Most Dangerous but Successful Emergency Plane Landings

Bright Side

Flying is one of the safest modes of transportation, but sometimes things can go wrong in the air. When that happens, pilots have to make quick and risky decisions to land their planes safely and save the lives of their passengers and crew. In this video, we will show you some of the most dangerous but successful emergency plane landings in history, and how they were achieved.  #brightside #brightsideglobal  TIMESTAMPS: 0:25 Plane that lost its roof in the air 09:04 How economy class will change soon 18:20 Why it's ok to fix planes with tape  This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00You've probably seen Hollywood movies where somehow a small hole opens up in the side of a plane and then

00:06immediately it's utter chaos.

00:08Food trays and bags flying, seatbelts barely holding passengers in place.

00:13Luckily, in reality, small damage to the fuselage won't cause such dramatic consequences.

00:18But would you believe me if I told you there was a pilot that managed to land a plane with

00:24half the roof torn completely off?

00:27Buckle up.

00:28At 1.25 p.m. on April 28, 1988, a 19-year-old Boeing 737 that belonged to Aloha Airlines

00:37left Hilo International Airport and headed for Honolulu.

00:40The plane was named after Queen Liliokalani, who was the last sovereign monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

00:46On that day, the aircraft already had three short flights from Honolulu to Hilo, Maui, and Kaohaui.

00:54Apologies to the people of Hawaii for any mispronounced names.

00:58Anyway, all the trips were regular and uneventful.

01:01The weather was calm and it seemed like nothing could go wrong.

01:06The captain was experienced pilot Robert Shornsteimer, 44 years old, who had 6,700 flight hours in the Boeing 737.

01:15The first officer was Madeline Tompkins, 36 years old, who had flown more than 3,500 hours in the very

01:22same Boeing model.

01:23Early in the morning, still in Honolulu, the first officer had conducted the regular pre-flight inspection and announced that

01:29the plane was ready for the flight.

01:31At 11 a.m., the plane left Honolulu and headed for Maui and then to Hilo.

01:35When the plane arrived at the destination, the pilots didn't leave the cockpit or inspect the aircraft from the outside.

01:41After all, it wasn't a requirement, so they didn't have to.

01:46Following schedule, the plane started the last leg on the routine round trip at 1.25 p.m.

01:51There were 95 people on board the aircraft, 89 passengers, 2 pilots, 3 flight attendants, and an FAA traffic controller

02:00who stayed in the observance seat in the cockpit.

02:03After a normal takeoff and ascent, the plane got to the usual cruising altitude of 24,000 feet.

02:10And then, at about 1.48 p.m., 26 miles away from Kaua Lui, the unexpected happened.

02:17Those who were in the cockpit heard a loud whooshing sound and then a crack, followed by the deafening sound

02:23of wind a second later.

02:25Apparently, a small part of the roof on the left side tore loose, which led to the explosive decompression of

02:31the plane.

02:31But the worst thing was that the decompression caused a ripple effect, which led to a huge section of the

02:37airplane's roof to tear off completely.

02:40The length of the missing part was 18.5 feet long.

02:44It was all part of the aircraft's skin that covered the plane from the cockpit back to the four-wing

02:49area.

02:50At first, the pilots didn't realize what had happened.

02:53The first officer, who was in control of the aircraft at that moment, felt her head jerk backward,

02:59and she noticed debris and gray pieces of insulation flying chaotically around the cockpit.

03:04When the captain turned his head, he saw that the cockpit door had disappeared,

03:08and instead of the first-class ceiling, he was staring at a clear blue sky.

03:14The plane started to roll from side to side, and it was becoming increasingly harder to control.

03:20Everybody who was in the cockpit immediately put on their oxygen masks, and the captain took over the aircraft.

03:25He prodded the speed brakes into action and began an emergency descent towards the nearest airport, which was on Maui

03:32Island.

03:33Luckily, all the passengers were in their seats at the moment when the accident happened,

03:37and since the seatbelt site was still on, everyone had their seatbelts fastened.

03:41However, all three flight attendants were standing along the aircraft aisle.

03:46The one who was the closest to the front of the plane was swept out through the hole in the

03:51roof.

03:51The other two were thrown to the floor by a forceful jerk.

03:56But while one of them hit her head really hard and lost consciousness,

04:00the other one started to crawl along the aisle in an attempt to help passengers and calm them down.

04:06At that same time, the pilots were trying to contact air traffic control and signal an emergency.

04:12To make matters worse, they couldn't hear each other and had to use gestures to communicate.

04:17They also didn't know whether the radio worked and whether they had managed to deliver their message.

04:23The flight controls were sluggish and loose, and the captain was struggling to control the plane.

04:29The first officer, right by his side, dealing with communication and assisting the captain.

04:35It turned out that the controller hadn't been receiving the crew's messages

04:38until the aircraft descended to the altitude of 14,000 feet.

04:43Only then did the signal get through, and Maui Tower started urgent preparations for an emergency landing.

04:51The problem was that at that time, in case of an emergency,

04:54the airport control tower had to dial 911 just like anyone else.

04:59On top of that, the controller didn't catch that the passengers and crew members would need medical help.

05:04After all, the crew only announced that they had experienced a rapid decompression.

05:08So the controller wasn't aware of the entire gravity of the situation.

05:14In the meantime, the plane had already dropped to a height of 10,000 feet above sea level.

05:19The captain removed his oxygen mask and withdrew the speed brakes.

05:23The plane was steadily descending toward runway 2 of Kaua Lui Airport.

05:27Following the captain's command, the first officer lowered the landing gear,

05:31but the indicator light didn't come on.

05:33That could mean that either they had a bad light, or they had serious problems with the nose gear.

05:40But that wasn't the only problem.

05:41As the plane was approaching the runway, the left engine failed,

05:45and the aircraft started rocking and shaking.

05:48The captain made an attempt to restart the engine, but didn't succeed.

05:52And yet, still, with the help of the reverse thrust of the second, still-working engine,

05:58at 1.58 p.m., just 10 minutes after the emergency and 35 minutes after the takeoff,

06:03Aloha Airlines Flight 243 did manage to touch down on the runway of Kaua Lui Airport

06:09and come to a complete stop.

06:13Landing a plane with such a huge loss of integrity was an unprecedented feat.

06:18As soon as the plane stopped, the evacuation began.

06:20Everyone on the plane, except for the one flight attendant who had been pulled out of the plane,

06:25was alive, although 65 people were injured.

06:29Most people had been hurt by flying debris and torn pieces of fuselage.

06:34Unfortunately, since nobody on the ground had known how serious the situation was,

06:39no ambulances were waiting for the injured.

06:41The first one arrived 7 minutes after the plane landed,

06:44and there were only two ambulances on the entire island,

06:47which obviously couldn't fit all the people.

06:49That's why the passengers had to be transported to the hospital

06:53in several 15 passenger tour vans that belonged to the company Akamai Tours.

06:58Luckily, two Akamai drivers used to be paramedics,

07:02so they started to tend to the injured right on the runway.

07:06Meanwhile, airport mechanics, as well as office staff,

07:09drove the vans to the hospital, which was three miles away.

07:12Luckily, there were only eight serious injuries from which all of these passengers later recovered.

07:19As for the plane, it was damaged beyond repair and later dismantled right at the airport.

07:24The missing part of the roof disappeared and was never seen again.

07:29But what could cause such a terrible accident?

07:32The problem wasn't the age of the aircraft.

07:3419 years isn't that old for a commercial plane.

07:37And it hadn't accumulated too many flight hours before the accident happened.

07:41But the 35,500 flight hours the plane had traveled

07:45included 89,680 takeoffs and landings, which are also called flight cycles.

07:51The reason for such a huge number was that the plane performed mostly short domestic flights between the islands.

07:57And this number exceeded the number of flight cycles the plane was designed for twice over.

08:03Besides, the plane traveled in a salty humid environment, which also added to the wear and tear.

08:09Interestingly, during one interview that followed the accident,

08:13passenger Gail Yamamoto remembered that she had spotted a crack in the fuselage when she was boarding.

08:20Unfortunately, she was the only one who had seen the damage,

08:23and the woman hadn't thought that the crack was important enough to inform the crew.

08:27It's important to stress that these kinds of accidents are extremely rare these days.

08:32According to Harvard University,

08:34given all the steps and measures major airlines and airports take to ensure safety,

08:39the odds of you being in an airplane accident is roughly 1 in 1.2 million.

08:45That's a 0.000083% chance.

08:50I don't know about you, but I like those odds.

08:52And even if something were to happen, like, for example, half the roof falling off,

08:57it's a great comfort to know that your trained pilots can still land the plane relatively safely.

09:03Want to catch a glimpse of what flying might look like in the future?

09:06Then you're in the right place.

09:20But first, I need to ask you, have you ever heard of the Crystal Cabin Awards?

09:25Oh, those are like the Oscars of aviation interior design.

09:29And here are some of the most recent winners.

09:32Meet Sky Nest, a live flatbed for people traveling in economy class.

09:38These nests are supposed to be used on long-haul flights.

09:42The design is based on a sleep pod island located in the middle of the plane.

09:47And you can book a four-hour time slot if you want to take a real nap during your flight.

09:52The best news is that this design is likely to be introduced next year.

10:00While traveling in premium economy on long routes, you'll be able to use smarter seating design.

10:06It includes wider seats and twin armrests, which means no more fighting for space with your neighbors.

10:13Plus, there will be fully flexible rows with cushions that can be elevated, creating lie-flat beds.

10:21Lufthansa Group has promised that premium passengers will be able to book suites with double beds

10:26and travel on temperature-controllable heated or cooled seats.

10:33As you see, these days, airline companies are working hard on new designs of aircraft cabins.

10:39And it might impact the entire future of air travel.

10:43At the moment, they focus on travelers' experience within the walls of the plane.

10:48As a result, we have some mind-boggling products.

10:51Check out Singapore Airlines' first-class suites, or Air France's La Première Cabin,

10:57which is believed to become one of the best first-class cabins in the skies.

11:02It's going to feature suites equipped with separate sofas and chairs.

11:06And each suite will have five windows along the cabin wall.

11:09This will make it the longest first-class suite in the world.

11:15But then, Airbus went and patented the idea of a more interactive flight experience,

11:21especially for those lucky passengers occupying window seats.

11:24With the help of special eye-tracking equipment,

11:28the aircraft might be able to highlight significant objects you're looking at

11:31and provide you with detailed information appearing on a semi-transparent display on the window.

11:37The patent also claims that you could send data to devices connected by Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

11:44This way, takeoffs and landings would get much more exciting,

11:48and you'd be able to get information about a new country or city.

11:54Cutter Airlines, in turn, came up with the idea of Q-suites.

11:58It looks like this.

12:00On the sides, you have individual suites, while the middle part can be transformed.

12:05You can choose to have a double suite to travel together with your partner,

12:09or you can have some private space,

12:11or even move the walls and turn the place into a quad suite that you can use for a meeting.

12:18There might also be some improvements in economy class.

12:22They're bound to bring more comfort, especially on a long-haul flight.

12:26A company called Zodiac Seats filed a patent based on a zigzag configuration of seats.

12:32Look at this aisle, which contains three and four seats,

12:36with each of them facing in the opposite direction.

12:38This allows for way more shoulder space than regular seating.

12:42Plus, passengers have a lot of leg space.

12:45Yes, some people might feel a bit uncomfortable having to face their neighbor for more than eight hours straight,

12:51but aren't these space improvements worth it?

12:55Now, you might know that moving around the cabin while flight attendants are serving meals and beverages is kind of

13:01tricky.

13:02Plus, you have to eat at a specific time with everyone else.

13:06Or, if you're not feeling hungry, forego the meal altogether.

13:10Well, robots might be the solution.

13:15One company has suggested using perfectly sized pods that could slide along the rail in the middle of the aisle,

13:22delivering drinks and food ordered by passengers.

13:25This way, you could get your meal at the most suitable time for you, without leaving your seat.

13:31This solution is likely to solve the problems with meal service.

13:35Even better, it might allow for fewer galleys and large planes.

13:39Unfortunately, this idea was filed 60 years ago and hasn't been implemented yet.

13:45So, maybe it's not as great as it sounds.

13:50Another idea connected with in-flight meal service includes using AI.

13:55According to its creators, the technology will record what passengers leave on their trays,

14:00and later use this data to suggest various catering plans on subsequent flights.

14:07Now, even though these innovations sound like they're going to make traveling way more comfortable,

14:12they're not exactly revolutionary.

14:14But, look at these innovations.

14:17Vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

14:19Hyundai Transys' Air Taxi Cabin concept optimizes space

14:24and prioritizes your privacy in a shared cabin.

14:29If we talk about short flights, there's Citi Airbus Next Gen.

14:34That's an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing vehicle

14:37with four seats based on the lift and cruise concept.

14:41It can operate within the range of 50 miles

14:44and has a cruise speed of 74 miles per hour.

14:50Another amazing prospect is passenger aircraft with AI co-pilots, or even pilots.

14:57Some experts claim that planes could potentially be flown on a fully automated basis.

15:02Not everyone agrees with this idea, though.

15:05A skilled pilot is part of a complicated safety system

15:07that reduces risks and keeps passengers safe.

15:11Pilots have to be navigators, technicians, engineers, and weather experts.

15:15On a regular working day, a pilot needs to deal with ground crew,

15:20other air crew, cabin crew, air traffic control, and passengers.

15:24That's a lot.

15:25And don't forget that they need to communicate well,

15:28not only in aviation terms, but also on an interpersonal level.

15:33Will AI be able to do the same?

15:35Time will tell.

15:38But let's get back to the boldest ideas about the future of air travel.

15:42Some experts think that sometime around 2040,

15:46you'll be able to catch a hypersonic plane ride.

15:49Lots of people believe that the era of supersonic planes finished in 2003,

15:54when the Concorde commercial airplane was decommissioned

15:57after decades of being unprofitable.

15:59But it seems the situation might change soon.

16:03New supersonic aircraft will fly at incredible heights,

16:06and their speed is likely to be at least six times the speed of any other passenger plane.

16:14Traveling from New York to London, in this case, will take less than two hours.

16:19By comparison, these days, it takes a conventional airplane eight hours

16:24to fly from one of these cities to the other.

16:26There is one problem, though.

16:28The supersonic plane tickets will cost a lot.

16:31And statistically, people tend to prioritize price over speed.

16:36So experts don't think that a lot of people will be eager to pay a few thousand dollars

16:41to get from London to Sydney in four hours.

16:44Plus, such planes will need a lot of liquid hydrogen fuel.

16:48And at the moment, it's not cheap.

16:52By the way, you might not recognize a plane from 2050.

16:57These flying machines will keep changing for the next several decades.

17:01And the chances are high that, at some moment,

17:04windows will start to disappear from airplanes altogether.

17:07This way, aircraft will become stronger and better suited for high speeds.

17:12Windows make planes heavier, which results in larger fuel consumption.

17:17No wonder cargo planes don't have windows.

17:20Planes will also become sleeker and will likely be covered with solar panels.

17:24There's also a concept of a plane with its cabin made out of transparent polymers.

17:29I don't know about you, but I don't think I'd ever board such a plane.

17:34Talk about aerophobia!

17:37The chances are that in a few decades,

17:40we'll see a hypersonic plane with a jet engine that can turn into a rocket

17:45that can fly into space.

17:47Liquid oxygen would get injected into the exhaust,

17:51turning the engine into a rocket.

17:53It would help the aircraft reach enormous speeds.

17:56And, on the way back,

17:58the engine would turn into a regular jet engine once again.

18:01Is the sky like a desert?

18:04Can a commercial aircraft fly faster than the speed of sound?

18:07Can you fix a plane with a piece of tape?

18:10Let's check your intuition with this cool truth or myth airplane quiz.

18:14Make sure to note down your correct answers and share your score in the comments.

18:19So, the first one for you.

18:22Commercial airplanes are more fuel efficient than your car.

18:24True or false?

18:27That's actually true.

18:28Commercial flights have been more fuel efficient per person per mile than cars for more than a decade.

18:33Better technologies and a larger number of people that fit in one plane have decreased the energy intensity of traveling

18:40by air by almost 74%.

18:42As for cars, it's been just a 57% drop.

18:47Okay, how about this one?

18:49There's no row 13 on a plane.

18:52Well, come to think of it, I've never seen a 13A or any other letter on my boarding pass.

18:57What about you?

18:58That's true, but only partially.

19:00In those countries where the number 13 is considered unlucky, there's really no row 13.

19:06But in other countries, the missing number may differ depending on what is believed to bring bad luck there.

19:12Opening a plane door during the flight is a real safety risk.

19:16It sounds kind of terrifying to me, but is it true?

19:20You can relax, that's just a myth.

19:23For one thing, the doors are locked.

19:24But even if they weren't, no one can open the door of a flying plane.

19:28It's physically impossible.

19:30The cabin pressure won't allow anybody to do it.

19:33When an airplane is at cruising altitude, it's pressurized.

19:37The difference between the inside and outside is huge.

19:40In other words, the pressure inside the cabin pushes on the door and doesn't allow anyone to open it from

19:46the inside.

19:47Even better, the airplane door is called a plug door.

19:50Its inner edge is wider than the outer.

19:53That's why it acts like a bathtub drain stopper, corking the doorway without falling through.

19:59Your skin is drier on a plane than it would be in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

20:04Can you believe this?

20:06And if you think this is true, you're absolutely right.

20:09The airplane cabin is pressurized, and the humidity there is set to 20%.

20:14For comparison, in the Sahara Desert, the average air humidity is around 25%, and your skin is used to at

20:21least 40% of humidity.

20:23That's why your nose and throat feel so dry when you're flying.

20:28Several years ago, someone posted a photo on the internet that became viral in no time.

20:33In this image, there was an airline technician, and he seemed to be fixing a plane with duct tape.

20:38So the question is, could it be true, or was it just a fake?

20:43The answer isn't so simple.

20:45It wasn't your regular duct tape, so partially, this fact is a myth.

20:50But it was some kind of tape, known as speed tape.

20:54It costs around $700 per roll.

20:57It's actually an aluminum adhesive you can use to temporarily mend minor damage, until you can repair it properly.

21:05Is it true that pilots avoid the Bermuda Triangle?

21:08After all, it has such a notorious reputation.

21:12Ships and planes simply disappear into thin air in this region.

21:16This one is certainly a myth.

21:18Today, people already know that there's no particular danger in the Bermuda Triangle, and planes fly over this area as

21:25usual.

21:27Airplanes mostly fly on their own, with autopilots doing all the work.

21:31Myth or truth?

21:33What's your bet?

21:35It's a widespread myth.

21:37Many people are sure that planes are some super-automated mechanisms that can fly mostly by themselves, and pilots are

21:44there simply for backup.

21:45In reality, though, flying is a hands-on job.

21:49It needs constant attention and a skilled flight crew.

21:53There once was a plane that flew twice faster than the speed of sound.

21:57Hmm, can it be true, or is it too far-fetched?

22:03The Concorde could reach a speed of 1,330 miles per hour.

22:08That's much faster than the speed of sound, which is around 767 miles per hour.

22:14And that's indeed almost twice as slow as the Concorde.

22:19You might have heard this scary fact before.

22:22Planes empty toilets right in the air.

22:25Sounds alarming, but is it true?

22:27Fortunately, that's only a myth.

22:30There's absolutely nothing to this legend.

22:33Airplane toilets use a vacuum-based system to transport all the contents out of the bowl and into a special

22:38tank.

22:39It's located in the rear part of the aircraft, and this tank gets emptied only on the ground.

22:46Ah, this is a tricky one.

22:48When a plane is flying towards the east, it can reach higher speeds.

22:52So, can the speed really depend on the direction?

22:56And?

22:57This is true.

22:59It's possible thanks to high-altitude winds, known as jet streams.

23:03They blow at a speed of 100 to 300 miles per hour.

23:07And since our planet rotates from west to east, aircraft moving in the same direction can use these winds to

23:13move faster.

23:15Do you think pilots can control airflow to keep passengers sleepy and relaxed and save on fuel?

23:21This one is definitely a myth.

23:24If you ask a pilot this question, you might hear,

23:27Ridiculous!

23:28in reply.

23:28The truth is that pressurization determines the oxygen level in the cabin.

23:34How about this one?

23:36The world's tallest air traffic control tower is as high as a skyscraper.

23:41Can it be true?

23:41Or is it just an impressive myth?

23:45I know it's hard to believe, but it's actually true.

23:48When an airplane lands, it needs the assistance of runway lights and airport beacons.

23:53It's part of the responsibilities of the air traffic control tower.

23:56It also manages ground traffic.

23:59No wonder such construction needs to be extra tall.

24:02The new Bangkok International Airport in Thailand has a 430-foot-4-tall tower.

24:09Its height is almost the same as the height of a 40-story building.

24:13It cost $18 million to build the tower.

24:17I've got another tough one for you.

24:19The sensitivity of your taste buds drop by 30% during the flight.

24:24Yes or no?

24:26This is true!

24:28The pressure in the cabin combined with the dryness of the air kinda numbs your taste buds.

24:33But the most curious thing here is that this mostly affects salty and sweet flavors.

24:38If you're served something spicy or bitter, you can still taste it as usual.

24:43Airline caterers try to take the decreased sensitivity of your taste buds into account while preparing airplane meals.

24:50They have to modify lots of good old recipes to make your food taste better.

24:55As soon as your oxygen mask is on, in case the cabin is depressurized, you can relax and breathe out.

25:01You can still use it till the end of the flight.

25:04I wish it was true, but is it?

25:07Sadly, it's a myth.

25:08Passenger oxygen masks usually provide enough air to breathe normally for 10-15 minutes.

25:14In other words, it's just a temporary solution.

25:17But in most cases, this time is enough for the plane to go down to the altitude of 10,000

25:22feet.

25:23That's where people can breathe without using oxygen masks.

25:26And since planes descend very fast, the need for additional oxygen lasts for a few minutes at most.

25:33By the way, the oxygen system gets tested regularly during special maintenance checks.

25:39Plus, both passengers' and pilots' oxygen flow doesn't depend on electricity.

25:45Masks use individual oxygen generators.

25:47So even if there's some electrical problem on board, the oxygen doesn't get cut off.

25:53Many people say that the plane is the safest means of travel.

25:57But do you believe in it?

25:59That's a myth.

26:00Flying is the second safest.

26:02Studies show that the elevator is safer.

26:06Unfortunately, it won't be able to take you to the Bahamas.

26:09Okay, this last one was kind of a joke.

26:12Statistically, planes are indeed the safest way to get to your destination.

26:16So, how many correct answers did you have?

26:18Tell me in the comments below.

26:20Me, 8.

26:22Duh.

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26:22sure again. If

26:23you are the most stations at home. Thank

26:23care. If

26:23you are now on yourira. If

26:23you跑 to the car, please have a choice of instinct to throw in. Like

26:23homosexuality. You see.

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