The transport ministry has concluded it cannot determine whether a burst tire that forced a Japan Airlines jet to divert was caused by damage later found on a Haneda Airport runway.
The aircraft blew a tire while taking off from the airport's D runway in May and made an emergency landing at Narita Airport. Inspections afterward found rubber on the D runway surface had peeled back, exposing a metal plate beneath it that had lifted by as much as 8 centimeters.
A panel the ministry set up to examine countermeasures investigated the cause of the blowout. On the 6th it concluded that the burst is believed to have been triggered by an external factor, but that no causal link to the metal plate could be identified.
Countermeasures planned
To address the lifted plate, the ministry will switch to a resin-based material and review its inspection methods. A final report is expected to be published during November.