Incident Overview
On June 2, 2022, at Kagoshima Airport, a serious incident occurred when an Agusta A109E helicopter attempted to land on a helipad located on Taxiway T2 while a Cirrus SR22 aircraft was stopped on the same taxiway in preparation for take-off. The incident was classified under Japanese regulations as equivalent to an attempted landing on a runway being used by other aircraft.
Aircraft Involved
Aircraft A was a Cirrus SR22, registration JA74MD, operated by the Independent Administrative Institution Civil Aviation College. It was conducting a solo flight training with a flight student in the left pilot seat. Aircraft B was an Agusta A109E, registration JA02KG, operated by Kagoshima International Aviation Co., Ltd., with an instructor pilot in command and a flight student on board.
Sequence of Events
The incident began around 07:00 JST when air traffic control services commenced. By 10:50, controllers were managing multiple training aircraft. Aircraft A had landed and vacated via Taxiway T3, then was instructed by the Ground controller to taxi to Taxiway T2 for take-off. Meanwhile, Aircraft B, after conducting training near Tsuruta Dam, was instructed to follow an aircraft on final approach and make an approach to the T2 Helipad.
At approximately 11:22, Aircraft A requested taxi from T3 to T2. The Ground instructed it to proceed and considered informing the Tower controller about Aircraft A's presence on Taxiway T2. However, the Tower controller was occupied with continuous radio communications and coordination tasks and did not respond to the Ground's attempts. By the time Aircraft A reached Taxiway T2 and stopped short of the runway-holding position marking, the Ground had not been able to transfer the radio communication or convey the information to the Tower.
At 11:24, the Tower instructed Aircraft B to make an approach to the T2 Helipad. At that moment, Aircraft A was already stopped on Taxiway T2, in the vicinity of the helipad. The situation led to Aircraft B's attempted landing on the helipad while the taxiway was occupied. The report indicates that Aircraft B executed a go-around.
Investigation
The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) opened an investigation, designating an investigator-in-charge and three others. Accredited representatives from Italy (state of design) and the United States (state of manufacture) participated. The investigation relied on statements from air traffic controllers, pilots, flight data recorder records, and ATC communication recordings.
Classification
The incident was classified as a serious incident under Article 166-4, item (xviii) of the Regulation for Enforcement of Civil Aeronautics Act of Japan, as a case equivalent to an attempted landing on a runway being used by other aircraft.