Fatalities Following Collision of Japan Coast Guard & Passenger Planes

In a Tragic Incident at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, a Japan Airlines (JAL) Aircraft, Carrying 379 Individuals, Narrowly Escapes Catastrophe Following a Runway Collision with a Japan Coast Guard Plane

Tuesday's harrowing event at Haneda airport resulted in the tragic loss of five Coast Guard crew members, while all 379 occupants of the JAL plane miraculously survived. The JAL Airbus A350 was engulfed in flames following the collision, as captured in dramatic live footage by NHK.

“I felt a boom like we had hit something and jerked upward the moment we landed,” a passenger reported the incident to the Kyodo news agency. “I saw sparks outside the window and the cabin filled with gas and smoke.”

Despite the destruction of the JAL airliner, all 367 passengers and 12 crew members were successfully evacuated from the inferno.

NHK, referencing the Tokyo Fire Department, reported that at least 17 individuals aboard the JAL plane sustained injuries.

Japan's Transport Minister, Tetsuo Saito, confirmed the demise of five Coast Guard crew members, adding that the captain suffered injuries.

According to a ministry spokesperson, the collision occurred while the JAL aircraft was performing a standard landing, colliding with the Coast Guard's Dash-8, manufactured by Bombardier. The airliner had no reported mechanical issues prior to landing.

The Coast Guard revealed that their aircraft was en route to Niigata, on Japan's west coast, carrying aid for the victims of a devastating New Year's Day earthquake that claimed over 50 lives.

A JAL representative stated that the flight had clearance for landing, but communications with flight control were still under scrutiny.

A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE

Social media was awash with footage and images of the incident, depicting passengers in a smoke-filled cabin, and their subsequent escape across the runway.

Paul Hayes, director of air safety at Ascend by Cirium, a UK-based aviation consultancy, commended the cabin crew's outstanding performance. He marveled, 'The cabin crew must have done an excellent job… It was a miracle that all the passengers got off.'

Kaoru Ishii, who was waiting outside the arrival gate for her 29-year-old daughter and her boyfriend, initially thought the flight was simply delayed. However, her perspective changed when her daughter called to explain the situation.

“She said the plane had caught fire and she exited via a slide,” Ishii continued. “I was really relieved that she was alright.”

A JAL spokesperson noted that the flight originated from New Chitose airport in Hokkaido.

ONGOING INVESTIGATION AND OPERATIONAL IMPACT

Post-accident, Haneda airport temporarily halted operations, though three runways later resumed service, as stated by a transport ministry official.

ANA, a domestic rival of JAL, canceled over 100 flights from Haneda for the day.

Transport Minister Saito remarked on the unclear cause of the accident, with investigations ongoing by various authorities, including the Japan Transport Safety Board.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida emphasized that efforts were being made to prevent the accident from impacting the distribution of earthquake relief supplies.

He expressed his sorrow, stating, “This is a great regret as the crew members performed their duties with a strong sense of mission and responsibility for the victims of the disaster area,” in reference to the Coast Guard personnel who perished in the incident..

(Reported by Sakura Murakami, Maki Shiraki, Satoshi Sugiyama, Kantaro Komiya, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Kaori Kaneko; Additional reporting by Tim Hepher; Written by John Geddie, Alex Richardson, Tomasz Janowski; Edited by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Chizu Nomiyama, Jason Neely, Reuters)