Nitto Airlines Tsubame crash

The Nitto Airlines Tsubame crash (Nittō Kōkū Tsubame-gō tsuiraku jiko) was an aviation accident that occurred on 1 May 1963 (Shōwa 38).

Overview of the accident

The Nitto Airlines (which later became, via Japan Air System and others, the present Japan Airlines) DHC-3 Otter amphibious passenger aircraft "Tsubame" (registration JA3115), flying from Osaka Airport to Tokushima, crashed into Mount Yuzuruha in Nandan, Mihara District, Hyōgo Prefecture (now Minamiawaji) on Awaji Island at around 8:56 on 1 May 1963. The Tsubame had taken off from Osaka at 8:11, but because it was flying through dense fog it strayed off course and crashed at an elevation of about 300 m on the slopes of Mount Yuzuruha, where it was wrecked and burst into flames. The accident aircraft had been bought new in April 1958, and reportedly no problems had been found when it was overhauled about a month before the accident.

On receiving word of the accident, the responsible Mihara Police Station sent 5 police vehicles to the scene and set up a local response headquarters at the nearby Nandan Junior High School.

The 2 flight crew escaped through the hatches on the left and right of the cockpit and were rescued, but all 9 passengers were killed. This was attributed to the fact that the passengers remained seated with their seat belts fastened and the fire spread so quickly that they had no chance to escape. The bodies were cremated in Sumoto and then handed over to the bereaved families. Nitto Airlines announced that it would hold a joint funeral on 6 May at Higashi Honganji in Kita-ku, Osaka, but some of the bereaved families opposed this.

The captain was found guilty by the Osaka High Court of professional negligence resulting in death and injury and of violating the Civil Aeronautics Act, and the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal. This was the first aviation accident case to be heard by the Supreme Court.