Aircraft Accidents: Survival Stories and Lessons Learned

Aircraft designs increasingly ensure passenger survival despite severe accidents, highlighting the importance of following safety protocols.

### Surviving Aviation Disasters: Remarkable Stories of Resilience
* ✈ Despite the complete destruction of the aircraft, **367 passengers and 12 crew members** aboard Japan Airlines' Airbus A350 survived a tragic collision with the Japan Coast Guard's Dash 8 on January 2nd, 2023.
* 🔥 Emirates Flight 521 faced severe wind shear conditions while landing in Dubai, leading to a crash landing that left **all 300 occupants unharmed**, although one firefighter tragically **lost his life during the rescue efforts**.
* 📚 The launch of an innovative aircraft maintenance mechanic training course, approved by ANAC, offers aspiring professionals a chance to **enter a booming job market**, with only **10% of spots remaining** before the **January 31 enrollment deadline**.
* 🚀 Qantas Flight 32 encountered a **catastrophic engine failure** shortly after takeoff, but the experienced crew managed to land the Airbus A380 safely, with only **minor injuries reported** among the 440 passengers and crew.
* 🛬 British Airways Flight 38 experienced a thrust loss before landing in London, resulting in a crash landing that injured only a few passengers, thanks to the aircraft's **robust design** and the crew's **quick evacuation response**.
* 🔥 The Air France A340 incident highlighted the **importance of clear procedures**, as the aircraft crashed during a storm in Toronto, yet most passengers escaped with minor injuries due to the crew's **effective evacuation efforts**.
* 🛡 These incidents demonstrate that modern aircraft designs prioritize safety, but the cooperation of **well-trained crew and vigilant passengers** is crucial for **ensuring survival during emergencies**.
* 💡 Remember, in the event of an evacuation, prioritize your life over personal belongings; **your safety is the most important thing you have**.

The planes were completely destroyed, but the passengers came out alive. Greetings, Aeronautical enthusiasts! How are you all doing? Some accidents always attract attention, whether due to their causes or circumstances. The accidents I will recount today drew attention not only for the destruction but also because almost all passengers survived. On January 2nd, a collision occurred between the Airbus A350 of Japan Airlines and the Dash 8 of the Japan Coast Guard at the airport in Narita. Everyone remembers that, right? In Tokyo, despite five of the six occupants of the Dash 8 losing their lives, attention was drawn to the 367 passengers and 12 crew members who emerged unscathed from the A350, even though the plane was completely destroyed. 

Today, I will tell the stories of other accidents where, despite the significant destruction and even the loss of the aircraft, most of the occupants on board survived. In fact, survival rates after accidents have been increasing. On August 3, 2016, Emirates Flight 521 departed from Trivandrum in southern India to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The flight was operated by a Boeing 777-300, and there were 300 people on board, including 18 crew members, one of whom was Brazilian, and 282 passengers in the cabin. The captain was 34 years old, and the first officer was 37 years old. As they were approaching Dubai...

The sea breeze and a high-pressure system that raised temperatures close to 50º on the airport runway caused several wind shear incidents. All the other planes in front of this Emirates flight either had to go around or reported encountering wind shear during landing. This also happened with flight 521, but no alarms sounded, so the captain thought they were facing thermal conditions since the wind speed was varying and the runway temperature was 68º at that moment. As a result, the aircraft was floating on the runway and unable to land. The right landing gear briefly touched the runway, but the pilots did not feel it; however, the aircraft did register this contact. This led to issues when they attempted to go around. To prevent any pilot from pressing the go-around button during landing and causing a high-speed runway excursion, the Boeing 777's button does not function when the aircraft is on the ground. Therefore, to go around, the pilots needed to move the throttles manually. Since they did not feel that they had touched down, they thought that pressing the toga button, which is the name of that button, was sufficient and continued with the go-around. To make matters worse, the engine made it seem like they were indeed climbing, and they executed the instructions from air traffic control. When the captain realized that they were not developing power and finally moved the throttles forward, it was already too late for the engines to generate thrust.

To get the aircraft out of that condition and from an altitude of only 85 feet, the aircraft crashed onto the runway. The rear of the fuselage hit first, followed by the engines, the belly, and finally the front of the fuselage. The right engine detached and caused a fire in the pylon, which is what holds the engine to the wing. The plane pitched forward when the right wing hit the runway and came to a stop almost at the end of the runway. Even so, the fuselage remained intact, as did the passengers. The firefighters arrived quickly, fought the fire, and assisted in the evacuation, which was difficult since only five of the ten emergency exits were used, and of those five, only three were used more intensely. Once everything was resolved, the central tank exploded, causing the destruction of the aircraft. Outside, one of the firefighters was struck by a wing panel that detached during the explosion; he did not survive his injuries and was the only one to lose his life in this accident. Seven other firefighters had to be hospitalized, but that was due to the heat on the runway, which reached 68ºC. If you want to delve deeper into the story, watch episode 11:21 where I covered everything in detail. A quick pause, what everyone was waiting for finally happened: my aircraft maintenance mechanic training course, approved by ANAC, has been launched, and the enrollment for the first class ends on January 31.

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Returning to the engineering of structures in aviation accidents, on November 4, 2010, Flight Qantas 32 took off from Singapore to

operated by an Airbus A380, the flight had started in London and made a necessary stop in Singapore to clean the aircraft, refuel, and change the crew. The A380 for this flight had the registration Victor Hotel Oscar Kilo Alpha, the first one received by the company. There were 440 passengers on board, and the crew was large, consisting of 29 people, including 24 flight attendants and five pilots. Among the five pilots, in addition to the captain, the first officer, and a second officer who would take turns so the other two could rest, there was a captain undergoing training to become a check pilot and a supervising check captain who was training the future check pilot. Just look at all that experience in the cockpit! 

The flight took off from Singapore, and everything was normal until 8,000 feet over the island of Batam, when the pilots heard two loud bangs in the cabin. They then decided to stop the ascent and fly straight while the captain reduced the thrust levers of the engine. At that point, several warnings appeared on the ECAM, which is a display for the pilots. Among them was the overheating of the engine turbine. They discharged the fire extinguishers on that engine, but it had no effect, and the alarms continued. They then proceeded with the checklist, treating it as an engine failure instead of a fire. At that moment, the engine's status began to display as failed. They decided to perform some checks and

The airport continued the flight, and the control informed them that there were reports of several components of the plane that had fallen on the island of Batã. Combining these reports with warnings of engine damage, the second officer went to the passenger cabin to assess the damage. There, the flight attendants were trying to contact the cockpit to report that there was damage to the wing and a fuel leak on the left side. A Qantas pilot who was off-duty saw the second officer and informed him that the damage could be seen through the entertainment cameras on the A380 and advised them to return to the airport and land. In addition to not being able to dump fuel, they would have some failures in the aircraft systems, including in the braking assistance. The slats were inoperative, several spoilers had been damaged, and the engine reverser on the left side would not function. So, they decided to land on runway 20 Charlie, which is quite long, and notified control that they would need emergency services due to the fuel leak. They asked the flight attendants to prepare the cabin for a possible runway exit; you never know. They began their descent, but in the meantime, they were testing whether the A380 could remain controllable. For example, the landing gear did not lower, so they had to lower it by gravity, which is the emergency system. The landing occurred two hours after takeoff, with only three engine reversers functioning because the A380 only has two.

In three, the two wouldn't work, and the brakes. The aircraft, only with the brakes, was stopping slower than normal. Despite all this, the aircraft stopped 150 meters before the end of the runway. Upon contacting the firefighters, there was a request for the pilots to shut down engine one. However, the pilots thought, That's strange, I already shut down all the engines, but engine one continued to run. They tried everything, but the engine wouldn't shut down. The pilots noticed that the temperature of the main landing gear on the left side was rising, which was the same side where there was a fuel leak. The firefighters sprayed fire-retardant foam, which reduced the risk of fire. They then disembarked the passengers using stairs, as in a normal remote disembarkation. But engine one was still running, and they tried everything to turn it off, but nothing worked. They even tried throwing water. Who said water puts out an airplane engine? The only method that worked, and even then, three hours after landing, was throwing foam into the engine, and only then did it shut down. You think it's easy to turn off an engine like that in flight? When they investigated, they discovered that engine two suffered a non-contained failure in the turbine, which caused the wing to be hit, generating a fuel leak, in addition to several other damages. Besides the wing, the fuselage and vertical stabilizer were also affected, which impacted several systems,

caused damage to the wiring, which is why the engine could not be turned off. Without those control wires, it continued receiving fuel; the valve did not close. Eventually, they discovered that an oil line from engine 2 suffered from material fatigue. The oil entered the engine compressor and caused a fire in the turbine, which led to a thermal failure in the disks. I have already shared this story in detail in episode 995, but it is impressive to see the damage that occurred to the wing of this plane while it continued to fly. You will understand why at the end of this video. 

Another story: the fuselage of the Boeing 777 demonstrated robustness in the Emirates accident I mentioned, but it also proved to be robust in the first loss of an aircraft of this model. This incident occurred in January 2008; it was a 777-200ER from British Airways operating flight 38 from Beijing to London. Onboard were three pilots and 13 flight attendants caring for 136 passengers, totaling 152 people onboard, with many empty seats. It is important to mention that the engine being used on this triple seven was the Rolls-Royce Trent 800. They took off from Beijing, and the air temperatures that day were very low, close to minus 40 degrees, and the fuel in the tanks reached minus 34 degrees Celsius. This is just 133 degrees above the freezing point of kerosene, which is minus 47 degrees.

It remained cold throughout the flight, but everything went normally until about one minute and a half before landing. At that moment, according to British procedures, the first officer was piloting the aircraft while the captain was monitoring. Seconds before touchdown, the captain was about to take control and land the aircraft, but both engines lost thrust with 57 seconds to go, and the speed was decreasing while the engines were unresponsive. To make matters worse, the autopilot was trying to maintain the airplane's descent path, which caused the speed to drop even further. Then, a low-speed alarm began to sound. Seeing this, the captain raised the flaps from 30 to 25, but unlike other occasions, he preferred to manage the flight and leave the first officer in control of the aircraft. The first officer then pushed the yoke forward to lower the nose of the airplane, which caused the autopilot to disconnect and the nose to drop. Meanwhile, the captain declared a mayday and, realizing they would not make it to the runway, knew there wasn't much else to do. They hit the ground just 350 meters from reaching the runway; the rear of the fuselage struck first, followed by the main landing gear. The aircraft traveled another 50 meters after the impact before finally returning to the runway. The landing gear broke, and the engines performed the role that the landing gear should have, holding the aircraft up.

The fuselage of the aircraft, the 777, was dragged to the taxiway that provides access to runway 27 Lima, where they were supposed to land. It hit the pavement and stopped 372 meters after the first collision. The fuselage was damaged at one point; part of the right landing gear entered the fuselage and caused a leak in the passenger oxygen system. Another part punctured a panel near rows 29 and 30, causing the only fracture of the accident: a passenger seated in 30K broke his legs upon impact. Aside from that, only a few lights and entertainment screens came loose and fell to the ground. The accident also resulted in few injuries; besides the passenger in 30K, only eight passengers and four crew members sustained minor injuries. Once the plane stopped, it was time to evacuate. It all happened very quickly, and even with some passengers insisting on going back into the plane to retrieve their luggage, all passengers were outside in less than two minutes. The investigation determined that, due to the low temperatures, a layer of ice formed in the fuel, and this layer of ice was sufficient to freeze the heat exchanger of the engine and block the fuel flow at certain moments, such as during arrival with acceleration. This was a design flaw because it had already happened in another 777-200ER and with Airbus A330s that had the same Rolls-Royce engines. Therefore, this heat exchanger was redesigned. If you want to know the

Details are here: Episode 1151 discusses another accident in which the fuselage of the airplane was completely destroyed, which I mentioned is the Asiana accident. I will leave it for you to watch the complete episode 993, which talks about the robustness of aircraft fuselage. However, to conclude today, I will tell you about the first loss of an Airbus A340, which occurred on August 2, 2005. An A340-300 from Air France, registration Fox Golf Lima Zulu Quebec, Flight 358, departed from Paris to Toronto, Canada, with 297 passengers and 10 crew members on board. The captain, Alan Rosé, had over 12,000 flight hours and had been flying the A340 since 2001. The first officer was Frederick Nod, who built his career at Air France. He joined the company as a flight attendant, participated in a cadet program, and became a pilot, being the first officer on the A320 family before moving to the A340. The flight proceeded normally; however, the weather reports predicted heavy rain in Toronto. When they arrived, the situation was much worse than the reports indicated, and they were advised to wait. Several flights that were waiting were redirected to other airports, but they decided to wait for the weather to improve since their fuel situation at that moment was still within the operational limits. Eventually, air traffic control cleared them to continue their descent and approach runway 24 Lima, but in situations

Sometimes very quickly, and the planes that came before them reported crosswinds and difficulties in braking. Runway 24L was not the longest at the airport in Toronto; it is 2,700 meters long. So, it would be difficult for the A340, but not impossible; it can stop in that space even with a wet runway. When they disengaged the autopilot and autothrust, the speed of the aircraft decreased, and the crosswind became a tailwind, which is bad for an approach. Because of this, they were above the landing ramp and too fast, which is a common saying in aviation. People joke about it, saying high and fast, which is the worst condition you can be in. They passed the threshold of runway 24L in this manner and could only land more than 1,160 meters after the threshold. To make matters worse, a rule from Air France stated that the reverser could only be activated with the aircraft in the center of the runway. Therefore, the braking, which was already going to take longer due to the wet runway, was further delayed because they could not use the reverser. The reverser was only activated 12 seconds after touchdown, and they only reached maximum power 4 seconds after activation. With that, there was not much runway left for them to stop. The A340 went off the runway, passed through the grass, and a service road, and only came to a stop near a creek,

The fire started, and 10 passengers and one crew member were more seriously injured. In addition to these, the captain was also injured because his seat came loose during the impact. The rest had minor injuries or no injuries at all, not even a scratch. Due to the fire, the crew immediately initiated the evacuation. Several of the doors did not work; some could not be opened because of the fire, while others opened during the impact and lost the slide. However, despite this entire scenario and passengers carrying hand luggage, all passengers exited in less than 2 minutes. The crew took a look and soon evacuated the plane as well. Shortly after everyone exited, the aircraft exploded. After they left, some passengers walked along the service road that the plane had passed and encountered emergency services that arrived one minute after the crash. Other passengers and the first officer crossed the creek and went to Highway 401, which ran practically alongside the runway. Several drivers stopped their cars and helped these people, along with the police who arrived shortly after. The injured were taken to regional hospitals, and those who were fine were taken to the airport. The investigation showed that the procedures for this type of situation were not very clear, as well as the information that the pilots received about the situation, which led them to decide not to land but to divert. Furthermore, the report indicated that despite a perimeter of...

150 meters after the runway was prepared for an off-runway exit, the terrain, after the plane left, contributed to the injuries of the people. All these accidents show that, regardless of the manufacturer, aircraft designs increasingly incorporate robustness, allowing them to withstand very adverse situations, helping to preserve the lives of all occupants. But that is not enough. Well-trained flight attendants and passengers who follow the rules also contributed to ensuring that these four stories ended without fatalities, with the exception of the firefighter. So, pay close attention to the safety instructions from the flight attendants, and if you find yourself in an evacuation—an unusual evacuation—leave your bags on the plane. You can buy your belongings later; Apple saves everything on iCloud, and Google saves everything on, I don’t know, Google Play. So why go back to grab those things? Documents? You can get another passport. Why carry your passport in your suitcase, anyway? Your life is the only one you have. Aviation is safe only because everyone does their part, and you, as a passenger, must do yours too. Only then will incidents end well, with everyone on board alive to tell the story. If you enjoyed this, consider supporting the channel by clicking the Join button; it helps the channel a lot. Also, leave a like and subscribe to receive notifications. When you support us, your name will appear here with these friends forever, and you contribute to our ongoing research to bring new videos to you.

4 Acidentes Em Que Nenhum Passageiro Perdeu a Vida | EP. 1209

Aviões e Músicas

Miraculous Survival in Aviation Accidents

Several aviation accidents have drawn attention for their destruction while most passengers survived.

The January 2nd collision in Narita involved a Japan Airlines A350 and a Japan Coast Guard Dash 8, resulting in the A350's 367 passengers and 12 crew members escaping unscathed.

Emirates Flight 521's crash in Dubai on August 3, 2016, also had a high survival rate, with the aircraft's fuselage remaining intact and the evacuation being challenging but ultimately successful.

Innovative Aviation Course and Qantas Flight Q32 Incident

The course offers a unique focus on airline operations and manufacturing, with classes starting on February 1st and a R$ 1,000 discount available until January 31st.

There is a high demand for qualified professionals in the aviation industry, and the course director has extensive experience, including nearly three decades at United Airlines.

The Qantas Flight Q32 incident on November 4, 2010, involved an engine failure and damage to the aircraft, leading to an emergency landing after two hours.

Engine Failures and Emergency Landings: Two Distinct Incidents

An aircraft struggled to stop due to brake issues and a fuel leak, with engine one refusing to shut down even after multiple attempts.

The pilots faced a challenging situation with rising temperatures and a fire risk, ultimately requiring three hours and foam to finally turn off the engine.

In a separate incident, a British Airways Boeing 777 experienced a loss of thrust in both engines before landing, resulting in a hard impact just 350 meters from the runway.

Incident Involving a 777 Aircraft and Subsequent A340 Loss

The fuselage of a 777 aircraft was dragged to the taxiway, causing damage and injuries to a passenger.

The accident was due to a design flaw in the engine's heat exchanger, leading to a redesign.

The first loss of an Airbus A340 occurred in 2005, with the flight facing unexpected severe weather in Toronto.

The Challenging Landing of the A340 in Toronto

The A340's landing was complicated by crosswinds, a wet runway, and a late activation of the reverser, leading to a difficult stop.

The aircraft went off the runway, resulting in a fire and injuries to 10 passengers and the captain.

Despite the chaotic evacuation, all passengers exited the plane in less than 2 minutes, and emergency services arrived shortly after the crash.

Accidents after off-runway exits highlight the need for robust aircraft designs and well-trained crew members.

Following safety instructions and leaving belongings behind during an evacuation can save lives.

Passenger cooperation is crucial for ensuring a safe outcome in aviation incidents.