Thai Airways International Flight 620
 HS-TAE, the aircraft involved, photographed in 2005 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 26 October 1986 |
| Summary | Accidental in-flight explosion caused by smuggled hand grenade |
| Site |
|
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A300B4-601 |
| Aircraft name | Sukhothai |
| Operator | Thai Airways International |
| IATA flight No. | TG620 |
| ICAO flight No. | THA620 |
| Call sign | THAI 620 |
| Registration | HS-TAE |
| Flight origin | Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand |
| Stopover | Manila International Airport, Manila, Philippines |
| Destination | Osaka International Airport, Osaka, Japan |
| Occupants | 247 |
| Passengers | 233 |
| Crew | 14 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 109 |
| Survivors | 247 |
Thai Airways International Flight 620 was a scheduled Thai Airways International passenger flight from Bangkok to Osaka via Manila. On 26 October 1986, the Airbus A300 aircraft, which originated in Bangkok, suffered an explosion mid-flight due to an accidental grenade discharge; the explosive had been smuggled in by a member of the Yamaguchi-gumi yakuza gang. The aircraft landed safely at Osaka and was later repaired. 109 of the 239 people on board were injured.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][excessive citations]
Incident
[edit]At around 8:00 p.m. on 26 October 1986, Flight 620 was cruising above Tosa Bay off the coast of Kochi Prefecture, carrying 14 crew members and 233 passengers, when the rear of the aircraft suddenly suffered an explosion, resulting in rapid decompression and damage to the rear pressure bulkhead, severing two of the three hydraulic pipes. As a result, the aircraft veered off course for about 100 kilometers and into restricted air space of the Japan Air Self Defense Force, as well as going into a dutch roll at one point, but the aircraft managed to make an emergency landing at Osaka Itami Airport at 8:40 p.m.[9][10]
As a result of the explosion and the aircraft's violent turbulence, a total of 109 passengers and crew suffered injuries, with 14 of them suffering severe injuries.[11]
Investigation
[edit]Initially, it was believed that, like Japan Air Lines Flight 123 a year before, some sort of a mechanical problem was to blame for the incident.[12] While the aircraft was delivered less than three weeks before the incident, the pressurization devices were having issues in the week leading up to the incident, with reports being made that warning lights were turning on.[12]
However, it was quickly revealed after the aircraft was examined by the Osaka Prefectural Police that the explosion was caused by an external explosive source rather than the aircraft itself.[4][13] Ultimately, a 43-year-old member of the Yamaguchi-gumi admitted to smuggling the hand grenade into the aircraft. The gangster stated that he "accidentally pulled the safety pin off in the toilet that was at the rear left area of the toilet" and that "he tried to put the pin back in, but it didn't work, so he left it behind in the toilet and let it blow up".[2][3][5][10][14]
Aftermath
[edit]The gangster who brought in the hand grenade was not arrested until after he was discharged from the hospital, having suffered severe burns all over his body as oil from a broken hydraulic pipe poured over him during the incident.[3]
The aircraft involved, HS-TAE, was delivered less than three weeks before the incident on October 9.[11][12]
References
[edit]- ↑ Ranter, Harro. "Thai Airways International Flight 620". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.
- 1 2 Snyder, Janet (29 October 1986). "Police check gangster grenade blast theory". UPI. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- 1 2 3 "Gangster's grenade causes jet scare". Japan Times. 30 October 1986. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- 1 2 "Police say grenade caused Airbus blast". China Daily. 31 October 1986. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- 1 2 Haberman, Clyde (4 November 1986). "Thai Plane Incident Prompts a New Look at Japan Gangs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ↑ "Yakuza Branches Out". Associated Press. 2 November 1986. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ↑ "Passengers Tell of Plunge in Jetliner". Los Angeles Times. 27 October 1986. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ↑ "Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation 1986" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "事故のタイ機、油圧系統2つまで切断". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 1986-10-28.
- 1 2 Murano, Kaoru (July 2002). 明治・大正・昭和・平成事件・犯罪大事典 (1st ed.). Tokyo. p. 432. ISBN 4808940035.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - 1 2 "タイ航空機、圧力隔壁破壊で緊急着陸". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 1986-10-27.
- 1 2 3 "最新鋭機が「なぜ」 タイ機事故、首ひねる航空関係者". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 1986-10-27.
- ↑ "だれがタイ機に爆発物". Asahi Shimbun (Evening Edition) (in Japanese). 1986-10-29.
- ↑ "タイ機爆発、故意ほのめかす供述". Asahi Shimbun (Evening Edition) (in Japanese). 1986-10-29.
