5 killed in Japan plane collision, experts say ‘too early to pinpoint cause’
Five people were killed after a large passenger plane and a Japanese Coast Guard aircraft collided on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday and burst into flames. The fatalities were among those on the Coast Guard plane. Meanwhile, all 79 people on Japan Airlines flight JAL-516 got out safely before the Airbus A350 fully engulfed in flames. The coast guard aircraft was preparing to take off to deliver aid to an area affected by a major earthquake in the country on Monday.
JAL operates 16 of the A350-900 version aircraft, according to its website. It recently announced details of 13 of the newer A350-1000 variant it plans to bring into service, saying it will become “the airline’s new flagship for international service after nearly 20 years.” The first of those planes arrived a few weeks ago, slated for the Haneda-New York JFK route.
JAPAN PLANE FIRE: ALL WHAT HAPPENED
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A collision between the Japan Airlines (JAL) plane and Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda airport killed five of the six crew on the smaller aircraft on Tuesday, while all 379 people aboard the JAL plane escaped the fire. Videos widely shared on the internet showed the JAL Airbus A350 9201.T, AIR.PAairliner burst into flames as it skidded down the tarmac shortly before 6 pm (0900 GMT).
Fourteen people on the passenger plane were injured, according to Japan Airlines, but none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening. The fire was not extinguished until shortly after midnight, after burning for more than six hours, news agency Reuters quoted a broadcaster TBS report.
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Another video, shot by some of the passengers from inside the plane, showed chaos as smoke filled the plane’s cabin. Passengers were seen running across the tarmac after escaping via an evacuation slide.
The crash is the first significant accident involving the Airbus A350, Europe’s premier twin-engined long-haul jet, in service since 2015. According to preliminary 2023 data, the collision of the Coast Guard plane with a two-year-old jetliner three times its length follows one of the safest years in aviation.
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Following the incident, Japanese investigators are preparing to probe the collision of two airplanes at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, weeks after the global airline industry heard fresh warnings about runway safety. According to Reuters, people familiar with the investigation said the Japan Safety Transport Board (JTSB) would lead the probe with participation from agencies in France, where the airplane was built, and Britain, where its two Rolls-Royce engines were manufactured.
Experts have cautioned it is too early to pinpoint a cause and stress. Most accidents are caused by a cocktail of factors. However, investigators are widely expected to explore what instructions were given by controllers to the two aircraft, alongside a detailed examination of plane and airport systems.
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JAL Managing Executive Officer Tadayuki Tsutsumi told a news conference late Tuesday that the A350 was making a “normal entry and landing” on the runway, without specifying how it collided with the coast guard plane. Noriyuki Aoki, also a managing executive officer at JAL, said the airline maintains that the flight had received permission to land from aviation officials.
Coast guard spokesperson Yoshinori Yanagishima said its Bombardier Dash-8 plane, which is based at Haneda, had been due to head to Niigata to deliver relief goods to residents affected by a deadly earthquake in the region on Monday. The turboprop Dash-8 is widely used on short-haul and commuter flights.
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Based on interviews with the flight crew, the airline said the crew acknowledged landing clearance from air traffic control, repeated it back to confirm and then conducted approach and landing operations, Reuters reported.
“There were no issues with the aircraft at the time of departure from the New Chitose Airport and during the flight,” the airline told the agency. Meanwhile, Haneda, one of the two main airports serving the Japanese capital Tokyo, was closed for several hours following the accident, but the transport ministry official said three runways had since resumed operations.
