ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-81 (MD-81) JA8297 Tokunoshima Airport (TKN)
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Thursday 1 January 2004
Time:16:24
Type:Silhouette image of generic MD81 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-81 (MD-81)
Operator:Japan Air System
Registration: JA8297
MSN: 49908/1749
First flight: 1990
Total airframe hrs:26050
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217C
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 163
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 169
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Aircraft fate: Repaired
Location:Tokunoshima Airport (TKN) (   Japan)
Phase: Landing (LDG)
Nature:Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Kagoshima Airport (KOJ/RJFK), Japan
Destination airport:Tokunoshima Airport (TKN/RJKN), Japan
Flightnumber: 979
Narrative:
A McDonnell Douglas MD-81 passenger plane, registered JA8297, sustained substantial damage in a landing gear collapsed accident at Tokunoshima Airport (TKN), Japan. There were 163 passengers and six crew members on board. Three passengers were slightly injured.
JAS Flight 979 took off from Kagoshima Airport at 15:35 and flew to Tokunoshima Airport. On landing at Tokunoshima Airport runway 01, the aircraft's left main landing gear (MLG) collapsed during rollout and its left wing tip contacted the ground. The aircraft came to a stop on the runway.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE:
In this accident, it is estimated that due to the left main landing gear cylinder collapsed immediately after the aircraft landed at Tokunoshima Airport, the fuselage inclined to the left and the aircraft traveled with its left wing in contact with the runway surface, resulting substantial damage.
With respect to the collapse of the MLG cylinder, it is considered that Gear Walks which experienced before the restrictor was installed generated large stresses on the fuse section of the cylinder surface and caused micro cracks. The micro cracks are considered to grow during normal operation and eventually lead to the fracture.
Further, it is considered that the presence of surface flaw on the cylinder caused by grit-blast contributed to the crack generation.
And the contributing factor to the fact that the company could not detect the cracks on the cylinder by the scheduled maintenance, etc. is considered to be that the manufacturer had not established appropriate inspection intervals or inspection times to detect fatigue cracking.

Accident investigation:

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Investigating agency: ARAIC Japan
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 2 years and 7 months
Accident number: AA2006-3
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Landing gear collapse
Runway mishap

Sources:
» Yomiuri


Follow-up / safety actions

FAA issued 1 Airworthiness Directive

Show all...

Photos

photo of MD-81-JA8297
accident date: 01-01-2004
type: McDonnell Douglas MD-81
registration: JA8297
photo of MD-81-JA8297
accident date: 01-01-2004
type: McDonnell Douglas MD-81
registration: JA8297
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Kagoshima Airport to Tokunoshima Airport as the crow flies is 472 km (295 miles).

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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