Japan Airlines Flight 446
Encyclopedia
Japan Airlines Flight 446 was a Japan Airlines
flight from Sheremetyevo International Airport
of Moscow
, Russian SFSR
, Soviet Union
to Tokyo International Airport
(Haneda Airport) in Ōta
, Tokyo
, Japan
.
On November 28, 1972 the DC-8-62 on the route crashed during the initial climb phase upon takeoff from Sheremetyevo. While it is established by investigation that the direct reason for the crash was stall
ing shortly after takeoff, the Soviet Accident Investigation Committee noted the possibility of accidental deployment of the spoiler
s and reduced thrust due to engine problems as the cause for this accident.
, Denmark
bound for Tokyo International Airport
, Japan
with an intermediate stop at Sheremetyevo International Airport
. At 7:51PM Moscow time (1:51AM, Nov 29 for Tokyo time), the flight took off from Sheremetyevo, reached an altitude of 100m, stalled, and crashed 150m beyond the runway end, 30 seconds after leaving the ground.
On board were 6 flight crew (3 of them backup crew), 7 cabin crew, 1 employee of Japan Airlines, and 62 passengers (of whom 52 were Japanese). All except for 5 flight attendants and 9 passengers (of whom 8 were Japanese, the other being E Bruce Smith of New Zealand) perished, making up 62 fatalities. All survivors were seated near first class
seats located in the front section of the fuselage, suffering severe injuries.
The aircraft involved, JA8040, was delivered on July 1969, and written off less than 3.5 years after its delivery, thus being the most short-lived among Japan Airlines' DC-8s. This aircraft was noted for being involved in several major events before: with the nickname "Hida", it was used to carry passengers involved in the hijacking of Japan Airlines Flight 351
back to Japan in April 1970. On November 6, 1972, 22 days before the crash, this plane was offered to the hijackers of the JA351 hijacking in response to their demand to flee to Cuba, although they were ultimately arrested at Haneda Airport.
This is the second fatal accident within the same calendar year for Japan Airlines, following Japan Airlines Flight 471
in June.
& FDR
data analysis.
CVR transcript:
The survivors reported 3 abnormal situations indicating an engine failure, which matched the
description of eye-witnesses on the ground:
The direct reason to the crash was an excessive nose-up attitude leading to a stall. The cause was determined to be one of the following by both sides(Japanese & Soviet investigating personnel):
Basing on the above, the sequence of the entire accident could be presumed (but not determined) that:
There was a largely believed theory that the copilot mistook the ground spoiler lever as the landing gear
lever. However, on DC-8s, they were placed far from each other for ergonomics
reasons, thus rendering it impossible. (Not if the pilot deliberately violated the regulations, of course.)
, i.e. the co-pilot's lack of adequate attitude. The voice recorder recorded some of the captain's insensitive colloquial conversation, such as "Yeah(はいよ)" "Kay, Here we goin(やっこらさ)"note. After reports containing the information above was released to the public, Japan Airlines drew many criticism like "our floppy flag carrier
" from public media, and the problem was even presented before the Diet of Japan
.
Apart from this accident, Japan Airlines suffered several other incidents attributed to human error in the same year: Haneda Airport overrun incident(on May 15), New Delhi crash
(on June 14), Gimpo Airport overrun incident(on September 7), Bombay Airport overrun incident
(on September 24). As a result, the airline suffered harsh criticism of the public.
In the popular comic strip
Sazae-san
, Machiko Hasegawa
made a sarcastic scene, referring to these accidents:
attributed to accidental deployment of ground spoiler in flight have also occurred. As a result, modifications were done to make ground spoilers unable to deploy in flight altogether.
There are emergency air brakes
installed on DC-8s.
As recently as 2010, many of the survivors annually meet around the anniversary of the crash. Noriko Hatanaka of Japan's AOPA and fellow survivor, is the regular coordinator of each annual reunion.
Japan Airlines
is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
flight from Sheremetyevo International Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport , is an international airport located in the Moscow Oblast, Russia, north-west of central Moscow. It is a hub for the passenger operations of the Russian international airline Aeroflot, and one of the three major airports serving Moscow along with Domodedovo...
of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russian SFSR
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to Tokyo International Airport
Tokyo International Airport
, commonly known as , is one of the two primary airports that serve the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. It is located in Ōta, Tokyo, south of Tokyo Station....
(Haneda Airport) in Ōta
Ota, Tokyo
is one of the 23 Special wards of Tokyo, Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 676,458, with 348,492 households, and a population density of 11,376.69 persons per km²...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
On November 28, 1972 the DC-8-62 on the route crashed during the initial climb phase upon takeoff from Sheremetyevo. While it is established by investigation that the direct reason for the crash was stall
Stall (flight)
In fluid dynamics, a stall is a reduction in the lift coefficient generated by a foil as angle of attack increases. This occurs when the critical angle of attack of the foil is exceeded...
ing shortly after takeoff, the Soviet Accident Investigation Committee noted the possibility of accidental deployment of the spoiler
Spoiler
Spoiler may refer to:* Spoiler , a device to reduce lift in aeronautics* Spoiler , a device to modify air flow in order to increase fuel efficiency or improve handling in automobiles...
s and reduced thrust due to engine problems as the cause for this accident.
Accident
On November 28, 1972, Japan Airlines Flight 446, operated by JA8040(a DC-8-62), departed from Copenhagen AirportCopenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport is the main international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the Oresund Region. It is located on the island of Amager, south of Copenhagen city centre, and west of Malmö city centre on the other side of the Oresund Bridge. The airport lies mainly in the municipality...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
bound for Tokyo International Airport
Tokyo International Airport
, commonly known as , is one of the two primary airports that serve the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. It is located in Ōta, Tokyo, south of Tokyo Station....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with an intermediate stop at Sheremetyevo International Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport , is an international airport located in the Moscow Oblast, Russia, north-west of central Moscow. It is a hub for the passenger operations of the Russian international airline Aeroflot, and one of the three major airports serving Moscow along with Domodedovo...
. At 7:51PM Moscow time (1:51AM, Nov 29 for Tokyo time), the flight took off from Sheremetyevo, reached an altitude of 100m, stalled, and crashed 150m beyond the runway end, 30 seconds after leaving the ground.
On board were 6 flight crew (3 of them backup crew), 7 cabin crew, 1 employee of Japan Airlines, and 62 passengers (of whom 52 were Japanese). All except for 5 flight attendants and 9 passengers (of whom 8 were Japanese, the other being E Bruce Smith of New Zealand) perished, making up 62 fatalities. All survivors were seated near first class
First class (aviation)
First class is a luxury travel class on some airliners that exceeds business class, premium economy, and economy class. On a passenger jetliner, first class refers to a limited number of seats or cabins located in the front of the aircraft which are notable for their comfort, service, and privacy...
seats located in the front section of the fuselage, suffering severe injuries.
The aircraft involved, JA8040, was delivered on July 1969, and written off less than 3.5 years after its delivery, thus being the most short-lived among Japan Airlines' DC-8s. This aircraft was noted for being involved in several major events before: with the nickname "Hida", it was used to carry passengers involved in the hijacking of Japan Airlines Flight 351
Japan Airlines Flight 351
Japan Airlines Flight 351 was hijacked by nine members of the Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction on March 31, 1970 while flying from Tokyo to Fukuoka, in an incident usually referred to in Japanese as the...
back to Japan in April 1970. On November 6, 1972, 22 days before the crash, this plane was offered to the hijackers of the JA351 hijacking in response to their demand to flee to Cuba, although they were ultimately arrested at Haneda Airport.
This is the second fatal accident within the same calendar year for Japan Airlines, following Japan Airlines Flight 471
Japan Airlines Flight 471
Japan Airlines Flight 471 was a Japan Airlines flight from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand to Palam International Airport in New Delhi, India...
in June.
Reason
The Soviet Accident Investigation Committee released(according to ICAO standard) the result of CVRCockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
& FDR
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
data analysis.
CVR transcript:
00s (Takeoff roll begin)
10s "Time?" "Time is OK." "It's a bit slow..."
25s "Yes." "What?" "We are going."
30s "V1." at 129kt(IASIndicated airspeedIndicated airspeed is the airspeed read directly from the airspeed indicator on an aircraft, driven by the pitot-static system. IAS is directly related to calibrated airspeed , which is the IAS corrected for instrument and installation errors....
)
40s "Rotation." "Attention." at 145kt
45s "V2." at 154kt
50s (Mechanical sound)
55s "What's up?" "Spoiler!" at 350ft
60s "What's this?!" "Sorry..." "Left clear." at 300ft
65s "Engine! Engine! No.2! No.2 Engine!" at 100ft
70s (Sound of impact)
The survivors reported 3 abnormal situations indicating an engine failure, which matched the
description of eye-witnesses on the ground:
- Abnormal vibration causing hand luggageHand luggageHand luggage or cabin baggage is the type of luggage that passengers are allowed to carry along in the passenger compartment of a vehicle instead of moving to the cargo compartment...
s to fall from overhead bins during the takeoff roll. - The feeling of slowing down & falling immediately after leaving the ground.
- EngineEngineAn engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
bursting into flames.
The direct reason to the crash was an excessive nose-up attitude leading to a stall. The cause was determined to be one of the following by both sides(Japanese & Soviet investigating personnel):
- The accidental deployment of the spoilers during takeoff by the copilot.
- Dealing with the asymmetric thrustThrustThrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's second and third laws. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction on that system....
of engine 1 & 2, the inappropriate input of bringing the nose up was done. - Further more, after inspecting the wreckage, it was found out that despite it being winter at the time, the anti-ice device of the engines was not activated. Thus, it was possible that the engine thrust diminished due to ice buildup at the air intake.
Basing on the above, the sequence of the entire accident could be presumed (but not determined) that:
- During the take off roll, the copilot tampered with the ground spoiler lever, while saying "This is not fitting in smoothly", then forgot to reset it to the correct position. So, despite the ground spoiler is for use immediately after landing only, the plane had to take off with it extended, generating excessive drags leading to insufficient acceleration and abnormal vibration.
- After lifting off, the inappropriate nose-up input caused excessive pitch angle, which either further reduced the airflow into the ice-covered engine, which was already providing insufficient thrust, or caused the ice blocks, built up in the front edge of the wing, to be ingested by the engine.
- As a result, the engine's compressor stallCompressor stallA compressor stall is a situation of abnormal airflow resulting from a stall of the aerofoils within the compressor of a jet engine. Stall is found in dynamic compressors, particularly axial compressors, as used in jet engines and turbochargers for reciprocating engines.Compressor stalls result in...
ed, back-fireBack-fireA Back-fire or backfire is an explosion produced by a running internal combustion engine that occurs in the air intake or exhaust system rather than inside the combustion chamber. The same term is used when unburned fuel or hydrocarbons are ignited somewhere in the exhaust system. A visible flame...
d, and substantially lost thrust, leading the plane to stall.
There was a largely believed theory that the copilot mistook the ground spoiler lever as the landing gear
Landing Gear
Landing Gear is Devin the Dude's fifth studio album. It was released on October 7, 2008. It was his first studio album since signing with the label Razor & Tie. It features a high-profile guest appearance from Snoop Dogg. As of October 30, 2008, the album has sold 18,906 copies.-Track...
lever. However, on DC-8s, they were placed far from each other for ergonomics
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows:...
reasons, thus rendering it impossible. (Not if the pilot deliberately violated the regulations, of course.)
Public Reaction
The accident was attributed to pilot errorPilot error
Pilot error is a term used to describe the cause of an accident involving an airworthy aircraft where the pilot is considered to be principally or partially responsible...
, i.e. the co-pilot's lack of adequate attitude. The voice recorder recorded some of the captain's insensitive colloquial conversation, such as "Yeah(はいよ)" "Kay, Here we goin(やっこらさ)"note. After reports containing the information above was released to the public, Japan Airlines drew many criticism like "our floppy flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
" from public media, and the problem was even presented before the Diet of Japan
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
.
Apart from this accident, Japan Airlines suffered several other incidents attributed to human error in the same year: Haneda Airport overrun incident(on May 15), New Delhi crash
Japan Airlines Flight 471
Japan Airlines Flight 471 was a Japan Airlines flight from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand to Palam International Airport in New Delhi, India...
(on June 14), Gimpo Airport overrun incident(on September 7), Bombay Airport overrun incident
Japan Airlines Flight 472 (1972)
Japan Airlines Flight 472 was a flight from London to Tokyo via Frankfurt, Rome, Beirut, Tehran, Bombay, Bangkok and Hong Kong. On September 24, 1972, the flight landed at Juhu Aerodrome near Bombay, India instead of the city's much larger Santacruz Airport and overran the runway, resulting in the...
(on September 24). As a result, the airline suffered harsh criticism of the public.
In the popular comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Sazae-san
Sazae-san
is a Japanese comic strip created by Machiko Hasegawa. It was first published in Hasegawa's local paper, the , on April 22, 1946. When the wished to have Hasegawa draw the comic strip for their paper, she moved to Tokyo in 1949 with the explanation that the main characters had moved from Kyūshū to...
, Machiko Hasegawa
Machiko Hasegawa
, January 30, 1920 – May 27, 1992, in Taku, Saga Prefecture) was one of the first female manga artists.She started her own comic strip, Sazae-san, in 1946. It reached national circulation via the Asahi Shimbun in 1949, and ran daily until Hasegawa decided to retire in February 1974...
made a sarcastic scene, referring to these accidents:
. Nikkō is also the Japanese term for "sunlight". In Japanese, "the sunlight is falling" means "the sun is setting down").
While preparing for a business trip, Namihira panicked when he heard Sazae and Wakame talking about "Nikkō ´falling´ again", and rushed toward them.
But it turned out that the two was just watching the sunset. Relaxed, Namihira shouted "Please say ´Nikkō is descending´ !"
Aftermath
On DC-8s, spoilers are used after landing only(i.e. ground spoiler). Few methods can be used to reduce speed in flight (e.g. before landing), such as deploying the thrust reverser of inner engines on both port and starboard side. Other accidentsAir Canada Flight 621
The deadliest accident at Toronto International Airport, now called Pearson International Airport, took place on July 5, 1970, when Air Canada Flight 621, a Douglas DC-8 registered CF-TIW, was flying on a Montreal–Toronto–Los Angeles route....
attributed to accidental deployment of ground spoiler in flight have also occurred. As a result, modifications were done to make ground spoilers unable to deploy in flight altogether.
There are emergency air brakes
Air brake (aircraft)
In aeronautics, air brakes or speedbrakes are a type of flight control surface used on an aircraft to increase drag or increase the angle of approach during landing....
installed on DC-8s.
"Safety Badge"
According to the wish of the families of victims, "Don't forget the pain of the accident and remember to take adequate safety measure", a green cross "safety badge" is attached to the uniforms of all employees of Japan Airlines. During the merge of the airline system of Japan in 2002, uniforms are changed, so the safety badge was dropped. However, on every anniversary of the accident, all employees of the Moscow branch of Japan Airlines would visit the memorial of the victims, and mourn the dead.As recently as 2010, many of the survivors annually meet around the anniversary of the crash. Noriko Hatanaka of Japan's AOPA and fellow survivor, is the regular coordinator of each annual reunion.
Note
- Kōichi Hattori (see also the Japanese Wikipedia entry on him), a music composer who was the classmate of the flight's captain during their middle school and high school period(6 years), said that "Here we goez, where we goez(やっこらしょ、どっこいしょ)" was the captain's pet phrase since he was still a boy.