Cessna 172 accident near Tokyo, Jp, December 15, 2019
On December 15, 2019 at about 3:55 pm local time, a 1974 Cessna 172, registered N22905, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (to runway) near Tokyo (Yokota Air Base airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane’s encounter with prop wash while taxiing behind a larger airplane that was conducting a high-power engine run on the same taxiway. Contributing to the accident was the air traffic controller’s failure to inform the smaller airplane’s pilot about the larger airplane pilot’s intentions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 2019 · about 3:55 pm local time
- Place
- Tokyo, Japan · Yokota Air Base · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 M, built 1974 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N22905 · registry record · serial 17264078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The operator's operations chief reported that an air traffic controller instructed the flight instructor and pilot to taxi to a taxiway and that, subsequently, the airplane encountered prop wash from a larger airplane on the same taxiway, which flipped the airplane onto its right side and resulted in substantial damage to the forward wing spar. The larger airplane's pilot reported that he was conducting a high-power engine run on the same taxiway. The air traffic controller did not tell the pilots in the smaller airplane at any time while they were taxiing about the larger airplane's intentions. The pilot of the larger airplane reported that all requests for engine start, taxi, and high-power engine runs were coordinated with air traffic control (ATC). He added that they had to reposition due to a tailwind and that he had made a radio call to ATC and acknowledged that they had repositioned on the ramp to face into the wind. He added that he heard the lighter airplane receive a taxi clearance but did not hear any communications questioning the larger airplane's status or position with respect to any potential impact on aircraft taxiing behind them on the taxiway. He became aware of the lighter airplane's situation after the event when its pilot made a radio call to ground control.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Prop/jet/rotor blast/suction during taxi (to runway) defining event
- Roll over during taxi (to runway)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › (general) › (general) › Effect on operation
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › Lack of communication › ATC personnel
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 697 hours in all; 227 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 671 hours in all; 51 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,142.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 12, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 1,876 hours total
- Operator: Yokota Aero Club
The flight
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 am from RJTY, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 15, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | DHC8 Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Picture | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.