Fatal Events Since 1970 for Japan Air Lines

The following events are those involving at least one passenger death where the aircraft flight had a direct or indirect role. Excluded would be events where the only passengers killed were stowaways, hijackers, or saboteurs.

  1. 14 June 1972; Japan Air Lines DC8-50; near New Delhi, India: The aircraft crashed short of the runway during an approach in darkness, poor weather, and low visibility. All 11 crew members and 75 of the 78 passengers were killed.

  2. 28 November 1972; Japan Air Lines DC8-60; Moscow, Soviet Union: The aircraft stalled and crashed shortly after takeoff for undetermined reasons. Nine of the 14 crew members and 52 of the 62 passengers were killed.

  3. 27 September 1977; Japan Air Lines DC8-60; near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The aircraft was on an approach in heavy rain and low clouds and struck a hill about 4 miles (6.4 km) short of the runway. The crew had descended below minimum decision height without first establishing visual contact with the runway. Eight of the 10 crew members and 26 of the 69 passengers were killed.

  4. 8 February 1982; Japan Air Lines DC8-60; Tokyo Bay, Japan: Shortly before landing, the captain deliberately disengaged the autopilot and flew the aircraft into the bay. All of the crew members survived, but 24 of the 166 passengers were killed. It was later reported that the captain had been suffering from schizophrenia

  5. 12 August 1985; Japan Air Lines 747SR; Mt. Ogura, Japan: The aircraft had a sudden decompression that damaged hydraulic systems and the vertical fin. That damage also disabled the flight controls for the rudder and elevator. All 15 crew members and 505 of the 509 passengers were killed.

Two Japan Air Lines Aircraft in Near Midair Collision

31 January 2001; Japan Air Lines; near Yaizu, Japan: Two wide-bodied JAL aircraft, one a DC10 traveling from South Korea to Tokyo and a 747 flying from Tokyo to Okinawa, nearly collided on January 31 near Yaizu. This occurred after an air traffic controller allowed the aircraft to nearly collide. About 42 people were injured after the crew of the 747 performed evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision. The following links provide more details about this event:
  BBC (1 Feburay 2001)
  BBC (2 February 2001)
  Japan Times (3 February 2001)
  Fatal Midair Collision Events since 1960

Related Information
Definitions of Key Terms Used by AirSafe.com

Fatal Events Since 1970 for Japan Air Lines
http://airsafe.com/events/airlines/jal.htm -- Revised: 10 December 2007