On May 1, 1963, a De Havilland DHC-3 Otter (registration JA3115) operated by Nitto Airlines was involved in an aviation accident near Awaji, Japan in flight. 11 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft struck a mountain slope while flying through clouds and poor weather conditions. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A single-engine airplane crashed into a mountainside on Awaji Island during flight through heavy weather, resulting in no survivors.
What happened
During a period of adverse meteorological conditions, a single-engine aircraft collided with a mountain slope on Awaji Island. The terrain was obscured by dense cloud cover at the time of the impact. Following the accident, search efforts located the debris field several hours after the event occurred.
Findings
All 11 fatalities were recorded among the occupants of the aircraft.
The flight was operating in poor weather conditions characterized by low visibility and heavy cloud cover.
The impact occurred while the aircraft was in the cruise phase of flight.
Probable cause
The aircraft struck a mountain slope while flying through clouds and poor weather conditions.