All Nippon Airways (ANA) received a stern warning from the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, for carrying out improper maintenance and failing in proper reporting on flight ANA1698 from Fukushima to Osaka/Itami on September 7. The flight was operated on a DHC-8-400 aircraft, with registration JA848A.
During pre-departure checks at Fukushima Airport, it was discovered by a mechanic that one of the two tires on the aircraft’s right main landing gear was underinflated. Instead of replacing the tire in accordance with the manufacturer’s procedures – due to the lack of a spare tire – the mechanic decided to inflate the tire with nitrogen and, after confirming there were no leaks, deemed it safe to fly. Later, a tire replacement request was made to Itami Airport, where the tire was replaced upon the flight’s arrival, allowing for the continuation of operations.
Both the maintenance staff at Fukushima Airport and the tire replacement team at Itami Airport believed the other had reported the incident to their respective quality control departments, hence no report was made. The lack of reporting was discovered on October 8, and reported to the Civil Aviation Bureau on October 10.
The manufacturer has confirmed that no additional inspections are needed, and that the aircraft can safely fly even if a tire is underinflated, according to its design.
As an immediate measure, ANA has taken steps to ensure awareness of the incident, emphasizing “the importance of following the aircraft manufacturer’s procedures” and “the importance of proper reporting”. As a long-term measure, ANA plans to implement changes such as making reporting routes for improper events dual-lined and clarifying responsibilities.
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
