SF34, Izumo Japan, 2007
SF34, Izumo Japan, 2007
Summary
On 10 December, 2007 a SAAB 340B being operated by Japan Air Commuter on a scheduled passenger flight left the runway at Izumo Airport during the daylight landing roll in normal visibility and continued further while veering to the right before coming to a stop on the airport apron.
Event Details
When
18/12/2007
Day/Night
Day
Flight Conditions
On Ground - Normal Visibility
Flight Details
Aircraft
Operator
Type of Flight
Public Transport (Passenger)
Flight Origin
Intended Destination
Take-off Commenced
Yes
Flight Airborne
Yes
Flight Completed
No
Phase of Flight
Landing
Location
Location - Airport
Airport
HF
Tag(s)
Ineffective Monitoring,
Manual Handling,
Inappropriate crew response (automatics)
RE
Tag(s)
Overrun on Landing,
Directional Control,
Significant Crosswind Component
Outcome
Damage or injury
Yes
Aircraft damage
Major
Non-aircraft damage
No
Non-occupant Casualties
No
Occupant Injuries
None
Occupant Fatalities
None
Off Airport Landing
No
Ditching
No
Causal Factor Group(s)
Group(s)
Aircraft Operation
Safety Recommendation(s)
Group(s)
None Made
Investigation Type
Type
Independent
Description
On December 18 2007 a SAAB 340B being operated by Japan Air Commuter on a scheduled passenger flight left the runway at Izumo Airport during the daylight landing roll in normal visibility and continued further while veering to the right before coming to a stop on the airport apron. None of the occupants or any other persons were injured but the aircraft sustained significant damage to the landing gear and propellers.
The Investigation
An Investigation into the Serious Incident was undertaken by the Japan Transport Safety Board. It concluded that it was highly probable that mis-management of the aircraft engine controls just prior to touchdown which produced a large difference in torque between the two engines led to the left propeller being subject to auto coarsening of its pitch as a result. It was also considered probable that the flight crew had not realised that the autocoarsen might have been activated as a result of the specific control inputs they made.
The Probable Cause given in the Final Report published on 28 August 2009 reads:
“While the left propeller of the Aircraft was brought to the coarsen pitch almost simultaneously with touchdown causing the Aircraft to veer to the right during its subsequent landing roll, no necessary procedures were taken to stop the veering and furthermore to recover the directional control, which resulted in the Aircraft deviating from the runway, the nose gear being broken, and eventually the Aircraft being unable to ground roll for itself. With regard to the left propeller having been brought to the coarsen pitch, it is considered highly probable that the power lever operations that were performed prior to touchdown caused the autocoarsen to be activated. It is considered highly probable that the nose gear was broken when it hit the ditch that runs parallel to the runway.”
No Safety Recommendations were made.
Related Articles
Further Reading
- The Final Report may be seen at /bookshelf/books/841.pdf
