Unforgivable!! The Tragic tale of Air Algérie Flight 6289

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Holy cow, I can't even imagine the psychological rollercoaster that it must be to be the only person who survived a disaster specifically because you weren't following safety protocols

I feel really bad for the first officer. That was an incident that turned into a disaster because of the captain's unprofessionalism. Thank you for the amazing content again, Petter and team!

A long time ago, riding jump-seat in a 727-100 approaching Deadhorse, Alaska, I made an off-hand comment about the scenery. The captain said two words: "Sterile cockpit." Though I was not in the flight crew, his concern was that my simple one-sentence statement could begin a distraction, and he was right. I was on board as a riding mechanic, had no place in the cockpit communication chain at that point, and should have kept my mouth shut. I knew this. . .was ever more thoughtful after that. I appreciated his reprimand and manner amd grew my respect for his professionalism grew a lot that day.

As someone who flew a heck of a lot during a 40 yr career and still flys a lot, I can honestly say Air Algerie in the 1990s was the only airline that made me fear for my safety. I now realize I’m so lucky to be here today.

Of course the guy who hasn't been paying attention, isn't prepared, and doesn't understand what's going on takes control away from the only person doing their job.

The amount of indifference by the captain is horrifying. He knows damn good and well what should have happened. RIP...

My father was a steward on BOAC in the 1940s and during regular flights to Sweden, part of his job was to take supplies of alcohol to the pilots. How times have changed!

And unbelievable level of incompetence from that captain. Feel sorry for everyone else on that flight that day.

One thing you didn’t discuss was the ‘power gradient’ in the cockpit. It is unfortunate that the FO ever agreed to start engines and leave the gate after such a shabby preflight performance by the captain, but I suspect that the operational culture of the airline was such that she feared losing her job if she canceled the flight because the captain was not prepared to fly and was blatantly and repeatedly disregarding SOP. One would hope that a FO in this situation could say, “Hey, let’s pause a minute Captain, because we really don’t seem to be on the same page here and I’d like us to be working as a team. Can we talk about this for a minute please?” or something like that, but I’m pretty sure that, in these circumstances, even that sort of diplomatic pushback from a female FO toward a male captain just wasn’t possible. Ego and hubris have killed a lot of people in airplanes.

I'm not a pilot, at all, but even I was squirming in my seat as you put it. The problems were pretty obvious from the get go. I feel sad for the 1st Officer, I think she had the best chance of saving the plane as at least her mind was 100% on the job. To use language that is lacking in any grace, the Captain was a twat.

I am Algerian, i was nine year old when the accident happened, i remember seeing it in the national news, since then this the best narration i came across for this crash ....it is sad to see that unprofessional attitude of the captain was the majors reasons of this....my Allah have mercy on all of victimes

I am a former Turkish flight attendant that performed Air Algerie flights between 2008-2010. I guess the pilot in command probably was a sexist man and feeling guilty inside to be late for flight. His ego took the plane down. I was a flghy attendant in Istanbul and my company had a wet lease agreement with Air Algerie. in 3 years nearly in every 2 months we had 2 weeks layovers in Algeria. One of my Algerian colleagues had told me this accident and that he lost his beloved female colleage and that female hostess was all burned and black :(( He had told me this story during a ferry flight of Air Algerie aircraft back in 2009, 6 years later this horrific disaster. May them RIP except that pilot in command.

Imagine being those 3 passengers who were denied due to document issues

The captain not participating in the pre flight checks and just goof of with the personel, is a massive red flag! Him allowing his friend on the flightdeck, chatting away rather than participating in the take off... Simply unforgivable!

I am a retired ATP from flying a metro liner and an A&P & and a flight engineer on the 727. I did not have YouTube back in the day to learn so much. Your videos now are amazing an pilots are lucky to find you and the knowledge of dissecting all of the types of emergencies you can be faced with. Love this channel and thanks for all you do!

Another major overlooked factor could be that of the cultural barrier which would probably hinder a more aged male captain from taking his junior female first officer seriously. The fact that he took back all controls could be a confirmation of this barrier.

As a pilot, an instructor, and an evaluator, this makes my blood boil. The indifference of the captain, his obvious entitlement, his lack of professionalism… Some people should not be allowed to call themselves pilots.

I hope I never have to be a passenger with a captain like that in charge!

What happened to the Purser's phone call to his 17 year old son? I'm sure I heard you mention that you will come back to this point? Anyways many thanks for taking the time and effort to create this video. I wonder if the fact the the FO was a female pilot played a role in the Captain disregarding her briefings and not treating her with the respect she deserved.