Boeing 777 accident near Niigata, Jp, March 4, 2009
On March 4, 2009 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Boeing 777, registered FGSPD, was involved in an accident near Niigata. It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. 2 people were seriously injured; 275 others were unhurt.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 2009 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Niigata, Japan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured; 275 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 777 200 · all 777s on the register
- Registration
- FGSPD · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On March 5, 2009, at approximately 0820 Japan Standard Time, an Air France Boeing 777-200, registration F-GSPD, encountered turbulence near Niigata, Japan, at an altitude of about 25,000 feet. Two flight attendants received serious injuries. The passengers and remaining crew members were uninjured. The investigation is being conducted by the Japan Transport Safety Board. The NTSB has assigned a U.S. Accredited Representative to assist the investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13 as the Country of Design and Manufacture of the aircraft. All inquiries should be directed to the Japan Transport Safety Board: Japan Transport Safety Board Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism 2-1-2, Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-8918 Japan Website: http://www.mlit.go.jp/jtsb/english.html
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
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Air France
The flight
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 2 | 12 | ||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 261 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.