Few crashes have been as horrific or as full of dangers in the plane and on the ground as the one that happened to Japan Airlines Flight 123 on August 12, 1985. The 747, out of Tokyo and bound for Osaka, had been modified to hold more passengers and was full. Shortly after takeoff, it experienced a serious malfunction in the rear tail section, rendering all controls useless.

The problem was eventually traced to an improper repair Boeing had made years earlier. The flight lumbered along with the pilots wrestling for control and warning passengers to stay seated. Suddenly it slammed high into the side of Mount Osutaka. A flyover revealed at least ten fires burning among the sprawling wreckage, likely taking the lives of many who might have been spared. Further, the plane wreckage seemed to have slipped down the mountain, worsening the situation for...