Background
On Sunday, January 28, 2024, a Honda Aircraft HA-420, registered JA924H, operated by Honda Airways Co., Ltd., was involved in a serious incident at Oita Airport, Japan. The aircraft was conducting training for a type rating change. The crew consisted of a captain (age 52, flight instructor), a trainee (age 66), and an observer (age 60), who was a pilot from another company and had been the instructor for the captain's type rating training.
Flight History
The aircraft took off from Oita Airport at 12:21 Japan Standard Time (JST) with the trainee at the controls. After an instrument approach, the aircraft performed continuous touch-and-go training on Runway 01. Subsequently, it flew a right traffic pattern and received clearance to land. The wind information from the tower at 14:08:12 indicated wind direction 330° and wind velocity 11 kt. The aircraft flew the final leg with a crosswind from the left.
Incident Sequence
The aircraft touched down at 14:10:48. Immediately after touchdown, the trainee moved the control wheel left, sensing the left wing rise, and applied right rudder to correct the left heading change. The captain monitored, believing the trainee could correct. The aircraft's roll and sideslip angles fluctuated. At 14:10:56, the trainee deployed the speedbrakes, just after the observer said "Go straight, go straight." Immediately after, the trainee noticed the heading moving left and attempted right rudder. The heading changed from 012.3° to 010.5° between 14:10:57 and 14:10:58. Between 14:10:57 and 14:11:03, the observer said, "You may not bring it back to the center, you don't need to bring it back, do not bring it back, do not bring it back." The trainee hesitated to apply right rudder after hearing this. The aircraft deviation worsened, and the trainee felt the aircraft skidding and unable to control direction even with right rudder. The captain slightly applied right rudder when the deviation became severe. Neither pilot applied brakes due to high speed. At 14:11:03, impact sounds and vertical acceleration changes were recorded. The aircraft deviated left off the runway, entered the green area, and stopped after its nose turned approximately 180° counterclockwise. It was disabled for taxiing.
Aftermath
The captain informed the tower, and the three occupants disembarked without injuries. The aircraft sustained minor damage: a broken right main landing gear door and a bent right wing lower forward fairing.
Aircraft and Personnel Information
The aircraft, a Honda Aircraft HA-420 (serial number 42000196), manufactured November 12, 2020, had a total flight time of 265 hours 55 minutes. Its weight and center of gravity at the time were within limits. The captain had 9,544 total flight hours; the trainee had 14,799 hours; the observer had 7,506 hours. All held valid medical certificates.
Meteorological Conditions
At 14:00, the wind was 340° at 12 kt, variable between 300° and 020°. Six-second average wind measurements near the approach end of Runway 01 showed crosswind components ranging from 4.2 to 9.0 kt during the incident period (14:10:30 to 14:11:12).