Greater Japan Airways Kuma crash

The Dai Nippon Airways Kuma crash (Dai Nippon Kōkū Kuma-gō tsuiraku jiko) was an aviation accident (takeoff failure) involving a civil aircraft that occurred in 1939 (Shōwa 14).

Overview of the accident

On 17 May 1939, Dai Nippon Airways' Lockheed Super Electra "Kuma" (twin-engine piston aircraft, registration J-BCOZ) was to operate an outbound service from Fukuoka via Keijō, Korea (now Seoul, Republic of Korea) to Beijing, Republic of China.

It took off at 11:21 am from Gannosu Airfield (Fukuoka No. 1 Airfield, now the Fukuoka City Gannosu Recreation Center) in Wajiro Village, but immediately afterwards the left engine developed trouble and lost power, causing the aircraft to stall and crash in a spin into a pine forest near the shore. On impact the gasoline exploded and the fire spread to the pine forest. Of the 3 crew and 8 passengers, 6 people, 2 crew and 4 passengers, were killed, and 5 were seriously or slightly injured in this disaster.

Cause of the accident

The runway at Gannosu Airfield at the time was 800 m, standard in Japan, but short compared with major airports in the United States and Europe. To take off from this short runway, it was necessary to take off and climb at maximum engine power. The Lockheed Super Electra that became the accident aircraft was a state-of-the-art airliner at the time with a high cruising speed, but its engine performance was poor and its high wing loading made its stability at low speeds problematic. The operating airline had also had 2 takeoff accidents due to engine trouble with the same type within half a year. In December 1938 in Beijing and in January 1939 in Qingdao, the aircraft made belly landings, but on those occasions the airport grounds were large, so disaster was averted. The pilot of the Kuma, who was killed in the line of duty, had also been aboard the aircraft in the Qingdao accident; on that occasion it struck a roof near the airfield and was badly damaged, but there were no fatalities. The accident was therefore attributed to the attempt to make a forced steep climb despite the accident aircraft's performance problems, which led to the engine trouble, and to the narrowness of the airport grounds.

Today, a "Memorial to the Victims of the Kuma Disaster" stands on the site of the former Gannosu Airfield to pray for the repose of the victims.