Co-pilot error causes ANA plane to plunge - 29Sep2011

TOKYO: A Japanese plane narrowly avoided disaster earlier this month when it plunged over the Pacific, almost turning upside down, the transport ministry said on Wednesday.

The All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight, with 117 passengers and crew on board, dived 1,900 metres in 30 seconds in the incident off the southern Shizuoka district on September 6.

The manoeuvre happened when the co-pilot, in trying to unlock the cockpit door for the captain who was returning from the toilet, mistook a command button for the cockpit door lock switch nearby.

The plane, which took off from Naha on Okinawa island in the south, later managed to touch down at Tokyo's Haneda airport safely.

Two crew members were slightly injured, while four passengers reported health problems following the incident.

Images from the flight recorder on the Boeing 737-700 showed the plane veered to the right and then sharply to the left, before dropping backwards.

The aircraft tipped more than 130 degrees to the left at one point, but the darkness outside meant many of those on board did not realise the craft had almost flipped over.

"The images are incredible. The plane found itself in an almost unimaginable position," a pilot told the NHK television channel after the footage was made public.

A senior ANA official apologised to travellers at a press conference on Wednesday.

"We are deeply sorry for causing anxiety to our passengers," he said.

The incident occurred at about 10:50 pm (1350 GMT) while the craft was making its way across the Pacific.

Japan's transport safety board has launched an inquiry.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Japan
• airline
• near
• collide
• crash
• pilot
• Okinwa
• island
• tokyo
• haneda
• airport
• flying
• upside
• down
• accident
• incident

[Randomnick123]

I think that cultural differencies make western countries think that saying sorry, is just a word. What I believe, if Japanese people say sorry and bow, it's more than words. They really take serious these kind of things.

[alruin4531]

737s are known to have un- ergonomic,cramped cockpits. Boeing should have made a hatch on that trim knob.

[gdsnuff]

@Randomnick123 Wow! I was just thinking how seriously sorry they are and not just saying "sorry" before reading your comment.

[SuperApparition]

@perezster Why don't you just believe the reporter? Fucking conspiracy theories of the internet are driving me crazy.

[perezster]

Saturate 15 is correct, that's impossible

[Saturate15]

They said it fell 19,000 meters... thats 62,000 feet. Those planes can't even fly that high.

[SackFulloApplez1993]

@Alchaeon1 Nice catch, I was wondering that also.

[tjohn6041]

Looks like that B-52 and C-17 that crashed, but at altitude.

[Alchaeon1]

Saying sorry in the USA and most other western nations has legal repurcussions - that is a public admission of guilt.

There are also cultural and personal ego aspects to an apology given.

Have you ever heard the Royal Family apologise for anything they or their ancestors have done in the past?

The Japanese Emperor as well as Government officials and PMs have often issued public apologies for various transgressions or errors

Honour in Japan has to be practiced rather than just spoken about