TOKYO, Aug 13 (NNN-NHK) – A memorial ceremony was held last night, to observe the 35 years since a Japan Airlines plane crashed on Osutaka Ridge, in Gunma Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, killing 520 passengers and crew.
Over five days leading up to the memorial ceremony, 141 members of 50 bereaved families climbed the trail to the crash site on Osutaka Ridge.
The annual climb to the site of the crash, where Flight 123, en route from Tokyo to Osaka, crashed 40 minutes after take-off on Aug 12, 1985, killing all but four passengers and crew on board, was spread over five days in account of the COVID-19 and the need to maintain social distancing.
Around 300 family members usually climb the mountain each year to mark the tragic occasion.
The ceremony itself began at 6:00 p.m. local time at “Irei no sono” (Memorial Garden) in the village of Ueno, at the foot of the mountain ridge and was attended by around 20 people, including JAL officials and village residents, local media reported.
Relatives were able to watch the memorial service on a livestream on the village website.
After 520 candles were lit, one for each of the victims of the world’s worst single-aircraft accident, a moment’s silence was held at 6:56 p.m. (local time), the exact time the Boeing 747 plunged onto the ridge after being torn apart mid-flight.
Investigators found in the years after Japan’s worst-ever aviation accident that, the pilot was unable to control the plane after its rear pressure bulkhead tore apart.
Accident investigators said, the bulkhead had become weakened after faulty repairs were carried out by Boeing Inc. following the plane’s tail being damaged in 1978.
With 524 passengers and crew on board, the majority of them heading home to visit relatives during the Bon holiday period, the faulty repairs led to the rear pressure bulkhead rupturing and with the plane’s vertical stabiliser blown off and hydraulics wiped out, there was nothing the pilot could do, the investigations concluded.
JAL was also held responsible for not finding any problems during regular maintenance checks, following Boeing’s fatal oversights.
Boeing refused to cooperate in investigations and while 20 people from Boeing and JAL were referred to prosecutors for negligence, none were indicted.– NNN-NHK
