This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative: A US registered light aircraft crashed in a mountainous terrain in Nara prefecture. Some eyewitnesses report that the plane fell in spin and fire. Fire consumed the wreckage. The plane departed Yao Airport at 11:57LT in Instrument Flight Rules, and just before the accident at 12:13LT, the SOCATA told to Kansai Approach to turn back to Yao, then the radar contact was lost three minutes later. Two occupants, an old Japanese married couple, were found near the cockpit, but they were confirmed to be dead at the accident site. Japan Transport Safety Board begun investigation at the accident site next day, and stated that the distribution of the wreckage clearly shows plane's disintegration in midair. The accident plane was imported from US to Japan in early June, but the registration is still left in the US. The SOCATA received maintenance check by a Japanese maintenance company from late June to early July, and was found no problem. However, N702AV suffered a radio trouble during a flight from Yao to Kobe Airport (UKB/RJBE), and was forced to return to Yao on 11th August. The pilot, 68 years old husband, had great flight experience for 40 years, and he had flown TBM700 about ten times.
The METAR report at Yao Airport: METAR RJOY 140300Z VRB01KT 9999 FEW030 SCT040 BKN/// 31/20 Q1007=
PROBABLE CAUSE: In the accident, it is highly probable that the Aircraft lost control during flight, nose-dived while turning, and disintegrated in mid-air, resulting in the crash. It is somewhat likely that the Aircraft lost control during flight, because the captain did not have pilot skills and knowledge necessary for the operation of the Aircraft, and was not able to perform proper flight operations.