EAL 853, a Constellation, over Carmel, NY, also losing part of a wing. Captain Tom Carroll landed TWA 42 safely at JFK with only one injury, a broken nose suffered by a cabin attendant knocked off her feet in the collision. Captain Charles White crash-landed EAL853 on a Connecticut hillside; 3 passengers plus White himself died. After Carmel, someone sent this message over WWA's maintenance telex: AMENDMENT TO INOPERATIVE EQUIPMENT LIST - EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY - ALL BOEING 707S MAY BE DISPATCHED WITH RIGHT OR LEFT WING MISSING.

[@brendanferraro2677]

This is one of the best videos you’ve made so far! Great job!

[@momentomori-rw6jp]

Never heard of this incident but like every disaster breakdown video it was very interesting and informative ❤

[@DisasterBreakdown]

Thanks! glad you liked it

[@tristanneal9552]

"Pilots used to deviate to show passengers Mt. Fuji." Me: "Oh that's awesome, I want to be on a flight like that someday!" Me, ~5 min later: "Oh..."

[@chicchitammuottocifa]

I think this has now got the spot in my top 10 most terrifying crashes

[@cchris874]

But as mentioned in the video, there was a claim made the passengers all died instantly the moment the gust hit. At the very least, it was in the words of Macarthur Job, "violent and injurious to all aboard."

[@Hartford1992]

Another great video. As a storm chaser, any meteorological air accidents are of particular interest to me. I'd love to see one on NLM CityHopper Flight 431, another flight brought down by severe turbulence due to them flying through a tornado.

[@DisasterBreakdown]

Flight 431 occurred with a Fokker 28. I am hoping that the simulator will have one of these soon as it is an accident I want to cover

[@Josh2901S]

yeah klm flight 431 was a pilot error due to inadequate use of controls during unequal throttle

[@landychen9968]

Excellent job!❤

[@DisasterBreakdown]

Thank you! 😊

[@crystaldbj]

It seems unlikely to be rotor, which is often found below the level of the mountain causing moutain wave. It may have been the less understood phenomenon of a breaking wave, which severely damaged a cargo jetliner near Colorado Springs, many years later.

[@billmcg1676]

Always enjoy your informative mini-documetaries regarding air disasters and others. Well put together videos with nice narration. Keep it going!

[@dl_0002]

When I worked as a contractor in Afghanistan, we used to fly a little prop plane over the mountains to the remote Eastern border near Pakistan (FOB Salerno for anyone aware). Those flights were terrifying. The turbulance was so bad, I swore the plane was going down on multiple occasions. You could feel the gusts of wind twisting the plane sideways as we're flying forward. When we finally touch down, everyone is pale-faced, sweating and thanking God.

[@LemonLadyRecords]

Almost every flight I took in the 70s and maybe into the 80s did a sightseeing diversion along the way. The Captain would proudly tell you he was diverting "just for you", to give both sides a view. Now everyone just tries to see out the one side. Not sure which is worse!

[@cchris874]

Really? In my dozens of flights in that period I don't recall even one diversion. Hmm.

[@hilman94]

finally, been waiting for ages for AirCrash Investigation/Mayday would make the episode of this accident.... so thanks for starting to create this first... 👍

[@handscrews9653]

man i love binging a channel only to find out theres a brand spanking new one

[@raranut]

This is such an underrated channel. I love your content

[@lindawakiyama1603]

Excellent coverage of this disaster Chloe, thank you. Would you also please consider GA856? I was living in Fukuoka at the time when that happened.

[@lindawakiyama1603]

Apologies! It should be GA865!

[@kevinmalone3210]

Avoiding severe turbulence is critical for any aircraft. Turbulence around moutains is especially dangerous. Tragic that they didn't stay clear of it.

[@cygnia]

Ahhh, just the thing to watch before my flight next week...

[@a.o.424]

Thank you for creating and sharing this excellent video.

[@kristita_888]

Thank you for going over this incident, Chloe. I had never heard of it before. I grew up in Denver when Stapleton was still operational, and those rotors were definitely a thing by the Rockies, especially in the summer when thunderstorms would hit. I was in some significant turbulence going over the mountains many times. I can’t imagine what the passengers on this aircraft must have experienced…it would have been awful. I hope you feel better fast!

[@Flies2FLL]

Mountain waves are a pain in the ass! I have felt these over the Rocky mountains and as far east as Texas. Most of the time it is just a tendency for the airplane to suddenly speed up and try to tag the redline on the airspeed indicator, which of course the airplane records if it does happen and automatically downloads, and then you wind up getting a "nastygram" email asking why this happened. This is an extreme case; I've flown airliners for 30 years and never heard about this accident or anything like this.

[@martinwarner1178]

Sailors have known about winds causing havoc, dropping down onto their sailing ships, along steep shorelines, sometimes flattening their sailboats to the seas surface. Seems a little mad to fly close to a mountain, for the sake of tourism! Peace be unto you.

[@sockjim9016]

This flight did not have a particularly auspicious number attached to it, it seems. I always think of turbulence as fun and exciting, but this is a reminder of just how dangerous it can be; those poor people must have had some horrific final moments. I hope the skies are calmer wherever they are now.

[@tobznoobs]

911 emergency. 9/11. flight 911. if i stay on a hotel on the 9th floor i would immediately request changing rooms if i was given room 911

[@terryable-hh4ck]

More recent BA flight numbers to Japan ,outbound 006 homebound 007.@@tobznoobs

[@thebookwyrmslair6757]

If you ever see lenticular clouds near a mountain that's a tell-tale sign of mountain wave turbulence. If we saw that, we knew we couldn't fly in the mountains that day. They're probably my favorite clouds - beautiful and deadly.

[@flankerroad7414]

I believe some or all of that film footage was released at some time. I recall seeing a few seconds of it, but all I can recall is blurred movement and then only a view of the aircraft cabin carpet when the camera came to rest on the floor. The cabin carpet was a reddish-orange colour. I don't have a source for this, just my own recall, although I'm almost certain that this was the flight and film. It wouldn't prove anything, of course, but I wonder what was the colour of the BOAC cabin floor carpet? It had to be an incredible jolt to the poor passengers. Great video!!

[@mjc8281]

That model you are using takes me back I flew on a British Airtours 707 in their Negus & Negus livery to Crete as a kid.

[@WilliamHBaird-eq2hp]

Please consider doing the Canadian Pacific DC8 Crash at some point. Thank you for your uploads

[@Oldladysgin]

It is sad that survivors of the previous day crash were onboard the BOAC 707. I have seen the tape recorded by the passengers, clearly showing the carpet and other objects flying around the cabin. I have not been able to locate the film since.

[@arshiaseyyedshakeri890]

A pretty controversial accident that you might want to take a look at: PS752! looking forward to seeing it covered on your channel :)

[@DisasterBreakdown]

It is one incident that I will cover one day. I've got a feeling that that will be a pretty lengthy video to unpack everything

[@pennywaltz4601]

Think you could do continental express flight 2574? that accident wouldn't have happened if they follow procedures!

[@RBMapleLeaf]

Nice job Chloe, that was an amazing video I did not have a great day honestly or yesterday. It has been a difficult time enduring in an area I've gone through. Having a severe breakdown with Emotional and Mental problems with people taunting and unlawfully harming me so it has been a difficult time and being linked as a Christian at Youth it was a difficult time and debriefing it was worth what I needed to change but also acknowledged that things I did correctly and also the headsets that were wireless and it is sensitive. So it was a very difficult time recently so it's been an everyday battle so it does make my day and showing how fortunate I'm still alive and alright

[@RBMapleLeaf]

@Alex Mit Yeah, it has been certainly a difficult time, thanks tho. I've been seeking out the ultimate truth and finding those who truly understand me but it will take time and time is something that we don't have enough of. In a century about Social Media, Broken Hearts etc. It's a harsh reality, some like me who have family of generations living the hard way and they certainly don't want me to have that in my future. It has been stabilising as of posting this but it is like a scar or a wound eventually it will heal but the marks are still there.

[@MCF787]

Brillant explanation. Thank you very much.

[@Knight6831]

Yeah there was another clear-air turbulence event as on the 24th of September 1971 a Vickers VC-10 Type 1103 of British Caledonian Airways flying to Santiago in Chile from London's Gatwick International Airport hit clear air turbulence over the Andes however unlike BOAC 911, the flight crew recovered the aircraft and landed in Santiago

[@mariovuksanovic5077]

Boeing engineers built the 707 to be strong enough to withstand very powerful winds...it could be pushed around but the Boeing engineers made the 707 safe enough from being broken apart in mid air. The Boeing engineers, knew all about powerful winds, in Seattle, they have a huge volcano and they had been flying test flights in that area for many years. Something else caused that 707 to crash ... something that was kept from the public.

[@mariovuksanovic5077]

not true .not be stronger than the 707....the vc10 engines were placed together in the tail area so they had to re enforce that area and that concentrated the entire weight of all four engines in a small area....the 707 distributed it's engines on the wings with lots of distance between them therefore, Boeing reduced the weight of the 707.

[@Knight6831]

Yeah but I would also ask do you know what damage the BCAL VC-10-1103 suffered

[@bmused55]

The 707 was an overbuilt tank of a plane. It's why some were flying right up to the pandemic (albeit in cargo configuration since around the 90s). For one to be torn apart means the forces must have been extreme.

[@cchris874]

They estimated the gust load was such that no aircraft type could have survived.

[@FredPilcher]

Glider pilots are very familiar with the phenomenon of rotors associated with lee wave., and know to avoid it if possible.

[@Garrett_Rowland]

9:04 These winds remind me of the dangerous waves found with low head dams that keep people trapped underwater. Currents can be scary things.

[@skunkrat01]

So creepy seeing the remains of a plane out the window as you're taking off

[@laguna3fase4]

My dad was an avionics engineer with BOAC and worked on the 707 fleet.

[@dazuk1969]

I often think about the people inside these plane crashes, and how they must have felt knowing they are going down. It is a truly horrifying thought. I suppose the one saving grace is it would be over quickly. It is the journey down where the suffering takes place.

[@redriveral2764]

When you are in that tube (airplane) with no way out has always bothered me. I'm sure my last word would be "Fuuucccckkkkk!!!"

[@pop5678eye]

10:13 'gravitational forces' are incorrect. Gravity did not change. The 'inertia force' at 10:05 is closer to the accurate description. To be specific what pilots refer to as 'g-forces' are an illusion caused by the high acceleration of the aircraft around them while their inertia presses them against their seats.

[@victorgrasscourt3382]

A VC10 went through similar turbulence over the Andes. It didn’t break up, but it’s tail fin was damaged

[@michaelcampin1464]

I remember seeing an RAF Canberra after it had been up to investigate a thunderstorm in the 60s. It had taken a real bearing from the storm but got valuable weather data.

[@danielshannon6027]

Reminds me of when actress Lindsay Wagner and her mother cancelled their flight on ill-fated American Airlines flight191 in Chicago on May 25, 1979.

[@cynthiatolman326]

Hope you feel better, I hadn't noticed any difference, I love your voice. Thank you Oops, forgot to say I've not seen any videos on this tragic crash.

[@pickles3128]

A tornado went over my city's airport and it still didn't do such damage. What force must've been used to tear apart the plane like a paper crane being crushed in your palm. That's crazy!

[@racheallange2056]

A few months ago I flew from Munich, Germany to Southern Turkey. I noticed the mild turbulence over the Alps.Made me a bit nervous to tell the truth. But on the other hand the Alps are so beautiful to see from above.

[@miaflyer2376]

The FDR was trashed with no recoverable info so accident investigators would not know the flying pilot's control inputs. In severe turbulence the rule is to let the airplane go where it wants to go without fighting the controls. We know from the American Airlines A300 crash in NY that aggressive rudder inputs by the co pilot had ripped off the vertical tail during a wake turbulence encounter. The jet didn't suffer structural failure because of turbulence. Likewise, the B707 is a sturdy airframe but excessive rudder, aileron and elevator inputs to counter unusual attitudes from turbulence can in itself cause structural failure. Other than this accident's probable cause of severe turbulance, there are no known instances where a modern jet has had structural failure and disintegrated soley due to clear air turbulence.

[@m118lr]

Well done. Well-researched and one I wasn’t aware of. I can only imagine that virtually ALL the passengers were WELL aware of the trauma unfolding..

[@nikkoy.1340]

Perhaps they would have been, although there's a more than reasonable chance that none of those on board realised what was happening before it was all over. The accident report states - and I quote: "The bodies had sustained common fatal injuries resulting from an abnormally severe deceleration of the aircraft in flight." The film from the onboard camera - a Keystone Zoom - revealed a number of factors: the aircraft was slammed by a mountain wave, which induced a 7.5+G load on the airframe (since it was shown that the 2-frame jam would only have occurred under that and higher loads), and which caused the outer wing and tail planes to fail. There's a more than reasonable chance that the passengers and crew on board would have been incapacitated by these forces, either through making contact with parts of the interior of the aircraft (seating in front, instrument panel, overhead bins, ceiling, etc), or simply by the sudden loads sustained (rupture of the aorta, broken neck, etc). Indicative of this is the report on the Keystone camera: after it skipped two frames, the camera rotated inwards, showing a couple of frames of the cabin interior, seats and the carpet, before it ended. Since the Keystone was operated by the operator holding down a trigger, it can be assumed that they lost grip of the camera due to being incapacitated. The shock load on the airframe appears to have been so violent that the fuselage fuel tank actually ruptured and a considerable amount of fuel was forced into the cargo hold under the forward fuselage - this accounted for the forward fuselage burning up after it separated from the main body of the aircraft before impacting ground. After the aircraft started disintegrating, it went into a flat spin; given the estimated speed with which it fell (a descent of 70 m/s or 230 ft/s calculated on the basis of eyewitness footage), the altitude where the aircraft started breaking up (ca. 4900m/16000 ft) and the altitude where it crashed (ca. 1246m/4090 ft), the accident sequence would have lasted somewhere between 50 and 65 seconds from where the break-up began to where the main fuselage impacted the ground. Gruesome as it may sound, one can only hope that those on board would no longer have been in a condition where they were aware of what was happening beyond those first few moments...

[@bravetoss]

@@nikkoy.1340 Good comment. Even more info than in the video. What I can't understand is, how the turbulence could be so brutal. Why it never happened again. Planes are flying over mountain ranges all the time. No material will save you when you just die after excessive G load.

[@julianday]

I’ve flown mountain waves in a sailplane in Scotland and yes , the rotor can be very rough if you encounter them.

[@josephconnor2310]

Thank you very much for discussing this accident. Eerie about the footage of the accident aircraft at the airport passing the wreck of the plane that had crashed the day before. The Bond film folks were incredibly lucky. Interesting that the amateur footage shot inside the plane by a passenger has never been publicly released. I assume because it's horrifying to see screaming or dead passengers.

[@cchris874]

I thought I had once seen it, but maybe just remembered reading about it. It was a still of what looked like the aisle, very blurry so you would never know what it was. Maybe that's why. It's of little interest visually.

[@madamebkrt]

@@cchris874 There is a picture of the inside of a plane shortly before it crashed. I'm pretty sure it was a Japanese airline but I can't remember which one or which incident the photo was in, but you can find videos of it on KZbin. Perhaps that's what you're thinking of?

[@cchris874]

@@madamebkrt Yes, you may be thinking of JAL 123 with one picture of the cabin and you can see the oxygen masks. It's very spooky, and there a few wing pics taken by a passenger with the date stamped on it. But I am thinking of something else, from the BOAC plane. It's known the camera in the BOAC plane was knocked out the pax hand due to the turbulence, and took blurry pictures of seat backs or the carpet. I just can't remember if I've seen the picture, or have a false memory that I've seen it from just reading about it. Thanks

[@madamebkrt]

@@cchris874 Yep it's JAL 123, thank you! Unfortunately I can't say whether or not you might have seen the BOAC pictures; I'm too cowardly to seek them out for myself if any do exist in the public sphere.