"All Boeing simulations of the flight resulted in crashes" The captain is a legend

As a matter of fact during airborne the passengers thought that the captain did a sightseeing tour above Athens. They didn't learn about the incident until landing in Hellinicon Airport. Captain Migadis is a legend in Greece.He passed away in 1996 at the age of 73 y.o.

In my opinion, this looks like a Sully-level save. A situation in which physics should have surely doomed the flight, yet the pure knowledge, skill, experience, and clear-headedness of the pilot created a miracle. Especially with the "all simulations resulted in failure" bit.

As I am a resident of Athens and more specifically Kallithea, and in 1978 I was 4 years old, there's a chance that I owe my life to captain Migadis. Rest in peace sir.

A pilot could cure cancer, eliminate world hunger, and save a aircraft from crashing, and still the airlines will throw them under the bus to protect their bottom line.

The captain is obviously a better flyer than anyone at Boeing. Not mentioned was that 3 hours later the captain and crew took another aircraft on the flight to NYC.

This legend literally had the nerves to think about saving the passengers, avoiding a potential crash in a populated area, using his aerodynamics knowledge to keep the plane airborne, and he didnt even think about ditching, he brought the plane back like nothing happened. What a legend, i'm stunned

As a Greek I've watched all documentaries about this incident, including the captain's interview about it. The captain was a real legend, unfortunately he passed away. Rest in peace Captain Migadis.

Capt. Migadis was an ex Air Force pilot, which explains how he acted on that day (ie fly by the book except in such dangereous situations).

As a greek we would always be told of that incident from our parents. it was really a true example of a pilot who knew physics very well. we even heard that when they try to play the same flight route on flight simulators, the plane crashes. I'm so glad a tragedy didn't happen to my country P.S. even the pilot himself admitted that if it weren't for that sudden wind that helped them turn, they would never make it. It was totally fate and a magnificent pilot's work

At age seven I was a passenger on a TWA flight out of JFK to Madrid, heading out to see my grandparents. We lost an engine, the second engine was leaking fuel. The pilots, God bless them, turned us around over the Atlantic and completed a successful emergency landing back at JFK. TWA provided the adults an open bar while we waited for another jet. I remember having to put my head down for landing, oxygen masks were down and the runway was peppered with medical personnel. I am forever grateful to these talented pilots.

This pilot must had some balls dipping his nose at such a low altitude to gain speed.Enough respect to this man and the whole crew.

My old flight instructor told me one time that speed kills in a motor vehicle, speed saves in an airplane. Never forgot that. Great job by the crew for a successful landing against the odds.

Now those had to be the most terrifying minutes of hundreds of people's lives. Shout out to the flight crew for making sure that everyone got to the ground alive.

Holy hell... these Pilots are amazing. Could you imagine gliding through a city? It's not just your passengers. It is everybody on the ground too... hats off

Should make a Netflix film based on this. Amazing true story !

A standing ovation and a huge round of applause for that Captain. Thousands of people must have ducked for cover in those buildings as the plane roared overhead.

The piece about the simulations after the event all crashing is similar to the the Sioux City DC10 crash - even with the knowledge of what took place, non of the simulations made it to the airport. Training and experience will get you so far but sometimes luck and a sense of knowing that you're doing the 'right thing' is what makes some of these events remarkable in how they ended

This Captain is a legend. he flew under the minimum speed without crashing and he ended up saving so much lives

The Captain kept everyone alive, he deserves a medal.

Everybody lives! Just this once, everybody lives! Mad props to the pilots, who brought everyone home safely!

Amazing that he managed to keep it flying when all simulations couldn't.

Excellent video! Who else was stressed out watching this? This is the captain's way of telling Boeing: Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face. A fantastic job by the flight crew! If this was a disaster, people would talk about it for decades, so let's talk about it for decades because this success deserves to be remembered!

This Captain was a true "airman". His skill in spite of "the rules" saved hundreds of lives!

How blessed are those passengers and folks in buildings and on the ground to have had such a knowledgeable pilot on that plane!

I was a kid but i still remember the jumbo passing over our heads at extremely low altitude. It damaged the tv antenna on a five stories building!

Now THAT's the true meaning of an AIR BOSS !!!!

Actually Migadis ordered the gear up because after the runway there was the Panas hill and he saw that the wheels would touch on the top of the hill. His friend copilot Fiskardos after a moment’s hesitation followed the order. They passed 9 feet above the top of the hill…

That captain deserves an award for his actions and saving all those lives. Probably not alive today but his family should receive an award in his name

Even though I knew everyone survived I still held my breath watching the plane skirt those buildings. Imagine how those passengers felt.

Heros like this pilot definitely need to be promoted significantly. This pilot sure is a genius and I am happier than ever to listen to information like this about having no casualties nor losses both combined.

Capt. Migadis`s experience saved so many lives on that day. I used to live in Kallithea and if that plane came down in that area there would have been hundreds more casulties.God rest his soul.

That pilot had awesome skills, actually all 3 worked cohesively and kept their composure. Hero's.

This would have gone down in history as one of the worst crashes in Europe, rivaling Tenerife and JAL123 but THANKFULLY the wind and excellent piloting skills saved everyone and so, fewer people remember it. It's sad that people only remember the times pilots werent so lucky.

Every simulation of this flight resulted in a crash says something about how friggin great that captain is.

I worked at Boeing's Southington plant as an inspector, where they built the JT9D engines. There was one young fella, a relative of the production manager, who did sloppy work and I refused to sign off on his shoddy workmanship. After much wrangling, I was fired for not approving his junk. I heard one of the engines blew up in the test chamber, fan blades that weren't properly wire tied.

I doubt we have this calibre of airmanship in today’s world. Not because pilots don’t have the ability, but because technology has taken away so much of the craft from them. That Captain and flight crew was awesome. What a great upload. 🖤🖤👏👏

Even though an error was made all in all this is straight up great piloting

Man, even thought I KNOW no one died and the plane would eventually make a safe landing, watching that massive 747 fly dangerously close to all of those buildings was absolutely nerve-wracking. Even hearing that the plane ripped off antennas during this makes it amazing that it didn't crash. Flying 200 feet in the air at an impossibly low airspeed...woah.

A similar incident happened 20 years later. On 28 June 1998, United Airlines Flight 863 almost crashed into a mountain after engine 3 failed on takeoff from San Francisco. The Boeing 747-400 with 307 people onboard cleared the mountain by just 100 feet. And the incident in this video was even closer.

Excellent video !A few interning facts that the pilot himself has mentioned in an interview. The reason he didn't crash was the aerodynamic phenomenon of ground effect which in simple terms means that the aircraft will fly at a lower speed than outside of the ground effect.Ground effect starts to appear at the height above the ground which is equal to the wingspan .Ground effect is more evident at heights of 10% of the wingspan this is where the induced drag is the lowest. The buildings in Athens more or less have the same height and due to this, the aircraft flew (over the rooftops which created the aerodynamic phenomenon of ground effect) below the minimum speed as per Boeing because flying into the ground effect is not part of any data in a simulator or flight test. PS excellent explanation that you mentioned why the landing gear must not be retracted immediately after lift of .The captain broke that rule and saved them all, I am an airline pilot and admire the actions and decisions taken by that captain who had excellent situation awareness and good knowledge of the principles of flight .

In other words, an exploding #3 engine is absolutely normal according to Boeing.

The captains deep knowledge has really worked here...imagine flying just above the building and you dont knwo when it crashes to those buildings ....incridible job by the captain.

This is truly an incredible story and this is the kind of pilot you want flying a plane when you're on a plane!!!

That was harrowing to watch. Congrats to the flight crew.

That captain deserves a huge amount of respect.

This brought tears to my eyes, God bless the pilot and his crew for saving all those lives… just stunning and beautiful. ❤️

Imagine having 418 peoples lives at your hands… truly terrifying. Thank god that pilot was flying that craft. Others may not have been quite as experienced and had the balls to think under that amount of pressure. 🙏🏼

Kudos to the Captain!!! The investigators and plane manufacturer can say what they want!!! This man prevented what could have been a tragic catastrophic loss of lives - He's a Hero!!! God Bess Him for breaking the rules!!! 🙏❤

Wow! I am glad to hear that everyone survived! This plane flew extremely low and flew over building only very few feet from obstances!

A true legend of the captain led to the perfect member of flight crew in this situation, therefore saving 418 lives. What a legend of a man.

This a great example of a pilot being able to "fly" the plane unlike a lot of pilots today who rely too much on the plane's technology and autopilot.

Apparently it cleared the mountain by 9 feet! 😳 Great piloting.

This incident, above ALL others, shows the true value and heroism of well-trained flight crew. Had this plane come down in central Athens the death toll could easily have been 1000+.....this is a great video but doesn't really do justice to the bravery and sheer balls of the Captain and his crew in getting this plane down safely.

Thank you captain for saving so many lives including yours!

Maneuvering through skyscrapers and mountains with that kind of problem is sheer genius on the pilot's part. He knew he had to do some things that were totally against the rules to do it.

Wow, this was absolutely gripping! Amazing piloting... I can't imagine how terrifying that must've been for everyone on board!

As a kid I used to fly out of that airport approx. once a year. Needless to say I was terrified during each take off, with water on the left hand and a sea of buildings on the right hand side. On Olympic especially, pilots used to perform an abrupt turn to the left right after wheels up, which back then led me to believe that we were about to crash into the sea next to us...needless to say I don't miss too much fying out from there

“Everyone survived”…not me letting out a huge sigh of relief, knowing damn well from the start everyone would survive😂

This captain is a COMPLETE LEGEND!! Rest in peace captain Migadis!

You do not believe how lucky those guys are. Why they survived is the ground effect, because when they flew super close to the tops of the buildings, it reduced the drag over the wings, therefore increasing their speed just enough to keep them off stall speed. You could see this sometimes on takeoff, such as if an aircraft takes off late, the aircraft will seem to "float". Amazing video, TFC! Rock on!

Being so close to those buildings had me on the edge of my seat. I can't imagine what those passengers went through.

As the plane was flying mere feet from the rooftops I was holding breath. Now that's not something you'd forget.

Wow! Much respect to the Captain and f. Officer! Legends! I can't imagine the pressure they were under.

Its always good to see the "Everyone survives" in the end

What the hell, this captain is a complete legend

I got very emotional watching this, as I was in the exact same crisis. Thank you for giving full credit to the pilot Captain Migardis. His decisions and actions alone saved the 418 souls. Around 1976 or 1977, I was on a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to London. The flight was full, so about 400 passengers, or just under that, and 18 crew members. Bahrain was one of the transit stops and it was also a refuelling stop. Departure was around 1am. Just after lift-off, or perhaps just before lift-off, one of the engines exploded with a huge flash which lit up the night sky. I was in the upper deck with all window blinds down and I couldn't and didn't see anything. However, the seat belt sign was on for an unusually long time and was never switched off. Then the captain announced we were turning back to Bahrain airport due to technical issues. Bahrain is surrounded by sea. The next half hour or so was spent flying around dumping fuel. We landed without any incidents, but with fire engines lined up on both sides of the runway. Passengers on the main deck later said they saw a big bright flash from one of the right engines just at take-off. Some said it seemed like we were struggling to climb. It sounds like we had the same problem as this Olympic Airways aircraft. We were on a B747-200B which also had Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines. It was indeed a flagship aircraft for Singapore Airlines and was one of their selling points. The name of the captain, a long-service and very experienced pilot, escapes me now but he was the one who saved our lives.

"No matter what, fly that wing", my instructor said to me many times. I love this channel. It let's me keep my head in the game, even though I had to give up flying a few years ago because the cost pushed me out. The flight crew are heroes, for sure.

Despite having watched all of your videos, this is one of the few videos that portrayed to me how limited the crew is in terms of mobility when they're airborne. The amount of restrictions just to bank left or right is unbelievable

Kudos to the pilots for saving their plane and passengers! When what happened becomes a flight training scenario, you know you overcame some incredible odds to survive.

This is the definition of defy expectations… Man, This Pilot is no short of a legend.

Wow, an amazing demonstration on flying in the critical moments. Hope his flying is taught around the world and his name stay at flight school everywhere. RIP Captain

Man, that story had a very, very high pucker factor! Talk about a close shave! Quite a feat of airmanship!

So awesome to finally see an animation of the story. Definitely one of the best shows of airmenship, alongside United 232, American 95 and Jal 123

A nail biting but more than satisfactory outcome. Everybody survived is the best news. So glad to watch how the pilot operated so skilfully and knowing the terrain of Athens so well. Well done to him and his team and it’s to their immense credit that it is now studied in training programmes. Thanks for your superb production skills, highly detailed and thoroughly researched as always.

This pilot performed a miraculous landing!! He needs medals for his knowledge and bravery! I can’t believe they threw him under the bus. He saved everyone that day!!

The city view from the passengers' windows should have been absolutely amazing !

Remarkable feat of airmanship. Absolute respect.

the crew need to deserve a lot of love

I have been waiting for this a while now, im so happy you're finally covering this incident! Greetings from Greece

The Captain and crew showed excellent airmanship. That was one of the most terrifying visuals I've seen on TheFlightChannel. Imagine the passengers looking out the windows and seeing the rooftops so close. The cabin was probably full of praying people. Well done, Captain.

This one has my heart racing! What an amazingly skilled pilot and his 2 crew members, being able to use all their knowledge while keeping a cool head! Respect ✊

amazing, on how safe it is to fly with experienced pilots! mad respect.

Give that pilot a medal --- the guy's a hero !

The pilots are amazing... That situational pressure in real time was much more than any simulator.

That captain saved all those souls. Hero in my book.

I don't have a particularly morbid curiosity, but your videos are so well-done that I started to seek them out to see what they held. Constantly delivering good content, with well-written accompanying to the point text and a great mix of animation that is rendered as accurate as possible with video and/or audio from the presented subject where possible. Well done. Subscribed a few days ago to at least support the channel in the only way I can.

I can't begin to imagine what the inhabitants of Athens must have felt seeing that 747 so close above their rooftops...

An incredible story it must have been terrifying for both crew & passengers . A truly incredible job but the captain & crew to keep that seriously damaged aircraft in the air

Whatever errors were or were not made, the crew saved the plane and everyone on board. How that plane stayed in the air at that weight and that speed is remarkable, and down to them.

The captain flew with angels that day. I bet he was a praying man. Peace!

I can't imagine living and working in any of those buildings that this plane was flying over at that altitude. That must have been so scary. Great flying and calmness shown by this pilot. He must have nerves of steel.

That's some pretty good flying, especially when you consider that all simulations of the circumstances resulted in the loss of the aircraft.

Salute to captain, first officer n flight engineer...🙋‍♂️❤️

What a dynamic action by the crew of the flight. So many lives were saved on air as well as on the ground. Good performance pilots.

Imagine if he didn't retract those gears they could have lost the gear and maybe hit the buildings and even if they survive, they wouldn't be able to land. Retracting the gear really was a game changer

Captain Migadis' skills, knowledge, and quick thinking was an incredible achievement that very few pilots could manage. He did the "impossible" and saved everyone's lives. Thank you, Sir!

A perfect example of an amazing crew and captain using their experience, and excellent CRM. The fact Boeing couldn’t redo what this captain accomplished in dozens of simulations without crashing shows that. Reflecting that if they had followed Boeings guidelines to not retract the gear low, it could’ve been a different outcome, especially if they were already striking antennas on buildings. Any of the gear clipping the top of any building would’ve been enough to ensure it wouldn’t climb anymore and hits one of the next buildings. The best outcome is the gear is torn completely off but even that will affect the altitude of an already low and slow plane that can’t afford to lose any speed or altitude.

What an incredible task done by this Captain. 💙✈️

jesus, the quality of these is beyond. well done. amazing work went into these, bravo, bravo.