“Yup,I recall having heard this story years ago.I remember somebody who was on board saying that people were kneeling in the aisles praying.”
... the history of the crash, and selected pieces of the aircraft and passenger effects (including handwritten farewell notes)
The aircraft, configured with increased economy class seating, was carrying 524 people. Casualties of the crash included all 15 crew members and 505 of the 509
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Airlines_Flight_123
Yes,I've seen one or two documentaries on that Japan Airlines crash.A very ugly,tragic one for sure.IIRC the root cause was that repair work performed years before on the aircraft had been done improperly and,as a result,over time a crucial part of the plane basically fell off (the tail) which meant certain doom.I recall it being said that the pilot fought bravely to get the plane down but given the extent of the damage there wasn't a chance.
I recall that among the dead on that flight was a guy name Kuio Sakamoto (? spelling) who had a huge hit here in the early 60s called Sukiyaki.I've always loved that song and so did my Mom.