=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2005/04/30/internatio= nal/i082820D07.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday, April 30, 2005 (AP) Jet Ordered to Land on Closed Runway (04-30) 08:28 PDT TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- A passenger jet was ordered to land on a runway closed for repairs at Tokyo's domestic airport, and officials on Saturday blamed the mishap on air traffic controllers. Japan Airlines flight 1158 from Obihiro, northern Japan, landed on the runway at Haneda Airport minutes after it was closed for construction Friday night, said Kenichi Kohashiguchi, an official at the Transport Ministry's accident investigation commission. A second plane was headed for the same runway several minutes later, but was ordered to change its approach at the last minute, Kohashiguchi said. Both flights landed safely and no injuries were reported, he said. The error occurred because air traffic controllers forgot the runway had been closed, a Transport Ministry official told a news conference later Saturday. Nearly 20 air controllers were on duty at the time and none of them noticed, he said. "We found out that all the duty controllers had forgotten the runway closure," ministry official Yoshinori Furukawa told the televised news conference. "We apologize for the trouble that has caused everyone to worry." The runway, one of three at the airport, is closed three nights a week f= or construction work from through October. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2005 AP