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Relatives remember victims of 1985 JAL jet crash on 37th anniversary

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Yup, remember this too:

A United States Air Force navigator stationed at Yokota Air Base published an account in 1995 that stated that the U.S. military had monitored the distress calls and prepared a search-and-rescue operation that was aborted at the call of Japanese authorities. A U.S. Air Force C-130 crew was the first to spot the crash site 20 minutes after impact, while it was still daylight, and radioed the location to the Japanese and Yokota Air Base, where an Iroquois helicopter was dispatched.[18] An article in the Pacific Stars and Stripes from 1985 stated that personnel at Yokota were on standby to help with rescue operations, but were never called by the Japanese government.[19]

A JSDF helicopter later spotted the wreck after nightfall. Poor visibility and the difficult mountainous terrain prevented it from landing at the site. The pilot reported from the air no signs of survivors. Based on this report, JSDF personnel on the ground did not set out to the site on the night of the crash. Instead, they were dispatched to spend the night at a makeshift village erecting tents, constructing helicopter landing ramps, and engaging in other preparations, 63 kilometres (39 mi) from the crash site. Rescue teams set out for the site the following morning. Medical staff later found bodies with injuries suggesting that people had survived the crash only to die from shock, exposure overnight in the mountains, or from injuries that, if tended to earlier, would not have been fatal.

7 ( +14 / -7 )

It's incidents like this and 911 that made me stop flying any more than necessary, but this one was particularly difficult since they knew for a while that they weren't going to make it.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Such a tragedy. Cockpit audio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfh9-ogUgSQ

3 ( +3 / -0 )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZWqlTm31yw

1 ( +1 / -0 )

 The dead included 43-year-old singer Kyu Sakamoto, known for his smash-hit song "Sukiyaki."

 The dead included 43-year-old singer Kyu Sakamoto, known for his smash-hit song "Ue o Muite Arukō."

1 ( +3 / -2 )

That’s some really messed up cockpit audio, Laguna.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

It's a real shame that Japanese authorities didn't accept the help of the US Air Force. Was there any logical reason for this or just a pride thing? It's also weird that they didn't realy welcome the NTSB and treated them like criminals when they arrived. Unusual.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Boeing's incompetence caused this tragedy but U.S. Corporate management almost never pay for their sins. I suspect had this been a CHINESE aircraft corporation, senior executives would have gotten a 'bonus' quite unlike what senior Boeing executives received that year as they stonewalled any responsibility. Somehow, the scales of Justice seem a bit better balanced in modern China than in the U.S.. The 'buck' seems to pass only so far in China and not in an infinite loop until amnesia sets in as in America. May these souls rest in peace and their memories serve to warn us of our Human frailty and responsibility. And high appreciation to those in Ueno who remember those who had too long to understand their helpless fate, and who never forget them.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

It's incidents like this and 911 that made me stop flying any more than necessary, but this one was particularly difficult since they knew for a while that they weren't going to make it.

if you drive a car, ride a bicycle or walk in the street, statistically you risk is way way more dangerous.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

An interesting bit of trivia is that they Alamogordo set Mountain Day for the thirtieth anniversary of this crash… which struck a mountain. In the end, they didn’t, which is why we have it on the 11th, then a business day, and then the generally accepted start of Obon.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Boeing‘s faulty repairs after the tail had been damaged in a previous incident lead to the crash, but the refusal of the Japanese to accept American military help from Yokota base led to the deaths of some victims. The four survivors mentioned how there had been several other survivors, but they gradually died while waiting for rescue

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Watch Kens movie, it’s very good.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Could have been avoided if the repairs were done correctly. Must have been a scary situation.

RIP to all those who lost their lives on jal123 on that terrible day.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It's a real shame that Japanese authorities didn't accept the help of the US Air Force. Was there any logical reason for this or just a pride thing?

Not so straightforward. The key decision was not to attempt a nighttime rescue. My understanding was that only a ground level rescue was thought be practical. While the crash was spotted by helicopters (both US and Japanese), they couldn't land or manage any kind of rescue without ground support. After the decision to wait till the morning to attempt ground level access, the need for US Air Force help no longer mattered.

A sad story. While I knew no one personally on the flight, there were some that worked with people I knew at the time. I think most people in Kansai had some connection to people on the flight.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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