It has been four decades since the tragic loss of 520 lives in southern Gumma prefecture, Japan, northwest of Tokyo, when Japan Airlines flight 123 collided with Mount Takamagahara.

The ill-fated flight took off from Haneda airport in Tokyo at 6:12 PM local time, with a scheduled landing just an hour later. However, shortly after departure, the pilots issued a distress call, reporting a loss of altitude.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a mere 12 minutes into the flight, the rear bulkhead of the aircraft exploded, leading to a loss of control for the pilots. Despite their efforts and distress calls requesting rerouting to Tokyo airport, they struggled to maintain control for an additional 30 minutes before the plane ultimately collided with the Kantō Range mountain.

The flight, occurring on the eve of the Japanese holiday Bon, was fully occupied with 509 passengers and 15 crew members. Unaware of the impending tragedy, passengers captured images during the flight, some of which have surfaced on Reddit, dated August 12, 1985.

Among these images are views from the window and one particularly poignant photo, indicating signs of distress onboard with oxygen masks deployed and crew members assisting passengers. Regrettably, rescue operations were hindered by the challenging terrain, delaying assistance for 14 hours until rescue teams could reach the site by helicopter descent.

Out of the 524 occupants, only four survived, marking the highest number of fatalities from a single aircraft crash. Investigations later revealed a faulty repair on the aircraft seven years prior as the root cause of the catastrophic malfunction.