Investigation Summary
Flight 472 was operating a multi-stop route from London to Tokyo and was approximately 80 minutes behind schedule upon departing Tehran for Bombay. As the aircraft approached Bombay, the crew initially planned for an ILS approach to Santacruz Airport. However, due to favorable weather conditions, air traffic control asked if the crew had the runway in sight. Upon receiving a positive response, ATC cleared the flight for a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) approach. The crew performed a 360-degree turn to align with the runway from the west. During this maneuver, the pilots were reportedly hampered by morning mist and glare from the sun. When they regained visual contact with a runway, they mistakenly identified Juhu Aerodrome's Runway 08 as Santacruz's Runway 09. Despite the captain's immediate application of maximum braking, spoilers, and thrust reversers upon realizing the error, the aircraft could not stop within the limited distance available at Juhu.
Final Conclusions
The accident was primarily attributed to pilot error, specifically the misidentification of the landing field during a visual approach. Contributing factors included the close proximity of Juhu Aerodrome to Santacruz Airport (approximately 3.7 kilometers apart) and environmental conditions such as morning mist and sun glare that led the crew to lose sight of their intended destination during a circling maneuver.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Thrust Reversers
Used by the crew in an attempt to decelerate the aircraft after touchdown, though the runway length was insufficient for the DC-8's weight and speed.
Spoilers
Deployed manually by the captain to increase drag and reduce lift immediately after the mistake was recognized.
Interesting Facts
- 01Juhu Aerodrome's runway was only 1,143 meters long, insufficient for a Douglas DC-8.
- 02The aircraft involved, JA8013, was named 'Haruna' and had first flown in 1964.
- 03All 122 people on board survived the accident; the 11 reported injuries consisted of 9 passengers and 2 crew members.
- 04The aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair and written off.
- 05This was the second Japan Airlines accident in India within a two-month period.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Airport Proximity Awareness
Source ↗The accident highlighted the danger of 'wrong airport' landings due to the extreme proximity (3.7 km) of Juhu Aerodrome and Santacruz Airport. Indian authorities were criticized for the potential confusion caused by the layout, leading to increased awareness for crews operating visual approaches in the area.