In 1985, China Airlines Flight 006 was bound for Los Angeles from Taipei.
Everything was going smoothly during the flight, but about an hour and a half before landing, the Boeing 747's No. 4 engine failed. The No. 4 engine failed while the Boeing 747 was flying at 40,000 feet, and the pilots were focused on restarting the engine. The captain was so preoccupied with dealing with the engine trouble that he didn't notice the aircraft making a sharp right turn and beginning to descend. Because the No. 4 engine was not working, the aircraft was losing speed. Then the plane stalled and went into a steep dive.
The aircraft plummeted at a speed of approximately 10,000 feet per minute. All passengers and crew experienced forces of up to -5G. It must have been hell. The pilot believed the attitude indicator was not working while the plane was diving through the clouds. He had lost complete control of the aircraft. In minutes, the plane went from 40,000 feet to 10,000 feet (3048m). At approximately 9,500 feet (2896m), the plane emerged from the clouds, and the captain miraculously managed to stop the dive and fly at level altitude.
Engine No. 4 was able to restart at low altitude. However, the landing gear door broke during the dive, causing the landing gear to retract. This increased the aircraft's drag and caused the engines to consume more fuel. The pilot declared an emergency and was able to make an emergency landing in San Francisco. Fortunately, no one died in the accident, but dozens were injured.
Not only were the landing gear doors detached, but a portion of the horizontal stabilizer had also been cut off. It was incredible that the plane could fly with most of its main flight control systems missing.The investigation concluded that the crash was due to pilot error, stemming from the pilot's excessive focus on the engine and his belief that the instruments were malfunctioning during the steep descent. It turned out that the instruments had been functioning perfectly the entire time. The pilot nearly crashed, but managed to abort the dive once the plane emerged from the clouds at an altitude of 10,000 feet, saving everyone.

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