What exactly happened to Japan Airline 123?

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What exactly happened to Japan Airline 123?

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3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

In-flight structural failure due to improper maintenance, leading to rapid decompression, destruction of control systems and loss of control.

Japan’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission officially concluded that the rapid decompression was caused by a faulty repair by Boeing technicians after a tailstrike incident during a landing at Osaka Airport in 1978. The rear bulkhead of the plane had been repaired with an improperly installed doubler plate, compromising the plane’s airworthiness. Cabin pressurization continued to expand and contract the improperly repaired bulkhead until the day of the accident, when the faulty repair failed, causing a rapid decompression that ripped off a large portion of the tail and caused the loss of hydraulic controls to the entire plane.

The aircraft, configured with increased economy class seating, was carrying 524 people. Casualties of the crash included all 15 crew members and 505 of the 509 passengers. Some of the passengers survived the initial crash but subsequently died of their injuries hours later while awaiting rescue. It is the deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Airlines_Flight_123

Anonymous 0 Comments

Following a repair, after a tail strike, where a part was improperly replaced. The bulkhead suffered from pressurization until there was rapid decompression and loss of control. The plane then went down.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Seven years before the crash, the plane had what is called a “tail strike incident.” This means that on a take-off or landing, the plane had too much pitch, and the tail section of the plane made contact with the runway. Boeing repaired the damage, but it was done wrong.

Now, it’s important to know that airliners are pressurized during flight, because there is not enough air at cruising altitude. If the cabin is not pressurized, the passengers and crew would not be able to breath. Seven years worth of being repeatedly pressurized and depressurized put stress on the faulty repair, causing cracks to form, weakening the structure. On the day of the crash, as the plane gained altitude, the bad repair finally gave out. The rapid depressurization caused even more damage, including the loss of the vertical stabilizer and all of the hydraulic lines being cut. The resulted in the pilots rapidly losing any ability to control the aircraft. As hard as they tried, there was no way that they could recover, and the plane crashed.