Ban on using take-off sequence numbers to be lifted from early August 2024

JAL A350 Crash
The use of ‘number 1,’ is believed to have been one of the factors that contributed to the January 2024 collision at Haneda Airport.

Air traffic controllers in Japan will again be able to provide take-off sequence information to pilots from August 8, 2024, Japan’s transport ministry (MLIT) announced on July 24, 2024. The ministry banned the provision of such information after it was believed to have been misinterpreted by a crew involved in a crash at Haneda Airport on January 2, 2024.

The ministry made the decision after the Haneda Airport Aircraft Collision Countermeasures Review Committee published its interim report, which stated that sequence information helps pilots better understand the situation around them and recommended the ministry to consider lifting the ban. The committee also noted that the ministry should remind both controllers and pilots of the points to keep in mind when using such information.

In a memo to air traffic controllers, the ministry states that “depending on the scene and situation in which the information is provided, pilots may interpret it as a request to taxi without delay, etc., which may cause a psychological burden.” Because of that, the necessity and effectiveness of providing sequence information, as well as the psychological impact of doing so, should be considered before providing such information, the memo continues to explain.

The memo then continues to remind air traffic controllers of the basics including of the facts that:

  • Pilots may misunderstand, forget, or not recognize information provided to them during sudden weather or runway changes and when under time pressure, such as during delays
  • Pilots unfamiliar with an airport may not correctly understand information provided due to their lack of knowledge and experience
  • Communication that is too long can lead to pilots misunderstanding or omitting parts of the communication, so communication needs to be kept clear and concise

The memo to pilots included four points with the most important one being the fact that to enter a runway, one of the five instructions below needs to be received in addition to a sequence number:

  • “Cleared for take-off”
  • “Cross runway”
  • “Line up and wait”
  • “Taxi via runway
  • “Backtrack runway”

In the accident on January 2, 2024, a Japan Coast Guard Dash 8 was instructed “JA722A, Tokyo Tower, good evening, number 1, taxi to holding point C5.”
Saying “JA722A Taxi to holding point C5, JA722A, number 1. Thank you,” the Dash 8 crew read the instructions back correctly. However, the crew then operated under the impression that it received a permission to enter the runway, which led to a tragic collision with a JAL A350.

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