What happened
On a scheduled calibration mission departing from Kanoya AFB at 13:15 local time, an aircraft carrying six crew members was performing flight patterns. Following the completion of a counter-clockwise maneuver, the crew initiated a descent toward Runway 08R at the airbase. During this phase of the flight, the aircraft encountered low cloud cover that significantly reduced visibility.
While flying at an altitude of approximately 3,000 feet, the aircraft entered a cloud layer, triggering a Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alert. The crew deactivated the warning approximately two seconds after it sounded and proceeded with the approach. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft struck trees and crashed on the slope of Mt Takakuma, which stands at an elevation of 1,182 meters. The accident occurred roughly 10 km north of the airfield. Search efforts located the wreckage one day after the impact. There were six fatalities among the crew.
Findings
- The flight was operating in poor visibility due to low cloud ceilings.
- The crew continued the approach after manually silencing a GPWS alert.