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Daily Record
13 hours ago
- General
- Daily Record
Japan Airlines plane crash pilot's 'harrowing' last words before 520 people died
"The pilots were talking to each other in a state of deep distress because they didn't know what was going on and what they could do." The single deadliest air crash happened 40 years ago in Japan. The most shocking of recent times is the London bound Air India plane crash shortly after take-off in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on June 12 of this year, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 others on the ground. The largest number of deaths in an aviation incident was on March 27, 1977, when two 747s collided on a foggy runway on Tenerife North, formerly Los Rodeos Airport. 583 people were killed. In Scotland, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, killing all 259 people on board on December 21, 1988. However, the crash in mountainous terrain north west of Tokyo - in Ueno, Gunma, Japan, exactly 40 years ago today remains the deadliest involving a single aircraft, reports the Mirror. Amid the remains of the Japan Airlines plane and the souls that perished on board, investigators recovered the black box containing the cockpit voice recording which captured the terror of the pilots. Aviation journalist David Learmount, who has investigated and reported on air incidents for almost five decades, recalls how reading the CVR transcript was so harrowing that he was reduced to tears. Speaking on the 40th anniversary of the crash, David, a consulting editor on Flightglobal magazine said: "I've lost count of the number of CVRS I've listened to and transcripts I've read from accidents - and the Japan Airlines 123 remains the only one that ever made me cry. "The transcript was so harrowing I could not listen to the CVR. "The pilots were talking to each other in a state of deep distress because they didn't know what was going on and what they could do. "It wasn't just fear. They wanted to save their airplane, to save their own lives and the lives of everybody on board, and they didn't know what to do. You've never heard that kind of distress." On the anniversary, we remember the lives lost on the doomed flight. What happened? On Monday August 12 1985 Tokyo's Haneda Airport was crowded with thousands of people trying to get home. It was the eve of Obon - a Japanese Buddhist custom when most of the country traditionally honour their ancestors, often returning to their place of birth for family reunions. At 6.12pm, Japan Airlines 123 took off heading to Osaka, 400 kilometres to the west. The flight was filled almost to capacity. 509 passengers and a crew of 15. The flight time was 52 minutes. The most senior pilot on board was Captain Masami Takahama, 49. Takahama was was one of the airlines' senior training captains, and was supporting the First Officer Yutaka Saski, 39, who was captaining the flight. Also on board was Hiroshi Fukuda, a veteran flight engineer. For the first few minutes after take off, all seemed to be fine. As the plane climbed, the air pressure difference between the air inside the cabin and the air outside the cabin grew greater and greater. Approximately 12 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft experienced a loud explosion. Oxygen masks dropped down in front of hysterical passengers. The cabin altitude alarm was blaring, alerting the pilots that the air inside the plane was now too thin to breathe. The piloting crew radioed an emergency to air traffic control. Captain Masami Takahama requested a turn back to Haneda- now 70 miles behind them. He was unaware that the bang that was heard in the cockpit was due to a hole at the rear of the plane and this wave of pressure had blasted off a huge section of the aircraft's tail, including the rudder, the auxiliary power unit, and several other critical control systems. The captain instructed his first officer to turn to the right to head back to Haneda but he started banking too steeply. But no matter what the first officer did, he couldn't turn the plane back to wings level. Horrified Hiroshi Fukuda, the flight engineer could now see that hydraulic pressure has dropped. The plane had a complete hydraulics failure and there was no checklist to deal with this nightmare scenario. Flight 123 began to swing from side to side like a falling leaf - a nauseating movement for passengers. Without hydraulic power, the pilots could no longer control the pitch of the aircraft. It began plunging up and down hundreds of metres at a time in a terrifying rollercoaster cycle. Passengers began scribbling farewell notes to loved ones, which were later found in the wreckage. Using the engine power, they were able to slow down the erratic moments and even turn the plane momentarily. "By increasing engine power on the left side, the plane would turn to the right. Increasing power on the right side, the airplane would turn to the left. So that helped. However, they still thought they could attempt to control the plane manually, which they couldn't,' said David. And their altitude pilots were now dulled by hypoxia - having been too distracted to put on their oxygen mask. In the cabin, passengers were running out of oxygen. Their best hope was a controlled crash landing at Haneda, but the plane needed to lose altitude. The flight engineer suggested they could lower the landing gear without hydraulic power. For the first time since leaving Tokyo, the plane had now dipped below 20,000 feet. A lower altitude now brought a new danger. Straight ahead of the plane loomed a towering mountain range. The aircraft began diving at more than 18,000 feet per minute, 10 times the normal rate of descent. "Raise nose, raise nose.... power' were the captain's last words as the ground proximity alarm buzzed around him before the CVR cut out on impact. The pilots fought a losing battle for almost 30 minutes before the plane hit the Mount Takamagahara area, close to Mount Fuji. The right wing tip and its outermost engine hit the mountain ridge and was ripped off. The plane spun onto its back and careened into the mountainside at hundreds of kilometres per hour, igniting into an enormous fireball. Four miracle survivors - including a 12-year-old girl whose parents and sister were killed in the crash - were all seated at the back of the plane, where impact forces were not as great as at the front, and sheer luck protected them from flying debris. The investigation into the crash concluded that a faulty repair on the aircraft seven years earlier had ultimately caused the fatal malfunction. During a landing in Osaka in 1978, the pilot had pitched the plane's nose too high and slammed the tail into the runway. The rear pressure bulkhead, a critical structural component in aircraft, specifically designed to maintain cabin pressure, was severely damaged. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Boeing engineers performed the botched repair - which led to a ever weakening structure. It wasn't a question of if it would fail, it was when. David said: "It was a patch-up job, not a repair. They took a shortcut trying to fix it and put the plane back in action.' Over time, repeated pressurisation while in the air put stress on the incorrectly repaired section. The cracks led to metal fatigue and ultimately, the separation of the aircraft's tail. By August 12, 1985, the plane had flown more than 12,000 times since the shoddy repair. But on that final fateful flight, the damaged bulkhead reached breaking point. The rapid decompression also ruptured hydraulic systems, rendering the aircraft uncontrollable, although the pilots tried desperately to prevent the inevitable. Boeing redesigned the tail of the 747, so that rapid pressure spikes in the tail plane would no longer cause the kind of structural failure which occurred on flight 123, and also redesigned the plane's hydraulic systems, so that the loss of the aircraft's tail would not result in the total depletion of all hydraulic systems. Japan Airlines also modified its maintenance procedures, putting in place stricter supervision of important repair work and making regular inspections more thorough. Although the crash was Boeing's fault, the airline bore the brunt of national fury. After the crash, Japan Airlines paid 780million yen ($7.6million) to the victims' families - not as compensation, but as 'condolence money'. The company decided against taking criminal action against Boeing. Japan Airlines president Yasumoto Takagi resigned from his post. The company's maintenance manager, Hiroo Tominaga, died by suicide. Susuma Tajima, the engineer who checked and cleared the 747SR for takeoff before its final flight, also took his own life after the crash. "Careless Boeing engineers were to blame, ' said David. 'But this was the company culture. The culture is set by the people at the top. It always does. It happens in every organisation. And they made such shortcuts and shoddiness permissible." In recent years, Boeing has been at the centre of several controversies regarding the safety of of its planes after two fatal crashes. And history appeared to eerily repeat itself after had a mid-flight blowout of a door plug, due to poor safety checks. It was a miracle no one was killed. The incident, which occurred shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, resulted in a gaping hole in the fuselage. The NTSB, investigating the incident and has pointed to systemic failures within Boeing. The company said they are working on strengthening safety and quality across their operations.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Orlando Bloom Shares Cryptic Post as Ex-Fiancee Katy Perry Gets Emotional on Tour Amid Split
After nearly 10 years together, Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry are each navigating their breakup in their own ways. On Monday, June 30, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, 48, took to his Instagram Story to share some sentiments from spiritual figures about moving forward in life. The Lord of the Rings star first shared a post by the Instagram account @Taomeditations that featured a quote from Buddha, which read,'Each day is a new beginning. What we do today is what matters most.' Bloom then posted a quote from the late Japanese Buddhist leader Daisaku Ikeda, which read, 'The important thing is to take that first step. Bravely overcoming one small fear gives you the courage to take on the next.' While Bloom did not make it clear whether he was referring to his recent breakup with Perry in his stories, his cryptic posts come as the 'Roar' singer, 40, wrapped up the Australian leg of her Lifetimes Tour — where she got visibly emotional onstage on Monday at Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, South Australia. 'Thank you for always being there for me, Australia. It means the world!' the Grammy-nominated artist told the crowed through tears before singing her hit track 'Firework,' per a video from the June 30 concert. Perry had been touring Down Under throughout June, performing in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth before concluding in Adelaide. On Sunday, June 22, Bloom was spotted in Perth, seemingly visiting Perry with their 4-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove, according to photos obtained by TMZ. However, just three days later, on Wednesday, June 25, a source told Us Weekly that the couple had 'split but are amicable.' The source explained that the breakup was 'a long time coming' as things 'have been tense for months.' However, the source noted that Perry was 'distracted' and 'keeping busy' with her tour, which began in August and will run through December. Earlier that month, a separate source spoke to the outlet and said there was 'tension' between the couple because 'Katy has been very busy working, and they are apart often.' After news broke that their six-year engagement was over, Bloom attended Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's wedding in Venice solo. Sánchez expressed that Perry's absence was felt at the festivities. 'We miss you, Katy ❤️,' she commented on the former American Idol judge's Friday, June 27, Instagram post, which featured photos of her in Australia. Bloom and Perry began dating in 2016 and were in an on-again, off-again relationship. Bloom proposed on Valentine's Day in 2019, and the pair then welcomed Daisy in August 2020.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom Were ‘Living on an Island of Stress' Before ‘Sad' Split: Sources
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have not publicly spoken out about why they made the difficult decision to end their relationship, but according to a source, communication issues and busy schedules played major roles. 'Katy and Orlando have been suffering through the same problems that have plagued them for years,' an insider told People on Tuesday, July 1. '[They had] too much going on in their lives, which makes it hard to find time for each other and iron out disagreements. When they don't communicate properly, their relationship dips to a low level.' Perry, 40, and Bloom, 48, who share 4-year-old daughter Daisy Dove, had 'been living on an island of stress,' per the insider, and their relationship had been 'rocky' at the time of their breakup. A separate film source called the end of their relationship 'sad and unpleasant.' 'Sometimes love isn't enough to keep two people with different styles and outlooks on how things are done [together],' the source continued. 'It can overshadow the love.' As Star previously reported, the 'Wide Awake' singer and the Lord of the Rings star met at a Golden Globes afterparty in 2016, and they dated on and off for nine years until their most recent breakup was reported by People on June 26. 'It's not contentious at the moment. Katy is of course upset, but is relieved to not have to go through another divorce, as that was the worst time in her life,' a source spilled to Us Weekly, referencing Perry's relationship with Russell Brand, 50, who she was married to from 2010 to 2012. Perry and Bloom had been engaged for six years at the time of their split. Days after the news hit headlines, the Gran Turismo actor took to his Instagram Stories and shared a cryptic piece of wisdom from Buddha. 'Each day is a new beginning,' the quote read. 'What we do today is what matters most.' He later shared another quote from Japanese Buddhist leader Daisaku Ikeda. 'The important thing is to take that first step,' the post said. 'Bravely overcoming one small fear gives you the courage to take on the next.' That same day, Perry became emotional on stage while performing at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, South Australia, for her Lifetimes World Tour. 'Thank you for always being there for me, Australia,' she tearfully told the crowd at the time. 'It means the world!'
Buzz Feed
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Orlando Bloom Shares Cryptic Posts Amid Katy Perry Split
Last week, news broke that Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry had split up, six years after they announced their engagement. Ahead of their split, multiple sources claimed that there was 'tension' in Katy and Orlando's relationship, with one report pointedly alleging that the negative reception of Katy's 2024 album, 143, caused her lots of stress. A few days ago, People reported that Katy was allegedly feeling 'pressure' as she adjusted to raising Daisy as a single parent. 'She never saw herself being a single mom,' the insider purportedly claimed. 'She's felt a lot of pressure about her tour and now this. It's been a lot for her. She's still doing great though.' Neither Katy nor Orlando have spoken out about their split just yet. However, the actor — who was pictured in Italy over the weekend attending Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's wedding — has now hinted at how he's coping with a series of cryptic Instagram posts. 'Each day is a new beginning. What we do today is what matters most,' read the first quote reposted by Orlando. He then followed up by sharing a quote from the late Japanese Buddhist leader Daisaku Ikeda, which read, 'The important thing is to take that first step. Bravely overcoming one small fear gives you the courage to take on the next day.' Take from that what you will. We'll keep you posted if anything else unfolds.
The Mainichi
24-06-2025
- General
- The Mainichi
A reopened nuke launch site in Okinawa reveals a dark legacy
NAHA (Kyodo) -- The tranquil village of Onna is one of Okinawa's most beautiful spots. Scenic beaches, dramatic rock formations and lavish seaside resorts dot the coast. But there's a dark legacy here -- a former nuclear cruise missile launch site built during the postwar U.S. military occupation. The Mace B cruise missile launch site is the last remainder of four that were constructed in the 1960s. Opened to the public for the first time this spring, the large concrete building, roughly 9 meters tall and 100 meters wide, sits on a hill facing the East China Sea. The United States occupied Okinawa from 1945 to 1972. As Cold War tensions increased, it accelerated its deployment of nuclear weapons on the main island despite anti-nuclear sentiment in Japan following the radioactive contamination of a Japanese fishing boat in the mid-1950s. The Fukuryu Maru No. 5 was exposed to fallout from the U.S. Castle Bravo nuclear weapon test at Bikini Atoll in 1954, killing one crew member and sickening the other 22. Following Okinawa's return to Japanese rule in May 1972, Soka Gakkai, a major Japanese Buddhist organization, purchased the lot that included the Onna launch site in 1976. With this year marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the group restored the interior and opened the base to the public in March. Some 3,000 people have visited so far. "It gave me goosebumps. I was aware of problems involving U.S. military bases, but I had no idea about the deployment of nuclear weapons (in Okinawa)," said a 41-year-old woman who was visiting the site from Sapporo, northern Japan, with her parents. "Okinawa might not exist now if any nuclear missiles had been fired," she said. Isao Kuwae, 61, secretary general of Soka Gakkai in Okinawa, suggested that when the missile base was being erected local contractors may not have known what they were building. He added the Onna site is "the only place where you can see with your own eyes the past presence of nuclear weapons in Okinawa." A Mace B cruise missile was said to have a payload 70 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that the U.S. military dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945, killing an estimated 140,000 people by the end of the year. With a range of over 2,000 kilometers, the missiles, deployed at the bases in Okinawa in the first half of the 1960s, could strike China and parts of the Soviet Union. They were reportedly made ready for war during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. But with the subsequent development of new missiles, the need for Mace B missiles diminished. They were removed from Okinawa starting in 1969, when the Japanese and U.S. governments agreed on Okinawa's return to Japan without nuclear weapons. Although Japan regained sovereignty and independence in 1952 under the terms of the San Fransico Peace Treaty, Okinawa continued under U.S. military rule for the next 20 years. In 1967, Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato declared the so-called three non-nuclear principles -- not producing, not possessing and not allowing any nation to bring nuclear weapons into Japanese territory. At the time, the U.S. had some 1,300 nuclear weapons in Okinawa. "The three principles came into existence because there were nuclear weapons in Okinawa," said Masaaki Gabe, 70, professor emeritus at the University of the Ryukyus. "The Japanese government felt assured because of U.S. protection." Despite occupying approximately 0.6 percent of Japan's total land area, Okinawa still hosts some 70 percent of U.S. military facilities in the country, Gabe noted. In Yomitan, another Okinawa village where Mace B missiles had been deployed, Junshi Toyoda, 65, a local government official involved in compilation of the village history, said that present fears about the possible deployment of long-range missiles still exist. Threats from contemporary missiles with a firing range of several thousand kilometers overlap with those caused by the presence of nuclear weapons in the past. "The fact that nuclear weapons exist today makes it easier to feel the crises that was close to home during the Cold War era. I hope people will first learn about the deployment history of nuclear weapons in Okinawa," Toyoda said.
