A Japan Airlines plane was on the move at Miyazaki Airport’s taxiway just moments before an explosion occurred. The explosion, believed to be caused by a dud shell dropped by the U.S. military during the Pacific War, took place on Wednesday morning on the S6 taxiway connected to a runway. As a result of the blast, 87 flights had to be canceled due to the hole created by the explosion.
The airport was able to resume operations later that night after the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry filled in the hole caused by the blast. This incident is reportedly the first time that a dud ordnance has exploded on an airport taxiway or runway.
According to sources from both the ministry’s office at Miyazaki Airport and other sources, it was determined that more than 1 kilometer east of the passenger terminal building is where this explosion occurred. The blast resulted in a hole approximately 7 meters long, 4 meters wide, and 1 meter deep on one side of the taxiway where aircraft wheels do not touch but wings can pass above.
The ordnance responsible for this explosion was believed to have been buried within 1 meter of surface level. Metal fragments and other objects were scattered over an area with a radius of about 200 meters. Interestingly enough, just two minutes prior to this incident taking place, a JAL plane bound for Haneda had been moving along that very same taxiway.
By around 3:10 p.m., Ground Self-Defense Force’s dud ordnance team successfully removed what remained of this exploded shell from Miyazaki Airport grounds. According to GSDF officials, it was determined that this bomb weighed approximately 250 kilograms and originated from U.S. military stockpiles.
When constructing airport facilities like Miyazaki Airport’s taxiways or runways, it is standard procedure for authorities to conduct searches for any potential unexploded ordnances beforehand as part of safety measures. At Wednesday’s press conference held by airport officials following this incident, they expressed confidence in their belief that no other unexploded bombs are present due to previous underground surveys conducted during construction projects.
“We will resume operations as soon as we complete debris collection and backfilling,” stated head of Miyazaki Airport office during said press conference while emphasizing their commitment towards balancing convenience with safety concerns.
Airport sources have revealed that work aimed at widening S6 taxiway took place during Heisei era (1989-2019), leading investigators involved in assessing this incident’s cause intending on reviewing past records related specifically towards searches conducted for unexploded ordnances throughout those years.
Originally established in 1943 as an air base serving Imperial Japanese Navy purposes during World War II before transitioning into civilian use post-war period; Miyazaki Airport has seen its fair share of incidents involving unexploded bombs over time according city government records which indicate discovery five such devices out total twenty-four found within city limits since year1956 alone.
Other airports across different prefectures have also experienced similar situations involving unexploded bombs being discovered nearby their runways or surrounding areas.
For instance,in April2020,NahaAirport locatedin Naha City,Okinawa Prefecture,witnessed discovery three250-kilogrambombsbelievedtohavebeendroppedduringBattleofOkinawanearRunway1.InOctober2012,aunexplodedbombwasfoundneararunwayatSendaiAirportlocatedbetweenIwanumaandNatoriinMiyagiPrefecture
