Japan Airlines Flight 350

Japan Airlines Flight 350
日本航空350便

A Japan Airlines DC-8 similar to the plane that crashed.
Occurrence summary
Date 9 February 1982
Summary Deliberate crash by pilot
Site Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan
35°33′13″N 139°46′56″E / 35.55361°N 139.78222°E / 35.55361; 139.78222Coordinates: 35°33′13″N 139°46′56″E / 35.55361°N 139.78222°E / 35.55361; 139.78222
Passengers 166
Crew 8
Fatalities 24
Survivors 150
Aircraft type McDonnell Douglas DC-8-61[1]
Operator Japan Airlines
Registration JA8061
Flight origin Fukuoka Airport
Destination Haneda Airport

Japan Airlines Flight 350 (日本航空350便 Nihonkōkū 350 Bin) was a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-61, registered JA8061, on a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Fukuoka, Japan, to Tokyo. The airplane crashed 9 February 1982 on approach to Haneda Airport in Tokyo Bay, resulting in 24 fatalities. Flight 350 was Japan Airlines' first crash of the 1980s. The investigation traced the cause of the crash to the deliberate actions of the captain.

Flight

The crew consisted of 35-year-old Captain Seiji Katagiri (片桐 清二 Katagiri Seiji), 33-year-old First Officer Yoshifumi Ishikawa, and 48-year-old flight engineer Yoshimi Ozaki.[2] The cause of the crash was traced to Katagiri's deliberate crashing the plane. One report was that he engaged the inboard engines' thrust-reversers in flight.[1][2] Another report was that, during descent, Katagiri "cancelled autopilot, pushed his controls forward and retarded the throttles to idle."[3] The first officer and Flight Engineer worked to restrain him and regain control. Despite their efforts, the DC-8's descent could not be completely checked, and it touched down in shallow water 300 meters (980 ft) short of the runway. During the crash, the cockpit section of the DC-8 separated from the rest of the fuselage, and continued to travel for several metres before coming to a halt.

Among the 166 passengers and eight crew, 24 died. Following the accident, Katagiri, one of the first people to take a rescue boat, told rescuers that he was an office worker, to avoid being identified as the captain.[4] Katagiri was later found to be suffering from a mental illness prior to the incident, which resulted in a decision that he was not guilty by reason of insanity.[5] Flight 350 was Japan Airlines' first crash of the 1980s.[6]

Katagiri has since been released from psychiatric care and lives near Mount Fuji.[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Accident Database: Accident Synopsis 02091982
  2. 1 2 Stokes, Henry Scott. "Cockpit Fight Reported on Jet That Crashed in Tokyo," The New York Times. 14 February 1982. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  3. ↑ Aviation Safety Network, Accident description. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Troubled Pilot". Time. 1 March 1982. Retrieved 20 April 2007.
  5. ↑ Shreeya Sinha (26 March 2015). "A History of Crashes Caused by Pilots' Intentional Acts". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2015. Seiji Katagiri, 35, the pilot of a Japan Air Lines DC-8 sent the plane into Tokyo Bay moments before it was to land on February 9, 1982, killing 24 of the 166 passengers on board. Katagiri, who survived the crash, was prosecuted, but he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He had a history of 'psychosomatic disorders' in late 1980, but airline doctors said he was fit for duty.
  6. ↑ "History of JAL". Japan Airlines. Retrieved 14 December 2006.
  7. ↑ The Suicidal Pilot Who Survived
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