Disaster DC-8 in Tokyo (1982)

McDonnell Douglas DC-8-61 (according to other sources - DC-8-60) with the serial number 45889 and serial 291 was released in March 1967 . The airliner was assigned a registration number N8775 and sold to the American airline Eastern Air Lines , which it received on May 28 . On July 23, 1973, it was bought by the Japanese airline Japan Airlines , where after re-registration the side number changed to JA8061 ^[1] .

• The aircraft commander is Seiji Katagiri, 35, ( 片 桐 清 二 ) ^[2]
• Co - pilot - 33-year-old Yoshifumi Ishikawa ^[2]
• Flight Engineer - 48-year-old Yoshimi Ozaki ^[2]

The JA8061 aboard carried out the morning passenger domestic flight JL-350 from Fukuoka to Tokyo and at 07:34 with 166 passengers and 8 crew members on board took off from the strip 16 of the Fukuoka airport , and after climbing climbed to level 290 (8.84 km). The flight on the echelon was normal and at 08:22 flight 350 began to decline to Tokyo, first to echelon 160 (4.88 km), and then to an altitude of 3000 feet (910 m ). After permission was given at 08:35 to land on lane 33, the crew first released the flaps at 5 °, and after a minute at 25 °. The landing gear was released at 08:39, and after a couple of minutes, the flaps release angle was brought to 50 °. The weather was fine over Tokyo and a northerly wind was blowing at a speed of 20 knots. At 08:42 airliner passed a height of 1000 feet (300 m ), and at 08:43:25 the co-pilot reported a stabilization height of 500 feet (150 m ), but the commander said nothing in violation of the instructions. At 08:43:50, the Douglas at a speed of 133 knots passed a height of 300 feet (91 m ), and the co-pilot warned the commander that they were approaching a decision altitude of 200 feet (61 m ). Six seconds later, at 08:43:56, the radio altimeter signal warned that the decision altitude had been reached, and after three seconds the co-pilot also said ^{[2] [3]} .

When at 08:44:01, the airliner at a speed of 130 knots dropped to an altitude of 164 feet (50 m ), the commander suddenly turned off the autopilot, pushed the helm “away from me”, pointing his nose down, and also turned the engine control levers back, depriving the engine of traction . The co-pilot, shouting "Commander, what are you doing?", Tried to save the situation, but the low altitude did not allow him to do this. The Douglas crashed into the shallow waters of Tokyo Bay, as a result of which the front of the fuselage and the right wing plane separated from the impact. Despite the fact that the incident occurred in shallow water, 24 passengers died from injuries ^{[2] [3]} .

Japanese Airways President Yasumoto Takagi said the cause of the disaster was the mental distress of the crew commander. It was found that from December 1980 to November 1981 he was suspended from flight work and underwent treatment due to mental disability. After eleven months of treatment, psychologists considered that he had recovered, so several months before the incident, the commander was reinstated in the flight service ^{[2] [3]} .