Aircraft and Personnel
The aircraft involved was a Cessna 172P, serial number 17274771, manufactured on March 11, 1981. Its airworthiness certificate was valid until May 8, 2025. The captain, aged 65, held a commercial pilot certificate and flight instructor rating, with approximately 5,713 flight hours total and about 5,200 hours on type. The student pilot, aged 56, held a student pilot certificate and had 64 flight hours, all on type. A passenger was also on board.
Incident Details
On Sunday, July 7, 2024, at approximately 10:14 Japan Standard Time, the aircraft was landing at Fukushima Sky Park (a temporary operation site for agricultural use) in Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture. The lower aft section of the fuselage contacted the runway during landing. No injuries occurred among the three occupants.
Meteorological Conditions
At 10:00, the meteorological observation system recorded wind from 360° at 8 knots. Earlier at 09:00, wind was from 140° at 4 knots. Windsocks visible from the runway indicated variable wind direction, frequently shifting between south and north. Fukushima Sky Park staff provided wind information to the aircraft four minutes before landing, describing the wind as unstable.
Damage
The aircraft sustained scratch marks on the lower aft fuselage and underside of the rudder, and the tie-down ring was broken at its root. The runway showed scratch marks approximately 9 cm (deepest 7 mm) and 91 cm long.
Analysis and Probable Cause
The Japan Transport Safety Board concluded that, based on surveillance camera footage, the wind over the runway changed direction frequently during the approach. The captain and student pilot, observing a north-westerly wind from the windsock, did not expect such changes in summer. The captain judged that the aircraft could land without difficulty with the student pilot at the controls, and the student pilot performed a normal landing procedure. However, as the aircraft began to flare, the wind shifted from north-west to south, blowing from the rear left, causing a loss of airspeed and leading to the lower aft fuselage contacting the runway.