Flight 123 facts

While investigating facts about Flight 123, I found out little known, but curios details like:

Kyu Sakamoto was the first Asian to have a number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963 with "Sukiyaki"; the only Japanese song to top the chart. Tragically, he died in a plane crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123, the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history.

When Japan Airlines flight 123 crashed in Japan in 1985 killing over 500 people, a JAL maintenance official negotiating compensation with families killed himself to apologize for the accident.

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 14 of the best facts about Flight 123 I managed to collect.

1. In 1985 JAL flight 123, a Boeing 747 flying from Tokyo to Osaka, lost its tail mid-flight. During the 32 minute descent and then crash into the mountains, many passengers wrote goodbye notes to their loved ones on airplane drink napkins. Of the 520 passengers on board, 4 survived.

2. The initial survivors of the Flight 123 crash died from delay in the rescue due to nearby American forces being told to stand down and the rescue party waiting until the next morning to begin the search

3. In 1973, 123 passengers died on an airplane because of a fire started by a cigarette. Since then, all airplane bathrooms are required to have an ashtray even though smoking has been banned on all domestic flights since 1990.

4. When Japan Airlines Flight 123 crashed in 1985, US military teams found the wreckage within 20 minutes but were given orders to stand down and not participate in rescue efforts. Japanese rescue teams waited until the next day to search for survivors.

5. Despite the USAF locating the crash site of Japan Airlines Flight 123, no rescuers arrived until the next day, by which time most of the initial survivors had died.

6. Ricardo Trajano was the only passenger to survive Varig Flight 820 airplane crash in 1973 by disobeying all the official safety instructions. The crash caused 123 deaths; there were only 11 survivors, 10 were members of the crew.

7. In 1985 Japan Airlines flight 123 crashed during a flight from Tokyo to Osaka. Over 500 passengers died, including well-known celebrities. It is the deadliest accident in aviation history and many theories exist about the cause of the crash due to the delayed rescue operation and other info

8. After Japan Airlines flight 123 crashed into a mountain due to mechanical failure in-flight, JAL president resigned and Boeing mechanic killed himself

9. Passengers on Japan Airlines Flight 123, the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history, had enough time before the crash to write goodbye messages to their families.

What is true about flight 123?

You can easily fact check it by examining the linked well-known sources.

When Japan Airlines Flight 123 crashed in 1985, US military teams found the wreckage within 20 minutes but were given orders to stand down and not participate in rescue efforts. Japanese rescue teams waited until the next day to search for survivors.

After the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123, the deadliest single airplane accident in history, several workers for the airline linked to the incident killed themselves. - source