I came across this on a non-aviation related search but thought it might interest some here.
I've added a highlight to inform, but the original wikipedia page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Airlines_Flight_123 (and beyond)
need decent, respectful exploring.

"The elapsed time from the bulkhead explosion to when the plane hit the mountain was estimated at 32 minutes – long enough for some passengers to write farewells to their families.[7][22] Subsequent simulator re-enactments with the mechanical failures suffered by the crashed plane failed to produce a better solution, or outcome; despite best efforts, none of the four flight crews in the simulations kept the plane aloft for as long as the 32 minutes achieved by the actual crew.[7]"

from a Wikipedia article detailing the crash of JAL flight 123 in 1985.

This site which contains the last words of passengers on the doomed flight just breaks my heart.

Great work by the crew, absolutely shameful performance by the rescue team's management. To not even bother looking through the wreck until the next day and refuse help by immediately ready US Marines is just...

"Without admitting liability, JAL paid ¥780 million (7.6 million USD) to the victims' relatives in the form of "condolence money". Its president, Yasumoto Takagi (高木 養根 Takagi Yasumoto), resigned, while a maintenance manager working for the company at Haneda killed himself to apologize for the accident"

"Darling**, it's too bad that this has happened.
Goodbye
Please take good care of the children
It's 6:30 now.
The plane is turning around and descending rapidly.
I am grateful for the truly happy life I have enjoyed until now."

that one got to me

Legend has it that a few aircrew have tried reproducing the doomed flight in the simulator.
No-one has managed to keep the big aeroplane airborne for more than a few minutes.

it is amazing how much can be learned and reconstructed.
RIP

what site, and how did they get the last words ? there were no cellphones then.

Don't know what site, but reading Wikipedia the crash didn't burn. So they probably had time to write while in the inflight emergency. Finally, the saddest part is the rescue. Ends up a lot could have survived if they would have let the US military aid and gotten there before exposure killed a lot of them.

i found a youtube video of the recording, wow those captains should be honored in japan, they really did fight an impossible odd to the very end and managed the impossible, were the mountain not in the way who knows, they may had even manage to crash land somewhere. Really sad

Amazing crew, no doubt. Heroes really. Just a shame they were over mountains than flat ground, they might have saved more lives... but mountains were REALLY out of their control.


People wrote on papers, back of napkins, anything they could write on.

"Mayday" featured this accident. Its really a good show, one thing I noticed is how responsive the air transport industry is, in correcting things in the wake of accidents. After blitzing through 6 seasons, despite it being about trajic accidents, I'm actually MORE confident in the safety of air travel. Generally.