This seems unusual. Any thoughts?

JAL Captain Faces Death Allegations

May 15, 2002

In a rare legal move, a Japanese airline captain has been indicted for allegedly making a pilot error which resulted in the death of a crew member.

Captain Koichi Takamoto was piloting the Japan Airlines MD-82 on a flight from Hong Kong to the Japanese city of Nagoya when the incident happened in 1997.

The Nagoya District Public Prosecutors Office have indicted Takamoto, alleging professional negligence resulting in death and injuries.

Fourteen of the 180 people on board were injured when the plane hit turbulence on its approach to Nagoya Airport. Flight attendant Atsuko Taniguchi died 20 months later from a head injury, having never left a Tokyo hospital. Seven other cabin crew were hurt, together with six passengers

The 51-year-old captain has denied responsibility for the incident. He claims it was an accident caused by sudden air stream changes and there were no pilot errors.

An Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission report on the accident, released three years ago, said: "The disturbance was caused by the combined effects of a specific characteristic of the automatic pilot mechanism and pilot action."

The indictment alleges that Captain Takamoto failed to switch off the automatic pilot before taking manual control when the plane hit turbulence. This caused a sudden lift of the aircraft's nose.

The Japan Federation of Flight Crew Unions have denounced the indictment, describing it as "unjust."

http://news.airwise.com/stories/2002/05/1021462440.html