First Flying DHC-6-400 skids off runway at Aguni.

On August 28th, First Flying's [DAK] flight DAK101 operated by Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter JA201D veered off the runway to the right and crashed into the airport perimeter fence after touching down at Aguni [AGJ/RORA] around 0854 JST. All 14 on board, including three crew, evacuated safely, and some were treated for minor injuries at the island sole clinic. This aircraft was delivered in March this year and had only entered service earlier this month (First Flying bids farewell to Islander, welcomes Twin Otter.).

Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter JA201D seen after crashing into the perimeter fence after skidding off the runway upon landing at Aguni. (Photo: Aguni Airport)

Visibility was reportedly good at 10 kilometers and winds were mild as well at the time of the accident. "Touch down was like any other, but when I deployed the brakes, I felt something unusual as if the tires got locked. Then the aircraft became uncontrollable and skidded off the runway," according to the first officer who was at the controls. The 62-year-old pilot had logged 16,000 total hours, however, the flight was the final part of a 65-hour training on the new DHC-6-400 which would have promoted him to captain. A 57-year-old pilot served as captain on the flight. Crew training on revenue flights are not uncommon.

The right landing gear was torn off and the forward section seems to have significant damage. The aircraft is only six months old. (Photo: Aguni Airport)

Officials of Japan Transport Safety Board (JCAB), a division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT), arrived at the scene on the following day today on August 29th and designated it an accident. The nose and forward section of the fuselage have been significantly damaged, along with engine number two, while the right landing has been torn off. "It appears the aircraft still had speed when it crashed into the fence. We will tow the aircraft out of the area to examine it, while checking the flight records to investigate how and why it happened," said a JTSB official.

Aguni, which has a single 800-meter runway, will be closed until further notice. First Flying is the only airline serving the island with three-times-daily service connecting it with Okinawa/Naha [OKA/ROAH], the prefecture's capital located 60 kilometers southeast. The remote airport opened for flights in 1978. For the 750 inhabitants, a daily 130-minute ferry ride would become the only means of transport to and from Naha for the time being. First Flying will suspend the 20-minute route until the cause is identified, while it has also confirmed that the launch of new routes from Ishigaki [ISG/ROIG] to Hateruma [HTR/RORH] and Tarama [TRA/RORT], planned for December 1st, would be postponed.

Source: NHK, 2015 August 28th. (in Japanese)
Source: NHK, 2015 August 29th. (in Japanese)
Source: Okinawa Times, 2015 August 29th. (in Japanese)

Japan Airlines JL123 crash remembered 30 years on.

August 12th marked the 30th year since Japan Airlines [JL/JAL] flight JL123, an ordinary domestic flight from Tokyo/Haneda [HND/RJTT] bound for Osaka/Itami [ITM/RJOO], crashed into Mount Osutaka in Ueno Village, Gunma. It claimed the lives of all but four of 509 passengers and 15 crew members aboard, making it the deadliest aviation accident in Japan and the deadliest single-airliner accident in history. Boeing 747SR-46 JA8119 was the aircraft involved.

JAL President Yoshiharu Ueki paid tribute at the crash site memorial, swearing safety would never be compromised again. Mr. Ueki has participated in the ceremony every year since taking office in 2012. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

Last evening on August 11th, bereaved families and relatives floated lanterns on nearby Kanno River to honor those who perished and pray for aviation safety. On the following day today, hundreds of mourners hiked up the mountain to reach the crash site. Among them was Yoshiharu Ueki, JAL's current President. "I expressed my deepest condolence and apology to the 520 who died. I would like to apologize to the families and relatives for 30 years of suffering and sadness," said Mr. Ueki, adding "Lives come first. No compromise nor excuse is acceptable when it comes to safety. That is engrained in the hearts of the 32,000 employees at JAL."

A moment of silence was observed by participants at a ceremony that was held at the memorial facility near the foot of Mount Osutaka at 1856 JST, the exact time the ill-fated aircraft ended its short voyage. It was attended by 252 family members and relatives of the vitctims, as well as 104 officials from the local government, regulator Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), and JAL, including Mr. Ueki, Chairman Masaru Onishi, and Vice President Nobuhiro Sato.

The doomed 747 that departed Haneda at 1812 on August 12th, 1985 quickly ran into trouble when a loud bang was heard followed by decompression. JA8119 had been involved in a tailstrike incident at Itami seven years earlier as flight JL115, and faulty repair of the damaged rear pressure bulkhead was determined as the cause of it not withstanding pressurization on the 12,319th flight after the fix. When the bulkhead gave way, the resulting explosive decompression ruptured the lines of all four hydraulic systems and ejected the vertical stabilizer. With the aircraft's flight controls disabled, the 747 became uncontrollable. Desperate efforts by the crew to tame the plane were in vain, and the aircraft crashed into Mount Osutaka approximately 30 minutes later.

Source: Aviation Wire, August 12th. (in Japanese)

Fuji Dream Embraer E175 loses cabin pressure over Akita.

On July 7th, Fuji Dream Airlines [JH/FDA] flight JH212 from Sapporo/New Chitose [CTS/RJCC] bound for Matsumoto [MMJ/RJAF] made an emergency landing at Niigata [KIJ/RJSN] en route, due to a warning light indicated a problem with the bleed air system. Aircraft involved was Embraer ERJ170-200/STD (E175) JA06FJ Purple, carrying 67 passengers, three flight attendants, and two pilots.

Embraer ERJ170-200/STD (E175) JA06FJ Purple at Fukuoka. Fuji Dream Airlines' fleet is currently comprised of three 76-seat E170s and six 84-seat E175s. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

JH212 departed the gate at New Chitose on time at 1430 JST and took off at 1444. Around 1524 when the aircraft was cruising over Akita prefecture, a warning light indicating a malfunction with the bleed air system came on, followed by a loss of cabin pressure. Declaring emergency, oxygen masks were deployed, and the airplane descended to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), before diverting to Niigata, where it performed a safe touchdown at 1547.

Nobody was injured, and there were no abnormal odors or noises on the aircraft, according to FDA. Regulator Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) has designated the occurrence as a "major incident," which could have led to an accident. The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) is investigating the matter.

Source: Fuji Dream Airlines, July 8th. (in Japanese)
Source: Aviation Wire, July 8th. (in Japanese)

J-Air missed inspections for three Bombardier CRJs.

J-Air [XM/JLJ], the wholly-owned commuter arm of Japan Airlines [JL/JAL], flew three Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200ER aircraft for up to six months without inspections being carried out on engine-related parts, JAL officials said on June 24th. In order to carry out the checks, the regional airline on June 24th canceled 23 flights affecting 807 passengers, though there were no disruptions the following day.

Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200ER JA205J at New Chitose serving Sapporo. Deliveries of newer Embraer E-Jets will start later in 2015 to replace CRJs, though J-Air's entire fleet will eventually be standardized on the Mitsubishi MRJ (JAL orders 32 Mitsubishi MRJs and 27 Embraer E-Jets.). (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

The three aircraft in concern are CRJ-200ERs JA207J, JA208J, and JA209J, which were delivered in October 2005, December 2005, and March 2006, respectively. The airplanes' structural parts supporting the engines were required for inspection when they reached 22,145 cycles, and once every 11,773 cycles thereafter. However, they went unnoticed without one for up 2,178 flights, or six months. All necessary checks, which found no flaws, were carried out on the night of June 24th.

Technical personnel noticed the three aircraft had missed the check-up when they were updating their maintenance system. Their six other CRJ-200ERs in its fleet are unaffected. J-Air is investigating why it failed to conduct the inspection.

Source: Aviation Wire, June 24th. (in Japanese)

JAL Boeing 767 encounters turbulence near Seoul.

On September 12th around 1730 KST (no time difference with JST), Japan Airlines' (JL/JAL) flight JL093, service from Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) to Seoul/Gimpo (GMP/RKSS), encountered sudden rough air as it was descending to its destination. Although no injuries were reported among the passengers, seven flight attendants sustained minor injuries.

Sistership Boeing 767-346/ER JA613J awaits its next assignment at Haneda. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

The aircraft involved was Boeing 767-346/ER JA654J, which had departed Haneda at 1535 JST with a load of 218 passengers, including three children, 10 flight attendants, and two pilots. As the 767 was descending to Gimpo, at 4,900 meters (16,000 feet) it experienced what was likely caused by wake turbulence approximately 25 minutes prior to landing, about 95 kilometers southeast of Seoul's airport near downtown. The aircraft landed safely at 1759, four minutes behind schedule.

Of the seven injured cabin crew, one was diagnosed of neck and back sprain which required two weeks of rest and treatment. The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) designates any event that results in injuries requiring treatment for over 48 hours an aviation accident, so this case fell under that category. However, South Korea, which has the authority to investigate the matter as it happened in Korean airspace, is not considering this an accident. 

Reference: Aviation Wire, September 17th. (in Japanese)

JAL finds 16 maintenance errors between October and May.

An internal investigation by Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) found 16 maintenance errors between October 2013 and May 2014. During routine maintenance on May 8th, Boeing 777-289 JA8978 was found missing a cascade of the thrust reverser in one of its engines, and it turned out the aircraft had flown without the part for a month.

A subsequent probe revealed 16 maintenance errors on 777s and 767s between October 28th, 2013 and May 17th, 2014, and as a result, JAL suspended all scheduled maintenance procedures between May 19th and 23rd to analyze the cause, review current procedures, and come up with preventive measures. "Engineers have work shifts. We made the decision so that all of them could get together and talk as one team," JAL President Yoshiharu Ueki said.

Yuji Akasaka, Chief of Maintenance Department told reporters "The causes vary from case to case, but are human errors. Procedures have become highly systematic, like in any other department, and each step is carried out very accurately. However, inter-procedural human involvement has been weakened," citing lack of inter-personal communication.

Source: Aviation Wire, June 2nd. (in Japanese) 

*Post edited/updated in June 15th.

Vanilla Air delayed 2.5 hours due to nose wheel malfunction.

On the night of May 3rd, Vanilla Air (JW/VNL) flight JW806, service from Okinawa/Naha (OKA/ROAH) to Tokyo/Narita (NRT/RJAA), was delayed two hours and a half due to nose wheel steering problems with the Airbus A320 assigned for the flight.

The airframe involved was A320-211 JA8385, originally delivered to All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) back on April 16th, 1991, and leased to the Narita-based LCC at the end of February by parent ANA Holdings. Carrying a load of 159 passengers (including three children), four flight attendants, and two cockpit crew, JW806 departed from the gate at Naha at 1904, local time. However, as it was taxiing to the runway, the nose wheel locked in the straight position and became unsteerable. After it was towed back to the terminal for maintenance and fix-up, the aircraft re-departed at 2004, an hour and 24 minutes behind its scheduled departure of 1840, and took off at 2125.

However, when the aircraft was approaching Narita, indicators displayed problems with its nose wheel again. The crew informed passengers about the technical issue and told everyone to brace for possible impact upon landing. Fortunately, JA8385 made a flawless landing on Runway 16L/34R (Runway B) at 2345 with no injuries, however, as its nose wheel could not be steered, the aircraft had to be towed to the terminal, where it arrived past midnight, over two hours and 30 minutes behind its published timetable. With all public transportation finished by this time, stranded passengers spent the night inside the terminal. Vanilla Air did not compensate for the delay in any way, following its policy. After a night's maintenance, the A320 returned to service the following morning.

This is not good publicity for the fledgling LCC, as it was also forced to cancel dozens of flights from the end of January (Vanilla Air Airbus A320 grounding forces cancellations.) due to the grounding of one of its A320s. Vanilla Air reported the problem to Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), however, no investigations by the government regulator have been carried out as of now. The A320 has had its fair share of nose wheel steering issues, including when JetBlue Airways (B6/JBU) flight B6292 made an emergency landing at Los Angeles (LAX/KLAX) on September 21st, 2005 after the nose gear jammed in an abnormal position. 

Source: Aviation Wire, May 4th. (in Japanese)

J-Air Embraer E170 encounters turbulence over Ibaraki.

On April 29th, J-Air (XM/JLJ) flight XM1252 (marketed as JL1252), service from Yamagata (GAJ/RJSC) to Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT), encountered sudden rough air at 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) over Tsukuba City, Ibaraki prefecture, around 0945, local time. Although no passengers were injured, one flight attendant suffered a pelvic fracture, while the other had a shoulder bruise.

Carrying 35 passengers, two flight attendants, and two cockpit crew, Embraer ERJ170-100STD (E170) JA211J experienced what was likely caused by wake turbulence moments after it had turned on its seat-belt sign in preparation for approach into Tokyo's downtown airport. The two cabin attendants were preparing to make their way through the aisle for final safety checks when it happened. The Brazil-born regional jet made a safe landing at Haneda at 1002 and arrived at the gate at 1015, 15 minutes behind its published time.

Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) has dispatched three investigators. J-Air is the commuter arm of Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) and operates a fleet of 15 E170s and nine Bombardier CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200ERs from its base at Osaka/Itami (ITM/RJOO).

Source: NHK, April 30th. (in Japanese)
Source: FlyTeam, April 30th. (in Japanese)

Peach Airbus A320 narrowly avoids crash at Okinawa.

On April 28th, Peach Aviation's (MM/APJ) flight MM252, service from Ishigaki (ISG/ROIG) to Okinawa/Naha (OKA/ROAH), made a narrow escape as it descended too early and came within just 75 meters (248 feet) above sea level while coming in to land at the Okinawan capital.

Flying with 53 passengers, four flight attendants, and two cockpit crew (Argentine Captain and Japanese First Officer), Airbus A320-214 JA802P was approaching Naha when the pilot believed air traffic control (ATC) was telling him to land already when they were still in fact seven kilomteres north of the airport, putting the aircraft into a premature dive. Visibility was poor with rain and thick low clouds, and what could have been a serious accident was averted by the aircraft's ground proximity warning system, which prompted the crew to make a sharp climb. It made another approach and landed safely at Naha at 1210, local time, 30 minutes later than schedule, without any injuries.

Subsequent inspections revealed no abnormalities with the Airbus narrowbody. As a result, MM107/108, a round-trip from Kansai to Sapporo/New Chitose (CTS/RJCC), and MM111/112, a round-trip from Kansai to Tokyo/Narita (NRT/RJAA), were canceled.

Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) labelled this a 'serious incident', adding that the aircraft was in a "dangerous situation as it could have crashed into the sea." The accident-investigating arm of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) sent three officials to Peach's headquarters at Osaka/Kansai (KIX/RJBB) to look into the matter. The Captain claims that he mistakenly believed that ATC had directed the airplane to decrease its altitude.

Source: Peach Aviation, April 29th. (PDF; in Japanese)
Source: Nikkei Shimbun, April 29th. (in Japanese)

JAL Boeing 787 makes emergency landing at Honolulu.

Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) flight JL002, service from Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) to San Francisco (SFO/KSFO) operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, diverted to Honolulu (HNL/PHNL) and made an emergency landing in the afternoon of March 8th, local time, after the aircraft's right engine was shut down due to abnormalities with its hydraulics system.

Operated by B787-8 JA829J, the flight had departed Haneda at 0003 on March 9th, local time, and was approximately 1,800 kilometers north of Honolulu when indicators showed hydraulic oil was running low and oil pressure dropped with its No.2 engine. It was shut down and the crew made a safe emergency landing at Honolulu at 1343 on March 8th, local time, with 160 passengers and 11 crew. The Dreamliner is rated with 207-minute ETOPS (Extended Twin-engined OPerationS). JAL's B787s are powered by General Electric GEnx-1B engines and this is the first time the crew was forced to shut down an engine in flight ever since the type began service with the carrier in April 2012.

Source: Aviation Wire, March 9th. (in Japanese)

ANA Boeing 767 makes emergency landing at Akita.

On February 20th, All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) flight NH874, service from Akita (AXT/RJSK) to Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT), reported white smoke in the cabin just a few minutes after takeoff around 0950 local time. Declaring emergency, the aircraft with 163 passengers and crew returned to the departure airport and made a safe landing 20 minutes later.

The aircraft involved was Boeing 767-381 JA8569, a domestic-configured B767 delivered to ANA on December 1st, 1993. According to passengers, white smoke came into the cabin through the vents soon after takeoff and "smelled like something was burning". Inspections on site revealed there was an oil leak in the number two engine. ANA and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) are investigating the matter.

Source: Asahi Shimbun, February 20th. (in Japanese)

Vanilla Air Airbus A320 grounding forces cancellations.

Vanilla Air's (JW/VNL) Airbus A320-216(SL) JA01VA was grounded on January 29th after completing flight JW902, the return leg of the inaugural Tokyo/Narita (NRT/RJAA) - Sapporo/New Chitose (CTS/RJCC) route.

Around 1100 local time, the hydraulic system indicated malfunctions, but the flight landed safely with the back-up system working properly. The airline later learned that a component needs to be replaced, but it needs to be shipped in from overseas. Four flights (two round-trips) were canceled on January 29th, and six flights (three round-trips) have been canceled every day since January 30th. Vanilla Air is offering passengers re-booking on its own other flights, or a full refund.

Being a new start-up LCC, Vanilla Air only had three aircraft running a tight schedule, so this is certainly a blow also when considering it happened on the return leg of an inaugural route.

Source: Aviation Wire (in Japanese)

Grounded JAL Boeing 787 returns to service.

Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) returned Boeing 787-8 JA834J to service early morning on January 28th with flight JL2, which took off from Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) at 0022 local time. It arrived eight hours and a half later at San Francisco (SFO/KSFO) without any abnormalities. The aircraft was grounded on January 14th after a battery problem was discovered during a check-up at Tokyo/Narita (NRT/RJAA), while it was being prepared for a flight to Bangkok/Suvarnabhumi (BKK/VTBS) as flight JL707. (Battery problem grounds a JAL Boeing 787.)

The damaged battery had a venting valve for one of the eight cells activated and liquid had leaked inside. It has now been replaced by a new one, and after finding no problems testing with the new battery, the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) gave permission to return the aircraft to service. The damaged battery is still under investigation and JCAB officials have quoted "it's not something we will know today or tomorrow", suggesting it is likely to take a much longer time.

Source: Aviation Wire (in Japanese)

Air Do Boeing 767 suffers ground accident.

Early in the morning of January 20th, around 0245 local time, AIRDO's (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) Boeing 767-381 JA601A was involved in an accident on the tarmac at Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) when a ground-handling vehicle came in contact with the aircraft. According to the airline, the B767 suffered a 60 x 60 cm hole plus some cracks on the lower part of the aft fuselage.

Due to the accident, Air Do has canceled around four to eight flights a day since that date. Passengers with tickets are being reassigned to other flights, as well as Air Do's own extra flights. The Hokkaido-based carrier originally announced it would take at least 10 days to repair, but now it seems they aren't sure how long it will take. Air Do's fleet currently consists of two B767-300ERs, two B767-300s (including JA601A), four B737-700s, and six B737-500s.

Source: Air Do (PDF; in Japanese)

Battery problem grounds a JAL Boeing 787.

Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) has grounded Boeing 787-8 JA834J, after a battery problem was discovered during a check-up at Tokyo/Narita (NRT/RJAA) when the aircraft was preparing for service to Bangkok/Suvarnabhumi (BKK/VTBS) as JL707 on January 14th.

Maintenance crew spotted white smoke coming out from the lower part of the fuselage during the inspection around 1615 local time on Tuesday, before the plane's scheduled departure to Thailand at 1805. When the engineers went outside the aircraft, the smoke was no longer there, but cockpit warning lights indicated potential malfunctions with the main battery and charger. Upon checking the battery, they found that the venting valve for one of the eight cells had activated and liquid appeared to have leaked inside. There have been no signs that the fault had propagated to other cells in the battery, nor signs that the liquid that leaked had breached the containment box.

The 158 passengers and 11 crew for JL707 were directed to another B787, JA829J, and it departed only seven minutes behind schedule. The valve is among the modifications made to the Dreamliner's battery systems following a three-month-long worldwide grounding of the airliner last year. It is designed to release pressure in battery cells in the event of overheating. The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and Boeing are currently investigating the matter. Delivered to JAL in June 2013, a few weeks after Boeing restarted deliveries of the B787, JA834J has so far logged 2,679 hours.

Source: Aviation Wire (in Japanese)