Incident Overview
On July 9, 2018, at about 14:05 JST, an Aerospatiale AS332L helicopter, registration JA9690, operated by Aero Asahi Corporation, landed on Runway 02 at Toyama Airport while a runway inspection vehicle was present on the same runway. The helicopter had four people onboard, including the pilot. The runway inspection vehicle, a greenish-yellow Mitsubishi Pajero owned by the Toyama Prefecture airport management office, was conducting a routine runway inspection. No injuries to persons or damage to the aircraft were reported.
Flight History
The helicopter departed from a temporary airfield in Fukui Prefecture at approximately 13:38 JST under a flight plan indicating a total estimated elapsed time of one hour to Toyama Airport. At 13:59:28, the pilot contacted Toyama Tower about 10 nautical miles west of the airport to obtain landing information and was advised that Runway 02 would be used for landing.
At the time, the tower controller had just taken over duty during the shift rotation at 14:00. The controller was occupied with checking the emergency radio and other equipment. While the controller was moving between the tower control position and the emergency radio, the runway inspection vehicle called at 14:00:00 to request permission to enter the runway. The controller granted clearance, stating, "It is cleared to enter the runway." The vehicle entered the runway via Taxiway T1 with its blue flashing light on.
At 14:03:31, the helicopter was on the base leg, and the controller issued a landing clearance on Runway 02. The controller visually scanned the runway from the threshold to Taxiway T2 but did not notice the vehicle on the north side. The pilot also scanned the runway during the approach but did not see any vehicles. The pilot had extensive experience at Toyama Airport and intended to vacate via Taxiway T1 after landing.
At 14:05, the helicopter landed short of Taxiway T1 and taxied to the H1 parking area. The pilot did not realize the vehicle had been on the runway. The vehicle occupants observed the helicopter approaching and, expecting helicopters to use the helipad, stopped the vehicle on the runway as a precaution. They did not feel threatened. After the helicopter vacated, the vehicle resumed its inspection.
The tower controller noticed the vehicle on the runway after it moved to the south side and realized that the reminder—a magnet indicating "Runway Closed"—had not been placed on the wind indicator as required by procedures.
Personnel and Aircraft Information
The helicopter pilot held a commercial pilot certificate for rotorcraft with a type rating for multi-turbine engine (land) and had 5,200 hours and 17 minutes of total flight time. The tower controller held an aerodrome control services certificate with a type rating for Toyama aerodrome control tower and had medical certificate validity until June 30, 2019. The coordinator position controller also held relevant certifications.
The aircraft was an Aerospatiale AS332L, serial number 2089, manufactured on November 7, 1984, with a valid certificate of airworthiness.
Additional Information
Airport surveillance camera footage showed the positions of the helicopter and vehicle on the runway at the time of landing. The tower had procedures requiring the use of a "Runway Closed" reminder magnet on the wind indicator during runway inspections, which was not used in this instance.