In a harrowing incident at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Tuesday, all 379 passengers and crew aboard a Japan Airlines plane miraculously escaped unharmed from a fiery situation after colliding with a Coast Guard aircraft. Unfortunately, five out of the six crew members on the Coast Guard plane lost their lives.
The Coast Guard reported that the collision involved one of its planes en route to Niigata airport on Japan‘s west coast to deliver aid in the aftermath of a powerful New Year’s Day earthquake, which claimed the lives of at least 48 people.
Passengers on the Japan Airlines flight recounted the terrifying moment of impact. “I felt a boom like we had hit something and jerked upward the moment we landed,” said one passenger to Kyodo News Agency. “I saw sparks outside the window and the cabin filled with gas and smoke.”
Live footage on NHK depicted the Japan Airlines Airbus A350 bursting into flames as it skidded down the runway shortly before 6 p.m. (0900 GMT). Despite frantic efforts by rescue crews, the aircraft was eventually overwhelmed by the blaze, but not before successfully evacuating all 367 passengers and 12 crew members.
Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed the tragic loss of five crew members from the coast guard aircraft, with the captain managing to escape but sustaining injuries. NHK, citing the Tokyo Fire Department, reported at least 17 injuries among the evacuated passengers.
During a press briefing, a transport ministry official revealed that the JAL plane was attempting a normal 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 problems on the aircraft before the incident.
Eyewitness footage and images shared on social media captured the chaos inside the smoke-filled cabin, with passengers shouting and later running across the tarmac away from evacuation slides. Passengers were seen evacuating calmly without hand luggage, a practice commended by aviation experts.
“The cabin crew must have done an excellent job. There don’t seem to be any carry-ons. It was a miracle that all the passengers got off,” remarked Paul Hayes, director of air safety at UK-based aviation consultancy Ascend by Cirium.
Despite the terrifying ordeal, many passengers managed to escape unharmed. Kaoru Ishii, a mother awaiting her daughter and her boyfriend at the arrival gate, expressed relief after her daughter called to explain the situation. “She said the plane had caught fire, and she exited via a slide. I was really relieved that she was alright,” said Ishii.
A spokesperson from Japan Airlines confirmed that the aircraft had departed from New Chitose airport on the northern island of Hokkaido.
Japanese investigators on Wednesday commenced their examination of the collision at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport involving a coast guard plane and a passenger jet, which tragically resulted in the loss of five lives. Miraculously, almost 400 others narrowly escaped a raging inferno.
