Date:	Wednesday 20 March 2024
Time:	16:15 LT
Type:	Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Owner/operator:	All Nippon Airways - ANA
Registration:	JA891A
MSN:	40751/550
Year of manufacture:	2017
Total airframe hrs:	29826 hours
Engine model:	Rolls-Royce Trent 1000
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 207
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, repaired
Category:	Accident
Location:	55 km S of Tokyo/Narita International Airport (NRT/RJAA) -   Japan
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Los Angeles International Airport (LAX/KLAX), CA, USA
Destination airport:	Tokyo/Narita International Airport (NRT/RJAA), Japan
Investigating agency:	JTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
All Nippon Airways' flight ANH/NH5 from Los Angeles, USA to Tokyo/Narita, Japan, a Boeing 787-9, suffered a serious damage to the right forward fuselage by lightning strikes at an altitude of 5000 feet and 55 km south of Narita while descending. The aircraft continued to Narita where a safe landing was carried out. There were no personal injuries.


PROBABLE CAUSES
The JTSB concludes that it is certain that in this accident, the aircraft was struck by lightning in flight, resulting in damage to the forward right side fuselage.
Regarding the Aircraft being struck by lightning, it is highly probable that it would have been difficult for the flight crew members to predict in advance that the possibility of a lightning strike was rapidly increasing at the lightning strike point and to avoid it.

METAR reports at Narita around the accident time (07:15 UTC):
RJAA 200700Z 03006KT 9999 FEW030 BKN140 09/04 Q0993 TEMPO 36015G25KT RMK 2CU030 7AC140 A2932=
RJAA 200730Z 02009KT 9999 FEW030 BKN070 BKN/// 10/03 Q0993 TEMPO 36015G25KT RMK 1CU030 5AC070 A2934=
RJAA 200800Z 35012KT 9999 VCSH FEW030 SCT150 BKN/// 10/01 Q0993 TEMPO FM0900 32016G28KT RMK 1CU030 3AC150 A2935=

https://jtsb.mlit.go.jp/jtsb/aircraft/detail2.php?id=2382
https://www.sankei.com/article/20240403-QE2VIFCT65IEDHXQDH3W6NS4NU/

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/ja891a#346dfd0a

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
09-Apr-2024 15:00	isamuel	Added
09-Apr-2024 15:00	ASN	Updated [Narrative, ]
09-Apr-2024 15:02	ASN	Updated
13-Aug-2025 05:43	ASN	Updated [Phase, Narrative, Accident report, ]