Chofu 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
Source: Japanese AIP at AIS Japan[1]

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

Chofu Airport was opened in 1941. Used as an Imperial Japanese Army Air Force base during World War II, the airfield was host to Kawasaki Ki-61 fighters used for air defense against Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombing raids by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). 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 a Chofu middle school after take-off, killing everyone on board.
• On July 26, 2015, a Piper PA-46 Malibu, with five people 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.^[2]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

1. AIS Japan
2. The Japan Times, "Police Suspect Engine Trouble In Fatal Chofu Plane Crash".

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).