Chōfu Airport

Chōfu Airport 調布飛行場 Chōfu Hikōjō
IATA: none – ICAO: RJTF
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Location	Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan
Hub for	New Central Airservice
Elevation AMSL	139 ft / 42 m
Coordinates	35°40′18″N 139°31′41″E / 35.67167°N 139.52806°ECoordinates: 35°40′18″N 139°31′41″E / 35.67167°N 139.52806°E
Map
RJTF Location in Japan
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 17/35 800 2,625 Asphalt concrete
Statistics (2014)
Passengers 92,961 Cargo (metric tonnes) 56
Source: Japanese AIP at AIS Japan[1] Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Japan) [2]

Chofu Airport (調布飛行場 Chōfu Hikōjō) (ICAO: RJTF) is an airport located 1.2 NM (2.2 km; 1.4 mi) northwest^[1] of Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan, west of central Tokyo. It is administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The airport's main commercial activity is New Central Airservice commuter flights to the islands south of Tokyo.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
New Central Airservice	Kōzushima, Miyakejima, Niijima, Oshima

History

Plans for Chōfu airfield were made in 1938. Construction started in 1939 and the airport opened in 1941. It had two runways, one of 1000 meters and one of 675 meters. During the Pacific war it was exclusively used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service.

The airfield was host to Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien fighters used for air defense against Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombing raids by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).

In 1944 a number of concrete hangars were built to protect the aircraft from air attacks. Two of these are preserved in what is now a small park to the east of the current airport.

Occupied after the war by American forces, the airfield was briefly used as a base for Lockheed F-5 Lightning photo-reconnaissance aircraft of the 6th and 71st Reconnaissance Groups beginning in late September 1945, mapping the extent of wartime damage over Honshū. The mapping flights ended in January 1946, ending operational military use by the Americans. The USAAF saw no need for the facility, especially given its proximity to the densely populated urban area. It was turned over to the occupation government in 1946, eventually being returned to Japanese control.

Accidents and Incidents

• On August 10, 1980, a private plane crashed into the playground of Chofu Junior High School after take-off, killing everyone on board.^[3][4]
• On July 26, 2015, a Piper PA-46 Malibu piloted by Taishi Kawamura and carrying four passengers on board, crashed into a residential area just after take-off. Three people died in the crash, including the pilot, one of the passengers, and a woman on the ground. The other three passengers survived with injuries, as did two people on the ground. Witnesses on the ground reported that the engine made an abnormal sound as it flew over them. Several videos were uploaded to YouTube showing the airplane flying lower than usual after take-off. Three investigators from the Japan Transport Safety Board were soon dispatched to the accident site. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department also launched an investigation, suspecting professional negligence resulting in injury and death. Initial investigative work revealed the airplane was involved in a landing incident at an airport in Hokkaido in October 2004. Several anomalies with the flight plan were also found. Media speculations suggest the engine or professional negligence as likely causes of the crash.^[3]
• On February 29, 2016 a US Air Force Bell UH-1N Twin Huey helicopter of the 459th Airlift Squadron from Yokota Air Base on a flight to a US military facility in Minato, Tokyo made an emergency landing at the airport due to engine trouble. There was no fire and no injuries to the nine people on board. Flights at the airport were not affected.^[5][6]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

1. AIS Japan
2. "Chofu Airport Statistics" (PDF) (Press release). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Retrieved 8 July 2016. (Japanese)
3. Police suspect engine trouble in fatal Chofu plane crash July 17, 2015 Japan Times Retrieved September 30, 2016
4. Accident report Retrieved September 30, 2016 (Japanese)
5. U.S. military helicopter makes emergency landing at Tokyo's Chofu Airport February 29, 2016 Mainichi Shimbun Retrieved September 30, 2016
6. Robson, Seth Iroquois helicopter makes precautionary landing at Tokyo airport February 29, 2016 Stars and Stripes Retrieved September 16, 2016

External links

• Chofu (in Japanese) Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Japan) Tokyo Civil Aviation Bureau
• Chōfu Hikōjō Mondai (in Japanese)
• Malibu.jp web site describes the fliers club and on airport "Propeller Cafe" (Japanese).