My Uncle Rick was on the team. I remember when the movie came out and the families of the deceased had a special showing in a theatre when I was six. Watching the movie and my parents telling me my uncle was on the plane absolutely horrified me and i’m terrified of flying to this day. I watch this channel’s videos all the time and as soon as I saw this one on my feed I knew what it was. I love this channel and how well done and detailed all of the videos are and how they all make me feel like I can imagine a fraction of what the passengers and pilots went through. I’m sitting in the kitchen with the video stopped one minute in because I don’t know if I want to know exactly what happened to my uncle, but I know this video will do their deaths justice in the portrayal. rip uncle rick and all the passengers and crew on the plane.
My grandparents lived in West Virginia, my grandmother went to Marshall, and they were both invited to be on this flight. However, their family-owned restaurant needed to be managed, and so they decided to stay in Huntington. Their restaurant literally saved their lives. Condolences to the 75 people on board, so sad.
Often when these events happen there are stories of passengers who were unable to make the flight. In 9/11 there were numerous people who were due at work that day but were delayed.
The 1970s… No GCAS, Limited radar facilities, CRM wasn’t figured out, and probably hundreds of other technologies or regulations that had yet to be developed because a plane had yet to crash some type of way. All improvements to aviation are paid for in blood.
MY GOODNESS its crazy to put into perspective just how much technology and how far aviation has progressed in 52+ years. The thought of a passenger airport in the U.S. not having ILS today would be ridiculous. Rest In Peace to the 75 victims
We fly to a lot of pax airports with no ILS lol. MOST of them have a near equivalent GPS approach, but some older planes without vnav equipment (CRJ in particular) have to rely on traditional non precision approaches like VOR approaches with circling, exactly the same as this situation, particularly to smaller rural or mountainous airports.
Yea, With so much technology's advanced we have now We Still have Horrible Accident's remembers Terror at Tenerife? The most terrible among All, cost by the proudly self worshiped English pilot who disregard air control that day and even the copilot's advised not to go ahead to the runway since he didn't have instructed to do so- 2 Jumbo jets fully loaded with gas and people _ till now the most terrible in human life's lost_ Look for the video here- years ago I had the chance to meet a man who didn't died from the burning plane A real miracle ! and he wrote a book about it
the irony is that with ILS and automated landing systems many pilots are no longer competent to fly manual approaches and manual landings - which is exactly what happened with Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in SF
Greetings. I was also a high school sophomore at the time. I was not an athlete though I was heavily involved in football marching band season. What a tragedy. Have you seen the movie, “We Are Marshall”?
@@dennistucker9081 Greetings to you! I have seen the movie at least 2-3 times, really tugs at me every time. I wasn't a football player in high school, but I ran cross country, downhill ski racing and track. I was also in marching band! I played clarinet and saxophone. I worked as a residential architect for 35 years and was a church Worship Pastor part time. My wife and I both teach music currently, and enjoy passing down our knowledge/music experience to the younger generation. 🎶🙂🎶
One additional factor was that the airplane began to break out of the clouds while descending across a narrow valley. They were already at or below the airport's elevation but still a few hundred feet in altitude above the ground below them at the time. They began to see lights on the ground during this short period, and those lights may have have given them a false sense of security - a false sense of height above the airport... What the crew did NOT know [although, they SHOULD have known], was that the terrain in front of them would soon start to rise to their current height as they closed the distance to the airport on top of the hill. (Incidentally: this same phenomenon played an important role in two crashes at Cincinnati's Northern Kentucky Airport). It's always seemed to me like this crew simply did not spend enough time examining and familiarizing themselves with the pertinent aspects of and then briefing the approach - especially if neither pilot had ever flown into this field before... The really sad thing about this is that there are no do-overs.
I remember flying into this airport in 1970. As a 13 year old I remember coming in for a landing and watching the ground coming up to meet the plane. The same way when taking off it was as if the plane stayed level and the ground dropping away. When the video started and said West Virginia I guessed Huntington airport. It was a freaky airport to fly. It looked to me that they just took the top off a mountain and built an airport there.
@@fredspicker9403 I flew once into Kanawha Airport, Charleston W Va, around 1970 with my mother; many years later, when I looked into what had to be done to make it viable..........I was shocked. I'm guessing Huntington's is comparable.
I was pulling a news shift at a radio station in Louisville, Kentucky when the news of the crash came across the AP wire. For a few seconds I just stared at it in disbelief. Then I immediately went into action gathering as much information as possible and the story led our newscasts for many hours thereafter. The radio stations in Huntington were good about supplying voicers for our newscasts. That happened 52 years ago and when I think about it seems like yesterday. Something like that makes an impact on you.
When you see the recreation of a tragic accident like this that occurred many years ago, it is very humbling to realize how many people have lost their lives over the years in which the lessons learned from the cause have lead to the advancement of airline safety that we have today.
I'm a Marshall alumnus, class of '78. I was in 9th grade and remember the night it happened so clearly. It took the football program years to recover but they finally did. Thirteen conference titles and two Division I-AA national championships.
@@NOV123 you mean timeline? I was in 9th grade when the crash happened. We lived just a few towns away. My parents were both MU grass so we followed the team. I started college in 74.
My dad played basketball,for Marshall in the 40’s and I was born in Huntington in ‘53. Moved when I was 12 but make one or two trips back every year to catch a Marshall football game. These days the town is even more defined by the university but there is still a sad, haunting feeling…at least to me. Great school, great city, great movie. Blessings to all still there that were in any way touched by this tragedy🙏🙏🙏
Like so many other comments, this particular tragedy sticks in my head over many decades. Only the quality of TFC covering this story convinced me to watch, and endure the hollow feeling I knew would overcome me afterwards. I’m writing these words in an effort to justify my pain I chose to deal with. Well presented TFC. I’ll embrace my feelings knowing your work was worth my sadness. The movie “We Are Marshall”, with Matthew McConaughey is well worth the watch.
East Carolina U grad here and this tragic event still saddens me. I was finally able to make the trip to Huntington to see the memorial fountain. Pirate Nation will never forget those who were lost that day.
Thank you for covering this. Im a wv native and an Marshall Alum ‘09. This was before my time but i know the story very well. We Are Marshall the movie was also made in regards to this class, team and school. Every year, on the day, the crash is recognized on campus and there’s even a fountain on campus dedicated to the team. My fraternity (Pike) also has dedication to the crash and actual Pike members who were on board. If you go to Huntington WV they have a marker for the actual crash site.
I am from the Northern Panhandle of WV. I remember this well. It was 3 days before my birthday. Really broke the heart of many West Virginians. What a tragedy it was -- especially being so close to Christmas and Thanksgiving. So sad. Thank you for this recreation -- very well done!! 👍👍👍
This was a nasty blow to that town, that probably took a long time to recover from, and those families were shattered, and most likely never recovered from the loss.
I kept waiting (and hoping) for the cockpit to scream at them to "PULL UP!" but then remembered this was in the 70's when such systems didn't exist. Such a tragic accident.
Wow, I grew up in Huntington and heard this story all my life but most people including myself believed it was lightning that caused a power failure and then the crash. Thank you for your insight into this event and setting the story straight. Also for reference I have flown into tristate airport many times and it is a very precarious airport, it sits on top of a mountain with near shear drops on both ends of the runway. The runway itself is also very short so no room for error.
I was a student at Marshall. The city of Huntington and the entire State of West Virginia was devastated. This video was tough to watch. I’m still shaking.
The hills of Appalachia can be quite deceptive. The Appalachian Mountains are worn down and don’t have the craggy peaks of the Rockies, but there are countless hills and some can change drastically in elevation. I grew up in the area, and you get an appreciation for the hills when driving around. It seemed that every little town had its “Dead Man’s Curve” somewhere. I’ve always thought that this was a case of disorientation where the crew spotted lights on the ground and thought they were higher than they were because they didn’t consider that the lights may be in one of the valleys rather than the hilltop. Also consider that Tri-State is a very small airport. I remember my parents taking me to see the Blue Angels there in the late 80s or early 90s. The Blue Angels didn’t agree to perform there until Tri-State extended their flight line. Prior to this there wasn’t enough of a ground reference for them to perform safely, especially with the hills and valleys near the airport.
Just like Yeager, sits on top of the mountain. Takes very skilled pilot's to land at T/S and Yeager both. Actually most airports in the entire state of West Virginia.
Thank you for doing a segment on this one. This hits close to home for me as I’m from Huntington WV and live literally 15 mins from Marshall University Campus. I was born after the crash happened but I have talked to many people who still remember that day like it was yesterday. They also done a movie called We Are Marshall which highlights the plane crash and how Huntington and Marshall University overcame such a tragedy. 11/14/70 will be a day that we’ll never forget… #WeAreMarshall #Nov14 #75
I was raised in Huntington WV (living about ten minutes from Marshall University) when my family and I heard about this devastating accident while we were in Baltimore MD. The pain and shock still haunt me.
I was 8 at the time living in Ashland, Ky. I can remember waking up for school that morning and my dad sitting at the kitchen table reading The Herald Dispatch and I walked past I seen great big bold letters across the front page and even at that age knew something really bad had happened.
I have family in Huntington and all these years later they still speak of this tragedy with a terrible sadness. My uncle was a professor of music at Marshall and he sang the national anthem for every home game. Thankfully he was not on this flight. I've flown into into that airport in daylight and it looks like it was a small strip carved out of the side of a mountain.
Another tragic sports team crash one you might want to consider doing is the University of Evansville basketball team DC3 crash seven years later. I’d like to see your graphics on that one. Nice work.
Thanks for posting this. I am a Marshall grad Class of 1977. I read there was evidence the pilot attempted to pull up after initial contact with treetops.
Their instinct would have been to pull back on the yoke and increase power but I doubt they had time to do anything other than pull back on the yoke as a reflex which would have done nothing at that point. I don't think they had a flight data recorder that could have helped NTSB investigators determine the parameters such as altitude, airspeed, and heading actions of the crew or aircraft. And the cockpit voice recorder didn't indicate they were even aware that they were flying too low. The Board has been unable to determine the reason for the descent below minimum standards, although the two most likely explanations are: a) improper use of cockpit instrument data; or b) an altimetry system error.
I was there and walked thru the burning wreckage field with a TV news crew (WSAZ). Film was used at the time and I was carrying the case for the sound equipment. I stayed at the airport when Bos Johnson and Roger O'Niel returned to the station to process and edit the film. I have never seen so many ambulances in my life. None were needed.
Bos Johnson was one of my Journalism professors when I was at Marshall. I was only 7 when the crash happened, but I still remember hearing about it. The turning off of the fountain on campus still makes me sad!
My neighbors Son Kevin Gilmore was a running back on the Marshall football team and perished in that crash. Kevin along with 3 other team players remains were never recovered. The Gilmore family tragedy doesnt end there. Two decades later Kevin's Nephew Jack Gilmore was a QB for The University of Nevada Las Vegas and he was killed by a drunk driver in Jersey City NJ . Such heart ache for one family to endure.
Everyone in my flight class including me loves this channel. We use it to constantly remind ourselves to triple check everything and to NEVER get complacent. Watch your instruments follow procedure. Rip to the souls lost its heart breaking to know they were not even going to take the flight initially.
The Marshall Football plane crash was not the only football plane crash that year. Earlier in Oct, 1970, the Wichita State Football team's charter plane crashed in Colorado killing most of the team. The Flight Channel should do a video on this accident as well.
And about the Cal Poly Tech football team that crashed on take-off (I think) at Toledo, Ohio in the early 60s. John Madden's team, but he didn't make that flight.
December 1977 a crash in Evansville , Indiana, killed 29 on the plane carrying the Purple Aces basketball team and others when the plane looped back into the ground after becoming airborne. A ground crew man forgot to take the the block off of the rudder that kept it from swinging in the wind.
@@johncox2865 David Furr was not on the plane with his team due to an injury. Two weeks later, he and his brother were killed when their car collided with another vehicle. So the entire team was gone as a result.
There was an American Olympic ice-skating team which were killed in a plane crash, while heading to the arena in the 1950s. Also, a couple of farmers were killed on the ground as the plane crashed down on top of them.
What a sad story. Another totally preventable accident. It’s crazy that so many lives are lost because of the deficiency of one or two people. Wonder if there really was an issue with the altimeter readings, or if the pilots decision was ignorance, or hubris. Either way…..it makes u appreciate all the dedicated and professional pilots out there who follow the procedures and don’t take anything for granted.
@@ChancetheCanine If you believe in fate and that you have zero control over your own destiny, which thankfully, most don't believe. I believe in free will.
EGO comes into it. Doing a go around is probably seen as "bad" by your peers. I was on a flight and it was bad visibility. As we came into land I could tell we were quite a ways down the runway before we were where they could land. Thankfully the pilot pulled up and we did a go around. Next attempt we landed right were we should be touching down. I really think if he had touched down on 1st attempt we would have gone off the runway (run out of runway) or it would have been tire burning braking and still might have not had enough runway to stop.
@@deepthinker999 The cause of them flying too low was undetermined. However, the NTSB suspected two possible scenarios: #1) flat-out pilot error, which seems unlikely with such experienced pilots, or #2) water seeped into the instrument that indicates altitude causing an errant altitude output so the pilots would have thought they were safely above the minimum descent altitude required for this runway. I'm placing my bet on #2. But they'll never know for certain due to the complete destruction of the aircraft and all instruments. The cockpit-voice-recorder (black-box) did survive and showed the pilots were responding normally without a hint of concern in their voices due to the weather which; again, leads me to believe that it was #2 above and not pilot error.
A ground crew man failed to remove the block on the rudder that kept it from swinging in the wind. The aileron was also blocked. In addition, the plane was overloaded with the weight distribution incorrect. When the plane became airborne, since the rudder was blocked in a permanent turn, the plane looped back into the ground. The FFA said that the plane could have taken off even with an incorrect load had the rudder not been blocked.
I'm not sure this falls within what you prefer to cover, but please consider the Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team plane crash in 2001. A Beechcraft Superking 200 becomes disorientated in a snowstorm. 10 lives lost.
There have been so many airplane crashes around the world that wiped out all or nearly all of the members of sports teams...some 26 crashes in 60 yrs. It's so sad when so many who all share a personal connection to one another all die in a single event.❤🌹
The movie about the crash and the aftermath, "We Are Marshall", is one my favorite films. Not all of the team was on that plane. Some stayed behind due to injury, a few drove.
A non American sports crash that might be interesting to look into is the crash of YAK-Service Flight 9633, most of the Yaroslovl Lokomotiv KHL ice hockey team was lost along with trainers, coaches, etc. The NHL was deeply affected by this incident as well, since a few players were lost in this crash. I understand Russian anything is controversial right now, but this accident happened in 2011, long before this current situation we are in occurred.
Oh my! This was such an an avoidable tragedy. So devastating. TFC, your videos just keep getting better and better! They are mesmerizing and so well-done!!
I grew up in Kentucky...one hour from Marshall University. I was six years old when the crash happened. Maybe because my parents taught at Morehead State University everyone talked about the crash. Fifty three years later, I still root for Marshall despite them kicking our butts in the first game of the football season.
I remember when this happened. Our neighbor was on that plane. He was a football player for Marshall. Every time I go to Huntington. I also go to the cemetery and cry. I see his name on that the monument and my heart 💔 break's. May they all rest in peace.
Flying back then was pretty primitive compared to today. The only flights I ever took had destinations with ILS capabilities, so never experienced a flight like this one until I was in the Army…and few places we went had ILS. I noted that the right seat called out “400” when clearly they were lower, so….
i was 7 when this happened , i dont remember it in the news , but i did remember the tragic Andes plane crash Flight 571 as it was on the news , we still had black and white tv sets in 1972. You should do a video on flight 571 , i met Nando , one of the survivors in 1989 at a stop over in Mexico
@@mikehallman6129 The whole story i.e. movie, book, is about the survivors. It's a great book. I felt like I had walked out by the time I finished reading it. Usually they talk about eating the dead when this story is discussed, but, there is much, much more. I would love to meet Nando.
This was the infamous Marshall University football plane crash...The Wichita State University football plane crash also happened over one month earlier in that same year...Very sad period of time in 1970...
Ironically watching crashes gives me a sense of calm when on flights. Understanding all the changes that arise from crashes to prevent it in the future. Redundant systems are amazing
@@LauRoot892 I meant things had worked out. The football program recovered and recommendations were put into place, so this would be unlikely to happen again. It's still a tragedy, regardless.
I was at this game as a young boy. Went with the then basketball coach and his wife. I lived within walking distance of the stadium. I still remember Jim Woods at channel 9 coming on tv to tell us about the crash. Sad day!
"amazing to see"? Not the best choice of words huh - I don't think you intended that though. It's called people dying and then the safety measure improvements happen. "Tombstone technology" indeed - have seen a few commenters om here use those words. And those words are straight from the guy on the NTSB that appears on the show MAYDAY sometimes.
It is so disheartening to watch it. One literally doesn't want to LIKE the video. So many innocent lives and such tender ages as well. Also, on final approach.... But due appreciation for your hard work as usual mate. Always precise and concise explanation of events.
The sudden appearance of those TREE TOPS shocked me! I can hardly imagine what those pilots felt just before they crashed. Was there an explanation about their belief they found the glide slope? Not so certain "water got into the altimeter". Those things were tightly sealed and the airplane didn't leak until after it crashed.
@@big1dallas You stated my first thoughts exactly. I was figuring that CRM would have worked well in this case if it had existed at that time. The age difference between the two pilots tells a lot. My guess is that the captain thought he knew what he was doing (hubris) and just did not listen to what the first officer was telling him. Also, did they have maps of the area that indicated elevation of the terrain? That would have helped them figure out correct altitudes better.
The video is a little deceptive because it shows mostly level terrain and then the trees. The trees that the plane collided with are on top of a hill prior to the runway with valleys that are a few to maybe several hundred feet deep. There is a open spot just before the area with the trees that probably extends a mile or so that could give the pilots the impression they are good but with the poor visibility they still had a little ways to go before dropping down to runway altitude.
This one gutted me. Even though I am very familiar with the story, it is heartbreaking. This video was excellent. As usual. Very respectful of the lost.
My friend and Ravenswood High classmate Alan Skeens perished as one of the six who could not be identified. RIP my friend. Pilot breaks in procedure, like in hospitals, can be fatal for many. So sad.
I knew the first officer, Jerry Smith and his family. His son was about 7 mos. old at the time and went on to become a pilot and currently flies for Southwest. Jerry’s wife was my dear friend for over 50 years and recently passed away. She never got over this tragedy and the loss of her husband so young.
We lost college classmates and friends. Watch the movie, "We Are Marshall". And, keep in mind the movie intimates that it was a lightning strike that caused the crash.
I've flown into this airport and this runway numerous times early in my career. Because we operated mostly at night, it was very regular to have fog, low visibility, and generally tough instrument conditions at this airport. It is on top of a hill in a very humid area. At night the temperature would drop near the dew point and you'd get heavy fog conditions until sunrise the next morning. I had no idea about this accident until well after I stopped going into Huntington, but having some familiarity with the approach, terrain and weather in this area, I can see how a little inattention can be disasterous. It breaks my heart.
I was thinking that until close to the end. How could they? Then it mentioned possible altimiter fault. So bad we'll now never know and think badly of them. I now need to watch the last bit of cockpit dialogue again which i didn;t follow. I may have missed something. My first flight was 3 months earlier, aged 11. Shockingly avoidable tragedy, whichever the true cause.
@@pomerau Even if their altimeter was malfunctioning, from the information in this video, it appears that would have been a secondary cause. At one point the first officer indicated that the plane was at 400 feet. They were not supposed to descend below the MDA of 1,250 feet without acquiring a visual on the runway, which they did not have at that point. So going on the facts as the pilots understood them, they were in violation of the MDA rule and should have realized that and immediately ascended back up. They clearly lost situational awareness, but while following the MDA rule would have resulted in a missed approach, it probably would have avoided loss of the aircraft and the 75 souls on board.
Every decade improves with technology on board with systems updated and the oh so important ILS system to equipt pilots in such conditions. We have seen numerous accounts of pilots landing in treacherous conditions throughout history but once in a while even the best are defeated..sometimes it's in the lap of the gods,sometimes just pilot error....
As always, an excellent & realistic video. Usually, the channel lets it be known that the paint scheme isn't the same as actual aircraft in the crash. That's the case for this one. The blue & white livery came out in the mid 1970s.
Grew up across the river in Ashland KY, went to many Herd games through my young life and most notably the Randy Moss and Chad Pennington era. Even while I was in High School during the 80's, the team had many memorials and days of remembrances for the team. Ohh for the record we in that area refer to Kenova and Ceredo by their initials. CK! Ceredo comes before Kenova :) I flew out of and into that airport many times while I was in the US Army. Tri-State holds a special place in my heart.
This is unspeakably sad. All the loss of lives that had bright futures and the orphans left behind. I have a huge lump in my throat. Peace to the families and friends, your angels are flying high. Great job, as always.
I'm going with the faulty altimeter theory. The MDA is second nature to a pilot and FO with their experience. And although it was dark and rainy, they weren't fighting high winds and storm conditions. I guess we'll never know for sure but apathy seems unlikely.
I saw the movie as well and I offer to those personally impacted by that horrific tragedy my deepest, deepest heart felt sadness... It's incredibly difficult to put in words. But, I am so very sorry that hey passed that way.
This was so tragic. I remember ESPN doing a special on the team and this accident when I was younger. It scared me out of flying until i was much older. I was traumatized.
How sad of a tragedy this was! The two pilots were very experienced, and I'm sure they had landed planes in bad weather in the past. Something else may have gone very wrong for them trying to land. In most videos, I've watched when a plane crashes trying to land at night because of bad weather and no visibility! It never fails always fix the problem on an airplane after so many tragedies happen. I'm so very sorry to all surviving family members who lost their loved ones in this horrible tragedy! R.I.P.
@@stevenz933 Where in the NTSB report does it mention that they found water in the altimeter? I can’t seem to find it. The Flight Channel video states “at least one source says that water that had seeped into the plane’s altimeter could have thrown off it’s height readings…”. That source was not from the NTSB report. It is a theory put forth in the 2006 book “The Marshall Story: College Football’s Greatest Comeback” by Rick Nolte et al. Did I miss something?
@@TheCarnivalguy Another problem with the water theory is there are 2 altimeters, one on the Captains side and one on the FO side. So both altimeters had water in them and showed exactly the same wrong altitude? I don't think so
@@WayneM1961 Yes, with the info available, it is more than likely pilot error. Today, would the accident be called CFIT “controlled flight into terrain”?
It's terrible, seeing the whole team in a photo, and knowing what's going to happen. Unreal; that two pilots would fail to notice their low altitude! I would have my eyes glued to the altimeters and artificial horizon if it were me flying. Nothing else is as important. So the airport didn't have radar? That would have allowed the controllers to warn them of the low altitude.
By 1970 most U.S. airports should have had ATCRBS, which gets altitude information from a plane's transponder. I don't know of a way to find out if this particular airport had the system installed and working. Civilian primary radar can't get altitude information from passive radar returns.
@@hockeyguy820 West Virginia has always been poorer than almost any other state, so it’s possible they didn’t have the technology that they should have had. Still, the pilots weren’t rookies.
@@scottfranco1962: It's a system called "secondary surveillance radar" or more completely "air traffic control radar beacon system (ATCRBS)". A rotating radar sweep causes transponders to generate secondary radar returns in response. With the number of times the word "radar" appears in the system's name and description, are you going to stand by your statement? Didn't think so. You wrote: "Buzzzz... wrong. Radar does not give you altitude." Additionally, military radar does give altitude from primary returns because it uses both horizontal and vertical sweeps.
@@scottfranco1962 Wrong. The FAA is responsible for the specs of all airport radar systems, and the specs call for two separate units with different functions. The primary radar gives range, speed, and bearing. The secondary radar gives the altitude up to 25,000 feet. It does receive transponder info. Too bad the W. Virginia airport didn't have one.
Art Harris, a Marshall running back, and his father were both killed in the crash. The father was my first ever supervisor at a real job. Heck of a nice guy. This mishap occurred less than 11 months after I just missed the crash of a Navy fighter at NAS Miramar by 200 ft. Peace to all whose lives were touched.
The Flight Channel, can you, if you haven't already, do one on the crash of Darryl Ward who was on the tv show Ice Road Truckers. He was one of my favorite truckers on that show and I've always been curious as to why the plane he was in crashed.
Well, you're not supposed to. But based on the comments from the pilot and FO, it seems they thought autopilot was guiding them in on the appropriate glide slope. Being a chartered flight, I'm guessing the pilots had never flown into that airport before. Unfortunately, it seems they didn't know the runway had no ILS and they would have to fly the whole landing sequence manually. The one guy who probably HAD landed there before was the charter coordinator. He'd probably seen other missed approaches to that runway, leading to his comment "Bet it'll be a missed approach." Pilots should have listened to him. A tragedy that was entirely preventable.
The final touchdown.... A flight thru the night... into heaven's light.... "Oh precious memories how they linger...how they ever flood my soul".... Marshall will always remember... and be remembered. Condolences to the families.
My Uncle Rick was on the team. I remember when the movie came out and the families of the deceased had a special showing in a theatre when I was six. Watching the movie and my parents telling me my uncle was on the plane absolutely horrified me and i’m terrified of flying to this day. I watch this channel’s videos all the time and as soon as I saw this one on my feed I knew what it was. I love this channel and how well done and detailed all of the videos are and how they all make me feel like I can imagine a fraction of what the passengers and pilots went through. I’m sitting in the kitchen with the video stopped one minute in because I don’t know if I want to know exactly what happened to my uncle, but I know this video will do their deaths justice in the portrayal. rip uncle rick and all the passengers and crew on the plane.
so sweet of you. dont be hopeless.. Rick will be on a better place.. best wishes for you dear :) :)
I know this was a long time ago, but, I'm very sorry your family had to through such an ordeal. May your uncle Rest In Peace 😔
Sorry for your loss
so so sorry he was murdered by these bastards. your family deserved so much better.
Best wishes mate
My grandparents lived in West Virginia, my grandmother went to Marshall, and they were both invited to be on this flight. However, their family-owned restaurant needed to be managed, and so they decided to stay in Huntington. Their restaurant literally saved their lives. Condolences to the 75 people on board, so sad.
Often when these events happen there are stories of passengers who were unable to make the flight. In 9/11 there were numerous people who were due at work that day but were delayed.
Sure they did
@@griffin5184 *stunned disbelief*
@@deepthinker999 Agreed
@@griffin5184 Yes they did
The 1970s… No GCAS, Limited radar facilities, CRM wasn’t figured out, and probably hundreds of other technologies or regulations that had yet to be developed because a plane had yet to crash some type of way. All improvements to aviation are paid for in blood.
2wks ago????
Sadly it's true... many innocent people had to die :(
@@s.kirtivasen15699 He is one of the Patrons, must be.
@@s.kirtivasen15699 he's a member (I think). They get videos early
Tombstone technology.
WW2 vet and almost 20'000 hours of experience.. And still this can happen
yes exactly .. which means as I've said before I'm never getting on a plane lol
@@steelermia It's safer than driving!
@@golden.lights.twinkle2329 according to statistics that is true but I'm still not getting on a plane lol
@@steelermia I'm not getting on an inter dimensional space ship!😬
@@golden.lights.twinkle2329 but at least you are in control driving when flying your life is literally in someone else’s hands
MY GOODNESS its crazy to put into perspective just how much technology and how far aviation has progressed in 52+ years. The thought of a passenger airport in the U.S. not having ILS today would be ridiculous. Rest In Peace to the 75 victims
We fly to a lot of pax airports with no ILS lol. MOST of them have a near equivalent GPS approach, but some older planes without vnav equipment (CRJ in particular) have to rely on traditional non precision approaches like VOR approaches with circling, exactly the same as this situation, particularly to smaller rural or mountainous airports.
Because it was still too expensive. What a shame.
@@keikosan1354 Money more important than human life .. its still happening .. with everything..🤑🤑🤑😤🤯😔✝️☯️🛐🔎📖🔍
Yea, With so much technology's advanced we have now We Still have Horrible Accident's remembers Terror at Tenerife? The most terrible among All, cost by the proudly self worshiped English pilot who disregard air control that day and even the copilot's advised not to go ahead to the runway since he didn't have instructed to do so- 2 Jumbo jets fully loaded with gas and people _ till now the most terrible in human life's lost_ Look for the video here- years ago I had the chance to meet a man who didn't died from the burning plane A real miracle ! and he wrote a book about it
the irony is that with ILS and automated landing systems many pilots are no longer competent to fly manual approaches and manual landings - which is exactly what happened with Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in SF
I was a high school sophomore when this happened. Being an athlete, this really hit me hard at the time...still haunts me!😟
Greetings. I was also a high school sophomore at the time. I was not an athlete though I was heavily involved in football marching band season. What a tragedy. Have you seen the movie, “We Are Marshall”?
@@dennistucker9081 Greetings to you! I have seen the movie at least 2-3 times, really tugs at me every time. I wasn't a football player in high school, but I ran cross country, downhill ski racing and track. I was also in marching band! I played clarinet and saxophone. I worked as a residential architect for 35 years and was a church Worship Pastor part time. My wife and I both teach music currently, and enjoy passing down our knowledge/music experience to the younger generation. 🎶🙂🎶
I also was a sophomore and remember it well
gays only cries
@@ernievallejo11how crass
One additional factor was that the airplane began to break out of the clouds while descending across a narrow valley. They were already at or below the airport's elevation but still a few hundred feet in altitude above the ground below them at the time. They began to see lights on the ground during this short period, and those lights may have have given them a false sense of security - a false sense of height above the airport... What the crew did NOT know [although, they SHOULD have known], was that the terrain in front of them would soon start to rise to their current height as they closed the distance to the airport on top of the hill. (Incidentally: this same phenomenon played an important role in two crashes at Cincinnati's Northern Kentucky Airport). It's always seemed to me like this crew simply did not spend enough time examining and familiarizing themselves with the pertinent aspects of and then briefing the approach - especially if neither pilot had ever flown into this field before... The really sad thing about this is that there are no do-overs.
Well stated! Very sad but I think you eally captured the why
I remember flying into this airport in 1970. As a 13 year old I remember coming in for a landing and watching the ground coming up to meet the plane. The same way when taking off it was as if the plane stayed level and the ground dropping away. When the video started and said West Virginia I guessed Huntington airport. It was a freaky airport to fly. It looked to me that they just took the top off a mountain and built an airport there.
I kept thinking that West Virginia is mountainous which makes it all the more essential not to play around at low altitudes in poor visibility.
@@fredspicker9403 I flew once into Kanawha Airport, Charleston W Va, around 1970 with my mother; many years later, when I looked into what had to be done to make it viable..........I was shocked. I'm guessing Huntington's is comparable.
So sorry for your loss😰💔do you know what his jersey number was?
I live near Huntington and the pain of this tragedy is still felt to this day. Incredibly sad.
I was pulling a news shift at a radio station in
Louisville, Kentucky when the news of the crash came across the AP wire. For a few seconds I just stared at it in disbelief. Then I immediately went into action gathering as much information as possible and the story led our newscasts for many hours thereafter. The radio stations in Huntington were good about supplying voicers for our newscasts. That happened 52 years ago and when I think about it seems like yesterday. Something like that makes an impact on you.
Such a tragedy for an entire town and school! God bless all!
Phil 🥺❤️
@@leslieolson2222 Olson- Have You Heard!! about the New Federal COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDS on CNN last week? 😒❤️❤️
Philobeddoe12 and on October 2, 1970 another plane crash effected another college community
@@sgtawalt 😂👋
When you see the recreation of a tragic accident like this that occurred many years ago, it is very humbling to realize how many people have lost their lives over the years in which the lessons learned from the cause have lead to the advancement of airline safety that we have today.
I remember when this happened, still devastating that we lost a whole team and others. Rest In Peace beautiful souls.
I'm a Marshall alumnus, class of '78. I was in 9th grade and remember the night it happened so clearly. It took the football program years to recover but they finally did. Thirteen conference titles and two Division I-AA national championships.
Here at Wichita State we had a similar plane crash. We haven’t had a football program since.
Hello from Class of '77.
Not adding up!
@@NOV123 you mean timeline? I was in 9th grade when the crash happened. We lived just a few towns away. My parents were both MU grass so we followed the team. I started college in 74.
@@megperry1757 Oops! 😬. I forgot this was a university. Lol. Sorry! 😞
I remember seeing We Are Marshall. It still remains the worst plane crash in the history of sports.
Me too. Cried so much knowing the staggering losses and hearts breaking. So sad.
My dad played basketball,for Marshall in the 40’s and I was born in Huntington in ‘53. Moved when I was 12 but make one or two trips back every year to catch a Marshall football game. These days the town is even more defined by the university but there is still a sad, haunting feeling…at least to me. Great school, great city, great movie. Blessings to all still there that were in any way touched by this tragedy🙏🙏🙏
Hall 😊❤️
Of all the plane crash videos I've seen on this channel, this one brought tears to my eyes. What a horrible thing to have happened. :(
the pilots seemed to not be very good pilots
the pilots seemed to not be very good pilots
the pilots seemed to not be very good pilots
the pilots seemed to be very very good pilots
@@Comyupower
the pilots seemed to not be very good pilots
Like so many other comments, this particular tragedy sticks in my head over many decades. Only the quality of TFC covering this story convinced me to watch, and endure the hollow feeling I knew would overcome me afterwards. I’m writing these words in an effort to justify my pain I chose to deal with. Well presented TFC. I’ll embrace my feelings knowing your work was worth my sadness. The movie “We Are Marshall”, with Matthew McConaughey is well worth the watch.
East Carolina U grad here and this tragic event still saddens me. I was finally able to make the trip to Huntington to see the memorial fountain. Pirate Nation will never forget those who were lost that day.
Mike
Thank you for covering this.
Im a wv native and an Marshall Alum ‘09.
This was before my time but i know the story very well. We Are Marshall the movie was also made in regards to this class, team and school.
Every year, on the day, the crash is recognized on campus and there’s even a fountain on campus dedicated to the team. My fraternity (Pike) also has dedication to the crash and actual Pike members who were on board.
If you go to Huntington WV they have a marker for the actual crash site.
I am from the Northern Panhandle of WV. I remember this well. It was 3 days before my birthday. Really broke the heart of many West Virginians. What a tragedy it was -- especially being so close to Christmas and Thanksgiving. So sad. Thank you for this recreation -- very well done!! 👍👍👍
Hello 👋
What about University of Evansville, right after takeoff , lost entire team ,
This was a nasty blow to that town, that probably took a long time to recover from, and those families were shattered, and most likely never recovered from the loss.
Right 😢😢😢
Horrible but people do go on. You can't dwell on the past too much. Grieve for a bit then move on. With God all things are possible.
@@chilixi Amen, to that.
@@johnosbourn4312 ❣️🥺
@@timmy841212 Timmy 🌝
I kept waiting (and hoping) for the cockpit to scream at them to "PULL UP!" but then remembered this was in the 70's when such systems didn't exist. Such a tragic accident.
11 views in 36 seconds of video?! Wow! This channel has grown massively.
Wow, I grew up in Huntington and heard this story all my life but most people including myself believed it was lightning that caused a power failure and then the crash. Thank you for your insight into this event and setting the story straight. Also for reference I have flown into tristate airport many times and it is a very precarious airport, it sits on top of a mountain with near shear drops on both ends of the runway. The runway itself is also very short so no room for error.
John - Have You Heard!! about the New Federal COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDS on CNN last week? 😒❤️❤️
I was a student at Marshall. The city of Huntington and the entire State of West Virginia was devastated. This video was tough to watch. I’m still shaking.
As a Huntington native and current Aviation pro flight student, I've been anticipating this video for a while.
Evan 😷
The hills of Appalachia can be quite deceptive. The Appalachian Mountains are worn down and don’t have the craggy peaks of the Rockies, but there are countless hills and some can change drastically in elevation. I grew up in the area, and you get an appreciation for the hills when driving around. It seemed that every little town had its “Dead Man’s Curve” somewhere.
I’ve always thought that this was a case of disorientation where the crew spotted lights on the ground and thought they were higher than they were because they didn’t consider that the lights may be in one of the valleys rather than the hilltop.
Also consider that Tri-State is a very small airport. I remember my parents taking me to see the Blue Angels there in the late 80s or early 90s. The Blue Angels didn’t agree to perform there until Tri-State extended their flight line. Prior to this there wasn’t enough of a ground reference for them to perform safely, especially with the hills and valleys near the airport.
Just like Yeager, sits on top of the mountain. Takes very skilled pilot's to land at T/S and Yeager both. Actually most airports in the entire state of West Virginia.
John 3:16 NIV
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 🙏!!!
Thank you for doing a segment on this one. This hits close to home for me as I’m from Huntington WV and live literally 15 mins from Marshall University Campus. I was born after the crash happened but I have talked to many people who still remember that day like it was yesterday. They also done a movie called We Are Marshall which highlights the plane crash and how Huntington and Marshall University overcame such a tragedy.
11/14/70 will be a day that we’ll never forget…
#WeAreMarshall #Nov14 #75
I was raised in Huntington WV (living about ten minutes from Marshall University) when my family and I heard about this devastating accident while we were in Baltimore MD. The pain and shock still haunt me.
You mean you live 15 minutes from Marshall. Not literally. I cannot wait until this constantly misused fad word goes the way of "Not!"
I was 8 at the time living in Ashland, Ky. I can remember waking up for school that morning and my dad sitting at the kitchen table reading The Herald Dispatch and I walked past I seen great big bold letters across the front page and even at that age knew something really bad had happened.
Go eat at Central City Cafe. Say hi to Dave and Robbie for me.
@@deenasmusicbox Hello 👋
This channel is better than every air crash documentary!
I have family in Huntington and all these years later they still speak of this tragedy with a terrible sadness. My uncle was a professor of music at Marshall and he sang the national anthem for every home game. Thankfully he was not on this flight. I've flown into into that airport in daylight and it looks like it was a small strip carved out of the side of a mountain.
I live in Huntington and remember the night it happened. It still affects us to this day.
Another tragic sports team crash one you might want to consider doing is the University of Evansville basketball team DC3 crash seven years later. I’d like to see your graphics on that one. Nice work.
the music in these videos just makes this such a cinematic experience. love it. they always make me emotional when there's a loss of life.
Thanks for posting this. I am a Marshall grad Class of 1977. I read there was evidence the pilot attempted to pull up after initial contact with treetops.
Their instinct would have been to pull back on the yoke and increase power but I doubt they had time to do anything other than pull back on the yoke as a reflex which would have done nothing at that point. I don't think they had a flight data recorder that could have helped NTSB investigators determine the parameters such as altitude, airspeed, and heading actions of the crew or aircraft. And the cockpit voice recorder didn't indicate they were even aware that they were flying too low. The Board has been unable to determine the reason for the descent below minimum standards, although the two most likely explanations are: a) improper use of cockpit instrument data; or b) an altimetry system error.
I was there and walked thru the burning wreckage field with a TV news crew (WSAZ). Film was used at the time and I was carrying the case for the sound equipment. I stayed at the airport when Bos Johnson and Roger O'Niel returned to the station to process and edit the film. I have never seen so many ambulances in my life. None were needed.
I remain with the failure to use a single functioning brain cell to explain this totally crazy event.
Bos Johnson was one of my Journalism professors when I was at Marshall. I was only 7 when the crash happened, but I still remember hearing about it. The turning off of the fountain on campus still makes me sad!
@@bonniekaegrover740 Gover ❤️
My neighbors Son Kevin Gilmore was a running back on the Marshall football team and perished in that crash. Kevin along with 3 other team players remains were never recovered.
The Gilmore family tragedy doesnt end there. Two decades later Kevin's Nephew Jack Gilmore was a QB for The University of Nevada Las Vegas and he was killed by a drunk driver in Jersey City NJ .
Such heart ache for one family to endure.
The level of realism in these videos are stunning!
Give thanks to the Microsoft Flight Simulator program he uses. He doesn't create the images, he flies the planes and edits the images..
@@generalyellor8188 Yell 👩🍳❤️
Great to see a new video from The Flight Channel. An important crash. Thank you for making it.
Have You Heard!! about the New Federal COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDS on CNN last week? 😒❤️❤️
Thank you so much for doing this one! I live near the crash sight and never really knew the details of the actual crash till now.
Henry
Everyone in my flight class including me loves this channel. We use it to constantly remind ourselves to triple check everything and to NEVER get complacent. Watch your instruments follow procedure. Rip to the souls lost its heart breaking to know they were not even going to take the flight initially.
The Marshall Football plane crash was not the only football plane crash that year. Earlier in Oct, 1970, the Wichita State Football team's charter plane crashed in Colorado killing most of the team. The Flight Channel should do a video on this accident as well.
And about the Cal Poly Tech football team that crashed on take-off (I think) at Toledo, Ohio in the early 60s. John Madden's team, but he didn't make that flight.
December 1977 a crash in Evansville , Indiana, killed 29 on the plane carrying the Purple Aces basketball team and others when the plane looped back into the ground after becoming airborne. A ground crew man forgot to take the the block off of the rudder that kept it from swinging in the wind.
I remember that now. But, over the years, the two events had run together in my mind. Thanks for reminding me.
@@johncox2865 David Furr was not on the plane with his team due to an injury. Two weeks later, he and his brother were killed when their car collided with another vehicle. So the entire team was gone as a result.
There was an American Olympic ice-skating team which were killed in a plane crash, while heading to the arena in the 1950s. Also, a couple of farmers were killed on the ground as the plane crashed down on top of them.
What a sad story. Another totally preventable accident. It’s crazy that so many lives are lost because of the deficiency of one or two people. Wonder if there really was an issue with the altimeter readings, or if the pilots decision was ignorance, or hubris. Either way…..it makes u appreciate all the dedicated and professional pilots out there who follow the procedures and don’t take anything for granted.
Well I have to agree with what you say Z K but when your number is up it doesn’t matter you are going!
@@ChancetheCanine If you believe in fate and that you have zero control over your own destiny, which thankfully, most don't believe. I believe in free will.
What I can't reconcile is that (2) very experienced pilots were at the controls. What made them do what they did?
EGO comes into it. Doing a go around is probably seen as "bad" by your peers. I was on a flight and it was bad visibility. As we came into land I could tell we were quite a ways down the runway before we were where they could land. Thankfully the pilot pulled up and we did a go around. Next attempt we landed right were we should be touching down. I really think if he had touched down on 1st attempt we would have gone off the runway (run out of runway) or it would have been tire burning braking and still might have not had enough runway to stop.
@@deepthinker999 The cause of them flying too low was undetermined. However, the NTSB suspected two possible scenarios: #1) flat-out pilot error, which seems unlikely with such experienced pilots, or #2) water seeped into the instrument that indicates altitude causing an errant altitude output so the pilots would have thought they were safely above the minimum descent altitude required for this runway. I'm placing my bet on #2. But they'll never know for certain due to the complete destruction of the aircraft and all instruments. The cockpit-voice-recorder (black-box) did survive and showed the pilots were responding normally without a hint of concern in their voices due to the weather which; again, leads me to believe that it was #2 above and not pilot error.
One of the saddest moments in history. God bless every loss, I always pull for Marshall no matter what.
Very early cant wait to watch this with my dinner! I love how much time and effort you put in your videos for us :))) massive thanks!!
The University of Evansville basketball team had a similar tragic accident losing their entire team in 1977. 29 lives lost.
A ground crew man failed to remove the block on the rudder that kept it from swinging in the wind. The aileron was also blocked. In addition, the plane was overloaded with the weight distribution incorrect. When the plane became airborne, since the rudder was blocked in a permanent turn, the plane looped back into the ground. The FFA said that the plane could have taken off even with an incorrect load had the rudder not been blocked.
I'm not sure this falls within what you prefer to cover, but please consider the Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team plane crash in 2001. A Beechcraft Superking 200 becomes disorientated in a snowstorm. 10 lives lost.
Also the Wichita State football team plane crash. Our football program never recovered.
Yes. As soon as I saw this video, I thought of the OSU crash
University of Evansville lost entire basketball team in 1977 due to a crash
There have been so many airplane crashes around the world that wiped out all or nearly all of the members of sports teams...some 26 crashes in 60 yrs. It's so sad when so many who all share a personal connection to one another all die in a single event.❤🌹
The movie about the crash and the aftermath, "We Are Marshall", is one my favorite films. Not all of the team was on that plane. Some stayed behind due to injury, a few drove.
Hi 👋
@@LauRoot892 Hi back Laura!
@@adotintheshark4848 😐
@@adotintheshark4848 😒
Rip to all those passengers who are on the aircraft 😭😡
@Esna Dilta mk
@@pilotlancegameryt7123 ❤️❣️
A non American sports crash that might be interesting to look into is the crash of YAK-Service Flight 9633, most of the Yaroslovl Lokomotiv KHL ice hockey team was lost along with trainers, coaches, etc. The NHL was deeply affected by this incident as well, since a few players were lost in this crash.
I understand Russian anything is controversial right now, but this accident happened in 2011, long before this current situation we are in occurred.
Gina ❤️
Oh my! This was such an an avoidable tragedy. So devastating. TFC, your videos just keep getting better and better! They are mesmerizing and so well-done!!
Howard ❣️
"Crashing Just Before Landing" The plane did not crash before landing. The crash was the type of landing that the plane had.
I grew up in Kentucky...one hour from Marshall University. I was six years old when the crash happened. Maybe because my parents taught at Morehead State University everyone talked about the crash. Fifty three years later, I still root for Marshall despite them kicking our butts in the first game of the football season.
Excellent job on the recreation as always.
Trev 😊
I remember when this happened. Our neighbor was on that plane. He was a football player for Marshall. Every time I go to Huntington. I also go to the cemetery and cry. I see his name on that the monument and my heart 💔 break's. May they all rest in peace.
Flying back then was pretty primitive compared to today. The only flights I ever took had destinations with ILS capabilities, so never experienced a flight like this one until I was in the Army…and few places we went had ILS.
I noted that the right seat called out “400” when clearly they were lower, so….
Terry
i was 7 when this happened , i dont remember it in the news , but i did remember the tragic Andes plane crash Flight 571 as it was on the news , we still had black and white tv sets in 1972. You should do a video on flight 571 , i met Nando , one of the survivors in 1989 at a stop over in Mexico
I thought there was none?
@@mikehallman6129 The whole story i.e. movie, book, is about the survivors. It's a great book. I felt like I had walked out by the time I finished reading it. Usually they talk about eating the dead when this story is discussed, but, there is much, much more. I would love to meet Nando.
@@mikehallman6129 Hallman 🙄❤️
@@bradpoole400 Poole 😊❤️
There's a film on the tragedy and the university's comeback from it: "We Are Marshall".
This was the infamous Marshall University football plane crash...The Wichita State University football plane crash also happened over one month earlier in that same year...Very sad period of time in 1970...
While it's a tragedy that this plane crashed, with tremendous loss of life, this crash saved future lives by the lessons learned from it.
Cook 👩🍳
Ironically watching crashes gives me a sense of calm when on flights. Understanding all the changes that arise from crashes to prevent it in the future. Redundant systems are amazing
Taking the good aftermath!
@@LauRoot892 I meant things had worked out. The football program recovered and recommendations were put into place, so this would be unlikely to happen again. It's still a tragedy, regardless.
@@davidbailey6917 Where ya from ? How old are you ? Nice 😊 meeting ya 🤞🌸
@@davidbailey6917 😏
@@LauRoot892 I am from Oregon and I am 23. :)
I remember searching the Internet trying to see where I could watch We Are Marshall. This is a devastating tragedy.
I was at this game as a young boy. Went with the then basketball coach and his wife. I lived within walking distance of the stadium. I still remember Jim Woods at channel 9 coming on tv to tell us about the crash. Sad day!
👋❤️
Whilst it’s absolutely tragic each time there’s an accident, it’s amazing to see how safety measures continually improve as a result of findings
That's true Scott, sometimes people have to die to result in improvements.
This is sometimes referred to as “tombstone safety”.
"amazing to see"? Not the best choice of words huh - I don't think you intended that though. It's called people dying and then the safety measure improvements happen. "Tombstone technology" indeed - have seen a few commenters om here use those words. And those words are straight from the guy on the NTSB that appears on the show MAYDAY sometimes.
It is so disheartening to watch it. One literally doesn't want to LIKE the video. So many innocent lives and such tender ages as well.
Also, on final approach....
But due appreciation for your hard work as usual mate. Always precise and concise explanation of events.
The sudden appearance of those TREE TOPS shocked me! I can hardly imagine what those pilots felt just before they crashed. Was there an explanation about their belief they found the glide slope? Not so certain "water got into the altimeter". Those things were tightly sealed and the airplane didn't leak until after it crashed.
The first officer announced when they got down to 700 feet. So they knew they were low. Why didn't they gain altitude?
Poor CRM. The FO was afraid of stepping on the captain's toes, it seemed. Least of all, a WWII vet with 20,000 flight hours.🤔
@@big1dallas So many deaths from male ego issues.
@@big1dallas You stated my first thoughts exactly. I was figuring that CRM would have worked well in this case if it had existed at that time. The age difference between the two pilots tells a lot. My guess is that the captain thought he knew what he was doing (hubris) and just did not listen to what the first officer was telling him. Also, did they have maps of the area that indicated elevation of the terrain? That would have helped them figure out correct altitudes better.
The video is a little deceptive because it shows mostly level terrain and then the trees. The trees that the plane collided with are on top of a hill prior to the runway with valleys that are a few to maybe several hundred feet deep. There is a open spot just before the area with the trees that probably extends a mile or so that could give the pilots the impression they are good but with the poor visibility they still had a little ways to go before dropping down to runway altitude.
This one gutted me. Even though I am very familiar with the story, it is heartbreaking. This video was excellent. As usual. Very respectful of the lost.
My friend and Ravenswood High classmate Alan Skeens perished as one of the six who could not be identified. RIP my friend. Pilot breaks in procedure, like in hospitals, can be fatal for many. So sad.
I knew the first officer, Jerry Smith and his family. His son was about 7 mos. old at the time and went on to become a pilot and currently flies for Southwest. Jerry’s wife was my dear friend for over 50 years and recently passed away. She never got over this tragedy and the loss of her husband so young.
Yes his name is Scott.
We lost college classmates and friends. Watch the movie, "We Are Marshall". And, keep in mind the movie intimates that it was a lightning strike that caused the crash.
Movies take liberties. Maybe they didn't want to infer that the crash was pilot error.
I've flown into this airport and this runway numerous times early in my career. Because we operated mostly at night, it was very regular to have fog, low visibility, and generally tough instrument conditions at this airport. It is on top of a hill in a very humid area. At night the temperature would drop near the dew point and you'd get heavy fog conditions until sunrise the next morning. I had no idea about this accident until well after I stopped going into Huntington, but having some familiarity with the approach, terrain and weather in this area, I can see how a little inattention can be disasterous. It breaks my heart.
Have driven but never flown to Huntington. Terrain is awesome.
10k views is just an hour!! Loving how massively this channel is growing.
Hard to believe these experienced pilots ignored the MDA.
Strangely almost all these accidents involved experienced Pilots on this Channel.😒
Flew it right into the ground. Under those conditions how they weren't following the MDA/Altitude very closely is really strange.
@@orneryokinawan4529 1. Not your homeboy. 2. Where is that coming from? Said nothing about the production of this video.🤔
I was thinking that until close to the end. How could they? Then it mentioned possible altimiter fault. So bad we'll now never know and think badly of them. I now need to watch the last bit of cockpit dialogue again which i didn;t follow. I may have missed something.
My first flight was 3 months earlier, aged 11.
Shockingly avoidable tragedy, whichever the true cause.
@@pomerau Even if their altimeter was malfunctioning, from the information in this video, it appears that would have been a secondary cause. At one point the first officer indicated that the plane was at 400 feet. They were not supposed to descend below the MDA of 1,250 feet without acquiring a visual on the runway, which they did not have at that point. So going on the facts as the pilots understood them, they were in violation of the MDA rule and should have realized that and immediately ascended back up. They clearly lost situational awareness, but while following the MDA rule would have resulted in a missed approach, it probably would have avoided loss of the aircraft and the 75 souls on board.
Every decade improves with technology on board with systems updated and the oh so important ILS system to equipt pilots in such conditions. We have seen numerous accounts of pilots landing in treacherous conditions throughout history but once in a while even the best are defeated..sometimes it's in the lap of the gods,sometimes just pilot error....
The old saying about Aviation is true." Rules and regulation are Written in Blood."
The “actual visibility” part is creepy! 😳😳😳
CSS conditions...can't see sh!t
Can't wait to watch this. Your videos are incredibly well done, can't imagine how much work it takes to make these. You are an amazing channel 🥰
Hi 👋
This is so crazy. I don't blame them, they literally couldn't see anything. Rest in peace, man.
I know it can't have been their fault. But then, instruments fail all the time and pilots still get blamed.
@@tensevo they were taking heroin
As always, an excellent & realistic video. Usually, the channel lets it be known that the paint scheme isn't the same as actual aircraft in the crash. That's the case for this one. The blue & white livery came out in the mid 1970s.
Grew up across the river in Ashland KY, went to many Herd games through my young life and most notably the Randy Moss and Chad Pennington era. Even while I was in High School during the 80's, the team had many memorials and days of remembrances for the team. Ohh for the record we in that area refer to Kenova and Ceredo by their initials. CK! Ceredo comes before Kenova :) I flew out of and into that airport many times while I was in the US Army. Tri-State holds a special place in my heart.
I was barely 3 when this tragedy happened. I wonder how many players would have made it to the pros. Or would have gone to Canton. R.I.P. 😢😢😢😢💔💔💔💔.
Divine 🌝
+@@LauRoot892 Thank You! Sweety.
@@divinethunder6020 Where you from ? How old are you ?❣️❣️
This is unspeakably sad. All the loss of lives that had bright futures and the orphans left behind. I have a huge lump in my throat. Peace to the families and friends, your angels are flying high. Great job, as always.
Another great video TFC!
What a tragic event. Thank you for covering this.
I'm going with the faulty altimeter theory. The MDA is second nature to a pilot and FO with their experience. And although it was dark and rainy, they weren't fighting high winds and storm conditions. I guess we'll never know for sure but apathy seems unlikely.
The incompetence of the flight crew was unsurvivable
The airport in Kenova West Virginia is literally on a mountain, this crash devastated West Virginia.
I saw the movie as well and I offer to those personally impacted by that horrific tragedy my deepest, deepest heart felt sadness... It's incredibly difficult to put in words. But, I am so very sorry that hey passed that way.
Hi 👋
This was so tragic. I remember ESPN doing a special on the team and this accident when I was younger. It scared me out of flying until i was much older. I was traumatized.
Girl 😊
Very sad. Thanks for another brilliant video of yours.
How sad of a tragedy this was!
The two pilots were very experienced, and I'm sure they had landed planes in bad weather in the past. Something else may have gone very wrong for them trying to land.
In most videos, I've watched when a plane crashes trying to land at night because of bad weather and no visibility! It never fails always fix the problem on an airplane after so many tragedies happen.
I'm so very sorry to all surviving family members who lost their loved ones in this horrible tragedy! R.I.P.
I wonder whether those pilots were familiar with that airport? (In other words had flown into it before the crash incident flight)
@@davidpowell3347 Powell 🙄👋
One thing I’ve learnt from this channel is don’t fly on DC planes
Great great work Flight Channel!
What a tragedy... well recounted TFC, thank you.
Oh man, those "steam guages." This unfortunately was pilot error, but given the experience of the crew why the hell did it happen?
@@stevenz933 Where in the NTSB report does it mention that they found water in the altimeter? I can’t seem to find it. The Flight Channel video states “at least one source says that water that had seeped into the plane’s altimeter could have thrown off it’s height readings…”. That source was not from the NTSB report. It is a theory put forth in the 2006 book “The Marshall Story: College Football’s Greatest Comeback” by Rick Nolte et al. Did I miss something?
@@TheCarnivalguy Another problem with the water theory is there are 2 altimeters, one on the Captains side and one on the FO side. So both altimeters had water in them and showed exactly the same wrong altitude? I don't think so
Get-there-itis and the cockpit experience gradient are the reasons.
@@WayneM1961 Yes, with the info available, it is more than likely pilot error. Today, would the accident be called CFIT “controlled flight into terrain”?
@@WayneM1961 👋
These videos give me anxiety and make me so sad, yet I can’t stop watching them. Those poor people.
It's terrible, seeing the whole team in a photo, and knowing what's going to happen. Unreal; that two pilots would fail to notice their low altitude! I would have my eyes glued to the altimeters and artificial horizon if it were me flying. Nothing else is as important. So the airport didn't have radar? That would have allowed the controllers to warn them of the low altitude.
By 1970 most U.S. airports should have had ATCRBS, which gets altitude information from a plane's transponder. I don't know of a way to find out if this particular airport had the system installed and working. Civilian primary radar can't get altitude information from passive radar returns.
@@hockeyguy820 West Virginia has always been poorer than almost any other state, so it’s possible they didn’t have the technology that they should have had. Still, the pilots weren’t rookies.
Buzzzz... wrong. Radar does not give you altitude. The airplane broadcasts its altitude with more modern technology.
@@scottfranco1962: It's a system called "secondary surveillance radar" or more completely "air traffic control radar beacon system (ATCRBS)". A rotating radar sweep causes transponders to generate secondary radar returns in response. With the number of times the word "radar" appears in the system's name and description, are you going to stand by your statement? Didn't think so.
You wrote: "Buzzzz... wrong. Radar does not give you altitude."
Additionally, military radar does give altitude from primary returns because it uses both horizontal and vertical sweeps.
@@scottfranco1962 Wrong. The FAA is responsible for the specs of all airport radar systems, and the specs call for two separate units with different functions. The primary radar gives range, speed, and bearing. The secondary radar gives the altitude up to 25,000 feet. It does receive transponder info. Too bad the W. Virginia airport didn't have one.
Art Harris, a Marshall running back, and his father were both killed in the crash. The father was my first ever supervisor at a real job. Heck of a nice guy.
This mishap occurred less than 11 months after I just missed the crash of a Navy fighter at NAS Miramar by 200 ft.
Peace to all whose lives were touched.
man this channel deserves an oscar!
I just reloaded my TH-cam... to find this posted 10 seconds ago...
The Flight Channel, can you, if you haven't already, do one on the crash of Darryl Ward who was on the tv show Ice Road Truckers.
He was one of my favorite truckers on that show and I've always been curious as to why the plane he was in crashed.
Uff one of my favorites football movies and i have never think on the plane crash. Thank you from Villalba, Spain.
We are Marshall!
I don’t understand how you can continue to descend without visual confirmation of the runway.
Well, you're not supposed to. But based on the comments from the pilot and FO, it seems they thought autopilot was guiding them in on the appropriate glide slope. Being a chartered flight, I'm guessing the pilots had never flown into that airport before. Unfortunately, it seems they didn't know the runway had no ILS and they would have to fly the whole landing sequence manually. The one guy who probably HAD landed there before was the charter coordinator. He'd probably seen other missed approaches to that runway, leading to his comment "Bet it'll be a missed approach." Pilots should have listened to him. A tragedy that was entirely preventable.
The final touchdown.... A flight thru the night... into heaven's light.... "Oh precious memories how they linger...how they ever flood my soul".... Marshall will always remember... and be remembered. Condolences to the families.