TCAS Saves the Day: JCAB CitationJet Crosses ANA 767's Path at Haneda

A potential mid-air collision was averted over Tokyo Haneda Airport on Aug. 4, 2026, after a Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) Cessna Citation CJ4 crossed the flight path of an All Nippon Airways Boeing 767-300ER, triggering a Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) Resolution Advisory. The ANA crew immediately complied with the RA, executing a go-around to maintain safe separation.

ANA flight NH968, arriving from Shanghai Pudong with 197 people on board, was on final approach to runway 34R when the conflict occurred. The government-operated Citation CJ4 — registration JA010G — had departed runway 05 on a flight inspection mission, performing radio and ILS calibration checks. Flight tracking data indicate the two aircraft reached a minimum vertical separation of approximately 75 to 100 feet and a lateral distance of roughly 0.66 to 0.77 nautical miles. The ANA crew discontinued their approach and eventually landed safely on their third attempt at approximately 06:10 local time.

Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has opened a formal investigation into the incident. A critical early finding is that the TCAS unit aboard the JCAB CitationJet was inoperative at the time of the encounter, meaning the inspection aircraft crew received no simultaneous alert. Industry observers note the event reinforces a foundational lesson from the 2002 Überlingen mid-air collision: under international standards, TCAS Resolution Advisories take precedence over air traffic control instructions — a protocol the ANA crew followed precisely, averting a potential tragedy over Tokyo Bay.