Tokyo

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Sapporo - Tokyo

MSN:

20436/788

YOM:

1971

Flight number:

NH058

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

155

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

162

Aircraft flight hours:

865

Circumstances:

The Boeing 727 departed Sapporo-Chitose Airport on a regular schedule flight to Tokyo-Haneda, carrying a crew of 7 and 155 passengers. While cruising at 28,000 feet, the airplane collided with a Japan Air-Self Defence Force North American F-86F Sabre registered 92-7932 and carrying a crew of two. Following the collision, both aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a mountainous area located south of Shizukuishi. While both military pilots were able to eject and were uninjured, all 162 occupants on board the 727 were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the military pilot under training failed to see and avoid other traffic while conducting a training mission. Relatively inexperienced, the trainee pilot had a total of 25 flying hours and delayed a corrective manoeuvre as ordered by his instructor. This caused the right wing of the Sabre to struck the horizontal stabilizer of the B727.
The following factors were identified:
- The instructor continued the training flight without noticing that he had left the training airspace and entered the jet route J11L.
- It is estimated that the All Nippon Airways pilots saw the training aircraft at least 7 seconds before the collision, but the avoidance operation was not performed until just before the collision. This is probably because the ANA pilot did not anticipate the collision.
- For the instructor, the trainee's instruction to avoid a collision was shortly given to the trainee immediately before he saw the ANA aircraft, and he could not avoid the trainee's collision. This is probably because the instructor was unable to see the ANA aircraft.
- About two seconds before the collision, the trainee visually recognized the ANA aircraft slightly to the right of the accident aircraft, and immediately performed an avoidance operation, but was unable to avoid the collision. It is considered that this is because the trainee had little experience in this manoeuvre and was mainly devoted to maintaining the relative position with the instructor aircraft, and it was delayed in observing the ANA aircraft.

Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing 707-321C at Elmendorf AFB: 3 killed

Date & Time: Dec 26, 1968 at 0615 LT

Type of aircraft:

Boeing 707

Operator:

Registration:

N799PA

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

San Francisco – Elmendorf – Tokyo – Đà Nẵng – Cam Ranh Bay

MSN:

18824/397

YOM:

1964

Flight number:

PA799

Location:

Elmendorf-Richardson AFB (JBER)

Alaska

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

15207

Captain / Total hours on type:

3969.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

9813

Copilot / Total hours on type:

2813

Circumstances:

The aircraft christened 'Clipper Racer' departed San Francisco on a cargo flight to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam with en route stops at Elmendorf AFB, Tokyo and Đà Nẵng. Because of below minima weather at Anchorage International Airport, the aircraft landed at Elmendorf AFB. Several delays were experienced before the flight taxied out at 06:02. Flight 799 was given a void time of 06:15 by Oceanic Control to avoid traffic conflict. If the crew failed to make that time, it would result in a 45 min delay. When the checklist item "wing flaps" was called, the 'follow me' truck arrived to guide them to runway 23. From then on the crew were busy steering the plane on the slippery taxiways and talking to Oceanic Control resp. The aircraft was cleared for takeoff at 06:14. The stick shaker sounded shortly after VR (154 kts). The aircraft rotated climbed slowly. The right wing contacted the snow covered ground 94 feet left of the extended centerline at a distance of 2760 feet from the runway. The aircraft rolled inverted and broke up.

Probable cause:

An attempted takeoff with the flaps in a retracted position. This resulted from a combination of factors:
- Inadequate cockpit checklist and procedures,
- A warning system inadequacy associated with cold weather operations,
- Ineffective control practices regarding manufacturer's Service Bulletins,
- Stresses imposed upon the crew by their attempts to meet an air traffic control deadline.

Final Report:

Crash of a Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair in Karachi: 13 killed

Date & Time: Mar 8, 1967

Type of aircraft:

Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair

Operator:

Registration:

F-BMHU

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Karachi - Tokyo

MSN:

4/10338

YOM:

1962

Location:

Karachi-Muhammad Ali Jinnah-Quaid-e-Azam

Sindh (سنڌ سندھ)

Country:

Pakistan

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff, the airplane encountered difficulties to gain height when it struck a bridge over Drig Road and crashed. All six crew members and seven people on the ground were killed.

Probable cause:

Failure of the right engine during initial climb while the left engine did not provide sufficient power.

Crash of a Beechcraft D18S off Tokyo: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 24, 1954

Type of aircraft:

Beechcraft D18

Operator:

Registration:

JA5012

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Test

Survivors:

Site:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Schedule:

Tokyo - Tokyo

MSN:

A-0975

YOM:

1953

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew (two technicians and two pilots) were conducting a post maintenance test flight when the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the Tokyo Bay. The aircraft sank and was lost and all four occupants were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47D into the Tokyo Bay

Date & Time: Dec 21, 1952

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

43-49084

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

14900/26345

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Inbound from Korea, the crew was descending to Tachikawa AFB when the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the Tokyo Bay. The aircraft was lost and all four crew members were rescued.

Crash of a Martin 202 on Mt Mihara: 37 killed

Date & Time: Apr 9, 1952 at 0807 LT

Type of aircraft:

Martin 202

Operator:

Registration:

N93043

Flight Phase:

Mt Mihara (Oshima Island)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Tokyo – Osaka – Fukuoka

MSN:

9164

YOM:

1947

Location:

Kantō

Country:

Japan

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route from Tokyo to Osaka, while cruising about 100 km south of Tokyo in marginal weather conditions, the airplane christened 'Mokusei' (Jupiter) hit the slope of the Mt Mihara (volcano) located on the Oshima Island. The wreckage was found few hours later and all 37 occupants have been killed. Apparently, the airplane was off course at the time of the accident, most probably due to a navigational error on part of the crew.

Probable cause:

Although the Japanese government aircraft accident investigation committee conducted a thorough investigation, it encountered some difficulty because of the rejection by the Occupation authorities of a request from the committee to provide a tape recording of instructions to the distressed aircraft from the Haneda Airport control tower. As a result, the accident investigation was closed with the aviation agency's report that the probable cause was the pilot's operational error.

Crash of a Douglas C-47D off Oshima Island: 25 killed

Date & Time: Jul 27, 1950 at 0430 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

44-76439

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Schedule:

Tokyo – Kagoshima – Okinawa

MSN:

16023/32771

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Twenty minutes after its departure from Tokyo-Haneda Airport, while cruising at an altitude of 3,500 feet in marginal weather conditions, the aircraft went out of control, went into a dive and crashed into the sea about 10 miles south of the Oshima Island. A passenger was rescued while all 25 other occupants were killed when the aircraft sank to a depth of 1,500 meters. According to the testimony of the only survivor, the aircraft encountered turbulences while flying into adverse weather conditions and thunderstorm activity. Several electrical problems occurred with the light coming on and off in the cabin shortly before the aircraft became out of control.

Crash of a Boeing B-17G-110-BO Fortress into the Pacific Ocean: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 16, 1947

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

43-39465

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer

Schedule:

Tokyo – Honolulu – Los Angeles – Washington DC

MSN:

10443

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While approaching the Hawaiian coast of Oahu Island on a flight from Tokyo, the crew encountered a fuel exhaustion and was forced to ditch the aircraft about 60 miles west of Hickam Field where it should land. Ten people were rescued while three others were killed, among them George Acheson, personal advisor of General McArthur and President of the Allied Council in Japan.

Probable cause:

Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer in the Tokyo Bay: 13 killed

Date & Time: Mar 9, 1945

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

59497

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Aerial photography

Survivors:

Site: