26th anniversary of JAL crash marked in Gunma
GUNMA —
Relatives of victims of the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet marked the 26th anniversary of the accident in Gunma Prefecture on Friday night. Earlier in the day, relatives of the 520 people who died and JAL officials climbed Mount Osutaka to visit the site of the crash and offered prayers at a cenotaph.
At 6:56 p.m.—the exact time of the crash—a ceremony was held in Ueno village at the foot of the mountain. Attendants observed a moment of silence and also prayed for victims of the March 11 disaster.
JAL Flight 123, with 524 people aboard, took off from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport at 6:12 p.m. Twelve minutes into the flight, a bulkhead is believed to have blown in the tail, creating over-pressurization that severed the four sets of hydraulic-control lines and blew part of the tail section off. With a total loss of hydraulic pressure, the captain attempted unsuccessfully to regain control of the aircraft as it descended uncontrollably in a flight condition known as the “Dutch roll.” At 6:56 p.m., the plane crashed into the mountain.
Only four survivors were found when the first rescue workers arrived 12 hours later.
Since 2006, JAL has been displaying messages written by passengers and a cabin attendant before they died, at its Safety Promotion Center at Haneda Airport
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18 Comments
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-1
plasticmonkey
Not to disrespect the victims or their relatives, but how is this story any different than last year? Is this news?
1
amerijap
I vividly remember this tragic accident. NHK and other local domestic media reported each and every single moment of incident updates for a couple of weeks and covered the news for over a month. They disclosed the names of passengers and flight attendants who were on board. I saw a 13-year-old girl and one flight attendant miraculously survived from a fatal plane crash.
1
motytrah
It's quite news worthy given it's still the most fatal single plane crash. Moreover, the victims were subjected to over 30 minutes of an out of an control airplane. Still, it's a shame that the JP media seems to gloss over the fact that the US Military located the crash site with in 20 minutes, and was prepared to get the Marines in by Helicopter while it was still light that evening. They were told to leave the area. An untold number of victims died of exposure because the Japanese gov't didn't want the US involved in the rescue.
1
It"S ME
Kyu Sakamoto & others, RIP.
Sukiyaki (Ue o Muite Arukou) only all-japanese song to every reach No.1 in the US charts.
1
Asagao
The movie about this accident and the surrounding details was very informative to those who weren't in Japan at the time of the accident. It was released a year or two ago and star a Japanese actor named Ken Watanabe.
0
maidinjapan
The US military was there within 20 minutes and was refused permission to begin rescue efforts, and it took the Japanese rescue workers 12 hours to reach the scene?? That is absolutely unforgivable. I can put up with the overly zealous red tape protectors when it comes to Japanese bank clerks, govt employees, and many other types of "customer service" reps but, surely, the govt can cut through the red tape and get things moving during life threatening emergencies? Very sad. RIP.
-1
GW
Sadly not at all as we witnessed & continue to witness 3/11 & its aftermath.......
1
Badge213
It's not perfect, but it's better. If you compare the response to Kobe in 1995 to the response this year. The military wasn't even allowed into Kobe.
Moderator
Stay on topic please. The Great Hanshin Earthquake is not relevant to this discussion.
1
ka_chan
This crashed was examined on the series "Why Planes Crash". They did mention that US military assistance was refused and the there was a JSDF helicopter at the site but didn't see any survivors from the air so it went away before it got dark. There were much more than 4 survivors at the time but as the night weather was subfreezing, many succumbed to their injuries and the elements, according to the survivors. Once the rear bulkhead blew out, it took most of the ruder and elevators. The pilot was flying by engine controls only. A valiant effort by the crew but they had no idea how badly damaged the plane was. The controller didn't seem to realize the emergency and they ignored efforts of a controller at Yokota who tried to assist.
0
kwbrow2
As others mentioned it is irresponsible to leave out the fact that the GOJ refused to let the American military help survivors. I think that fact is more of a story than the crash itself. No disrespect intended to those who died.
0
Waraijougo
I remember a T.V station a few years back covering this crash by playing the Black Box. Got to hear the the 15 minutes or so of the pilot and co-pilot wrestling with the controls of the stricken jet. Very heart wrenching stuff it was...
0
USNinJapan2
I think there's an error in this article. The FL 123 crashed into Mt. Osutaka near Ueno-mura in Gunma not Mt. Otsuka.
Moderator
That typo has been corrected.
1
Badge213
Part of the discussion was about how the military was not allowed to go into rescue the survivors of flight 123, the topic extended into the great hanshin earthquake where again the military was not allowed in. I was saying cooperation has gotten a little better since because in the most recent case the military was allowed in to assist in rescue efforts, and hopefully future events rescue services will be faster.
-1
plasticmonkey
Again, this is an event for the families of the victims. It is meaningful for them and my heart goes out to them. However, the 26th anniversary of a tragedy is not really newsworthy, is it? We've heard the details countless times before, including the pathetic response by the govt. Tune in next year, same story same comments.
0
taj
PlasticMonkey, not only is the story the same every year, it's the same string of posts in the comments, as well. PLEASE mods, let us compare disaster response between then and now. At least that'll be something different from the plast 10 threads.
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