History of the Flight
On October 18, 2022, at about 11:58 JST, a Cessna 172S (registration JA80AP) operated by Asahi Airlines Co., Ltd. was conducting touch-and-go training at Yao Airport, Osaka Prefecture. The aircraft was crewed by an instructor in the right seat and a trainee in the left seat. The training plan included ten landings, the last five being power-off accuracy approaches. By the fifth power-off approach, the path angle became too low, and the trainee flew an undershooting path. The instructor assisted by intermittently pushing the control column forward. As the aircraft passed the runway threshold, the Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) showed four reds, indicating a low path angle. The instructor judged the aircraft would not reach the aiming point but continued the approach for training purposes.
During the flare, the sink rate was low and the aircraft floated. When the instructor could no longer maintain floating, the sink rate increased rapidly from an altitude of about 2–3 meters, and the pitch angle became greater than normal. The instructor pushed the throttle to execute a go-around without calling out. Despite the go-around, the main landing gear touched the ground before climbing. The instructor recognized the main gear contact but not a tail strike. The go-around position was short of the aiming point and left of the runway centerline. The trainee heard a sound like "pang, gong" from the rear as the instructor initiated the go-around.
The air traffic controller at Yao Tower observed the aircraft flying wobbly on the base leg and several go-arounds earlier. At the time, the wind was 350°–010° at 8–13 kt, with a strengthening north wind. After the go-around, the trainee took over and landed normally at 12:04.
Damage to the Aircraft
The post-flight inspection revealed minor damage: abrasion marks on the underside of the aft fuselage (3.9 cm × 2.8 cm) and the rudder (left 3.0 cm, right 4.5 cm; underside abrasion 4.5 cm × 2.8 cm). The tie-down ring was fractured at its root and lost, with abrasion marks on both sides. The ring was later found on the runway's aiming point marking, along with abrasion marks on the surface. The aircraft's main landing gear touched down during the go-around, but no further damage was noted.
Injuries
No injuries were reported among the instructor or trainee.
Causal Factors
No probable cause was determined in the available investigation report excerpt. The incident was classified as a serious incident under Japanese regulations covering cases where any part of the landing gear or other parts were dragged during landing.