Accident Summary
On Saturday, August 18, 2012, at around 15:55 JST, a privately owned Cessna 172N Ram, registration JA3814, struck a ground worker while attempting a touch and go landing at Otone Airfield in Kawachi Town, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The aircraft had departed at about 15:35 for a familiarization flight.
Flight History
During the touch and go, the aircraft bounced on the first touchdown. After landing, it ran obliquely and deviated from the runway. It became airborne again and struck a worker who was mowing grass on the south side of the runway. The worker suffered fatal injuries. The captain and three passengers on board were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage but no fire occurred.
Injuries and Damage
The ground worker was fatally injured. The captain and three passengers had no injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged; no fire broke out.
Probable Cause and Contributing Factors
The investigation determined that it is highly probable that the aircraft veered off the runway and struck the worker. The deviation from the runway was caused by the captain moving the throttle lever to full open for takeoff concurrently with operating the left rudder to correct direction, which caused the aircraft to abruptly swerve to the left—a characteristic of single-engine propeller aircraft with a clockwise-rotating propeller. The captain could not take appropriate corrective actions. It is somewhat likely that the captain was upset by the bouncing and other factors after landing, and that he lacked well-established capability to handle unexpected situations. Additionally, the aircraft’s weight and center of gravity were beyond operating limitations, which likely had an adverse effect on its characteristics and maneuverability.
Safety Actions
After the accident, the Japan Flying Association and the Civil Aviation Bureau took actions to improve safety, including measures related to airport management and pilot proficiency.