The Tokyo District Court on Monday ordered Thai Airways International to pay 34.5 million yen to the family of a Japanese victim of a 1992 crash in Nepal that killed 113 people.
The suit was filed by 52-year-old company executive Masanobu Ito of Nagoya. He is demanding about 100 million yen over the death of his 17-year-old son, Satoaki, who was on a trip to Nepal.
Presiding Judge Koji Iwata ruled the crash was due to a fundamental mistake on the part of the pilots and said the airline was liable.
Iwata said the direct cause of the accident was a mistake by the pilots on the direction of the plane's nose during landing, accepting the plaintiff's claims.
The airline has admitted its liability for the crash without touching on whether or not there was negligence on its side.
The Japanese branch of the airline declined to comment on the ruling.
The Airbus A310 bound for Katmandu from Bangkok crashed in a mountainous area near Katmandu airport July 31, 1992, claiming the lives of all on board, including 21 Japanese nationals.
Thirty-one family members of the Japanese victims filed a 4.3 billion yen damages suit against the airline. All except Ito reached an out-of-court settlement in December 1998.