ANA Wings DH8D at Wakkanai on Aug 20th 2025, landed on occupied runway

Last Update: August 3, 2026 / 09:39:53 GMT/Zulu time

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Photo of ANA Wings JA854A, De Havilland Dash 8 (400) — ANA Wings JA854A, De Havilland Dash 8 (400) (Photo credit: redlegsfan21 / Flickr / License: CC by-sa)

Incident Facts

Date of incident
Aug 20, 2025

Classification
Incident

Airline
ANA Wings

Flight number
NH-4841

Departure
Sapporo New Chitose, Japan

Destination
Wakkanai, Japan

Aircraft Registration
JA854A

Aircraft Type
De Havilland Dash 8 (400)

ICAO Type Designator
DH8D

An ANA Wings de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration JA854A performing flight NH-4841 from Sapporo New Chitose to Wakkanai (Japan) with 74 people on board, landed in Wakkanai, however, bird control vehicles were still speeding off the runway after seeing the aircraft was about to land.

Japan's Ministry of Transport rated the occurrence a serious incident, the JTSB opened an investigation. Due to weather conditions the aircraft was not landing on the planned runway but the opposite runway. The crew did not observe any vehicles on the runway and did not check with other traffic (AFIS only).

On Jul 30th 2026 the JTSB released a progress report in Japanese reporting that the crew cancelled IFR while descending through 19000 feet intending to land on Wakkana's runway 08. About 9km from the airport the crew would have been required to establish contact with Wakkana Flight information to obtain information about active runway, runway conditions, weather and presence of aircraft/vehicles on the runway, however, the crew never made contact and proceeded for landing. Flight Information Service had cleared a bird control vhicle onto the runway. In the meantime the ANA Wings crew opted to approach runway 26 due to the presence of thunderstorm cells in the approach path to runway 08. The occupants of the vehicle spotted the landing lights of the aircraft on approach to runway 26 and vacated the runway onto a service road, Flight Information also instructed them to vacate the runway. The aircraft touched down on runway 26 without radio contact. The JTSB stated: "At 11:18:30, the aircraft passed along the runway—while still rolling after landing—in front of the service road where the vehicle had taken refuge."

The JTSB reported the crew later stated they had noticed the PAPI lights were not illuminated but considered it would take too long to talk to Flight Information to put the lights up due to the developing weather scenario. They had not sighted the vehicle.