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Northwest 85 Rudder Failure Over the Bering Sea

Mayday: Air Disaster

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Northwest Airlines Flight 85 suffers a catastrophic rudder failure over the Bering Sea. With 386 passengers aboard, the crew fights to control the Boeing 747 and divert safely to Anchorage.

Mayday: Air Disaster - Series 11 Episode 6

If you've ever boarded a flight and wondered exactly what would have to go wrong to bring it down, and how thin that margin really is.

Mayday: Air Disaster

Investigating the unthinkable.

Revealing the dark truth that aviation safety improves one crash at a time, Mayday: Air Disaster investigates legendary aviation disasters to find out what went wrong and why. Based on cockpit voice recorders, accident reports, and eyewitness accounts, every episode also features interviews, gripping reenactments, and state-of-the-art CGI.

From maintenance issues and dangerous cargo to extreme weather, investigators need to find the exact cause to ensure it never happens again. They owe it to the victims, the survivors, and their families to examine every clue and ultimately crack the case.

✈️ Fascinated by aviation mysteries? Subscribe to Mayday Air Disaster for gripping air crash investigations, expert analyses, and the relentless pursuit of answers. 💥🔍
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20 Comments

@47RandomWeirdos 3 months ago

For those who keep asking why the reuploads: some people don't know this series exists, and the producers' focus is not on the YouTube channel - but rather on National Geographic and Canal D. Also, this particular reupload has custom captions and audiotrack compared to their other uploads, which previously used YouTube's auto-generated captions.

@yurisuika 3 months ago

I like how they made all the dramatized cabin crew even older than the present, but the stewardess is young.

@AlbertaGamer 3 months ago

Good reason for pilots to keep a regular physical strength training routine just in case

@danlapidus3827 3 months ago

"I'd give $1,000 for a rear view mirror right now"

@Itsnotmeitsyou2720 2 months ago

These are the type of Men and Women i want in control of my plane. Calm, smart, understanding the gravity of your job, and bringing those people back to thier families.
Thank you.

@buckduane1991 3 months ago

22:05 Good on the captain! He stood his ground and didn’t let the ATC try to push him around and put his passengers at risk! Something every pilot should be ready to do in such an emergency: SPEAK UP and be unafraid to say “NO” if the ATC tries to ignore your emergency status!

@Brettdyt 3 weeks ago

The plane almost went down, they found the problem. The NTSB investigated, basically did nothing except "told them to inspect it" because "it could take the fleet down", and then it happened 2 more times. Seems really negligent.

@grumpy3543 2 months ago

I got a rudder hard over in an MD-80 at 320 kts about 24,000’ in a climb. It wasn’t a jolt. Just was just a long smooth push on the rudder. I ask the FO to stop pushing the rudder and he said he wasn’t. I grabbed the yellow hydraulic disconnect on the pedestal and cut the hydraulics to the rudder. The airplane straightened right back out. Thank god I was in a Douglas. They thought about that when they built it for just such a situation.

@adammullarkey4996 2 months ago (edited)

"This part is never going to fail." Sure, just like the Titanic was unsinkable. When will people learn?

@xxlistenxx2410 2 months ago

I miss Northwest dearly… I flew on this exact aircraft many times from DTW to NRT. Northwest was world class pilots and crew. Miss them.

@bishop_98 3 months ago

Fast and Furious: Anchorage Drift

@freddyhoyt1849 2 months ago

I was a flight attendant on this plane back in 2002

@LukasTrips06 3 months ago (edited)

11:27 Gosh I love the irony of Captain Frank here 😂
“i have no problem with that”

@hamzashakir 2 months ago

The narrator on this show is goated!

@Karen-w5n1k 3 weeks ago (edited)

The flying and the bravery of this captain and first officer are beyond words. I could only stand to watch it because I knew from the interviews they would land safely. John Doherty's help was also invaluable. The first captain also managed to steer the plane when the rudder first malfunctioned.
Superb acting.

@EdJohnson-f3e 1 month ago (edited)

2:25 Pilots cannot order the same meal. That way a tainted meal won't strike down the entire flight crew

@justinnelson7658 3 weeks ago

ONE thing I appreciated, having watched several episodes, the Captain simply telling the truth to the passengers, with OUT the drama and graphics. Most other episodes, passengers had NO clue, idea or warning, just dead bodies the end result. My view, on board, we are ALL in it and involved; while being calm is easy to say, it is still good when the captain, at least, pronounces the truth, the plane is in trouble and the crew is doing all possible to hopefully land, safely as possible. Passengers, in this episode, at least had solace in knowing.............

@thisisme3238 3 months ago

I've flew Northwest several times (as a passenger), it is extremely nice and obviously has "top of the line" Pilots and first officers. It's nice to know the crew is so well experienced, thank you.

@johnoneill5661 2 months ago

Seriously did the ATC actually say no you can't have that runway to a plane full of people who have declared a MAYDAY?
A plane that has declared a Mayday has priority over all the other planes who don't have a problem and haven't declared a Mayday.