Fatal Controlled Flight Into Terrain at Kanoya Air Base (49-3043)

Incident Overview and Flight Profile The aircraft departed Kanoya Air Base at 1315 local time for a calibration flight carrying six individuals. After completing a counter-clockwise arc, the crew initiated a descent toward Runway 08R at Kanoya Air Base. ## Approach and Impact Visibility was poor due to low clouds. During the approach, the aircraft entered clouds at an altitude of 3,000 feet, triggering a Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alarm. Two seconds later, the crew deactivated the alarm and continued the approach. Ten seconds after the alarm was silenced, the aircraft impacted trees and crashed on the slope of Mount Takakuma, which has an elevation of 1,182 metres and is located 10 kilometres north of the airbase. ## Aftermath and Findings The wreckage was discovered the following day, and all six crew members were confirmed killed. The official investigation determined the probable cause was controlled flight into terrain after the crew continued the approach in poor visibility without visual contact with the environment. Contributing factors included misidentification of the environment by part of the crew, the deactivation of the GPWS alarm, and the failure to initiate a corrective maneuver.