御巣鷹２５年 墜落の悲劇を風化させるな

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Aug. 13, 2010)
Never let memories of tragic JAL crash fade
御巣鷹２５年　墜落の悲劇を風化させるな（8月12日付・読売社説）

Thursday marked the 25th anniversary of the Japan Airlines plane crash on Osutaka Ridge in Uenomura, Gunma Prefecture, that claimed the lives of 520 passengers and crew members.
　日本航空のジャンボ機が群馬県上野村の御巣鷹の尾根に墜落し、乗員乗客５２０人が犠牲となった惨事から、きょう１２日で２５年になる。

The jumbo jet, bound for Osaka after leaving Haneda Airport at dusk, carried businessmen returning home, holidaymakers and people heading to their hometowns for the Bon Festival. In an instant, all these lives were lost.
　羽田空港を夕方に離陸し、大阪に向かう便だった。出張帰りのビジネスマンや夏休み中の家族がいた。お盆で帰省する人もいた。そうした人たちの人生が一瞬のうちに断ち切られた。

Bereaved families and JAL officials climb to the crash site on the ridge every year on Aug. 12 to pray for the souls of the dead. However, there have been frequent reports of vandalism around the monument for the victims. Such actions are outrageous.
　遺族や日航関係者らは毎年、８月１２日に御巣鷹の尾根への慰霊登山を行ってきた。その慰霊碑の周辺を荒らす行為が続いているという。許し難いことだ。

Many people working in aviation, including JAL employees, started working in the industry after the crash. They should be constantly reminded of the seriousness of the tragedy so that memories of the disaster do not fade.
　日航社員を含め、一線で働く航空関係者の多くは事故以降の世代になったが、この悲劇を風化させることなく、起きたことの深刻さを語り継がなければならない。

JAL has repeatedly said: "Osutaka is the starting point for our aviation safety." Safe operations are fundamental to the aviation industry as a whole.
　「御巣鷹は安全の原点」と、日航は繰り返してきた。日々、安全の徹底に努める。それは航空業界全体の基本でもある。

The JAL crash is the world's worst single-aircraft accident in terms of the number of victims. Since then, not one major Japanese carrier has experienced a fatal accident involving passengers, either at home or abroad.
　単独機の犠牲者数では最大の事故として、今も世界の航空史に記録をとどめる。その後は、日本の大手航空会社は内外で乗客が死亡する事故を起こしていない。

Human error

However, it is true problems have frequently occurred that could have triggered a major accident, making passengers uneasy.
　しかし、惨事につながりかねないミスやトラブルは絶えないのが現状だ。そのたびに利用客を不安にさせてきた。

In 2001, JAL jetliners were nearly involved in a midair collision over Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture. This was caused by air traffic controllers issuing the wrong instructions.
　２００１年には静岡県焼津市上空で、あわや空中衝突という日航機同士の異常接近があったが、これは管制官の誤った指示が原因だった。

There also have been a number of human errors committed by cockpit crew, such as starting a takeoff run without permission.
逆に、管制官の許可なく離陸滑走を始めるなど、運航乗務員の人為的ミスも少なくない。

Following the Osutaka Ridge accident, investigative authorities and the government's investigation commission concluded that it was caused by a fracture in the plane's rear pressure bulkhead, due to improper repairs carried out by Boeing Co. of the United States.
　御巣鷹事故では、捜査当局や事故調査委員会が、米ボーイング社の修理ミスによる、後部圧力隔壁の破断が原因と認定した。

If there are problems with the aircraft, due to improper repairs, poor maintenance or design flaws, the captain and other cockpit crew members will be unable to avert accidents no matter what they do.
　このような修理ミスや、整備不良、設計ミスなど、機体に欠陥があっては、いくら機長らが最善を尽くしても事故は防げない。

Increase in passenger traffic

The number of passengers flying on domestic routes has increased from 44 million to 95 million over the past 25 years. Maintaining air traffic safety has become even more important.
　国内の航空旅客数は、この２５年で約４４００万人から約９５００万人に膨らんだ。航空交通の重要性は格段に増している。

Every sector of the aviation industry, including flight operations, aircraft maintenance, air traffic control and aircraft manufacture, should thoroughly ensure safety so as to build a completely safe system and avoid a recurrence of such a tragedy that befell the JAL plane.
　運航や整備部門、管制、航空機メーカーなどが、それぞれ安全を徹底させることで、二度と悲劇を起こさない万全の体制を築いていかなければならない。

JAL, which once boasted it had become the world's No. 1 airline in terms of international traffic volume, has watched its business performance deteriorate since the Osutaka Ridge crash. The airline's management is now rebuilding itself under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law.
　かつては国際線の輸送実績で世界一になった日航も、御巣鷹事故を境に業績が悪化し始める。ついに経営に行き詰まり、現在は会社更生法に基づき再建中だ。

The airline is implementing various corporate restructuring measures, including wage and workforce cuts. But we hope the company will remember to place safety at the top of its priority list.
　社員の賃金カットや大規模な人員削減などのリストラも進めているが、安全最優先の大前提だけは崩さないでもらいたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 12, 2010)
（2010年8月12日01時03分 読売新聞）