More JAL wreckage found near crash site

The Yomiuri Shimbun

MAEBASHI--Large pieces of the Japan Airlines jumbo jet that crashed in August 1985 into Osutaka Ridge in Gunma Prefecture, killing 520 people, have been found still scattered near the accident site, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

Dozens of pieces, including one more than a meter long and appearing to be part of a wing, were found in the woods on a ridge a few hundred meters from the main accident site.

After checking photos taken by the Yomiuri, JAL's press bureau said there is little doubt that the newly discovered pieces belonged to the crashed plane. "We've heard there were small pieces left, but we've never seen such big ones," a spokesperson said.

The word "hazardous" appears on one gray piece 80-90 centimeters long, while the words "hydraulic pressure" can be read on a metal pipe. According to JAL, the gray piece is believed to be part of a surface of a wing, and the pipe a hydraulic line used to send oil from an engine to rotor blades and other parts.

"We collected more than 90 percent of the debris. There can't be [additional] pieces larger than a meter still left on the ridge," a former Gunma prefectural police officer who took part in investigating the case told the Yomiuri.

The JAL press bureau speculated that pieces that had been buried in the ground surfaced due to rain and wind.

Among pieces previously collected from the site, those believed to be factors in the accident, such as the pressure bulkhead and a vertical tail section, are on display at JAL's Safety Promotion Center in Ota Ward, Tokyo.