An All Nippon Airways Boeing 767 and a Japan Civil Aviation Bureau Cessna Citation CJ4 came within approximately 70 feet (20 meters) of each other Tuesday morning during a near-collision at Tokyo Haneda Airport.
The incident occurred as ANA Flight NH968, arriving from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, was on final approach to Runway 34R at Tokyo Haneda (HND). According to Flightradar24 data cited by Simpleflying, the Boeing 767-300 (registered JA626A) was banking over Tokyo Bay around 5:40 AM when it converged with a Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) aircraft passing through 1,000 feet.
Simultaneously, a JCAB Cessna Citation CJ4 (registration JA010G), using the call sign CKSTR10
, had just departed Runway 06. After a sharp right bank, the smaller jet climbed on a southwesterly heading, placing it directly across the path of the oncoming ANA widebody.
TCAS Intervention and Evasive Maneuvers
Air traffic control audio captured an extremely agitated
approach controller calling out to the aircraft as they closed the gap, according to Simpleflying. The pilots of Flight NH968 reported they had received a TCAS RA
—a Resolution Advisory—which is an automated command requiring pilots to take immediate action to avoid a collision.
The resulting maneuvers prevented a catastrophe. FlightRadar24 data shows the ANA 767 executed a steep climb and banked right, moving away from the airport before returning to land 15 minutes later. The JCAB CJ4 briefly halted its climb and descended to 900 feet, passing below the Boeing 767 before continuing its mission over Tokyo Bay.
Because TCAS alerts are rare during standard airport operations, this specific automated layer of protection may have been the only factor that prevented a midair collision, Simpleflying reports.
The Role of JCAB Flight Inspection Aircraft
The Cessna CJ4 involved is not a standard commercial flight but part of the JCAB flight inspection program, having been in service since 2015. These aircraft are tasked with verifying that navigation aids are transmitting accurate signals, which allows pilots to rely on instrument procedures during poor weather.
Because these missions require flying unusual profiles
that differ from typical airline operations, they necessitate tight coordination with air traffic controllers, according to Simpleflying.
| System Verified | Purpose of Inspection |
|---|---|
| Instrument Landing System (ILS) | Verifies localizer and glideslope guidance accuracy |
| Approach lighting system | Confirms alignment and intensity for instrument approaches |
| PAPI/VASI | Ensures visual glide path indicators are calibrated |
| VOR/DME | Checks accuracy of radio navigation signals |
| RNAV/GNSS procedures | Validates satellite-based instrument approach procedures |
| Airfield lighting | Verifies runway and taxiway lighting systems |
Haneda’s Pattern of Safety Scrutiny
This near-miss occurs while Tokyo Haneda remains under intense scrutiny following a fatal runway collision on January 2, 2024. In that incident, a Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900 collided with a Japan Coast Guard De Havilland Dash 8 during landing.
Investigators determined that the collision was caused due to multiple human errors, Simpleflying reports.
Authorities are expected to investigate the specific sequence of events to determine how a flight inspection aircraft, tasked with calibrating the airport’s safety systems, ended up in such close proximity to an arriving commercial flight.
The irony of the situation is stark: the JCAB aircraft was operating specifically to ensure the accuracy of the systems that keep other aircraft safe, yet its flight profile created a critical safety incident.
