JL 2
22 Nov 1968 · Near Misses & Miraculous EscapesJAPAN AIR LINES FLIGHT 2 (1968)
Douglas DC-8 · Japan Air Lines · Image: Wikimedia Commons
Why it happened
Ditched in San Francisco Bay in fog
Fog approach
Flight director misuse
Ditching
Aircraft
Douglas DC-8
Japan Air Lines
Route
Tokyo–Haneda (HND), Japan
→ San Francisco (SFO), USA
People
107 on board
All survived
Date
22 Nov 1968
Flight crew
Captain: Kohei Asoh
Category
Near Misses & Miraculous Escapes
Everyone walked away. Barely.
THE STORY
In dense fog, the DC-8 settled gently into San Francisco Bay, 2.5 miles short. All 107 evacuated onto the wings — Captain Asoh's blunt honesty became the famous 'Asoh defense'.