A private jet that departed from Singapore’s Changi Airport skidded off the runway after landing at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido on Friday, December 12.
Japanese media reported that the incident occurred at about 6.40 pm local time.
According to initial reports by Kyodo News Agency and public broadcaster NHK, the aircraft had five passengers on board, including a young child, as well as three flight attendants.
Firefighters who responded to the scene said no one was injured. NHK added that the jet’s fuselage was not damaged and there was no fire following the incident.
The footage shared by Japanese broadcaster HBC News showed the aircraft resting on snow-covered ground beside the runway. One of New Chitose Airport’s two runways was temporarily closed as a precaution, although flight operations on the other runway continued and were not disrupted.
Preliminary information indicated that the aircraft overshot the runway during landing. It was snowing at the airport at the time, and authorities are investigating whether weather conditions may have contributed to the incident.
The runway excursion was the second aviation-related incident reported in the region on the same day. Earlier, a domestic flight travelling from Sapporo to Akita was forced to divert due to mechanical issues, eventually landing at Hakodate Airport.
The Japan News reported that none of the 26 passengers and crew on board the domestic flight were injured. Plane operator Hokkaido Air System later said the issue was likely caused by a frozen propeller. The crew had contacted air traffic control at about 12.35pm to report unstable engine power shortly after taking off from Sapporo Okadama Airport.
The operator said there was a possibility that the aircraft’s right propeller engine had frozen, leading to irregular rotation speeds. It added that the aircraft was designed to land safely even if one propeller stopped functioning. The authorities are continuing investigations into both incidents.
