ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 181574
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| Date: | Sunday 22 November 2015 |
| Time: | 10:56 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | JA7963 |
| MSN: | 3204 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2001 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Joshinetsu Expressway, near Matsuida town, Annaka city, Gunma Prefectu -
 Japan
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Tokyo Heliport, Tokyo (RJTI) |
| Komoro Helipad, Komoro city, Nagano prefecture | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
MAEBASHI, GUNMA PREF. – A small private helicopter crashed near an expressway in a mountainous area in Annaka, Gunma Prefecture, on Sunday, killing its two occupants.
Police have yet to identity the victims and are investigating the cause of accident. At around 10:55 a.m., police received an emergency call reporting that a helicopter had crashed in the Matsuidamachihara district. The chopper was found on the slope of a mountain forest, the Gunma Prefectural Police said.
The crash site is north of the Joshinetsu Expressway. The Robinson R22 Beta manufactured in the United States by Robinson Helicopter Company, according to the transport ministry.
The two flew to Tokyo Heliport in Koto Ward shortly past 9:20 a.m. Sunday to refuel, officials said. They then left at 9:55 a.m. for a heliport in Komoro, Nagano Prefecture, next to Gunma.
According to the Nagano Prefectural Police and other sources, traffic in the inbound lanes between the Saku Interchange in Saku in Nagano, and the Matsuidamyogi Interchange in Annaka in Gunma was halted at noon for rescue operations.
UPDATE: The following is an excerpt from the official JTSB (Japan transport Safety Board) report into the accident (see link #5 for the full English language version of the report):
"Summary of the Accident
On Sunday, November 22, 2015, a privately owned Robinson R22 Beta, registered JA7963, took off from Tokyo Heliport at 09:55 Japan Standard Time (JST: UTC + 9 hrs, unless otherwise stated all times are indicated in JST on a 24-hour clock) for a familiarization flight to the Komoro Temporary Helipad at Komoro City, Nagano Prefecture.
The location where this accident occurred and where the rotorcraft was stopped was at the slope face (36º20’32”N 138º42’56”E) at an altitude about 530 metres of a mountain on the north side of Tokyo Bound Joshinetsu Expressway at Matsuida Town, Annaka City, Gunma Prefecture between Usui-Karuizawa Interchange and Matsuida-Myougi Interchange. A captain and a passenger were on board the rotorcraft and both of them died in the collision.
The rotorcraft was destroyed, but there was no outbreak of fire.
Probable Causes
In this accident, it is probable that the rotorcraft collided into a slope face of a mountain, because it continued a flight in spite of deteriorating weather during the flight to the temporary helipad (the destination) and resulted in flying at low altitude in order to secure a visibility under a condition where VMC could not be maintained.
Regarding the reason for the rotorcraft to continue a flight in spite of the deteriorated weather, it is probable that it was because the pilot was trying to find a route to the destination."
Sources:
1. http://web.archive.org/web/20151124204034/http://www3.nhk.or.jp:80/news/html/20151122/k10010315861000.html
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20151125031414/http://news.tbs.co.jp:80/newseye/tbs_newseye2641571.html
3. NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20151124X35420&ntsbno=ANC16WA008&akey=1
4. http://web.archive.org/web/20151124204050/http://www3.nhk.or.jp:80/news/html/20151122/k10010316011000.html
5. JTSB Report: http://www.mlit.go.jp/jtsb/eng-air_report/JA7963.pdf
6. http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2015/11/robinson-r22-beta-ja7963-fatal-accident.html
7. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/11/22/national/two-die-gunma-chopper-crash/
8. https://www.helis.com/database/cn/42986/_
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Nov-2015 08:15 | isamuel | Added |
| 22-Nov-2015 09:45 | isamuel | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Nov-2015 10:07 | isamuel | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 18-Oct-2016 19:55 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Aug-2018 16:00 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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