Boeing 767-300 accident near Ni'Ihau, Hawaii, February 10, 2011
On February 10, 2011 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Boeing 767-300, registered JA603J, was involved in an accident during enroute (descent) near Ni'Ihau, Hawaii (Honolulu International Airport). It was flown under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 1 person was seriously injured and 6 people had minor injuries; 243 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An encounter with unanticipated convectively induced windshear and turbulence during descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 2011 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ni'Ihau, Hawaii · Honolulu International Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 6 people had minor injuries; 243 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-300 · all 767-300s on the register
- Registration
- JA603J · no longer on the register · serial 32888
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the airplane descended from about 38,000 feet, the flight crew observed that they had a tailwind of between 60 and 70 knots and that cumulonimbus clouds were ahead of the airplane. Descending through 34,668 feet, the tailwind suddenly decreased and the indicated speed of the airplane quickly increased. The captain activated the speed brakes and disengaged the autopilot. Subsequently, the airplane began to slow. As the captain was slowly retarding the speed brakes, the airplane started to climb and the captain slowly lowered the nose of the airplane. The digital flight data recorder revealed that over a 30-second period the airplane’s vertical acceleration decreased to 0.75 g, then increased to 2.33 g, decreased to 0.05 g, then stabilized at 0.9 g (normal). During the event, one passenger broke her femur; two cabin attendants and four passengers received minor injuries. The airplane was not damaged. Convective activity was located immediately west of where the event occurred, likely blocking the wind flow and causing a wave-like disturbance downstream of the storms, which would result in unanticipated convectively induced turbulence. Since the event occurred in clear air downstream of the cumulonimbus clouds, the airplane likely encountered an undulating turbulence under a strong temperature inversion and strong windshear. The turbulence was not predicted by weather forecasters.
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
- Turbulence encounter during enroute (descent) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Convective turbulence › Effect on personnel
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Windshear › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,968 hours in all; 8,397 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,933 hours in all; 1,634 in this make and model; 172 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 31,822 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 27, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 401,000 lb
- Seats: 253
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Ge CF6-80C2B7F (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Japan Airlines International
The flight
- Departed from: NRT Narita at 12:16 pm
- Destination: HNL Honolulu HI
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft; scat at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from PHLI, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 2 | 7 | ||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 4 | 234 |
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.