Memorizing Tragedy in Aviation

It was thirty years ago when a jumbo jet precipitated on a mountain ridge in Northern Kanto, sacrificing five hundred and twenty lives and marking the most tragic accident in aviation history of Japan. Families of victims held annual memorial meeting on Wednesday in the place where the airplane crushed. Even how those families hope no more aviation accident or airline companies take preventive measures, the effort for safety is endless.

In the evening of August 12^th, 1985, the pilot of Japan Airlines Flight 123 from Tokyo to Osaka, recognized unusual explosive decompression and lost control of the aircraft. It was caused by destruction of pressure bulkhead, which had been repaired after a tail-strike accident, and consequent torn-off of vertical stabilizer at the rear. The body of Boeing 747 was smashed on Osutaka Ridge in Village of Ueno, Gunma, leaving only four survivors.

Victim’s families have annually been holding memorial at the place, to where it took five or six hours to clime, in the evening of August 12^th. But, they get older in the years and most families came to have meeting in Memorial Garden at the foot of the hill. Since the line was frequently used for commuting between Tokyo and Osaka, there were a number of businessmen among the passengers. Kids of the victims have grown up and live their lives with father’s memory. A daughter of the captain now works as a cabin attendant of JAL.

Engraving the responsibility of unprecedentedly severe accident, JAL has seriously been careful about safety measures. All workers of JAL are mandated to climb the hill of Osutaka to realize and not to forget the grave mistake the company had made. Nevertheless, a number of troubles, including tail-strikes or wrong taxing in airport have still been reported.

It is still a mystery why the pressure bulkhead and vertical stabilizer were broken. According to the investigators, Boeing company was not cooperative in determining cause of the accident. It was possible that Boeing was careful on leak of information from the investigation team to Japanese police. In Japan, the information can lawfully be exchanged between those organizations. Some experts argue that investigation for preventing next accident should be separated from police seeking crime.

Even how airline companies try to prioritize safety, logic of business always overtakes. Because cost cutting is inevitable for survival in competitive environment of aviation business, investment for safety tends to be left behind. Tragedy of Osutaka may occur again tomorrow.