The Tragic Downfall Of Air Alaska Flight 261 | Mayday S1 EP5 | Wonder
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- čas přidán 31. 03. 2021
- Air Alaska Flight 261 dives into the ocean shortly after takeoff, killing the 88 passengers and crew on board. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash?
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#wonder #mayday #documentary #planecrash #survivalstory - Zábava
Who else is stuck on a long, strangely-specific youtube binge of airline disaster docuseries?
i've been watching so many bro
Me. And I don't even know why.
Same
Let's start Aircraft Accidents Anonymous, I've watched them all, many more than once
Started last week & I can't seem to stop binge watching them
It's crazy what a world we live in where a person who was genuinely trying to prevent the accident lost his career and those who really caused the accident purely by greed and negligence never got their punishment, it utterly disgusts me.
It’s scary honestly. The airline industry is utterly sneaky
Well look at what happened to Former CEO of Boeing after 737 max accident?
Well nothing happened and he's back to another air industry work.
If you have money nobody can touch you.
Outdated capitalism allow such loopholes where profits override anything and everything.
I’ve been in transportation and logistics 22 years. It’s a very cut throat business but aviation is way safer than it was when i started. Alaska is now one of the safest domestic carriers and generally use a newer fleet than most US airlines. They’re also my preferred carrier. The MD80/90 series were dangerous in general and poorly designed. I actually flew on this aircraft tail number about 2 months before it crashed. I also flew another Alaska MD80 jet from Seattle to Denver right before it was sold to DANA air and subsequently crashed as Dana air flight 992 a couple months later
Right? The supervisors were SUSPENDED only
The fact no one at the company faced criminal prosecution for falsifying maintenance records is the biggest spit in the face for the victims families
They never do. Not with this, not with the latest 737 Max crashes, not with the Diesel scandal, never. The ones that give the orders always walk away.
It’s because we somehow enter with our own risk when we enter a plane. Why do you think hardly any insurance company insures planes ? They know that almost all airlines will have fatal accidents, it’s not like a train ride and they know that the prizes of lifes are infinite and so it would be faaar too risky for them.
It’s because we somehow enter with our own risk when we enter a plane. Why do you think hardly any insurance company insures planes ? They know that almost all airlines will have fatal accidents, it’s not like a train ride and they know that the prizes of lifes are infinite and so it would be faaar too risky for them.
@howmathematicianscreatemat9226 They are still bound by the expectation of provided safety. Blatantly lying which results in the loss of life should be a criminal offense regardless of the acceptable risk. The fact that they are found liable in civil suits backs it up. Their lies and falsifying maintenance records caused this crash. People should have gone to prison for this. They should have been made an example of. The prospect of 20 years in prison for doing what they did would be quite a motivator for any others thinking about doing the same thing.
1000%
These actors portraying the pilots really made this episode one of the best of the series. I wish things had ended differently for the pilots and passengers
The plane is a piece of junk!!!!!, No way!! It can land safely!!!!!!!, Many! Planes are flying junk!!!!!!!!, Terrible!!!!!!!!.........
They were great weren’t they. Very believable. They fought to the last second. What a truely horrible experience. People being thrown around, injured, vomiting snd screaming and so frightened. Ghastly. The man who tried to reveal the shady practises gets punished but none of the perpetrators do, crazy.
As an airline mechanic myself, I pay VERY close attention when I work on primary flight controls. I've changed the stabilizer actuators on the ERJ before. They're better-designed than the one on the MDs I think. They have two parallel screws instead of one, and have a sealed oil reservoir instead of grease. But still, it's scary to know only four bolts are keeping that plane in the air. I take all the time I need to make sure it's installed 100% correctly, no matter how much the supervisor wants to rush us. I'll NEVER let sub-par maintenance hurt the people who fly on my planes.
As someone who has a severe phobia of flying, I sincerely thank you and please keep doing that.
Thank you for your diligence. I did a co-op for structural repair (air Canada jazz) and was always impressed by the strict adherence
you're a hero in disguise. thank you for your work
@SanctuaryReintegrate Thank you! That is reassuring. Hope there are more like you, than less.
The world needs more people like you that are DEDICATED TO GOOD QUALITY WORK and not about the bottom dollar!
The pilots never gave up, in the black box recording you can tell how they truly believed they could save the plane up until the very last second. They never gave up. Heroes.
CT
You also have to remember...THEY TRYING TO SAVE THEIR OWN LIVES AS WELL!!
@@lagosfury5142 Yup, you're right! Hurry up and get the Sully recall going. We need to get all those medals, rewards and every bit of praise recalled! Wow that was lightning fast! The airline just forwarded Sully's personal cell phone number to me! You call him and tell that damn phoney "We now realize you were probably just trying to save your own hide! You obviously don't care about others you selfish liar!"
@@danieltoth3900 bro..in that situation..death is imminent,lets be honest..your not thinking..yiu know im gonna die too..but my FIRST priority is saving everyone else..we would all like to think for a story sake someone is that noble but we all know thats highly unlikely..your thinking about saving your own life..at that moment first and foremost..lets be real
@@lagosfury5142 Yes and that is a normal, healthy behavior ❣️🤣Who is believing otherwise, is a Dreamer❣️And who is telling different, is a Liar. A Lia , no one should , or can be blamed for❣️💃🏽🌹🌹🌹
This is one of the saddest incidents to me. The pilots were so skilled and tried everything to save the aircraft. They did everything until the end.
To think their lives came down to a stripped nut, frightening
Those guys should have called in sick..or had the airline cancel the flight.
This and TWA 800 the way that planes fate was so demonic 😱
Fully agree. There is a conflicting thought though that the pilots were too good and their efforts to rectify and push the elevators were the final coffin. Nevertheless, it was a time bomb that was going to happen due to the airlines practices anyway.
This incident heavily affected my life. It was so unbelievably violent and catastrophic in such a way that was unfathomable. I did not see it but I was on a Malibu beach the day it happened, and it took me a long time to get it out of my head when flying (and I flew a lot out of LA out over the pacific). So sad RIP to pilots crew and passengers n their families.
Captain Ted Thompson and First Officer Bill Tansky were both posthumously awarded the Air Line Pilots Association Gold Medal for Heroism, in recognition of their actions during this flight. It's the only time the award has ever been given posthumously.
The pilots fought till the end. Heroes. Those last words, "Here we go," really moved me. RIP to them and all on board.
Like most captains of ships, like the soldier who falls on a grenade to save his buddies, sometimes people take their responsibilities deadly seriously. I may die, but I have to save them. Anyone who doesn't acknowledge this has problems with empathy.
This crash inspired the movie "Flight" and they used the same language in the movie. I didn't know that they did that until I watched this.
@@MexicanTeTe to an extent the flight scenario was used but to be clear pilots of AS261 were not alcoholics or drunk while flying the jet. Just pointing that out because there will be people who assume or come to that conclusion after reading your post
@GN He did his best and had no regrets after all.
They're not heroes. Everybody died. They're idiots who should have returned to the airport at the first signs of trouble.
IMO it's really stupid that the guy who actually ordered the jackscrew to be replaced ended up without a job and no longer being able to work in the industry, instead of the actual person who dismissed the recommendation. What a twisted world we live in. SMH.
Its called capitalism and we should get rid of it
@@hurricanemeridian8712 and replace with ?
its the counter intuitive lessons in life that are the most important
EXACTLY
@@hurricanemeridian8712 capitalism caused this give me a break so communism would have saved the plan ?
What’s crazy is that John Liotine was banned from working in the airline industry when he was defamed. He’s a hero and there should be more like him! Smh
Julian assange
When the public hears about this, we should get together and boycott whatever business is involved. It's the only way to deal with this absurdity.
Yep. Absolutely terrible and dirty what they did to him. They should've been charged with the deaths and the neglect of the Supervisor! Sooo sad and certainly avoidable 😢
I don't understand the people in this world. Not much has changed when it comes to other businesses and corporations, they're still crooks to this very day.
Is that the whistle-blower?
Any time you hear someone complain about "government regulations" in these industries, just remember that these regulations are written in the blood of those who died without them.
Yes there blood is on the management. Oh judgment day!
@@spikenomoon their*
@@DarthVader1977 👍
Yep ....
almost every safety rule is written in blood yet people do what people do
Although the whole event was tragic and so many lost their lives, the fact that those pilots did everything in their power, never giving up, even right up till the end...that got to me. They're heroes regardless of the outcome.
Agreed
Me too
G Gilot - Imagine AA dispatch getting in a snit because the pilots would cause delays if they diverted...it's unbelievably inhumane. Yes, they were heroes for doing everything humanly possible, even averting crashing into populated areas.💜💗🌹
1000% agree. They should be remembered as heroes. They never gave up and gave their lives trying to protect those passengers and crew. God bless them
They did amazing it’s Alaska CEO’s that suck
They should have been hearing: "Oh. Your horizontal stabilizer won't move. Get on the ground now!" Not "Well you can do that but you know it's going to mess up our schedule." Those people at Alaska should have gone to prison for mass murder.
Agreed
They mentioned that there are no recorded procedures when horizontal stabilizers are in trouble. But stabilizers are the lifeblood of the plane; anyone should know how serious it is to lose control of any part of a car; much moreso in a plane! To neglect it is a grave mistake.
@@X1erra and of all stabilizers the horizontal one is the most important. if something is wrong with it, take it seriously
You underestimated the power of money , i see
If your elevator is stuck… You’ve got a slight issue… there is very little that can be done if a motor restart doesn’t work aside from loud prayer.
My brother was driving us down the 101 back to LAX to catch our flight home and I was looking out the right side at the ocean. I couldn’t believe it when I saw this plane hit the water. I thought it was a small personal aircraft. Distance can make things deceiving. The huge plume of water was unreal.
Only when we arrived at the airport with the news crews everywhere, did I learn that it was in fact this Air Alaska plane. Still haunts me 22 years later. Just watched this episode today and cried non stop.
Yup witnessing that giant splash on impact must have been one of the worst things to see in your life. Let alone what the people on the plane were going through
Crazy story man. They say there is always a witness to history.
So,so sad.
That's quite something to have seen that with your own eyes. Have you been to the memorial site?
seriously doubt you could see the aircraft at 20+ miles out from shore -- just saying
Listening to the pilots from neighboring planes was so chilling. Can you imagine seeing all of that and being completely helpless to stop it?
Imagine seeing it from the ground knowing it's going down but hoping it'll go up
What ground? There was just the ocean. No one was near@@linkhewitt36
I bet to this day those pilots of those other aircraft wish that there was something they could've done to help Alaska 261.
@@SulliMike23 you can never really help but witness this.
This case, Air France 447, the one with the son and daughter and the Helios ones completely destroyed me. Its much more personal...i dont know why....
Nobody ever goes to prison when cost cutting and shortcuts take lives in the airline industry.
The lack of punishment here genuinely grinds my gears. One of the mechanics on the plane was already working with authorities. All that risk to his survival and livlihood and a plane still crashed and no one paid for the decisions that were made.
Is this sarcasm
Boing 737 Max killed 347 people. Everybody knew including the FAA. Nobody went to jail, no justice. Just a fine and some legal fees, it cost them money all around that they had plenty of.
@@Valarmorgolis which flight was this?
@@dschroeder4380 Lion Air 610, Oct 29,2018 and Ethiopian Air 302March 10, 2019. Same flaw MCAS
I don’t call this an accident, call it for what it was, murder by total negligence!
Manslaughter
@Moving to France why moving to France?
Brad Tilden should be in prison
You are 💯 correct,those people died because some pos was worried about a dollar 💲
@@juanpedro4083 Um hello! French fries!!
I have seen almost all of these episodes, and I think they're really well done. However, the men who portrayed the two pilots in this episode were phenomenal. I felt every emotion with them. I don't know who they are but great performance guys!!!
Ted Thompson is portrayed by Ray Kahnert and Bill Tansky is portrayed by Barry Flatner.
You're right they are both fantastic! The remake episode actors are hammy and atrocious by comparison.
I was thinking the same! I am sorry to say even though I love this series, season 1-10 are the best produced IMO. In acting, music and ambiance etc. It's just really good before 10, and good after 10 imho.
Agreed! Great actors!!
Every person in management and maintenance at Alaska airlines should be made to watch this non stop for 24 hours
Like that would matter? Their priority is profit,not people. They're not missionaries. People's lives mean NOTHING to them.
The two actors portraying the pilots were excellent.
Indeed, they're almost as great as the flames coming out of the aft fuselage in that thumbnail are stupid.
@Uncle Joe Haha, I don't think I did at first either, I think it took a notification of a comment reply on another thread before it sunk in.
They're grait
Morons...the actors do a terrible representation of real airline pilots.
@@victoriajankowski793 Compared to what?
Still to this day the most dangerous thing in aviation is “greed”.
Great Pakistan !
Sadly you are right🥺
This is spot on.. I will quote you dear stranger on CZcams comment
@@missranabella save Pakistan !!
@@babagandu from what ?
I booked this same flight for my whole family but for some reason I booked it for Tuesday, the day after. I actually remember the moment I booked the flight weeks before and initially intended to choose Monday, but something made me switch to Tuesday at the last minute. I stood in our hotel room Monday watching news reports shocked and horrified. On the way back I decided to split the family over two different planes just in case. Have not been back to Mexico since then. An angel was looking over us. Prayers to the families of the people lost.
This is an air crash that I will never forget . Hats off to the pilots for giving it their all. Also the actors in this episode did a brilliant job
I had a friend from work who was killed on this flight. He was a very popular and funny guy. Had a huge memorial for him. I still occasionally think of the terror he felt.
Yeah I really can't imagine anything more Terrifying rest in love to him and the rest
I'm so sorry for your loss!
Im sorry for your loss. Yes, thinking about how they died is absolutely terrifying.
I'm sure that he was just fine as soon as he made it to the other side. I bet that he wouldn't go back if he had the chance.
My uncle died on this flight
The actors of the pilots made me heart fall. They really conveyed the emotions of the crew in those moments.
Did they really, or is that just an assumption based on a delicate opinion. I can't with all my mental power, imagine what those last seconds must of felt like.
It was so realistic that they died of a heart attached after the shooting the scene. he-he
One of them is the "chicken-hawk" from American History X
They were partly at fault in the final analysis for pushing controls beyond their limits (trims) such that so much pressure was on that last line of jackscrew defense, the bottom nut that they continued "riding" and all air pressure slapping up at that horizontal stab was just too much. Had they immediately turned around and landed back in Mexico, all would be good and that bottom retaining nut would not have broken loose. That's just the finding of the FAA or NTSB there at the beginning of this video.
@@dabneyoffermein595 a rather simplistic comment...pilots are not engineers. They use the engineered designed controls to control the aircraft.
I knew Ted and Bill. I took this flight from SFO to LAX 1 to 3 times a month regularly for business for a year or two. We would chat sometime before the flight. Ted learned to fly in the Air force and Bill in the Navy. Sometime the would joke about being on Bill and Teds excellent adventure. Don't get me wrong, they were serious professional pilots and felt safe and they could handle anything that happened. I felt safe with them at the wheel. They are part of the reason that was my first choice when booking a flight to LAX from SFO.
Once, I found about Alaska cheaping out on maintenance that caused the plane I rode on often to crash I stopped flying Alaska air.
They sounded like a couple of great guys. I read Ted flew C-141s while he was in the Air Force. That was good of you to share your story here that you were able to talk with both of these pilots.
Absolutely. Great story. And great pilots.
I’m sorry. That connection was important and I’m sure you felt the loss deeply. 🙏
Pretty lucky to see the same pilots on the same jet that often or even more than once... meaning your story probably never happened. Pilots don't just fly with a regular partner like that.
@@Gizamalukeix Shows what you don't know.
Those pilots were absolute heroes. Never once gave up and even when inverted they still tried to fly it. I hope those souls are at peace wherever they may be.
This is the crash that inspired the crash scene in the movie Flight. So sad that in real life no one survived and respect to the pilots they gave it everything till the very end
@Daniel sanchez
exactly , very say and RIP to all the lost souls , hope you staying safe
?
Yea there's nothing a pilot can do with no stabilizer especially when the jackscrew is gone
@@dwightmcqueen5771 exactly , hope you staying safe ?
Partly because the pilots want to survive, as well.
@@neatstuff8200 Fedex 705.
The pilot exclaiming "Here we go" right before hitting the water really got to me.
Me too...did he think he had it suddenly under control...like here we go i got it....or was it like here we go, into the ocean...either way its a heartbreaking moment
Same, so freaking sad... What a nightmare. I can't imagine the horror
he knew he's gonna die so sad
@@andreadixon3266 so before the plane hit the water, they said they were gtonna try to roll out of it, so I'm guessing thats what he meant. Like, Here we go we are gonna roll it.
@@oliverramboproductions5510 interesting....thats quite possible...
I must say, the acting by these pilots is exceptional. Tremendously well-done.
I read somewhere that a passenger on another plane who was able to look out of the cabin at this plane plunging toward the Ocean that they were so traumitised by what they were witnessing they had to go for therapy .I cant even begin to imagine what the crew and passengers of this crashing plane went through!
People will find ANY excuse to go to therapy these days. Everyone wants to be a victim.
That's so ridiculous 🙄
@@meghanmisaliar Have some respect .. People died on that flight.
@@meghanmisaliarit's NOT about being a victim, it's about witnessing trauma! That person literally saw DEATH 😣 it's like someone who was killed, and a witness being traumatized by seeing the murder! Smh therapy is for trauma and that's why that person went to therapy...
@@prettyllady 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Yeah ok. The industry is driven by ONE THING. Profits. They need people to think that they're so fragile they absolutely cannot deal w anything without ", therapy". It's about MONEY. That's it.
We need more protection for whistleblowers. If they are blacklisted from their line of work, they need huge payout from the industry that they revealed.
I absolutely agree. HOWEVER some ‘whistleblowers’ only exist to stir the pot and start drama. I think a list of types of whistleblowers need to be drawn up and adequate handlings for each type need to be listed.
This guy was trying to save lives, he deserves a medal. There are people I’ve heard of who aired workplace gossip. They need to be fired.
Agreed, I find it appalling that this is stated so matter-of-factly in this program. You will not work in this industry or for government, if you reveal SERIOUS problems with how your employer is handling safety. The takeaway lesson: who cares if people die, keep your mouth SHUT and avoid the poorhouse.
Blokin...times have changed, but mangmt hasn't because these are people who want to earn a profit - it's the inspectors that fail, because they don't exactly follow up to make sure their recommendations have been adhered to and if not, "ground the plane/s". Today's planes are as old as those that crashed in these accidents.
@@wraith8323 No; the takeaway lesson is know your rights and unionize so you can protect yourselves and each-other from the traitorous oligarchy and their hypocrisy.
Absolutely ! I am a whistleblower and I tried to save hundreds of kids' lives plus 20 million taxpayer dollars. But I was fired. Outcast. I couldn't get the government watchdog agency to do anything to stop these dangerous crooks, so sued them to "get it in the news" but the news agencies wouldn't cover it. I did win my lawsuit, and the crooks had to change their procedures, but no agency stopped them. I believe they endangered thousands of kids. And, quite possibly led to the deaths of hundreds. I still have nightmares, decades ... please do help whistleblowers. Write/phone your congress members. Let's save kids.
"Here we go...." literally sobbing for those poor pilots, trying everything they had to save everyone, true heroes until the very tragic end. And those poor passengers and crew and all they endured. Not to forget their loved ones. No one should ever have to endure that horror. May they all rest in eternal peace.
I agree. I've been thinking a lot about crisis moments like this one in particular and how being tasked with important duties changes the horror equation. Before their airplane truly broke, the pilots were already having the worst work day imaginable. All of the resources normally there for them were inadequate or even worse, dismissive. But when the true terror began, they at least had a huge advantage over everybody else on board. They were occupied with procedure. When the training kicks in to such an extreme degree, your brain is so overloaded with tasks that there's no time for any reflection. No worried glances occur between pilots as they contemplate the gravity of their situation (Hollywood is so awful with this fact of reality, most every time). This is what make me really feel for the passengers, and you might as well put the cabin crew in that same category of having nothing to do but endure the most awful end to one's existence. It's cold comfort though, as this really shouldn't have happened to anyone.
I think of these pilots all the time, they were really heroic trying to save this flight.
@@tradzz5313 m
Eternal peace is only possible by a relationship and faith in Jesus and repenting of your sins.
@@amberrose1108 Maybe for you it is, and for others also, but not for everyone and not the "only possible" way. If you think so you are choosing to ignore those that do find peace through other means.
Those other pilots who had been warned to stay away from the crashing airplane witnessed something that will remain with them forever. The way they conversed about the crashing airplane and eventually seeing it crash got me emotional. The fact that the pilots of the ill-fated jet decided to try and regain control while in the open sea instead of doing it over land speaks a lot about their hearts. They died, but they died flying. RIP to all who perished. To the families of the victims, always remember that those pilots, apart from just doing their job, cared about your loved ones. Your people died while in very caring hands.
I got chills watching this, I was only 8 years old when this happened. I remember waking up to my mom screaming at the news when they released the flight number. She was friends with the flight attendant, they graduated together. I’m 28 now and can still remember that scream. Just to see what these poor passengers went through, and the heroic efforts of the pilots to keep the plane in the air is devastating. :(
Yes
...I travelled rather frequently on Alaska MD-80s along the coast in the years prior to the accident (and before that it' ancestor, the DC-9). I originally loved the plane because of it's 2 + 3 seating and always booked my seats on the left side. Following the crash of AS 261 and release of the findings, I did my best to avoid flying on the type because of the lack of any redundancy in the tailplane system I ended up switching to Southwest, in spite of Alaska's better overall customer service and the fact I could reserve a seat instead of deal with Southwest's "cattle call" boarding process.
It is unfortunate that a true fix to the matter never was made, and it just had to rely on proper maintenance. My concern was over other airlines that operated the type might try to cut costs as well (Midwest and Northwest being two which operated both the DC-9 and MD-80 and which were both in serious financial straits during the early 2000s with Northwest being acquired by Delta in 2010 and Midwest ceasing operations the same year).
Damn, thats insane
@@bcshelby4926
The MD-80 has been retired
@@jimwerther ..aware of that, Delta retired they remaining ones last year. American retired their MD-82s & 83s the year before.
Delta is effectively still operating one MD type, the MD-95, which was rebranded as the 717 when Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas.
Aside from a number of foreign and cargo carriers still operating the MD series there is still one US carrier World Atlantic Airlines based out of Miami, which operates the MD-83 for passenger services (charter).
Imagine flying a commercial passenger plane, you get told to look out because there is an uncontrollable plane around you, and the next thing you see is a plane take a nose dive. That must have been horrific to watch, especially as the passengers on the other plane
That's much more preferable to being a passenger on that plane
The most diluted and probably most common type of feeling the standard person would get to that is “this [enter place you walk on] is slippery” as you watch someone else slip and fall over. It’s like that, but it’s not one person scraping their knee, is potentially 100s of people loosing their lives. The amount of trauma I could see someone getting from watching that is insane.
Thats what I keep thinking tooo....I witnessed a fatal plane crash...the powerlessness is so awful...it is so intense that it's physically painful. I have dreamed about it for decades
@@andreadixon3266 yes, we all saw 9/11 the second day of imfamy
I agree and I bet they felt real helpless knowing they can only watch and not being able to help them in anyway. I wonder if any of them pilots took time off after that to not only mourn the loss but to get their planes thoroughly checked. ( I bet they even had nightmares about what they saw.).
I recall this story very well due to a son of a flight attendant who was very worried about his mom but she was on another flight and came home safely. It has been twenty three years. May those on board rest in peace. They lost their lives due to the love of money the management had.
I was a whistle blower at the government job I worked at and was painted as a liar, delusional and eventually had to walk. Seems like there is no justice for people that do this kind of thing.
Boeing at moment, 2 whistleblowers committed "suicide" in last 2 months.
@@mayc8674 The stress can be quite intense!
@@davebrittain9216 Certainly, It is admirable that he could hold it in.
This was one of the scariest episodes of this show. I think it’s because the pilots seemed to have done everything they could have and communicated everything the whole way along and were essentially helpless the entire time. I am so sorry these people had to experience this horrific crash. I hope their vacations were as happy as they could have been. Rip
I think what scared me so much is that the hands-on employees (including the mechanic) genuinely cared about the lives of the passengers, but the hands-off employees (management and comms) cared more about profit than lives.
Then you havnt seen the episode where the pilot gets sucked out and is pinned to the nose of the plane at high altitude!
@@lisa.66 amazing episode
this is definitely a scary episode! just how it freefell from the sky is just horrifying to imagine. total nightmare fuel
I remember when this happened. There wasn't alot known obviously re cause, but a few days later I knew I'd be flying to FLA for a conference. It was somewhat unsettling. Then 18 mths later 9 11. It made thoughts of flying very uneasy and the line seemed so thin between your luck of being on wrong plane at wrong time
I love how Mayday incorporates the victims stories seamlessly into the narrative. It's very classy and adds a lot of weight to the story. This show is exceptional!
Sure David, absolutely!
Yes! Especially that ending, final sentence from one of the grieving relatives. That last sentence he said really left a memorable imprint!
I've been on this binge for 2 months!
Same. That's why I enjoy this series! The dramatization in these keeps me glued to the documentaries.
It’s a bit gay to be honest.
The fact that the person who is behind the decision to disregard maintenance is never charged is what keeps these things from being prevented. Nearly 100 people were murdered. Because of intentional negligence, they are no longer here and the people in their families are destroyed.
Amazing how they kept their composure in such a helpless situation. Two absolutely legendary individuals. God Bless them, and everyone else who now rest in Peace
I cannot imagine what it was like to be John and see his warning come to fruition in disaster.
all the other pilots who watch the plane go down must be horrifying for them. And hats off to the pilots of flight 261, they tried till the end, never gave up!
I agree with you Both pilots handled this exceptionally well considering the situation very courageous and brave
That's right! Amen!
well, what else should they do? just take their hands off the controls & say "I give up. let's just crash"?? in EVERY crash I've ever seen, the pilots at least TRY till the very end. it's not heroic; it's human instinct for self-preservation.
a pilot in 1 of these episodes said: "if you selfishly save your own life, you'll be saving everyone else's in the process". that's what they inevitably do. there's no other option.
Heroes, they choose to go over the water just in case the worst happened.
Pretty sure most people would do that
"He, uh, yeah hit the water. He's..uh.. down" Sends chills down my spine every time. Imagine watching your colleagues and a fee hundred other people die.
Can you imagine seeing another plane, flying upside down? Gotta be jarring.
Im not a pilot, but I remember seeing a pic of AA191 that crashed in Chicago, and it was only three quarters of the way over, and it haunted me.
You really underestimate the SIZE of these things, until you drive under one rolling over the overpass at ORD...They're REALLY big. Can't imagine seeing that IRL.
These 2 pilots and the actors who recreated them were amazing. Top 5 Mayday episode ever.
Ryan was an amazing person. The last time I saw him was at a music festival called Greenstock, I never got to meet his wife Abby, but knowing Ryan, she must have been pretty amazing too. I fly a lot, always have, but since this plane went down (for such a negligent reason), I hate flying now. I still do it, but I hate it. Miss you Ryan, I can only imagine the amazing things you'd have done in your life had it not been so needlessly taken.
Having listened to snippets of the actual CVR, I find it haunting how most of the reenactment dialogue matches word-for-word and is so well-acted. Of all the Mayday episodes, this one just stays with me due to how determined the two pilots were to save their plane.
how do you get to hear the cvr? from what i know, there's only atc recording of flight 261 as cvr recordings are not allowed to be published to the public
@@chootanf There are a few audio clips that have been published. Not the entire recording, but the dialogue spoken by the actors is almost word for word with the released audio and also matches the full CVR transcript
Pepto Bismol, I think i need a hefty dose of Pepto Bismol after this! 🥺
YEAH! And the balls and audacity of the rich Alaska air owners. Talkin' "bout "At no time were the passengers of alaska in any danger ", when their plane just catastrophically failed. Due to a problem maintenance wanted to fix, but was denied approval to change it. If that aint unnecessary danger, then what is?
And to say "the passengers were never in any danger",,, after that crash , and their corner cutting - is appalling. JUST PLUM SHAMEFUL. And they didn't even get kidnapped and caged for murder, when they should have been strung up from a tree. Instead, the guy who tried to get them to fix the plane is the one got in trouble - Instead of the richies at fault.
Do you have a link to the cvr?
As a frequent flyer, Alaska was my default airline between Ontario, CA and Portland OR. After I learned that Alaska was willing to risk human lives to save a few dollars, I have never set foot in one of their airplanes again. The persons responsible should have been arrested and sent to jail.
Exactly,,boycott them spread message
Same. I flew out from Seattle to Texas and back 100s of times between 2005 -2010 and 90-100 of them were on Alaska. If id known about this im sure i would have changed planes haha however Alaska always had great breakfast. They always had actual bacon and egg croissants sandwiches and i was always amazed haha
Luckily, Alaska Airlines has been ranked among the worlds safest airlines for the past 6 years, exceeding any other carrier in the United States. Definitely a huge step up from this
Can’t
Boycott if it’s the only airlines from Juneau - the capital city! So….
This accident is old news. They’ve learned from their mistakes just as every airliner has from their own respective accidents. In fact Alaska is considered one of the safest next to Southwest.
This was a moving episode. Can't believe 88 people lost their lives due to lack of grease! I know this happened 22 years ago, but I don't think I'll ever fly Alaska again.
Just don’t fly on that model. Are all
Alaska planes this model?
That's VERY unnerving. I wouldn't trust a guy w my CAR who did something THAT STUPID.
Those poor passengers and crew had to pay the price of the airliner’s insatiable greed. MAY THE ALL REST IN PEACE.
The pilots were genuine heroes, in this case; they fought the inevitable till the bitter end and never gave up on life. RESPECT.
"Could you try not having an emergency? We've got a schedule to keep"
LOL
So rude to try to land in LA.
You should NEVER fly Alaska Airlines after knowing they fired a whistleblower.
I never do and never will!!
Alaska airlines is the safest american airline.
what's a whistleblower?
@@wqfflesyrup8740 Think Monica Lewinsky or Linda Lovelace.
Yes. I live in Alaska and my family used to fly with Alaska Airlines. We don’t anymore, we fly Delta
I live in Port Hueneme and I go almost everyday to the memorial to show my respect. although I wasn't born when the accident happened. but I can't help but feel sadness for everybody who lost their lives that day
The pilot and first officer were smart to fly over the ocean when they realized they were probably going to crash; so as not to take out more casualties on the ground.
So sad!
Rip.
Cutting corners for profits routinely happens in many industries including medicine
Really cool you pay tribute.
Everyday?
@@vicvega3614Nothing wrong with that. Im sure all of the people on that plane, and their families, would appreciate that.
Peoples attention to tragedies wane pretty fast. I think its awesome that this young man keeps their memories close to his heart.
God bless you Shane. You keep doing what you feel is right.
I'm addicted to this show. My mom thinks I'm crazy since we occasionally fly every year to Europe, but I'm learning what to pack and do in case I and hopefully my mother and sister survive a crash. Condolences to the Alaska flight❤️
You aren't crazy. You're learning about all the tragedies that happened to make flying the safe mode of travel it is today. 23 years ago was a long time, we've come incredibly far since then. You are more likely to die in a car crash on the way to or from the airport
The chances of you being in a plane crash are virtually zero, especially if you travel occasionally. No need to pack specifically for an accident.
The actors portraying the pilots in this episode, Ray Kahnert and Barry Flatman, are amazing. Ray's captain in particular really makes the viewer get a glimpse of the horror and the adrenalin felt by them.
Thanks for that. I wondered what their real names were. They did an amazing job of portraying how the captain and FO fought the entire way.
I thought they got actual pilots
I, too, was really impressed by the actors here!!
One of my favorite performances, easy to forget you're watching actors, very natural.
I was gonna say too. .these actors are amazing. I just watched Japan air 123 and the reenactment didn't capture the terror even with hypoxia, the way the black box did
John Leotine is a HERO! He did the right thing. If only people took his concerns seriously, this whole thing could've been avoided! Customer Service, being on time, delayed flights etc... is *NEVER* a higher priority than safety or lives!
Not could've been avoided, would've. This crash never happens if they woulda listened to him. How broken John must've felt when he turned on the TV and saw his worst nightmare become a reality...
And what a horrible indictment of the status quo that such a person isn't rewarded for their integrity and dedication with a promotion to a supervisory role for the benefit of all...
For airlines it is...
@Lefroy you're probably right in a way. As a kid (6 to 18 yrs. old) I flew every year from EU to USA. And back then direct flights were very expensive so looking for best rates my mother always booked a stopover. So that's technically 4 flights a year. Now that I'm 33, married, with kids and not been flying anywhere for at least 10 years I'm starting to think like you. Although driving on the roads is far from being perfectly safe even if you as the driver always stay focused, never speeds or does anything dangerous there are other drivers out there that might not be so considerate. Best to not think to much about all that I guess.
Hell. The fact that he TRIED to bring it up should be considered customer service. He was doing his best to try to save their lives like any employee should. And what’d he get for it?
Fired and blacklisted. An utter shitshow from start to finish on the airline’s part.
Ugh, this one’s just absolutely gut-wrenching and I can’t even begin to imagine the extreme, unspeakable horror those poor passengers felt in those final moments as the plane was flying so violently erratic towards the water. I get really nervous whenever the plane hits bad turbulence and would wonder if the plane’s going down. My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families. Too, too tragic and sad. 😢😢
gods could you imagine having to make that call-- to stay out over the water, knowing you're quickly losing it but knowing at least you're not going to cause more deaths by hitting the ground. Heartbreaking.
We always tend to go for the cheapest airfare, but this series got me wondering how many corners are they cutting to keep their prices low.
yeah! cheap materials blabla. cheap might mean not that good to me. not too low not too high for the prices
That’s exactly why I’ll never fly again…
@@colonelsanders3388 I agree and after coming to that revelation myself, I've been asking people why we include several crucial numbers from the statistics of "safest transport method". It might be incredibly unlikely that a place crashes, but the chances of surviving it are pretty damn close to zero. Today it is also incredibly unlikely for a cruise ship to sink or for a train to be derailed, yet the chance of surviving in those situations are exponentially higher than surviving a plane crash. Most lethal method of transport include cars and stairs. The safest is an elevator as it only needs a single cable to pull the entire cart at full capacity for the entirety of its service life, yet elevators usually have a minimum of 6 cables, which can all support the cart at full capacity for the entirety of its service life. And that's only the cables. Elevators are the most backed up, failsafe method of transportation in the world. Stairs are however the deadliest. Quite ironic that the failsafe for malfunctioning elevators are stairs then.
actually, maintenance is the issue. if it is properly done, and aircrafts kept for the duration of their life span... it should be safe.
the "cheap" comes from: airplane is second hand. already has about 10years of flight, out of perhaps 20. which is not a bad thing, a lot of actual problems happen during first flights, either from design flaws or pilots having no real idea how to fly them(if they have a new design). also, from restricting space for passengers. little leg space means that for every few chairs that come closer together, another seat can be placed, and that seat makes extra money. and... of course, less comfort in materials. however, maintenance is not in the ticket price any less than from a more expensive flight. each aircraft makes money, out of which maintenance is paid from. if it is done properly, it's only a matter of profits. profits are higher or lower. but rest assured, they ALWAYS profit.
@@Arterexius this is funny because I got stuck in an elevator few months ago. The emergency call button didn't work and the lights went out. Safe to say, I use stairs now and I've also become claustrophobic. Might be safer than stairs but no thx. :)
The people that played the pilots are great actors! So intense!
@nono4564 seems like they are or were real pilots
It was so real that they died of a heart attached after the shooting the scene. he-he
@nono4564
tx
Right! Exactly, and I should probably stop watching these before I go to bed 😭 nightmare city
I remember when this happened. I was a teenager, and my mom told me a classmate of mine's mother was on this flight. I remember being shocked, planes seemed indestructible and my classmates were all still in high school my heart broke for my classmate.
We live in a small island town in Alaska, its nicknamed the First City because it's usually the first city one comes to when traveling to Alaska by water or sea. Pre-Covid we got over a million visitors a year, mostly due to the cruise ships that come up here.
I had a nightmare last night of literally getting into a plane crash after spinning in the plane and then going nose down and exploding and actually dying …. It was literally terrifying 😩🥺 I need to stop binge watching this show before bed ….
Those poor pilots, imagine knowing that nothing you're doing is helping and you're responsible for all those people on the plane. It's shameful that cutting costs was done at the expense of all those lives. Those pilots really tried everything they possibly could, they were let down badly.
So sad. I’ll never fly Alaska airlines.
Why didn't they land in San Diego instead ?
@@charleshoang566 They were trying to troubleshoot the problem first, but they couldn't fix it, so they then decided to land. They were closer to LAX, than San Diego International.
Poor pilots? Sure, I agree with you...but I think the passengers had it much much worse
Everything you do and buy today is cutting a cost. The car you drive? Cost cutting. The space shuttle? Cost cutting. The buildings you shop for food in? Cost cutting. The food you eat? Cost cutting. The medicines you take? Cost cutting.
P R O F I T is the almighty margin.
The pilots were absolutely amazing. They never ended their fight with the crippled MD-80. Even after the plane went into its final dive, they even tried to fly it while it was upside down. They fought till the very end. It’s sad that people who were responsible for keeping the plane safe and airworthy failed them.
Had the pilots known this was maintenance-related with the already non-redundant jackscrew, I'd speculate that they wouldn't have messed with it at all knowing that it can break in half at any second. Also, if Alaska just told their pilots to expect maintenance failures mid-flight, strange and confusing problems would make more sense on how to safely troubleshoot.
"Were good with what you decide we'll see you at the gate" nauseates me. Thanks Alaska Air techs
Actually one was drunk
The actors and the pilots deserve an academy award.
This one is really tough to watch. Those pilots did amazing and fought until the end. Those poor people…
This is what happens when inspections get pencil whipped. The fact that no one went to jail over this is mind numbing. The only person in the company that lost anything was John Liotine.
I have no words for those people. RIP to all the poor people who died in this horrific disaster.🌹❤
Yeah, imagine that. What a freaking joke.....
Yeah, imagine that. What a freaking joke.....
Yeah, imagine that. What a freaking joke.....
Yeah, I didn't get why Alaska Airline weren't immediately shut down and all those responsible went to jail, and John Leotine given the hero medal from the president. That would be my way of handling it.
The reenactment of exactly every syllable of black box dialogue makes these docs all the more real. Love these! Thank you for posting educational but cool as hizell videos!
Is it really based 100% on the black boxes? That makes it even sadder ☹️
@@c.2538 100% accurate. Even the random bits of dialogue you would think were maybe scripted are not. They are typically well translated too if it occurred in a different language.
The name of the flight escapes me right now, but there was a South American flight where the pitot static system was blocked by duct tape causing all the instruments to fail during flight. In the mayday episode, the pilot screams "we are hitting water!"
When you listen to the recording if it in its original Spanish, even if you don't speak Spanish, you can hear the desperation in his voice as he says thag exact phrase
Last words always freak me out
@@jesspavlichenko5745 That's the Aeroperú Flight 603 episode
@@stirfries thank you!
From the request to clear airspace to briefing the passengers on the situation, these pilots were amazing! They were not meant to fly poorly maintained aircrafts... RIP
42:43 THIS GUY IS A HERO HE KNEW THAT SOMETHING BAD WOULD HAPPEN YET ALASKA COMPLETELY IGNORED HIM
ABUSED HIM!!!!!
The fact that they sacrificed their lives to save more by flying over the Pacific Ocean tells me something about these pilots. What a selfless act. God bless their souls and those who on board.
The acting on the part of Ray Kahnert and Barry Flatman is absolutely amazing. It makes the crisis the pilot and the first-officer experienced so painfully real. This is one of the most gut-wrenching Mayday episodes I've watched, and I've watched a few. I'm in awe.
I completely agree! I don’t know what it is, but this particular episode continues to haunt me, partially due to the moving acting
@@peptobismol8554 we are realizing nothing can be done at the second failure.. and we fail their pain
The pilots tried deperately and with confidence that they could fix the problem by their skills.These videos make you feel like youre in the cockpit, so realistic.Always has me on the edge of my seat.
I'm not the only one to think so!
Actually their performance was brilliant!
I've always felt the same. It's a riveting telling of flight 261. Great graphics and yes, the pilots made it feel so real. I want to visit the memorial the next time I'm in Southern Ca. and show my respect for all that perished and the families that are still here. They were so close to Los Angeles some would have seen safety. And one of the pilots who saw the plane upside down and twisting remarked to think that there were people inside. That is still upsetting if I think about that.
Such great work and effort from the Pilots. RIP to all those lost. Disgusted by the fact that that man was fired yet no one else responsible was held accountable.
RIP to those lost and its 100% negligence of maintenance. The movie Flight was based on this but you wish the pilots found a way to save the plane. Those pilots are still heroes
"No criminal charges......." Simply outrageous. The trail of the irresponsibility, from the service manager that made the decision to skip the work to the management that made the policy decision, should face criminal charges. .Period.
They clearly had a few screws loose... Get it? Screws loose 🔩
The FAA approved skipping the work
Criminal charges over a few screws loose? In my books, that's flat nothing.
This is the flight that killed my uncle and it was all because of Alaska’s greed
So sorry for your loss 🙏🏼
I am very sorry for your loss. This is so heartbreaking to watch.
I hope there was a big lawsuit because this was practically premeditated murder!
Yes. I live in Alaska and my family used to fly with Alaska Airlines. We don’t anymore, we fly Delta
Damn omg 😭😭😭
GOD! I "FEEL" SO BAD FOR THESE PEOPLE.😱😥
Disrespectful
Dude you imagine if your family or your friends were on this plane
RIP.... Both the pilots, flight attendants, all the passengers and most important... all three of the children that was on board the plane. ❤️
*three children that WERE on board
(not “was”)
Thank you…..WERE not WAS.
I appreciate that. I’m not good with grammar. I graduated back in 1984.
So, I didn’t take it personal. Everyone can learn something new everyday.
❤️🙏
Why are children more important ? That is bs
I agree with most of the comments so far. Surprised nobody is talking about the pilots from other aircrafts that witnessed the tragedy LIVE. They must be so traumatized.
Oh wow I hadn't thought of that. Really with any of these crashes on this channels videos. Anyone who witnessed or heard this kind of stuff happen must be traumatized for LIFE
@@maggienesin2448 agreed
@Arusha Ro In this video, we can hear pilots informing air traffic control that they see the plane going down. One even confirmed when the plane crashed. You can hear the sadness in his voice
@@yardiegyal86 yep it was two different pilots that saw.
Not everyone who sees something bad is traumatized maybe millenniums would be but they seem to be traumatised by everything
If the "whistle blower's" replacement order had been followed, this tragedy would have been avoided. And he can not work as an airplane mechanic any longer. SHAME!
A really BIG SHAME!!! Why a whistleblower can no longer work on same field?
If Alaskan Airlines had any morals they would have exonerated his name somehow.
I agree, you would think they would want such a conscientious employee!
@@othenz9966 Because no employers would want to hire a "snitch" to avoid paying penalties, being investigated, etc..
@@othenz9966 What is meant is that the whistleblower will be (almost always) informally blackballed, and no employer in the field will hire him/her. No potential employer would admit to such behavior, of course. Whistleblower protection laws exist, but the case is almost impossible to prove.
Absolutely HORRIFYING, INEXCUSABLE... THE greedy heartless idiots at The top OF The corporate food chain should SPEND The rest of their lives IN PRISON
You are not alone and I'm an avid traveler. It sucks at how many of these air disasters could have been avoided...
Oddly, what gets to me the most is the whistleblower never getting back into the industry. It says a lot about industry ethics, and about skeletons in closets...
Marc...yeah..you might think that a good airline would want a sharp person like that ...go figure ?
@@mattmuch7536 tragic..
Unfortunately, whistleblowers break that cardinal rule about never biting the hand that feeds you (i.e. pays your paycheck).
Its outrageous that neither Alaska management nor maintenance supervisors were held criminally responsible!
Updated '21-12/12 - My bad, my info 👆🏻was wrong - see response from @Carol Miller below with the now corrected story. 🙏
White collar crime doesn't count in America, unless your crime screws over the rich.
@@zerospace888 Not just America, I assure you from personal experience.
The airlines only have one thing on their agendas. MONEY! And they don't care about the risks.
I've never been that way. I've always known that people are more important than money. Always!
What "crime?" Nobody rigged the plane .. they didn't know the chlorine would make the plane crash!
This has got to be the most sad episode ever. Especially knowing that the pilots we're totally helpless because of the greedy corporation known as Alaska airlines rest in peace all the victims and and their families
You can find the pilots' audio. They were amazingly calm and level headed.
Unbelievably. I dont know that im man enough to not lose control in that situation, regardless of training.
These were two guys I would have flown with ANYTIME.
The supervisor that overruled his recommendation should be in jail forever....
How crazy no criminal charges for those responsible but punish the ones that try to do the right thing. 🤔
Well, there's always a place in Hell for the one's who got away with it.
Welcome to capitalist democracy. There's a reason this form of government won the A/B test and communism was discarded.
@@pilas3000 He is likely christian.
They should have been imprisoned for negligent but deliberate collective HOMOCIDE.
@@techhelpportal7778 And your point is......??? So what?
I was home on leave from Germany and am from Southern California. It was all over the news and because of this plane crash I have been scared to fly ever since. It was so tragic what happened to those poor people. I couldn't even imagine what they went through. May they rest in peace
the creation of these videos is totally amazing down to the way the actors look so close to the people they portray.thumbs up
OK, these pilots were doing beyond their best... imagine trying to nose up a plane, keep it stable, flying, dealing with maintenance that is the least not qualified to be in maintenance, dealing with frustration, fear and adrenaline, all at the same time... they have my respect
The fact that whistle-blowers have to prepare themselves to never work in their respective industry again and face possible retaliation is horrendous. That tells you everything you need to know about corporations.
Like dealing with personality-disordered predatory individuals - extremely vindictive….
You got that right, do sad!
When retaliation meets a bullet or the inside of a prison cell in the worst dangerous prisons facing a life sentence I imagine they will change their mind about whistleblowers
It’s gross but likely true in an industry. It’s mostly troubling that a major US transportation employee literally told a future whistle blower that yeah. You can talk if u want, but u better be prepared to never work in this industry or the government in any matter again. Just wow.
Imagine spending god knows how much and 5 years for your career, but if u see a weakness and say anything.. get prepared for being unemployed. That’s really scary. You’d think at LEAST the FAA would establish an anonymous help line where whistleblowers can at LEAST make anonymous concerns…
pfizer
I cried on the whistleblower who put a lot of effort and his career on the line to try to save people and yet people still died..
This has to be the most heart stopping scariest situation to find yourself in... Just imagine being on that plane 😮😮😮
That is the worst part of anything happening at 30 ish thousand feet. You have a LONG drop back down to the earth, and being conscious during it, makes it that much more horrific.
One cannot even fathom what everyone on that plane went through in the last moments
of that vertical dive.
Billy, thats do true!!!
The one positive thing about it is that when anyone dies, they're no longer aware of anything at all---they do NOT go to "heaven," nor to "hell," and that is per Christ Himself---and they aren't suffering all that fear anymore. It's the only positive thing, but it's worth holding onto for anyone who's lost someone they love (I've lost both of my children, and my beloved parents, all within one year, so I do know what I'm talking about).
My god, when did this happen.
@@jb6712 Believers in Christ go to Heaven
If I was on this plane I would’ve died of a heart attack before they crashed.
Same
I think I would as well.
One of the saddest and most heartbreaking Mayday episodes I’ve watched.
Some of these shows should be mandatory viewing for all persons evolved with repair and flying passengers. Not in a sarcastic way because being human we get complacent.
Exactly. And ppl aren't robots. They make mistakes.
Yeah and the ones with weather and delays should play at the airport as people wait to board,etc.
@@mrsx7944 and to think some idiots are now thinking of pilotless planes🙄🙄. we all saw what that robot thing did to those two 737 max planes.
@@BizzzyBee I was just going to say that! Make people realize they would rather be late than dead and be grateful they are being precautious
@@kalungawanje9741 lol, the reason why pilotless planes doesnt exist is because there is no competition.