All occupants, including passengers and crew, safely evacuate from Japan Airlines aircraft following an airport collision.
All 379 passengers and crew members aboard a Japan Airlines aircraft miraculously survived a fire after colliding with a Coast Guard plane at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Tuesday. Unfortunately, five out of the six crew members on the Coast Guard plane lost their lives.
The collision, involving a Coast Guard plane en route to Niigata airport on Japan’s west coast for earthquake relief efforts following a New Year’s Day earthquake that claimed at least 48 lives, was confirmed by the Coast Guard.
A passenger on the Japan Airlines flight recounted, “I felt a sudden jolt upon landing, accompanied by a loud boom. Outside the window, I witnessed sparks, and the cabin quickly filled with gas and smoke,” as reported to the Kyodo news agency
Live footage on public broadcaster NHK depicted the Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350 aircraft erupting in flames as it slid down the runway shortly before 6 p.m. (0900 GMT). Despite the fervent efforts of rescue crews to contain the fire, it eventually engulfed the aircraft. Fortunately, all 367 passengers and 12 crew members were safely evacuated.
Japan’s Transport Minister, Tetsuo Saito, confirmed the unfortunate death of five crew members from the coast guard aircraft. The plane’s captain managed to escape but sustained injuries.
NHK, citing information from the Tokyo Fire Department, reported that at least 17 of the individuals evacuated from the passenger plane suffered injuries.
During a press briefing, a transport ministry official revealed that the JAL plane was in the process of a routine landing when it collided with the coast guard’s Bombardier-built Dash-8 maritime patrol plane on the runway. There were no reported engine or other issues with the aircraft before the landing, according to the official.
Haneda, one of the primary airports serving the Japanese capital, experienced closure for several hours following the incident. However, a transport ministry official stated that three runways have now resumed operations.
JAL’s competitor, the Japanese airline ANA, had previously announced the cancellation of 110 domestic flights scheduled to depart from or arrive at Haneda for the remainder of Tuesday due to the runway shutdown.
Transport Minister Saito noted that the cause of the accident remains unclear, and investigations by the Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB), police, and other relevant departments will continue.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reassured that efforts were underway to ensure that the incident at Haneda would not disrupt the delivery of earthquake relief supplies.
