Chapter 3 Aircraft accident and serious incident investigations Chapter 3 Aircraft accident and serious incident investigations 1 Aircraft accidents and serious incidents to be investigated <Aircraft accidents to be investigated> ◎Paragraph 1, Article 2 of the Act for Establishment of the Japan Transport Safety Board (Definition of aircraft accident) The term "Aircraft Accident" as used in this Act shall mean the accident listed in each of the items in paragraph 1 of Article 76 of the Civil Aeronautics Act. ◎Paragraph 1, Article 76 of the Civil Aeronautics Act (Obligation to report) 1 Crash, collision or fire of aircraft; 2 Injury or death of any person, or destruction of any object caused by aircraft; 3 Death (except those specified in Ordinances of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) or disappearance of any person on board the aircraft; 4 Contact with other aircraft; and 5 Other accidents relating to aircraft specified in Ordinances of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. ◎Article 165-3 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Civil Aeronautics Act (Accidents related to aircraft prescribed in the Ordinances of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism under item 5 of the paragraph1 of the Article 76 of the Act) The cases (excluding cases where the repair of a subject aircraft does not correspond to the major repair work) where navigating aircraft is damaged (except the sole damage of engine, cowling, engine accessory, propeller, wing tip, antenna, tire, brake or fairing). <Aircraft serious incidents to be investigated> ◎Item 2, Paragraph 2, Article 2 of the Act for Establishment of the Japan Transport Safety Board (Definition of aircraft serious incident) A situation where a pilot in command of an aircraft during flight recognized a risk of collision or contact with any other aircraft, or any other situations prescribed by the Ordinances of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism under Article 76-2 of the Civil Aeronautics Act. ◎Article 76-2 of the Civil Aeronautics Act ・When the pilot in command has recognized during flight that there was a danger of collision or contact with any other aircraft. Japan Transport Safety Board Annual Report 2018 20 Chapter 3 Aircraft accident and serious incident investigations ・When the pilot in command has recognized during flight that there is a danger of causing any of accidents listed in each item of paragraph 1, article 76 of the Civil Aeronautics Act, specified by Ordinances of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. ◎Article 166-4 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Civil Aeronautics Act (The case prescribed in the Ordinances of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism under Article 76-2 of the Civil Aeronautics Act) 1 Take-off from a closed runway or a runway being used by other aircraft or aborted take-off 2 Landing on a closed runway or a runway being used by other aircraft or attempt of landing 3 Overrun, undershoot and deviation from a runway (limited to when an aircraft is disabled to perform taxiing) 4 Case where emergency evacuation was conducted with the use for emergency evacuation slide 5 Case where aircraft crew executed an emergency operation during navigation in order to avoid crash into water or contact on the ground 6 Damage of engine (limited to such a case where fragments penetrated the casing of subject engine 7 Continued halt or loss of power or thrust (except when the engine(s) are stopped with an attempt of assuming the engine(s) of a motor glider) of engines (in the case of multiple engines, 2 or more engines) in flight 8 Case where any of aircraft propeller, rotary wing, landing gear, rudder, elevator, aileron or flap is damaged and thus flight of the subject aircraft could be continued 9 Multiple malfunctions in one or more systems equipped on aircraft impeding the safe flight of aircraft 10 Occurrence of fire or smoke inside an aircraft and occurrence of fire within an engine fire- prevention area 11 Abnormal decompression inside an aircraft 12 Shortage of fuel requiring urgent measures 13 Case where aircraft operation is impeded by an encounter with air disturbance or other abnormal weather conditions, failure in aircraft equipment, or a flight at a speed exceeding the airspeed limit, limited payload factor limit operating altitude limit 14 Case where aircraft crew became unable to perform services normally due to injury or disease 15 Case where a slung load, any other load carried external to an aircraft or an object being towed by an aircraft was released unintentionally or intentionally as an emergency measure 16 Case where parts dropped from aircraft collided with one or more persons 17 Case equivalent to those listed in the preceding items Japan Transport Safety Board Annual Report 2018 21 Chapter 3 Aircraft accident and serious incident investigations 2 Procedure of aircraft accident/incident investigation Occurrence of aircraft accident or serious incident Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Notice (Civil Aviation Bureau Report Aviation operator, Notification of aircraft accident Flight Standard Division, etc. or serious incident etc.) Initiation of investigation ・Appointment of an investigator-in-charge and other investigators ・Coordination with relevant authorities, etc. ・Notice to State of registry, State of the operator, State of design, State of manufacture and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Fact-finding investigation ・Interview with crew members, passengers, witnesses, etc. ・Collection of relevant information such as weather condition ・Collection of evidence relevant to the accident, such as Flight Data Recorder (FDR), Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), Initial report to the Board and examination of aircraft damage. Examination, test and analysis ・Aircraft Committee Deliberation by the Board ・General Committee or the Board for very serious cases in (Committee) terms of damage or social impact. 【Public hearings, if necessary】 Comments from parties concerned ・ Invite comments from relevant States (sending a draft investigation report) Deliberation and adoption by the Board (Committee) Submission of investigation ・Submission of report to State of registry, State of the operator, report to the Minister of Land, State of design, State of manufacture and the ICAO Infrastructure, Transport and ・Filing the accident/incident data report to the ICAO Tourism 【Recommendations or expression of opinions, if necessary】 The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Follow-up on Transport and Tourism and parties relevant to Publication recommendations, the causes of the accident or serious incident opinions, etc. involved implement measures for improvement and notify or report these to the JTSB. Japan Transport Safety Board Annual Report 2018 22 Chapter 3 Aircraft accident and serious incident investigations 3 Statistics of investigations of aircraft accidents and serious incidents The JTSB carried out investigations of aircraft accidents and serious incidents in 2017 as follows: 17 accident investigations had been carried over from 2016, and 20 accident investigations were newly launched in 2017. 16 investigation reports were published in 2017, and thereby 21 accident investigations were carried over to 2018. 14 serious incident investigations had been carried over from 2016, and 17 serious incident investigations were newly launched in 2017. Nine investigation reports were published in 2017, and thereby 22 serious incident investigations were carried over to 2018. Among the 25 investigation reports published in 2017, one was issued with recommendations. Investigations of aircraft accidents and serious incidents in 2017 (Cases) ) ) s s n r r n n o ) n o e e i i o 6 i d t i s t v v t 1 ) 8 e a s d y a n m l t o o t t i a 0 d 1 h e r 7 d r o a r e i g n 2 s t h 0 1 n d d f o o i i e e n l c t e o a 0 2 t e e Category p i p i i n s b 2 n m S T m e r r m p e o I ( u r r r e u r o t ( m m r a O v a a o P f ( o L n c C C i c e e R r ( Aircraft accident 17 20 37 16 (1) (0) (0) 21 (0) Aircraft 14 17 31 9 (0) (0) (0) 22 (0) serious incident 4 Statistics of investigations launched in 2017 The aircraft accidents and serious incidents that were newly investigated in 2017 consisted of 20 aircraft accidents, up six from 14 for the previous year, and 17 aircraft serious incidents, up eight from nine for the previous year. By aircraft category, the aircraft accidents included two cases involving large aeroplanes, seven cases involving small aeroplanes, three cases involving ultralight planes, five cases involving helicopters, one case involving experimental aircraft, and two cases involving gliders. The aircraft serious incidents included five cases involving large aeroplanes, five case involving small aeroplanes, six cases involving helicopters, and one case involving glider. Number of investigated aircraft accidents and serious incidents by aircraft category in 2017 Aircraft 2 7 3 5 1 2 accidents Aircraft serious 5 5 6 1 incidents 0 5 10 15 20 Large aeroplane Small aeroplane Ultralight plane Helicopter Experimental aircraft Glider * Large aeroplane refers to an aircraft of a maximum take-off mass of over 5,700 kg. * Small aeroplane refers to an aircraft of a maximum take-off mass of under 5,700 kg except for ultralight plane. Japan Transport Safety Board Annual Report 2018 23 Chapter 3 Aircraft accident and serious incident investigations In the 20 aircraft accidents, the number of casualties was 31, consisting of