Aircraft Accidents and Serious Incidents to be investigated
Aircraft accidents to be investigated
○Article 2, paragraph (1) of the Act for Establishment of the Japan Transport Safety Board
The term "Aircraft accident" as used in this Act means the accident prescribed as follows:
- (i) an accidents prescribed in Article 76, paragraph (1), each of the items of the Civil Aeronautics
Act (Act No. 231 of 1952), regarding the aircraft.
- (ii) an accidents prescribed in Article 132-90, paragraph (1), each of the items of the Civil
Aeronautics Act, which are serious ones as may be specified in Order of the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Article 1 of Regulation for Enforcement of the Act for
Establishment of the Japan Transport Safety Board), regarding the unmanned aircraft
1. Accidents related to aircraft
- ○Article 76, paragraph (1) of the Civil Aeronautics Act
(i) crash, collision, or fire of aircraft
- (ii) injury or death of any person, or damage of any object caused by aircraft
- (iii) death (except those specified in Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and
Tourism) or disappearance of any person on board the aircraft
- (iv) contact with other aircraft
- (v) other accidents relating to aircraft specified in Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism
•Article 165-3 of the Regulation for Enforcement of the Civil Aeronautics Act
Accidents related to aircraft prescribed in Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism referred to in Article 76, paragraph (1), item (v) of the Act are
cases (excluding cases where the repair of the aircraft does not fall under the major
repair work among the work classifications listed in the Table of Article 5-6) where
aircraft in flight is damaged (except the sole damage of engine, cowling, propeller,
wing tip, antenna, tire, brake or fairing).
2. Accidents related to unmanned aircraft
○Article 132-90, paragraph (1) of the Civil Aeronautics Act
- (i) injury or death of any person, or damage of any object caused by unmanned aircraft
- (ii) collision or contact with an aircraft
- (iii) other accidents relating to unmanned aircraft which are serious ones as may be specified in
- Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (*Currently, there is no order)
•Article 1 of the Regulation for Enforcement of the Act for Establishment of the Japan Transport Safety Board
- (i) injury or death of any person caused by unmanned aircraft
- (ii) damage of any object caused by an unmanned aircraft prescribed below.
(a) damage of buildings for which a person is actually present or movable facilities such
as vehicles, ships, etc.
(b) case where electricity supply facilities, telecommunications facilities, transportation
facilities, educational facilities, medical facilities, government facilities, or other public
facilities operations are disrupted.
(c) other cases which are recognized as particularly exceptional in addition to those listed
in (a) and (b)
- (iii) collision or contact with an aircraft
Aircraft serious incidents to be investigated
◎Article 2, paragraph (2), item (ii) of the Act for Establishment of the Japan Transport
Safety Board (serious incidents involving aircraft and unmanned aircraft)
A case recognized a risk of aircraft accident as may be specified in the Order of the Ministry of
Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Article 2 of the Regulation for Enforcement of the
Act for Establishment of the Japan Transport Safety Board).
○Article 2 of the Regulation for Enforcement of the Act for Establishment of the Japan
Transport Safety Board
3. Serious incidents related to aircraft
- (1) The following cases*. However, item (viii), (xi) and (xii) are limited to the cases occurred to
an aircraft during flight.
- (i) case where a pilot in command of an aircraft, during a flight, recognized a risk of collision
or contact with any other aircraft
- (ii) takeoff from a closed runway, a runway being used by other aircraft, a runway which is
different from the instructed one or a taxiway, or aborted takeoff
- (iii) landing on a closed runway, a runway being used by other aircraft, a runway which is
different from the instructed one or a location where an aircraft is not normally supposed
to land such as a taxiway or a road
- (iv) case where engine cowling, wingtip or component other than landing gear is contact with
ground surface during landing
- (v) overrun, undershoot and deviation from a runway (limited to when an aircraft is unable to
perform taxiing)
- (vi) case where emergency evacuation was conducted by using the emergency evacuation
slide
- (x) case where any of aircraft propeller, rotary wing, landing gear, rudder, elevator, aileron
or flap is damaged and thus flight of the aircraft may not be continued
- (xi) multiple malfunctions in one or more systems installed on aircraft impeding the safe flight
of aircraft
- (xii) occurrence of fire or smoke inside an aircraft and occurrence of fire within an engine
fire-prevention area
- (xiii) abnormal decompression inside an aircraft
- (xiv) shortage of fuel requiring urgent measures
- (xv) case where aircraft operation is impeded by an encounter with air disturbance or other
abnormal weather conditions, failure in aircraft equipment, or a flight at a speed exceeding
the airspeed limit, limited payload factor limit operating altitude limit
- (xvi) case where aircraft crew was unable to perform normal duties due to injury or disease
- (xvii) case where an object which attached to the exterior of the aircraft, suspended, or towed
dropped unintentionally or it dropped as an emergency operation from the aircraft.
- (xviii) case where parts fell from aircraft collided with persons
(xix) case equivalent to those listed in the preceding items
- * Item (ii) through (xix) are the cases listed in Article 166-4 of the Regulation for
Enforcement of the Civil Aeronautics Act, which are cited in Article 2 of the Regulation
for Enforcement of the Act for Establishment of the Japan Transport Safety Board.
- (2) The following cases, and an unusual case in particular:
- (i) case listed in item (viii), (xi) and (xii) of 1 above occurring with an aircraft other than
during flight
- (ii) case where an aircraft other than during flight is damaged*1*2
- *1 except the sole damage of engine, cowling, engine accessories, propeller, wing tip,
antenna, tire, brake or fairing
- *2 case which refers to the case corresponding to “major repair”. “Major repair” means a
repair that has a significant effect on airworthiness.
- (iii) case where any of aircraft propeller, rotary wing, landing gear, rudder, elevator, aileron
or flap is damaged and thus flight of the aircraft may not be started
- (iv) case equivalent to those listed in the preceding items
4. Serious incidents related to unmanned aircraft
- (1) case where a pilot in command of an unmanned aircraft, during a flight, recognized a risk of collision or contact with any other aircraft
- (2) The following cases, and an unusual case in particular :
(* cases listed in each items of Article 236-86 of the Regulation for Enforcement of the Civil Aeronautics Act)
- (i) injury to persons caused by an unmanned aircraft (excluding serious injuries)
- (ii) case in which an unmanned aircraft becomes uncontrollable
- (iii) case in which an unmanned aircraft ignites (restricted to that occurred during flight)