Plane Crashes Immediately After Take Off | Mayday: Accident Files Series 03 Episode 10

246 you are clear for takeoff Runway zero five left during the takeoff your heartbeat goes up a bit okay taking off is a complex task ignition set spoilers armed Pilots need to carefully execute multiple steps to get their plane into the air 100 knots sometimes mistakes are made they didn't follow procedures precisely with tragic results in Taiwan a 747 fails to take off in a typhoon I thought I was going to die a departure from Detroit goes horribly wrong why didn't Pilots perform the task in a matter of seconds an md-82 is out of control in Madrid fly the plane on three different flights small missteps ended in tragedy [Music] foreign [Music] Taiwan Singapore Airlines flight 6 taxis to the runway through heavy Wind and Rain typhoon zhangsen is closing in on Chiang Kai-shek Airport flight 6 needs to get airborne before the storm hits even a 747 can't take off in an actual typhoon the closer the storm gets the more likely is that these guys are going to get stuck in Taipei there are 179 people on board the overnight flight to Los Angeles California surface win zero two zero at two four because four three thank you sir Singapore six let me know when it hits 30. if the Crosswinds reach 30 knots Captain Phong Chi Kong will have to abort the takeoff as we were taxing down the runway it was very windy and the plane was moving left to right Singapore six you are clear for takeoff Runway zero five left okay toga [Music] okay my control the 747 accelerates to reach the takeoff speed of 180 miles an hour V1 V1 as the plane was gaining speed to take off at a certain time the plane kind of lost it thank you I felt the airplane spinning around I thought I was gonna die after skidding down the runway the 747 finally comes to a stop then I opened my eyes and I saw a fireball coming at me direct emergency vehicles Runway zero five left Singapore six you read let's go go the plane's tanks are fully loaded with tons of fuel for a fire that Rescuers battle in this violent storm it takes about 15 minutes to control the fire and 45 minutes to extinguish all of them so it's the difficult task for the firefighters 83 people have died [Music] there are 96 survivors including the pilots one of Asia's busiest airports is immediately shut down it's now up to the aviation Safety Council of Taiwan to determine the cause of the disaster when I went to the crestside I can see all the wreckage spread the wrong way flight 6 was cleared for takeoff on Runway 5 left but much of the wreckage is spread over Runway 5 right investigators wonder whether the typhoon blew the plane off its Runway when you're an investigator looking at a crash scene you have to keep an open mind you have to assume it could be any conceivable factor from the Machinery the human factors to the weather to who knows what as an investigators we believe that we should interview pilot or operator as soon as possible because we believe that human memory will fake over time is interviewed within hours of the crash [Music] what happened we call it was something on the runway there's something on that Runway could you tell what it was no we could not see all the way down Broadway the focus shifts from the weather to the possibility that there was an obstacle on the runway investigators examined the wreckage for Clues it's difficult for us to collect all of the information all of the wreckage because it's blown to everywhere accidents during takeoff can involve more than one aircraft in 1991 a Skywest Metro liner preparing for takeoff from Los Angeles was crushed by a US Air 737 which was coming in to land on the same Runway 34 people were killed is that what happened to Singapore Airlines flight 6 . any signs of another plan and no other flights unaccounted for at Chiang Kai-shek airport this theory is ruled out all of the debris appears to be from just one plane flight six he didn't hit a plane investigators work through thousands of pieces of mangled wreckage part of the flap assembly right wings they make an unexpected discovery some wreckage doesn't belong to the shattered 747. it looks more like construction equipment Chiang Kai-shek airport has three runways Runway five left is the one flight six was instructed to use parallel to that is Runway 5 right a Runway closed for construction investigators consider the possibility that flight 6 hit material from the construction site it wouldn't be hard to imagine some large object being blown into an engine or knocking out the windshield there's lots of things that could have happened [Music] when investigators look at Runway 5 right adjacent to flight 6's designated takeoff Runway they see something that doesn't make any sense watch all episodes of ice Pilots watch on mobile devices or the big screen all for free subscription required download Daily Now fresh tire tracks on a Runway that is supposed to be closed we can actually see the time Mark of this aircraft starting from the tickle Point all the way to the first impact point the tire marks on Runway 5 right lead investigators to a startling conclusion is there a point of impact six was taking off from the wrong Runway but how could two experienced pilots make that mistake the only way to determine what went wrong is with the data from the black boxes when we get information out of the recorder we read it then we can know the exact position of the aircraft investigators compare positioning information from the flight data recorder to a satellite image of the airport the runway somehow the plane ended up on Runway 5 right instead of five left supposed to be here how did they end up here instead 1243 meters down the runway the collage were the construction equipment it seems like the kind of thing that shouldn't happen ever under any circumstances investigators need to know why Singapore Airlines flight 6 tried to take off from the wrong Runway at Taiwan Airport investigator Thomas Wang interviews Captain Phong again did you received this notice he has questions about a notice that Runway 5 right was closed of course I did everyone did we discussed it during our breathing tell them we'll take five left so why didn't air traffic controllers realize that the 747 had turned onto the wrong Runway I couldn't see them in that weather when interviewed the controllers said that night's storm limited visibility to around 2000 feet they confirmed Runway five left that's the last I heard from them 1600 meters between the runway and the tower there's no way he saw them foreign the tower was monitoring their progress but the controller had lost sight of the plane investigators now try to determine how the pilots lost their way couldn't see very far but we could see fire in that Syrian or studied the map while I followed the taxi light it led us directly to the runway lights are here it appears that the crew had no trouble seeing their taxi route was this the map you were using yes you didn't have any trouble reading it I wasn't reading it my first officer and relief pilot were following the map I only glanced at it when the route changed they changed the route yes Wang learns that the ground controller issued a last-minute change to their taxi route Singapore six request Taxi [Music] I think for six taxider Runway 0-6 via taxiway correction Runway zero five left via taxiway Sierra Sierra West Cross and November Pilots have to deal with last minute changes all the time the situation becomes complicated it becomes hairy now you've got a typhoon bearing down on you've got gusts so you're under pressure did additional workload in the cockpit cause the pilots to make a fatal mistake investigators turn to the cockpit voice recorder coming in fast longer we delay the worst it's going to get the CVR reveals that the crew wanted to get off the ground before the weather closed in Singapore six Runway zero five left win zero two zero at two eight gust five zero takeoff normally a 747 taxes about 25 knots on this night they're going nine knots they're doing exactly what they should have done taking it nice and slow the pilots pass signs that clearly identify the runways I'm gonna go very slow here otherwise with skin he's crawling [Music] zero two zero from the left zero to zero the winds consume the crew's attention 28.5 it's getting close to 30 sir okay the captain was taxing the aircraft in very slow speed and the first officer is doing the before takeoff checklist and the relief pilot is working on the crosswind component so all pilot they are occupied by Samsung they do not have enough attention to actually check which Runway they are texting on to they believe they are making a right turn onto the correct Runway unfortunately that's not the correct Runway that's zero five right Captain Fong's Extreme Caution might have worked against him K9 knots burn took so long Captain Fong may have believed that he'd gone further than he actually did so much time had passed that he may have thought he had actually reached Runway five left the big irony of this crash is that they were taking off in very dangerous circumstances near the limit of what their plane was capable of handling but it wasn't the weather that did them in but rather the pressure of dealing with the storm distracted them from what turned out to be the real question were they in the right place view one V1 [Music] one of the lessons of this accident is that you could have an exemplary crew performing their duties with utmost care and they still make a mistake with fatal consequences taiwan's Aviation Safety Council recommends immediate changes to Pilots procedures and training November 1. new checklists are designed that include a visual step obliging Pilots to confirm that they're on the correct Runway before takeoff singapore006 reminded us again that if there is ambiguity in the cockpit and you're on the ground you need to resolve and stop and get that resolved particularly in very very inclement weather when visibility is reduced you need to be sure where the airplane is the crash of Singapore six isn't the first time a series of missteps during takeoff leads to disaster Detroit Metropolitan Airport more than 1100 airplanes use one of its four runways every day Northwest Airlines flight 255 an md-80 is Bound for Phoenix Arizona there are 149 passengers on board Captain John Mouse is in command a Las Vegas native 57 year old mouse is a veteran pilot his first officer is 35 year old David Dodds of Galena Illinois look at this today storms darken the flight path between Detroit and Phoenix and another one here about 25 miles wide well if we get out of here pretty quick we won't have a delay foreign already running a half hour late flight 255 is cleared to taxi to the runway let's do the checklist breaks set windshield Heat it's on where's the pumps six pumps and pressure one and checked yeah it's starting to rain to beat the storms they must leave immediately they're all on four start checklist is fly 255 moves away from the gate and towards the runway but the bad weather Northwest 255 no exit at Charlie Runway 3 Center force is a last minute Runway change okay uh to Charlie for three center northwest 255. Charlie for three center right okay ladies and gentlemen we're currently number one for departure we should be rolling in a couple minutes [Music] blacker than hell out there where's Charlie at by the time they get to the new Runway they are 45 minutes behind schedule [Music] Northwest 255 Runway three Center clear for takeoff flight 255 hurdles down Runway 3C Clint 100 knots B1 rotate the pilots angle the plane's nose up for liftoff about less than 50 feet off the ground flight 255 is in trouble moments after takeoff Tower lifeguard copter one zero two Northwest Airlines flight 255 is out of control [Music] the trail of debris is more than a mile long remarkably a four-year-old girl has survived the crash Rescuers spend hours searching the wreckage for other survivors but the young girl is the only one 154 people on board including Captain Mouse and first officer Dodds have been killed in the crash on the ground two people died in their cars when they were hit by the plane foreign ER Jack Drake and his team from the national Transportation safety board begin the search for Clues you know when you're at a crash site because you get this combination of burned plastic and kerosene and sometimes combined with a fire retardant foam that has its own distinctive odor the cockpit voice recorder is intact but the flight data recorder has been damaged in the crash both recorders are sent to the NTSB lab in Washington DC John Clark is the team's flight performance engineer he searches for ground scars and other impact marks and interviews witnesses to piece together where the plane fell and how when I first started seeing the wreckage your mind immediately starts turning to sorting out where it hit how it hit not worth the wreckage ended up but those first few inches where the airplane was coming down according to Witnesses flight 255 lifted off in a nose High position but then couldn't climb clue could indicate that the plane didn't have enough speed to get off the ground or that high winds prevented it from lifting off until technicians can decode the damaged FDR the team must rely on physical evidence from the crash site investigators study the cockpit center console one thing stands out is this the way it was found the lever that extends and retracts the wings flaps and slats flaps and slats are extensions that slide out of the back and front of the wing they make the wings larger increasing the amount of lift they can provide they must always be extended for takeoff [Music] but the way the flap handle is damaged suggests the plane's flaps were not extended when it crashed [Music] the pin had left a mark this happens because the aircraft comes to a very sudden stop and the handle Jangles around metal to metal contact that's exaggerated by the impact that indicator was that the flaps were zero were fully retracted and the slats were retracted as well even without data from the FDR investigators can determine the flap position at takeoff P1 slats are moved by cables running through the wings each component of the slack system has its own drive system and one one of those was interrupted by the light pole that passed through the wing when they examined the left wing investigators see that the cable controlling the slats sliced in two when the wing hit the pole by examining the cut cable investigators can tell whether the slats and flaps were extended or retracted severed two cables if you lined up those two severed ends it corresponded with the slats being in the full retracted position when data is finally extracted from the FDR the report confirms what the cut cable suggested the flaps were not extended on takeoff it's a major breakthrough Jack Drake now knows what brought down flight 255 but the flight data recorder can't answer a more troubling question so why were the flaps deployed for some reason a seasoned crew allowed a critical misstep to occur while getting their Plane off the ground why did the crew of Northwest Airlines fly 255 fail to extend the flaps on takeoff investigators listen to the cockpit voice recorder again for answers it indicates that a last-minute Runway change LED to confusion in the cockpit I've now exited Charlie Runway 3 Center did he say three Center three Center yeah that's why I was thinking I was thinking well he made a wrong turn which might have been confusing because they had to go a different route I guess we went by Charlie we're going to three Central rights path Quest 255 affirmative make a left turn they finally arrived at the runway 45 minutes late okay for the center Runway aren't we before they lost their way the crew of flight 255 carried out a number of checklists but missed the taxi checklist they apparently didn't consider the checklist and key in the checklist is the configuration of the aircraft for departure the first item on the taxi checklist is flaps because they didn't run the checklist the crew neglected to set their flaps to take off position I think Charlie was no it is Charlie sure I think so they hadn't done this checklist at the time they normally would and as the activities piled up that were potential distractions they were further and further away from the point at which they would normally perform that function after the checklists there is a last line of defense designed to prevent pilots from taking off without flaps set an alarm should have sounded when the pilot started down the runway with their flaps retracted maybe it went off but we just can't hear it but no alarm is heard on the CVR [Music] when investigators consult other md-80 Pilots they're told the takeoff configuration warning was a nuisance at times [Music] if you're doing a single engine taxi you have to push the throttle up further to get a power to taxi and you mess it off to take off warning system and if it's going off routinely all the time it gets on their nerves so apparently Pilots were routinely silencing those take off forms investigators suspect that the crew of flight 255 pulled a breaker to avoid the irritating takeoff warning it's determined that the Downing of flight 255 was caused by Pilot error the FAA orders a modification to the alarm system of all commercial jetliners to prevent nuisance alarms I think a big lesson learned that the strict adherence to checklists is very important checklist in my mind is is kind of the fabric that holds a flight together it has to be religiously followed 21 years after flight 255's deadly crash another tragedy shows flight Crews was still missing critical steps during takeoff or to Spain ladies and gentlemen thank you for your patience we hope to be on the move again very soon at the last minute span Air flight 5022 is delayed there's a problem with a temperature probe while it's checked out the air conditioning is turned off passengers are sweltering in the heat [Music] up the breakers so you're good to go okay thanks after a delay of more than an hour span Air flight 5022 finally gets going [Music] there are 166 passengers on board the flight Bound for the Canary Islands today Captain Antonio Luna is in command a former Spanish Air Force pilot he's been with span air for nine years how's our time about an hour and a quarter of behind schedule first officer Francisco moulette joined the company just a year and a half ago spaniel 5022 Joe Nexon 9 on Runway three six left okay here we go foreign for takeoff is an extremely busy time for the flight crew they've got multiple checklists that they have to run ignition set spoilers armed makes when the aircraft is properly configured the thrust is set right the brakes Etc air conditioning so there are a plethora of factors that are all running through their mind simultaneously you are cleared for takeoff Runway three six left clear takeoff 05022 just after 2 pm the md-82 aircraft starts speeding down the runway 100 the captain monitors their speed they can't lift off until they reach 157 knots V1 rotates [Music] suddenly an alarm sounds something is wrong engine failure foreign airport an md-82 is approaching disaster the hell do you turn off that warning the plane is less than 40 feet off the ground just seconds after takeoff flight 5022 slams into a riverbank alongside the runway airport fire Crews race to the scene the plane with 172 people on board is now shattered wreckage spread over half a mile the 18 people survived the crash of span Air flight 5022 147 passengers are dead so are both Pilots it was a tremendous tragedy all the country was affected by that Spain recruits an international team of experts to investigate the country's worst Aviation disaster in 25 years [Music] marks on the ground paint a vivid picture here's our first impact that reveals just how soon flight 5022 hit the ground the first impact marks are just 200 feet from the runway the plane then passed over a road and slid another 1800 feet before crashing on the far side of the river this airplane left a trail coming from the wrong way to the edge of the of the airport boundary so it was quite clear for the investigation that the airplane had big problem just on liftoff investigators wonder if engine failure compromised the takeoff if we find mud soil or grass throughout the engine we can determine that the engine was fully operational at the time of the accident both engines are filled with debris ingested during the crash the finding means the engines were running when the plane made impact the engines were fine [Music] something stopped that plane from climbing controllers working the day of the crash present a potential lead they had some kind of Maintenance issue right before they go Madrid spanner 5022 we have a slight problem we have yeah investigators hear about the trouble with a temperature sensor oh yeah I took a look but it wasn't serious the sensor called a ram air temperature probe measures the outside air temperature and feeds the information to the plane's computer during flight the sensor was sending out faulty readings [Applause] no that didn't work either without it the automation that adjusts engine power won't function properly look at that it is 104 degrees now maintenance workers were unable to repair the faulty sensor all right got it so they temporarily cut the power to the sensor thereby disabling it so we're done yeah pop the breakers so you're good to go okay thanks investigators wonder if the disabled temperature probe is somehow linked to the crash I don't see how this could cause a problem but they quickly confirmed that the probe is not an essential piece of equipment the crew can keep track of the outside temperature themselves and then adjust engine power manually something else prevented the plane from climbing out what kind of wreckage have we recovered from the wings get me everything you have investigators turn to the md-82's control surfaces they study the lever mechanism that Pilots use to adjust the flaps the flap lever was very an essential part of the investigation [Music] well well what have we here there's a deep scratch at the zero Mark the retracted position it's a startling finding one that suggests the flaps on flight 5022 were not extended on takeoff it's disturbingly similar to the crash of Northwest Airlines flight 255 21 years before did the pilots in Madrid like those in Detroit fail to set the flaps properly before takeoff V1 what happened to prevent them from being in the right position rotates the answer to that question could explain why 154 people died investigators need to know if the pilots of span Air flight 5022 took off without the flaps extended they don't have a voice recording for the first takeoff attempt it was erased when the md-82 left the runway and powered down for maintenance but they do have all the information from the flight data recorder on the first taxi exactly where they should be the flight data recorder reveals that the flaps were set correctly when the plane taxied onto the runway the first time then the pilots noticed that there's a malfunctioning temperature probe near 5022 we have a slight problem we have to exit the runway when the crew returned to the terminal for repairs they retracted the flaps flaps and slats were attracted after coming off the Runway as part of a standard operating procedure so you're good to go thanks taxiing back to the runway the pilots should have extended the flaps for takeoff pre-flight checklists direct the crew to check the flaps and slats three times ignition off air conditioning set on the after start checklist setting the flaps is the final step hydraulic pumps and valve set and check lights on defamation from Air Traffic Control to taxi will you hold it hold it hold it what is he doing this is the worst possible time to interrupt him the CVR reveals that just as the first officer is about to check the flaps and slats for the first time the captain instructs him to make a radio call round spanner 5022 requesting taxi instructions he didn't return to the checklist to finish that critical step humans are fallible and we know that when we're multitasking it's very easy to forget or miss a critical item and they never set the flaps the captain and first officer then failed to carry out this critical step on the final two checklists transponder set okay hang on stop where's the takeoff briefing investigators now know what caused the crash of span air 5022 V1 the pilots never extended their flaps before takeoff making it impossible for the plane to climb and just as with Northwest flight 255 investigators must answer a key question where's the warning if the flaps were not in set in the takeoff position there should be a very conspicuous sound saying that the aircraft is not ready for takeoff once again why didn't the alarm sound to warn the pilots that their flaps weren't set these failures have to be connected somehow investigators look for a link between the failure of flight 5022's takeoff warning and the failed temperature sensor [Music] look at that it is 104 degrees now investigators trace the complex Pathways for the temperature sensor and the takeoff warning they make a critical discovery the sensor and the takeoff warning both pass through a single electronic relay the r25 relay it was very shocking to find out that two different systems like the takeoff warning system and the ram air temperature probe heating were controlled by the same device investigators suspect the r25 relay failed disabling both the temperature sensor and the takeoff warning technicians are not able to recreate that failure in the lab but for Juan Carlos Lozano the theory makes sense that's it that's the link in my opinion the relay 2 5 was the cause of the failure of the takeoff running system right got it with no takeoff alarm the pilots lost a critical line of defense just like the Northwest Airlines pilots in Detroit the Madrid crew's failure to follow their checklists led to tragedy single biggest failure in this accident is the failure of the takeoff warning system this system was designed considering that the humans can make mistakes and this is a clear example that the last line of defense fell after the crash of span air 5022 Boeing revised its checklists again to make extending flaps and slats even more prominent [Music] three disastrous takeoffs lead to changes that have made a critical period of flight much safer technology is helping us with all three of these accidents the takeoff Warning Systems are better on the more modern airplanes so that if a crew attempts to take off they get very definite warnings moving map displays that are now available for when you're taxiing on low visibility it physically shows the airplane on an electronic map that reduces the ambiguity about your position so technology is helping us there but that still comes back to good decisions conservative decisions and the adherence to Standard Operating practice [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music]

Channel: Wonder

Views: 38,557

Keywords: Wonder, air crash episodes, aircraft tragedies, airline disasters, airplane disasters, airplane malfunctions, aviation accidents, aviation documentaries, dangerous aviation incidents, extreme aviation disasters, fatal air disasters, flight safety protocols, horrifying plane crashes, mayday documentary series, pilot mistakes, pilot training videos, plane emergencies, terrifying plane emergencies, tragic aviation events, tragic plane incidents, true aviation stories

Id: ftcmJ1aOuKg

Length: 43min 12sec (2592 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 11 2024